Teacher Education and Professional Development 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 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. …

Student Teaching Field Experience Guide 2012-2013, Judith Schierling, David Whitenack

Faculty Publications

San José State University (SJSU) has been in the forefront of innovation in education for over 100 years and has a long history of meeting challenges that require changes in society and in schools. Preparing teachers for California's schools since 1857, SJSU was established as the first public normal school west of the Mississippi River. The oldest public institution of higher education in the state of California, San José State University is located in an area of rapidly increasing cultural diversity and technological complexity. One of the largest universities of the 20-campus California State University system, San José State University …

The Nature And Role Of Physical Models In Enhancing Sixth Grade Students' Mental Models Of Groundwater And Groundwater Processes, Debra Lynne Foster Duffy

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

Through a non-experimental descriptive and comparative mixed-methods approach, this study investigated the experiences of sixth grade earth science students with groundwater physical models through an extended SE learning cycle format. The data collection was based on a series of quantitative and qualitative research tools intended to investigate students' ideas and changes in ideas rather than measure their achievement. The measures included a groundwater survey, classroom observations, and one-on-one follow-up student interviews for triangulation of data sources. The research was carried out at a K-12 independent school in eastern Virginia using two classes of sixth grade earth science students (n=30).

The …

Wright State University College Of Education And Human Services Annual Report, 2011-2012, College Of Education And Human Services, Wright State University

College of Education and Human Services Annual Reports

This Wright State University College of Education and Human Services annual report is from 2011 through 2012.

"Free Your Mind . . . And The Rest Will Follow": A Secularly Contemplative Approach To Teaching High School English, Kendra Nicole Bryant

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of my research is to provide high school English instructors and students a contemplative writing pedagogy that has the capacity to assist them in calming their bodies and quieting their minds so that they can focus their attention, openly explore self and others, rediscover their creativity, and reawaken their appreciation for the art of writing. Such a pedagogy is supported by mindfulness practices, which are exercises in moment-to-moment awareness that help to detach the practitioner from his or her thoughts. Mindfulness practices include breathing, walking, yoga, body scans, and visualizing; they provide quiet spaces wherein mind, body, and …

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

Counseling & Student Affairs Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Lived Experiences Of Faculty Who Use Instructional Technology: A Phenomenological Study, Heath V. Tuttle

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This qualitative phenomenological study was designed to gain an in-depth understanding of the lived experiences of university faculty who adopt technology for teaching and learning purposes and to determine if adoption affected the way a person taught, worked, and lived. A review of the literature found a gap in the understanding of the lived experiences of faculty who teach with technology, and this study was designed to help fill that gap.

Using a purposeful sampling method with a reputational technique, I targeted 20 faculty members who used technology to teach. The phenomenological method provided an understanding of their experiences as …

Explicitly Teaching Multiple Modes Of Representation In Science Discourse: The Impact On Middle School Science Student Learning, Ryan Nixon

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of explicitly teaching multiple modes of representation (MMR) on middle school students' understanding of science content and their use of MMR on a science unit test. Participants in this quasi-experimental study were seventh- and eighth-grade students enrolled in science courses taught by three different middle school science teachers. Half of the students received explicit instruction in MMR in addition to their regular science instruction; the other half received only regular science instruction. Ordinary least squares multiple regression analysis was used to determine the relationship between gain scores on unit assessments, …

Balancing Support And Challenge Within The Mentoring Relationship, Tiffanie Joy Miley

Theses and Dissertations

Mentoring is a common element of new teacher induction aimed at easing beginning teachers' entry into the profession and assisting beginning teacher growth and development. Previous research has shown that mentors are comfortable supporting beginning teachers but are reluctant to provide challenge-activities that will help beginning teachers improve their practice. For optimal growth to occur, mentors should balance support and challenge in their work with beginning teachers. This descriptive study employed multiple cases to examine the relationship of two junior high school mentors with their mentees. The mentors in this study work in a school district with an established and …

An Evaluation Of The Implementation Of "The Happiest Toddler On The Block" Parenting Strategies By Young Mothers, Amye Elizabeth Bock

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Young parents and their children are considered a high-risk population as they are more likely to lack social support networks, have limited access to opportunities to enhance parenting skills, and are often financially dependent. Young children whose mothers have poor parenting skills are more likely to have persistent problem behavior. Three young mothers living in a transitional housing facility participated in this study. The purpose of this study was to determine if these mothers could implement parenting strategies that are a part of a commercially available parenting book and DVD. This study found that: (1) mothers were able to correctly …

Information Literacy At Johnson & Wales University 2011-2012, Ariela Mccaffrey, Lori Micho, Nicole Covone, Joe Eshleman

Library Staff Publications

This initial document details some ideas and thoughts related to the development of librarians who instruct at the four Johnson & Wales University campuses. A group of five librarians at the four campuses developed the document; Amanda Samland, Ariela McCaffrey, Nicole Covone, Lisa Spicola, and Joe Eshleman, Seven aspects of library instruction are addressed as well as ideas for the application of the guidelines. Finally, next steps towards application of the guidelines are listed.

