Education Commons^™

Exploring The Role Of Feedback And Its Impact Within A Digital Badge System From Multiple Perspectives: A Case Study Of Preservice Teachers, Erin D. Besser

Open Access Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study is to examine the role feedback plays within the instructional process, and how students are using feedback to inform their course work within Digital Badge contexts. Educators are looking toward Digital Badges as a way to increase student engagement (Abramovich et al., 2013; Glover & Latif, 2013), develop mastery with critical concepts (Mehta et al., 2013), and reduce gaps in student knowledge (Bowen & Thomas, 2014; Guskey, 2007). Feedback is emphasized as a critical component (Bloom, 1968, 1976; Guskey, 2007; Kluger & DeNisi, 1996; Slavin & Karweit, 1984). Instructors need to be able …

“There’S Still That Window That’S Open”: The Problem With “Grit”, Noah Asher Golden

Education Faculty Articles and Research

This narrative analysis case study challenges the education reform movement’s fascination with “grit,” the notion that a non-cognitive trait like persistence is at the core of disparate educational outcomes and the answer to our inequitable education system. Through analysis of the narratives and meaning-making processes of Elijah, a 20-year-old African American seeking his High School Equivalency diploma, this case study explores linkages among dominant discourses on meritocracy, opportunity, personal responsibility, and group blame. Specifically, exposition of the figured worlds present in Elijah’s narratives points to the attempted obfuscation of social inequities present in the current educational reform movement and our …

The Decision, Implementation And Assessment Of A Credit-Bearing Activity Class By Faculty In Residence: A Case Study, Janet Callahan, Geoff Harrison, Michael Humphrey, Cala Sielaff, Melissa Wintrow

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This case study reports on a programmatic decision to require a credit-bearing course that was made by Faculty in Residence (FIR), including its implementation and results over a two-year period from 2010-2012. The focus is on FIR and on the impact of their decision upon the students enrolled in their Living Learning Communities (LLCs). The credit-bearing course was a Kinesiology Activities class taken by all seven LLCs at Boise State University. Anonymous feedback from students was obtained via end of semester surveys; results were used to improve the course. Survey feedback was analyzed to assess the value students perceived to …

Alabama And Mississippi: A Case Study In School Trust Land Management, John Morgan Maynes

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

School trust lands are an enormous, yet often overlooked resource for public education. In some states, they have the potential to fund public education in an entirely tax-free manner, and they contribute tax-free funding for schools in many states. Before the Constitution of the United States was written, Congress established a system for granting lands to support common schools. However, there is a gap in the scholarly discourse about this legacy. Souder and Fairfax (1996) noted in their comprehensive work on school trust lands that “other than noting the initial grant to Ohio, most texts ignore the remaining details surrounding …

A Case Study Of An Urban Elementary School Chinese Language And Culture Program At The Boston Renaissance Charter Public Schools (Brcps), Jinhui Xu

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Very few urban elementary African American and Hispanic students have access to foreign language programs. Thus, students of color have historically been under-represented in foreign language study. At the same time, urban elementary foreign language programs for economically disadvantaged African American and Hispanic students might level the playing field for these students and help prepare them to participate more fully in a global economy and community in the future. The present case study is based on a mixed methods approach using logic model and overlapping spheres of influence theory to examine the impact of the Boston Renaissance Charter Public School …

The Case Of The Latté Drinking Instructors, Judith Longfield

Teaching Academy

You’re at Starbucks early one morning and can’t help overhearing an exchange between two instructors as they talk loudly over cups of lattés. Calvin fervently exclaims, “Can you believe it Kathy? I’m three weeks behind in my grading because I spend so much time writing the same comments on almost every paper. Don’t students understand basic academic expectations? And now that I’m almost done I’m concerned I graded the last ones more harshly than the first ones. I’m so frustrated!” His colleague Kathy replies just as heatedly, “You think you’ve got problems Calvin! I spent hours writing a long narrative …

