Junior High, Intermediate, Middle School Education and Teaching Commons^™

Impact Of Teachers' Planned Questions On Opportunities For Students To Reason Mathematically In Whole-Class Discussions Around Mathematical Problem-Solving Tasks, Sarah Elizabeth Enoch

Dissertations and Theses

While professional developers have been encouraging teachers to plan for discourse around problem solving tasks as a way to orchestrate mathematically productive discourse (Stein, Engle, Smith, & Hughes, 2008; Stein, Smith, Henningsen, & Silver, 2009) no research has been conducted explicitly examining the relationship between the plans that teachers make for orchestrating discourse around problem solving tasks and the outcomes of implementation of those plans. This research study is intended to open the door to research on planning for discourse around problem solving tasks.

This research study analyzes how 12 middle school mathematics teachers participating in the Mathematics Problem Solving …

Recruitment And Retention Of Kindergarten Through Grade 12 African American Male Educators In Rural Environments, Shannon Tre'mario Jernell Lewis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

African American male teachers represent a disproportionately low number of educators in the American public school system. This lack of representation has implications for understanding, interacting with and educating the growing population of students of African descent in public schools. In addition, all students benefit from experiencing African American males in classrooms for cultural and educational reasons. For these reasons, recruiting and retaining African American males for careers in education is imperative.

This dissertation investigated the reasons African American males do not select careers in education given the history of this career and its prominence for people of African descent. …

Northeast Tennessee Educators’ Perception Of Stem Education Implementation, Kristin Turner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A quantitative nonexperimental survey study was developed to investigate Northeast Tennessee K-8 educators’ perceptions of STEM education. This study was an examination of current perceptions of STEM education. Perceived need, current implementation practices, access to STEM resources, definition of STEM, and the current condition of STEM in Northeast Tennessee were also examined. The participating school districts are located in the Northeast Region of Tennessee: Bristol City Schools, Hamblen County Schools, Johnson City Schools, Johnson County Schools, Kingsport City Schools, Sullivan County Schools, and Washington County Schools. Educational professionals including both administrators and teachers in the elementary and/or middle school setting …

A Phenomenological Investigation Into The Self-Efficacy Beliefs Of Teachers Who Have Persisted In The Teaching Profession, Shana Market Norton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological study investigated the lived experiences of 12 secondary school teachers from public secondary schools in northern Georgia regarding their feelings about self-efficacy and why they have persisted in the teaching profession. The research questions centered around their perceptions on how self-efficacy influences the academic achievement of their students, on what personality characteristics they feel teachers add to their positive or negative self-esteem in teaching, and on what factors they identify as influencing their professional self-efficacy in teaching. Teacher self-efficacy, the belief in oneself to succeed at completing a task, is a key factor in retaining teachers. Four data …

The Academic Impacts Of Attending A Kipp Charter School In Arkansas, Caleb P. Rose

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

KIPP Delta College Preparatory School (KIPP: DCPS), an open-enrollment charter school, opened in 2002 in Helena, Arkansas. Since its opening, KIPP: DCPS students have consistently outperformed their peers in the Helena/West Helena School district, and moreover, recent test scores suggest that white students and minority students are achieving at the same rate, essentially eliminating the achievement gap that persists between whites and minorities elsewhere in the state. In fact, KIPP's achievement record was so influential that when Arkansas lawmakers instituted a cap on the number of open-enrollment charter schools in the state, they made an exception for KIPP, essentially allowing …

Exploring Critical Literacy Through Teachers’ Professional Learning, Christina Marie Ramirez-Nava

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

With a huge focus on professional development as a method to increase knowledge and skills, one-shot initiatives or flyby in-services bombard the teaching field. Moreover, with the increase of diversity, such as second language needs, children of poverty and other social issues in schools, a focus should be on implementing a critical stance through teacher collaboration

