Education Commons^™

The Role Of Media Specialists With Respect To Instructional Technology In An Urban School District In Georgia, Warren R. Goetzel

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

In the absence of a Georgia Educator Certificate in instructional technology, and of state-wide staffing requirements for instructional technology specialists, media specialists may be playing an increasingly larger role in instructional technology support and focusing less on other vital media specialist responsibilities. A deeper understanding of the role of media specialists with respect to instructional technology may provide insight into determining a need for instructional technology certification and support in Georgia schools. The purpose of this quantitative survey study was to examine the role of media specialists with respect to instructional technology in an urban school district in Georgia. Practicing …

What Informs Practice And What Is Valued In Corporate Instructional Design? A Mixed Methods Study, Ingrid N. Thompson-Sellers

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

This study used a two-phased explanatory mixed-methods design to explore in-depth what factors are perceived by Instructional Design and Technology (IDT) professionals as impacting instructional design practice, how these factors are valued in the field, and what differences in perspectives exist between IDT managers and non-managers. For phase 1 of the study, one hundred and sixteen corporate IDT professionals (managers and non-managers) responded to a web-based survey that was designed and developed from: (a) The results of an exploratory study of the practices of corporate instructional designers, (b) the results of an extensive literature review into the theory and practice …

Professional Development, Writer's Workshop And Identity: A Case Study Of Women Elementary School Teachers Using Writing As Resistance, Karla J. Zisook

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to uncover the ways that women elementary school teachers negotiate their identities within the context of writer’s workshop by exploring issues of gender, literacy, and identity. The two central participants were women elementary school teachers who were involved at their Professional Development School with university partnership and were learning how to implement a writer’s workshop instructional model. This study considers how the participants’ involvement in professional development with a university faculty member shaped their identities as women and professionals. The theoretical framework is critical theory and identity theory in which literacy and …

Perceptions Of A Hiv Testing Message Targeted For At-Risk Adults With Low Functional Health Literacy, Susan L. Hunter

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

This study analyses warehoused data collected by Georgia State University and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (GSU/CDC) researchers after developing an HIV testing message for urban adults with low functional health literacy. It expands previous work by examining data collected when 202 primarily African-American homeless clients of an urban community based organization (CBO) reviewed both the low literacy brochure (Wallace et. al., 2006) and a standard HIV brochure (Georgia Department of Human Resources, 1997). Participants’ health literacy was assessed using 2 measures; the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine or REALM (Davis, Crouch, Long & Green) and the …

An Examination Of Cognitive Presence And Learning Outcome In An Asynchronous Discussion Forum, Tan M. Tran

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

Web-based learning progresses as access to the Internet grows. As learners and educators in virtual learning communities, we strive for ways to measure how well teachers teach and learners learn. While the literature is replete with articles and books discussing online learning from the perspective of social and teaching presence, there are few studies that examine the relationship between cognitive presence and learning effectiveness in an online environment. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between cognitive presence and learning outcome in an asynchronous discussion forum. Thus, this study examined performance in an online course in relation …

Effective Technology Strategies Teachers Use In The Urban Middle Grades Mathematics Classroom, Tammie R. Cravens

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

The 21^st century mathematics classroom looks and operates differently than it did half a century ago. Not only are teachers expected to facilitate activities rather than lecture, they are also expected to utilize technology. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics established the technology principle to guide teachers into this practice in 2000. Today there are middle school mathematics teachers who use technology effectively in the classroom. However, there is a dearth of literature in this area on how they select and use technology. The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand the process by which these teachers …

Mapping The Road To Instructional Coach Effectiveness: Exploring The Relationship Between Instructional Coaching Efficacy, Practices, And Outcomes, Marsha Mccrary

