Education Commons^™

The Evidence Does Not Lie: A Forensic Investigation Program To Bridge The Gaps Between Crime Scene Investigation And Forensic Science, Jacqueline Trinkle Fish

Doctoral Dissertations

There is a heightened pubic awareness of the importance of forensic science to crime scene investigation. This study examined current graduate programs in forensic science and criminal justice in the United States to determine if higher education provides curricula that meets the needs of crime scene investigators.

Using data collected from an online questionnaire, interviews, and a literature review, the researcher examined the perceptions of 51 crime scene investigators and practitioners affiliated with the National Forensic Academy at The University of Tennessee. The data gathered was used to identify and rank the skills most important for accurate processing and collection …

The Relationships Of Teachers' Levels Of Technology Integration On Student Achievement In Reading And Mathematics, Valerie S. Fields

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent the level of technology integration of fourth and eighth grade teachers in eleven rural school districts in northeastern Louisiana related to student achievement in reading and mathematics.

The sample consisted of 123 fourth and eighth grade teachers and their students from the eleven rural school districts in northeastern Louisiana. Fifty-eight percent of the teachers represented the fourth grade and 42% of the teachers represented the eighth grade. The teachers served a school age population in which 20% or more was from families with incomes below the poverty line.

Mean …

Secondary School Choral Curriculum Based On The Wisconsin Comprehensive Musicianship Through Performance Project, David P. Van Brugge

Master of Education Program Theses

This thesis is a two-part paper dealing with the concept of comprehensive musicianship for an elective high school choral course in a small Christian school. Part I surveys relevant literature, considers the background of comprehensive musicianship and research related to it, and defines the Wisconsin Comprehensive Musicianship Project (WCMP). Part II applies the Wisconsin Comprehensive Musicianship through Performance model by outlining a curriculum for a choral music course in a small Christian secondary school.

Is It Simply A New Language Or Is It A Learning Problem?, Lynda M. Warner

Master of Education Program Theses

English Language Learners (ELLs) have been over-identified for placement into special education classes for more than 20 years. Causes include a lack of precisely defined constructs for disabilities, funding methods used by states, failure to follow federal legislation, weak prereferral systems to special education in schools, a huge influx of non-English speaking students to the classroom, and a lack of training amongst teachers. Correctly identifying ELLs who also need special education is difficult, but teachers can safeguard against improper identification by taking into account the social, educational, cultural, and language aspects of students' special circumstances, i.e., the needs of the …

Conduct Disorder: Is It Treatable?, Renata Smith

Master of Education Program Theses

Behavior problems are a growing problem in classrooms around the United States. One of the most common types of behavior disorders is Conduct Disorder. Is this a treatable disorder? Many treatment options are available. Only three will be discussed in this paper: Service Learning, Behavior Modification and Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Service Learning, Behavior Modification, and Cognitive Behavior Therapy have been shown to be effective in treating conduct disorders in residential settings but there are no follow-up studies to determine whether these treatments had long-term effects on the behavior once the students left the facility.

Electronic Literacy: Teaching Literary Reading Through The Digital Medium, Robert Adams Rozema

Dissertations

Over the last decade, digital technology has become an increasingly important part of education. In the discipline of English language arts, digital technology has been enlisted to teach writing, as the word processor and more recently, the World Wide Web, have provided new tools and new publishing opportunities for student writers. The presence of digital technology is less pronounced, however, in literature instruction in secondary schools. In both theoretical and practical discussions of digital technology and literature, the two mediums have been conceived as radically different. This dissertation argues that the digital medium, and more specifically the World Wide Web, …

Bobbitt's Window: Understanding Turning Points In Reflective Curriculum History And Unmuffling Reflective Voice In Adult Learning: Doubt And Identity, J. Warren Scheideman

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

Franklin Bobbitt (1875–1956), the author of The Curriculum (1918) is known as the proponent of utilitarian curriculum and the “factory metaphor” of education. Herbert Kliebard (1986), however, identifies doubts about student tasking that enter into Bobbitt's perspective in 1926. John Wesley Null (1999) tracks these doubts in Bobbitt's career and publications into the 1940's. Null then asks, given that Bobbitt's doubts are now recognized: What difference is made by knowing Bobbitt had doubts about tasked curriculum, and looked at life experience as educational outcome? This is the question my dissertation attempts to answer by using hermeneutic metaphor and historical consciousness …

