Education Commons^™

A Multiple-Cutoff Regression-Discontinuity Analysis Of The Effects Of Tier 2 Reading Interventions In A Title I Elementary School, Eli A. Jones

Theses and Dissertations

Reading failure in elementary school is highly correlated with future academic and social problems. Schools commonly use Tier 2 reading interventions in Response to Intervention (RtI) frameworks to help close the gap between at-risk readers and their peers who read on grade-level. This dissertation presents the findings of a quasi-experimental research study of the effects of three Tier 2 reading interventions in an urban Title I elementary school's RtI framework. A regression discontinuity design (RDD) with two cutoff points was used to assign 320 students in grades 1-6 to two types of Tier 2 reading interventions administered by paraeducators: direct …

Effect Of Education Tablet Applications On Beginning Reading Skills Of Students With Autism, Jillian Ratliff

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the effect of tablet computer applications and the reading skills of students with autism. Two subjects diagnosed with autism selected by using a convenient sampling method participated in this study. A single subject ABA design was used for collecting data regarding phonemic identification, letter identification, letter discrimination, ap.d sight word identification. Following the collection of baseline data, interventions in the form of different iPad applications were used in individual tutoring sessions and data were collected on the percent of correct responses given per trial. At the completion of a …

Technology-Assisted Formative Assessment And Its Impact On Instructional Decision Making: A Mixed Methods Collective Case Study Of Study Island In The Middle Grades, Kelly Cameron Taylor

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this mixed methods collective case study was to determine the use of formative assessment data generated by the web-based program Study Island in the planning and implementation of instruction. The study utilized quantitative data collected through teacher surveys then triangulated qualitative teacher focus group and individual teacher interview data in order to establish statistical themes for narrative analysis. The research focused on data generated by the Study Island program at three rural middle schools, Grades 6 through 8, located in the western region of North Carolina.

The need for data to help teachers determine the next steps …

Research And Practice In K-12 Online Learning: A Review Of Open Access Literature, Cathy S. Cavanaugh, Michael K. Barbour, Tom Clark

Education Faculty Publications

The literature related to online learning programs for K-12 students dates to the mid-1990s and builds upon a century of research and practice from K-12 distance education. While K-12 online learning programs have evolved and grown over the past decade, the amount of published research on virtual schooling practice and policy is limited. The current literature includes practitioner reports and experimental and quasi-experimental studies, both published and unpublished. This paper reviews open access literature in K-12 online learning and reports on a structured content analysis of the documents. Themes in the literature include steady growth and a focus on the …

Secondary Students' Perceptions Of Web-Based Learning, Michael K. Barbour

Education Faculty Publications

This article presents the results of a survey study of secondary students' perceptions of useful and challenging characteristics of Web-based learning environments. Data were collected using a modified version of a questionnaire from earlier studies. More specifically, the author focuses on what Web-based learning looks like for secondary students, along with their perceptions of the benefits, challenges, and helpful components of Web-based learning environments. As this study utilized similar instruments to earlier studies that looked at the perceptions of postsecondary students and corporate Web-based trainees, comparisons will be made between the secondary students in this study and the populations in …

Association Of Course Performance With Student Beliefs: An Analysis By Gender And Instructional Software Environment, J. Richard Alldredge, Gary R. Brown

Office of Academic Innovation Publications

The effect of educational technologies on learning is an area of active interest. We conducted an experiment to compare the impact of instructional software on student performance. We hypothesize that some of the impact on student performance may reflect the influence of the technology on student subject-related beliefs and that those beliefs may differ by gender. We desired to assess how course performance may be associated with student beliefs, and how the association may differ depending on instructional software environment and gender.

