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Introductory Texts, Georgia Association Of Mathematics Teacher Educators

Georgia Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (GAMTE) Annual Conference (2007-2019)

Coverpage

GAMTE Information

Letter from the President

Table of Contents

Paper 2: Using Ti-Nspire To Engage Preservice Mathematics Teachers In An Exploratory Geometry Module, Alesia D. Mickle, Pier A. Junor Clarke

Georgia Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (GAMTE) Annual Conference (2007-2019)

In the mathematics classroom, most preservice mathematics teachers possess basic skills to use technology as an instructional strategy in communicating content standards. However, today’s demands for preservice teachers to engage in a variety of “best teaching practices” in their preservice teaching and edTPA requirements can oftentimes place the acquisition of technical skills and integration of new technology in content curriculum far from the forefront of their minds. Ertmer, Conklin, Lewandowski, Osika, Selo, and Wignall (2003) acknowledged preservice teachers’ desires to gain the adequate technical skills necessary to use technology in teachers’ daily tasks of facilitating and managing their classrooms. They …

Introductory Texts

Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Georgia Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators

• GAMTE 2015 Officers
• GAMTE 2015 Conference Committee
• GAMTE 2015 Proceeding Committee
• Purposes and Goals of GAMTE
• Letter from the President
• Table of Contents

Using Ti-Nspire To Engage Preservice Mathematics Teachers In An Exploratory Geometry Module, Alesia D. Mickle, Pier A. Junor Clarke

Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Georgia Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators

In the mathematics classroom, most preservice mathematics teachers possess basic skills to use technology as an instructional strategy in communicating content standards. However, today’s demands for preservice teachers to engage in a variety of “best teaching practices” in their preservice teaching and edTPA requirements can oftentimes place the acquisition of technical skills and integration of new technology in content curriculum far from the forefront of their minds. Ertmer, Conklin, Lewandowski, Osika, Selo, and Wignall (2003) acknowledged preservice teachers’ desires to gain the adequate technical skills necessary to use technology in teachers’ daily tasks of facilitating and managing their classrooms. They …

Moving From Theory To Practice: Integrating Mobile Devices In Elementary Reading Instruction, Lisa Marie Bald

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Technology integration continues to be a professional development concern, especially in elementary schools. It remains unclear why there is a difference between how teachers talk about using technology and how they apply it in teaching reading. The purpose of this study was to explore professional development options that would help teachers connect theory to practice by studying their decision-making process. The conceptual framework was based on elements of the knowing-doing gap and reflective practices. The research questions explored (a) the decision-making process, (b) reflective practices used during decision-making, (c) professional development that facilitates closing the knowing-doing gap, and (d) recommendations …

The Role Of Teacher Perceptions In Parental Involvement, Crecenra Boyd

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the changing field of education, there is awareness of the benefits of parental involvement on student achievement and the impact teachers have on the success of parental involvement programs. However, teachers may rely significantly on their personal experiences as a source of reference for parental involvement and subsequently impact student achievement. There is a gap in the research about the lived experiences of teachers regarding their perspectives and support of parental involvement in the classroom. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore teachers' lived experiences and attitudes concerning parental involvement and student achievement. The conceptual framework for …

Wisconsin's Quality Improvement Initiative For Childcare Programs: A Case Study, Betty Jane Bohleber

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Wisconsin's Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) was implemented in 2010 to improve quality of care for young children enrolled in childcare programs. Due to the recent initiation of the state's QRIS, empirical evidence on the effectiveness of the initiative to improve quality care for young children is limited. This qualitative case study explores childcare stakeholders' perceptions on the effectiveness of Wisconsin's QRIS as a quality improvement program. Bronfenbrenner theorized that exosystems such as state governments impact early childhood environments and the development of young children through initiation of programs. The research questions address the efficiency of the state's QRIS …

Daily Calendar Group Time And The Mathematical Skills Of Preschoolers, Deborah Ann Lavine

