Education Commons^™

The Acquisition Of Two Phonetic Cues To Word Boundaries, Melissa A. Redford, Christina E. Gildersleeve-Neumann

Speech and Hearing Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The study evaluated whether durational and allophonic cues to word boundaries are intrinsic to syllable production, and so acquired with syllable structure, or whether they are suprasyllabic, and so acquired in phrasal contexts. Twenty preschool children (aged 3 ; 6 and 4 ; 6) produced: (1) single words with simple and complex onsets (e.g. "nail" vs. "snail"); and (2) two-word phrases with intervocalic consonant sequences and varying boundary locations (e.g. "this nail" vs. "bitty snail"). Comparisons between child and adult control productions showed that the durational juncture cue was emergent in the four-year-olds' productions of two-word phrases, but absent elsewhere. …

Beyond The Classroom Walls: A Study Of Out-Of-Class English Use By Adult Community College Esl Students, Tracey Louise Knight

Dissertations and Theses

Research in Second Language Acquisition indicates that using English outside of the classroom is an important part of the language learning process. However, studies done on university level ESL and EFL students indicate that students use English minimally when outside of the classroom. This thesis furthers the research on English use outside of the classroom in order to more fully understand all types of language learners and the link between language proficiency and out-of-class English use.

Piloting A Program-Level Learning Assessment Plan In Plant And Soil Science, Teresa Cerny-Koenig, Catherine A. Perillo, Caroline Pearson-Mims, Kathleen M. Williams, Gary R. Brown, Andrew Morozov, William L. Pan, William E. Hendrix

Office of Academic Innovation Publications

Faculty of Washington State University's undergraduate degree programs in Crop Science, Soil Science, and Horticulture initiated the development and implementation of an assessment process to gauge the extent to which WSU students in the plant and soil science programs meet university and program learning goals. This process was undertaken primarily to help improve our joint teaching efforts and students' learning; it also was encouraged by the needed documentation for the 2007 university accreditation and a need to better match our program learning goals with the University's newly developed Learning Goals of the Baccalaureate. The new program-level assessment plan focused on …

Revisioning : A Theoretical Model Of Teachers' Career Choices, Wendi Bain Laurence

Dissertations and Theses

The steady flow of teachers exiting the profession continues to serve as an empirical reminder that we have not yet found ways to effectively support teachers as they proceed through their careers. This study identifies elements of teachers' career decisions. Qualitative methodologies were used to integrate research from multiple disciplines to address the need for a theoretical model of teachers' career decisions. Three perspectives for viewing the decision making process emerged from the analysis of the data set: Component, Experiential, and Integrative. These three perspectives provide a filtered approach to understanding a complex and multi-tiered decision making process. The findings …

Perspectives On An Arts Magnet School : The Voices Of Elementary School Children, Denise Robles-Torres

Dissertations and Theses

Since the beginning of public school as a social institution early in the nineteenth century, the voices of children have been missing from the discussion about school. From the progressive era to the current standards based movement, structures of education have been premised on the ideas of what adults think are the best ways for children to learn. But educators and other adults are recognizing the importance of student perspectives by providing children opportunities to participate in critical reflection about school. By including children of all ages in this discussion, educators, policy makers and researchers may begin to examine their …

Community College National Center For Community Engagement Accent On Student Success: Engaged Together For Service (Assets) Initiative Report, Christine M. Cress

Educational Leadership and Policy Faculty Publications and Presentations

This report is the first year of data findings (of a three year grant project) involving nine of the ten community colleges (one college did not submit data) who received funding from the Community College National Center for Community Engagement through a Learn and Serve America Higher Education grant as part of the Corporation for National and Community Service in an effort to expand the field of service-learning and civic engagement in diverse communities nationwide. The grant is intended to address two dimensions of this effort: 1) training and technical assistance; and 2) facilitation of sub-grantee projects in meeting community …

Mother/Infant Interaction In The Context Of Four Maternal Risk Factors, Deirdre Ann Winder

Dissertations and Theses

Social-emotional skill acquisition in infancy can effect positive outcomes in all developmental domains as the child matures. Caregiver/infant interaction provides a critical context for positive social-emotional development in the infant (i.e., attachment, emotional regulation, communication). Within interaction, these three areas of infant social-emotional development are fostered by the dyadic relationship between caregiver and infant. However, infant skill acquisition within these areas of social-emotional development may be interrupted by risk factors in the caregiving environment. Four maternal risk factors (i.e., mental health, literacy level, age, income) associated with a negative impact on developmental outcome and on interaction were the focus of …

