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Articles 61 - 90 of 126
Full-Text Articles in Education
Orchestrating Mathematical Discussions: A Novice Teacher's Implementation Of Five Practices To Develop Discourse Orchestration In A Sixth-Grade Classroom, Jeffrey Stephen Young
Orchestrating Mathematical Discussions: A Novice Teacher's Implementation Of Five Practices To Develop Discourse Orchestration In A Sixth-Grade Classroom, Jeffrey Stephen Young
Theses and Dissertations
This action research study examined my attempts during a six-lesson unit of instruction to implement five practices developed by Stein, Engle, Smith, and Hughes (2008) to assist novice teachers in orchestrating meaningful mathematical discussions, a component of inquiry-based teaching and learning. These practices are anticipating student responses to a mathematical task, monitoring student responses while they engage with the task, planning which of those responses will be shared, planning the sequence of that sharing, and helping students make connections among student responses. Although my initial anticipations of student responses were broad and resulted in unclear expectations during lesson planning, I …
Dyad Reading Experiences Of Second-Grade English Learners With Fiction And Nonfiction Texts, Michelle Lynn Klvacek
Dyad Reading Experiences Of Second-Grade English Learners With Fiction And Nonfiction Texts, Michelle Lynn Klvacek
Theses and Dissertations
Dyad reading, a modified version of the Neurological Impress Method, does not seem to be widely used, although it appears to have the potential to support students at multiple levels of reading proficiency. Dyad reading was implemented in this study with two second-grade English Learners (ELs) paired with English-proficient partners using both fiction and nonfiction texts. This qualitative study employed an action research method, using the following data sources: video observations, student interviews, weekly dyad observations, anecdotal notes, and weekly written reflections.
This study reveals that implementing dyad reading is complex. Participants needed modeling and practice with dyad reading procedures, …
Determining The Reliability Of An Early Expository Comprehension Assessment, Tammie Harding
Determining The Reliability Of An Early Expository Comprehension Assessment, Tammie Harding
Theses and Dissertations
This study investigated the reliability of the revised Early Expository Comprehension Assessment (EECA), a measure that looked at preschoolers' comprehension of expository text. Thirty-seven preschool children between the ages of four and five were administered two comparable versions of the measure by two examiners. Scoring procedures were created and the protocols were scored and compared for reliability. The data was analyzed using a mixed models Analysis of Variance for repeated measures and a maximum likelihood estimate of variance components. Results from the analysis showed that version and order had no significant effect on three of the response task scores (Purpose …
Components Of Effective Writing Content Conferences In A Sixth-Grade Classroom, Paul Ricks
Components Of Effective Writing Content Conferences In A Sixth-Grade Classroom, Paul Ricks
Theses and Dissertations
Students are now required to show proficiency in writing through performance on standardized tests. Educators and researchers are looking for ways to improve persuasive and argumentative writing created by students. The writing content conference setting gives educators and students opportunities to discuss student writing in a one-on-one format in which students receive feedback. Ideally, this helps them to create multiple drafts of writing that improve with each revision. Many practitioner guides have been created that offer suggestions as to how conferences can be conducted and what types of interactions can theoretically occur. Few, however, have examined what actually happens during …
Supporting Ongoing Language And Literacy Development Of Adolescent English Language Learners, Jason T. Jay
Supporting Ongoing Language And Literacy Development Of Adolescent English Language Learners, Jason T. Jay
Theses and Dissertations
Literacy proficiency is critical for success both in and out of school; yet adolescent English language learners (ELLs) are not performing at the level of their English-speaking peers. This qualitative study focused on ways in which one successful high-school teacher facilitated literacy events as a way to provide language and literacy support for these students. The findings describe the actions of the teacher, the affordances made by these actions, and how the students took up those affordances. Teacher actions included creating a safe and comfortable atmosphere, following a routine, and participating in sharing activities. Affordances included opportunities for using vocabulary …
What Matters Most? The Everyday Priorities Of Teachers Of English Language Learners, Johanna Boone
What Matters Most? The Everyday Priorities Of Teachers Of English Language Learners, Johanna Boone
Theses and Dissertations
Teachers work within a context of competing stories, including pressures regarding English language learners (ELLs), a deficit view of teachers, and high-stakes testing and accountability, all of which impact teachers' emotions. Within this context, teachers prioritize what is most important to them. This self-study using narrative inquiry methods lays the author's stories of teaching alongside those of two other teachers of ELLs. The author conducted a series of interviews with the participants, analyzed the interviews for themes and tensions, negotiated meaning with participants, and created interim texts to represent the participants' priorities in teaching ELLs. Three teachers' priorities, as indicated …
Online Student Discussions In A Blended Learning Classroom: Reconciling Conflicts Between A Flipped Instruction Model And Reform-Based Mathematics, Lewis L. Young
Theses and Dissertations
