Education Commons^™

The Concept Of The Theory Of Multiple Intelligences And An Interdisciplinary, Arts Inclusive Curriculum: A Model For Teaching Whose Time Has Come, Loraine W. Cowe

Masters Theses

The biting critique of A Nation at Risk (National Commission on Excellence in Education, 1983) caused the nation to initiate school reform on federal and state levels. The initiatives have defined education's deficiencies in meeting the needs of students in a rapidly changing, technological society. Students and the society in which they live are the premise and focus for the new outcome-based curriculum. Educators and researchers are developing new concepts of teaching that radically change the traditionally accepted curriculum, instructional delivery, and assessment. Many of these changes are based on new knowledge of the mind's capacity to function in several …

Attitudes Of Occupational Therapy Students Toward The Mentally Disabled, Patricia Mccarthy

Masters Theses

Thirty-nine undergraduate occupational therapy and fifty-seven entry-level graduate occupational therapy students from eight randomly selected academic programs were surveyed using the Opinions About Mental Illness Scales ([OMI], Cohen and Struening, 1959) and the Mental Health Information Questionnaire ([MHIQ], Nunnally, 1961). Results revealed that both student groups’ knowledge toward the mentally disabled was more similar to the general public’s knowledge. Using a one-tailed t-test to compare the MHIQ factors revealed there was no statistically significant difference between the occupational therapy student groups.

Both student groups’ OMI factor scores were similar to an expert group for Factors A B, and D; however, …

Using American Sign Language With A Direct Instruction Mathematics Program To Affect The Mathematics Achievement Of Deaf Students, Annette J. Bass

Masters Theses

The effectiveness of supplemental instruction using a scripted direct instruction program, Connecting Math Concepts (Englemann & Carnine, 1992), with four lower elementary deaf students was compared to the effectiveness of supplemental instruction in their traditional math curriculum, Mathematics Today (Abbott, 1985). A two-phase multiple baseline design across students was used. During the first phase, the students' achievement on curricula-based math probes was assessed while using the Mathematics Today as a supplement. During the second phase, the students' achievement was assessed while using Connecting Math Concepts as a supplement. The teacher presentation scripts in this program were translated into American Sign …

The Effect Of Systematic Cursive Instruction On The Length Of Writing Samples, John Kendall Vail

Masters Theses

This research study investigated the effects of a systematic cursive writing instruction program on the quantity of written product generated by sixth grade students identified as having poor cursive writing (legibility). A Direct Instruction curriculum was chosen to remediate the students' cursive writing skills. Subjects received three to nine weeks of four 20-minute sessions per week of cursive instruction. A multiple baseline across subjects design was used. During the baseline phase, students were asked to write a story based on story starters provided. The total number of words generated was determined for each story. In the intervention phase, subjects received …

The Effects Of Parental Tutoring On Reading Achievement, Cara K. Krumrie

Masters Theses

Supplemental parent tutoring was investigated to determine its effects on student reading and error rate. This study used a multiple baseline design and was implemented in classrooms at Project Help, a remedial reading center, located on Western Michigan University's campus. Seven subjects were involved in this research, four serving as experimental subjects and three serving as controls. Both groups were observed during their reading checks. Results of the study indicate no observable difference in reading and error rate between those students receiving supplemental home tutoring and those receiving no supplemental tutoring.

A Comparison Of Two Resistance Training Programs On Gains In Strength And Endurance, Pamela S. Canavan

Masters Theses

The purpose of the study was to find how two different resistance training programs would contribute to each subject's overall fitness level. Fifty-five subjects were tested to determine their 1RM and the maximum number of repetitions performed at 60% of 1RM. Subjects were then divided into three training groups: control (N=19) , strength (N=20) , and endurance (N=16). The strength group performed three sets of five repetitions each and two sets of three repetitions. The endurance group performed three sets of 15 repetitions. At the completion of the six week training programs, the subjects were retested. A significant difference was …

Comparing Selection-Based And Topography-Based Language Systems With Verbal Adults Learning Japanese Words, Matthew A. Stratton

Masters Theses

This study compared selection-based with topography-based learning of similar verbal relationships. In two previous studies, using developmentally disabled subjects, topography-based relations were easier to learn. The previous researchers suggested that the advantage of a topography-based system would increase as the number of relations to be learned increased.

To investigate this possibility, the present study used a 5 and 20-stimulus version of each system. Four independent groups of seven college students each were used in a two by two design. The selection-based task consisted in learning to point to the Japanese character appropriate for each English sample. The topography-based task consisted …

A Comparison Of The Hutchings’ Low-Stress, Factor Analysis, Hand-Held Calculator, And Conventional Addition Algorithms For Speed, Accuracy, And Preference With Regular Education Students, John C. Hampel

Masters Theses

Three repeated measures experiments were conducted to determine the efficiency with which medium and low math-achieving, fourth- and fifth-grade students computed two sizes of addition problems using each of four different algorithms. The experimenter selected the conventional algorithm and the hand-held calculator because they are currently in popular use. The experimenter selected the Hutchings' low-stress and factor analysis algorithms because of their demonstrated performance enhancing characteristics and unique design features. The three written algorithms represented a design continuum that facilitated a powerful deductive analysis.

In all conditions the Hutchings' low-stress algorithm produced incrementally superior performance consistent with its unique features. …

Story Writing By Students With Hearing Impairments, Lois A. Ketchum

Masters Theses

Students with hearing impairments (N = 21) wrote a personal narrative each academic year from 1990 to 1992. These narratives were rated on maturity of the story as a whole and maturity of the language used in the story by senior undergraduate students in the education department at Western Michigan University. The method used for rating was a holistic magnitude estimation technique.

Significant change over time was found for story scores, but not language scores. Grade level was found to have no significant effect on change from first to last ratings for either story scores or language scores. Degree of …