Education Commons^™

The Effect Of Remedial Education Programs On Academic Achievement And Persistence At The Two-Year Community College, Lyn Ann Batzer

Dissertations

Community colleges are open door institutions that serve students who may lack the basic skills necessary to succeed in college. The number of academically underprepared students attending community colleges has been increasing over the years. Thus, there is a corresponding need for effective remedial programs to prepare the academically underprepared students for college-level work.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of remedial education. More specifically, the study was designed to measure the performance of academically underprepared students who complete required remediation compared to academically underprepared students who do not complete remediation.

The study tested two hypotheses: …

The Home-School Connection: Parental Influences On A Child's Esl Acquisition, Catharine Jauhiainen

Dissertations and Theses

Few would dispute the tremendous impact that parents have on the intellectual, emotional, and social development of their children. An important issue in child second language acquisition is whether, or to what extent, parental attitudes and behaviors are associated with the success of language minority children in elementary ESL and mainstream classroom settings. The effects of parental educational values and expectations, and parental perception of ability to assist in the educational journey of their offspring, have been the focus of much research regarding majority language children. However, research exploring the beliefs and behaviors of language minority parents and their relationship …

Self-Esteem, Self-Determination And Behavior Outcomes: Applications For The Secondary School Context, Diane White Fish

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

Self-esteem and self-concept theories are associated with psychological and social well-being as well as specific behavioral outcomes such as academic performance. The theories represent two ideas that are part of a multitude of empirical work stemming from "self-theories" in general. Furthermore, self-esteem and self-concept elements relate in myriad ways to the literature of motivation theory, particularly self-determination theory and perceived control. This paper will begin by examining the literature of self-esteem and self-concept in order to define the constructs and examine their relationships to age and sex differences. Then, a summary of self-determination theory will be necessary in order to …

The Whole Child: The Importance Of Considering All Aspects Of A Young Child, Kristin L. Houle

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

This paper synthesizes information from several researchers and well-known educators, philosophers, and theorists in the field of early childhood education. I intend to show that all sides of a child's life, including social, emotional familial, cultural, and cognitive capabilities be taken into consideration before making any decisions regarding the education or welfare of that child. Educational and intervention strategies are discussed, and examples of developmentally appropriate practice are given. The paper ends with a guide for teachers of children ages 3-5 to use when planning a program designed to benefit the whole child.

The Impact Of Theories Of Dialogic Epistemology On Composition Theory And Pedagogy, Kandy Sue Robertson

Dissertations and Theses

Dialogic epistemological theory dramatically changes traditional concepts of composition theory and pedagogy in several ways. First, it changes our understanding of the ways in which human beings acquire knowledge. By suggesting that the cognitive environment is dialogic, a product of consensus, rather than isolated within the individual, we come to understand knowledge as a product of experience and interpretation rather than a fixed quantity waiting to be discovered.

Second, dialogic epistemology had changed our concept of the way in which classrooms are configured as well as the ways in which they function. The notion of learning through dialogue facilitates collaboration …

Effects Of The Media On Parents And Teachers In Regard To Reading Aloud To Children, Darwin Spiller

McCabe Thesis Collection

Reading aloud to children has always been a part of classroom instruction, but it has been neglected in recent years because of time constraints in the classroom due to the requirement for accountability, competency testing, and other demands on time. The media, however, point out that reading aloud to children as young as one year of age will increase vocabulary, improve listening skills, and enhance ability to comprehend. It would appear that many parents and teachers hear the message but do not take this advice seriously.

The purpose of this study is to establish whether the media has influenced the …

The Experiencing Of Democracy And Progressive Education: A Constructivist Approach To Mathematics, A Workshop For Teachers, Preminda Langer

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Chronicles the history of schooling in India, discusses the development of the constructivist classroom, and shares a series of math workshops for teachers for nursery and kindergarten classrooms in India.

Reflections On A Third Grade Social Studies Curriculum, Laura E. Gerrity

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This curriculum study is a narrative account of a teacher and the social studies curriculum she uses with her third grade class. The curriculum is divided into two main parts. One is a study of the students' culture and family history which involves interviews with the children's parents, an examination of maps and literature from those cultures, and a description of the way the students experience the study through their writings, drawings, and conversation.

