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An Examination Of The Issues Of Non-String Teachers Teaching Strings, Melissa May Newbrey
An Examination Of The Issues Of Non-String Teachers Teaching Strings, Melissa May Newbrey
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
The purpose of this study was to examine the training of non-string teachers who teach strings in Nevada secondary schools, as well as their approach to first-year string teaching issues. Sixty current string and non-string teachers across Nevada voluntarily responded to the survey portion of this study. Two non-string teachers teaching strings in Nevada and two string professors were chosen for the interview portion of this study. Results found that fewer non-string teachers were required to take string methods class than string teachers. Fewer non-string teachers compared to string teachers thought their string methods class was applicable to their first …
A Comparison Of Social Skills Training Approaches On Preschool Teacher And Child Behaviors, Keith J Hyatt
A Comparison Of Social Skills Training Approaches On Preschool Teacher And Child Behaviors, Keith J Hyatt
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
The first purpose of this study was to determine whether instruction to teachers resulted in differences in their performance. The second purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of two social skill training methods, a proactive approach and a reactive approach, on increasing the "positive initiations" and/or "positive responses" of preschool children toward their peers during small group art activities. The proactive approach consisted of the teacher providing children with 5 minutes of instruction in specific social skills prior to the art activities, while the reactive approach consisted of the teacher providing verbal praise for "positive initiations" and …
The Relationship Between Organizational Climate And Job Satisfaction Of Selected Urban Middle School Teachers In The Clark County School District, Ouida Mildred Brown
The Relationship Between Organizational Climate And Job Satisfaction Of Selected Urban Middle School Teachers In The Clark County School District, Ouida Mildred Brown
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between organizational climate and job satisfaction in the Clark County School District (Las Vegas, Nevada); The data were collected from teachers randomly selected from urban middle schools in this district. There were 19 schools involved in the study, with 15 teachers selected from each school to respond to two instruments. The Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire---Revised Secondary (OCDQ-RS) and the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) were sent to 285 teachers, of which 197 were returned (70%). Demographic data were also collected from each of the respondents; There was a significant relationship found …
The Nature Of Epistemic Climates In Elementary Classrooms, Florian C Feucht
The Nature Of Epistemic Climates In Elementary Classrooms, Florian C Feucht
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
This study explored the nature of three epistemic climates in a fourth-grade classroom (i.e., a science and a reading lesson) and a sixth-grade classroom (i.e., a reading lesson). An epistemic climate is defined as the nature of knowledge and knowing emerging from the personal epistemologies of: (1) students, and (2) teachers, as well as from the epistemological underpinnings of (3) knowledge representations (e.g., curricula and textbooks), (4) instruction, and (5) their reciprocal relations. An epistemic climate is unique to individual classrooms and subject to change. A variety of qualitative methods were applied to tap the five data points of each …
A Multi -Case Study Of Teacher Retention With Veteran Teachers In Hard To Staff Schools, Jacqueline Lissette Garcia
A Multi -Case Study Of Teacher Retention With Veteran Teachers In Hard To Staff Schools, Jacqueline Lissette Garcia
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
Over 40 percent of teachers leave the profession within the first five years (Darling-Hammond, 2003; Berry, 2004), and turnover is higher in schools characterized as hard to staff (Ingersoll, 2001). Hard to staff schools often have higher attrition rates, and also have a higher percentage of under qualified teachers (Berry, 2004). The need to retain highly qualified teachers in teaching positions in hard to staff schools is critical because teachers are less likely to continue to teach in schools characterized as such. A multi-case study design was employed to investigate four teachers who have taught in hard to staff schools …
Mentoring Novice Elementary Teachers In Science Teaching, Mary Sowder
Mentoring Novice Elementary Teachers In Science Teaching, Mary Sowder
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
This dissertation explored how novice elementary teachers learn to teach science, how their preparation for teaching affects their classroom practice and their students' learning, and how they may be mentored toward more reform-based science practice. The instructional practices of four novice elementary teachers, two from traditional and two from alternative preparation programs, were studied as they worked with mentor teachers toward building pedagogical content knowledge for reform-based instruction in science. Data collected from interviews of novice and mentor teachers, from classroom observations of science lessons, from observations of mentor-novice conferences, and from student work were analyzed to discover patterns of …
Competency-Based Testing In Nevada: Perceptions Of Legislators, School District Superintendents, Local School Board Presidents And Third Grade Teachers, Nicholas J Horn
Competency-Based Testing In Nevada: Perceptions Of Legislators, School District Superintendents, Local School Board Presidents And Third Grade Teachers, Nicholas J Horn
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
Purpose. The purpose of the study was to survey the opinions of four selected populations in Nevada in order to examine the aftermath of the 1977 Nevada Legislative action Assembly Bill 400 (AB400) which mandated competency based testing. The study's purpose is to see if the competency based t.