What Kinds Of Adolescent Leaders Are Hiding In Newbery Books?, Carol Jasperse Lautenbach

Dissertations

Though adolescent leadership is worth developing, often it is not addressed effectively in the general middle school curriculum. This study addresses adolescent leadership by describing and discussing eight major leadership categories and 38 subcategories found in seventeen representative Newbery Award-winning books. The sample was chosen using a multiple-step process and contained fictional stories with adolescent protagonists in realistic situations. Content analysis was used to quantify and analyze the leadership themes; a code book was used to organize data. Occurrence of each sub-category was ranked for prevalence within each book. These rankings form the basis for the analysis of findings which …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Simulation-Based Instruction About Water Resources In Las Vegas, Stephanie Fincher

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study compared the effectiveness of simulation-based instruction to traditional teacher-directed instruction about water resource management in Las Vegas. Subjects, undergraduate students recruited from Psychology and Environmental Studies departments, participated in one of two treatments. All participants were given a pretest prior to instruction, a post-test immediately following instruction, and a retention-test 4 weeks after instruction. Evaluation instruments provided overall scores, gauged student learning in topic areas and different question difficulty-levels as well as attitudes toward the environment and water management. The treatments differed only in how students interacted with the system after receiving background information on Las Vegas valley’s …

The Effect Of Direct Instruction Reading Remediation For Fourth Graders, Jonathan Collins

Theses & Honors Papers

This study was to determine if below average readers in a reading remediation class receiving Direct Instruction reading would make larger gains in reading than average to above average readers who received whole language based reading instruction. These were 69 students in the study. Students were assigned to cohorts based on test performance on the Development Reading Assessment (DRA) and administrative recommendations. Instruction was provided for 5 months for the experimental group (n=36) using Scientific Research Associates Corrective Reading (a Direct Instruction reading program). The control group (n=11) received 5 months of reading instruction in a locally designed whole language …

Attitudes Towards Educational Innovations In Christian High Schools In Northwest Iowa And Southeast South Dakota, Kimberly A. Hengeveld

Master of Education Program Theses

This study examines the attitudes of Christian high school educators in Northwest Iowa and Southwest South Dakota toward educational innovation and change in secondary education. Faculty and administration rated ten innovations or practices for their value to Christian school secondary systems, their perceptions about which factors and individuals are influential in the decision-making process about affecting change in the secondary school system, and their personal response to change in the classroom. The results indicate that these educators believe that change is important, but they are less supportive of change that might disrupt the way that schools are currently organized. Respondents …

Methods Of Teaching The Holocaust To Secondary Students As Implemented By Tennessee Recipients Of The Belz-Lipman Holocaust Educator Of The Year Awards., Julie Patterson Mitchell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teaching the Holocaust is a challenging task. Not only do educators have a responsibility to impart the historical information surrounding these events, but issues of humanity are also an important part of the lessons. As of 2001, Holocaust education has been mandated by at least 6 states in the United States. At least 11 others, including Tennessee, have task forces or commissions responsible for promoting Holocaust education and providing professional development opportunities and materials for teaching such units. It is conceivable that additional states will enact legislation requiring Holocaust studies.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore methods …

The Effect Of Funnix Math On Pre-Kindergarten Student's Achievement In Mathematics, Michelle E. Andreoli

Theses & Honors Papers

It is imperative that mathematics education in the United States be effective and comprehensive in nature. Mathematical skills are a necessary component to functional and independent living. Much debate has aroused over which instructional methodologies to adopt, but the research clearly supports the use of explicit instruction. Direct Instruction is an expository approach to learning, which encompasses critical design principles that enable it to be sequential and thorough. Funnix Math is the newest program, which utilizes this methodology. The present study investigates the efficacy of Funnix Math on the pre-kindergarten population. The results of this study contradict previous research on …

Nurturing The Development Of Teacher Change Agents Within A Teacher Education Program, Barbara Ruben

Dissertations and Theses

The American education system has two daunting challenges. First, citizens need to be able to function in an interdependent world. Second, public schools' demographics have changed dramatically. Schools are failing to reach many students, particularly children of color and poverty. Schools must change to meet the needs of 21^st century students. Without teachers' openness to change, effective educational reform win fail. Schools of education must prepare the next generation of teachers to be change agents who will implement school reform to meet the significantly different requirements of 21^st century students.

