Education Commons^™

Mixed Methods For Mixed Reality: Overcoming Methodological Challenges To Understand User Activities In Virtual Worlds, David F. Feldon, Yasmin B. Kafai

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This paper examines the use of mixed methods for analyzing users’ avatar-related activities in a virtual world. Server logs recorded keystroke-level activity for 595 participants over a six-month period in Whyville.net, an informal science website. Participants also completed surveys and participated in interviews regarding their experiences. Additionally, the study included online ethnographic observations of Whyville and offline observations of a subset of 88 users in classroom and after-school settings during their participation. A mixed-methods analysis identified a major user emphasis on avatar appearance and customization that was invariant across user typologies. Implications for the use of mixed methods in online …

Vocabulary Size, Background Characteristics, And Reading Skill Of Korean Intensive English Students, Nolan Weil

Languages, Philosophy, and Communication Studies Faculty Publications

This study examines the relationship between breadth of vocabulary, background experiences in learning English and student skill in the reading of an academic text. The author used the Swansea Levels Tests to estimate vocabulary sizes and collected information on background characteristics via questionnaire from eleven Korean students enrolled in an Intensive English program and five Korean undergraduate students at Utah State University. Eight of the Intensive English students were subsequently trained in a think-aloud procedure and then completed a research task in which they read a 960-word essay. The task required the students to think aloud as they attempted to …

Tooele County 4-H Leader's Guide, Stephen Sagers

All Current Publications

This manual that helps new leaders better understand the 4-H program in Tooele County.

Level 1a - Basic Sewing Supplies - 101, Debra Proctor, Ronda Olsen, Karen Biers

All Current Publications

This publication provides and describes list of supplies needed for basic sewing.

Introduction To The Msp-Pe Special Issue On Math And Science Partnership Program: A First Comprehensive Evaluation, Kenneth K. Wong, Robert K. Yin, Patricia S. Moyer-Packenham, Jennifer Scherer

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

The United States faces significant challenges in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (often collectively referred to as STEM). Numerous reports from governmental, scientific, and civic communities have raised concerns over the quality of STEM education at all levels of the educational system, the shortage in the STEM labor force, and the decreasing competitiveness of student performance in STEM fields at the international level.

Problem-Based Educational Games: Connections, Prescriptions, And Assessment, Andrew Walker, Brett E. Shelton

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

The overwhelming success of the commercial game market has brought increased attention to emerging work in educational game design. Much of the existing work in educational games a strong similarity to the field of Problem-Based Learning (PBL), which has a rich history of conceptual literature as well as empirical investigations. Despite apparent similarities between the two fields, there has been no formal effort to explore the connections between them. This conceptual paper examines the basic tenants of PBL with an eye toward making prescriptive recommendations for the design and use of problem-based educational games. Examples within existing educational games are …

Teens Reaching Youth (Try) 4-H Volunteer Program, Donna Carter

All Current Publications

This publication provides a perspective to using teens as volunteers to teach 4-Hers.

Giving A 4-H Foods Demonstration, Donna Carter

All Current Publications

This publication provides steps to giving an effective 4-H food demonstration.

Basic Parliamentary Procedure For 4-H Clubs, Donna Carter

All Current Publications

This publication provides outline and benefits to using Parliamentary Procedure in 4-H clubs.

Basic Tips For 1st Year Junior Livestock Market Projects, Donna Carter

All Current Publications

This fact sheet gives basic tips for 1st year junior market livestock projects.

Inst5245 - Interactive Multimedia Production, Summer, 2008, Andrew Walker

Instructional Technology & Learning Sciences - OCW

This course uses Flash CS3 (Flash 9)/Actionscript 3.0. You may also be interested in INST 5270, which uses Flash 8/Actionscript 2.0.

