Education Commons^™

Discovering The Importance Of Engagement In A Virtual Learning Experience For K-12 Educators, Kristen A. Condella

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to discover how a virtual learning opportunity using various digital tools influenced professional development for teachers in a rural school district. The qualitative study was conducted through virtual interviews and participant lesson plan submissions and was aligned with the Technology Integration Matrix. The case study included participation in a virtual professional learning opportunity for K-12 educators on the topic of digital tool use, with an interview at completion focusing on engagement and implementation of learned tools as a result of the virtual learning experience. Participant submission of lesson plans were reviewed to …

Teacher Perceptions Of Curriculum-Driven Technology After Working With Instructional Technology Coaches In Middle Schools In One Southeastern School District, Julie Pepperman

Ed.D. Dissertations

The use of curriculum-driven technology in K-12 public schools was mandated by federal law. School and district leaders were required to provide curriculum-driven technology professional development and support to teachers. The use of the curriculum-driven technology coach was an option some schools chose to meet the curriculum-driven technology professional development requirements and needs of their teachers. The purpose of this research was to explore one school district’s middle school teachers’ perceptions of the importance of curriculum-driven technology and their perceived self-efficacy in using curriculum-driven technology in instructional practice after collaborating with a curriculum-driven technology coach. This qualitative study was conducted …

Enabling And Threatening Factors Affecting Persistence. A Qualitative And Quantitative Study On Rural First-Generation Stem Students’ And Stem Faculty's Perspectives., Travis A. Miller

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This study focuses on the factors that enable and threaten rural first-generation STEM students’ persistence. Limited empirical studies are available that focus on rural first-generation STEM majors’ persistence. Quantitative analysis was conducted using Kruskal Wallis H and Mann-Whitney U tests to determine any significant differences with the survey results. Content and thematic analysis was conducted on the student and faculty interviews to determine themes of enabling and threatening factors affecting persistence.

Enabling factors affecting persistence were found to be: Drive or Motivation, Experiences and skills, and Support. These were both faculty and student interview themes whereas a …

The Effect Of Coaching On Teachers’ Instructional Technology Use In A 1:1 Environment, Michael L. Mitchell

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Current research has reported the benefits of integrating technology into the learning experience for students to promote greater engagement and collaboration. Schools across the country have begun implementing one-to-one learning environments in which each student uses a mobile computing device. However, use of technology in the classroom has failed to produce the expected transformational benefits. In order for technology to be integrated effectively, current research suggests that teacher pedagogy must adjust to the one-to-one classroom approach, and requires professional development to facilitate growth in their instructional practices while integrating technology. Research shows that coaches working one-to-one with teachers can be …

Teachers Support For English Language Learners To Build Inquiry Skills In Online Biology Simulations, Hermione Joseph-Orelus

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The population of English language learners (ELLs) is on the rise in the United States, but they are lagging behind English speaking students in several subject areas--including biology. Scholarly literature lacks information on how biology teachers use scaffolding strategies to support ELL students with inquiry skills during online simulations. The purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore how biology teachers support ELLs in learning biology, using biology simulations to promote inquiry learning. The conceptual framework for this study included the constructivist perspective regarding the zone of proximal development, Electronic Quality of Inquiry Protocol, and technology use in science …

The Good Behavior Game: Effects On And Maintenance Of Behavior In Middle-School Classrooms Using Class Dojo, Komila Dadakhodjaeva

Dissertations

Classroom management is one of the key components for successful instruction and affects both instructors and learners. Although most frequent discipline strategies in schools involve punitive actions, research suggests that using positive statements to teach and reinforce desirable behaviors is more appropriate and effective. A form of a group-oriented contingency that focuses on desirable behaviors is a positive variation of the Good Behavior Game (GBG). The GBG has been used widely in its original form, focusing on undesirable behaviors, and more research is needed on its positive version. Another strategy that can be used within classrooms is Class Dojo, a …

Impacts Of Professional Development In Integrated Stem Education On Teacher Self-Efficacy, Outcome Expectancy, And Stem Career Awareness, John Geoffrey Knowles

Purdue Polytechnic Doctoral Dissertations

This research analyzed the effects of teacher professional development and lesson implementation in integrated Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) on: 1.) Teacher self-efficacy and their confidence to teach specific STEM subjects; 2.) Teaching outcome expectancy beliefs concerning the impact of actions by teachers on student learning; and 3.) Teacher awareness of STEM careers. High school science and technology education teachers participating in the Teachers and Researchers Advancing Integrated Lessons in STEM (TRAILS) project experimental group attended a ten-day summer professional development institute designed to educate teachers in using an integrated STEM education model to implement integrated STEM lessons. The …

An Analysis Of Secondary Integrated Stem Lesson Plans: Common Characteristics, Learning Expectations And The Impact From The Teacher's Definition Of I-Stem, Jacob Hayward

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study investigated teachers’ understanding of their definition of I-STEM (Integrated STEM education), how those understandings manifested into lessons and associated lesson artifacts, how they assessed students in such lessons, and what factors or rationales supported their ability to conduct or not conduct I-STEM lessons. A survey was sent to the members of four professional organizations representing I-STEM disciplines to solicit their participation in this project. Ten teachers ranging from grades 9-12 participated in this study. Of those who responded, six teachers identified with National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), three teachers selected International Technology and Engineering Education Association (ITEEA), …

Urban English Language Arts Teachers’ Stories Of Technology Use: A Narrative Inquiry, Bridget Abbas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Technology use in high-minority, low-income middle school ELA classrooms is defined by traditional instructional practices (Applebee & Langer, 2013; Attewell, 2001; Boser, 2013; Cuban, 2001; Lankshear & Knobel, 2008), barriers to access (O’Dwyer et al., 2005; Purcell et al., 2013; Warschauer & Matuchniak, 2010), and inequalities in use (Banister & Reinhart, 2011; Beers, 2004; Gorski, 2009; Makinen, 2006; Powell, 2007; Reinhart et al., 2011; Dijk, 2003, 2006; Warschauer et al., 2004). This characterization, or grand narrative, of technology use is echoed and challenged by this narrative inquiry. Here the stories of two ELA teachers frequently using technology in instruction and …

