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Full-Text Articles in Education

The Effects Of Implementing An Online Professional Learning Community For Teachers Of Gifted And Talented Courses: An Action Research Study, Chelsey A. Mintz Oct 2017

The Effects Of Implementing An Online Professional Learning Community For Teachers Of Gifted And Talented Courses: An Action Research Study, Chelsey A. Mintz

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was to examine the effects of implementing an online professional learning community (PLC) designed explicitly for teachers of gifted and talented (GT) English language arts (ELA) courses. The present action research (AR) is a limited mixed design study, including quantitative and qualitative elements, to discover the effects on collaboration and professional growth focused on best practices for GT instruction. The quantitative data were collected through surveys, which included Likert scales and nominal items and were analyzed through descriptive statistics. The qualitative data were collected through guided and semi-structured interview questions and transcribed before …


Secondary To Post-Secondary Education: Understanding First-Generation Students' Perceptions Of Transition, Kimberly P. Brumfield May 2017

Secondary To Post-Secondary Education: Understanding First-Generation Students' Perceptions Of Transition, Kimberly P. Brumfield

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the vast research on first-generation college students, there is little about their perception of transition from high school to college. This study sought to understand first-generation college student's perception of their transition from secondary to post-secondary education. A qualitative phenomenological study was used in order to discover how the students perceived their transition and what transition programs helped students feel better prepared during the process.


Impacts Of An Online Learning Community On The Way Students Communicate, David Dennis May 2017

Impacts Of An Online Learning Community On The Way Students Communicate, David Dennis

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was to describe one advanced placement (AP) high school literature unit and student-participants' perceptions of technological communication in that English Language Arts (ELA) unit. The site of the research was West-Oak High School in Westminster, South Carolina. Student-participants are accustomed to electronic communication. The participant-researcher designed and implemented a blended AP ELA curriculum unit for Shakespearean Drama to combine an online learning discussion with face-to-face discussions aimed at observing whether these students are able to improve their ability to construct defensible verbal and written arguments. Data collections included a series of observations and …


Identity Politics, State Standards, And On The Ground Realities: A Critical Policy Analysis Of Teaching/Learning Gender/Sexuality In A Virginia Elementary School, Stefanie Hudson Jan 2017

Identity Politics, State Standards, And On The Ground Realities: A Critical Policy Analysis Of Teaching/Learning Gender/Sexuality In A Virginia Elementary School, Stefanie Hudson

Theses and Dissertations

Even though America has seen an increase in the level of acceptance for people who identify as LGBTQ and/or gender non-conforming, certain aspects within society continue to hinder their rights, especially within public education. Specifically, there are insufficiencies regarding content of and attitudes toward including LGBTQ issues in teaching and leadership training programs. Add to that, the deficits in most Family Life Education (FLE) programs in elementary schools as they lack adequate coverage of developmentally appropriate teaching and learning about gender and sexuality. Taken together, it remains questionable whether the needs of LGBTQ and/or gender non-conforming children can truly be …


Service-Learning: An Interpretive Case Study Of Teachers’ Perspectives And Planning Strategies, Cory Susanne Miller Jan 2017

Service-Learning: An Interpretive Case Study Of Teachers’ Perspectives And Planning Strategies, Cory Susanne Miller

Theses and Dissertations

This interpretive case study focused on elementary teachers who were implementing a service-learning project in their classroom. Research suggests that service-learning is beneficial for students and is becoming more prevalent in high schools and universities. Current literature, however, provides little evidence for the use of service-learning at the elementary level. The purpose of this study was to explore and gain insight in to how elementary school teachers use service learning and to examine underlying factors that shape and influence how teachers plan for and implement service learning projects. This study aims to provide a planning model to support elementary teachers …


Effects Of Language For Learning On Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Diana M. Smith Jan 2017

Effects Of Language For Learning On Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Diana M. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Language for Learning (LL) is an oral language curriculum that uses Direct Instruction (DI) methodology. DI is well researched, but only limited studies exists on the use of LL with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study used a multiple baseline research design, across four, four-year-old participants, to measure the effects of LL on the language development of young children with ASD. This study also measured the generalization of learned skills to the narrative language of the participants. Finally, changes in the participants language microstructure were analyzed throughout the study. A researcher-created acquisition probe was used to measure language …