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

Despite the presence and potential impact of instructional coaches, many schools are not experiencing significant improvements in teachers’ practices or student achievement. In gaining more insight into forces that impact instructional coach effectiveness, this study (a) explored the relationship between sources of instructional coaching efficacy and dimensions of instructional coaching efficacy [Mathematics Content & Mathematics-Specific Pedagogy (ME), Student Centered & General Pedagogy (SE), Interpersonal & Communication Coaching (IE), and Personal Coach Characteristics]; and (b) explored the relationship between dimensions of instructional coaching efficacy and instructional coach outcomes. Participants included teachers (n=144) and their instructional coaches (n=19), from elementary …

Understanding How Esol Pre-Services Teachers' Prior Experiences And Background Shape Their Processes Of Becoming L2 (Reading) Teachers, Eudes H. Aoulou

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

We know little about how English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) preservice teachers’ prior experiences and beliefs shape their learning process in teacher preparation programs, particularly in the area of second language (L2) reading instruction although research on preservice teachers’ antecedents has offered insights into our understanding of how they learn to become teachers (Johnson, 1992, 1994; Wilson, Floden, & Ferrini-Mundy, 2001). This inquiry was designed to contribute to such knowledge.

The participants were nine ESOL pre-service teachers enrolled in an ESOL program of a large urban university in the southeastern region of the United States. Using modified versions …

Becoming The Generalized Other: An Analysis Of The Narratives Of Teach For America Teacher-Bloggers, Neil J. Rigole

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

This narrative research study investigated the identity development process of a group of beginning teachers participating in Teach For America (TFA). The participants (n=3) were middle or high school teachers who had taught in high needs, low income urban school settings. They had also blogged on the “Teach For Us” blog hosting site about their experiences in the classroom as beginning teachers. Through the lenses of Sfard and Prusak’s (2005) narrative theory of identity and Mead’s (1934) social theory of identity and the role of the “Generalized Other”, narrative research techniques were used to analyze the stories found in their …

An Investigation Of The Influence Of Instructional Coaching On Retention Of Mathematics Teachers, Dorothy Lewis-Grace

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

In 2007, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reported in their 2004-2005 Teacher Follow-up Survey that nearly 20% of U.S. teachers leave the profession after their first year of teaching and almost 30% leave after the fourth year of teaching. These percentages are even greater for mathematics teachers.

Using symbolic interactionism, adult learning, and partnership as a theoretical framework, this ethnographic case study investigated and examined the factors that influenced second-career mathematics teachers to remain in the teaching profession and their experiences with instructional coaching. The following guiding research question and sub-questions were pursued in the study: Why have …

Teachers And English Language Learners Experiencing The Secondary Mainstream Classroom: A Case Study, Amanda M. Ruiz

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

The number of linguistically and culturally diverse students entering public schools is increasing (Echeverria, Short & Powers, 2006; Williams, 2001) and mainstream teachers are responsible for making content comprehensible for these students (Clegg, 1996; Georgia Department of Education, 2008); however, test scores and graduation rates indicate that English language learners (ELLs), across the nation, are consistently underperforming on content based assessments and failing to complete high school (Carrasquillo & Rodriguez, 2006; Cruz & Thornton, 2009) . Using a constructivist lens and the concept of the instructional dynamic (Ball & Forzani, 2007), this dissertation presents the experiences of the mainstream teacher …

Simulation Video Games As Learning Tools: An Examination Of Instructor Guided Reflection On Cognitive Outcomes, Kevin R. Wood

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

Simulation video games potentially offer students the opportunity to participate in activities designed to bring about higher order thinking. Gee (2005b, 2007) elucidates that without the guidance of instructors, humans involved in a simulation experience have a high probability of finding creative but spurious patterns and generalizations that send learners down miseducative paths. The focus of this study is an examination of the function of instructor guided reflection and prior participant interest and exposure to video games in promoting affective and cognitive learning during participant use of single and multiplayer simulation video games in the classroom. One hundred twenty- eight …

How Do Scientists Cross Cultural Borders Between Religion And Science: A Case Study, Chester A. Barner Iii