This course familiarizes students with Macromedia Flash. Topics to be covered include fundamental programming concepts (variables, variable types, code re-use, commenting code, and basic control structures) in addition to the fundamentals of the flash environment (animation or “tweening”, vector graphics, use of sound and video). Students finishing this course will have at least one completed fully functional Flash project for their portfolios demonstrating a strong knowledge of the tool and a good foundation in the ActionScript language as the …

Psy 7670 - Literature Reviews, Spring 2008, Karl White, M. Harrison Fitt, Tom Caswell

Psychology - OCW

This course is designed to help students in doctoral programs write a literature review that is appropriate for a dissertation or thesis proposal. The course will emphasize skills for writing the Problem Statement and conducting and writing the Review of Literature. Even though the Procedures section is an important part of the dissertation proposal, it will not be dealt with extensively in this class. Other courses which deal specifically with the appropriate design, analysis, and interpretation issues which the student will use for his or her research should be taken prior to this course. Substantial time will be devoted to …

Complex Systems In Engineering And Technology Education: A Mixed Methods Study Investigating The Role Computer Simulations Serve In Student Learning, Douglas James Walrath

Dissertations

This research was conducted to determine if students receiving complex systems instruction in the form of software simulations recognize patterns and underlying elements of complex systems more effectively than students receiving traditional instruction. Complex systems were investigated with an analytic (reductive) approach in a control group and with a synthesis approach in the treatment group. Exploration of this top-down approach to learning complex systems counters traditional bottom-up methodologies, investigating systems and subsystems at the component level. The hypothesis was that students experiencing complex systems scenarios in a computerbased learning environment would outperform their counterparts by constructing a greater number of …

Perceptions Of Creativity In Art, Music And Technology Education, David Russell Stricker

Dissertations

This study was conducted to examine the perceptions of art, music, and technology education teachers with regard to creativity in their respective fields. The survey used in this study was designed around the themes borne out of creativity literature generally and creativity specific to the fields of art, music, and technology and engineering education. As a result the themes of creative process, products, personal traits, and environment shaped the items contained in the survey.

Although participants from all three subjects perceived the creative process as important to creative work generally, technology education teachers were less interested in the importance of …

Educ 7670 (Psy 7670) - Literature Reviews , Spring 2008, Karl White

Education - OCW

This course is designed to help students in doctoral programs write a literature review that is appropriate for a dissertation or thesis proposal. The course will emphasize skills for writing the Problem Statement and conducting and writing the Review of Literature. Even though the Procedures section is an important part of the dissertation proposal, it will not be dealt with extensively in this class. Other courses which deal specifically with the appropriate design, analysis, and interpretation issues which the student will use for his or her research should be taken prior to this course. Substantial time will be devoted to …

The Assessment Of Mathematics And Science Teacher Quality, Patricia S. Moyer-Packenham, Johnna J. Bolyard, Anastasia Kitsantas, Hana Oh

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine the types of instruments being used to document mathematics and science teacher quality characteristics in 48 nationally funded mathematics and science education awards. Each of the 48 projects operationalized teacher quality and determined how to assess it. The main research questions examined the instruments awardees used to gather data on mathematics and science teacher quality, and the main characteristics of teachers examined by awardees. Results showed that awardees most frequently used surveys or questionnaires to assess characteristics of mathematics and science teacher quality. The most common teacher characteristics examined by awardees' included …

A Review Of The Literature On Mathematics And Science Teacher Quality, Johnna J. Bolyard, Patricia S. Moyer-Packenham

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

A large body of literature exists that examines teacher quality characteristics and the relationship of indicators of those characteristics to teacher effectiveness. This existing research literature broadly views teacher quality research without illuminating specific areas of teacher quality, such as mathematics and science. In an effort to focus the literature base for researchers and policymakers more narrowly, this review specifically examines teacher quality as it relates to mathematics and science teaching and learning. The review highlights key policy and practitioner perspectives, provides a focused synthesis on current research findings on mathematics and science teacher quality, and suggests areas of research …

Science Excel: An Effective Teacher Recruitment Program For Rural Schools?, Kimberly H. Lott

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

This study explored the possibility of using an Excel program to identify and recruit teachers into the profession at the secondary level.

Special Education, L. L. Mason, Nancy K. Glomb, J. Sebastian

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Bully Prevention In Positive Behavior Support, Scott W. Ross, R. H. Horner, B. Stiller

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Storytelling For The Home Enrichment Of Language And Literacy Skills (Shells), Lisa Boyce, Lori A. Roggman, Vonda K. Jump Norman, Mark S. Innocenti

Course Materials

The Storytelling for Home Enrichment of Language and Literacy Skills (SHELLS) approach uses family storytelling and book-making activities to promote children’s language and literacy skills. This approach was developed to assist practitioners who work with families to promote children’s development by optimizing the powerful influence of children’s natural environments and their family relationships, culture, interests, conversations, and interaction. SHELLS is an evidence-based early language and literacy approach with three primary aims: (a) to increase parent–child conversation and narratives, (b) to create meaningful literacy materials, and (c) to encourage continuing language and literacy activities for children at home. The focus on …

