Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

The Effect Of Enhanced Visualization Instruction On First Grade Students' Scores On The North Carolina Standard Course Assessment, Amber Thompson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Visualization was once thought to be an important skill for professions only related to engineering, but due to the realization of concurrent design and the fast pace of technology, it is now desirable in other professions as well. The importance of learning basic knowledge of geometrical concepts has a greater impact than it did prior to the 21st century. This study's purpose was to test the effect of enhanced visualization instruction on the visualization skills measured by the North Carolina standard course test for first grade students. This quasi-experimental study was conducted using the non-randomized subjects, non-equivalent control group design. …

The Co-Teaching Journey: A Systematic Grounded Theory Study Investigating How Secondary School Teachers Resolve Challenges In Co-Teaching, Sharon Gerst

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this systematic grounded theory study was to explain how problems inherent in co-teaching relationships are resolved by secondary school special education and general education teachers at an urban school district in Eastern Iowa. The participants were general and special education secondary school teachers involved in effective co-teaching partnerships. Data was collected from five partnerships, utilizing focus groups, interpersonal behavior theory questionnaires, classroom observations, and individual interviews. The researcher analyzed the data using systematic grounded theory procedures of open coding, axial coding, and selective coding to develop a theory grounded in the data collected about the process by …

Academic Excellence In Action: A Case Study Of Effective Instructional Methodologies Of Middle Grades Math Teachers, Nancy Hutchison

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study was to analyze highly effective math teachers in a middle school in Tennessee and describe the methodologies utilized in their middle grades classrooms. This case study was an instrumental single case study within a bounded system. Effective math teachers employ certain methodologies consistently in their classrooms that can be utilized by other teachers to help students achieve academic success. Tennessee's First to the Top Act (2010) requires using teacher effect data to comprise 35% of teachers' retention/dismissal evaluation scores and requires a concentrated focus on seventh grade mathematics instruction. Questionnaires, interviews with math teachers …

The Effect Of Differentiated Instruction On Standardized Assessment Performance Of Students In The Middle School Mathematics Classroom, Kimberly Gail Williams

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Changing demographics, student diversity, and increased accountability have compelled educators to challenge the uniform constraints of traditional instruction and create an environment focused on individual achievement. Differentiated instruction empowers teachers to target multiple learning styles through varied themes, adapted content delivery, and assessment options. This quantitative quasi-experimental research study examined the effects of differentiated instruction on seventh grade student performance on standardized mathematics assessments using a repeated-measures design. Two independent research trials, controlling for initial group differences with 2011 Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) scores, provided inconclusive assessment results. Significant differences between students who received differentiated instruction compared …

Digital Immigrant Teacher Perceptions Of Social Media As It Influences The Affective And Cognitive Development Of Students: A Phenomenological Study, Robert Williams

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study is to describe how digital immigrant teachers perceive the influence of social media on the affective and cognitive development of students at three high schools in Alabama. As the prevalence of social technologies is increasing, educators must understand how it is affecting students in order to instruct students and utilize technologies in an effective manner. Thus, a phenomenological study should inform teacher practitioners on how to address concerns and issues associated with social media in order to positively influence the learning environment. Ten teachers were selected from one private and two public high …

Comparing The Success And Experiences Of Developmental Algebra I Students, Christy Lowery-Carter

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Students enrolled during the spring 2011 and summer 2011 semesters taking developmental Algebra I were invited to participate in a study. Students were required to complete a researcher-made pretest prior to instruction, complete the course over the semester, and complete an identical posttest at the end of the course. The online students voluntarily completed a researcher-made survey. An ANCOVA analysis, using the pretest scores as a covariate, showed a significant difference between the online and seated students, as the online students scored significantly higher. The survey showed online students tended to utilize the captured lectures, with a larger percentage of …

Case Study Of Participants In A Site-Based Secondary Mathematics Methods Course And Internship: Three Teachers In Transition, Alyson Elizabeth Lischka

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

Although the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) introduced standards intended to reform the teaching of mathematics in 1989, those reform-oriented practices have not saturated mathematics teaching. Mathematics teacher educators continue to work with pre-service and practicing teachers to more fully implement the reform practices as described by NCTM. At times, this can take the form of professional development schools (PDSs) in which mathematics teacher educators and practicing teachers collaborate to prepare pre-service teachers. Through a case study, three participants in a PDS setting were studied as they took part in the initial year of a secondary mathematics methods …

Planning And Implementing Online Instruction: Faculty Perceptions Of One University, James M. Wright

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

To maintain a competitive advantage, many universities have expanded their online course offerings, and college faculty members are vital to the design, development, and delivery of online instruction (Allen & Seaman, 2007; Mitchell & Geva-May, 2009; Tabata & Johnsrud, 2008). In this study, a mixed-method approach is used to investigate faculty’s perceptions about teaching online at one university. Understanding the factors that motivate and impede faculty to teach online provided the knowledge to plan future strategies to increase faculty participation with this instructional medium.

At a large suburban university in the Southeastern United States, 363 faculty members were surveyed and …

From The Margins To The Middle: Making Room For Visual Rhetoric In The Composition Classroom, Montyne H. Morris

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

This study examines the potential role of visuals in a first-year composition classroom. Essential theoretical questions include whether visual images have rhetorical power, and specifically, whether they can sustain an argument. If we suppose that visual images, like verbal texts, can be arranged to create or extend an argument, then the inclusion of visuals in a writing classroom becomes a question not of if but of how. Study findings and recommendations are relevant for first-year writing instructors, administrators, and others involved in the design and delivery of first-year writing programs.

