Education Commons^™

Classical Montessori: A Study Of The Classical Rhetorical Canons In Early Montessori Writing Instruction, Deborah E. O'Neil

English Theses & Dissertations

This thesis begins by proposing that all five classical canons are an ideal theory for guiding any writing pedagogy. The majority of the thesis, then, details how Montessori writing instruction synergistically exploits these canons to create a powerful pedagogy. Devised by Maria Montessori in the late 1800s, her instruction displays standard and nonstandard applications of invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery. Because Montessori writing instruction begins in preschool, this thesis concludes with an exploration of the potential benefits of introducing a classical curriculum before college.

A Survey Of Characteristics Of Effective Alternative Education Teachers As Perceived By Alternative Education Teachers, Administrators, And Students, Barbara Jean Nicholson Anderson

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This study sought to identify the behavior management, programming, and other teaching characteristics of alternative education teachers perceived by teachers, administrators, and students to be effective when the teachers are working with alternative education students. The characteristics examined were taken from empirical and related urban-centered literature, which underscore the behavior management and programming skills needed by teachers who work with students with behavior disorders. Stated and implied characteristics from related alternative education literature were also used.

There is a need to identify effective characteristics of alternative education teachers, since alternative education programs are becoming an integral part of the regular …

An Evaluation Of The 2 + 2 For Teachers: Alternative Performance Appraisal Program In The Norfolk Public Schools Prime Project, Alyce C. Leblanc

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The current study was a utilization-focused implementation evaluation of the 2 + 2 for Teachers: Alternative Performance Appraisal Program (2 + 2). The 2 + 2 program is an experimental appraisal program designed to support substantial instructional reform in the Norfolk, Virginia based PRIME (Public school Restructuring through Innovative Mainstream Education) systemic reform project. Through frequent classroom observations by administrators, peers, and students, who offer two compliments and two suggestions for improvement at each observation, the 2 + 2 program provides a framework for teacher collaboration and professional growth. Ultimately, improved instruction is an expected outcome, but was not evaluated …

The Effects Of Applied Technology Instruction On Mathematics Achievement And Career Interests Of Urban Seventh-Grade Students, Eric M. Fischer

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The present study has been implemented to provide insight as to how, given limited resources, Technology Education curricula might be developed to best support the unique goals of an urban middle school aerospace magnet program. It was hypothesized that applied academic strategies, including interdisciplinary hands-on aerospace and computer-assisted instructional activities, would affect larger gains in mathematics achievement and would enhance career-interest development of urban seventh-grade students to a greater degree than would non-participation in such instruction. A randomized subjects, pretest-posttest control group design was used to assess treatment effects upon 71 urban seventh-grade students. Dependent variables were measured using the …

Computer Anxiety And Attitudes Of Urban Teacher Education Students, Alfred P. Rovai

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This three-part study used quasi-experimental methodologies to: (a) determine how a computer literacy course affects the computer anxiety and computer attitudes of urban teacher education students over time, (b) explain and predict urban teacher education students who are resistant to reduction of computer anxiety, and (c) determine whether a humanistically-focused treatment is more effective than a traditional cognitively-focused treatment in reducing computer anxiety and improving computer attitudes.

For the first part of this study 75 subjects were measured over three observations using a 13-week interval. The treatment, a mandatory computer literacy course for teacher education students, was conducted between the …

Building A Consensus For The Development Of National Standards In History, Mary Vassilikou Bicouvaris

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This research project examines the process used by the National History Standards Project to build consensus for the development of national standards for teaching history in America's schools.

Since the publication of A Nation At Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform by the National Commission of Excellence in Education in 1983, the American educational community has been in the grips of a reform movement. The aim of this movement is to examine where we have been and where we are going as a nation and to redefine what we believe in and what we believe is important to teach our …

The Effects Of An Urban Middle School Dropout Prevention Program On The Academic Achievement, Attendance, Attitudes, And Conflict Resolution Skills Of At-Risk Student, Patricia Hawkins Fisher

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of an urban middle school dropout prevention program on the academic achievement, attendance, attitudes toward self and school, and conflict resolution skills of potential dropout candidates. The study compared the differences in grade point averages and Iowa Test of Basic Skills scores, percentages of absences, self concept and motivation towards school scores, and the percentage of suspensions of subjects in three middle schools in Portsmouth, Virginia. A review of literature revealed that traditional dropout prevention efforts have addressed the dropout dilemma with varying degrees of success. More recent dropout initiatives …

A Study To Determine Whether Oral Delivery Style, In Presenting Poetry To Students, Significantly Effects The Level Of Responsiveness To The Poetry, William H. Goff Ii

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Studies

Concerns about the lack of intrinsic motivation among students has been associated with behaviorism's emphasis on extrinsic rewards and with a general societal trend toward materialism. Teachers frequently comment that many students seem to have little interest in learning. This research examined one factor in student motivation, lesson delivery style.