Two ideas are prevalent in teacher professional development today. Teachers are finding new and innovative ways to incorporate technology into their classroom. The use of video and social media is increasing. One type of pedagogy that has emerged among the blended learning pedagogies is flipped instruction, where students participate in some of the instruction outside of the classroom. Another prevalent idea is the focus on inquiry learning and reform-based mathematics instruction. This pedagogy adheres to the idea that students can use their problem solving skills to understand complex mathematics. This qualitative content analysis outlines how one researcher sought to find …
Parent Reasons For Enrollment At One Dual-Language Chinese Immersion Elementary School Program, Aaron W. Andersen
Parent Reasons For Enrollment At One Dual-Language Chinese Immersion Elementary School Program, Aaron W. Andersen
Theses and Dissertations
While foreign language immersion programs have been increasing in number and popularity throughout the United States, their growth in the state of Utah has been particularly dramatic. Utah contains more foreign language immersion programs than any other state and is home to one-fourth of the nation's elementary school Chinese immersion programs. This descriptive study explored the reasons why parents of children enrolled in Utah's Long Hill Elementary School Chinese Immersion program chose to enroll their child. Long Hill Elementary's Chinese Immersion program is 4 years old, with over 200 children enrolled across 4 grade levels. A household survey was developed, …
Effects Of Teacher-To-Student Relatedness On Adolescent Male Motivation In Weight-Training Classes, Zack E. Beddoes
Effects Of Teacher-To-Student Relatedness On Adolescent Male Motivation In Weight-Training Classes, Zack E. Beddoes
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this study was to determine if the motivational profiles of male junior high weight-training students (n = 166) differ across levels of teacher and peer relatedness (high, low). The students' contextual motivation was measured using the Sport Motivation Scale II -Physical Education (SMS II-PE) pre- and post-intervention (high vs. low teacher-to-student relatedness). Situational motivation and relatedness measurements were assessed pre- and post-intervention using the Situational Motivation Scale-Physical Education (SIMS-PE), Amotivation Inventory-Physical Education Scale (AI-PE), and the Interpersonal Behavior Scale (IBS). Results revealed that situational motivation was not affected by the intervention in either group. Significant differences were …
The United States Growth Over 16 Years Of Student Correct Responses On The Timss: Are We Really That Far Behind?, Jacob Michael Zonts
The United States Growth Over 16 Years Of Student Correct Responses On The Timss: Are We Really That Far Behind?, Jacob Michael Zonts
Theses and Dissertations
National rank on international assessments, as measured in Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), gives a limited view of the data presented. This study used average scale score data from the TIMSS (1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011) that were then disaggregated based on content domains (i.e., number, algebra, measurement, geometry, data, earth science, life science, physical science, biology, physics, and chemistry). These data were graphed to show the growth of the U.S. national average scale scores in comparison to three top scoring countries (i.e., Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore), and three other post-industrial countries similar to the U.S. …
Alignment Between Secondary Biology Textbooks And Standards For Teaching English Learners: A Content Analysis, Joseph H. Hanks
Alignment Between Secondary Biology Textbooks And Standards For Teaching English Learners: A Content Analysis, Joseph H. Hanks
Theses and Dissertations
The goal of the most recent science education reform movement in the U.S. is science literacy for all Americans. Science literacy among U.S. students remains low, however, as compared with students in other industrialized countries, and is lowest among English Language Learner (ELL) students. Although there are barriers to developing science literacy for all adolescent students, ELL students often experience additional barriers that make developing science literacy even more challenging without support. Because textbooks are often heavily relied upon by secondary science teachers, the opportunity for many ELLs to develop science literacy may depend upon the support for these students …
An Investigation Of The Effects Of Integrating Science And Engineering Content And Pedagogy In An Elementary School Classroom, Katie Nicole Barth
An Investigation Of The Effects Of Integrating Science And Engineering Content And Pedagogy In An Elementary School Classroom, Katie Nicole Barth
Theses and Dissertations
Fewer students in the United States are choosing to study and enter careers in the STEM disciplines-Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. This problem is being addressed through current educational reforms focusing on Integrated STEM curriculum and instructional design. This mixed-method quasi-experimental study researched the effects of science-engineering integration on student learning, student attitudes, and student interests in science within an elementary setting through the creation and implementation of an integrated science and engineering unit of instruction focused on the water cycle. Comparisons of student performance on end-of-unit science assessments revealed no significant differences in student learning between students who experienced …
Content Analysis Of New Teacher Induction And Mentoring Documents In Five Partnership Districts: Reflections And Acknowledgments Of Complexity, Carol S. Larsen
Content Analysis Of New Teacher Induction And Mentoring Documents In Five Partnership Districts: Reflections And Acknowledgments Of Complexity, Carol S. Larsen