Preservice Teachers' Understanding Of *Evolution, The Nature Of Science, And Situations Of Chance, Louis Scott Nadelson
Preservice Teachers' Understanding Of *Evolution, The Nature Of Science, And Situations Of Chance, Louis Scott Nadelson
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
The learning and teaching of biological evolution, the nature of science and situations of chance is conceptually challenging. Attempts to increase understanding in these domains has resulted in limited occurrences of success, and the identification of many related misconceptions. The alternative conceptions have been detected in teachers as well as students, which reflects the complexity of learning the content. Teachers' understanding of these concepts is critical to assuring they do not perpetuate misconceptions by teaching them to their students. The consistent detection of misconceptions in teachers suggests that new approaches to increasing understanding of these concepts need to be explored. …
Finding The Other In Mother: Queering Social Scripts For Mothers And Teachers, Laura A Bower
Finding The Other In Mother: Queering Social Scripts For Mothers And Teachers, Laura A Bower
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
This qualitative study examined social scripts for mothers and teachers through the lens of queer theory. It employed the constructs of normal and deviant as a method for destabilizing these scripts as part of a larger project of promoting social justice around sexual difference. Participants consisted of eight lesbian mothers with school aged children; five women whose roles included mother, educator, and lesbian; and ten public school teachers. Data sources included one focus group interview with lesbian mothers and two focus group interviews with teachers, follow-up interviews with seven teachers and seven mothers, and two individual interviews with each mother/educator/lesbian. …
German Mathematics Teachers' Subject Content And Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Teresa A Leavitt
German Mathematics Teachers' Subject Content And Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Teresa A Leavitt
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
How required teacher knowledge is obtained is debated in today's educational context. This dichotomy in acquisition of teacher knowledge between university training including content and pedagogy versus classroom experiences combined with strong subject background has become particularly important as the U.S. seeks to find key components to increase student achievement and to improve education. International comparisons indicating the U.S. consistently lags behind top-performing countries have spurred such efforts; Review of existing literature exposed differences in what is considered necessary knowledge for effective teaching, and where such knowledge can be developed. Types of knowledge and where such knowledge is acquired are …
Effects Of Selective Attention On Preschool Teacher And Child Behavior, Keri Leigh Altig
Effects Of Selective Attention On Preschool Teacher And Child Behavior, Keri Leigh Altig
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
Teachers of preschool-aged children influence the development of preschool-aged children. As more children are enrolled in preschool centers, teachers of preschool-aged children need to be equipped with many strategies to encourage child development. One way teachers can encourage child development is to provide activities and structure so the child will engage with the environment; This study examined the effects of training teachers of preschool-aged children to use selective attention and how training effected child engagement during circle time activities. Two classrooms in each of two preschool centers were selected. Teachers were trained on how to use the selective attention approach …
Exploring The Relationship Between Teachers' Beliefs In Mathematics And Their Instructional Practice, Michelle Vander Veldt
Exploring The Relationship Between Teachers' Beliefs In Mathematics And Their Instructional Practice, Michelle Vander Veldt
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
This study explored the relationship between teachers' beliefs about mathematics and their instructional practices. The personal epistemology of the case study elementary mathematics teachers was documented and analyzed to provide evidence of the connection between teachers' beliefs and practice in an elementary school setting; This study was grounded in a theoretical framework of epistemological world views, particularly the comparison of belief across three epistemological world views: (1) the realist, (2) the contextualist, and (3) the relativist. Three areas of beliefs are addressed in this study: (1) beliefs about curriculum, (2) beliefs about pedagogy, and (3) beliefs about assessment. Through analysis …
The Effects Of Perceived Teacher Empowerment On Student Achievement, Florence Barker Aitken
The Effects Of Perceived Teacher Empowerment On Student Achievement, Florence Barker Aitken
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived levels of teacher empowerment in schools showing an increase of student outcomes as well as a decrease of student outcomes on standardized proficiency tests in reading/language arts and mathematics over a three-year period. The relationship between the levels of teachers' perceived empowerment to student achievement was studied as well as specific dimensions of teacher empowerment connected to student outcomes. The instrumentation used in this study was the School Participant Empowerment Scale (SPES) that was developed by researchers Short and Rinehart (1992) and contained six theoretical dimensions of teacher empowerment: (a) …
