Education Commons^™

Predictive Values Of Factors Affecting Reading Comprehension Assessment, Taylor M. Grantham, Matthew Carter, Crystal C. Randolph, Gina M. Doepker

Literacy Practice and Research

The complex nature of reading comprehension makes it challenging to assess. Comprehension assessment results frequently do not directly indicate which skills should be addressed to remediate comprehension difficulties. The current study investigated which underlying skills are most related to a common reading comprehension test. The reading skills that were measured in this study include single-word reading accuracy, single-word reading fluency, textual reading fluency and accuracy, oral reading comprehension abilities, and silent reading comprehension abilities. The findings indicate that reading rate is associated with oral reading comprehension abilities and that word reading accuracy is important for oral reading comprehension abilities.

Child Science Identity Interview Guide And Protocol, Heidi Cian, Remy Dou

Department of Teaching and Learning

While many data collection tools exist to elicit how individuals think about prototypical STEM persons (e.g., the Draw-a-Scientist assessment), such tools fail to capture the nuance of how individuals think about STEM and STEM personhood and how those perceptions change according to context and “in real life”. We designed the Child Science Identity Interview Guide and Protocol to learn about how youth see everyday experiences as “STEM” (or a particular subfield) and think of themselves and those in their social orbits as STEM persons.

A Culturally Sustaining Book Club: The Examination Of African American Students' Motivation And Literacy Achievement, Brittney C. Jones

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Culturally sustaining pedagogy includes centering students’ cultural identities, languages, and practices in the classroom. Such practices have had positive effects on the reading achievement and motivation of African American students. In particular, communalism and interdependence are cultural themes that are preferred by African American students and parents. Book clubs are a long-standing literacy activity that centers student voices and social interactions as the basis of student learning.

This mixed-methods intervention study was conducted to determine the effects of a culturally sustaining book club on second and third-grade African American students’ motivation and reading achievement at a Title I school as …

Neoliberalism And Kazakhstan's Emerging Higher Education Sysytem, Nazgul Bayetova

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Republic of Kazakhstan is one of the Central Asian countries of the former Soviet Union (USSR). The Kazakh Social Soviet Republic's Supreme Court declared the transition from a planned economy to a market economy in the early 1990s. The new market model in Kazakhstan has had a significant impact on its evolving higher education system. Less government spending and the creation of private universities in Kazakhstan were the core strategies that have been implemented under the neoliberal policies (Sabzalieva, 2017; Sagintayeva & Kurakbayev, 2015; Smirnova, 2014; Smolentseva, 2012; Smolentseva, Huisman, & Froumin, 2018). This study’s central question is how …

Macarthur-Bates Communicative Developmental Inventories (Cdi): A Research Synthesis Evaluating Children At 2-36 Months,, Nicholas Giammarco

MA in Linguistics Final Projects

This synthesis will touch on the current parent-based assessments available while focusing specifically on the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Inventory English and Spanish versions. It will analyze studies that have used this test to predict language delays in infants from 2-36 months and look at its validity and effectiveness. It will use the PRISMA method to narrow search results. The PRISMA method is an evidence-based minimum set of items for reporting in systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Areas of concern were socioeconomic status, level of parent education, race, design, and effects of disability on CDI performance. 26 studies met the criteria to be …

Exploring The Neural Mechanisms Of Physics Learning, Jessica E. Bartley

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents a series of neuroimaging investigations and achievements that strive to deepen and broaden our understanding of human problem solving and physics learning. Neuroscience conceives of dynamic relationships between behavior, experience, and brain structure and function, but how neural changes enable human learning across classroom instruction remains an open question. At the same time, physics is a challenging area of study in which introductory students regularly struggle to achieve success across university instruction. Research and initiatives in neuroeducation promise a new understanding into the interactions between biology and education, including the neural mechanisms of learning and development. These …

School Climate In The School Choice Era: A Comparative Analysis Of District-Run Public Schools And Charter Schools, Christopher Damian Duszka

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Comparative analyses of district-run public schools and charter schools are limited to performance outcomes. There is a dearth of research on how the school-types vary on factors consequential to performance such as school climate. Public-private distinctions, such as in organizational autonomy, value orientations, funding structures, and management practices, could result in school climate dissimilarities between district-run public schools and charter schools.

