Education Commons^™

Learning To Walk In Two Worlds: An Examination Of Soul In My Pedagogy, Colette M. Polite

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Who exactly is a teacher without soul? The answer is complex. First, this study will explore the concept of soul in education. There are varying cultural, religious and spiritual ways to examine soul. This inquiry does not seek to prove the existence of soul. Its existence is considered to be complex, and even abstract, but exists nonetheless. Soul is explored from a cross-cultural approach, which includes an emphasis on a Native American philosophical worldview and discourse. My approach involves teacher autobiography and auto-narrative to provide insights to teacher identity and the presence of soul in education. This project utilizes métissage …

An Investigation Of The Soar Study Strategy For Learning From Multiple Online Resources, Tareq Daher

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation investigated the effects of the SOAR study strategy for learning from multiple online resources. SOAR includes the components of Selection, Organization, Association, and Regulation. In past research, the effects of SOAR training were investigated with one online resource and with students studying provided or partially provided materials following training. This dissertation examines the effects of SOAR when learning from multiple online resources and when students create their own study materials following training and thus addresses this research gap. One hundred thirty-four (134) college students were assigned randomly to the control or experimental groups. All students participated in online …

Laptops And Language Learning: A Mixed Methods Study Of Technology Integration And Student Engagement, Ginger R. Starks-Yoble Ph.D.

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Student engagement and motivation have been a common focus among educational researchers over the last forty years. Self-determination theory and the inclusive definition of self-regulated learning have identified that both cognitive and motivational engagement are paramount for successful language learning. Within this canon of research, few have looked at student engagement as a result of effective technology integration during the language learning process. This mixed methods study explored students’ perceptions of engagement while learning with technology integration in a first-year language class. Qualitative data was collected from a sub-sample of ten students, in the form of semi-structured interviews, journal reflections, …

Student Characteristics, Prior Experiences, And The Perception Of Mixed Methods As An Innovation, Sydney E. Brown

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

There are persistent challenges to teaching mixed methods and innovative solutions are sought in order to address the needs of an increasingly diverse global audience seeking mixed methods instruction. This mixed methods study was conducted to gain insights to course design by more fully understanding the relationships among graduate student characteristics and prior experiences with research approaches with the perceived characteristics of the innovation of mixed methods.

Quantitative and qualitative data was gathered using a self-developed survey. Correlational analyses were done between measures of quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, and overall prior experience and the perceived innovation characteristics of relative advantage, …

Digital Print Concepts: Conceptualizing A Modern Framework For Measuring Emerging Knowledge, Kristin H. Javorsky

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation sought to produce and empirically test a theoretical model for the literacy construct of print concepts that would take into account the unique affordances of digital picture books for emergent readers. The author used an exploratory study of twenty randomly selected digital story applications to identify print conventions, text features and book handling methods present across digital picture books which were then mapped against the traditional paper reading experience. Combining study results with existing research in the reading literature, a structural model of digital print concepts as a second order measurement model accounting for five factors of concept …

Students’ Perceptions Of Academic Self-Efficacy And Self-Regulation While Learning In A 1:1 Laptop Environment, Joan M. Carraher

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

1:1 Laptop initiatives continue to grow throughout Nebraska schools. There are many questions regarding their effectiveness in improving student learning, justifications for expenses, and the process to guide such an initiative.

The purpose of this case study was to explore students’ perceptions of academic self-efficacy and self-regulation while learning in a 1:1 district where students in grades 7 through 12 have 24/7 access to a school-issued laptop. Students in their first (8^th grade) and third-year (10^th grade) of learning in a 1:1 environment at a Nebraska school district participated in this study. Data was collected from an online …

Planning And Enacting Mathematical Tasks Of High Cognitive Demand In The Primary Classroom, Kelly Georgius

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study offers an examination of two primary-grades teachers as they learn to transfer knowledge from professional development into their classrooms. I engaged in planning sessions with each teacher to help plan tasks of high cognitive demand, including anticipating and planning for classroom discourse that would occur around the task. A detailed description of the planning and teaching that took place during the study provides information about how a teacher can learn and what a teacher learns to consider in order to plan and implement meaningful mathematical lessons. This design experiment describes the work of two teachers who participated in …

Cheating In Business Online Learning: Exploring Students' Motivation, Current Practices And Possible Solutions, Martonia Gaskill

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Cheating has been an area of concern in educational institutions for decades, especially at the undergraduate level. A particular area of concern is the increasing reports of the rise of cheating behaviors and the perceived cheating potential in online learning. As online learning continues to grow and become an integral part of education, concerns exist regarding academic integrity due to anonymity and the isolated nature of online learning. The purpose of the current study was to analyze cheating behaviors in an online environment, and determine students’ perceptions and motivation towards cheating. Another aim was to understand how and why online …