Education Commons^™

Using Technology To Increase Parental Involvement In Elementary School, Scott Thomas Neuscheler

Theses Digitization Project

Summary.;The purpose of this project was to develop an entertaining and informative way of communicating school expectations to students and parents, and to create an atmosphere where parents want to participate in school events. The DVD targeted parents who were unaware of programs offered at the school, lacks the tools to help their students with homework, as well as parents who wanted to participate but did not know where to start.

Gradeboard: A Cloud-Based Solution For A Student Grading System, Manoj Kulkarni

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of the GradeBoard application is to develop a mobile application as a front end to interact with data stored in a cloud-based system. It leverages cloud computing features such as auto-scaling, load-balancing and NoSQL data stores. The GradeBoard application helps instructors keep track of student activities and gives students an opportunity to know how they are performing by comparing their grades with other students through a game-like leader board interface, thus creating a competitive environment in the class. Contains source code.

Script-Based Reading Lessons And Socialized Language Usage, Joseph James Spencer

Theses Digitization Project

This study focuses in particular on the connections students make to their reading as seen through contextualized language usage. Many educators and curriculum developers suggest that using these new script-based curriculum will help teachers systematize and close gaps in teaching and learning. If unwritten teacher questions and statements are used to redirect students' comprehension about texts occur during the reading lesson, these will be described and analyzed for their effects on the lesson goals and objectives.

Theatre Across The Curriculum: Playing A Role In Multicultural Identity, Literacy Acquisition, Special Education, And Beyond, Fergus James Loughnane

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the benefits of theatre and theatrical practices across the curriculum. it is a counter weight to the pervasive argument that theatre does not offer adequate training and prospects to our students. Theatrical practices have been show to dramatically improve literacy acquisition by reinforcing the lesson.

Optimization Of Piezoelectric Pvdf Films For Electroactive Strain Measurements, Matthew Bailey, Derrick R. Dean, Carrie Schindler

Inquiro, the UAB undergraduate science research journal

pp. 42-47

Teachers’ And Administrators’ Use Of Evidence Of Student Learning To Take Action: Conclusions Drawn From A Special Issue On Formative Assessment, Heidi Andrade, M. Christina Schneider

Educational Theory and Practice Faculty Scholarship

A teacher who collects and analyzes diverse types of evidence of a student’s learning and uses that information to either adjust instruction or provide feedback to the student is using formative classroom assessment (Brookhart, Moss, & Long, 2008). A central feature of formative assessment is a clear link between the results of an assessment and subsequent actions that lead to gains in student learning (Nichols, Meyers, & Burling, 2009; Wiliam, 2010). The impact of formative assessment is greatly diminished if teachers are not able to use evidence of student learning to determine next instructional steps and help students move their …

Toward Fostering Environmental Political Participation: Framing An Agenda For Environmental Education Research, Brett L. M. Levy, Michaela T. Zint

Educational Theory and Practice Faculty Scholarship

Scholars of environmental education (EE) and education for sustainable development (ESD) have been among the environmental leaders calling for individuals to become increasingly engaged in political action aimed at addressing environmental and sustainability issues. Few, however, have studied how educational experiences might foster greater environmental political engagement. Fortunately, there is a rich body of research in political science, psychology, and education that provides insights that EE and ESD scholars and educators can build on. Studies in these domains suggest, for example, that political efficacy (the belief that individuals’ actions can influence political processes) and political interest (individuals’ willingness to pay …

Examining Studies Of Inquiry-Based Learning In Three Fields Of Education: Sparking Generative Conversation, Brett L. M. Levy, Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, Kathryn Drago, Lesely A. Rex

Educational Theory and Practice Faculty Scholarship

Many educational researchers across the United States have found that inquiry-based learning (IBL) supports the development of deep, meaningful content knowledge. However, integrating inquiry-based learning into classroom practice has been challenging, in part because of contrasting conceptualizations and practices across educational fields. In this paper, we (1) describe differing conceptions of IBL, (2) summarize our own studies of IBL in three fields of education, (3) compare and contrast the processes and purposes of IBL in our studies and fields, and (4) suggest numerous opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaborations on IBL curriculum, teaching, and research that could bolster its inclusion in K-12 …

Effects Of Academic And Non-Academic Instructional Approaches On Preschool Ells' English Language Development, Ivana Markova-Lama

Doctoral Dissertations

The population of English Language Learners (ELLs) in the United States has been growing at an increasingly rapid rate (U. S. Census Bureau, 2010), and nowhere is this growth more evident than in U.S. public schools. As of school year 2010-11, nearly 25% of all students in the California public schools were English Language Learners (California Department of Education, 2013).

The focus of this study was to explore to what extent this growing number of ELLs was developing English language in different types of preschool activities. The study investigated whether bilingual preschool children would engage more and use more of …

Asian American Women Leaders In The Pacific Coast: Their Pathway To Presidency In Two-Year Institutions, Joan Torne

Doctoral Dissertations

The field of education continues to see an underrepresentation of women as presidents of colleges and universities especially Asian Americans in general. In comparison with other racial and ethnic groups, Asian Americans are the only group not equally represented in high executive positions such as the presidential. In addition, women, including Asian American women, continue to hold, disproportionately to men, fewer leadership positions in the workplace of today.

