Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Preparing Pre-Service Teachers To Work With English Language Learners, Alexandra Hill

Honors Theses

English Language Learners (ELLs) can be misidentified as students with special needs. Teachers often watch these students struggle in school and assume they have a cognitive delay, when in reality, they may just be struggling with their language delay. To be identified as needing special education services, these students undergo assessments to test their abilities. These assessments were created for students who speak English. Studies have shown that “Familiarity with Standard English accounts for more than 50% of the total test variance on IQ and achievement test measures for fourth graders and 60% to 90% of the variance for seventh …

Upper Grade Level Literacy: Instructional Strategies For Struggling Readers, Claire M. Shaw

Honors Theses

Education research has shown that a quarter of eighth-grade students perform below basic reading proficiency. Despite this, reading instruction often ceases after eighth grade while text structure and content area language become more difficult. This research project focuses on studying strategies used for struggling readers in seventh through twelfth grade and includes a case study of a struggling reader in order to identify some of the characteristics and needs of struggling readers. This research synthesizes ideas from previous studies, analyzes teacher interviews for literacy instruction strategies and, in the case study, uses observation, primary source study, and reading assessments.

Investigation Of The Development Of Educational Ict Courses On Pre-Service Teachers’ Education Curricula, Sayuri Kojima

Masters Theses

Considering the 21^st - century children’s characteristics and needs, teachers need to realize the importance and necessity of educational technology integration, and understand how to use technology to facilitate student-centered instruction and achieve meaningful outcomes. Also, teacher education colleges need to provide pre-service teachers with practical activities using educational technologies prior to their teaching career. This will encourage new generation learners to learn with technology.

This study was conducted at a national university in Japan with 67 pre-service teacher participants. The five central research questions of this study were specifically focused assessing the course takers’ learning expectations in educational …

Spread The Word! A Look At The Development Of Communication Technology, Sue Leahy

Lesson Plans

No abstract provided.

M.A.E.G.U.S: Measuring Alternate Energy Generation Via Unity Simulation, Kavin Muhilan Nataraja

Open Access Theses

This paper presents the MAEGUS serious game and a study to determine its efficacy as a pedagogical tool. The MAEGUS serious game teaches sustainable energy concepts through gameplay simulating wind turbines and solar arrays. Players take the role of an energy manager for a city and use realistic data and information visualizations to learn the physical factors of wind and solar energy generation. The MAEGUS serious game study compares game assisted learning to a more traditional teaching method such as reading material in a crossover study, the results of which can inform future serious game development for educational purposes.

Understanding Georgia's National Board Certified Teachers: A Phenomenological Approach To A Teacher's Perspective, Kimberly Brantley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand what it means to be a National Board Certified teacher (NBCT) in Georgia. Georgia teachers, distinguished with the NBCT title, participated in surveys and interviews which were analyzed qualitatively in order to understand the essence of being a National Board Certified teacher. Three themes emerged from this study. Georgia NBCTs are dedicated, passionate, and driven. They are reflective and use reflection to drive their instruction. Georgia NBCTs have a strong desire to improve their teaching and a strong need to have their teaching validated to ensure they are good teachers.

Interim Assessment Data: A Case Study On Modifying Instruction Based On Benchmark Feedback, Tracey Lange

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The role of data analysis in the jobs of instructional leaders has become as commonplace as teachers creating lesson plans and taking roll in the classroom. Teachers and building leaders routinely use interim assessment data to develop thoughtful and robust instructional plans that address identified areas of student need. The link between the interim assessment data collection and student learning includes the pedagogical changes that teachers implement based on the data from these interim assessments. However, teachers do not always know how to use the data for this purpose or do not always make necessary changes in their instruction. As …

A Phenomenological Study Of Online Learning For Deaf Students In Postsecondary Education: A Deaf Perspective, Patricia Wooten

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative phenomenological study investigated the effects of online learning for deaf college students as opposed to the mainstream classroom setting. This study specifically analyzed the writing and reading skills of deaf students in general and the development of English literacy of prelingually deaf students and those from non-English speaking countries. The use of online teaching tools had significantly improved postsecondary education for deaf students in the United States, particularly in these three categories. A phenomenological study was conducted to express the perspectives of deaf college students regarding the topic. Participants of this research were sixteen deaf online college students …

The Correlation Between Temperament And Technology Preference And Proficiency In Middle School Students, Sabrina Sterling

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to identity the relationship between the temperament of middle school students, their level of interest and proficiency in technology-related activities. This study also aimed to identify the differences in proficiency of the students in the technology programs. Participants were selected from two middle schools in the medium-sized rural school system. State technology test results and a student technology interest survey were analyzed using analysis of variance and descriptive statistical measurements. Correlational studies help educators evaluate existing curricula, differentiate current instruction, and plan for future programs. The results of this study suggested that there is …

The Influence Of Teacher Leadership And Professional Learning On Teachers’ Knowledge And Change Of Instructional Practices In Low Performing Schools, Christen Conklin Topolinski

Dissertations

A cross-sectional survey was utilized in this study to explore the perceptions of teacher in low performing schools. These perceptions concerned the influence of teacher leadership and professional learning on their changes in knowledge and instructional practices. Research advises that in order to help students grow, teachers must engage in professional learning activities which help them to develop and master new instructional strategies (Bredeson & Scribner, 2000; DuFour & Marzano, 2012; Harrison & Killion, 2007). Research also suggests that distributed leadership can have a positive influence on the professional culture in a building, creating a positive learning environment for both …

The Story As A Cultural Transmitter: Applications For Business Education, Carol Blaszczynski, Ph.D.