The Continued Evolution Of Tenure Policies For Clinical Faculty At U.S. Medical Schools, Sarah A. Bunton, William T. Mallon

Educational Leadership and Policy Faculty Publications and Presentations

For the past several decades, financial uncertainty, changes in health care delivery and reimbursement, and changing workforce needs have prompted medical schools to continually refine their appointment and tenure policies. This Analysis in Brief examines recent data for medical school clinical faculty by describing tenure systems, the financial guarantee associated with tenure, and probationary period length. Data come from two sources: first, responses to the AAMC’s 2005 Faculty Personnel Policies Survey of the 125 LCME-accredited U.S. medical schools. The survey instrument consists of questions about policies and procedures related to appointment, tenure, and compensation structures for medical school faculty. Deans …

An Examination Of Faculty Experiences With Hybrid Formats, Jo Elsa Meyertons

Dissertations and Theses

This phenomenological study investigated the experiences of a set of faculty who taught classes in hybrid format at a small liberal arts university in Salem, Oregon. For this study, a "hybrid format" course was defined as a course that includes elements of both traditional face-to-face and technology-enhanced (often Internet) course components. The study consisted of a set of heuristic interviews with faculty members identified through an empirical survey I conducted in Fall 2002 as part of my duties as Director of Instructional Design and Development for the university's technical services department.

Higher education leaders have consistently identified technology integration as …

University Studies Annual Assessment 2006-2007, Portland State University. University Studies Program

University Studies Annual Assessment Reports

Annual in-depth examination and assessment of Portland State University's general education model, the University Studies Program. The tools and methods used to assess student learning are faculty driven and developed.

The Lasting Impact Of Teacher Education: Tensions Between Reflection, Research, And The 'Grit" Of Reality, Jason Margolis, David Slavit, Angie Foster

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

In light of challenges to the positive contributions of teacher education programs on its graduates (Cochran-Smith, 2004; Darling-Hammond, 2006), this study sought to answer the question "What lasting impacts does teacher education have on graduates as they emerge into the teaching profession?" via a case study of one teacher education program in the Pacific Northwest. Graduates from the past five years were surveyed and 10% of survey respondents were interviewed. Analysis focused on participants' perceptions of their preparation for the profession as well as the extent to which they utilized and developed practices and philosophical approaches highlighted in their preservice …

Professional Musings On Professional Development: Teacher Development In A New Key, Richard Sawyer

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

As a profession, teaching is different from law, medicine, accounting, and architecture. Teaching is relational, imaginative, intellectual, and moral in ways that other professions are not. To support their students' rich understandings of their subjects (and their own lives), teachers seek curricular connections to human life and culture. Successful teaching builds on how we make meaning in our lives.

Out Of The Cabbage Patch, Gary R. Brown

Office of Academic Innovation Publications

It is not a secret to readers of EDUCAUSE Review that the challenge of curricular relevance and student engagement in higher education is a national concern. One aspect of this challenge is that students' social networking and technology proclivities are rarely met by conventional curricula and pedagogies. Educators have much to lose if we fail to transform current practice. Just how much we have to lose was profoundly illustrated to me on a recent trip I took to Malawi, Africa, where a group of educators and an affiliate non-governmental organization (NGO) have been working to expand opportunities for Washington State …

Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills, Gary R. Brown

Office of Academic Innovation Publications

A presentation delivered at the University of Texas at Arlington, focusing on critical thinking and its implications for practice: assignments, facilitation, and involving students.

Model For Successful Collaboration: Working With An American Indian Reservation School, Janice L. Hall, Beverly J. Klug

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

A formal partnership was established between Idaho State University, College of Education and Fort Hall Elementary School on the Fort Hall Shoshone-Bannock Reservation. Through a collaborative model, a learning environment has evolved in which trust, respect, ownership and growth has occurred for all of the participants in the university and public school, which includes university faculty and students and the public school administration, faculty and students. There has also been an increase of parental involvement and a sense of pride established in the community. Advancements in student test scores in reading and math have been reported with the teachers claiming …

Public Perception: New Math And Reform Mathematics, Daniel L. Canada

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

Since connections are made in the public mind between current reform efforts in mathematics education and the changes of the past which were collectively called "new math,", the purpose of this paper is to examine these two movements more closely. First, the beginning of both movements is examined, including not only a look at the supporters of each movement, but also an examination of their initial motivations. Next, the implementation of each movement is described, both by pro.filing the main features and by looking at how they were actually put into practice. Lastly, the impact of these movements is detailed, …

Research Summary: Young Adolescents’ Developmental Characteristics, Micki M. Caskey, Vincent A. Anfara Jr.