The Use Of Formative Evaluation With Online Courses By Teachers At The Secondary Level, David Alvin Garner
The Use Of Formative Evaluation With Online Courses By Teachers At The Secondary Level, David Alvin Garner
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
This case study investigated the use of formative evaluation by three teachers who designed and delivered online courses at the secondary level. Formative evaluation involves collecting data that could be used to improve the effectiveness of the design and delivery of a course. Teachers were observed teaching the courses they designed for one quarter and then were given a workshop introducing them to formative evaluation techniques. They were observed for another quarter to determine if their delivery or design practices changed. Additional data were collected through interviews and through the analysis of course-related artifacts that included emails, journal entries by …
Comparing Preservice Teachers' Special Education Knowledge And Attitudes Toward The Placement Of Students With Disabilities, Ronald Tamura
Comparing Preservice Teachers' Special Education Knowledge And Attitudes Toward The Placement Of Students With Disabilities, Ronald Tamura
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
The purposes of this study were: (a) to compare general and special education preservice teachers' attitudes regarding educational placements for students with disabilities, (b) to determine whether these attitudes are disability specific and, (c) to determine whether change in knowledge has an effect on attitude toward placement over the course of a semester while enrolled in introductory classes about students with disabilities. Two groups of respondents comprised of general education and special education preservice teachers participated in this study. A pretest and posttest format was used to gather information. Specifically, data were collected using the Preservice Teacher Service Delivery Survey …
Teacher Exploration Of Instructional Strategies To Promote Algebraic Thinking, Cynthia Ann Hernon
Teacher Exploration Of Instructional Strategies To Promote Algebraic Thinking, Cynthia Ann Hernon
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
The research study investigates the influence of teacher participation in a graduate course fostering the development of algebraic thinking for K--8 students on teacher understanding of the nature of algebraic thinking and on the incorporation of the teaching of algebraic thinking, guided by student discourse, into practice. The traditional high school algebra courses, with high failure rates, are not meeting the challenge of teaching algebra to every student. Thus, mathematics educators and researchers have proposed that problems in the teaching and learning of algebra be addressed before the middle school years by integrating the development of algebraic thinking and reasoning …
Secondary English Language Arts Teachers' Perceptions And Implementation Of Change Policy, Denise De Vito
Secondary English Language Arts Teachers' Perceptions And Implementation Of Change Policy, Denise De Vito
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
Research regarding educational reform in the United States has examined change in public schools, including changes in the role of the teacher. Secondary teachers have been studied regarding school leadership, work atmosphere, and resource availability, but research specific to secondary English Language Arts teachers' perceptions of how policy implementation affects them in their day to day practice is lacKing Factors of change and the effects on teachers' attitudes reflect how teachers as participants of change cope with change reform; This qualitative research study sought a descriptive understanding of practicing secondary English Language Arts teachers and their perceptions regarding the scope …
Distance Education: An Exploration Of Alternative Methods And Types Of Instructional Media In Teacher Education, Ashley Ann Skylar
Distance Education: An Exploration Of Alternative Methods And Types Of Instructional Media In Teacher Education, Ashley Ann Skylar
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
Universities currently are exploring an array of instructional media to facilitate the delivery of instruction. Consensus from the studies indicates that there is no significant difference in the achievement of students who participate in traditional or online coursework. However, little research has compared traditional learning with the new multimedia online technologies that are becoming more prevalent in distance education; This study investigated the achievement, student satisfaction, and instructor course evaluations of preservice general education students who participated in three courses in which a variety of instructional media and methods were used. The media used were: (a) a traditional classroom, (b) …
Teachers' Perceptions Of Societal Factors In Teacher Education During The 1980s, Suzanne Michele Katz
Teachers' Perceptions Of Societal Factors In Teacher Education During The 1980s, Suzanne Michele Katz
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
