Education Commons^™

Islamic Studies Teachers' Perspectives Of Applying Technology In Saudi Arabia Elementary Schools, Amal Abdulmohsen Alsaif

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, the use of technology in education has been on the rise around the world, and Saudi Arabia is no exception. The integration of technology in Saudi education has the potential to enhance the quality of education, increase access to education, and provide students with the skills they need to succeed in a rapidly changing world. It also has the potential to facilitate collaboration between students and teachers, both within and outside the classroom, and to promote lifelong learning.

The purpose of this qualitative study is to investigate Islamic Studies teachers' perceptions of using technology in their classrooms …

Educators’ Perspectives On The Practices And Implementation Of Social Emotional Learning Programs, Monica Parra Ballon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This interview-based qualitative study sought educators’ perceptions of best practices for and implementation of mindfulness and social and emotional learning (SEL) programs in the classroom in order to discern how SEL programs foster student socioemotional wellbeing (e.g., self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision making). To do so, I conducted semi-structured interviews via videoconference with nine educators from public, private, and charter schools in the United States and Canada. Discussions include questions about personal experiences and implementation of SEL interventions. The recorded interviews were transcribed and coded to locate emergent themes. The present research revealed several training and implementation …

Teachers And Creativity In The Classroom, Krystal Dawn Flanders

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fostering creativity within the classroom can have numerous positive and lasting effects that support students in becoming adults who are inquisitive, curious, critical thinkers, as well as risk takers (Amabile & Kramer, 2012; Beghetto, 2015; Craft, 2003; Csikszentmihalyi, 2013; Hennessy, 2017; Piirto, 2004; Starko, 2018). Sternberg (2007) argues that, since the world is changing at a faster pace than ever before, students will need to continuously deal with new and unusual tasks and situations. Although the research identifies the importance of creativity in the classroom, the research also finds a trend in teachers' limited understanding of what creativity is and …

Factor Invariance Of The Standard Achievement Admission Test By Gender And School Types, Mohammed Alqabbaa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the factorial structure of the SAAT with exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Specifically, a CFA of a four-factor model (the hypothesized model) was tested to see if the model had good fit as well as a model generated from an EFA. The EFA showed that the SAAT test only measured two factors (biology and chemistry), not the four posited by the test developers. The CFA provided good fit to a two-factor model; however, a CFA showed that the hypothesized four-factor model also fit the data well and so the hypothesized model was selected …

Adair Instrumental Genesis Inventory: Measuring Instrumental Genesis For Interactive Whiteboard Technology—An Exploratory Sequential Mixed Methods Design, Mindy H. Adair

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The adoption of interactive whiteboard technology in the mathematics classroom has been reasonably explored in terms of effective use (Glover & Miller, 2009), student engagement (Morgan, 2008) and achievement (Lutz, 2010), pedagogy (G. Beauchamp & Kennewell, 2013), and learning environments (Yang, Wang, & Kao, 2012). However, there has been little research performed regarding how teachers actually become effective at orchestrating and managing the technology in the classroom in terms of their level of instrumental genesis attainment. In this study, I examined how a teacher develops instrumental genesis, the two-fold process involving instrumentation and instrumentalisation, with interactive whiteboard technology through an …

Actors And Their Roles In European Education Policy: A Mixed Methods Approach To Understanding The Bologna Process, Cheryl Leontyne Wink

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research project focused on the causes of implementation of the Bologna Process and its impact across Europe. It traced the history of the Bologna Process and introduced the paradox of policymaking in Bologna's continued implementation. The latter part of the introduction presents a summary of policy coordination and the epistemic community and the notion of soft law and the open method of coordination (OMC) in European policymaking. Possible causes for changes in implementation of Bologna are investigated, as are the origins of the Bologna Process and its goals. The argument of Bologna as OMC is presented and reflects on …

