Digital Commons Network^™

Writing Instruction For Multilingual Learners, Leticia Kiwan

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to explore and describe the benefit of three key elements of instructional writing strategies: structured writing, visual learning, and collaborative tasks to assist Title 1 middle school site administrators and teachers in assessing the impact of the instructional writing strategies for multilingual learners to achieve reclassification to Fluent English Proficient.

Methodology: The qualitative case study included a thorough analysis of one-on-one interviews with seven teachers and seven administrators with more than three years of experience in a middle school from the Sacramento area.

Findings: Examination of the data indicated the following findings: (1) …

Progressive Islamic Education: Bridging The Gap Of Islam, Indonesianness, And Modernity, Suyatno Suyatno, Wantini Wantini, Sukiman Sukiman, Yulia Rachmawati

The Qualitative Report

Progressive Islamic education is a model developed by Muhammadiyah, Indonesia’s largest modern Islamic organization. This model combines secular sciences from the modern education system with religious ones from Islamic teachings to reduce the gap between Islamic values, Indonesianess, and modernity, often a source of tension. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to investigate Progressive Islamic education values and consider how to bridge the gap between Islam, Indonesianess, and modernity. An interpretive phenomenological approach was used to conduct semi-structured interviews with ten Muhammadiyah elementary and middle school teachers. The results showed that participants believe Progressive Islamic education comprises dynamic values, …

A Case Study Of Fourth Grade Students' Literacy Difficulties With Mathematical Word Problems, Rosalind Hudson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Students have had difficulties with mathematical word problems since they were introduced in their early elementary grades. Elementary teachers have dealt with student difficulties in solving mathematical word problems. In addition, elementary teachers are always implementing and searching for research-based strategies to remediate the deficits in solving mathematical word problems. Year after year across the United States, local education agencies implement math and reading curriculums to support students learning in mathematical word problem solving with reading comprehension, but students are still not able to describe their difficulties when they are given mathematical word problems to solve with all the …

Teacher Development Multi-Year Studies. Using Classroom Observations To Investigate And Understand Teaching Quality: Initial Lessons Learned, Hilary Hollingsworth, Debbie Wong

Education Analytics Service

This paper presents some initial lessons learned about the use of classroom observation data as a key form of evidence regarding improved teaching quality in a multi-year teacher development study series. This study series, commissioned by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), involves the investigation of teacher development initiatives that are primarily designed to support the implementation of new primary curriculum in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos), Timor-Leste and Vanuatu. The overall aim of the study series is to understand the extent to which the Australian investment has improved teaching quality and student learning. This paper …

Nurturing Cultural Humility And Responsiveness Through Restorative Pedagogy In Graduate Education, Annmary S. Abdou, Kris T. De Pedro, Arantxa De Anda, Ivette Merced, Karen Mao

Education Faculty Articles and Research

In an increasingly diverse world that is characterized by significant social and educational inequities, the development of educators and leaders who embody cultural humility and culturally responsive practices is necessary and transformational. Moving beyond individual and deficit-centered models of student support systems towards ecological and relational paradigms of education are critical to the goals of equity and justice. In order to make progress on these goals, training programs must prioritize and embed the values of cultural humility and culturally responsive practice as foundational constructs for future educators. This multi-authored reflective paper describes the use of Restorative Pedagogy, an approach grounded …

Planting Seeds Of Change: Teaching For Social Justice In Elementary Classrooms, Brianna Mestas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Much research has been done on novice teachers’ dispositions and how their beliefs contribute to the enactment of equitable or inequitable teaching practices. Ways that deficit-based beliefs and inequitable pedagogical choices have negatively impacted students of color and low-income students have also been well documented. However, there is a dearth of literature that explores the connection between dispositions and experienced teachers’ social justice practices that lead to equitable social and academic outcomes for elementary students. The purpose of this multiple case study is to understand and examine the perceptions, enactment, and challenges of four experienced and effective elementary teachers who …

Examining Relationships Among Creativity Skills Training, Domain-Specific Creativity, And Creative Self-Efficacy: A Mixed Methods Study, Kayla R. Steffens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships among and impact of creativity skills training, domain-specific creativity, and creative self-efficacy in adult alumni of a youth creativity skills training experience. This research further aims to remediate the deficiency of existing creativity research regarding the relationship between domain-specific creativity, creativity skills training, and creative self-efficacy. This study employs a mixed-method approach to address four research questions regarding the impact of a creativity skills training experience from adult alumni of Destination Imagination, an educational experience designed to enhance creativity. The Amusement Park Theoretical Model of Creativity acts as a theoretical …

