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Full-Text Articles in Education

Educating Critically : Challenging The Familiar Contours Of Literacy Teacher Education., Bianca Nightengale-Lee Dec 2017

Educating Critically : Challenging The Familiar Contours Of Literacy Teacher Education., Bianca Nightengale-Lee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The shifting cultural ecologies of U.S. classrooms emphasize acknowledging difference, accepting diversity, and sustaining both cultural and linguistic plurality (Banks & Banks, 2009; hooks, 1994; Paris 2014). Teacher education programs play an integral role in preparing Pre-Service Teachers (PSTs) with skills, knowledge, and dispositions necessitated by a growing Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) student population (Cruz, Ellerbrock, Vasquez & Howes, 2014). To enact equitable teaching practices reflective of 21st century students, PSTs need to demonstrate a level of cultural awareness that acknowledges the racially, socially, and politically charged societal structures that shape education for CLD students (Hall & Carlson, 2016). …


The Feelings We Harbor - The Role Of Collage In Arousing Powerful Emotions In An Esl Classroom., Irina V. Mcgrath Dec 2017

The Feelings We Harbor - The Role Of Collage In Arousing Powerful Emotions In An Esl Classroom., Irina V. Mcgrath

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Traditional literacy education in the U.S. relies exclusively on language-based models. This can be particularly challenging for English language learners, who often find themselves bound by the constraints of the English language and limited in their expressions of thought and emotion. Current research on English language teaching, largely targeted towards native English-speaking students, suggests that incorporating various alternate modes of communication and representation improves literacy learning. Studies that address English language learning for non-native speakers are sparse. The purpose of this arts-based, qualitative, descriptive study is to fill this gap in the literature. Using collage making as a communicative mode, …


"It Teaches Them To Have A Conversation In The Real World" : An Analysis Of How Identity Performances Shape Classroom Discussions., Ashley Lauren Shelton Arnold Dec 2017

"It Teaches Them To Have A Conversation In The Real World" : An Analysis Of How Identity Performances Shape Classroom Discussions., Ashley Lauren Shelton Arnold

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although discussion has long played a role in classroom learning, recent focus on moving discussion away from the evaluative and toward the dialogic is key to understanding how discussion can be driven by multiple, shared understandings. Adopting a sociocultural perspective, this dissertation explores the ways in which identity performances shape one teacher and his students’ participation in classroom discussions. The theoretical framework guiding this study draws on the relationship between discourse and identities construction, with further attention given to improvisations of identities, figured worlds, and the ways in which power shapes discourse. This dissertation argues that performed identities shape the …


Former Students Discuss Middle School Science Journalism : A Qualitative Study Of Personally Meaningful Disciplinary Writing., Marsha R. Buerger Aug 2017

Former Students Discuss Middle School Science Journalism : A Qualitative Study Of Personally Meaningful Disciplinary Writing., Marsha R. Buerger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative research study explores the experiences of six middle school students with science news writing (SciJourn) after they have transitioned to high school. The qualitative method of case study was used with the data analyzed through the method of constructivist grounded theory. SciJourn is a disciplinary approach to science literacy that allows students to choose and research their own topic, interact with experts in the field, construct their own knowledge, and have the opportunity to publish in an on-line science newspaper (Scijourner.org). Theoretically, this research draws on science as social practice where literacy learning is cognitively complex, is situated …


Instructional Teacher Job Resources And Student Achievement In Mathematics., Amy Stokes-Levine May 2017

Instructional Teacher Job Resources And Student Achievement In Mathematics., Amy Stokes-Levine

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research shows that teachers who are supported with job resources are more engaged regardless of the level of demands (Klusmann et al., 2008). Additionally, teachers who are engaged with their work are less likely to report their intention to leave the teaching profession (Klassen et al., 2012), which is particularly important for mathematics teachers who are in high demand (Sutcher, Darling-Hammond, & Carver-Thomas, 2016). Supporting employees with job resources is a commonly accepted practice in many professional fields (e.g., Christian, Garza, & Slaughter, 2011), yet is not a common practice in education (e.g., Bidwell, 2013; Gewertz, 2014; Layton, 2015; Rentner …


The Role Of The Planetarium In Students' Attitudes, Learning, And Thinking About Astronomical Concepts., William Raymond Thornburgh May 2017

The Role Of The Planetarium In Students' Attitudes, Learning, And Thinking About Astronomical Concepts., William Raymond Thornburgh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of the planetarium on students while learning astronomy. The main goals of this study were to evaluate changes in students’ attitudes towards astronomy, whether students learned and retained more knowledge due to planetarium-enriched instruction, and how the planetarium helped students think about astronomical concepts. The framework that guided this study was the Contextual Model of Learning (CML) (Falk & Dierking, 1992; 2000), which includes three overlapping contexts that contribute to the overall learning experience in informal science venues - the personal, physical, and sociocultural contexts. The planetarium program was successful …


A Curriculum Of Civic Responsibility : Transitioning Black American Students To College-Level Writing., Jamila M. Kareem May 2017

A Curriculum Of Civic Responsibility : Transitioning Black American Students To College-Level Writing., Jamila M. Kareem

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation considers how racialized differences educational experience transition with Black students as they perform the expectations of college writing curriculum. I address the question: in what ways can a first-year writing curriculum centered on civic responsibility aid in smoother transitions from secondary to postsecondary academic writing for Black students at predominantly White institutions? My study applies racial and critical race methodologies framed within the tenets of critical race theory, institutional whiteness, and the absent presence of race in composition studies. I apply the methodologies in three key ways: analyzing transition practices through racialized perspectives; evaluating general education writing curriculum …