Empowering Students To Care: An Edible Garden And Farm Education Approach, Shannon C. Mcqueen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Through this qualitative study, I want to add to the theoretical conversation about garden and farm education in schools and offer a starting point for a conversation surrounding care and gardening/farming in schools. The purpose of this study is to understand how teachers and students demonstrate care while implementing a garden and farm curriculum. Data collection included 15 participant interviews from students, staff, administrators, and school officials from a large public school district implementing garden and farm education lessons and observations of educators, farmers, and farm interns interacting with and instructing students in a weeklong Farm Camp environment. I utilized …

Waldorf Kindergarten And Reggio-Inspired Kindergarten: Documenting Value And Effectiveness Of Two Arts-Based Approaches, Daria Stowell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Waldorf kindergarten and Reggio-inspired kindergarten are two arts-based approaches to early childhood education that are viewed as strong educational alternatives to traditional education and serve as sources of inspiration for progressive educational reform. This study describes, interprets, and appraises the intentions and operations of two Waldorf kindergartens and two Reggio-inspired kindergartens in the United States in order to uncover the aims, practices, and values of both.

Five questions guide this study: (1) What are the intentions of Waldorf kindergarten and Reggio-inspired kindergarten? (2) What do Waldorf kindergarten and Reggio-inspired kindergarten look like in practice? (3) What do the children have …

Not In Any Textbook: Contextualizing Learning For Elementary Students Using Experiential Simulations, Alicia Jane Mckinney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated how the AmeriTowne program supported learning and incorporated 21st century knowledge and skills development for fifth graders through the use of an experiential simulation. Relatively few studies examine simulated learning generally, and this study is one of few that provides insight into AmeriTowne's unique approach by describing, interpreting, and appraising the intentions, operations and benefits of the program's Day in Towne simulation.

Five questions guided this study. 1) What are the intentions of the AmeriTowne program? 2) What conditions does the Young AmeriTowne program's Day in Towne simulation provide for educational experience? 3) Which aspects of the …

Rethinking The Adventure Education Experience: An Inquiry Of Meanings, Culture And Educational Virtue, Benjamin Charles Ingman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study is an investigation of the adventure education (AE) experience with particular attention to what happens during the AE experience, the meanings participants ascribe to the experience, how personal backgrounds and institutional cultures coalesce in AE, and the significance of the AE experience for schooling. These topics are explored through observing and interviewing participants of adventure education programs under the qualitative framework of educational connoisseurship and criticism. The experiences at the three sites of study—an outdoor challenge course, a wilderness backpacking expedition and a summer adventure program—are described in detail and illustrated through the qualities of the experience (celebratory …

Effectiveness Of The Mind Research Institute's Algebra Readiness Curriculum On Student Achievement Implemented In A Tiered Response To Intervention Model, Nancy Quick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Algebra is typically the gatekeeper for higher-level math coursework. Low math performance on standardized assessments impedes access to these higher-level math classes. Limited math progress in high school affects future career opportunities and quality of life. High school students who have historically struggled with math need interventions that work. Research indicates that the research on reading interventions far outnumbers the research on math interventions. With the passage of new federal legislation requiring schools to document progress for all groups of students and allowing schools to use Response to Intervention models, the need for evidence based math interventions becomes even more …

An Exploration Of The Relationship Between Mentoring Of New Teachers And Student Performance, David Shadwell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While much research has explored the positive correlation between mentoring programs and resulting reduction in teacher attrition, the relationship between mentoring activities and student learning remains equivocal. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible relationship between frequency and depth of mentoring activities in which high school teachers in their first three years of teaching report engaging, on the 2011 Colorado TELL (Teaching, Empowering, Leading and Learning) Survey, and examining concurrent student achievement growth and shifts in growth gaps as measured by the Colorado Growth Model in those teachers' schools. This mixed methods study also entailed open-ended interviews …

