Education Commons^™

Exposing The Brilliant Facets Of Pedagogical Content Knowledge: A Collective Case Study, Kristina Kaljo

Theses and Dissertations

A tremendous cultural richness exists throughout today's urban communities. From language, race, culture, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status, PK-12 pupils enter the classroom with a multitude of lived experiences and academic proficiencies. In particular, it is the range of academic proficiencies and the inadequate preparation of urban educators that perpetuates a visibly widening achievement gap between urban pupils and their suburban counterparts. Add to this a skeleton curriculum and endless high-stakes assessment exams, the future success of urban pupils becomes bleak. A deep foundation in pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), also known as the amalgam of rich content knowledge …

Why Teachers Stay: Elementary Teachers Share Perceptions Of The Job Since Legislative Reforms In Wisconsin, Catherine Marie Clarksen

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

WHY TEACHERS STAY: ELEMENTARY TEACHERS SHARE PERCEPTIONS OF THE JOB SINCE LEGISLATIVE REFORMS IN WISCONSIN

by

Catherine M. Clarksen

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2014

Under the Supervision of Dr. Leigh Wallace and Dr. Latish Reed

The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of elementary public school classroom teachers who remain in the teaching profession amidst legislative reforms that impacted their wages, benefits and working conditions. The study involved ten teachers who were perceived by their building principals as having a direct impact on positive student achievement. Additionally, each participant was required to have taught for a …

Validity And Rater Reliability Of Peer And Self Assessments For Urban Middle School Students, Lucas Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

This project studied the validity and reliability of self and peer assessments used for group work. The targeted population is middle school students in urban schools. The sample includes 45 sixth graders selected from a public middle school in a large Midwestern metropolitan area. The students worked in groups to complete a classroom project. Self and peer assessment forms were used to rate each member's contribution to the group work. A Generalizability Theory design was used to evaluate the reliability of self and peer assessments. The validity of student ratings was assessed by comparing them to those assigned by the …

Reflecting, Seeing, Learning: Using Autoethnography To Critically Interrogate Racism, Classism, And Selfhood, Stephanie Nook

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this self-study was to engage in autoethnography that focused on the interactions of the auto (self) and the ethno (culture) components of this qualitative method of study. In an effort to be more culturally aware of my selfhood within the classroom, I sought to "story" pivotal moments in my personal history where class, race and privilege intersected. I aimed to interrogate these intersections and their role in shaping and informing my identity, while also harvesting new knowledge and understanding through the very act of retelling. I argue that the act of autoethnography was influential in dismantling unproductive …

(Re)Envisioning Placement For 21st Century Writing Programs, Jessica Nastal-Dema

Theses and Dissertations

Writing assessment has continued to gain prominence within educational settings and public discourse in the United States throughout the past century. Placement into First-Year Writing, however, is consistently ignored in the scholarly literature, despite its central role within writing assessment and the university. This dissertation argues that placement is central to all students' university experiences, and deserves more attention. Placement is at the heart of composition: it affects each student, each instructor, each writing program, each institution. It significantly influences retention, instruction, budget, and even national reputation, since student retention and graduation rates are key factors in national rankings such …

The Impact Of Feedback In Response To Self-Disclosure On Social Connection: A Possible Analog Component Model Of The Therapy Relationship, Kevin Haworth

Theses and Dissertations

The efficacy of psychotherapy interventions has been demonstrated on a wide range of disorders. However, little is known about the specific mechanisms that influence symptom improvements. The therapeutic relationship, a well-established common factor of treatment, has been suggested to provide significant impact on treatment outcome and may be a potential mechanism of change in psychotherapy. The current study evaluates a theoretical micro-mechanism model of the therapeutic relationship; specifically, the process of providing feedback to self-disclosure statements with the intention of increasing feelings of connectedness. Ninety-eight undergraduate students were randomized to either 1 of 2 brief connection-generating dyadic interaction groups receiving …

An Examination Of The Psychological Contracts Of Contingent Faculty Teaching At Urban, Proprietary Colleges, Ann Marie Marlier

Theses and Dissertations

Even though proprietary colleges and universities continue to gain market share in the higher education landscape, negative perceptions about proprietary institutions remain including reliance on contingent faculty to meet fluctuating student enrollments. Little research about the experiences of contingent faculty teaching in proprietary settings exists, and even less research exists about the unwritten expectations, or psychological contracts, contingent faculty bring with them to the employment relationship with an institution. As heavy use of contingent faculty continues, campus administrators need a more comprehensive understanding of how to best manage the expectations, benefits, challenges, and resources of this type of employment relationship. …

Student's Perception Of Teacher Immediacy Behaviors On Student Success And Retention, Rebecca Rae Mullane

Theses and Dissertations

This investigation tested the relationship and the fit for a causal model between both verbal and nonverbal teacher immediacy behaviors in the classroom and affective learning, cognitive learning, and student success and retention. Data was collected from two distinct populations, a large Midwestern university and a Midwestern community college. Results indicate that both verbal and nonverbal teacher immediacy behaviors independently predict or cause a level of affective learning and cognitive learning, and affective learning predicts or causes cognitive learning, further supporting that path model. Practical implications of these findings are discussed and recommendations for areas of future research development are …