The second part of the study is an investigation of the students' neighborhood and community. Through interviews with community members, neighborhood walks, and their own observations, …

A Comparison Of Student Perceptions In An Alternative School, Kari Mueller-Fuentes

Theses & Honors Papers

Students at risk of failure and students with emotional and behavioral disorders have been known to have lower self concepts, earn poorer grades, and have less motivation to achieve when compared to their peers. Nontraditional methods of teaching have been known to be successful with these students; however, a number of students at risk do not benefit from alternative forms of teaching. In this study interviews were used to examine the difference in perceptions of an alternative program by five students who successfully participated in the program and three students who were not permitted to return to the program. Sociomoral …

Teacher Recognition Of Student Learning Styles, Michelle Wright

Theses & Honors Papers

The ability of teachers in a special education classroom utilizing individualized instruction to recognize students' learning preferences was investigated. Each student's learning style preference was determined by the administration and evaluation of a learning styles inventory. Teachers were asked to respond to a similiar inventory as they felt their students would respond. A Pearson r performed on the results indicated that a relatively strong relationship existed between the responses at the . 10 level of significance .

Black English, Karen Tibbitts Filimoehala

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Black English has recently entered the media spotlight with the passing of the Ebonics resolution by the Oakland School Board on Dec. 18, 1996. In this resolution, the school board unanimously voted to recognize Black English or "Ebonics" (a term which combines the words "ebony" and "phonetics")(LeLand & Joseph, 1997, p. 78) as the primary language of many of its students, and to teach students in their primary language in order to maintain the "legitimacy and richness" of the language, and to help students master standard English. Needless to say, the resolution was met with highly charged arguments - some …

A Comparative Study Of Perceptions Regarding Assistive Technology Among Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Parents And Teachers Of Elementary Students With Autism, Carolyn Lee Komich

Theses & Honors Papers

Forty subjects were surveyed to determine their perceptions of selection, funding, use and maintenance of assistive technology. The subjects included physical therapists, occupational therapists, parents, and teachers of elementary students with autism . A self-developed questionnaire was used to collect data for this study. 43% of the questionnaires were returned.

Descriptive statistics and Chi-square (X²) were used to analyze data for this study. Results obtained from the descriptive statistics showed that professionals from various disciplines felt comfortable using and maintaining assistive technology but had not been formally trained to do so. The data also indicated that the respondents …

The Relationship Between Course Outcomes And The Factors Of Retention As Determined By Webb’S Model Of Student Persistence, Jan K. Fields

Dissertations

This study looked at the differences in various factors of college retention for students who successfully completed all courses in a particular semester as compared to students who did not successfully complete at least one course during that same semester. The college retention factors were taken from Webb's (1988) Model of Student Retention and were assessed through the use of student records and two survey instruments developed by Noel/Levitz (Schreiner & Juillerat, 1994; Stratil, 1988).

The study was conducted at Muskegon Community College during the 1995 Fall Semester using four groups of students: (1) students enrolled in high success vocational …

Issues In Our Society: A Middle School Interdisciplinary Curriculum, Matthew L. Bowman

All Graduate Projects

The project contains a team-taught interdisciplinary curriculum based on current issues in our society. The review ofliterature, which focuses on team teaching at the middle level and the process of implementing an interdisciplinary curriculum, indicates that middle level students need opportunities to discuss and analyze current issues in our society that affect their lives in order to make learning more meaningful. Therefore, the content areas of language arts, math, social studies, and science were structured around three themes dealing with issues such as the environment, space exploration, and cultural diversity. The interdisciplinaiy curriculum was developed for a sixth grade, four-person …

Elements Of A First Grade Writing Program, Julie Laree Fry

All Graduate Projects

Literature regarding the early developmental processes of (1) writing, (2) spelling, and (3) phonemic awareness for children between the ages of five and seven were reviewed. The literature stated that all three of these processes develop simultaneously through a series of very specific stages. Writing in kindergarten and first grade needs to be practiced daily and treated like a free activity without restriction of copious spelling rules. It was further regarded that spelling should be considered a life long evolving skill that should not stifle the early writer. A program to guide teachers as they help first grade children to …

Techniques And Strategies For Educating And Accommodating Students With Hearing Loss In The Classroom, Stacia H. Thompson

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this study was to develop a teacher and administrator's handbook of techniques and strategies for educating and accommodating students with hearing loss in the classroom. To accomplish this purpose, a review of literature and current research on mainstreaming, educating, and accommodating students with hearing loss was conducted. Additionally, information from selected schools serving students with hearing loss was obtained and analyzed.

Basic Needs: A First Grade Curriculum Study, John Heffernan

Graduate Student Independent Studies

The following first grade curriculum study is an investigation of food, shelter and services in the neighborhood surrounding the school. The activities incorporate hands-on research, discussion, and expressive materials to offer opportunities for children to discover the interdependence and relationships that exist in their immediate environment. The three units of food, shelter and community services have specific goals, and they are:

Food -Investigate how markets, stores and restaurants provide food for the neighborhood, where the food comes from and how it gets to Park Slope.