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this study is to examine how documents used in new teacher induction and mentoring programs from five different school districts reflect and acknowledge the complexity of the programs of which they are a part. Extensive research has been conducted regarding various aspects of these two programs, often utilizing linear approaches to these programs. Research has called for analysis of the complexity of these programs. New teacher induction and mentoring documents were collected from each of the five districts, resulting in approximately 76 documents total. Documents were categorized into three main groups: mentor documents, mentee documents, and district …
Stories Of Success: Three Latino Students Talk About School, Carol Ann Litster
Stories Of Success: Three Latino Students Talk About School, Carol Ann Litster
Theses and Dissertations
Latino students in the United States face significant challenges including very high student dropout rates and difficulties finding support for student academic success. This research focuses on Latino students who are successful despite these many challenges and explores how these successful students describe their experiences in school. Three successful Latino high school students describe their pathways toward academic achievement in this ethnography, which takes a narrative approach. The student stories illustrate the influence of families, peers, schools, and the interplay between ethnic and academic identity as relevant to how students achieve success. Although these students articulate very different experiences, supports …
Effects Of Fourth- And Second-Grade Cross-Age Tutoring On Spelling Accuracy And Writing Fluency, Rebekkah J. Mitchell
Effects Of Fourth- And Second-Grade Cross-Age Tutoring On Spelling Accuracy And Writing Fluency, Rebekkah J. Mitchell
Theses and Dissertations
A quasi-experimental study determined the effects on students' spelling accuracy when cross-age tutors focused on fixing spelling in writing with their tutees. Fourth-grade tutors, both trained and untrained, helped second-grade tutees fix spelling mistakes in their writing using two strategies: visual memory and word parts. A control group of second and fourth graders were instructed to independently use these two strategies to fix mistakes in their writing. Second graders overall had significant gain scores on measures of spelling accuracy and writing fluency. Regression analyses showed that these gains were not due to a student's participation in either cross-age tutoring or …
Teacher Definitions Of Integration In Primary Grades, Jeanne Sperry Prestwich
Teacher Definitions Of Integration In Primary Grades, Jeanne Sperry Prestwich
Theses and Dissertations
One obstacle that challenges the implementation of effective curriculum integration practices is the confusion caused by the existence of numerous definitions of this construct in the literature. This concern is further compounded by the potential disconnect between the varied definitions proposed by scholars and classroom teachers' acceptance and use of curriculum integration. The purpose of this study was to analyze K-3 grade teachers' self-reported definitions of curriculum integration. Teachers responded to an Internet survey in which they provided their personal definition of curriculum integration, described integrated teaching examples from their own classroom, and rated six teaching scenarios for quality of …
A Content Analysis Of Family Structure In Newbery Medal And Honor Books, 1930 -- 2010, Shannon Marie Despain
A Content Analysis Of Family Structure In Newbery Medal And Honor Books, 1930 -- 2010, Shannon Marie Despain
Theses and Dissertations
Newbery books are a reliable representation of quality children's literature. They have not previously been formally evaluated by the family structures represented in the books. This content analysis considered 87 contemporary realistic fiction Newbery winner and Honor books since the 1930s that portray families in English-speaking, western settings. The family structures portrayed in these books were compared with the family structure categories of the decade in which each book is set. Percentage comparisons revealed that the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s do not represent the actual family structures of their time period. After the Age of New Realism began in the …
Effective Professional Development: A Study Of A Teacher-Initiated, Interdisciplinary Professional Learning Community, Mary Ann Quantz
Effective Professional Development: A Study Of A Teacher-Initiated, Interdisciplinary Professional Learning Community, Mary Ann Quantz
Theses and Dissertations
This is a narrative inquiry study that describes the experiences of five junior high school teachers who participated in an interdisciplinary, voluntary professional learning community (PLC). Using identity as an analytic lens for the participants' experiences, and content-area literacy as the context for the PLC, the study describes how teachers involved in a PLC focused on inquiry and teacher learning storied their own experiences in the PLC. The participants' experiences highlighted three main themes which were (1) experiences with past ineffective professional development, (2) inadequacy, and (3) changes in thinking. The study highlights how these themes demonstrate the development of …
Science Self-Efficacy And School Transitions: Elementary School To Middle School And Middle School To High School, Brandi Lue Lofgran
Science Self-Efficacy And School Transitions: Elementary School To Middle School And Middle School To High School, Brandi Lue Lofgran
Theses and Dissertations
This study examined the science self-efficacy beliefs of students before and after transitions from elementary to middle school and middle school to high school. The purpose was to explore whether those beliefs changed with grade level, gender, and ethnicity. Data were collected through a modified Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Children (Muris, 2001), which was adapted to focus on science self-efficacy. Multiple ordinary least squares regression was used to analyze the data. All grade levels showed a clear decline in science self-efficacy after sixth grade with females, Hispanic students, and ninth graders showing the greatest decline in science self-efficacy.
