Education Commons^™

Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Home-School Collaboration: Enhancing Learning For Children With Autism, Chana S. Josilowski

The Qualitative Report

This study aimed to explore the relationship between teachers and students’ families and address the deficiencies in the body of research regarding the performance gap between children with autism and their age-equivalent peers. The research question was: How do teachers of children with autism perceive the home-school collaboration and its impact on learning? Ten state-certified special educators with at least 3 years’ experience teaching children with autism, and experience collaborating with their students’ families participated in face-to-face interviews, answering 8 open-ended questions in this generic qualitative study. Inductive thematic analysis yielded 6 themes: (a) collaboration improves learning, (b) communication is …

Entering A Community Of Writers: The Writing Center, Doctoral Students, And Going Public With Scholarly Writing, Sara Winstead Fry, Melissa Keith, Jennifer Gardner, Amanda Bremner Gilbert, Amanda Carmona, Sabrina Schroeder, Audrey Kleinsasser

The Qualitative Report

In addition to taking advanced courses, graduate students navigate a potentially challenging transition of learning to write for publication. We, the authors, explored solutions to this transition with a study designed to explore the research questions: How does a systematic effort to help doctoral students enter a community of writers via writing center collaboration influence doctoral students’: (1) proficiency with academic writing, (2) writing apprehension, (3) self-efficacy as writers, and (4) comfort with “going public” with their writing? We used a collaborative, multi-layered self-study research approach because it allowed us to focus on critical examination of teaching practices that are …

Teaching Qualitative Research Methods Online: A Scoping Review Of The Literature, Chareen Snelson

The Qualitative Report

Online education has become well established as an avenue for flexible access to educational opportunities. Those who teach qualitative research methods online may find it difficult to locate research or best practice literature to inform practice. A scoping review was conducted to identify and synthesize the literature about teaching qualitative research methods courses online. Eleven peer-reviewed journal articles were identified through a scoping review of the literature. The TPACK framework, which defines teacher knowledge in terms of technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge, was used as a conceptual framework. Results from this scoping review indicate that online qualitative research methods educators …

Curriculum-Making And Development In A Pakistani University, Said Imran, Mark Wyatt

The Qualitative Report

Despite frequent calls for increased teacher engagement in curriculum-making and development, there are still many English language teachers worldwide who are required to work with materials that are either culturally inappropriate or inadequate. A related concern is that such materials may deprive teachers of their creative and professional capabilities to address students’ needs and interests, so that, weighed down by contextual challenges, the teachers then simply deliver the materials, adhering to the textbook closely. Contextual challenges faced by teachers may be more acute in the developing world. However, it is unclear to what extent teachers in under-resourced contexts cope. In …

Exploring The Betsy Rymes' Three-Dimensional Approach: A Review Of Classroom Discourse Analysis: A Tool For Critical Reflection, Ufuk Keles

The Qualitative Report

This book review examines the 2nd edition of Betsy Rymes' Classroom Discourse Analysis: A Tool for Critical Reflection. It includes an outline of each chapter's content, discusses the several distinctive features of the book, and its possible contribution to educational research from a practitioner's point of view. The book has nine chapters. The first four chapters first introduce the readers to basic concepts of discourse analysis within a three-dimensional approach, and then provides techniques and strategies for recording, viewing, transcribing and analyzing classroom talk through examples, activities, and questions. From Chapter V to VIII, Rymes focuses on particular resources utilized …

Top-Down English Policy And Bottom-Up Teacher Take: An Interview-Based Insight From The Balochistan Province Of Pakistan, Liaquat A. Channa, Sania G. Panezai

The Qualitative Report

Provinces in Pakistan have initiated teaching English as a compulsory subject in Grade 1 onwards in their government schools by following the latest National Education Policy (NEP) of 2009. The policy states that the measure shall develop the students’ English proficiency that would later help them compete. In this study we intended to understand whether the policy was implemented successfully in the province of Balochistan. By drawing upon the language planning framework proposed by Kaplan, Baldauf, and Kamwangamalu (2011) and applying convenient sampling technique, the researchers conducted thirty-one semi-structured interviews with urban and rural male and female teachers who teach …