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

The cultures of science and religion have had different levels of conflict throughout the past several hundred years due in part to the development of the theory of evolution. Although many ideas abound in science education as to the alleviation of this struggle, few studies have examined how scientists who profess religious beliefs deal with this conflict. In general, the study sought to understand the cognitive dynamic of the cultural interaction between the scientific and religious culture within a few individuals. Specifically, the study allowed scientists to explain how they found a measure of compatibility between their faith and their …

Identifying Complex Cultural Interactions In The Instructional Design Process: A Case Study Of A Cross-Border, Cross-Sector Training For Innovation Program, Lillian R. Russell Ph.D.

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to identify complex cultural dynamics in theinstructional design process of a cross-sector, cross-border training environment by applying Young’s (2009) Culture-Based Model (CBM) as a theoretical framework and taxonomy for description of the instructional design process under the conditions of one case. The guiding question of this study is: How does culture, as defined by Young’s (2009) CBM framework, interact with the instructional design process in this case of a cross-sector, cross-border training program?

This research uses the qualitative approach of case study and applies a cultural design framework to examine the process of instructional …

Assessing The Impact Of Computer Programming In Understanding Limits And Derivatives In A Secondary Mathematics Classroom, Christopher H. De Castro

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

This study explored the development of student’s conceptual understanding of limit and derivative when specific computational tools were utilized. Fourteen students from a secondary Advanced Placement Calculus AB course explored the limit and derivative concepts from calculus using computational tools in the Maple computer algebra system. Students worked in pairs utilizing the pair-programming collaborative model. Four groups of student pairs constructed computational tools and used them to explore the limit and derivative concepts. The remaining four student pairs were provided similar tools and asked to perform identical explorations.

A multiple embedded case design was utilized to explore ways students in …

Technology Resolved: An Ethnographic Approach To Instructional Design Within Urban Middle School Debate, Dana Bryant

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

Technology literacy is the latest achievement benchmark for 8th grade public school students under No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Although necessary for contemporary academic and professional success (Selfe, 1999; Pearson & Young, 2002), this benchmark is at odds with the legacy and current state of social inequities within American public education, as all students have not been provided with equal opportunities for engaging and safe learning environments (Kozol, 1991; Darling-Hammond, 2006)—much less technology enabled ones. The purpose of this qualitative study was to design culturally informed technology activities for urban middle school students in the Computer Assisted Debate (CAD) after …

Successful White Mathematics Teachers Of African American Students, Carla R. Bidwell

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

In the United States, a growing disparity exists between the racial composition of teachers and the students they teach. In 2006, 43.1% of K–12 public school students were reported as non-White—in 1990, 32.4% (U.S. Department of Education, 2008). Teachers, however, are predominantly White, 83.3% (U.S. Department of Education, 2007a). Exacerbating this disparity, it has been noted that fewer African Americans are choosing education as a profession (see, e.g., Irvine, 1989; Ladson-Billings, 1994). This growing disparity motivates a crucial question: Can White teachers be successful with “other people’s children” (Delpit, 1995)? This study explores this question by examining the life histories …

Faculty Perceptions About Virtual World Technology: Affordances And Barriers To Adoption, Linda W. Wood

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

Providing instruction using different instructional delivery methods allows the learner to absorb content in a way that fits the individual learner. Today’s students have grown up immersed in digital technology. However, many higher education faculty are still not speaking the same digital language as their students. The issue may be that the pedagogical and epistemological beliefs of faculty who are “digital immigrants” affect the teaching methods used in the higher education classroom today. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore design college faculty perceptions of the adoption of virtual world technology into the classroom. Diffusion and adoption …

Passing As Literate: Gender, Dyslexia, And The Shaping Of Identities, Ellen Burns Hurst

