Education Commons^™

An Analysis Of The Higher-Order Thinking Requirements Of An End-Of-Course Ela Assessment, Timothy J. Dowd

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Higher-order thinking has been promoted in the American classroom for several decades. Summative assessments have the dual role of ascertaining the student’s proficiency and also providing them with opportunities to employ various cognitive behaviors and to offer them with opportunities to demonstrate their ability to think in complex ways. The creators of one such summative assessment, the North Carolina End-of-Course English II Test, claim that their test provides up to 40% of its items at the higher-order of thinking. The purpose of this convergent mixed-methods study was to investigate how the language found in the released items on the North …

The Type Of Questions Being Promoted In A 3rd Grade Reading Textbook, Suzanne Olivero

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Asking questions is essential for checking student understanding and keeping them engaged with the task at hand. It is crucial to the way students receive and process information and it encourages independent and critical thinking. Statistics show that the average teacher asks between 300 and 400 questions per day. To have the desired effect, these questions need to be effective, well-considered, and challenging.

Effective, cognitively complex questioning involves using questions in the classroom to open conversations, inspire deeper intellectual thought, and promote student-to-student interaction. Effective questions focus on eliciting the process, i.e. the ‘how’ and ‘why’ in a student’s response, …

An Analysis Of The Complex Thinking Requirements Of The Terranova And Iowa Practice Tests In English/Language Arts For Grade 8: A Tale Of Two Tests, Armand Lamberti

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

ABSTRACT

The importance of higher-order thinking, 21^st-Century Skills, and standardized testing are important issues in education. TerraNova and IOWA tests are widely used to assess students’ academic competence. The publishers of the TerraNova and IOWA tests claim that their assessment instruments challenge students to employ higher-order thinking skills. This study sought to examine and describe ways in which the language found in the TerraNova and IOWA English/Language Arts practice tests compared with the language that promotes higher-order thinking found in the literature. A convergent, parallel mixed-methods study with qualitative and quantitative content analysis methods was conducted to (a) …

The Type Of Questions Being Promoted In A 10th Grade Social Studies Textbook, Christie A. Vanderhook

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The importance of questioning is a crucial skill for the 21st century learner. The importance of having questioning designed to develop higher order thinking is critical. Much of today’s educational research notes the importance of the competitive skills and knowledge students must obtain in order to be successful academically in college entry courses, in vocational training programs, and ultimately, when navigating the real world. Questioning within the classroom setting can help students develop critical thinking ideas, scaffold classroom discussions, and guide students to an advanced level of cognition. Through the skillful art of questioning, teachers can establish students’ prior knowledge …

Content Complexity In High School English: An Analysis Of Common Core State Standards And Past Massachusetts Curriculum, Mark Jarmon

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

There has been much debate about having standardized curricula content standards for all. Some have criticized state curriculum content standards for varying in quality by state. The purpose of this study was to compare content complexity as it appears within the high school English Language Arts Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the former state standards of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts English Language Arts Curriculum Framework (2001), in Grades 9–12. Webb’s Depth of Knowledge (DOK) was the framework through which the analysis for this study was conducted. Webb described four levels of DOK as they apply to English language arts specific …

An Analysis Of The Higher Order Thinking Requirements Of A Grade 8 Online-Based English Language Arts Skills Program, Paige D. Sydoruk

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Higher order thinking skills have been embedded into state teaching standards, including Standard 9 of the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards (NJCCCS) for 21st Century Life and Careers. These standards aim to encourage problem solving, critical thinking, reasoning, and real-world application in order to prepare students for the workplace and are expected to be embedded consistently in classroom practice and learning. With the promotion of Standard 9 in New Jersey schools, technology has become a paramount tool because of its multitude of capabilities. Over the years, private companies have begun developing online-based programs catered to building content area skills …