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Full-Text Articles in Liberal Studies
An Investigation Of English Learners' Acquisition Of Academic Language To Obtain Reading Comprehension Skills, Mishka Barnes
An Investigation Of English Learners' Acquisition Of Academic Language To Obtain Reading Comprehension Skills, Mishka Barnes
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This collective case study explored how third-grader English learners (ELs) acquire academic language to learn reading comprehension skills in a classroom setting. Many ELs have acquired basic interpersonal communication skills, but have not mastered cognitive academic language proficiency, or academic language. The researcher selected six third-grade ELs who functioned as developing and expanding learners. Although many of these students can read text and use problem-solving strategies to blend words and read fluently, they may experience difficulties understanding academic language. Data was collected through observation, interviews with the ELs two mainstream teachers, document anlysis, and field notes. Using open coding, the …
The Effect Of Voice Thread® Integration On High School Students' Anxiety And Oral Proficiency In The Foreign Language Classroom, Melanie Dunn
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the asynchronous voice-conferencing technology, Voice Thread ®, on the anxiety and oral proficiency of high school students in their third year of studying Spanish as a foreign language. In this quasi-experimental study students' foreign language anxiety levels and oral proficiency were examined to determine if a difference existed based on the type of practice used. The treatment group used Voice Thread ® to practice speaking. The control group used the traditional method of the language laboratory to practice speaking. The Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) was used to …
A Phenomenological Investigation Of Male At-Risk Sixth, Seventh And Eighth Grade Students' Perceptions Toward Reading, Jason Douma
A Phenomenological Investigation Of Male At-Risk Sixth, Seventh And Eighth Grade Students' Perceptions Toward Reading, Jason Douma
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate the perceptions that male at-risk sixth, seventh and eighth grade students' possess toward reading at a small rural public school district in Michigan. Male at-risk students was generally defined as students below grade level in reading based on their STAR reading assessment. Male students may have developed certain perceptions toward reading based their continual struggle with reading and teacher practices, such as grouping strategies, throughout their academic lifetime. To discover the essence of male at-risk sixth, seventh and eighth grade students' perceptions data collection was gathered through surveys, interviews and explanations …
A Renewed Approach To Undergraduate Worship Leader Education, Allen Hendricks
A Renewed Approach To Undergraduate Worship Leader Education, Allen Hendricks
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The church music degree program at Charleston Southern University, based on a European traditional/classical sacred music degree model, has been attracting fewer and fewer students. The last two students pursuing this degree were graduated in May, 2011. Prior to their graduation, the administration encouraged the music department to investigate current career markets and the worship leadership training strategies of other institutions. The purpose of this project is to design a suitable worship leadership degree and thus assist the university in its mission to equip churches with properly trained ministry leaders. Survey instruments will be used to discover the expectations of …
The Relationship Of Student Family Structure And Absence Type To Reading Achievement, James Hixson
The Relationship Of Student Family Structure And Absence Type To Reading Achievement, James Hixson
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Middle school students are affected to different degrees by absences from school. While social learning theory suggests students acquire new skills through observation and modeling, some students are more able than others to compensate for school absences. Research has shown that a student's family structure can influence achievement. Unexcused absences have also been linked to lower achievement than excused ones. Excessive unexcused absences have also been associated with family problems including insufficient support for school endeavors. This quantitative causal comparative research study will examine the relationship between family structure and absence type to reading achievement in a Title I school. …
The Effect Of The Private Classroom Blog On The Acquisition Of Formal Writing Proficiency With Spanish Iii High School Students, Olga Glymph
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This study examined the impact of a private classroom blog implemented as an instructional technology on student writing proficiency in a world language with the focus on formal writing. The nonequivalent control-group, pre-posttest design was used to determine if the use of the private classroom blog in teaching world language formal writing affected student writing proficiency with the specific focus on task completion, comprehensibility, level of discourse, vocabulary, and language control. This research study used a convenience sample of sophomore, junior, and senior students in a Georgia public high school. Independent raters evaluated students' writings using the Fairfax County Public …
The Impact Of Multimedia And Redundancy On The Efficiency Of History Presentations, Adam Leach
The Impact Of Multimedia And Redundancy On The Efficiency Of History Presentations, Adam Leach
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The use of educational technology to create classroom presentations is already commonplace in American history classes. Therefore, this study focuses on how multimedia presentations can promote efficient instruction specifically, can the employment of the multimedia and redundancy principles (Mayer, 2009) improve the efficiency of student learning in high school history. The goal is to identify methods of multimedia presentation design that maximize the efficiency of instruction, as a gap in literature exists when referencing the performance of adolescents in a public high school and in the study of history. Keeping the focus on efficient learning, this study uses a quasi-experimental …
The Effects Of Repeated Readings On Third Grade Students' Reading Achievement And Attitudes, Tennille Kasper-Scheriff
The Effects Of Repeated Readings On Third Grade Students' Reading Achievement And Attitudes, Tennille Kasper-Scheriff
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This study investigated the effects of a reading strategy, repeated readings, on third grade students' reading achievement and attitudes. One hundred sixteen third grade students as members of six classrooms in one elementary school participated in this 10 week study. Using a quasi-experimental pretest posttest design, students' mean reading scores and mean reading attitude scores were evaluated. The Measures of Academic Progress test was used to collect data on students' reading achievement (Northwest Evaluation Association, 2009), and student attitudes toward reading were measured by the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (ERAS) (McKenna & Kear, 1990). Data was analyzed using analysis of …
Effect Of Music Integrated Instruction On First Graders' Reading Fluency, Kerry Bryant
Effect Of Music Integrated Instruction On First Graders' Reading Fluency, Kerry Bryant
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The study examined music-integrated (MI) instruction, framed by automatic information processing theory and elements of prosody. A quasi-experimental, pre- and posttest design was utilized to ascertain the effect of MI instruction on reading fluency among first grade students. Subjects were students in two public elementary schools in Georgia. To determine the effect of MI instruction on reading fluency scores, independent samples t-tests were employed to compare students' Dynamic Indicators of Basic Literacy Skills (DIBELS) test scores. Analysis revealed to what degree MI instruction in reading had effect upon two DIBELS indicators, specifically nonsense word fluency (NWF) and phoneme segmentation fluency …
Effects Of A Developmental Boot Camp: Improving Student Performance On A College Placement Test, Heather Hill
Effects Of A Developmental Boot Camp: Improving Student Performance On A College Placement Test, Heather Hill
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Nationwide, students are entering college unprepared for college-level work. Recent high school graduates are placing into developmental courses at an alarming rate. The purpose of this research study is to examine the effect of a developmental boot camp on standardized placement test scores of students enrolling at a community college in North Carolina. The study has a quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group design. Collected data will include participants' scores on the pretest and posttest placement test. A control group of eligible students who chose not to participate will be posttested for comparison. Instruments include ASSET® placement test and Computer-Adaptive Placement Assessment …
The Impact Of Teacher Attitudes And Perceptions Of Direct Instruction On Student Achievement In Reading, Sharon Collum
The Impact Of Teacher Attitudes And Perceptions Of Direct Instruction On Student Achievement In Reading, Sharon Collum
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2004), 37% of America's fourth graders are not reading at grade level. This statistic has remained unchanged for over a decade (NCES, 2004). Findings from multiple studies indicate more research on successfully implementing reading interventions is needed (Begeny & Silber, 2006; Begeny, Krouse, Ross, & Mitchell, 2009). Barnyak and Paquette (2010) suggested that although teachers learn new methods, they return to the strategies they are most comfortable using. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to determine if teacher attitudes and perceptions of direct instruction impacted student achievement in reading. Elementary …