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate the ways in which currently diagnosed dyslexic females, who navigated adolescence and their concomitant schooling without a definitive diagnosis of dyslexia, negotiated their identities in the figured world of school. To explore this phenomenon, it was necessary to understand the complexity of dyslexia as well as the theoretical underpinnings of identity construction, adolescence, and ―passing as literate.‖ This case study is informed by poststructuralist thought; through this lens I examine how my subjects perceived their worlds and how they negotiated the challenges associated with undiagnosed dyslexia. As they describe their …

Semiosis Of Self: Meaning Making In A High School Spanish For Native Speakers Class, Tammy G. Frederick

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

Located in social semiotics (Hodge & Kress, 1988), theories of identity (Goffman, 1959; Holland, Lachicotte, Skinner, & Cain, 1998), and third space (Gutierrez, Baquedano, & Turner, 1997; Rowe & Leander, 2005), this dissertation presents the findings from a year long, field-based qualitative study with a high school class of nine Spanish for Native Speakers (SNS) students and their teacher. The study used an arts-infused multimodal curriculum exploring Spanish language texts and cultures from around the world. The following questions guided this study: (a) What factors were considered as the teacher and the researcher co-planned this arts-infused multimodal curriculum, and how …

The Relationship Between Nature Of Science Understandings And Science Self-Efficacy Beliefs Of Sixth Grade Students, Elisabeth A. Parker

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

Bandura (1986) posited that self-efficacy beliefs help determine what individuals do with the knowledge and skills they have and are critical determinants of how well skill and knowledge are acquired. Research has correlated self-efficacy beliefs with academic success and subject interest (Pajares, Britner, & Valiante, 2000). Similar studies report a decreasing interest by students in school science beginning in middle school claiming that they don’t enjoy science because the classes are boring and irrelevant to their lives (Basu & Barton, 2007). The hypothesis put forth by researchers is that students need to observe models of how science is done, the …

Beginning Teachers' Perceptions Of Preparedness: A Teacher Education Program's Transferability And Impact On The Secondary English/Language Arts Classroom, Mary C. Thompson

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

In October 2009, United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan declared in a speech to Columbia University’s Teacher’s College that many university teacher preparation programs are outdated and must undergo major reform in order to produce high quality teachers needed to improve academic achievement for all students (U.S. Department of Education, 2009). Duncan stated that “America’s university-based teacher preparation programs need revolutionary change – not evolutionary tinkering” (U.S. Department of Education, 2009, p.2). To improve student success in the classroom, policy makers must understand the key role well-trained teachers play in achieving this goal (Boyd, Lankford, Clothfelter, Ladd & Vigdor, …

Preservice Teachers' Use Of Lesson Study In Teaching Nature Of Science, Amy Mcdowell

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore preservice teachers’ lived experiences in a lesson study focused on teaching and learning nature of science (NOS). The body of knowledge about shifting pre- and in-service novice NOS understandings is substantial. The focus of science education research is now exploring ways to move these informed NOS understandings into classroom practice (Abd-El-Khalick & Lederman, 2000b).

The research questions guiding the study were (a) how do preservice teachers’ understandings of NOS shift as a result of the lesson study experience?, and (b) how does the reflective practice that occurs in lesson study influence preservice …

University Staff Perspectives On Change Management Strategies In Student Information System Adoption, Winnie W. Tsang-Kosma

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

The process of information technology adoption and use is critical to deriving benefits of information technology. Thus, one of the most challenging issues in information systems research is to understand how people have experienced the adoption process that may lead to insights to why they accept or reject the information technology (Davis, Bagozzi, & Warshaw, 1989). There are many factors affecting the adoption process of information technology innovations within an organization. To ensure successful adoption of information technology innovations, organizations develop a planned approach to change and employ change management strategies such as communication, training, and functional users support groups …

Toward An Integrated Theory Of Musical Worth And Pedagogical Value: An Analysis Of Commissioned Choral Works And Personal Perspectives Of Emma Lou Diemer And Alice Parker, Elise Eskew Sparks