Examining The Utility Of The Response To Intervention Framework In Meeting The Needs Of All Learners, Robin J. Carey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Response to Intervention framework is an effective means for or of identifying Specific Learning Disabilities. This study examined one school's utilization of the framework in meeting the needs of a continuum of learners from those who struggle to those in need of advanced options. A case study format was utilized, involving an elementary school in a suburban school district in Colorado. Through classroom observations, teacher interviews and dialogue with the site's Problem-Solving Team, principal, and a focus group, the Response to Intervention framework proved to be an effective model in meeting the needs of all learners. In addition, the …

Contemplative Education Centerstage: Training The Mindful Performer, Linda Anne Sanders

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the late 20th century and early 21st century, contemplative education/studies courses, concentrations, and initiatives have emerged in the academy. Although there has been significant discussion of postsecondary courses and programs that have integrated contemplative views and practices in the literature, there have been few studies of contemplative curricula and pedagogy in higher education. Additionally, there have been even fewer inquiries of the influence of contemplative education on performing arts training within conservatories and college and university departments. The aim of this qualitative study was two-fold: (1) to describe, interpret, and appraise the impact of contemplative education on the curricula …

The Development Of A P-20 Educational Campus: A Case Study On Innovation, Richard R. Patterson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tyack & Tobin (1994, p. 454) describe that the “grammar of schooling,” like the shape of classrooms, has remained remarkably stable over the decades. This has frustrated generations of reformers who have fought to change standardized organizational traditions. Typically school reform has taken the form of innovations in education. Unfortunately, educational innovations don't usually last long or they were never truly innovations in the first place but rather a repackaging or reintroduction of age-old customary practices.

The “Eos Public Schools” set out on a mission to integrate P-20 educational reform into its overall school system as a way to confront …

Mario Math With Millennials: The Impact Of Playing The Nintendo Ds On Student Achievement, Adam Gelman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One of the biggest innovations of the last century has been the invention of the video game. Video games are an extremely popular form of entertainment today. While some question the use of video games in education, others argue that video games are one innovation that if introduced into the classroom, might change how teachers effectively engage learners. This quantitative study examined the impact of Brain Age 2 for the Nintendo DS on seventh grade achievement in math and on student attitude towards school. A sample of eighty seventh graders from the same school played the Nintendo DS daily for …

Teaching About Genocide: A Cross-Curricular Approach In Art And History, Mark Thorsen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study describes the experiences of suburban area high school 10th, 11th, and 12th grade art students immersed in a cross-curricular study of the Holocaust and genocide. Three participant-educators, art teachers, and I, a history teacher, designed a two week curricular unit which was implemented in January, 2010, to increase student-participant awareness and action to address the global problem of genocide. This cross-curricular unit used non-discursive sources of testimony in a variety of forms of representation to inspire student-participant artwork.

Four research questions guided this study: How do educators use a variety of forms of representation to teach the complexities …

A Correlational Study Of The Avid Program With M.S. Math Achievement, David J. Peak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Improving student achievement in mathematics in secondary schools remains a priority for public education in our country. With continued federal and state mandates to improve overall student achievement in mathematics, as well as to close the achievement gap, many school districts have sought programs, such as Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID), to assist in improving student performance. The mission of AVID is to improve the academic achievement of students who are often in the "middle" or "average" and who are typically minorities and are economically disadvantaged. AVID seeks to support these students by providing them with the strategies that successful …

Common Strategies Used By Kindergarten Teachers To Instruct Reading To English-As-A-Second-Language Students, Emma Kaye Penn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research was designed to describe, analyze, and interpret what reading strategies experienced kindergarten teachers believe are essential to instruct English-as-a-Second-Language learners how to read. Through in-depth interviews, experienced kindergarten teachers were given a voice to describe what they consider essential reading strategies to instruct English-as-a-Second-Language learners to learn how to read.

The participants were four licensed, non-probationary kindergarten teachers instructing reading in English to a minimum of 51% English-as-a-Second-Language population. Selected kindergarten programs were consistent in program design. Processes were influenced by the gateway approach. The stories teachers told about their experiences in teaching ELLs how to read was …