Zoom: The Changing Nature Of Middle School Shared Instructional Leadership On The Way To The Common Core, Ann M. Yanchura

Dissertations

The complexities, diversity, and nuances of schools today require the shared leadership of the best and brightest that education has to offer. All across the country, school districts are embarking on the challenging journey toward higher and better standards and performance found in the adoption of the Common Core State Standards. This dissertation describes the early CCSS implementation efforts of the middle schools in a Midwest suburban district. In particular, it examines the instructional leadership that was shared among the administrators and literacy coaches who led the adoption and implementation of the new Standards. The research was conducted during their …

Good To Great: A Case Study Of An African American Literacy Coordinator’S Role In Transitioning A School From Dependence On A Scripted Reading Program To Balanced Literacy, Kimberly A. Chase

Dissertations

This study considers the change process and the impact of race on the implementation process as a Literacy Coordinator transitioned an elementary school from Open Court to balanced literacy. A retroactive case study was used to examine the Literacy Coordinator’s actions and decisions, teachers’ perspectives, and the effects of race on the implementation. Findings suggested that the roles of the Literacy Coordinator involved duties that pull from the specific responsibilities of a reading specialist, literacy coach, reading educator, and an administrator. Furthermore, teachers reported a change in their practices and beliefs due to participation in the implementation process. Finally, findings …

Lost In Institution: Learning To Write In Midwestern Urban Mainstream Classrooms, Yanan Fan

Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement

How do recent immigrant students learn to write in mainstream content area classrooms? This article considers this question in the under-investigated American Midwest contexts where schooling is being reframed by rapid changing demographics. Data for this paper come from an ethnographic case study of second language learning of a Vietnamese 9th grader in an urban school setting. Grounded in a sociocultural view of learning, the author examines (1) how the student negotiated the nature and purpose of writing among inconsistent expectations, objectives and responsibilities in mainstream, and (2) how she was lost in a lack of vision in literacy and …

Case Study Of Parental Involvement For Enhanced Kindergarten Students' Development In Low Socioeconomic Households, Robyn Tresnak

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Evidence suggests that parents in low socioeconomic households may have unaddressed educational needs about their children's development. The purpose of this case study was to discover innovative ways parents in a low socioeconomic community engaged in activities with their young children to influence academic and social development. Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory of human development and Epstein's parental involvement model, the family process model, and the family strength model were used to build the conceptual framework. Parents and educators were asked to describe parent-engagement opportunities that were provided within the kindergarten classroom. Data were collected using a focus group with 13 educators …

The Evolution Of A New Technological University In Terms Of Policy Definition And Control Of Implementation, Kevin Kelly, Deborah Brennan

Stream 1: Enterprise and Engagement

This paper derives from a Doctoral case study completed in the Technological University Dublin (DIT) in 2008. The main issues of the case study are still being addressed today as DIT prepares to amalgamate with the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown (ITB) and Institute of Technology Tallaght (ITT) in 2015. The combined new institute will become a university in 2016 and is in the process of a move to a green field site. The rate and scope of these changes are challenging for all concerned. Through a series of interviews and focus groups in 2008, a story of DIT emerged. The …

Pathways To The Superintendency: Case Studies Of Hispanic Superintendents In Texas, Sandra Calzada

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The purposes of this study were (a) to learn about the pathways to the superintendency for Hispanic superintendents in Texas and (b) to examine cultural issues encountered along the way. Collected data were compared to Scheinâ??s theory of organizational career mobility. A triangulation approach consisting of in-depth interviewing, survey completion, and observational data solicited information pertaining to their career development tracks, personal and career preparation, and incentives or disincentives to pursuing the superintendency. Participants were purposively selected from approximately 120 to 130 current Hispanic superintendents in Texas. The selected superintendents lead large districts (student enrollment exceeding 25,000) throughout various Texas …