Exploring Preparation Of Pre-Service Teachers’ English Proficiency And Pedagogy: Stories From An Efl Teacher Education Program, Abdul Hadi

The Qualitative Report

Many English teachers today are non-native speakers of English graduating from Pre-service English Teacher Education (PETE) programs in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context. They undertake their teaching career in a strategic but challenging linguistic and educational situation. This paper reports findings from such a situation based on a qualitative case study of a PETE program at an Indonesian university that aimed to explore the nature of curriculum provision in preparation to develop pre-service teachers’ English proficiency and pedagogy. Data were collected from pre-service teachers, teacher educators, and program administrator using interviews, focus groups, and classroom observations. Results of …

Male Educators Implementing Instructional Practices That Academically Engage Students, Kenneth B. Beneby

Theses and Dissertations

Male Educators Implementing Instructional Practices That Academically Engage Students. Kenneth Bernard Beneby, 2019. Applied Dissertation, Nova Southeastern University, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. Keywords: teacher, African American male teachers, academic engagement, secondary teaching profession, pedagogies, African American male students

This phenomenological research explored how a selected group of African American male educators understood their own experiences while implementing strategies to academically engage African American male students. The research explored the public secondary education experiences of African American male educators to better understand their occupational understandings; how having more African American educators were helpful in …

Broader Strokes: The Curricular And Pedagogical Possibilities Of Multiage Educational Settings, Juria C. Wiechmann, Daniel R. Conn, Leslee J. Thorpe

The Qualitative Report

Multiage classrooms seem to be an idea of the past, as students in most schools across the country are grouped by age. However, research by Goldman (1981), Rhoades (1966), and Eisner (2003) argue that multiage grouping has significant social, behavioral, and intellectual advantages for students. Using educational criticism and connoisseurship as a methodology, this article examines the accounts of a professor who taught in a multiage school environment within the United States, as well as observations of a multiage school in the Masaka district of Uganda. This study aims to understand how curriculum and pedagogy interact within multiage system, as …

A Qualitative Exploration Of Teachers’ Experiences With Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder Transitioning And Adjusting To Inclusion: Impacts Of The Home And School Collaboration, Chana S. Josilowski, Wendy Morris

The Qualitative Report

Although inclusive classrooms provide unique opportunities for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), these students face barriers during the initial transition from self-contained classrooms (Sanahuja-Gavaldà, Olmos-Rueda, & Morón-Velasco, 2016). The purpose of this qualitative, generic study was to identify how home and school collaboration impacted the transition and adjustment of students with ASD to an inclusive setting. Using a generic qualitative methodology, we collected data from 16 teachers who responded to a series of open-ended questions about their experiences with parental engagement during the transition to inclusion for students with ASD. Three themes emerged; teachers indicated that when parents and …

A Model For Developing Interdisciplinary Research Theoretical Frameworks, A. S. Cohenmiller, Elizabeth Pate

The Qualitative Report

Embedded in interdisciplinary research, just as in disciplinary research, are statements of purpose, theoretical frameworks, research questions, reviews of literature, methodology, findings, recommendations, and more However, one of the least understood aspects of interdisciplinary research is the interdisciplinary research (IDR) theoretical framework. This article is intended to serve as a platform for dialogue within and across disciplines about interdisciplinary research and interdisciplinary theoretical frameworks. In addition, it provides a model for developing an IDR theoretical framework through an illustrative example of how an IDR theoretical framework was created and used within a dissertation study. We conclude the article noting critical …

The Potential Of Socio-Biologically Relevant Mobile Applications To Attract Girls To Stem, Vanaja Nethi, Santanu De