Over the past 150 years teacher education has continually been accepted as a necessity for those charged with instructing the young, especially when paired with the common school movement. If all school-aged children were to be in classrooms it followed that teachers trained in educating students needed to be available. As school populations exploded from the mid 1800s to the early 1900s, most communities called for teachers in increasing numbers. Such is an example of the link between societal factors and the education of teachers. The political, historic, and societal foundations on which the practice of teacher education is grounded …
The Influence Of School Climate And Leadership Style On Teacher Transiency In Urban Middle Schools, Jenefer J Tirella
The Influence Of School Climate And Leadership Style On Teacher Transiency In Urban Middle Schools, Jenefer J Tirella
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
This study examined teachers' perceptions of school climate, the principal's leadership style, and their influence on teacher transiency in urban middle schools. Two surveys, the Urban School Climate Survey and the Leadership Effectiveness Adaptability Questionnaire, were distributed to four middle schools within the participating school district. Fifty-eight teachers participated in the study and returned the completed surveys. Teacher interviews were conducted with participating teachers who were willing to be interviewed. The theoretical framework for this study was based on the contingency theory (Likert, 1967; Donaldson, 2001); This study determined a significant main effect for schools. School profiles were outlined to …
Preservice Teachers' Beliefs About Classroom Management Before And After Student Teaching, Bonnie Gayle Ballard
Preservice Teachers' Beliefs About Classroom Management Before And After Student Teaching, Bonnie Gayle Ballard
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
Preservice Teachers Beliefs About Classroom Management Before and After Student Teaching describes a qualitative research study that explored student teachers' beliefs about effective classroom management before they began their student teaching and then again at the end of their internship. This study examines the differences in these student teachers' beliefs about effective management techniques after they have had actual classroom experiences with their cooperating classroom teachers; Four student teachers and their nine cooperating teachers identified their management styles through the use of two surveys. The Inventory of Classroom Management Styles (ICMS) determined responses based on a continuum of control from …
Characteristics And Profiles Of Teachers Of Severely And /Or Multiply Disabled Students, Samira Risheg
Characteristics And Profiles Of Teachers Of Severely And /Or Multiply Disabled Students, Samira Risheg
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the demographic variables and to investigate in an explanatory fashion an array of factors and variables that may well influence career decisions of teachers working with students of multiple impairments. It was specifically focused on factors that are linked with perceptions of administrative support or lack of it, commitment to special education, work related stress, emotional stress, burnout, desire to change career and commitment to Clark County School District. It specially focused on teachers of students with multiple impairments who are working in regular and special schools; Because …
The Use Of Teacher Facilitation During Computer Activities To Improve The Social Interaction Of Preschool Children In Inclusive Classrooms, Cynthia Lau
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
Social competence is a major focus in early childhood education and there is a need for effective teaching methods to increase social skills for both children with and without disabilities. Even though technology is used as a tool for teaching young children, there is limited research on the use of structured teaching coupled with assistive technology to facilitate social skill development in young children; This study investigated the impact of teacher facilitation during computer activities on the social skill development and concurrent interactions of young children. The study compared dyads comprised of children with and without disabilities who received teacher …
Instructional Differentiation In General Education And The Gifted Resource Room: Teacher And Student Perceptions, Mary Trombatore Greene
Instructional Differentiation In General Education And The Gifted Resource Room: Teacher And Student Perceptions, Mary Trombatore Greene
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
This study compared the perceptions of three groups concerning differentiated educational opportunities provided for students with gifts and talents. The perceptions of general education teachers, gifted resource room teachers, and students with gifts and talents were collected using a questionnaire that encompassed questions focused on cognitive, interpersonal, and intrapersonal skill development; Results indicated that gifted resource room teachers and general education classroom teachers perceived that they provided differentiated instruction more often in the cognitive and interpersonal domains than in the intrapersonal domain. The most frequent differentiated instructional practices used by teachers (general education and gifted resource room) were in the …
Facilitating The Process Of Knowledge Construction Among Preservice Teachers Through Computer -Mediated Communications, Jennifer Ann Peterson-Lewinson
Facilitating The Process Of Knowledge Construction Among Preservice Teachers Through Computer -Mediated Communications, Jennifer Ann Peterson-Lewinson
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
