Education Commons^™

A Corpus-Driven Approach Toward Teaching Vocabulary And Reading To English Language Learners In U.S.-Based K-12 Context Through A Mobile App, Seyedjafar Ehsanzadehsorati

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In order to decrease teachers’ decisions of which vocabulary the focus of the instruction should be upon, a recent line of research argues that pedagogically-prepared word lists may offer the most efficient order of learning vocabulary with an optimized context for instruction in each of four K-12 content areas (math, science, social studies, and language arts) through providing English Language Learners (ELLs) with the most frequent words in each area. Educators and school experts have acknowledged the need for developing new materials, including computerized enhanced texts and effective strategies aimed at improving ELLs’ mastery of academic and STEM-related lexicon. Not …

Exploring The Neural Mechanisms Of Physics Learning, Jessica E. Bartley

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents a series of neuroimaging investigations and achievements that strive to deepen and broaden our understanding of human problem solving and physics learning. Neuroscience conceives of dynamic relationships between behavior, experience, and brain structure and function, but how neural changes enable human learning across classroom instruction remains an open question. At the same time, physics is a challenging area of study in which introductory students regularly struggle to achieve success across university instruction. Research and initiatives in neuroeducation promise a new understanding into the interactions between biology and education, including the neural mechanisms of learning and development. These …

Examining The Cross-Cultural Experience Of Eight Chinese International Efl Students Studying Stem Disciplines In Doctoral Programs At A Large Public Research University, Xiuyuan Yang

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chinese international students’ difficulties in adjusting to the U.S. classrooms has long been overlooked. They have been stereotyped as not experiencing any problems as a result of their excellence at all levels of education, which also implies that they have been succeeding at handling cross-cultural issues. Research which focuses on Chinese international students are usually generated in the area of second language learning or pedagogical methods, Chinese international students’ cross-cultural experience has not been fully explored. The present study was hence conducted to fill the literature gap. Its results could lead to an improvement of Chinese international EFL students’ studying …

An Instructional Strategy With Simulations Used To Increase Statistical Literacy Among Students In A Hispanic Serving Institution, Eric O. Hernandez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study analyzed the effects of a randomization-based inference teaching methodology on students’ content mastery in an introductory statistics college course. The sample was 125 undergraduate students from Miami Dade College, a large Hispanic Serving Institution in the Southeast. A pretest-posttest nonequivalent group design was used for the study. Students in the randomization-based teaching modality received exposure to simulation activities, specifically bootstrap confidence intervals and randomization test, that aim to enhance conceptual understanding of inferential statistics, an important component of statistical literacy. The instructional strategy was designed to trigger critical reflection that confronted students with their thinking and lead them …

Task-Based Language Teaching Versus Present, Practice, Produce: Efficacy In Language Learning And Assessment, Majeed Noroozi

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Long (2015) defines Task-based Language Teaching (TBLT) as “an approach to course design, implementation, and evaluation intended to meet the communicative needs of diverse groups of learners” (p. 5). Task-based Language Teaching has been introduced and developed by second language acquisition researchers as well as language educators in response to the teacher dominated and focus-on-formS methods of language teaching in classrooms such as the approach of Present, Practice, Produce (PPP) (Van den Branden, 2006). The present study aimed to build upon the previous literature on the possible differential effects of the PPP approach and TBLT on students’ language learning (e.g., …

An Exploration Of Names In Social And Professional Settings For Persons With Ethnically Identifying Names, Paige Whitney Johnson

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The overarching purpose of this collected papers dissertation was to explore the perspectives and experiences related to names in social and professional settings for persons with ethnically identifying names. The first paper was an integrative literature review. The second paper was a qualitative study utilizing the phenomenological approach. Both studies utilized self-presentation theory, while Study #2 added social penetration theory and social identity theory. Self-presentation theory posits that people put forth a public face to show that they possess desirable characteristics to observers. Social penetration theory is centered on the concept of self-disclosure and the notion that people carefully construct …

The Effect Of Reciprocal Mapping On Third-Grade Students’ Reading Comprehension Achievement And Reading Attitude, Olga Elena Flamion

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reading comprehension is the process of simultaneously extracting and constructing meaning through interaction and involvement with written language (Snow, Science and Technology, and States, 2002). For many students, there is a decrease in reading achievement as early as fourth grade as a result of increased demands in complexity of intermediate text (Williams et al., 2005). Reading attitude is “a system of feelings related to reading which causes the learner to approach or avoid a reading situation” (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975, p. 1). McKenna, Kear, and Ellsworth (1995) found that attitude towards reading grew increasingly negative as students moved from first …

A Mixed Method Study Of Prospective Teachers' Epistemic Beliefs And Web Evaluation Strategies Concerning Hoax Websites, Jennifer Coccaro-Pons

