Education Commons^™

Creative Learning For Challenging Times: The Promise And Peril Of Risk, Michele M. Welkener

Counselor Education and Human Services Faculty Publications

We are in an unprecedented time when it comes to the world’s complexity—never has the need been greater for students to be prepared to think for themselves and act creatively to solve perplexing problems. As an artist, faculty member and administrator in higher education, faculty developer, and researcher of creativity in college students, I am passionate about creating environments where students can exercise such skills. In the art culture, risk, experimentation, exploration, and even failure are expected routes that lead to finding one’s own style, voice, and signature statement. My awareness of these expectations first began to intensify as I …

Factors Accounting For Variability In Superintendent Ratings Of Academic Preparation, Theodore J. Kowalski, Ila Phillip Young, Robert S. Mccord

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

This study utilized findings from the 2010 decennial study of the school superintendent to determine the extent to which four predictor variables (courses, professor credibility, size [enrollment of employing school district], and gender) accounted for variability in superintendent overall ratings of their academic preparation. The standardized regression coefficients indicate that most of the variance accounted for in the linear equation was due to ratings of professor credibility and ratings of the perceived value of courses. Neither the institutional variable, school district size, nor the personal variable, gender, accounted for meaningful variance in the overall ratings. Recommendations are made for extending …

Promoting Resiliency Among First-Generation College Students, Jessica C. Fentress, Rachel M. B. Collopy

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

On a momentous day in May, six unlikely students walked across the graduation stage of a competitive, private university to receive their bachelor’s degrees. All six were participants in our study of successful first-generation college (FGC) students. Extensive research investigated the high attrition rates of FGC students and enumerated obstacles that led them to drop out.

Our research took a different approach. Through in-depth interviews, we explored the way resilient FGC students navigated around obstacles and what supported their success. By definition, resilient individuals succeed despite characteristics that predict their failure. Stories from this study offer practical implications for advisers …

Respect For Me But Not For Thee: Reflections On The Impact Of Same-Sex Marriage On Education, Charles J. Russo

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Examples of the ramifications of same-sex marriage in education are beginning to emerge whether in K-12 public or non-public schools or higher education. In K-12 schools, controversies have surfaced over whether school officials can use gay friendly curricular material for young children, 15 whether religiously affiliated non-public schools are obligated to enroll children who are being raised by couples in same-sex unions, 16 and whether students can bring same-sex dates to proms. 17 In like manner, disputes have arisen in higher education, particularly in the context of graduate counseling programs where two students unsuccessfully challenged their dismissals for professing their …

Front Cover

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Submission Guidelines

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Stories Of God's Love (Kindergarten), Shauna M. Adams, Lisa Grabiel, Debra Ciambro Grisso

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

This kindergarten program offers a leaflet-style format that proclaims Bible stories as well as contemporary stories that relate to the life of a kindergarten child. Seasonal lessons deepen the child’s understanding of holy days, holidays and liturgical seasons.

Stories of God’s Love is the first new program following the Guidelines for Materials developed by the Subcommittee on the Catechism of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Missions And Practices Of Student Learning Assessment: An International Comparative Study, Nasser Razek, Ghada M. Awad

Counselor Education and Human Services Faculty Publications

Classroom assessment of student learning is part and parcel of the educational processes that both faculty and administrators use to guide their practices, ensure program effectiveness, and use as checkpoints for student achievement (Palomba & Panta, 1999). Mission statements and articulated policies often mention varied and continuous assessment techniques of student learning. However, how much they are reflected on the educational practices varies due to different factors like government mandates, requirements of accreditation, social factors, market forces, and accountability to stake holders which can all be credited for the degree of adherence to assessment best practices (Burke, 2005). This qualitative …

Behind The Veil: Cultural Challenges And Opportunities For A New International Student Group, Nasser Razek, Sandra C. Coyner

Counselor Education and Human Services Faculty Publications

The number of Saudi students studying in the United States quintupled from 3,035 students in 2005 to 15,810 students in 2010 due to a fully funded Saudi government scholarship (Open Doors, 2010). As students originating in a cultural background differing from the prevailing principles of their higher education institutions, Saudi students face several challenges. The cultural challenges are one of the most frequently apparent among these challenges (Constantine, Okazaki, & Utsey, 2004; Miller, 2002). Building upon the relationship between the cultural beliefs and student academic achievement, this study aimed at examining the cultural aspects of the increased presence of Saudi …

Volunteer Work And Socializing Activities: Impact On Campus Internationalization, Nasser Razek, Ghada M. Awad