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

Early adolescence is a distinct period of human growth and development situated between childhood and adolescence. During this remarkable stage of the life cycle, young adolescents (10- to 15-year-olds) experience rapid and significant developmental change. Recognizing and understanding the unique developmental characteristics (traits associated with human growth) of early adolescence and their relationship to the educational program (i.e., curriculum, instruction, and assessment) and to the structure of the middle school (e.g., fl exible block scheduling, advisory programs, and team teaching) are central tenets of middle grades education.

Using A Tuning Protocol: A Journey Of Creating And Sustaining Professional Conversations Among Teacher Educators, Foster Walsh

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

This article reports on the challenges of creating and sustaining on-going conversations about faculty teaching practices encountered by one Department of Teacher Education. The research indicates that higher education is experimenting with many forms of collegial discourse, yet remains instructionally isolated. This three-year journey includes gathering faculty support for increased talk about teaching, overcoming time constraints to meet together and experimenting with two discourse formats to increase conversation. A non-evaluative peer observation process was found to be helpful but not sustainable. Using a modified turning protocol produced three benefits: 1) kept the group on task, 2) stimulated collective inquiry, and …

A Preliminary Proposal For The Development Of A Distance Education Lubrary Media Endorsement Program At Central Washington University, Marwin Britto

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

In Washington State, there are currently six higher education institutions which offer state-approved library media endorsement programs for certified K-12 teachers. Due to population and geo graphical factors, our institution, Central Washington University, finds it difficult to attract K-12 teachers during non-summer months. Currently, our library media program is only offered during the summer months. Consequently, we lose a lot of the potential market of those unavailable during the summers. With the growing demand for library media specialists throughout Washington K-12 school districts, the timing may not be better in developing and implementing a fully distance education (DE) model for …

Bridges And Barriers To Developing And Conducting Interdisciplinary Graduate-Student Team Research, Max Nielsen-Pincus, Wayde Cameron Morse, Jo Ellen Force, J. D. Wulfhorst

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Understanding complex socio-environmental problems requires specialists from multiple disciplines to integrate research efforts. Programs such as the National Science Foundation’s Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship facilitate integrated research efforts and change the way academic institutions train future leaders and scientists. The University of Idaho and the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center in Costa Rica collaborate on a joint research program focusing on biodiversity conservation and sustainable production in fragmented landscapes. We first present a spectrum of integration ranging from disciplinary to transdisciplinary across seven aspects of the research process. We then describe our experiences and lessons learned …

Research Summary: Characteristics Of Exemplary Schools For Young Adolescents, P. Gayle Andrews, Micki M. Caskey, Vincent A. Anfara Jr.

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

Two dangers are associated with any list purporting to include the characteristics of exemplary schools for young adolescents. One danger is a perception that the list is exhaustive—that it includes everything that needs to be considered. In reality, a list cannot capture the subtleties and complexities of schooling. A second danger is that each component will be seen as somehow self-contained, something that can be addressed in isolation. Instead, research demonstrates that the characteristics listed above are “an interacting and interdependent group of practices that form a unified whole… [that] must be dealt with holistically, systemically, to ensure success” (Jackson …

Editor's Corner: A Note From The New Editors, Jason Margolis, Richard D. Sawyer

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

As incoming editors of The Northwest Passage, we would like to welcome you to the latest edition of and vision for the journal. We would like to begin by thanking the two previous editors and executive editor of the journal, Drs. Sue Barfield and Judy McEnany of Montana State University and Melvin J. Pedras of the University of Idaho. We endeavor to maintain the integrity and quality that they brought to the journal.

Teacher Voice: A Teacher Reflects On "Professional" Certification, Bridgid Michaud

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

This is a personal reflection from a teacher in Vancouver, Washington.

Nclb Data-Driven Reform Movement: Contextualizing Data, Ramin Farahmandpur

Educational Leadership and Policy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Commentary on the article of Rosita L. Rivera Rodriguez, Leaving most Latino children behind: No Child Left Behind legislation, testing, and the misuse of data under George Bush administration, DataCrítica: International Journal of Critical Statistics, Vol 1, No 1 (2007). Rivera‐Rodriguez raises a series of important concerns for educators as it applies to the deleterious effects of educational policy in marginalized communities, such as the Latino population. To better understand the arguments the author places the No Child Left Behind Legislation (NCLB) within its broader context.