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

Repertoire comprises the curriculum of school music ensembles, yet its selection by music educators is unsystematic, commonly influenced by publishers, and lacking in thoughtful critique (Budiansky, 2005; Forbes, 2001). Research reports that musical worth and pedagogical value are foremost criteria in repertoire selection (Devore, 1989; Ostling, 1978). This ethnographic research explored relationships between musical worth and pedagogical value in works and perspectives of Emma Lou Diemer and Alice Parker, two prominent female composers whose extensive catalogs include music written for educational settings. Data were collected via methods consistent with qualitative inquiry. Smith’s (2003) Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was employed to facilitate …

Investigation Of Alignment Between Goals Of Schooling Relevant To Georgia And The Georgia Performance Standards, Anissa Lokey Vega

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

Since the American Revolution free public education has been a discussion of political debate. The purpose that such an institution should play in society is a debate fervently argued when the founding fathers wanted to build a republic based on meritocracy. The problem this study addresses is the undefined relationship between the goals of schooling relevant to Georgia and the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) which is a critical piece to creating a complete systemic view of public schooling in Georgia. The purpose of this study is to investigate the alignment between the GPS and schooling goals. The guiding question and …

Dichotomous Musical Worlds: Interactions Between The Musical Lives Of Adolescents And School Music-Learning Culture, Todd Edwin Snead

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

This ethnographic study investigated the interactions between the musical lives of adolescents and school music-learning culture in a suburban high school. Participants included two music teachers and seven adolescents. Framed within a symbolic interactionist perspective (Blumer, 1969), data were collected via methods consistent with qualitative inquiry, including an innovative data collection technique utilizing music elicitation interviews with adolescents. Findings emerged from the data via thematic analysis (Grbich, 2007). Findings indicate limited interactions between the musical lives of adolescents and school music-learning culture because participants portrayed and experienced a dichotomy between the musical assumptions and practices inside and outside of school. …

A Case Study Of Secondary Teachers Facilitating A Historical Problem-Based Learning Instructional Unit, John L. Pecore

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

Current curriculum trends promote inquiry-based student-centered strategies as a way to foster critical thinking and learning. Problem-based learning (PBL), a type of inquiry focusing on an issue or “problem,” is an instructional approach taught on the basis that science reform efforts increase scientific literacy. PBL is a constructivist approach to learning real life problems where understanding is a function of content, context, experiences, and learner goals; historical PBL situates the lesson in a historical context and provides opportunities for teaching NOS concepts. While much research exists on the benefits of historical PBL to student learning in general, more research is …

Female Students And Achievement In Secondary School Mathematics, Barry P. Shildneck

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

Achievement and the experiences of women in secondary school mathematics have been well documented in the research literature (e.g., Benbow & Stanley, 1980, 1983; Tartre & Fennema, 1995; Sherman, 1982; Ryckman & Peckham, 1987; Keller & Dauenheimer, 2003). With respect to achievement, the research literature primarily focuses on how women are deficient to men (e.g., Benbow & Stanley, 1980, 1983) and the roles affective attributes (e.g., Sherman, 1982; Fennema, Petersen, Carpenter & Lubinski, 1990) and stereotype threat (e.g., Quinn & Spencer, 2001; Steele & Aronson, 1995) have played in women’s deficiencies. Despite the perspective and nature of this research, there …

Effects Of Wide Reading Vs. Repeated Readings On Struggling College Readers' Comprehension Monitoring Skills, Omer Ari

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

Fluency instruction has had limited effects on reading comprehension relative to reading rate and prosodic reading (Dowhower, 1987; Herman, 1985; National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 2000a). More specific components (i.e., error detection) of comprehension may yield larger effects through exposure to a wider range of materials than repeated readings (Kuhn, 2005b). Thirty-three students reading below college level were randomly assigned to a Repeated Readings (RR), a Wide Reading (WR), or a Vocabulary Study (VS) condition and received training in 9 sessions of 30 minutes in a Southeast community college. RR students read an instructional-level text consecutively four …