Education Commons^™

What Does It Mean To Be Coherent? Mathematics And Science Teachers Consider Coherency In Curriculum Decision Making, Mona Baniahmadi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study investigates teacher and administrator perceptions of what it means for a curriculum to be coherent, strategies they have for establishing coherence of the diverse curricular resources available, and the difficulties teachers may face in understanding coherence and implementing potentially coherent curricula. This study uses the Danielson Model of Effective Teaching and the Tripartite Model of Curriculum as frameworks to examine the ways coherence is understood and implemented in the classroom. The study collected open-ended survey, focus groups, and individual interview data from 12 participants who identify as administrators, mathematics teachers, and science teachers in secondary grades at …

In-Service Teachers' Ability To Integrate Instructional Technology Into Lessons Based On Samr Level Outcomes And Their Perceived Ease Of Use, Perceived Usefulness, And Self-Efficacy, Jordan L. Cotten

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine in-service teachers’ ability to integrate instructional technology into their lesson plans. The Technology Acceptance Model 2 (TAM 2) survey was used to measure self-reported perceived ability of technology integration. Teacher self-efficacy, computer self-efficacy, and self-efficacy towards technology integration questions will be used to measure self-reported self-efficacy levels. The Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition (SAMR) model was used to determine the level of integration in-service teachers actually incorporated. Participants (n = 131) were teachers from a suburban public K-12 school district in the northeastern region of the United States. Results showed that participants …

Meeting Myself As A Scholarly Practitioner: A Self-Study Exploring The Process Of Integrating Instructional Technology Into Introductory Theater Courses, Ramona Broomer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

A growing number of faculty in higher education are using technology applications in their teaching practices. However, a gap in the literature exists related to instructional technology integration in liberal arts courses. This gap also exists in theater education, where I have spent the last 20 years of my professional life. This self-study analyzed my knowledge and practice of using instructional technology in theater education. Using technological and pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) as a theoretical framework, I examined my teaching of introductory theater courses in face-to-face and online formats. As part of the inquiry process, I collected and analyzed …

Analysis Of The Hiring Process To Ensure That The Best Teacher Candidate Is Selected For A Small Southwestern Pennsylvania School District, Barbara Pagan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine teacher selection through a survey of the top 100 elementary schools in Pennsylvania and analyzing commercially produced screening tools. In order to hire the most effective teachers, districts must pay attention to the characteristics they desire in a teacher and ensure that their measures are aligned with those qualities (Little, Goe, & Bell, 2009). This dissertation examines the teacher hiring practices in Brentwood Borough School District in Pennsylvania, in hopes of improving the current hiring process. The researcher developed two research questions to guide the study. The principal researcher used a combination …

Quality In All Levels: A Model Defining And Measuring Quality In Bioethics Education, Ercan Avci

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Due to the lack of academic studies in the quality assessment of bioethics education, this dissertation aimed to propose a normative model, Quality in All Levels (QAL), to define and measure quality in bioethics education. The QAL model described quality in bioethics education as conformance to the goals and determined these goals as (1) increasing ethical knowledge, (2) improving ethical skills to strengthen ethical sensitivity, awareness, and judgment, (3) developing ethicalbehavior, and (4) promoting cultural competence. The dissertation utilized Avedis Donabedian’s three approaches: structure, process, and outcome to formulate quality standards and indicators in bioethics education. In respect of …

The Impact Of 1:1 Technology Initiatives On Lesson Planning, Michael Amick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Districts across the country are quickly moving toward a 1:1 student to laptop ratio. Where computer labs or carts were once the norm, many districts are now purchasing all students a laptop to start the year. This movement is occurring at a rapid pace, despite a growing body of research that shows that increased technology does not automatically lead to achievement gains. The teacher plays a vital role in student outcomes, with or without technology. In particular, the manner in which teachers plan lessons is significant to classroom outcomes. This is evident in that the Charlotte Danielson Framework for Teaching …

Effects Of A Green Chemistry Laboratory Design On First- Semester General Chemistry Students' Transformative Experiences In Chemistry, Lurea Joan Doody

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand if a green chemistry laboratory design facilitated students’ transformative experiences in a first-semester general chemistry course for science majors. The study population consisted of 18 college students enrolled in the course at a small, rural, mid-Atlantic university. Traditional chemistry laboratories were replaced with three signature green chemistry laboratories over a period of 6-weeks at the end of the spring semester. Impact data were collected pre- and post, of the three labs using the Transformative Experience Questionnaire (TEQ) surveys. Open ended guided reflection questions were coded for elements of transformative experience (TE): expansion …