Critical literacy aims to make the unknown known and fight injustices, but many teachers are not aware of this ideology. Simply reading articles and books about critical literacy will not necessarily lead to a critical stance, pedagogical revolution, or engaging learning for students. Working …

Examining Middle School Students' Statistical Thinking While Working In A Technological Environment, Melissa Arnold Scranton

Theses and Dissertations

Examining Middle School Students' Statistical Thinking

While Working in a Technological Environment

Melissa Arnold Scranton

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of how students think in a technological environment. This was accomplished by exploring the differences in the thinking of students while they worked in a technological environment and comparing this to their work in a paper and pencil environment. The software program TinkerPlots: Dynamic Data Exploration (Konold & Miller, 2005), a construction tool that middle school students use for data analysis was the technological environment. In both environments, types of critical, creative, and statistical …

Why Do Indiana Pre-Service Technology Education Majors Choose The Profession, Traves L. Freeland

Purdue Polytechnic Masters Theses

The purpose of this descriptive study was to look at the factors that influence pre-service technology education majors to choose to become teachers. The pre-service teachers of three Indiana technology education teacher preparatory programs were given an internet survey to collect demographic data and determine what factors influence current pre-service teachers. The results of this study were compared to the results from a study done by Harris (2007). The findings resulted in similar factors that were the most common identified as being influential. Those factors included personal interest or hobbies, high school or middle school teacher, and past experiences in …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of An Intervention Mathematics Class For Low Achieving Middle School Students In Northwest Georgia, Johnnie Coats

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

High-stakes testing has become crucial in public education, requiring students to meet increasingly higher standards, regardless of their ability levels. This causal-comparative study sought to determine the effectiveness of an intervention mathematics course in the middle school setting for at-risk, sixth grade students. The Georgia Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) math scores of 143 at-risk students enrolled in a remediation mathematics course were compared to scores from a control population of 143 at-risk students who did not participate in the class. Math scores from the 2008 administration of the CRCT test were used as covariates, and comparisons were made using …

The Impact Of Selected Initiatives On The Reading Criterion Referenced Competency Test Scores Of African-American And Disadvantaged Students In Grades 3, 5, And 8, Eric Fuller

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to examine the impact of selected research-based whole-school reading reform programs, Success for All (SFA), Core Knowledge, and Direct Instruction (DI) on the Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) reading scores of African-American students and students from disadvantaged subgroups in Grades 3, 5, and 8 in a large urban school system. The target sample consisted of 61 elementary schools and 16 middle schools. Student data consisted of 3,533 data points for African-American students and 7,550 data points for disadvantaged students attending reform and non reform schools respectively. A causal-comparative research design was the methodology …

Mentoring: A Grounded Theory Study Examining How The Relationship Between The Mentor And Mentee Becomes Mutually Beneficial, David Martin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This grounded theory qualitative study examined the mentee/mentor relationship between five first year teachers and their five assigned mentors in a school district in Central Florida. To generate a model that seeks to explain how and why a mentee/mentor relationship changes and evolves from that of a single directional stream of information to that of a bidirectional stream which benefits the professional development of both parties, the grounded theory approach was utilized. Three forms of data were collected: interviews, focus groups, and participant journaling. This data along with artifacts and documents describing the school setting and the use of mentors …

Integrated Theater Arts And Strategies (Itas) Program And Its Impact On Teachers’ Integration Of Theater Arts Strategies In Targeted Literacy Skills, Cayce J. Cummins

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Visual and performing arts can be taught in isolation or integrated with other core content subjects such as literacy, math, science, and social studies. Jersey City Public Schools (JCPS) implemented the Integrated Theater and Arts Strategies (ITAS) program beginning in the 2008-2009 school year and lasting through the 2010-2011 school year with eight targeted schools. Visual and performing arts standards exist in both the state’s core curriculum standards and national standards. Despite these existing standards, implementation is minimal in JCPS. JCPS plans to develop and implement the ITAS program for targeted schools with sixth and seventh grade students. Language Arts …

Survey: Teacher Education In Private Sector, Nelofer Halai

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

No abstract provided.

