Education Commons^™

The Role Of Number Writing In Early Math Readiness, Giselle Hernandez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand how number writing in a class of low-income, pre-kindergarten children (N = 15) developed over the course of a school year, and to see what role that development played in their overall math readiness. This study used a mixed-methods approach. The target class was explicitly taught number writing as part of an early math intervention. Scores on a number writing inventory, and two math readiness assessments (Number Knowledge assessment, State of Florida VPK Assessment) were compared at the end of the year, both within the intervention group, and with a matched …

Music Literacy: A Multicase Study Of Five Choral Directors' Use And Understanding Of Choral Music Literacy In The Choral Classroom, Alicia M. Romero Sardiñas

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this multi-case study was to give experienced choral music educators a voice. It sought to describe, examine, and understand five choral music educators’ perceptions and use of elements within choral music literacy. These elements were specifically sight-reading, text analysis, and composition. Research questions included 1) What are the choral music educators’ perceptions and understandings of choral music literacy? 2) How do these choral music educators design and implement their curriculum? and 3) How can choral music educators balance performance requirements and the elements of choral music literacy, which are invaluable in the creation of independent music making? …

An Examination Of Cuban-American Social Studies Teachers' Cultural Consciousness Relative To Their Identity, Educational Beliefs, And Curricular Decisions: A Critical Latino Theoretical Perspective, Victor Barrios

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to examine how five self-identified Cuban-American social studies teachers, in a city where they are viewed as the dominant culture, demonstrated ethnic and cultural identity, expressed educational beliefs on teaching and learning, promoted culturally diverse pedagogy, and approached the official curriculum relative to their cultural consciousness. This study used a qualitative research design with multiple case and cross-case analysis. Critical Latino theory was the theoretical framework employed for social and cultural categories pertinent to Latinx groups. The study found that the teacher-participants in this study reflected a dominant cultural ideology in Miami which influenced …

A Visually-Enhanced Approach To Multivariate Calculus Facilitated By A Computer Algebra System, Belarmino Gonzalez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the effects of a visually-enhanced approached to the teaching of selected multivariate calculus concepts on students’ mathematical understanding and visualization. The sample size consisted of 65 undergraduate students from Miami Dade College, a large Hispanic Serving Institution in the Southeast. A pretest – posttest, nonequivalent group design was used. CAS dynamic worksheets containing visualizations and geometric representations were created using a computer algebra system and embedded as part of the lecture in the experimental group. Instructor-developed instruments were used to measure students’ prerequisite knowledge for multivariate calculus, and students’ mathematical understanding of selected concepts. Furthermore, Yoon (2011)’s …

How Are Social Studies Teachers Using Technology In The Classroom?, Stephanie Delgado

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

So that students are equipped with the skills needed to compete a in a global economy, schools are being given resources intended to increase equity, opportunity, and to close the digital divide. Digital equitability exists when all students have access to both advanced technologies and the learning opportunities the technologies provide (Solomon, Allen, & Resta, 2003). The U.S. Department of Education notes that although students are graduating high school at high rates, performance gaps among students from low socioeconomic and various cultural backgrounds still exist. My study followed a constructivist grounded theory approach to examine how seven teachers in Miami-Dade …

The Hpst Framework: A Case Study On An Organizational Tool Used To Understand Historical Narrative In A Social Studies Classroom, Jose M. Pombo

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation chronicled a multifaceted study utilizing the Historical, Philosophical, Societal and a Takeaway (HPST) Framework; an organizational tool used for document analysis. Utilizing a case study format, this research unpacked how a charter school teacher used HPST within her own ninth grade Advanced Placement World History class. As a starting point, I offered an account of my own autobiographical narrative, chronicling through my attempt at ethnographic writing and infused with scholarly literature as needed. Consequently, this personal narrative was coupled with my professional experiences within the Social Studies field. Upon this foundation, this study explored the use of the …

Virtual Patient Simulation: Training Pre-Health Professionals In Suicide Risk Prevention, Francisco Javier Fajardo

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The use of simulators and simulation training has become standard practice for students in medical and pre-health programs, including but not limited to, clinical and counseling disciplines in pre-health education. Students train and sharpen their skills using this technology to prepare them for real-life encounters with future patients (Berman, Durning, Fischer, Huwendiek, & Triola, 2016). One possible encounter, a suicidal patient, is a challenge that most counselors or therapists are not prepared for, causing stress and affecting their confidence. The literature describes how treating clients/patients with suicidal ideation and behavior is stressful for even the most experienced mental health professional …

The Effect Of Young Adult Literature On Adolescents' Acceptance Of Relational Aggression, Ilisa J. Lieberman

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Though bullying in various manifestations has been studied at length, there remains a gap in the literature regarding deterring relational aggression through the use of literature in the classroom. The present explanatory sequential mixed methods study (n = 141) sought to measure the effect of a literature-based instructional unit on adolescents’ acceptance of relational aggression, a type of covert bullying that leverages friendships to hurt others psychologically and emotionally. Quantitative data were collected to further develop the quantitative results. The novel utilized for the literary unit of instruction with treatment groups was The Misfits, by James Howe (2011). …

The The Relationships Between The Leadership Styles Of Principals Assigned To Title I Middle Schools, Staff Longevity, School Climate, And Overall School Achievement, Anna L. Rodriguez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The achievement gap stands as one of the top priorities framing educational policy through the past half-century. The middle school level amplifies this gap especially in urban areas. The role of principal leadership in closing the achievement gap is key.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between the leadership styles of principals assigned to Title I middle schools, staff longevity, school climate, and overall school achievement. The researcher applied a non-experimental, ex-post facto research design to investigate the research hypotheses. Utilizing the Google Survey Platform, 290 staff members across 30 middle schools within a large urban …

The Relationship Between Aerobic Fitness, Gross And Fine Motor Skills, And Academic Achievement Among First Grade Students In Urban Schools And The Role The Relative Age Effect May Have On These Variables, Alberto Pelaez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This non-experimental design, cross-sectional and retrospective study (N=79) examined the relationship among aerobic fitness, gross motor skills, fine motor skills and academic achievement; aerobic fitness and reaction time; relative age effect and aerobic fitness, gross motor skills, and academic achievement. The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOT-2), Yo-Yo Aerobic Test, Diery Liewald Reaction Time Task, and Stanford Achievement Test 10 were administered to heterogeneous, non-randomized, first grade students. Hypotheses were examined using correlational analysis and independent T-test analysis.

The results indicated that aerobic fitness and academic achievement were not correlated with mathematics scores, not reading scores. Regarding gross motor skills …