This study examined how one graduate teacher education …

Changing School Culture: A Primary Literacy Initiative, All Hands On Deck, Veronica Boone-Gbesi

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to implement the balanced literacy approach to reading instruction for two-hundred sixteen kindergarten through third graders, as a means of increasing student achievement, focusing instruction school wide, and creating a collaborative instructional culture. Data to evaluate the study took the forms of teacher surveys and reflective essays, screening and progress monitoring assessments and standardized test results. Teacher surveys and reflections were collected and analyzed for consistent patterns, professional development needs, and/or areas of growth. The teacher responses were used to direct professional development workshops, and as a diagnostic tool to ascertain the need for …

An Articulation Of Science Curricula In Grades Seven Through Twelve, Mary C. Donaldson Clark

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this articulation was to align the science curriculum of the Lower Cape May Regional School District with the New Jersey State Core Content Standards and to articulate the 7th and 8th grades curricula with that of the high school. Faculty participated in a summer workshop to develop a curriculum map and to set benchmarks to identify student achievement. A survey was developed and distributed to members of the science and mathematics departments to isolate problems with the curricula and to determine the extent of professional development needed in each department. A second survey was furnished to the …

Effectiveness Of Online Education In A High School Honors American Government Classroom, Lisa Yantes

Master of Education Program Theses

The internet is a tool that many students use to do research in the classroom. Students are asked to use the internet for a variety of activities ranging from general searches for information to completing a course online. The effectiveness of online courses is of interest to many educators who want to know if this method is worth pursuing. Teachers are also interested in understanding student attitudes toward online education. This study examined the effectiveness of online learning as a teaching method in an Honors American Government class that was taught using Blackboard as the delivery system. The participants in …

A Comparative Study Of American-Born Chinese And Non American-Born Chinese Students' Language Learning Motivation, Language Acquisition, And Ethnic Identity Development In Chinese Language Schools, Sarah C. Tsai

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This dissertation is a non-experimental comparative and correlational study. It compares the three variables of language learning motivation, language acquisition, and ethnic identity between American-Born Chinese (ABC) and Adopted Chinese students (Non-ABC) at Association of Chinese language schools on the East Coast of the United States. One hundred and eighty-two ABC and 70 non-ABC students enrolled in Chinese language classes in the fall semester of 2004 participated in this study. Additionally, this study identifies the teaching categories that are most commonly applied in the Chinese language school classroom.

The data were collected through a survey method. The research instruments used …

Culture Of Growth: Teacher Collaboration For The Empowerment Of All Students, Kamilla Bahbahani

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Studies

This dissertation documents an in-depth year long qualitative case study of three elementary school teachers to address the following research question: what characterizes, and what are the major influences on, an integrated, constructivist-oriented approach to elementary math instruction? The researcher, working collaboratively with the teachers, used a combination of interviews, observations, journaling, and informal discourse to learn about what they want to do in their classes, the various pressures they feel for performance and student learning, the forces they balance in making their instructional choices, and the ways in which they make instructional choices and change their approaches over time. …

Assessment In Early Childhood Education, Gwen R. Marra

Master of Education Program Theses

This study investigated assessment in early childhood education. The action research investigated the effect of familiarity of a test setting on screening scores of pre-kindergarten children. Thirty-two children participated in a pre-kindergarten screening at a local school that they did not attend as students. These same children participated in the same screening at the preschool that they regularly attend. After analyzing and comparing the test scores it was determined that there was a significant difference in the scores of students depending on their familiarity with the test setting.

Effective School Characteristics And Student Achievement Correlates As, James Doran

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships between effective school characteristics and norm referenced standardized test scores in American-style international schools. In contrast to schools in traditional effective schools research, international schools typically have middle to high SES families, and display average to above average achievement. Eleven effective school characteristics were identified and correlated with standardized test scores for grades 4, 6, and 8 and high school SAT scores. Data was gathered from an online teacher questionnaire designed for this study. All eleven characteristics were present in high performing international schools while frequent analysis of student progress, …

The Periodic Table Of The Elements, Michael A. Bailey

All Graduate Projects

The blueprint to the world of chemistry is encoded in the periodic table of the elements. This fundamental chart can be found in virtually all science classrooms in the world. The purpose of this project was to design a professional development course focusing on the periodic table of the elements. The target audience is college students working towards teaching science as a career, current teachers looking to enhance their understanding of the table, and resident teachers working towards continuing certification. In order to accomplish this purpose extensive literary research, the Washington State Academic Learning Requirements for science, published science lessons, …

Aiding Non-Reading Spanish Speaking Adults With Worksource Orientation And Usage Through Low-Level Spanish Reading Workshops, Amy Claussen

All Graduate Projects

The goal of this project is to teach adult Hispanic low-level readers to utilize the Worksource of Kittitas County and to improve their reading in their language of origin. Research shows that the transfer of knowledge from the primary language to a new second language is not possible without mastery in the primary language first.

