Education Commons^™

Thinking Beyond The Fried Egg Model: How Accurately Do Students Perceive Cells In A Living Context?, Milissa Knox

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory study investigated three aspects of introductory undergraduate biology students’ understanding about cells. The study, which took place at the University of Maine with voluntary students in Basic Biology (“BIO100”) in the summer and fall of 2009, examined (1) students’ pre-course perceptions of cells as they exist in a living context and (2) gains in students’ perception and knowledge about cells after completing the one-semester course (BIO100). Results are based on lecture exam scores, pre-post surveys developed as a part of this thesis, and interviews with two groups of biology students. A total of 498 students participated in the …

The Development Of Self-Efficacy For Trade And Industrial Career And Technical Education Teachers, Corey Mccray

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to review the development of self-efficacy for trade and industrial (T&I) teachers. Specifically, this study investigated how T&I teachers develop self-efficacy in classroom management, pedagogical practices, and content knowledge. Finally, the study reviewed key performance measures that indicate T&I teacher development of efficacious practices. Each performance measure was considered as it related to the aforementioned focus areas.

This qualitative study was informed by phenomenology. Twelve T&I teachers were interviewed in an effort to capture the essence of their experience as T&I teachers. The study was conducted at two career technical schools in Southeastern Virginia. …