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teachers need to be equipped with the tools necessary to evaluate content on the Internet and determine if it is a credible source, or a hoax website since they are expected to instruct and prepare students on how to evaluate the sites which is now a relevant phenomenon. The purpose of the mixed‑method study was to obtain an understanding of the web evaluation strategies of prospective teachers regarding the evaluation of hoax websites and how their epistemic beliefs may influence their evaluation. Another aspect of this study was to find out what outcomes resulted from providing guidance, or not to …

Cooperative Learning In Seventh Graders’ Vocabulary Learning In China, Yinhong Duan

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the effects of Cooperative Learning on seventh graders’ vocabulary learning in China. This study was conducted because in China, students usually learn vocabulary via traditional learning method-rote memorization. However, this method has a lot of issues. For example, students only know how to write the words but they cannot use them in contexts. Students tend to forget new words they have newly learned.

The purpose of this study was to find out whether Chinese secondary school students can benefit from Cooperative Learning in vocabulary; whether Cooperative Learning can help students in applying new words and whether students …

School Climate In The School Choice Era: A Comparative Analysis Of District-Run Public Schools And Charter Schools, Christopher Damian Duszka

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Comparative analyses of district-run public schools and charter schools are limited to performance outcomes. There is a dearth of research on how the school-types vary on factors consequential to performance such as school climate. Public-private distinctions, such as in organizational autonomy, value orientations, funding structures, and management practices, could result in school climate dissimilarities between district-run public schools and charter schools.

The aim of this dissertation is to assess the influence organizational factors have on school climate and determine if school-type affects school climate. Student and staff school climate survey data from the Miami-Dade school district were utilized for this …

Supervisory Practices In A Virtual Internship Program: A Multi-Case Study, Elizabeth Adadi

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explored certain leadership methods that eSupervisors were utilizing with eInterns through the theoretical lenses of House’s (1971) path-goal theory of leadership and the effectiveness of these methods on learning outcomes. The overarching research question that guided this study was: How do eSupervisors contribute to the learning growth of eInterns? A qualitative multi-case study was conducted on a population of eSupervisors, current eInterns (students), and past eInterns (graduates) that were associated with the Virtual Student Foreign Service (VSFS) program. VSFS is a program aimed at exposing students to working opportunities in the government. The findings from this study imply …

A Philosophical Inquiry Into The Role Of Universities In American Democratic Society, Justin W. Taylor

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The infusion of market-logic has undermined American universities as democratic institutions. This issue was examined through an analysis of what role universities play in democratic governance. As a philosophical inquiry, the data were seminal texts from political science, education, and philosophy, such as those by Alexis de Tocqueville, John Dewey, and Henry Giroux. The most salient theme unveiled by this study was how central universities are to functional democracy, both as key fixtures and critics. However, universities have adopted market-logic ideologies, which inhibit universities’ abilities to function as democratic institutions. The study concludes by calling for a reinvigoration of the …

The Effects Of Video Prompting On Teaching Daily Living Tasks To Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Mashal Salman Aljehany

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience difficulties with learning age-appropriate daily living skills (DLS) at their homes, schools, and in the community. Such skills are significant for independent life, post-school education, employment, and overall quality of life. Video prompting (VP) is a teaching practice that has demonstrated positive outcomes in teaching a variety of DLS to individuals with ASD. The overarching purpose of this collected papers dissertation was to investigate the effects of VP interventions on improving DLS of individuals with ASD. This dissertation included two separate papers. The first paper was a meta-analysis that examined the overall effect …

We’Ve Come A Long Way (Baby)! Or Have We? Evolving Intellectual Freedom Issues In The Us And Florida, L. Bryan Cooper, A.D. Beman-Cavallaro

Works of the FIU Libraries

This paper analyzes a shifting landscape of intellectual freedom (IF) in and outside Florida for children, adolescents, teens and adults. National ideals stand in tension with local and state developments, as new threats are visible in historical, legal, and technological context. Examples include doctrinal shifts, legislative bills, electronic surveillance and recent attempts to censor books, classroom texts, and reading lists.

Privacy rights for minors in Florida are increasingly unstable. New assertions of parental rights are part of a larger conservative animus. Proponents of IF can identify a lessening of ideals and standards that began after doctrinal fruition in the 1960s …

An Investigation Of The Effects Of Taking Remedial Math In College On Degree Attainment And College Gpa Using Multiple Imputation And Propensity Score Matching, Meghan A. Clovis

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Enrollment in degree-granting postsecondary institutions in the U.S. is increasing, as are the numbers of students entering academically underprepared. Students in remedial mathematics represent the largest percentage of total enrollment in remedial courses, and national statistics indicate that less than half of these students pass all of the remedial math courses in which they enroll. In response to the low pass rates, numerous studies have been conducted into the use of alternative modes of instruction to increase passing rates. Despite myriad studies into course redesign, passing rates have seen no large-scale improvement. Lacking is a thorough investigation into preexisting differences …

Evaluating The Effects Of Utilizing A Mobile Device By Transitioning High School Students With Intellectual Disability To Locate Items From A Grocery List And Improve Their Independence, Vanessa Gil

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Individuals with Intellectual Disability (ID) struggle to learn daily living skills (DLS) required for independent living. One specific skill set that is challenging for individuals with ID is grocery shopping. The current study is one of two investigations that have been undertaken entirely in the community and without the use of booster session simulations in a classroom.