A Model General Science Developmental Writing Skills Curriculum In Alignment With Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements, Troy L. Halfaday

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to design a model general science curriculum, for seventh grade students, for implementation at Ballou Junior High School, Puyallup, Washington. The model curriculum was designed in alignment with the Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALR's). To accomplish this purpose, current research and literature was reviewed. Additionally, related information from authorities was obtained and analyzed.

An Interconnected Foundational Art Curriculum, Jessica Ann Knapp

All Graduate Projects

This project shows the development of an interconnected foundational art curriculum which combines the concepts of organization, studentinvolved classroom assessment, Discipline-Based Art Education, and the elements and principles of design. This project was developed to provide art teachers with a curriculum that would give beginning art students foundational knowledge in art. This project focuses on teaching students a basic foundation for creating and understanding art while incorporating the four disciplines of DBAE. Through an interconnected art curriculum, students will gain a greater understanding of art due to the careful organization of the lessons and student-involved classroom assessment.

Approaching Equity: Strategies For Working With Hispanic Students In The Middle School Health Science Classroom, Heather L. Jones

All Graduate Projects

This project provides middle school science teachers with practical classroom strategies for working with Hispanic students. The strategies are built upon national and state recommendations as well as other expert opinions which can be found in the Review of Literature. The strategies align with the Essential Academic Learning Requirements for Washington state. For each strategy, a rationale is provided based on the literature review. In addition, each strategy includes a detailed explanation, along with specific examples. The strategies themselves address environmental, communicative, pedagogical, as well as assessment considerations. Recommendations for implementation are also discussed.

Flexible Reading Groups For Literacy In A First Grade Classroom, Sharon Ann Parker

All Graduate Projects

The professional literature on the configuration of flexible reading groups for reading instrnction in a regular first grade classroom was examined to determine if flexible grouping yields any benefit to students who have been assessed to be below grade level in reading. The research showed support for the idea that flexible, fluid grouping is an accelerant to producing higher levels of reading improvement. As a result, an instructional handbook was created to aid educators in the implementation of flexible reading group instruction.

A Web Design Curriculum For At-Risk Students, Aurelio Garcia Jr.

All Graduate Projects

Students today deal emotionally, physically and socially with many negative influences in their lives. Too frequently they are besieged by violent images, the propagation of illegal drug usage among friends and family as well as other negative environmental influences. These influences create barriers that inhibit student learning and cause students to pull away from friends, teachers and school. The implementation of a web design curriculum will help provide struggling students an opportunity to reconnect with school through the use of technology. The web design curriculum lessons also provide activities that address bullying, harassment, drug and alcohol abuse, tobacco usage, suicide …

Water Quality Assessment: A Hands-On Approach To Environmental Education, Tracy Lynn Royse

All Graduate Projects

A water quality assessment lab manual has been created to assist secondary educators using the HACH water quality testing kits. It consists of ten chemical tests, a geological survey and a biological assessment largely based upon Washington State University's lab format and the Walla Walla County Conservation District's water study protocol. The lab manual also contains safety guidelines, a scoring rubric and an action plan research project. The environmental approach to science education used in the lab manual meets the Essential Academic Learning Requirements adopted by the Washington State Commission on Student Learning as well as the National Science Education …

Effective Reading Comprehension Strategies For Native American Adolescents With Reading Difficulties, Mary C. La Velle

All Graduate Projects

The need for culturally appropriate reading comprehension pedagogy for Native American Adolescents was studied in light of multicultural philosophies. The historical trend to assimilate this group of students rather than acknowledge their unique contributions was an area targeted for improvement in this project. A need was established to target reading comprehension since the evidence points to a lack of explicit instruction in this area for middle school students. Strategies for promoting reading comprehension were identified in a teacher's manual that will be used in conjunction with the novel, Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech. Colville Tribal Elders discussed the comprehension …