Fostering Academic And Social Growth In A Primary Literacy Workshop Classroom: "Restorying" Students With Negative Reputations, Jo Worthy, Annamary L. Consalvo, Treavor Bogard, Katie W. Russell

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

In most classrooms, there are students who have academic, behavioral, and/or interpersonal challenges that can disrupt the classroom community. In some cases, these challenges can build momentum, leading to a negative reputation or “story” that can follow the student throughout school. This academic, yearlong case study focused on Mae Graham, an exemplary teacher, and the cases of two students who began second grade with negative behavioral, emotional, and academic reputations from previous years in school. We describe how Mae “restoried” the students through personalized instruction and attention, classroom structure and curriculum, and social interactions in the classroom. We base restorying …

Leveling The Field Is Not Enough: Promoting Culturally Responsive Pedagogy In Teach For America Through The Evaluation Of Intercultural Competence, Colorblindness, White Racial Identity Attitudes, And The Belief That Culture Matters In Education, Amber K. Kim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research study examined constructs and beliefs essential to culturally responsive teachers for the purpose of understanding corps members’ needs and promoting culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) in the Colorado region of Teach for America (TFA). This study employed a transformative, sequential mixed methods design with a theoretical lens of CRP and a corresponding framework for preparing culturally responsive educators described by Villegas and Lucas (2002). First, a quantitative phase assessed participants’ levels of intercultural competence, colorblind racial attitudes, and White racial identity attitudes at two times—upon entering TFA (n = 139) and after one year of teaching and training (n …

Enhancing Alphabet Knowledge Instruction: Research Implications And Practical Strategies For Early Childhood Educators, Cindy D'On Jones, Sarah K. Clark, D. Ray Reutzel

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

Alphabet knowledge is consistently recognized as the strongest, most durable predictor of later literacy achievement. Recent research offers practical implications for increased effectiveness of teaching alphabet knowledge to young children. In this article, we outline Enhanced Alphabet Knowledge instruction (EAK), a method of practical instruction that early childhood teachers can use to organize, plan, and teach the essential skills of alphabet knowledge. EAK emphasizes identifying the letter name and sound, recognizing the letter in text, and producing the letter form, through flexible, distributed cycles of review based on factors that influence acquisition of alphabet knowledge.

Kindergarten Diagnostic Toolkit, Mayra Yuridia Navarro Gomez

All Graduate Projects

This project was used for multiple purposes. The first was the identification of supplemental intervention activities in attempt to treat reading difficulties. The second was the creation of a Kindergarten Diagnostic Toolkit (KDT) as a means for early detection of learning deficits. Upon completion of beginning of the year assessments and use of the KDT checklist, instructional suggestions for remediation were made with a focus on explicit/systematic alphabetic, phonemic, and decoding skills. The need for such specific diagnostic assessment of early reading skills is further required with such high stakes testing requirements. Strategies specific to early literacy skills are connected …

Alternate Pedagogy For Developing Transformational Leadership, Zubeda Bana

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

As the growing concern for educational reforms worldwide is on developing transformational leadership that is responsive to the needs of the local as well as the global contexts, teacher educators are still searching for pedagogies, which could help them to develop transformational leaders. This paper offers some scope to teacher educators to critically analyze current teaching learning pedagogies while preparing transformational leaders for the 21st Century. Utilizing the allegoric approach as an alternate pedagogy for developing transformational leadership, this paper deliberates upon the relevance and efficacy of the role of aesthetic tradition of learning in leadership development programmes. The paper …

Does Study Of An Inclusive Education Subject Influence Pre-Service Teachers' Concerns And Self-Efficacy About Inclusion?, Stuart Woodcock, Brian Hemmings, Russell Kay

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Survey data were collected from pre-service teachers studying at a large regional Australian university. These data were examined with the purpose of determining whether pre-service teachers’ views (and concerns) about inclusion and their confidence to teach in inclusive classrooms had changed as a result of studying an inclusive education subject and undertaking a practicum linked to that subject. The results of an analysis based on mean values indicated that the various concerns, namely, resources, acceptance, workplace, and academic standards, did not change markedly as a consequence of the subject and practicum experiences. This analysis also showed a hierarchy of concerns …

Early Career Teachers’ Self-Efficacy For Balanced Reading Instruction, Petra Hastings

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

According to Bandura (1986; 1997), perceptions of efficacy are based on four sources: enactive attainment; vicarious experience; physiological and emotional states; and verbal persuasion. The factors affecting Early Career Teachers' self-efficacy for reading instruction are closely related to these four sources. It is not difficult to imagine an Early Career Teacher practicing within a ‘source vacuum’ as he or she attempts to grapple with the methodologies and strategies necessary for a balanced reading program. How, then, do they rate their teaching efficacy for this area of the curriculum? And which types of professional learning opportunities do they believe have heightened …

'Me As A Science Teacher': Responding To A Small Network Survey To Assist Teachers With Subject-Specific Literacy Demands In The Middle Years Of Schooling, Anne-Marie Morgan

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Middle years’ teachers in primary schools are increasingly required to teach curriculum-specific subjects at a depth requiring considerable content and pedagogical knowledge, as well as a detailed understanding of the particular literacy requirements specific to each subject. Science teaching, in the latter years of primary schooling, is particularly demanding for non-specialist teachers. Many teachers struggle with feelings of (in)adequacy and (in)competence to be ‘science literate’ and ‘good’ science teachers, providing sufficient and valuable science learning opportunities for their learners.

This paper describes one primary school’s attention to teachers’ feelings of wellbeing and competence in relation to themselves as science teachers. …