Shelter - Investigate how and where people house themselves in the neighborhood and what are …

A Survey Of Army Reserve Officer Training Corps Instructors To Determine The Importance Of Integrating News Media Training Into The Cadet Curriculum, Kent P. Cassella

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The cover of the November-December 1995 issue of Military Review is emblazoned with the quotation, “We don’t win unless CNN says we win.” This testament to the power of the news media in military operations was given by General John Shalikashvili, then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and was carried on the cover of this professional journal of the United States Army. The implied message in his statement is that professional military officers need to comprehend the power the news media have in a democratic society and their importance for the success of modem military operations.

War reporting …

Using Hot Air Balloons To Boost Middle School Students' Understanding Of The Mole Concept, Rudolph Albert Patterson

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Imitation Pedagogy: The Ongoing Debate, Nancy Joyce Snow

Theses Digitization Project

Imitation was one of the five teaching methods passed down from the Greeks and was, from antiquity down to the nineteenth century, highly respected among scholars and educators. However, imitation has lost status as a viable pedagogy, and especially perhaps in the field of composition studies.

The Relationship Between The Constructs Of Locus Of Control And Learner Self-Concept, Tina M. Schroeder

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study investigated 13 preservice regular education reading teachers' use of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) data under specified conditions. Conditions included: (a) providing preservice teachers with 75 minutes of training in the use of CBM in reading, (b) biweekly CBM administration and graphing during a 10-week practicum experience, and (c) concomitant use of other reading measures [e. g., Reading Miscue Inventory (RMI), Running Records (RR)]. Exit interviews indicated that preservice teachers made use of CBM data in some, but not all, of the important ways suggested in the research literature. Preservice teachers provided the following positive ratings of CBM: (a) CBM …

Authentic Writing And Assessment: Facilitating The Learning Process Of Children's Writing, Pamela Lea Cleland-Broyles

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Student Motivation: Instilling A Desire To Learn In Middle School Students, Richard James Erbstoesser

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Developing And Measuring Students' Critical Thinking Skills When Using A Multimedia Information System, M. Lipiec

Theses : Honours

The purpose of this thesis was to examine the critical thinking skills six Year 7 students used and developed while working on an Multimedia Information System, Encarta. The students' verbal interactions were recorded on audio tapes as they worked cooperatively in their groups. These interactions were transcribed and a content analysis technique was used to identify and calculate critical thinking indicator ratios. The content analysis was supported by field notes and students' word processed responses. The results show that students in both groups collectively did engage in critical thinking, particularly with regards to the indicators, Importance, Linking Ideas and Critical …

Introducing Calculators In Year One Mathematics : Attitudes And Achievement, Vanessa Thorpe

Theses : Honours

This study investigated the attitudes and achievements of year one students using calculators to facilitate their pattern development. The investigation also involved the attitudes of the classroom teacher and parents to the use of calculators in mathematics education for year one students. A class of 22 year one students (10 males and 12 females) was chosen for the study. The class was involved in one forty-minute lesson per week using calculators for ten weeks. The lessons focused on the topic of patterns. The calculators were also available for the child ran to use in their free time. The effects on …

An Investigation Of The Behaviours Exhibited By Boys (Identified As At-Risk) While Using The Computer For Creative Writing, Danielle Fisher

Theses : Honours

This study investigated the types of behaviours which were displayed by boys (whose teachers had identified them as at-risk), using the courseware package Storybook Weaver Deluxe for creative writing. Three boys from year six and three boys from year seven, from the same metropolitan government school participated in the study and were observed using the courseware package over a period of six weeks, during a one hour session per week. Video tape recordings and substantially non participant observations were made of the individual participants as they used the courseware package in a whole class situation. Individual interviews were conducted with …

The Effects Of Reciprocal Teaching Upon Year 6 Students' Reading Comprehension, D. M. Rasmussen

Theses : Honours

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Reciprocal Teaching on the reading comprehension of Year 6 students. Forty-one Year 6 students from two metropolitan primary schools took part in the study. An experimental pre-test - post-test control group design was used. Subjects were matched according to the results of the Test of Reading Comprehension (TORCH) used as a pre-test. Matched pair-mates were randomly allocated to either treatment or control groups. After 14 sessions of training in Reciprocal Teaching, results of an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with teachers nested in groups, showed no statistically significant differences in …

Investigating Conditions For Higher Order Thinking In Telematics Environments, Catherine Mcloughlin

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Telematics, or audiographic conferencing, enables synchronous communication via telecommunications. A telephone link and computer communications allow students in distributed classrooms to participate in an extended, or virtual classroom. Telematics is widely used as an instructional medium for the delivery of curricula to students in rural and remote parts of Western Australia. Previous studies of learning meditated by this technology have shown limitations on the forms of interactivity, tasks and learner engagement. Students typically have been found to assume a passive role, often listening to a distant and invisible teacher, but not engaging in cognitively demanding tasks. The tendency for teachers …