The aim of this dissertation is to assess the influence organizational factors have on school climate and determine if school-type affects school climate. Student and staff school climate survey data from the Miami-Dade school district were utilized for this …

La Sección De Preescolar Del Colegio Espíritu Santo En Villavicencio Un Lugar Para Desarrollar La Conciencia Global De Una Manera Divertida., Ximena Gafaro Mrs, Diana Carolina Zapata Miss, Adriana Marcela Pardo Mrs

ICOT 18 - International Conference on Thinking - Cultivating Mindsets for Global Citizens

LA PINEJA Reggiana es la sección de preescolar del Colegio Espíritu Santo; una institución en Villavicencio Meta, Colombia con 38 años de fundada que atiende una población de 800 estudiantes desde preescolar a grado 11. Está ubicada en una granja en un entorno natural exuberante de 72.000 yardas cuadradas, a 15 minutos de la ciudad. Desde 2011, ha desarrollado un proyecto pedagógico inspirado en la Propuesta Pedagógica de Reggio Emilia , utilizando el Pensamiento Visible para promover las habilidades de pensamiento crítico y creativo. Este Jardín Infantil está ofreciendo un entorno natural para la indagación que promueve proyectos que desarrollan …

From Head To Head Or Heads Together? Cultivating Information Literacy In Early Childhood, Marilyn Way, Kerry Boland

ICOT 18 - International Conference on Thinking - Cultivating Mindsets for Global Citizens

From Head to Head or Heads Together? offers an interactive workshop sharing effective evidence-based pedagogical approaches to Information Literacy (IL) in the early years, particularly in redressing disadvantage. IL skills are 21^st Century skills needed by children and families to ensure inequities are challenged. Being able to find, evaluate and apply information for personal benefit is a key attribute in today's knowledge economy. IL goes beyond developing functional skills to creating attributes that enable lifelong learning. However, simply having access to digital technologies and online resources does not always equate to developing these attributes.

The 2015 Australian Early Development …

Diseño De Una Rúbrica Para Evaluar El Impacto Del Desarrollo Del Pensamiento En Los Estudiantes Unificando La Disposición Y La Competencia, Naiara Bilbao Quintana, Oihane Goioaga Buitrago, Itziar Latorre Trueba

ICOT 18 - International Conference on Thinking - Cultivating Mindsets for Global Citizens

Se presenta el diseño de una rúbrica de evaluación basándose en los aspectos comunes de a) por un lado, la competencia aprender a aprender, y b) por otro, la disposición al pensamiento, teniendo como referencia autores destacados en ambos ámbitos. A través de este instrumento, se pretende evaluar el desarrollo del pensamiento de los/las estudiantes.

Self-Coaching With Ai: Developing Thinking Skills, Thinking Dispositions, And Well-Being, Olivier Malafronte, Isla Reddin, Roy Van Den Brink-Budgen

ICOT 18 - International Conference on Thinking - Cultivating Mindsets for Global Citizens

Being motivated by the need to address the challenges of our Volatile Uncertain Complex Ambiguous world, we strive to create tools to improve people’s lives and help them become more resilient, resourceful, self-confidant, and successful.

In a digital world, we must understand how to efficiently connect to digital systems. Connecting “with AI” doesn’t mean spending more time on digital devices, but spending time in a deliberate way with purpose and intentional learning outcomes.