FDLA Journal

Stimulating girls’ interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) when they are in school, and sustaining that interest, is critical in motivating girls to choose STEM-related disciplines in higher education and enter STEM careers. Research indicates that girls show an interest in STEM until about 11-12 years of age, but this starts to wane by the time they are 15-16 years. Thus, there is a clear need to focus on sustaining the interest of girls in STEM at middle or high school levels. Research has shown that one of the main drivers that impact girls’ interest in STEM is …

Investigating The Use Of Digital Media In The Music Classroom With Experienced And Pre-Service Teachers, Anne M. Power

The Qualitative Report

A Western Sydney research project investigated the question, “What are the practices of pre-service teachers and experienced teachers of music in secondary schools that successfully engage their students with digital media?” The hypothesis underlying the project was that digital media offers school students opportunities, and has the potential to allow more self-paced, interactive and personalized learning. Consequently, the research sub-questions were: (1) How are music teachers preparing students with the techniques and skills needed to take advantages of the opportunities that ICT offers? (2) How can music teachers develop their students' capacity to use and contribute to this wealth of …

Imagining A Non-Violent World "The Be The Peace, Make A Change Project": A Rural Community Peacebuilding Initiative To End Gender-Based Violence, Nancy M. Ross

Peace and Conflict Studies

This article will profile the innovative community engagement process initiated by the "Be the Peace, Make a Change" project to end gender-based violence in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, and conclude with lessons learned. These lessons were summarized as "headlines" to imagine a future with new narratives for interpersonal relationships. This project was a three-year grassroots initiative of Second Story Women’s Centre, funded by Status of Women Canada. It engaged the rural communities of Lunenburg County to develop a coordinated response to violence against women and girls. It focused on the engagement of all genders, youth, and adults in exploring and …

Evaluation Of The Socio Emotional Learning (Sel) Activities On Self-Regulation Skills Among Primary School Children, Kerem Coskun

The Qualitative Report

I seek the experience of the primary school children who participated in the SEL Activities instructing self-regulation skill. I designed the SEL Activities and conducted them with the participant students’ classroom teacher. I used phenomenological methods (Moustakas, 1994) to collect data through semi-structured interviews with primary school children who are 10-years-old and analysed the data by identifying significant statements and then clustering the significant statements into themes, writing textural and structural descriptions, before finally arriving at a composite description. Findings demonstrate that through the SEL Activities, the participant children became more competent in realizing the influence of emotions on their …

Dropped Into Battle: Transitioning To Middle School, Vikki Wandmacher

The Qualitative Report

Early adolescence is the beginning of huge changes that eventually move humans from children to adults. One important transition during this time is moving from elementary into middle school. This paper explores my own memories of transitioning from a two-room elementary to a large three-story middle school and the difficulties I encountered. Through the use of the autoethnographical process, I explore my complex relationship as both a middle school student and a middle school principal to this phase of development. Writing the autoethnography allowed for an assessment of my own transition, while also affording the opportunity to reflect these memories …

From Research Aesthetics To Habits Of Mind: Student Publishing As A Core Competency, Bebe S. Chang

Staff Presentations, Proceedings, Lectures, and Symposia

Student open access publishing offers a useful avenue for academic information literacy in preparation for real-world experiences. Worthwhile drivers of connected learning, digital research and institutional repositories are practical ecosystems for conveying the complexities of the economics and ethics of information creation, access, and use. Drawing on essential concepts, NSUWorks exemplifies a dynamic tool for learners’ engagement with the research lifecycle and for fostering dispositions of critical thinking, reading, and composing for success and professional development.

Poetry Across The Curriculum: New Methods Of Writing Intensive Pedagogy For U.S. Community College And Undergraduate Education: A Book Review, Rama Cousik

The Qualitative Report

This book review presents the basic premise of the book, which is use of poetry to teach undergraduate courses. The author of the review shares her own experiences with using poetry to teach college courses and highlights the beginning chapters. The editors of the book, Frank Jacobs, Shannon Kincaid and Amy. E. Traver, and other authors share their experiences from a workshop on the use of poetry in college. Empirical and anecdotal examples do well to underscore the need for more arts-based education and particularly poetry in teaching college courses.