Four 7th grade classes, two different classes from two different schools, were used, resulting in 69 subjects. Poetry was read to classes with either an aesthetic or a bland delivery style. The behavioral response of the students was noted as to whether or not they were indicative of physiological arousal. …

A Meta-Analysis Of The Relative Effectiveness Of Two Cooperative Learning Models In Increasing Mathematics Achievement, Frances Burton Spuler

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The meta-analysis compares two popular cooperative learning models, Student-Teams-Achievement Divisions (STAD) and Teams-Games-Tournaments (TGT), for their relative effectiveness in increasing mathematics achievement of K-12 students. The findings of the available research were integrated to determine both the magnitude and the direction of the effects of the cooperative learning models and effect sizes were calculated. More studies comparing the TGT cooperative learning model with a traditional learning model (81% of the studies) resulted in statistically significant higher gains in mathematics achievement than studies comparing the STAD model with a traditional learning model (51% of the studies). Other measures of relative effectiveness …

The Revolutions In Knowledge And Literary Theory: Their Impact On English Classrooms, Nancy Topping Bazin

English Faculty Publications

Since teachers, scholars, and scientists began in recent decades to study people who were previously marginalized or totally ignored, revolutions have occurred in knowledge and in literary theories and criticism. An increasing number of literature teachers acknowledge that they cannot ignore these significant changes. Indeed, they recognize that because of multicultural and global awareness, new questions are constantly being asked, new kinds of research are being done, and new approaches are being t:iken to subject matter.

A Responsive Evaluation In Two Hampton Roads Museums: The Development Of A Performance Assessment System For Museum Volunteers, Joan Fishman Hecht

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The purpose of this study is to evaluate volunteer performance in two Hampton Roads museums. The research question was: How can managers of museum volunteer services evaluate volunteer performance? The research design was a naturalistic, responsive, utilization-focused evaluation in response to the research question. The data was collected with a systematic examination of volunteer performance activities using techniques of in-depth interviews, participant observations, a questionnaire, documents and records. The data was analyzed by categorizing, sorting and characterizing the categories, conducting member checks, and prioritizing the data. Triangulation was used to verify the collected information. This study determined important traits, performance …

Lesson Plan Designs, William A. Owings, Michael W. Bedwell, Charles Berry

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

[First paragraph] The principal must observe teachers to improve and evaluate effectiveness. Since instructional planning is one of the keys to good instruction, one component of improving teacher effectiveness is the lesson plan. This article provides two formats for lesson planning: a narrative approach and a skeleton approach. Although the ideas in this article may be used whenever written plans are required, not all written plans require elaborate detail.

The Relative Effectiveness Of Programmed Instruction Versus The Lecture And Discussion Method On The Assessment Skills And Reporting Patterns Of Child Abuse And Neglect Among Undergraduate Nursing Students, Pamela Valleria Wilson Hammond

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The problem studied in this investigation was whether different instructional methods could increase the assessment skills and affect reporting patterns of child abuse and neglect among undergraduate students majoring in nursing.

Two hundred and nineteen nursing students were selected for inclusion in the study from two urban universities located in Hampton Roads, Virginia. The sample was predominantly female (91.3%), African-American (79.9%) and mostly under 25 years of age (67.1%).

A programmed instruction manual, Child Abuse and Neglect, a pretest booklet, and a posttest booklet were developed specifically for this research. The pretest booklets and posttest booklets contained vignettes and questions …

Unit Plans, William A. Owings, Michael W. Bedwell, R. D. Barrack (Ed.), M. W. Bedwell (Ed.), J. S. Byrne (Ed.), S. H. Campbell (Ed.), T. Page Johnson (Ed.), R. E. Jones (Ed.), G. L. Koonce (Ed.), W. A. Owings (Ed.), H. R. Stiff (Ed.)

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

[First paragraph] Careful unit planning as a framework for daily lesson plans can help teachers individualize instruction, manage time and classroom behavior, bring cohesive-ness to a series of related daily lessons, and ultimately improve student achievement. Principals can help teachers by providing clear expectations and a consistent framework for unit planning. School and district philosophy will help determine the particular model chosen from the wide variety available. Following is one format.