Enrollment Report - Summer 2012, Uno Office Of Institutional Effectiveness

Enrollment Reports

The Enrollment Report provides administrative and delivery-site information on enrollment headcount and student credit hours, as well as the demographic characteristics of enrolled students. The purpose of this profile is to provide the undergraduate and graduate enrollments and student credit hour information by college or equivalent academic unit, class, gender and ethnicity.

Can Practice Calibrating By Test Topic Improve Public School Students' Calibration Accuracy And Performance On Tests?, Rose M. Riggs

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

The effect of a calibration strategy requiring students to predict their scores for each topic on a high stakes test was investigated. The utility of self-efficacy towards predicting achievement and calibration accuracy was also explored. One hundred and ten sixth grade math students enrolled in an urban middle school participated. Students were assigned to either a calibration practice group or a no practice condition. Students in the practice condition completed a self-efficacy scale specific to math at the beginning of the study. They also practiced making predictions for each topic on each of three tests over a three month period …

Half-Life Learning Curves In The Defense Acquisition Life Cycle, Adedeji B. Badiru

Faculty Publications

Learning curves are useful for assessing performance improvement due to the positive impact of learning. In recent years, the deleterious effects of forgetting have also been recognized. Workers experience forgetting or decline in performance over time. Consequently, contemporary learning curves have attempted to incorporate forgetting components into learning curves. An area of increasing interest is the study of how fast and how far the forgetting impact can influence overall performance. This article introduces the concept of half-life analysis of learning curves using the concept of growth and decay, with particular emphasis on applications in the defense acquisition process. The computational …

What Value Does Service Learning Have On Introductory Engineering Students' Motivation And Abet Program Outcomes?, Carol Sevier, Seung Youn Chyung, Janet Callahan, Cheryl Schrader

Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning Faculty Publications and Presentations

A quasi-experimental study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of using a service learning (SL) method on influencing introductory engineering students' motivation and ABET program outcomes, compared to the effectiveness of using a conventional, non-service-learning (NSL) method. The sample used in the study was 214 students enrolled in an Introduction to Engineering course at a medium-size university in the northwestern region of the U.S. during the fall semester of 2009 and the spring semester of 2010. Sixty-nine students completed SL projects while 145 students completed NSL projects. Both SL and NSL projects were team-based. Using the ARCS model as a …

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. …

Drastic Education Reforms Would Devalue Mission And Learning Process, Aaron W. Hughey

Counseling & Student Affairs Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Collection Of Online Learning Objects For Research Success (Colors) Pilot Project, Andrea Falcone, Stephanie Wiegand

University Libraries Publications

The availability of library-related videos is growing; yet it is difficult to justify the impact of such time-consuming projects. In order to investigate the impact of such projects and a possible solution, the researchers asked students to create videos that appeal to their peers. The following research questions were posed:

• Will creation of media projects enable students to learn core research concepts and skills?
• Will a series of peer-created media engage students and help them acclimate to researching in an academic library?

By asking students to create videos, the researchers were able to observe how users interact with and perceive …

Ucla Faculty Survey Results 2001-2011, Uno Office Of Institutional Effectiveness

Assessment

Faculty survey institutional profile.

Collegiality In Teacher Design Teams: Experience From The Netherlands And Tanzania, Ayoub C. Kafyulilo

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Teachers’ collegiality is becoming an increasingly important component of teachers’ professional development programmes that are geared at improving students’ learning. Studies have shown that, through collaboration, teachers can learn from one another and develop professionally. This study investigates the extent to which true collegiality exists in teacher design teams in the Netherlands and in Tanzania. It specifically investigates the ways in which teachers establish collegiality in schools and the influence of education authorities (inspectorates, school management and policy makers) in teachers’ decision making in the design teams. It also investigates how varying interests, values and attitudes of teachers are accommodated …

Case Studies: Developing Critical Thinking In New Teachers, Mark A. Hamilton

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Critical thinking is increasingly depicted as a crucial component of teaching and learning programmes worldwide, including teacher education. Reflecting the trend toward inquiry-based, constructivist teacher professional development of the past twenty years, definitions and approaches to teaching critical thinking nevertheless vary quite widely. The present article thus discusses the use of case studies as an adaptable, flexible tool for developing critical thinking in student teachers, in ways that reflect their experiences and needs. The article includes sample cases of ‘real world’ situations of practice to show how case-study method can be employed to simulate the kinds of problems, issues and …

Knowledge, Skills, And Dispositions Influencing Middle School Teachers' Decision Making In Planning Social Studies Instruction In A Hispanic Serving School, Angela Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The issue of highly qualified teachers as the key to improving the educational system in the United States has become a primary focus in education. The federal educational policy No Child Left Behind Act 2001, describes what it means to be a highly qualified teacher in core subject areas, and all states are required to use this criterion for defining what teachers should know, and be able to do. Accordingly, certified teachers in today’s public school classrooms must possess the knowledge, skills, and dispositions so that all students, including those students who have been historically disadvantaged and those who are …