Learning Experiences Of Pre-Service Teachers And The Lecturer’S Role In A Qualitative Research Methods Course, Liora Nutov

The Qualitative Report

Instructors involved in teacher education believe that the language and skills required for qualitative research methods (QRM) provide teachers with the expertise needed for lifelong learning. In this research, I explore the learning experiences of pre-service teachers in a QRM course and examine the role of the lecturer in designing these experiences. I chose the design research method (Kali, Levin-Peled, & Dori, 2009; Wang & Hannafin, 2005) and collected data from 71 students over three academic years. Data analysis uncovered three types of student experiences: motivation for learning, mediation of learning, and meaningful learning – all of which are supported …

Tackling Math Anxiety Through Photography While Using Geogebra, Joseph M. Furner

Transformations

Math teachers can insert photographs into GeoGebra software then explore various math objectives related to the Common Core Math Standards, the paper shows how to motivate students to learn math and minimize math anxiety while doing it. While covering the new Common Core State Standards, the topics will explore the math that surrounds us in the real world thus creating a connection between the abstract math and the life experiences. When math has a purpose, then students are willing to spend time in exploring and understanding new concepts. Real-life photographs that are inserted into GeoGebra will provide the basis to …

An Instructional Designer Competency Framework For Complex Learning Designs, David Alan Schubert

CCE Theses and Dissertations

Learning design competency frameworks published by professional organizations, exist for typical instructional design efforts. However, a review of literature revealed a lack of frameworks available for the creation of complex learning designs (CLDs). The goal of this research was to develop a competency framework for the creation of CLDs. Quantitative and qualitative methods were employed in the four phases of the design and development research approach In phase one, a survey based on the Educational Technology Multimedia Competency Survey (ETMCS) was sent to instructional designers who self-reported as having experience creating CLDs. The purpose of phase one was to identify …

An Investigation Of Entry Level Doctor Of Physical Therapy Student Perspectives Of Peer Evaluation, Dawn James, Natalie Weeks-O'Neal, Jennyfer Oh, Teressa Brown

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: To describe the perceptions of peer evaluation as an instructional method when used by entry-level doctor of physical therapy (DPT) students as preparation for practical examinations within a clinically oriented course.

Methods/Description: Forty first year, entry-level doctor of physical therapy students participated in structured peer-skills checks prior to practical exams as part a clinically based course. Each student was required to observe and provide critical feedback for at least four other students as they performed simulated patient care activities. Peer-evaluators rated the students on their level of competency with the skills using a Visual Analog Scale and …

Development Of A Program To Educate Physician Assistant Students On Performance Of A Comprehensive Breast Exam, Pamela B. Jaffey, Diana Cherkiss, Mara Sanchez, Patrick Hardigan

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

ABSTRACT

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a new program to educate physician assistant (PA) students on the performance of a comprehensive breast exam and to test its effectiveness as compared to the previous program. Methods: The preexisting educational program for the performance of a clinical breast exam was evaluated during the term prior to the start of clinical rotations for the class of 2015. Baseline data were obtained from this control group by evaluation of student competency using a skills examination, utilizing a Nasco Advanced Breast Exam Simulator, and using a female standardized patient. An innovative …

Implementing Edward De Bono’S Six Thinking Hats Intervention For Improving Reading Comprehension Skills For Students With Learning Disabilities (Sld), Annaliese Rosalie Hightower (Rollins)

Theses and Dissertations

This study proposed Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats as an intervention to enhance SLD students’ reading comprehension skills. The study described the Six Thinking Hats intervention as a method that used six diverse thought processes. A narrative review further discussed how the compilation of strategies is needed to help improve reading development skills for SLD students. Additionally, the study described several theoretical frameworks for the study: construction-integration model, event index model, and the metacognitive theory.

The study used a quantitative approach to answer the research questions that focused on comparing statistical differences between an experimental group and a control …