As a society, we want to see graduates with emotional intelligence and reflective skills in order to address global economic and social issues. As for jobs …

Creating Artful Thinkers - Transforming Research Into Practice, Onsite To Online Learning, Julie A. Carmean, Sara M. Lesk

ICOT 18 - International Conference on Thinking - Cultivating Mindsets for Global Citizens

National Gallery of Art educators Julie Carmean and Sara Lesk propose presenting about their process of transforming research into practice through creating the National Gallery’s first Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), specifically for K-12 educators, using the pedagogy of Harvard’s Artful Thinking Routines and the National Gallery’s art collection. This free, international, online learning experience aims to democratize the opportunity for teachers to bring critical thinking through art to their students around the world. Participants will experience a combined onsite/online demonstration of one of their MOOC modules by, first, engaging with a work of art, using an Artful Thinking routine; …

Developing Students’ Thinking Through The Ib Theory Of Knowledge Course: Opportunities And Challenges, Jenny Gillett

ICOT 18 - International Conference on Thinking - Cultivating Mindsets for Global Citizens

As part of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, students complete a 100-hour Theory of Knowledge (TOK) course. This poster session will share examples of how teachers around the world are utilising these TOK lessons to develop students’ thinking skills and dispositions, as well as to deepen understandings and connections across disciplines. It will also share insights into the challenges that teachers and students report facing when implementing these kinds of activities and how they try to overcome them, drawing on a wide range of feedback from teacher and alumni questionnaires, focus groups, and feedback from teacher professional development workshops.

An Investigation Of The Effects Of Taking Remedial Math In College On Degree Attainment And College Gpa Using Multiple Imputation And Propensity Score Matching, Meghan A. Clovis

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Enrollment in degree-granting postsecondary institutions in the U.S. is increasing, as are the numbers of students entering academically underprepared. Students in remedial mathematics represent the largest percentage of total enrollment in remedial courses, and national statistics indicate that less than half of these students pass all of the remedial math courses in which they enroll. In response to the low pass rates, numerous studies have been conducted into the use of alternative modes of instruction to increase passing rates. Despite myriad studies into course redesign, passing rates have seen no large-scale improvement. Lacking is a thorough investigation into preexisting differences …

Special And General Education Teachers’ Assessment Of Their Participation In A Peer Assistance And Review (Par) Program, Alexandre Lopes

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Traditional teacher evaluation systems have failed to (a) show variations in teacher effectiveness, (b) determine teachers’ professional development needs, and (c) align evaluation of teacher effectiveness with compensation, retention, and dismissal. Furthermore, traditional teacher evaluation systems have failed to establish teaching practices that positively affect student learning - an issue of critical importance for students with disabilities.

The literature indicates that Peer Assistance and Review (PAR), grounded in social network theory, is regarded by many as a viable option to compensate for the disadvantages of traditional teacher evaluation systems. PAR has the potential to provide (a) frequent and meaningful observations, …

The Development And Initial Validation Of A Self-Assessment For Global Leadership Competencies, Sabrena A. O'Keefe

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Global leadership has been a growing area of research as our world becomes interconnected. The National Association for College Employers (NACE) Career Readiness Competencies Work Group even added an eighth competency: global/intercultural fluency. Employers have also expressed a skill crisis regarding students graduating from college without the necessary global leadership skills. However, there are often not enough resources at institutions of higher education to add specific co-curricular programs around global leadership. At the same time many institutions have begun to use the Student Leadership Competencies (Seemiller, 2013) as learning outcomes for their co-curricular programs.

This research study aimed to combine …

The Relationship Between District Concert Band Music Performance Assessment Participation And Student Achievement In Miami-Dade County Public Middle Schools, Arthur J. N. Scavella

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since the implementation and achievement score pressures of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, elective course offerings such as music have been drastically reduced, especially in the middle school setting. A great deal of correlational research has shown a positive correlation between music education in school and students’ overall academic achievement.