Counselor Education and Human Services Faculty Publications

The social and cultural adjustment challenges facing international students have always attracted the attention of university and college administrators (Pinheiro, 2001; Reedstrom, 2005; Zhao, Kuh &, Carini, 2005). As colleges try to make up for the loss in international recruitment in the post 9/11 phase, various volunteer efforts are encouraged to welcome, orient, and integrate international students into the American life and society (Wit, 2002). While serving their original purpose of asserting the friendliness and the welcoming gestures of host institutions to international students, these volunteer efforts aim indirectly to increase international enrollment and campus internationalization. Recognizing the possible potentials …

Prospective Teachers' Use Of Representations In Solving Statistical Tasks With Dynamic Statistical Software, Hollylynne Lee, Shannon O. Driskell, Suzanne R. Harper, Keith R. Leatham, Gladis Kersaint, Robin L. Angotti

Mathematics Faculty Publications

This study examined a random stratified sample (n=62) of prospective teachers' work across eight institutions on three tasks that utilized dynamic statistical software. Our work was guided by considering how teachers may utilize their statistical knowledge and technological statistical knowledge to engage in cycles of investigation. Although teachers did not tend to take full advantage of dynamic linking capabilities, they utilized a large variety of graphical representations and often added statistical measures or other augmentations to graphs as part of their analysis.

Research In Mathematics Educational Technology: Current Trends And Future Demands, Shannon O. Driskell, Robert N. Ronau, Christopher R. Rakes, Sarah B. Bush, Margaret L. Niess, David K. Pugalee

Mathematics Faculty Publications

This systematic review of mathematics educational technology literature identified 1356 manuscripts addressing the integration of educational technology into mathematics instruction. The manuscripts were analyzed using three frameworks (Research Design, Teacher Knowledge, and TPACK) and three supplementary lenses (Data Sources, Outcomes, and NCTM Principles) to produce a database to support future research syntheses and meta-analyses. Preliminary analyses of student and teacher outcomes (e.g., knowledge, cognition, affect, and performance) suggest that the effects of incorporating graphing calculator and dynamic geometry technologies have been abundantly studied; however, the usefulness of the results was often limited by missing information regarding measures of validity, reliability, …

The Effects Of Using Peer Workshops On Speech Quality, Public Speaking Anxiety, And Classroom Climate, Melissa A. Broeckelman-Post, B. Scott Titsworth, Leann M. Brazeal

Basic Communication Course Annual

This field experiment answered the call to explore alternative pedagogies in communication by testing the use of structured peer workshops in public speaking courses. Peer workshops use systematic and structured peer feedback to assist students in improving their speeches. While strong theoretical reasons for using workshops have been advanced, and evidence from other disciplines suggest that they are effective, no research has specifically examined their use in public speaking. Results of our study show that peer workshops are a viable pedagogical option because they improve students’ speech grades, reduce public speaking anxiety, and improve perceptions of classroom climate. When comparing …

Author Biographies

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Index Of Titles And Authors, Volumes 1-22

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Improving The Basic Communication Course: Assessing The Core Components, Kristen Leblanc, Lori Vela, Marian L. Houser

Basic Communication Course Annual

This study seeks to examine the effective means of assessing whether goals and objectives set within a basic communication course are met. The study outlines specific techniques used to evaluate learning outcomes to ensure that the course retains its relevance and general education status. A pretest-posttest design is utilized to determine whether students’ scores on cognitive, behavioral, and affective assessment instruments improve from the beginning to the end of the semester. Results indicate students’ scores improved on each of the primary learning indicators for the course including: an assessment of communication knowledge, conflict management skills, and intercultural communication apprehension. Discussion …

Assessing The Impact Of Learning Communities As An Alternative Delivery Model For The Public Speaking Course, Katherine N. Kinnick, Emily Holler, Marla Bell

Basic Communication Course Annual

This study provides empirical evidence of the impact of learning communities on outcomes for public speaking students, including grades, speaking anxiety, and student and instructor perceptions. Subjects (n = 236, half of whom took the course in freshman learning communities and half in traditional sections) perceived the learning community as the preferable environment for public speaking, and students with greater speaking anxiety were more likely to self-select into learning communities. Perception, however, was not reality: Participation in a learning community made no measurable difference in terms of course outcomes of grades or decline in speaking anxiety.