Gifted Female Voices: Perceptions Of Differentiation In Secondary And Higher Education, Ann Makikalli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While the advocacy of differentiation as best pedagogical practices for instruction of gifted students can be found in scholarly literature, minimal research attention has been given to high-ability students’ perceptions about their lived classroom experiences. Lack of challenging and accelerated content for identified gifted students can lead to boredom, negative self-perception, and disengagement from school. Gifted adolescent females, who are less likely to address barriers to realizing their potential can especially suffer or thrive depending on curriculum. The purpose of this qualitative study is to describe identified female gifted university students’ perceptions of pre-collegiate and collegiate differentiation of curriculum and …

The Infinity Mirror: Learning To Lead Through Action-Oriented Inquiry, Robert D. Evans

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation-in-practice is a reflective self-study exploring the lived experience of the current researcher as a leader of Lesson Study (LS) over 2 years. Drawing on the concepts of perspective and engagement articulated by Wenger-Trayner and Wenger- Trayner (2016) in their Learning in Landscapes of Practice conceptual framework, the study is organized around the primary critical question: How has my perspective on what it means to be a teacher leader been transformed through my engagement with LS in the context of a US community of educational practice? Working within the paradigm of first person action-oriented inquiry, the method of self-study …

The Dual Role Of A Teacher And Teacher Leader: An Auto-Educational Criticism Examination, Joseph Bolz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The world of teaching has long been explored: from works focused on different contents to different grade bands to different techniques and methods to best practices, the literature is dense with materials on the world of teaching. Where this literature has just begun to shed light however is the world teacher leadership. As an educator in a dual role since 2014, that of a teacher and a teacher leader, I have beared witness to what current research has only recently begun to unearth.

It is here that I situate myself, as the researcher of teacher leadership and the subject of …

Progressive Virtual Learning For Our Youngest Learners, Erica B. Held

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This study addresses how teachers build a progressive curriculum online for our youngest learners.

Opportunities And Challenges For Rural Educators: A Mixed Methods Study Of Emergent Bilingual Studies In Rural Colorado, Andrea Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over nine million students in the United States attend school in rural school districts, with a growing percentage of these students identified as emergent bilingual. The purpose of this study is to examine the national emergent bilingual literacy trends and to determine how the opportunities and challenges that rural educators encounter, impact emergent bilingual education in rural schools. Utilizing a theoretical framework of culturally sustaining practices and funds of knowledge, this study uses a convergent mixed methods design to answer the following research questions: What are the national trends in emergent bilingual reading test scores? What opportunities and challenges do …

Cultural Diversity Instructional Challenges Faced By Junior High School Teachers In Calgary, Lumbesi Amanwi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many Canadian children under the age of 15 were born to at least one foreign-born parent, representing 37.5% or 2.2 million children of the total population of children. Although this cultural diversity provides opportunities for teachers to use as a strength, it also poses instructional challenges. Much research has focused on cultural diversity challenges, yet it is not known whether specific cultural diversity instructional challenges have been overcome or how. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to investigate specific cultural diversity instructional challenges faced by junior high school teachers and explore how teachers use Gay’s culturally responsive teaching …

Dancing Across Difference: Arts And Community-Based Interventions As Intercultural Education, Theresa Catalano, Amanda R. Morales

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

There is an ever-present need to foster and maintain intercultural competence in today’s teaching force. Although much research details how to do this, few studies document how to utilize arts and community-based (ACB) approaches to align with the goals of intercultural education. This qualitative study examines reflections from 61 teacher learners who participated in an ACB intervention with community partners while enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate course focused on serving students with immigrant/refugee backgrounds. The aim of this study was to find out what the characteristics of good intercultural education are, as well as how ACB approaches can provide …

“At School, It’S A Completely Different World”: African Immigrant Youth Agency And Negotiation Of Their Adaptation Processes In Us Urban Schools, Lydiah Kananu Kiramba, Hanihani Moundiba Traore, Guy Trainin

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

African immigrant youth adaptation processes in US schools remain underresearched. Using qualitative case study, this article examines West African immigrant middle- and high-school youth adaptation experiences in US urban schools. Findings show that racialized experiences, English proficiency levels, and multilingualism affected social relationships (both supportive and conflicted) with families, communities, peers, and school contexts. These experiences crucially influenced African immigrant youths’ adaptation processes. Participants drew from community resources and developed resilience skills to negotiate acculturative stressors when seeking friendship, belonging, and an integrated sense of identity in their new home. Recommendations for further supporting positive adaptive strategies are discussed.