This study examined the correlation between those middle school students that participated in the District Concert Band Music Performance Assessment (MPA) versus those middle school students that did not regarding their achievement scores on the 2016 English language arts (ELA) and mathematics subtests of the Florida Standards …

Evaluating High School Biology Modeling Instruction In South Florida: A Comparative Case Study, Feng Li

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The dissertation, with a collected papers approach, focused on evaluating the implementation of MI curriculum in high school Biology I classes in south Florida. The dissertation included the development and validation of the Biology Identity and Persistence Survey (BIPS), the connection of instructors’ teaching practices with students’ biology identities, evolution identities, and career aspirations, and the connection of instructors’ teaching practice with students’ conceptual understanding in evolution. In the first part of the dissertation study, the BIPS was validated through expert review and student cognitive interviews for its face and content validity. Confirmatory factor analysis addressed the construct validity of …

Representative Bureaucracy In German Public Schools: An Assessment Of The Mechanisms Of Passive Representation, Gretha Burchard

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

According to representative bureaucracy theory, a bureaucracy that mirrors the population it serves—in terms of demographic composition—is more responsive to the interests of all groups in the population. Most research in this area has examined the link between passive representation (i.e., occurrences in which minority bureaucrats mirror the population) and active representation (i.e., occurrences in which minority bureaucrats actively pursue the interests of those they represent). Less attention has been directed toward the notion that different mechanisms can make representative bureaucracy have an effect.

Focusing on the German public school sector, the aim of this study is to understand through …

Examining The Relationship Between Fidelity Of Implementation Of Accommodations For Students With Specific Learning Disabilities In Mathematics And Student Achievement In High School Algebra I Inclusion Classes, Belinda Baptiste

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) are educated in general education classrooms. As a result, these students are faced with more challenging instructional curricula. Although some students with SLD perform as well in mathematics as students without disabilities, most perform below state standards despite being provided instructional and testing accommodations. Policy makers have envisioned the implementation of instructional accommodations as a primary means of ensuring an appropriate education (Mcleskey, Hoppey, Williamson & Rentz, 2004; Scalon & Baker, 2012) for students with disabilities in general education classrooms (Mc Guire, Scott, & Shaw, 2006). The researcher implemented a non-experimental ex post facto …

Using A Repeated Measures Anova Design To Analyze The Effect Writing In Mathematics Has On The Mathematics Achievement Of Third Grade English Language Learners And English Speakers, Zoe A. Morales

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The gap that exists between English language learners and English speaking students’ achievement in mathematics continues to grow. Moreover, students are now required to show evidence of their mathematics knowledge through writing in standardized assessments and class assignments.

The purpose of this study was to analyze students’ writing in mathematics and the metacognitive behaviors they portrayed through their writing as they solved mathematics problems. The instruments included a pretest, two biweekly tests, and a posttest. The writing instruction encompassed students learning to solve problems by using Polya’s four phases of problem solving which was completed in 12 sessions over a …

Using Ipads To Motivate Reluctant Readers During Literacy Instruction In Elementary School, Keri A. Mccarthy

South Florida Education Research Conference

In today’s classrooms, iPads are used as innovative devices that provide opportunities to help motivate and engage reluctant readers. The purpose of this action research is to explore the benefits of using iPads for literacy learning support and the effect they have on student engagement, motivation, and comprehension reading skills.

Efficacy And Implementation Of Automated Essay Scoring Software In Instruction Of Literacies To High Level Ells, Aaron J. Alvero

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explored the integration of automated essay scoring (AES) software into the writing curriculum for high level ESOL students (levels 3, 4, and 5 on a 1-5 scale) at a high school in Miami, Fl. Issues for Haitian Creole speaking students were also explored. The Spanish and Haitian Creole speaking students were given the option to write notes, outlines, and planning sheets in their L1.

After using AES in the middle of the writing process as a revision assistant tool, 24 students responded to a Likert Scale questionnaire. The students responded positively to the AES based on the results …

Enhanced Alphabet Knowledge In Preschool Children, Ana Paz

South Florida Education Research Conference

Providing a child the opportunity to succeed in school is a main worry of parents and teachers. When children are able to connect letters with their corresponding sounds allows for literacy to grow. Using Enhanced Alphabet Knowledge (EAK) instruction will allow children to evolve their literacy skills by connecting.

