Education Commons^™

Investigating Elementary School Students’ Reasoning About Dynamic Angles, Erell Germia

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Angle measurement is a significant topic in almost all areas of mathematics learning and also in many disciplines outside mathematics education, such as engineering and architecture. According to the literature, there are three common conceptions of angles – as union of rays, rotations, and wedges. Researchers argued that students must consider these three angle concepts together to construct a meaningful understanding of angles. However, the curriculum standards for mathematics often present these angle conceptions separately to students, probably resulting in a fragmented understanding of the angle concept. In addition to this problem, the research literature documents multiple alternative conceptions that …

Using Teacher Noticing And Video-Mediated Professional Learning To Develop Preservice Teachers’ Knowledge For Teaching The Derivative, Alfred M. Limbere

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This study investigated how problem-solving videos can be used in video-mediated professional learning to support secondary preservice mathematics teachers (PMTs) in developing teacher knowledge for noticing student thinking in the context of the derivative concept in calculus. A model of the trajectory of PMTs’ noticing was constructed as six PMTs viewed and analyzed videos of students’ problem solving. At the same time, the nature of video-mediated interactions that were found to be productive in supporting this knowledge development was examined. A design experiment was used as the research methodology. Data was collected from video recordings of eight semi-structured teaching episodes …

Learning In A Community : An Investigation Of Mentor Inquiry Into Formative Assessment Practices, Erin Riley-Lepo

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This qualitative, instrumental case study examined how a mentor inquiry community can serve as a space for mentors to articulate their knowledge and what about the inquiry community, its characteristics, might harm or help that development. Using Design-Based Research as the methodology, a mentor inquiry community, composed of three university-based mentors of preservice teachers and I engaged inquiry. Mentors showed their knowledge through their storytelling and problematizing each other’s work. The inquiry community was facilitated by shared symbolic language, and mentors’ off-task talk hindered the current work of the community but may have opened up new avenues of inquiry for …

Good Science Teaching In An Urban Middle School Context : An Examination Of The Relationship Between Science Teachers And Their Students, William J. Brown

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Good science teaching within an urban middle school context was examined in this qualitative methods study. This research also examined what middle school science teachers prioritized in an urban science classroom and uncovered ways in which culturally responsive teaching showcased itself among inservice teachers. Good science teaching and culturally responsive teaching strategies have been investigated, but its impact on urban middle school science classrooms with marginalized students is where the research is minute.

The data from the study revealed that the following culturally responsive teaching strategies are prioritized to have an impact on marginalized students in urban middle school classrooms: …

Investigating The Collaboration Of Teachers Of Students With Disabilities And Teaching Assistants In The Classroom, Sa-Qwona S. Clark

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This qualitative dissertation study examined the complex dynamics and structures (i.e., people and/or explicit/implicit classroom-, school-, and district-wide behaviors and practices and school-wide structures) that influence collaboration between teachers of students with disabilities (TOSD) and teaching assistants (TAs). Specifically, I wanted to learn: (1) What are the complex dynamics (i.e., people and/or explicit/implicit classroom-, school-, and district-wide behaviors and practices and school-wide structures) that interact to influence collaboration between teachers and teaching assistants? (1a) What role does each participant stakeholder (i.e., teacher, teaching assistant, and principal) play in those complex dynamics? (1b) How do participants develop their understandings about the …

Teacher Activism For Emergent Bilingual Learners : A Qualitative Study, Cyrene A. Crooms

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This qualitative dissertation study explored what informed the pedagogical moves of four teacher activists of emergent bilingual learners (EBLs). Quijano’s (2000) theory of coloniality of power served as a theoretical lens to examine the historical underpinnings of current education language legislation and policies impacting EBLs. There is a growing body of literature on teacher activism, but very few studies center teacher activism for linguistic justice. Picower’s (2012) framework for teacher activism was used to create data sources, which included interviews, artifacts, field visits, and personal communication. Data were analyzed using open and axial coding strategies. Findings were presented in four …

“How Am I A Maker Making A Makerspace?” : A Focus On Teachers In Practice Self-Authoring As Makers In Constrained K-8 Spaces, Bridget Looney

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Although there has been an abundance of empirical inquiry into making in recent years, interestingly, and despite growing interest in the integration of making into N-12 education, little seems to be known empirically about the ways in which teachers are implementing making and creating makerspaces in their own classrooms. Very little direct attention has been paid to ‘pioneer’ N-12 teachers who are engaging students in making. This gap in the research obscures our understanding of how teachers think about making, how they practice as teachers and makers, and how their school context might influence their teaching and making practices. This …

Reconsidering Professional Development Nnd Its Impact On Teacher Learning : An Examination Of Teacher Motivation In A Self-Directed Model Of Teacher Professional Development, Douglas M. Walker

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The purpose of this study is to understand teacher perceptions of a self-directed professional learning model named Go Time. I examined the factors that influenced teacher learning and motivation to sustain learning in this model. This study contributes to the research on teacher professional development by examining a model that is self-directed and rooted in reflective practice. The study utilized a basic qualitative design in which 10 participants from a single school district participated in two rounds of semi-structured interviews. The purpose of the data collection was to understand teacher’s prior perceptions of professional development and their more current perceptions …

Science Literacy Skills Of First-Generation And Underrepresented First-Year Students And The Stem Pioneers Intervention, Rebecca Sarah Katherine Thompson

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

First-generation students and other underrepresented groups face particular challenges at college, which can affect whether they thrive in their courses and remain on track to graduate. For students interested in majoring in a STEM field (science, technology, engineering, and math), science literacy skills are necessary for success in their coursework and future careers. We investigated the impact of demographic factors on science literacy skills, retention, and grade point average (GPA). The STEM Pioneers program at Montclair State University (MSU; Montclair, New Jersey, USA) was designed to support first-generation students with an interest in STEM who have not yet declared a …

Analyzing The Reported Professional Learning Of Ninth-Grade Teachers Participating In An Interdisciplinary Team, Glynnis J. Childress

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Interdisciplinary teaming has been a hallmark of the middle school philosophy for over 30 years and consists of a multitude of benefits for teachers, ranging from job satisfaction to communal support. Yet, interestingly, there is little research on the benefits of interdisciplinary teaming at the high school level, even with an increased focus on teacher collaboration and Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). Thus, the purpose of this practitioner action research study was to examine the reported professional learning of ninth-grade teachers participating in an interdisciplinary team. The interdisciplinary team consisted of seven secondary level English, science, math, and social studies teachers, …

Languaging School Into Being : A Discourse Analysis Of Online Ela Classes Within The Context Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jason Christopher Toncic

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, school buildings across the United States shut their doors and transitioned students and teachers to remote learning, most often utilizing internet-based technology to provide either asynchronous or synchronous lessons. I was a high school English Language Arts teacher in Stone Valley School District in Northeastern New Jersey when the unprecedented school closures moved my classes online for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year.

As a teacher researcher who specialized in New Literacy Studies, I was particularly sensitive to how students and I used technology to continue lessons after the school building shut …

Preservice Teacher Action Research : Making Meaning And Generating Knowledge Through Inquiry, Rachel Ginsberg

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This qualitative study, situated in a large state university, investigated how the experiences of preservice teachers conducting action research in their full-time clinical placements as part of a seminar course in a teacher education program fostered a critical teacher inquiry stance. I examined how action research allowed preservice teachers to generate personal and educational knowledge and how their inquiry influenced the ways in which they thought about how teachers make meaning and generate knowledge. Using critical teacher inquiry as a framework allowed a critical lens that prioritized the need and importance of viewing teachers’ inquiry in the classroom as a …