It was the intent of this qualitative study to gain an understanding the reasons for the slow progress of Asian Americans in obtaining presidential positions in higher education with the focus on …

Louise And Wally Bishop Endowment For Ethical Leadership (Academic Year 2012-13), University Of South Florida St. Petersburg. Wally And Louise Bishop Center For Ethical Leadership & Civic Engagement.

Bishop Center for Ethical Leadership & Civic Engagement

No abstract provided.

Financial Inclusion Of Female Garment Workers, Sigma Ainul, Md. Irfan Hossain, Sajeda Amin, Ubaidur Rob

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Since the 1980s rapid growth in the manufacturing of ready-made garments for export has created new opportunities for women industrial workers in Bangladesh. This study explores ways of improving the financial capabilities of these young, inexperienced wage earners through a targeted program of financial education. It also aims to identify scalable financing models that can be replicated to increase the opportunities of garment workers. The project culminated in a workshop to share results from the research study and to elicit discussions and recommendations based on the findings of the study. Recommendations include a preference for in-factory training in peri-urban areas, …

Financial Education Curriculum For The Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (Agep), Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP) in rural and urban Zambia aims to build social, health, and economic assets of adolescent girls. A safe spaces component is at the core of AGEP. Girls groups, under the guidance of a female mentor from the same community, provide a safe and supportive learning environment. The meetings are critical in building social assets for vulnerable girls—including friendships, self-esteem, trusting relationships with adults, and social support. The training content over the course of the year varies from sexual and reproductive health and life skills to financial education and nutrition training. This collection of learning …

Rollins Magazine, Spring 2013, Rollins College Office Of Marketing And Communications

Rollins Magazine

Issue Title: "The 600 Club"

The Processes Of Change On Learning Literacy And Numeracy In South Australian Primary Schools, I Gusti Ngurah Darmawan, Carol Aldous

Shannon Research Press

Success in science and mathematics is predicated on successful literacy and numeracy learning. Yet schools and communities across the country struggle to negotiate factors that both impede and facilitate such learning - particularly factors over which they have some control. Working with data more comprehensive than that used previously and applying statistical methods only recently developed, researchers from the South Australian hub of the centre for Science, Information and Communication Technology and Mathematics Education for Rural and Regional Australia (SiMERR-SA) seek answers to three basic questions. What factors influence performance in Literacy and Numeracy? Does living in a rural and …

The Charter School Movement: The Impact Of School Form On Performance, Jeremy B. Wolff

CMC Senior Theses

Using data from the DataQuest and Ed-Data databases provided by the California Department of Education (2006-2012), this study assesses if charter schools provide a net benefit to students compared to non-charter schools. Further, it examines if charter management organizations improve the performance of charter schools. I find that charter schools have no net benefit across all grades. However, charter schools get significantly better performance on high school language arts tests. Minority and low-income students perform better at charter schools than traditional public schools, especially at the middle school level. Minorities in middle schools perform even better at CMOs than independent …

Vocabulary Acquisition In Kindergarten For English Language Learners: Ventriglia's Rule Of 3, Or Marzano's Six Steps To Effective Vocabulary Instruction?, Danielle Marie Rose

Graduate Research Papers

Teaching kindergarten is my passion. I love the excitement five and six year old children bring to the classroom. Their sense of wonder, their smiles and their laughter bring constant joy to my life. A group of children that I especially love teaching is the English language learners in my classroom. These children are always so curious to learn, but many times lack the adequate vocabulary to understand conversations between peers or comprehend the meaning of books. This lack of vocabulary knowledge decreases their success in the classroom. Throughout my teaching career, it has been my constant desire to implement …

Utilizing Habit Reversal And Contingency Contracting To Impact Eating Habits With Obese Individuals, Christopher Thomas Scull

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

One of the most difficult set of behaviors for individuals to engage in is weight management. The United States boasts an astonishing 35% obesity rate in adults while children show almost a 20% obesity rate. These statistics identify the importance of developing effective methods to help change an individual's eating habits. There are many eating habits that may contribute to an individual gaining or losing weight over a period of time. Simplified habit reversal (SHR) has an impressive history in shaping desirable responses to compete with many different types of habitual behaviors. The present study extended the SHR procedure to …

Parent Pathways: Recognition And Responses To Developmental Delays In Young Children, Jennifer Marshall

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The importance of early recognition and intervention for developmental delays is increasingly acknowledged, yet high rates of under-enrollment and 1-3 year delays in entry to the public early intervention system continue. Much research has examined developmental screening in health and child care settings, but less well understood is what prompts parents to identify problems and seek help for their children. This mixed methods study rooted in the Health Belief Model and Social Support Theory examined child, parent, family, and community level factors related to parent recognition (awareness and concern) and response (help-seeking and enrollment in services), including formal and informal …

Mother- To - Child Transmission Of Hiv And Congenital Syphilis: A Snapshot Of An Epidemic In The Republic Of Panama, Lorna Elizabeth Jenkins

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Background: Worldwide HIV is going through a feminization and rejuvenation as more women are living with HIV/AIDS, increasing the risk of vertical transmission. Despite the efforts in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) by 2010, Panama was the third most affected country in the region with HIV/AIDS, with females aged 15-24 twice as affected as men.

Methods: This descriptive epidemiological study of HIV vertical transmission in Panama reviewed clinical charts to identify health care personnel's practices during pregnancies in 2008. This study also examines the impact of interventions comparing the HIV outcome of the children at the end of …