Preserving The Social Studies As Core Curricula In An Era Of Common Core Reform, David Denton

SPU Works

Education reform over the last two decades has changed perceptions of core curricula. Although social studies has traditionally been part of the core, emphasis on standards-based teaching and learning, along with elaborate accountability schemes, is causing unbalanced treatment of subjects. While the research literature indicates teachers are spending less time on social studies, perceptions about the subject are more complicated. Some educators accept the value of social studies knowledge and skills, while others see it as an auxiliary subject for supporting test achievement. Integration is one way elementary school teachers reconcile the need to focus on tested disciplines, while holding …

Orchestrating Literacies:Print Literacy Learning Opportunities Within Multimodal Intergenerational Ensembles, Lori Mckee, Rachel Heydon

Education Publications

This exploratory case study considered the opportunities for print literacy learning within multimodal ensembles that featured art, singing, and digital media within the context of an intergenerational program that brought together 13 kindergarten children (4 and 5 years) with 7 elder companions. Study questions concerned how reading and writing were practiced within multimodal ensembles and what learning opportunities were afforded the children while the participants worked through a chain of multimodal projects. Data were collected through ethnographic tools in the Rest Home where the projects were completed and in the children’s classroom where project content and tools were introduced and …

Promoting Critical Thinking And Reflection In A Capstone Course For Adult Learners, James-Etta Goodloe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

University instructors can improve how they promote critical thinking in the classroom by fostering reflective writing habits with students. Midwest University requires all undergraduate students to complete 2 capstone courses, which are framed around a critical thinking curriculum. The skills of analyzing and reflecting on experiences are important components of critical thinking. Despite this acknowledged importance of critical thinking, there is currently no structured training for instructors of the capstone course on how to develop critical thinking abilities among adult students. The purpose of this case study was to examine the perceptions of the instructors of the capstone courses and …

The Effectiveness Of Professional Learning Communities As Perceived By Elementary School Teachers, Quonias Hudson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

School districts in a southeastern state have faced the challenge of choosing an effective professional development model that assists teachers in improving student achievement. Some school districts have implemented professional learning communities (PLCs) as a means of addressing teachers' professional development. Guided by the social learning theories of Bandura, Vygotsky, and Wenger, the research questions focused on teachers' perceptions of the use of PLC experiences for making classroom decisions and their value for enhancing teacher learning, teacher collaboration, and student learning. Data for this case study were collected from 7 certified elementary teachers in 1 school who had participated in …

Design Thinking In Education: A Case Study Following One School District's Approach To Innovation For The 21st Century, Loraine Rossi De Campos

Doctoral Dissertations

The latest reform movement in education, known as 21st-Century Learning, is in

response to the transition from a primarily industrial-based economy to a knowledge- based one. 21st-Century Learning demands that educational organizations become more receptive to societal changes and provide educational services that can make the contributions needed to sustain our economic position in the world.

The purpose of this dissertation study was to understand how design thinking supports the implementation of 21st-Century Learning within a school district. Moreover, this project was designed to capture and understand how the strategic integration of design thinking, in the form of a District …

Effects Of Common Core Curriculum Standards On High School Students With Disabilities, Nancy Beth Thompson Loedding

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This case study examined the effect of implementing the Common Core Curriculum Standards (CCCS) on students with disabilities (SWD) in a county in northeast Georgia. The study investigated teachers' perceptions regarding the effect of implementing the CCCS in high school English language arts and mathematics classes on the academic success of SWD and their ability to graduate from high school with a regular diploma. Information was also gathered to determine if teachers offered additional supports to SWD as part of the increased academic expectations of the CCCS. In addition, teachers were asked about the preparation they received prior to teaching …

A Case Study Examining Formative Assessment In A Postsecondary English Language Program, Divya Varier