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The evidence supporting the common instructional method of daily calendar group time to teach math skills to prekindergarten children has been inconclusive. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of exposure to daily calendar group time on prekindergarten children's math score gains in a private early-childhood program located in the suburban Southeast. Vygotsky's sociocultural theory guided this quantitative, causal comparative design wherein archival data from 104 prekindergarten students' pre- and posttest numeracy skill scores on the Young Children's Achievement Test were analyzed. Data from 6 classrooms over 2 school years were compared using multiple linear regression. Four …

Addressing Higher Education Issues Of Latino Students In Greenville County, South Carolina, Sandra Elizbeth Portillo De Yúdice

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Latino college enrollment rates in South Carolina do not reflect the overall increase in the Latino population in the state, which suggests that schools, colleges, and universities may be unprepared to serve the unique needs of Latino students. Consequently, Latino students are less likely to pursue opportunities in higher education than their non-Latino counterparts, which raises significant public policy concerns about equity and the potential economic contributions of the Latino communities. The purpose of this narrative policy analysis (NPA), based upon critical race theory, was to explore the perceptions of Latino students, parents, and advocates related to opportunities in pursuing …

Indiana's High-Stakes Reading Assessment: Impact On Professionalism And Instructional Practices Of Elementary Teachers, Michelle A. Fish

Dissertations

Problem.

Since the turn of the twenty-first century, political mandates have been the driving force behind educational decision-making. The execution of the federal Race to the Top Assessment Program in 2009 ushered in a new era of accountability measures for educators, resulting in a significant increase in the number of state assessments, including the implementation of the Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination (IREAD-3) summative assessment in the spring of 2012. Within this model of top-down, political decision-making, the collective voice of educators has been minimized as instructional practice has been driven by student performance on standardized assessments. The purpose of …

Testing The Technology Acceptance Model 3 (Tam 3) With The Inclusion Of Change Fatigue And Overload, In The Context Of Faculty From Seventh-Day Adventist Universities: A Revised Model, David Andrew Jeffrey

Dissertations

Problem.

In recent years, the use of technology in institutions of higher learning has grown significantly. The use of Learning Management Systems (LMSs) is central to this growth. LMSs assist in the ease, consistency, and effectiveness of delivering instruction to students. The challenges involved in implementing an LMS, and the time pressures placed on faculty make decisions concerning LMSs particularly crucial. Since the goal of administration is to encourage adoption and optimal usage of the LMS by as many faculty members as possible, the focus of this study is the dynamic of factors that predict usage of Learning Management Systems. …

Community College Developmental Education Services: Perspectives Of Spanish-Speaking Latino Early Childhood Educators, John Edward Eberly

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this single case study was to understand the perceptions of Latino Spanish-speaking English learners on the efficacy of developmental education services at a western United States community college. The conceptual frameworks used in the investigation included critical theory related to human emancipation, social learning theory aligned to second language acquisition, and contemporary adult learning theories. The goal of the investigation was to understand how students used and perceived the developmental education services to transition from Spanish language instruction to English coursework. Research questions focused on how the developmental education services contributed to the successful completion of the …

Issues Of Online Distance Education: Learning Motivation Of Current And Prospective School Teachers, Anna Toom

Graduate School of Education Publications and Research

In this work, LM in three categories of students – motivated, unmotivated and overmotivated – was explored. Fifty graduate students, which were current and prospective school teachers and took the author’s online psychology courses in 2012-2013, participated in the study. The research methodology included developing the rules of coding students’ course work, designing the 100-scale of LM for representing their individual as well as collective data, and collecting info about students’ academic achievement in this course. According to the results, students’ LM has two co-existing components – pragmatic (grade-oriented) and cognitive (knowledge-oriented). Three mentioned categories of students differ in quantity …