The Instructional Technology Resource Teacher: A Descriptive Case Study Of Deployment, Use, And Perceptions, Mary Sepelyak

Theses and Dissertations

This case study describes one professional development approach to support technology integration at all public schools in one large county in central Virginia. Using data obtained from daily time logs, the frequency of Instructional Technology Resource Teacher (ITRT) use by classroom teachers was analyzed. Descriptive statistics were used to describe overall percentage of ITRT use, the various types of professional development requested by teachers, the consistency of those activities over time, and if the frequencies of activities varied as a function of school level, Title I status at the elementary level, or subject area taught by teachers at the secondary …

Comparison Of Beginning Teachers' And Experienced Teachers' Readiness To Integratetechnology As Measured By Tpack Scores, Heather S. Fontanilla

Dissertations

Despite a growing awareness of the importance of technology in education, increased investment and attention to preparing teachers to integrate technology into the classroom, research shows that technology continues to fail to live up to its potential for transforming education. As schools move from standards based testing to implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), an expectation exists that teachers will be using technology to transform their teaching practices. There is also an expectation that schools are providing students with 21st century skills, including the use of technology. In exploring the reasons teachers are not using technology effectively, much …

Technology Self-Efficacy Beliefs Of Ninth-Grade Students After One Year Of One-To-One Initiative Implementation, Adrianne Nicole Mcgee

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation was designed to gather data regarding the self-efficacy beliefs of ninth graders after experiencing the one-to-one technology initiative for 1 school year. The goal was to obtain information based on the experiences of the students in order to enlighten leaders of other schools and districts when implementing their own technology initiatives. Students, teachers, and administrators were all surveyed regarding the initiative and perceived experience. A focus group of eight students was conducted in order to gather more data regarding the answers to the survey questions. After focus group data were interpreted, three student interviews were held to gather …

A Science Instrument For The Digital Age: #Scistuchat Participants' Perceptions Of Twitter As A Tool For Learning And Communicating Science, Ryan Liss Becker

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The integration of digital technologies in K-12 education is ubiquitous. Web 2.0 technologies enable students who were once passive consumers to become active participants in, and even creators of, dynamic digital experiences. Social media, in particular, can connect disparate populations, minimizing traditional barriers such as time, space and geography. Similarly, science communication has also been influenced by an expanding array of media through which scientists can now connect directly with the public. #Scistuchat, the focus of this study, uses the social media platform Twitter to bring together scientists, secondary science students and teachers outside of school in monthly, science-focused Twitter …

Emerging Technologies In Art Education, Molly A. Marshall

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine the emerging technologies in visual arts education and the impact they will make on the future of visual arts education in a K-12 setting. Research was done through a literature review. As a result, it was found that integrating technology into the visual arts is beneficial to both student and teacher on many levels.

The research will cover how these technologies affect best practices in teaching. Also how these technologies influence student learning. You will find the history of how technology has been implemented in art education, to give the reader and …

Teaching To The Technological Demands Of The 21st-Century Classroom, Michelle Trainor

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Learners of the 21st century are met with the need to collaborate, problem solve, critically think, and synthesize various sources of information. Simultaneously, teachers and learners are expected to utilize rapidly evolving digital technologies as tools to make teaching and learning more effective. As digital technologies become increasingly prominent in K-12 classrooms, the question becomes: in what ways are preservice teachers learning to teach to the technological demands of the 21^st-century classroom? Dr. Punya Mishra and Dr. Matthew J Koehler of Michigan State University propose the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework as a means for effective technology …

A Survey Of The Practices And Perceptions Of Students In One Catholic High School On The Use Of The Internet In Relation To Safety, Cyberbullying, And Sexting, Diana Lynn Murray

Doctoral Dissertations

Digital technology holds a powerful and ubiquitous place in society. The Internet provides today's students with unprecedented access to information. Its use in education has transformed educational paradigms, yet it also provides new challenges. While students do use the technology for schoolwork, they also use it in inappropriate ways. The Internet has provided a powerful and invasive weapon for cyberbullies and predators to prey on the vulnerable and the unsuspecting. The Pontifical Council for Social Communications (2002) affirmed that "[Y]oung people need to learn how to function well in the world of cyberspace, make discerning judgments according to sound moral …

The Lived Experiences Of 24/7 Connectivity On Secondary Educators, James Patrick Heiden

Theses and Dissertations

Student access to the Internet has dramatically increased during the first decade of 2000. A recent study indicated that over 85% of US teens have regular access to a cell phone (Rideout et al., 2010). The cell phone coupled with an Internet plan has created the smart phone. This technology allows students to decide when and where they want to learn. This new connectedness has created a new phenomenon for classroom teachers; the ability to connect with their students in a 24/7 environment. This phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of five urban/suburban teachers in the Metro-Milwaukee area who routinely …

Perceptions Of Technology Use In Rural And Urban Pennsylvania High Schools, Brenda M. Freeman

Dissertations

Purpose

Policy makers are implementing standards and developing guidelines for integrating technology into K-12 schools. With this in mind, the integration of technology into curriculum is an ever-growing point of discussion among high-school education professionals. Technology uses in teaching and learning present significant issues in educational reform literature. Rather than trying to describe the impact of all technologies as if they were the same, this study focuses on the differences in the ways technologies are being used in the classroom as well as the role technology played in instruction. There is also a need to investigate whether or not student …