Virginia's Plan For Dual Enrollment, William A. Owings, John B. Titus, R. D. Barrack (Ed.), M. W. Bedwell (Ed.), J. S. Byrne (Ed.), S. H. Campbell (Ed.), T. Page Johnson (Ed.), R. E. Jones (Ed.), G. L. Koonce (Ed.), W. A. Owings (Ed.), H. R. Stiff (Ed.)

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

[First paragraph] There is a plan where Virginia pays Average Daily Membership (ADM) monies to a school system for a student attending a community college - and the community college collects the Full Time Equivalency (FTE) from the State. Principals must be aware of this dual enrollment plan for secondary students with community colleges approved in September of 1988. This plan provides options for students which were not available before. Dual enrollment allows high school students to accumulate credits for graduation while simultaneously earning college credit. The courses to be offered are to be mutually agreed upon by the school …

Sleep Patterns And The Behavior Of Children In The Second-, Third-, And Fourth-Grades In Urban Public Schools, Yolanda Cardelli Hampel

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This investigation examined the relationship between nocturnal sleep patterns and behaviors in the classroom of seventy-four girls and fifty-nine boys from second-, third-, and fourth-grades attending five urban public schools in Norfolk, Virginia.

The dependent variables were the classroom behavior that was subdivided into five personality areas for objective assessment of the student's adjustment areas labeled self, social, school, home, and physical. The objective assessment was observed and documented on a seventy-eight item questionnaire by their primary classroom teachers who were familiar with the subjects behavior. The parents observed and recorded data on a sleep log listing independent variables such …

A Study On Teacher Change To Developmentally Appropriate Practice In The Primary Grades Of An Urban Elementary School, Kerry Sullivan Lambert

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The purpose of this research was to study the process of change from traditional teaching practices to developmentally appropriate practices (DAP), following training. The population for this study consists of kindergarten and first grade teachers, in urban elementary school comprised of student at-risk for school failure. Quantitative and qualitative research methodologies were utilized. The quantitative measures provide evidence of the degree of change made by teachers and render a context for the qualitative findings. The variables of DAP were measured pre- and post-training to determine change in teaching practices that occurred after training. Two observation instruments were utilized to measure …

The Effects Of An Inservice Training Program For Cooperating Teachers On The Supervision Of Student Teachers In An Urban School System, Cheryl S. Baker

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The primary task of this research was to develop, implement, and evaluate an inservice training program designed to provide cooperating teachers with supervisory skills. The research design employed to evaluate this study utilized both quantitative and qualitative methods and procedures. Quantitative methods included a quasi-experimental design with the inservice training program as the independent variable and the posttest measure of cooperating teacher effectiveness as the dependent variable. Participants in the investigation were 42 student teacher triads--student teachers from two large urban universities, their cooperating teachers in schools providing placements for the student teaching experience and their university supervisors. The 21 …

Compressed Digital Video Instructional Delivery: A Study Of Student Achievement, Student Attitude, And Instructor Attitude, Eddyth Niceler Worley

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The purpose of this study was to investigate compressed digital video as an instructional delivery system for distance learning. The independent variable was delivery mode. Two levels of this variable were considered. Level 1 was one-way video/two-way audio. Level 2 was two-way video/two-way audio. Student achievement, student attitude, and instructor attitude were measured as dependent variables.

A quasi-experimental study comparing the two delivery modes was conducted. Two treatment groups were established. Both groups received instruction simultaneously from the same instructors. Instructors used both treatment modes (delivery systems) during instruction.

Instructor and student subjects were naval, civilian and military personnel involved …

Identification Of The Potential High School Dropout, Alan L. Vaughan

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This research was conducted to determine a methodology for the early identification of potential dropouts in the Chesapeake Public School System. A review of research literature determined that many discriminating characteristics had been identified as influential in a student's decision to drop out or stay in school. This study sought to be useful in a practical school setting. Therefore, the study limited its scope to those discriminating characteristics available in student records and thus readily accessible to school personnel. The predictor variables listed below are well documented in the research as discriminating characteristics relating to a student dropping out of …

Teaching Literature In The 1990'S: Meeting The Challenge, Nancy Topping Bazin

English Faculty Publications

English teachers are currently beset by a variety of political forces vying for their attention. Education has become big news again for the first time since October 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union inaugurated the Space Age by launching Sputnik, the first man-made satellite. In 1957, astonished at the Russians' success, Americans panicked and decided that their math science, and foreign language training was inadequate. Recent survey~ showing the superiority of Japanese and European students over American students have provoked serious concern about the quality of education going on in American public schools and in our colleges and universities. The …

Academic And Therapeutic Potential Of The Sierra Ii Process: An Evaluation Of An Adapted Outward Bound Diversion Program For Adjudicated Juvenile Delinquents, Ronald Clifford Callahan

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Studies

The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of the Sierra II program on adjudicated juvenile delinquents. Specifically, this research measured the program's effect on the self-esteem, self-efficacy, locus-of-control, problem-solving skills, school behavior, and follow-on academic achievement. All study variables, except school behavior and follow-on academic achievement, received pre and post treatment assessments. Both school behavior and academic achievement received pre, post, six-month and twelve-month follow-up assessments. Individuals were assigned (by the court services staff) to an experimental group and a control group.