This study was concerned with the potential for asynchronous computer-mediated communications (CMC) to facilitate the process of knowledge construction among preservice teachers. Using both quantitative and qualitative research methods, this study examined the extent to which the CMC among six groups of preservice teachers was influenced by (a) the structure and focus of CMC, and (b) the interactions among peers. Of particular interest was (a) how these factors influenced the depth in cognitive processing that was displayed throughout the course of the semester, and (b) the patterns of social dialogue and interactions that were involved with the displayed levels in …
Description And Effects Of Teacher Motivation, Teacher Efficacy, And Sequential Behavior Practice In Physical Education Teacher Education (Pete), Hosung So
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
Prior to this dissertation, a valid and reliable cognitive measurement instrument was not available in the physical education teacher education (PETE) literature to analyze and evaluate teacher motivation and teacher efficacy. The first important purpose of this dissertation was, therefore, to develop and validate two such instruments to measure teacher motivation (TMT-PE) and teacher efficacy (TES). This purpose was accomplished through the implementation of various statistical methods related to the testing of reliability and validity issues when involved in constructing cognitive measurement instruments. As a second purpose of this dissertation, correlation data among teacher motivation and teacher efficacy, and teacher …
Mentoring Toward Technology Use: Cooperating Teacher Practice In Preparing Student Teachers, Karen Jane Grove
Mentoring Toward Technology Use: Cooperating Teacher Practice In Preparing Student Teachers, Karen Jane Grove
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
This study investigated the practices of cooperating teachers as they prepared student teachers to integrate technology into teaching and learning activities. Descriptive statistics and qualitative methods were used in this study; Participants included 16 cooperating teachers from grades K--12 and seven of their student teachers. The cooperating teachers attended a series of monthly full-day workshops during the semester long project. The school district and the university jointly sponsored the workshops. Seven of the cooperating teachers and their student teachers were selected for case studies; Data sources included electronic transcripts from discussion forums, transcripts of workshop discussions among the cooperating teachers, …
Pre-Service Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Attitudes About The History Of Mathematics, Kelly Marie Sullivan
Pre-Service Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Attitudes About The History Of Mathematics, Kelly Marie Sullivan
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
This study was conducted to show that using historical material to teach mathematical content to pre-service secondary mathematics teachers could improve their attitudes about incorporating the history of mathematics into the mathematics classroom. A historical module from the Mathematical Association of America was taught to an undergraduate class of pre-service secondary mathematics teachers. Their attitudes regarding the use of the history of mathematics in the mathematics classroom were then compared to the attitudes of students in another undergraduate class, taught by the same researcher, whose instruction did not incorporate history. Results from t-tests indicate that there was a positive change …
Effects Of Preservice Peer Coaching On Student Teachers In Special Education, Kit-Hung Lee
Effects Of Preservice Peer Coaching On Student Teachers In Special Education, Kit-Hung Lee
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
The purpose of this study was to investigate the implementation of a peer coaching program among Traditional and Non-Traditional student teachers and to compare their subsequent teaching behaviors and attitude toward peer coaching. The variables investigated through direct class observation were effective and ineffective teaching behaviors using the criteria of the Florida Performance Measurement System (FPMS). Attitude toward peer coaching was investigated using survey methodology; Data analysis indicated the following findings. There was a statistically significant ordinal interaction effect between the group and timing of the assessment in effective teaching behaviors after participation in peer coaching. There was neither a …
Beliefs Of Teachers And Principals Regarding Iste's 2000 Technology Standards For All Teachers, Essington R Wade
Beliefs Of Teachers And Principals Regarding Iste's 2000 Technology Standards For All Teachers, Essington R Wade
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
The purpose of this study was to ascertain if there were significant differences in the way teachers and principals articulated their beliefs about technology standards for all teachers. In comparing secondary principals to secondary teachers using the statistical instruments, it was found that the variables: secondary levels (middle and high) and positions (principal, English, math, science and social studies teachers) were not significantly different. In addition, the statistical analysis indicated that there were no significant interactions between secondary levels and educational positions. Examination of the mean values and the frequency distributions of teachers and principals revealed that the means of …