Do You Want To Know What I Learned? Using Informational Trade Books As Models To Teach Text Structure, Sylvia Read, D. Ray Reutzel, P. Fawson

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

A brief narrative description of the journal article, document, or resource. Informational text is an important resource for classroom teachers that places unique comprehension demands on young students. Research on teaching expository text structure to young children shows that explicit instruction improves student comprehension. This practical article addresses how to use "well-structured" expository trade book titles to teach text structure. A lesson plan template and an extended example of an explicit lesson on order/sequence are provided.

Education In The Empty Quarter: How Have We Fared?, Nancy K. Glomb, D. Forbush, M. S. Fishbaugh, A. Lefevre, R. Woodward, M. Taylor

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Faculty Publications

Garreau (1981) used the Arabic term Rub ‘al Khali, or Empty Quarter, to label the Intermountain West portion of the United States. In Saudi Arabia, the Empty Quarter is a large, dry, and relatively unpopulated area with a wealth of energy resources not unlike the Intermountain West. Garreau described changes in the area that were associated with changes in commerce and industry during the 20th century, particularly with respect to mining ventures and the discovery of oil and natural gas in the region. Although Garreau discussed many ways that these changes impacted the people and environment, he did not discuss …

Noncontingent Reinforcement As Treatment Fortub-Standing In A Toddler, R. D. Ward, Thomas S. Higbee

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Faculty Publications

The present case study investigated whether the tub-standing of a typicallydeveloping toddler could be reduced by a noncontingent reinforcement procedure. The results of a brief functional analysis suggested that tub-standing was maintained by automatic reinforcement. Noncontingent reinforcement, consisting of presentation of bath toys on a fixed-time schedule, was effective in reducing the number of tub-stands per session. These results suggest that noncontingent reinforcement can be successfully applied to problem behavior in typically-developing children in naturalistic settings.

The Rehabilitation Community Legacy Project: The Oral History Of Leadership, Michael J. Millington

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Faculty Publications

The importance of engaging the rehabilitation profession in the collection and utilization of its oral history is illustrated through an example. A transcript from an interview with William Emener provides a first person narrative of events leading up to the first national rehabilitation counselor training conference in Crystal City, Virginia. Themes of community emerge in the telling and are used to compare and contrast to current situations in the field. The reader is invited to participate in the Rehabilitation Community Legacy Project as an act of personal leadership.

From Tutor To Teacher: For Some Peer Tutors, The Experience Can Lead To A Teaching Career, Robert L. Morgan, M. Rees

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Peers On Campus: What Works After 18, S. Rule, Robert L. Morgan, Charles L. Salzberg, E. Horrocks, C. Bartlett

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Choice On Assignment Completion And Percent Correct By A High School Student With A Learning Disability, D. Stenhoff, B. J. Davey, Benjamin Lignugaris / Kraft

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Faculty Publications

The effects of choosing between two academic assignments on task completion and percent correct by a ninth grade student with a learning disability was investigated. This case study extended the efficacy of antecedent based intervention as an instructional modification. Further, the study extends previous research by investigating the effect of choice on academic achievement. The withdrawal design showed that percent completed and correct were highest when the participant was given a choice between two assignments when compared to baseline conditions. Results are discussed in term of efficacy of choice as an antecedent intervention, choice selection, and future research directions.

Virtual Manipulatives Used By K-8 Teachers For Mathematics Instruction: Considering Mathematical, Cognitive, And Pedagogical Fidelity, Patricia S. Moyer-Packenham, Gwenanne Salkind, Johnna J. Bolyard

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

This study examined teachers’ uses of virtual manipulatives across grades K-8 after participating in a professional development institute in which manipulatives and technology were the major resources used throughout all of the activities. Researchers analyzed 95 lesson summaries in which classroom teachers described their uses of virtual manipulatives during school mathematics instruction. The findings indicated that the content in a majority of the lessons focused on two National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2000a) standards: Number & Operations and Geometry. Virtual geoboards, pattern blocks, base-10 blocks, and tangrams were the applets used most often by teachers. The ways teachers used …

Lessons Learned From Test Writing, Todd Campbell

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.