The Tennessee Self-Concept Scale, modified Internal-External Scale, and the Generalized Expectancy of Success Scale …

A Comparative Study Of The Effects Of Two Urban Kindergarten Beginning Reading Programs On Student Oral Reading Performance And Attitudes Toward Reading, Ann-Carol Banton Holley

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the whole language and the Writing to Read beginning reading programs on oral reading performance and attitudes toward learning to read in school. The research population totaled 128 kindergarten students from two elementary schools within the same urban school system. This population consisted of a complete population sample of sixty-one students at the whole language school and sixty-seven Writing to Read students chosen by random selection to represent all classes and teachers at the other school.

Oral reading performance and attitude toward reading of the two groups were compared …

An Inquiry Into The Influence Of Expressive Writing Practice On The Transactional Writing Abilities Of Selected Fourth Grade Students, Maureen Elliott Hook

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The study is an inquiry into the influence of expressive writing practice on the transactional writing abilities of selected fourth grade students. It is based on the ideas of James Britton, an English theoretician concerned with writing. The study was formulated to investigate how the process of writing occurs. Writing research is at an early stage, and this study will expand the knowledge of the field.

The study consisted of a treatment group receiving intensive practice with expressive writing over the course of one semester while the control group did not. A posttest was administered which involved the students having …

Women's Studies Today: An Assessment, Nancy Topping Bazin

Women's & Gender Studies Faculty Publications

Essay assesses the status of Women's Studies higher education programs.

A Comparison Of Parenting Profiles Of Adolescent Mothers, Willar F. White-Parson

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

Statement of Problem. How do parenting profiles of adolescent mothers who attended an alternative school for pregnant students compare with adolescent mothers who did not attend this school?

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to compare the parenting perceptions of adolescent mothers who attended an alternative school for pregnant students and adolescent mothers who did not attend this school.

Procedure and Methods. The sample for this quasi-experimental study consisted of twenty volunteers who were enrolled in an alternative school and twenty volunteers who were admitted to a general hospital in Norfolk, Virginia. The school samples was the experimental group …

An Analysis Of A Sample Of Parents And University Freshmen In Regard To Their Attitudes Toward The Needs Of Sex Education In Community Schools, Linda C. Aleksa

Community & Environmental Health Theses & Dissertations

This study attempted to investigate a sample of both parents' and college freshmens' attitudes toward sex education, and the content and timing of sex education in the Tidewater schools. Two Likert-type scales each containing ten statements were administered in order to survey attitudes. A statistically significant difference was found in scores on the attitude toward content and timing of sex education scale between parents and college freshmen. Parents demonstrated a more favorable attitude toward sex education as an integral component of the overall educational curriculum. The majority of parents indicated support for including important aspects such as reproduction and indicated …

Emerging From Women's Studies: A New World View And A New Goal For Educators, Nancy Topping Bazin

Women's & Gender Studies Faculty Publications

A new world view, emerging from the women's movement and women's studies, emphasizes the interdependence of all people and the interdependence of people and nature. This feminist world view could provide the philosophical framework necessary for transforming the curriculum to help bring about greater social, economic, and political equality and greater respect for life.

Interview With Nancy Topping Bazin: "Old Dominion University: Affirmative Action In The Curriculum", Peggy Mcintosh

Women's & Gender Studies Faculty Publications

Believing that the concept of affirmative action should extend to the curriculum, Nancy Topping Bazin, director of the Old Dominion University (ODU) Women's Studies Program, has strived for a change in the school's mission statement to reflect this conviction. If we have a concensus that equality is a good thing," says Bazin, "then the commitment to the philosophical principle of equality should automatically transfer to the curriculum. We should hire people who are experts in women's, black, and third world studies who can integrate their research into the various departments and help other people change their courses."

Expanding The Concept Of Affirmative Action To Include The Curriculum, Nancy Topping Bazin

Women's & Gender Studies Faculty Publications

Article discusses Old Dominion University's decision to expand of the concept of affirmative action to include the curriculum.