International Journal for Business Education

Stories assist in transmitting cultural wisdom, including wisdom about the business community. The role of stories in various contexts such as education (including international management), management, and marketing, as well as the job search is explained. The article concludes by presenting instructional activities for business education that develop cultural competence through stories.

2014 Ijbe Front Matter, Tamra Connor

International Journal for Business Education

1. Editorial Board
2. President's Letter
3. SIEC-ISBE International

The Casual Approach To Teacher Education: What Effect Does Casualisation Have For Australian University Teaching?, Christopher J. Klopper, Bianca M. Power

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Universities in many countries are struggling to adapt to the competing forces of globalisation, new managerialism, entrepreneurialism and new technologies and quality agenda demands. Diminishing resources caused by restricted funding and an aging and diminishing academic workforce pose barriers. One solution to staffing shortages is the casualisation of academic teachers increasing causal or sessional teaching staff who take on significantly increased teaching responsibilities. This article explores the casualisation of university academics and reports on preliminary findings of a small scale sessional teacher development program that used data from a questionnaire on demographics of a small group of 22 sessional teaching …

Research And Reflective Practice In The Esl Classroom: Voices From Sri Lanka, Andrzej Cirocki, Sujeewa Tennekoon, Alicia Pena Calvo

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Modern language education favours the model of a reflective teacher-researcher who is engaged in both individual and collaborative curriculum revision and teaching-learning environment improvement. The present paper addresses the issue of classroom research and reflective practice in current ESL pedagogy and teacher professional development. The theoretical introduction is followed by research findings recently gathered from Sri Lankan ESL teachers. The study aimed at ascertaining the extent to which Sri Lankan ESL teachers are involved in classroom research and discussing various reasons why they assume or do not assume the role of a teacher-researcher. The study reports interesting findings, calling for …

Establishing Positive Relationships With Secondary Gifted Students And Students With Emotional/Behavioural Disorders: Giving These Diverse Learners What They Need, Trevor Capern, Lorraine Hammond

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The relationships between teachers and their students play a vital role in the creation of positive learning outcomes and environments for all learners, but particularly for those individuals with diverse needs. This study examined the teacher behaviours that contributed to positive student-teacher relationships with gifted secondary students (GS) (N=58) and with secondary students with Emotional/Behavioural Disorders (EBD) (N=40) in Western Australia. Valued teachers’ behaviours were identified through a mixed-methods approach that included surveys and student focus groups. The data indicated that GSs valued teacher behaviours that promoted cordial and friendly interactions between teachers and students to the extent that these …

“On The Way To School”: Structural Analysis Of The Relational Path Between Social Context Variables And Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Among Pre-Service Palestinian Teachers In Israel, Sami Mahajna

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

While many researches have focused on the self-efficacy's effects, few researches studied antecedents' variables of self-efficacy. The present study purpose was to examine how social context, motivational and teacher training variables related to teachers' self-efficacy. The study examined a theoretical model that links between Social Context variables and self efficacy through motivational and teacher training variables. 218 Arab teacher students' citizens of Israel participated in the study. Structural equation modeling showed direct correlations between self efficacy and Teacher training variables but not with Social Context variables. These results showed specifically, the importance of expressive skills in promoting teaching self efficacy.

Adolescent Interest And Physical Activity Fluctuation In Technology-Integrated Physical Education, Loren Anne Dragon

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the situational interest and physical activity fluctuation of middle school students during technology-integrated physical education. The researcher utilized a quasi-experimental design where 6th grade students were placed into an experiment group that utilized technology-integrated resources during physical education, or a comparison group that did not utilize technology-integration during physical education. The students participated in five physical education lessons with content based upon the conceptual understanding of relative physical activity intensity, heart rate measures, energy expenditure and the FITT principles. Student's physical activity levels were tracked over the five-lesson research period by accelerometers. Situational interest was assessed through …

Examining The Operant Function Of Feedback: Evaluation Of The Temporal Location Of Feedback, Elian Aljadeff-Abergel

Dissertations

Despite the common use of feedback in most training settings, it is not yet clear what behavioral function feedback serves. Most researchers consider feedback to function as a consequence and advocate for its immediate delivery in the form of “on the spot” supervision or after-session conferencing. The literature suggests that when compared, “on the spot” supervision is found more effective than after session conferencing. In spite these findings, most supervisors are still implementing after-session conferencing. This is probably due to the limited feasibility of performing “on the spot” supervision when supervising teachers implementing whole class or small group instruction. One …

Elementary School Teachers’ Use Of Curricular Resources For Lesson Design And Enactment, Napthalin Achubang Atanga

Dissertations

This study investigated how teachers used curricular resources to teach mathematics with two different curriculum programs, a commercially developed program (Scott Foresman Addison Wesley-Mathematics) and an NSF-funded reform program (Investigations in Number, Data, and Space). This research examines the kinds of curricular resources available to six teachers (three per program), those resources they planned to use, those actually used, ways teachers used curricular resources in association with each other, and types of adaptations made. As a result, I developed insights into capacities teachers need to use curricular resources in a connected way toward the mathematical points …

Differences In Elementary School Team Communication And Practices For Students Of Varied Educational Status, Kathleen Kroll

Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on interdisciplinary problem-solving teams used to address the academic needs of elementary students struggling with reading. Use of teams has a strong theoretical base and wide endorsement by educational leaders, but limited empirical base. Three studies explore teams that convene students of differing academic status: typical learners (TL), literacy-learning risk (LLR), or language-learning disability (LLD).

The first, a survey study of 183 elementary school personnel in 8 professional categories, examines perceptions of teams convened for students with identified learning disabilities in the area of reading, compared with students struggling but unidentified. Results indicate principals, general education teachers, …