This study investigated the effects of using least-to-most prompting and mobile technology as a tool to assist 18 to 22-year-old adult students with ID to find six items from a grocery-shopping list. Dependent measures included the number of task steps completed correctly, selecting …

Special And General Education Teachers’ Assessment Of Their Participation In A Peer Assistance And Review (Par) Program, Alexandre Lopes

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Traditional teacher evaluation systems have failed to (a) show variations in teacher effectiveness, (b) determine teachers’ professional development needs, and (c) align evaluation of teacher effectiveness with compensation, retention, and dismissal. Furthermore, traditional teacher evaluation systems have failed to establish teaching practices that positively affect student learning - an issue of critical importance for students with disabilities.

The literature indicates that Peer Assistance and Review (PAR), grounded in social network theory, is regarded by many as a viable option to compensate for the disadvantages of traditional teacher evaluation systems. PAR has the potential to provide (a) frequent and meaningful observations, …

The Development And Initial Validation Of A Self-Assessment For Global Leadership Competencies, Sabrena A. O'Keefe

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Global leadership has been a growing area of research as our world becomes interconnected. The National Association for College Employers (NACE) Career Readiness Competencies Work Group even added an eighth competency: global/intercultural fluency. Employers have also expressed a skill crisis regarding students graduating from college without the necessary global leadership skills. However, there are often not enough resources at institutions of higher education to add specific co-curricular programs around global leadership. At the same time many institutions have begun to use the Student Leadership Competencies (Seemiller, 2013) as learning outcomes for their co-curricular programs.

This research study aimed to combine …

Examining Students' Representation Choices In University Modeling Instruction, Daryl Mcpadden

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Representations (such as pictures, diagrams, word descriptions, equations, etc.) are critical tools for learning, problem solving, and communicating in science, particularly in physics where multiple representations often serve as intermediate steps, a means to evaluate a solution, and highlight different aspects a physical phenomenon. This dissertation explores the representation choices made by students in the University Modeling Instruction (MI) courses on problems from across introductory physics content. Modeling Instruction is a two-semester introductory, calculus-based physics sequence that was designed to guide students through the process of building, testing, applying, and refining models. As a part of this modeling cycle, students …

Vietnamese Teachers’ Perspectives Regarding Task-Based Approach To Vocabulary Instruction In Secondary School English As A Foreign Language Classrooms, Dung Thi Thuy Nguyen

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) is considered innovative in foreign language teaching. However, the body of research on TBLT employment in vocabulary instruction is still modest. This study explored teachers’ beliefs and practices regarding vocabulary instruction using TBLT. This study examined such application among Vietnamese high-school EFL teachers (N = 60) using a mixed methods research design. Data were collected using online questionnaires.

Data analysis showed that 53.6% of the participating teachers associated vocabulary instruction with TBLT. However, regardless of their years as instructors, they still found it challenging to implement TBLT vocabulary instruction due to numerous factors. In fact, 66.2% …

A Phenomenological Exploration Of The Non-Academic Factors That Cuban Female Non-Native English Speakers Perceived To Have Been Principal Influences On Their Successful Attainment Of A Baccalaureate Degree In The U.S., Nelson Magana

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cubans arrive in the U.S. with more formal education than other Latino immigrants, and they arrive to communities with long standing networks of support. Though their baccalaureate degree attainment is better than their non-Cuban Latina counterparts, Cuban women still lag behind White, non-Latina women. The qualitative study aims to explore the principal influences and non-academic factors that 15 adult Cuban non-native English-speaking women in South Florida attribute to the successful attainment of their baccalaureate degree.

There are many differences among the various immigrant Latino communities in the U.S., and Cuban women are largely absent from the research. Nearly 75% of …

The Relationship Between District Concert Band Music Performance Assessment Participation And Student Achievement In Miami-Dade County Public Middle Schools, Arthur J. N. Scavella

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since the implementation and achievement score pressures of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, elective course offerings such as music have been drastically reduced, especially in the middle school setting. A great deal of correlational research has shown a positive correlation between music education in school and students’ overall academic achievement.

This study examined the correlation between those middle school students that participated in the District Concert Band Music Performance Assessment (MPA) versus those middle school students that did not regarding their achievement scores on the 2016 English language arts (ELA) and mathematics subtests of the Florida Standards …