Balancing Support And Challenge Within The Mentoring Relationship, Tiffanie Joy Miley
Balancing Support And Challenge Within The Mentoring Relationship, Tiffanie Joy Miley
Theses and Dissertations
Mentoring is a common element of new teacher induction aimed at easing beginning teachers' entry into the profession and assisting beginning teacher growth and development. Previous research has shown that mentors are comfortable supporting beginning teachers but are reluctant to provide challenge-activities that will help beginning teachers improve their practice. For optimal growth to occur, mentors should balance support and challenge in their work with beginning teachers. This descriptive study employed multiple cases to examine the relationship of two junior high school mentors with their mentees. The mentors in this study work in a school district with an established and …
Explicitly Teaching Multiple Modes Of Representation In Science Discourse: The Impact On Middle School Science Student Learning, Ryan Nixon
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of explicitly teaching multiple modes of representation (MMR) on middle school students' understanding of science content and their use of MMR on a science unit test. Participants in this quasi-experimental study were seventh- and eighth-grade students enrolled in science courses taught by three different middle school science teachers. Half of the students received explicit instruction in MMR in addition to their regular science instruction; the other half received only regular science instruction. Ordinary least squares multiple regression analysis was used to determine the relationship between gain scores on unit assessments, …
A Content Analysis Of Inquiry In Third Grade Science Textbooks, Rebecca Adams Lewis
A Content Analysis Of Inquiry In Third Grade Science Textbooks, Rebecca Adams Lewis
Theses and Dissertations
Since the publication of the National Science Education Standards in 1996 efforts have been made to include inquiry into school science programs. An addendum on inquiry to these standards was published in 2000 presenting five essential features of classroom inquiry as indicators of the active use of inquiry in a science lesson. The purpose of this content analysis was to examine and identify the presence of these five essential features of classroom inquiry within publisher-identified inquiry activities found in the 2000 and 2010 teacher's editions of the third grade science textbooks published by Scott Foresman. The textbooks were read and …
Navigating The Changing Face Of Beginning Reading Instruction: Am I Right Back Where I Started?, Deanna M. Perry
Navigating The Changing Face Of Beginning Reading Instruction: Am I Right Back Where I Started?, Deanna M. Perry
Theses and Dissertations
This self-study explores my experience as a beginning reading teacher over a span of more than 30 years. It includes a brief look at theoretical models of reading and philosophical movements that impacted my experience as a classroom teacher and then lays my classroom experience and practice against the literature and historical background related to beginning reading instruction. The question studied is "How did the district-mandated curriculum in each era shape me as a literacy teacher and literacy instruction in my school context?" The purpose of the study is to unearth the impact of educational policies on my classroom practice. …
Two Marginalized Adolescents Using The Internet To Complete An Inquiry Project, Jennifer Thomas
Two Marginalized Adolescents Using The Internet To Complete An Inquiry Project, Jennifer Thomas
Theses and Dissertations
This qualitative study focused on the strategies that two marginalized seventh graders used as they completed an Internet inquiry project about survival. The participants spent time over a four-week period in three phases—selecting a topic, locating information, and presenting information. Participants completed journals and participated in interviews. The participants' online searches and how they organized their presentations were recorded. The researcher took field notes. These four data sources were used to determine subcategories in each phase to document the strategies they employed as they completed the project. Participants used phrases and questions as they decided on key words to locate …
An Examination Of The Effects Of Using Systematic And Engaging Early Literacy To Teach Tier 3 Students To Read Consonant-Vowel-Consonant (Cvc) Words, Esther Marshall
An Examination Of The Effects Of Using Systematic And Engaging Early Literacy To Teach Tier 3 Students To Read Consonant-Vowel-Consonant (Cvc) Words, Esther Marshall
Theses and Dissertations
A single-subject-multiple-baseline-across-behaviors design was used to examine the effects of using Systematic and Engaging Early Literacy (SEEL) instruction to help Tier 3 kindergarten students learn to read CVC words. Four students designated as Tier 3 by their teachers participated in the study. They were grouped into two dyads and received SEEL instruction focusing on specific word reading targets for approximately 20 minutes four days per week over a seven-week time period. The instruction included meaningful, interactive activities and incorporated high levels of play, multiple exposures to the target, explicit instruction, and student-teacher conversational exchanges. Baseline assessment data were collected prior …