The Impact Of Baby Sign Training On Stress Levels Of Daycare Providers, Grisel Julieta Rodriguez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Proponents of baby sign claim improvements in child-caregiver interactions and reductions in parental stress as benefits of implementing baby sign. Due to research contradicting the claims, and to the rise in daycare attendance, the current study investigated the effects of a baby sign workshop on the stress perception of daycare providers. A pre-test post-test between groups design with 20 participants was conducted using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS10) and a workshop-specific descriptive survey as measures. The difference between the post-test stress levels of experimental and control groups approached significance, as did the differences between pre-test and post-test results for the …

Effects Of An Online Skills Program On Ela Achievement Among Ged Students, Gwendolyn Amanda Flowers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

K-12 schools are more commonly using online learning to supplement traditional classroom learning. Previous online adult education researchers have found no significant differences between traditional and online learning outcomes. However, little research has been done with regard to online General Educational Development (GED)-level learning for adults. The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the effect of the Skills Tutor program compared with traditional learning on GED student achievement in reading/language arts. The Skills Tutor program was used as a means to address the low GED graduation rates at an adult education program through Memphis City Schools. This research …

The Relationship Between Middle School Configurations And Student Success, Asia Ali-Hawkins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Public schools have used varying school configurations for middle grades-typically K-8 or traditional middle school arrangements-to improve students' academic outcomes. A small Northeastern school district was experiencing problems with student achievement, suspensions, and truancy, and was considering school configuration as a potential method of improving student performance. The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the associations between school configuration and student achievement, suspensions, and truancy. Erikson's psychosocial theory of development and Dickinson's middle school philosophy guided this study since both address the needs of adolescents. Five years of archival data were collected from 2 demographically comparable Northeast school …

Concepts About Print And Literacy Skill Acquisition Of Preschool Students, Cassandra Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Choosing the most effective method of teaching literacy acquisition that will improve student achievement is a challenge for many early childhood educators. The problem is the target school district where this study took place did not have a curriculum for preschool teachers to use that provided reading instruction. The purpose of this causal comparative study was to explore the relationship between Concepts About Print (CAP) scores of preschool students who received direct CAP instruction and those who received indirect instruction through indirect reading and writing activities. Guided by Marie Clay's theory, which concludes that reading difficulties among beginning readers stem …

An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Of Caregivers' Support For Their Preschool Children's Language And Social Skills Development, Sheri Stein Blum

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some children have difficulty communicating due to a lack of age-appropriate language and social skills. Researchers have explored how music and language share features that shape language processing. The purpose of this interpretive phenomenological analysis was to explore the experiences of caregivers of preschool children who participated in a music-based program and to understand their perspectives related to children's language and social skill development. Learning style and sensory integration processing theories were used as framework to provide foundations of skills in this study. Research questions addressed caregivers' choices related to this program for their children, their experiences of their children's …

A Mixed Method Study Of Diagnostic And Adaptive Functioning Challenges In African American Preschool-Aged Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Douglene Jackson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are known to experience performance and participation challenges, with early diagnosis being critical for improved outcomes. Children from ethnic minority backgrounds tend to receive their diagnoses later, even when symptomatology is similar. This mixed methods study explored symptom severity, functional difficulties, and age at diagnosis for ASD and to describe the functional challenges encountered by preschool-aged children with ASD of African American descent. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health along with the Model of Human Occupation were the theories used for this study to conceptualize functional challenges and other potential factors. Research …

Effective Professional Development For Elementary Teachers : Creating Dialogic Classrooms To Improve Reading Comprehension, Amanda J. Mroch

Graduate Research Papers

Understanding the importance of teacher language, literacy discussions, and teacher questioning on students' literacy development in the classroom is important in order to facilitate deeper understanding by students. This research project first describes what dialogic classrooms are and how teachers can create more dialogic spaces for students. The paper also focuses on research that looks at the importance of literacy discussions and teacher questioning in creating classrooms that are open to student ideas.

A professional development program is then developed that will help teachers learn the importance of teacher language and creating dialogic spaces for students to explore complex ideas. …