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the formative assessment practices of three teachers in English as a Second Language (ESL) classrooms using a sociocultural theoretical framework. The study was conducted in a postsecondary ESL setting at a large public university in the southeastern United States. Using an embedded mixed methods design, this study employed teacher interviews and classroom observations to address the overarching question: What individual and contextual factors are present in the formative assessment practices of participant ESL teachers? The study also explored the relationship between student metacognitive judgments of learning (JOL) and performance with the purpose of informing formative assessment practice. …

A Comparative Case Study: An Examination Of How Literature Assists Children Experiencing A Trauma, Michelle Clare Benoit

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This case study, with four elementary school students as participants, examined the use of books and bibliotherapy when experiencing a traumatic incident. Utilizing fiction books, I explored how literature could be a powerful tool for overcoming life-altering events and circumstances, such as losing a pet, going through a divorce, or dealing with a grandparent who is suffering from Alzheimer's, with a bully in school, or the death of a loved one. Bibliotherapy could also be effective when used with individuals that stutter, children with dyslexia, and children coping with death or a parental mental illness. For this study, the data …

Design And Comparison Of Immersive Interactive Learning And Instructional Techniques For 3d Virtual Laboratories, Shuo Ren, Frederic D. Mckenzie, Sushil K. Chaturvedi, Ramamurthy Prabhakaran, Jaewan Yoon, Petros J. Katsioloudis, Hector Garcia

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Faculty Publications

This work presents the design, development, and testing of 3D virtual laboratories for practice, specifically in undergraduate mechanical engineering laboratories. The 3D virtual laboratories, implemented under two virtual environments3DTV and Computer Automated Virtual Environment (CAVE)serve as pre-lab sessions performed before the actual physical laboratory experiment. The current study compares the influence of two instructional methods (conventional lecture-based and inquiry-based) under two virtual environments, and the results are compared with the pre-lab sessions using a traditional paper-based lab manual. Subsequently, the evaluation is done by conducting performance and quantitative assessments from students pre-and post-laboratory performances. The research results demonstrate that students …

A Sustainability Themed K-5 Magnet School: An In-Depth Case Study And Evaluation, Aleidria R. Lichau

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

This thesis is a descriptive case study of the first sustainability magnet themed elementary school in the U.S., the Sustainability Academy (SA) in Burlington, VT. The thesis provides an in depth case study narrative of the first pilot year of the SA (2009) as well as an examination of the analytical frameworks for evaluating the efficacy of sustainability movements in schools.

A literature review is provided to distinguish between a type of static sustainability that supports the current educational paradigm and a type of sustainable education that identifies sustainability as a moving target and a deep process to transcend the …

Reacting To Classroom Design: A Case Study Of How Corrective Actions Impact Undergraduate Teaching And Learning, Mikael André Powell

Educational Studies Dissertations

It is commonly accepted that physical space has some effect on the educational experience and that teachers and students may respond with remedies if the actual classroom design (which encompasses the physical classroom, including furniture and fixed equipment) inhibits teaching and learning. Corrective responses include efforts to lean to see, or hear and be heard, rearrange furniture, and change class activity due to the nature of the physical space. I conducted this qualitative research to determine what constitutes typical remedial or corrective responses to the classroom, how prevalent these actions are, and the perceived effect of these actions on the …

A Multiple Case Study Exploring Factors Promoting Nursing Faculty Satisfaction With Teaching Online In Three Schools Of Nursing In The Southeastern United States, Nancy Pope Wingo

All ETDs from UAB

To address nursing shortages in the healthcare workforce and expand access to higher education, many schools of nursing are offering academic degrees that can be completed mostly online. Nursing schools that consider online programs to be a key part of their strategic plan need faculty who are comfortable and satisfied with teaching online. Yet nursing schools nationwide are facing a shortage of nursing faculty, due to the retirement of aging instructors, high workload, low salaries, and other factors. To foster faculty gratification and promote long-term retention of skilled instructors to teach online, nursing schools need to learn more about factors …