Describing The Reading Motivation Of Four Second-Grade Students With Varying Abilities., Kathy Jane White
Describing The Reading Motivation Of Four Second-Grade Students With Varying Abilities., Kathy Jane White
Theses and Dissertations
Describing the Reading Motivation of Four Second-Grade Students with Varying Abilities Kathy White Department of Teacher Education Master of Arts The purpose of this study was to describe the differences and similarities among four second-grade students with different abilities and different motivations in the development of their reading attitudes and motivations. A multi-case study design was used to describe the literacy profiles of the participants. Data relating to participants' attitudes, motivations, and values for reading were collected for six weeks from conversational interviews, student observations, parent interviews, student histories, and interviews with previous teachers. Four major results were found in …
Comparing The Pedagogical Thinking Of More Successful And Less Successful Adult Esl Instructors Using Stimulated Recall, Jason Paul Roberts
Comparing The Pedagogical Thinking Of More Successful And Less Successful Adult Esl Instructors Using Stimulated Recall, Jason Paul Roberts
Theses and Dissertations
This paper reports a study that examined the pedagogical knowledge (knowledge and beliefs related to the act of teaching) of two more successful and two less successful adult ESL instructors during planning teaching and post teaching reflection. The verbal reports of their teaching were compared to previous studies (Gatbonton, 2000, 2008; Mullock, 2006) that used stimulated recall to categorize adult ESL instructors' pedagogical thoughts during their instruction. The comparison showed that the previous categories were inadequate to cover the data. Additional codes were added in order to codify all the data after which patterns and themes emerged that overarched the …
A Challenging And Rewarding Process: Implementing Critical Literacy Instruction In A Middle School Classroom, Amy Michelle Geilman
A Challenging And Rewarding Process: Implementing Critical Literacy Instruction In A Middle School Classroom, Amy Michelle Geilman
Theses and Dissertations
This action research study focuses on a teacher's experiences while implementing critical literacy instruction in a seventh grade language arts class. Throughout the unit, a tension between teacher control and student autonomy emerged in three areas: discussion (teacher-directed and student-directed), curriculum (teacher choices and student choices), and student text comprehension (surface and critical). Finding the balance between teacher control and student autonomy was difficult. When these two elements were not balanced, the classroom experience for everyone was mediocre. When they were balanced correctly the entire classroom community had positive experiences that advanced student learning. Critical literacy instruction, though difficult to …
Adolescent Literate Identity Online: Individuals And The Discourse Of A Class Wiki, Amanda J. Mccollum
Adolescent Literate Identity Online: Individuals And The Discourse Of A Class Wiki, Amanda J. Mccollum
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this study was to examine students' representations of their literate identities in what Gee (2008) calls Discourse that developed among 105 high school students— 103 10th-grade and two 11th-grade students—using a wiki for class work, collaboration, and social interaction. The theoretical frame for the present study was drawn from of four bodies of literature. Through a reciprocal process of positioning self and others (van Langenhove & Harré, 1999), individuals come to form and display their literate identity (Heath, 1991) within a community of practice (Wenger, 1998). Their interactions reflect norms, values, and accepted ways of being within …
The Stories Of Three High School English Teachers Involved In A Collaborative Study Group, Marjoire Ralph
The Stories Of Three High School English Teachers Involved In A Collaborative Study Group, Marjoire Ralph
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this action research study was to observe, participate in, and tell the story of teachers involved in a professional development experience. Professional development is an important tool to assist teachers in improving their teaching abilities. After a review of the literature on various forms of professional development and some personal experience with a variety of professional development activities, I created a collaborative study group (CSG) that included three teachers. Their work together was studied using a narrative approach to action research. The stories of these three teachers and their experiences with an informal professional development activity are …