The findings challenge assumptions …

Editor's Page, David W. Worley

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Contents And Abstracts

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Back Cover

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Basic Communication Course Annual Vol. 23

Basic Communication Course Annual

Full issue (322 pages, 11.6 MB)

Students’ Communication Predispositions: An Examination Of Classroom Connectedness In Public Speaking Courses, Robert J. Sidelinger, Scott A. Myers, Audra L. Mcmullen

Basic Communication Course Annual

The connected classroom climate centers on supportive student-to-student communication in the classroom, and may provide students enrolled in public speaking courses with a safe and comfortable haven to present speeches.

This study examined student connectedness in public speaking courses and it’s affect on students’ (N = 368) communication abilities. Results revealed positive perceptions of student connectedness related to decreases in public speaking anxiety and public speaking apprehension, as well as increases in perceptions of communication competence.

These outcomes suggest public speaking instructors should consider the relationships that exist among students and how they may further encourage connectedness in their classrooms.

Title Page

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Editorial Board

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Immediate Feedback: A Means Of Reducing Distracting Filler Words During Public Speeches, Michael Hazel, Colleen Mcmahon, Nancy Schmidt

Basic Communication Course Annual

Research demonstrates that immediate feedback is effective for speech instruction (King, Young & Behnke, 2000; Smith & King, 2004). However, feedback interventions can be a double-edged sword depending on the type of feedback and performance task (see Kluger & DeNisi, 1996). Thus, given the mixed effects reported in feedback intervention research, the present studies examined an immediate feedback intervention aimed at reducing distracting filler words during public speeches in a classroom setting as well as how the intervention impacted state/trait anxiety and self-perceived communication competence.

Results from study one indicate that immediate feedback effectively reduces filler word use during speeches …

A Grade-Norming Exercise To Increase Consistency And Perceived Consistency In Grading Among Public Speaking Instructors, Bessie Lee Lawton, Mary Braz

Basic Communication Course Annual

This study reports the results of a grade-norming training exercise in a mid-Atlantic university. The study’s goals were to improve consistency in grading among Public Speaking instructors, and to see whether self-report normative perception behavior and self-efficacy also improved. Four training sessions on speech evaluation were conducted with a group of instructors over the course of one semester. A control group was asked to evaluate speeches independently at the same time period, but its members did not have any training. Results show that the training led to greater consistency in grading over time in the training group compared to the …

Rethinking Evaluation Strategies For Student Participation, Kevin R. Meyer, Stephen K. Hunt

Basic Communication Course Annual

Basic communication course instructors encourage student participation in the classroom by employing a variety of strategies, including graded participation. The present study examined the methods that basic course instructors use to facilitate and assess student participation in the classroom through focus groups interviews exploring how students perceive graded participation in the basic course. The findings suggest that while there are conditions in which the focus group students enjoy participation, there are also conditions in which they perceive such strategies as a power issue for instructors and reject the notion that participation accurately measures their level of involvement and learning in …

Tales Of Teaching: Exploring The Dialectical Tensions Of The Gta Experience, Jennifer M. Hennings

Basic Communication Course Annual

In universities across the United States, an increasing number of departments are turning to graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) to teach introductory courses. As GTAs assume a larger percentage of university teaching responsibilities, it becomes even more important to understand the tensions and challenges that GTAs face. The majority of research on GTAs focuses on the perceptions of students and GTA supervisors, and few researchers have talked directly to GTAs. This research fills that gap by studying the GTA experience from the GTA perspective. Using relational dialectics theory, this study identifies three key tensions that emerge from GTAs’ stories about role …

The School Superintendent: Roles, Challenges, And Issues, Theodore J. Kowalski, C. Cryss Brunner

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The purposes of this chapter are to detail the development of the office of school superintendent, to examine issues of gender and race, to identify contemporary issues affecting practice, and to identify future research topics. The first two sections provide historical perspectives summarizing how the position has evolved over the past 150 years at three different levels-state, intermediate district, and local district. A discussion of the position's history produces five role conceptualizations; having evolved over the past 150 years, these characterizations provide a mosaic of contemporary expectations. Next, considerable attention is given to the causes and implications of race and …

Public Relations In Schools, Theodore J. Kowalski

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Outfitting students with a wealth of practical, practice-based knowledge that they can take directly into the halls of their school, the new fifth edition of Public Relations in Schools has a fresh, contemporary focus on both how administrators can effectively communicate with the community and how building strong relationships with stakeholders can ultimately lead to overall school improvement. Through a blend of theoretical and tacit knowledge, this text offers students an in-depth guide to 1) how to successfully communicate with both internal and external school entities, 2) how to build and maintain positive and active relationships via social and political …