Thresholds Of Knowledge Development In Complex Problem Solving: A Multiple-Case Study Of Advanced Learners’ Cognitive Processes, Treavor Bogard, Min Liu, Yueh-Hui Chiang, Yueh-Hui Vanessa Chiang

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

This multiple-case study examined how advanced learners solved a complex problem, focusing on how their frequency and application of cognitive processes contributed to differences in performance outcomes, and developing a mental model of a problem. Fifteen graduate students with backgrounds related to the problem context participated in the study. Data sources included direct observation of solution operations, participants’ think aloud and stimulated recalls as they solved the problem, as well as solution scores indicating how well each participant solved the problem. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze stimulated recall and think aloud data. A set of thirteen cognitive …

Resisting The Neoliberal Ambush Of Public Education. A Book Review Of Educational Courage: Resisting The Ambush Of Public Education, Brandy S. Wilson

Democracy & Education

This is a review of the book Educational Courage: Resisting the Ambush of Public Education.

Why Ask Why: An Exploration Of The Role Of Proof In The Mathematics Classroom, Joanna Rachel Bartlo

Dissertations and Theses

Although proof has long been viewed as a cornerstone of mathematical activity, incorporating the mathematical practice of proving into classrooms is not a simple matter. In this dissertation I aim to advance research on proof by addressing this issue. In particular, I explore the role proof might play in promoting the learning of mathematics in the classroom. I do this in a series of three articles (organized as three chapters), which are preceded by an introductory chapter. The introductory chapter situates the remaining chapters in the context of mathematics education research. In the second chapter I explore what the literature …

Effective Strategies And Resources For Integrating Quality Children's Literature In Intermediate Social Studies Instruction, Priscilla Locke

HIM 1990-2015

For many educators in intermediate grades, the challenge is to find ways to introduce material in an engaging and meaningful way prior to students reading the textbook. Rather than having students read solely from a textbook, some educators have begun incorporating literature in the classroom in order to introduce material, to help students connect to prior knowledge. As time has passed social studies curriculum has been Teachers have an important role and responsibility to connect students to the curriculum that they are required to learn. One of the best ways to do this is by capturing their interests and tapping …

Process Drama: A Medium For Creating A Hospitable Space For Learning Through Reverent Listening, Kim Anne Anthony

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

This thesis explores how Process Drama, as pedagogy, can invite into educational discourse a conversation about the roles of hospitality and reverence in the classroom through reverent listening to self, others and context. It can become a medium for holistic learning in the drama classroom and in learning situations of all kinds. Process Drama, as an enactment of reverent listening, creates a space for theater to facilitate the engagement of all participants, creating a learningful experience that can transcend barriers of race and social economic status brought by the invited and uninvited learner. Reverent listening and hospitality become the catalyst …

The Effects Of Children Properly Utilizing Cps Tools In The Classroom, Theresa Lyness

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

It is my responsibility as an educator to prepare students by teaching them how to think and not what to think. This project focuses on the importance of teaching our youth creative ways to solve problems and use creativity in a more meaningful way to assist with richer thinking. This project provides students with some necessary tools in order to help them become lifelong learners and problem solvers. It provides students with necessary tools and skills needed for success in the 21^st century. The project includes an introduction to Creative Problem Solving (CPS) process and tools for different age …

S.M.I.L.E. (Success Means Initiating Life Everyday), Charisma C. Dupree

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Abstract:

Motivation exists as an important aspect of our lives. Motivation comes in two main forms, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. No matter the type motivation employed, at some point we all experience motivation to help achieve our goals and in order to reach success in any capacity. The use of Creative Problem Solving (CPS) can also help in the process of motivation and succeeding. When the going gets tough, it is imperative to SMILE – Success Means Initiating Life Everyday.