Exploring Relationships Between Thinking Style And Sex, Age, Academic Major, Occupation, And Levels Of Arts Engagement Among Professionals Working In Museums, Mark D. Osterman

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With evidence that arts engagement and nonlinear thinking style both utilize insight, intuition, and emotion in the decision making process, the literature has driven an investigation of the relationship between levels of arts engagement and thinking style preference. This nonexperimental correlational study (N = 101) explored (a) the prevalence of linear, nonlinear, or balanced linear/nonlinear thinking style of professionals working in museums. (b) Whether thinking style has a relationship with (i) age; (ii) sex; (iii) academic major; (iv) occupation; (v) levels of arts engagement. Two theoretical frameworks underpinned this study: (a) new literacies and (b) cognitive styles.

A Web-based …

Hospitality Education Assessment: A Case Study On The Learning Experience Of Chinese Students In A 4-Year Program At A U.S. Institution, Rossy Ambe-Cohen

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the learning experience of Chinese hospitality students in a 4-year program at a U.S. institution in order to bridge the gap between Chinese and American education. This study could challenge traditional education and produce more culturally savvy and diverse graduates, in a field as personal and interactive as Hospitality Management, it could also help American students who want to study, work or teach in China, as they would be knowledgeable of the cultural and educational differences. This study used a qualitative approach. The researcher conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with Chinese hospitality students …

Development And Application Of A Multi-Dimensional Strategy For Measuring Fidelity Of Implementation Of A Districtwide Intervention, Gerene K. Starratt, Maria R. Ligas, Russsell W. Clement, Isadore Newman, Steve J. Rios, Latrell Carr

South Florida Education Research Conference

This symposium describes a multi-dimensional strategy to examine fidelity of implementation in an authentic school district context. An existing large-district peer mentoring program provides an example. The presentation will address development of a logic model to articulate a theory of change; collaborative creation of a data set aligned with essential concepts and research questions; identification of independent, dependent, and covariate variables; issues related to use of big data that include conditioning and transformation of data prior to analysis; operationalization of a strategy to capture fidelity of implementation data from all stakeholders; and ways in which fidelity indicators might be used.

What Are The Effects Of The 6 +1 Writing Traits On The Attitudes And Writing Skills Of Fifth Grade Ells?, Leeann D. Forbes

South Florida Education Research Conference

In the Bahamas, ELLs consist mainly of Haitian descent students. Unfortunately, this demographic of students continuously score below their Bahamian counterparts in Creative Writing. This research examined the affects the 6 + 1 Writing Traits assessment had on the attitudes and writing abilities of fifteen, fifth grade, Haitian descent students.

The Hospitality Cooperative Education: What Are The Benefits For Industry Partners?, Ying Wang

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cooperative education program was introduced into undergraduate hospitality degree program to help students be better prepared for their careers. A cooperative partnership between the industry and universities results in both sides receiving benefits. This study identifies the benefits industry partners receive from a cooperative education program. The implications of these benefits leads to the evaluation of hospitality cooperative education. From the results of the evaluation, recommendations are proposed for redesigning the cooperative education program.

Comparison Of Linear Functions In Middle Grades Textbooks From Singapore And The United States, Linda D. Fowler

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many U.S. students do not perform well on mathematics assessments with respect to algebra topics such as linear functions, a building-block for other functions. Poor achievement of U.S. middle school students in this topic is a problem.

U.S. eighth graders have had average mathematics scores on international comparison tests such as Third International Mathematics Science Study, later known as Trends in Mathematics and Science Study, (TIMSS)-1995, -99, -03, while Singapore students have had highest average scores. U.S. eighth grade average mathematics scores improved on TIMMS-2007 and held steady onTIMMS-2011. Results from national assessments, PISA 2009 and 2012 and National Assessment …