The Association Between The Use Of Accelerated Math And Students' Math Achievement., James Atkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between time spent on a computer managed integrated learning system entitled Accelerated Math and traditional mathematics instruction on achievement as measured by standardized achievement tests of elementary school students. The variables of ability level, special education, grade, socioeconomic status, gender, classroom teacher, school attended, and degree of implementation were also considered. The population consisted of 542 students who were sixth, seventh, and eighth graders during the 2003-2004 school year and took the TerraNova each year. Data were gathered that covered the three-year period beginning in 2001 and ending in 2004. …

An Investigation Of The Impact Of Integrated Learning System Use On Mathematics Achievement Of Elementary Students., Vicki Carpenter Kirk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between time spent on an integrated learning system (ILS) entitled, SuccessMaker^®, as a supplement to traditional mathematics instruction on achievement as measured by standardized achievement tests of elementary students. The variables of grade-level, ability level, and gender were also considered. The population consisted of students who were second-, third-, and fourth-graders during the 1997-98 school year. Data were gathered that covered the three-year period beginning in 1997 and ending in 2000. The final sample consisted of 348 students who participated in Computer Curriculum Corporation^© mathematics instruction and …

Teaching Online: Now We're Talking, Gary R. Brown, Lisa Johnson-Shull

Office of Academic Innovation Publications

A critical review of current literature related to online learning and teaching, with particular focus on the strengths and weaknesses of academic research into the topic.

The Difference Frenzy And Matching Buckshot With Buckshot, Gary R. Brown, Mary Wack

Office of Academic Innovation Publications

A critical review of "The Difference Frenzy," a review of research on the effectiveness of distance learning in higher education from the Institute for Higher Education Policy.

An Evaluation Of Digital Chisel 3.0 As A Multimedia Authoring Tool In A Year Seven Classroom, Robert Richardson

Theses : Honours

Most commercial interactive multimedia authoring packages are designed to be used by teachers and trainers to build commercial training or classroom teaching applications (Handler, Dana, Peters & Moor, 1995; Magel, 1997). The evolution of interactive multimedia technologies however, has made it possible for students to become actively involved in creating their own interactive multimedia projects, and in so doing, gain considerable learning benefit (Lehrer 1993). Facilitating this in the classroom and particularly at the Year Seven level, requires the use of a cost-effective, purpose-built authoring tool. Digital Chisel 3.0 (DC3), was developed by Pierian Spring Software (1997), as just such …

Effects Of Computer Assisted Instruction And Pclogo Programs On Math Performance Of Seventh And Eighth Grade Students With Learning Disabilities, Katherine R. Sweeny

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of computer assisted instruction and Logo programming on the math performance of seventh and eighth grade students with learning disabilities. The sample included thirty (N=30) subjects with learning disabilities. The computer programs used were Deluxe Math Munchers and LOGO for Windows. A three group pretest-posttest experimental design was used to determine if a relationship existed between the three different methods of instruction and achievement, and whether or not a significant difference existed in performance based on grade levels. The 30 subjects were randomly assigned to one of three groups, two …

Makitab System Of Small Group Learning Interaction Analysis : A Manual For Researchers And Coders, Leonard King, Kevin Barry, Carmel Maloney, Collette Tayler

Research outputs pre 2011

The MAKITAB system of small-group learning interaction analysis has been developed over a 4 year period. When data were gathered late in 1989 on the verbal interaction of Grade 5 students participating in small-group cooperative learning, we were faced with the problem of having to develop an appropriate analysis system. An initial system was created using inductive approaches. Following further data gathering across other grade levels and subject areas, the system has undergone successive refinements. The final instrument, as presented in this manual, has reached a state of consistency that enables coding of most verbal eventualities as they occur in …

An Analysis Of Errors Made Both On Computer Administered Tests And Paper And Pencil Tests And A Comparison Between Them, Gary Fullarton

Theses : Honours

Sound assessment is essential in mathematics education. Computer Administered Testing is one measuring device being researched for the assessment of mathematics. A concern with the advent of Computer Administered Testing is the possibility that the mode of testing influences how students perform on tests (Bugbee & Bernt 1990; Ring 1993). This study applied Newman Error Analysis Interviews to investigate if first year Bachelor of Arts Primary Education students exhibit different error patterns for mathematics test items in a Computer Administered System compared with those in an equivalent Paper and Pencil Test. The implementation of the Computer Administered Test did not …