Changing Faces And Persistent Patterns For Education In The New Latinx Diaspora, Edmund T. Hamann, Linda Harklau

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

The study of education in the New Latino/a/x¹ Diaspora (NLD) was initiated in the 1990s with an understanding that education research from regions where the Latino/a/x presence is long-standing might not always fit well for places where Latino/a/x populations were newer and where histories of discrimination, political organizing, and resistance were much more limited. This chapter is the fourth in a series of "bigger picture" examinations of the status of education in the NLD over the past two decades (following Hamann, Wortham, and Murillo [2002] and Hamann and Harklau [2010, 2015]). Like previous iterations, this chapter points to gaps …

Developing Intercultural Competence In Multilingual Science Classrooms: A Narrative Study, Uma Ganesan, Amanda Morales

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Increased globalization of the world economy, growth in human migration, and rapid developments in science and technology have required people to develop intercultural communication skills. Teachers play a crucial role in developing intercultural competence among students in our globalized, multilingual classrooms. The need for fostering discourse and building intercultural competence among students is a common blind spot in teacher praxis. This can inhibit efforts to cultivate safe and supportive learning environments for all students and can ultimately threaten multilingual student success. As part of a larger study, this narrative inquiry explores the phenomenon of intercultural competence development through the lived …

“Best Of Both Worlds”: Alumni Perspectives On Honors And The Liberal Arts, Angela King Taylor, Kelsey Daniels, Molly Knowlton

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

This study explores the extent to which skills acquired through liberal arts curricula facilitate immediate post-graduate employment of honors college alumni. Using qualitative methods and semi-structured interviews (n = 16), authors examine the honors college experience and the attainment of skills through the lens of graduates (2017–2020) at a large research institution. Results indicate that while honors alumni identify certain skills that helped them realize initial employment, they were often unable to translate and apply these skills in professional workplaces, particularly nonacademic ones. Data further suggest that liberal arts skills (communication, research competence, critical reasoning, intercultural competence, interdisciplinary inquiry, disciplinary …

Jnchc 23:1 Backmatter

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

about the research authors

about the nchc monograph series

NCHC Monographs & Journals

NCHC Publications Order Form

In This Issue

Forging An Honors Bond, Taylor C. Bybee

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

As part of the National Collegiate Honors Council’s (2022) collection of essays about the value of honors to its graduates (1967–2019), the author reflects on the personal and professional impacts of the honors experience.

Standing in line at the local fire station, my wife and I were waiting for our COVID-19 inoculations. The firefighters had been commissioned to administer the vaccines. Health department workers were examining paperwork, and volunteers were guiding patrons through the line. Looking around while trying to manage our children, I noticed a volunteer with a familiarlooking face, half-concealed by a mask. I had not seen the …

Exploring The Relationship Between Reported Instructional Leadership Behaviors And High-Quality Professional Development Factors, Shelby Lea Daeschner

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

With the reauthorization of the 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a focus has been placed on the principal as an instructional leader to improve school culture and student achievement. Professional Development (PD) can improve teacher capacity and student outcomes through long-term, job-embedded, coherent, collaborative, and focused activities. This correlational study explored the relationship between principals’ reported behaviors and rankings of the importance of high-quality PD factors. Through a self-reported survey, elementary school principals across the United States were asked to report the frequency of instructional leader behaviors as measured via the Principal Instructional Management Scale (PIMRS) and rank the …

All Scientists Should Write Poetry: Creative Writing As Essential Academic Practice, Mariya Deykute

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

Creative writing in undergraduate academics has often been regarded as an elective practice that has benefits primarily for students who plan to pursue creative or literary majors. However, poetic inquiry specifically offers crucial benefits to STEM students, owing both to the transformative nature of poetic process and to the way poetic inquiry can stimulate innovative, ethical, multilingual and interdisciplinary growth. The author frames the issue through individual experience of teaching poetry to STEM undergraduates in the context of a rich multilingual environment, in which many students are fluent or proficient in several languages. The author argues that due to the …

“Weaving All Of Them Together”: How Writing Majors Talk About Creative Writing, T J. Geiger

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

The labels “creative” and “creative writing” serve several purposes in the discourses of undergraduate writing majors. In a study of students in two writing major programs, students often exerted significant effort to negotiate among diverse writing experiences and to integrate different understandings of writing. Their efforts mirror scholars’ conversations about negotiation and integration at the level of curricula and programs. Writing majors in this study raised issues relevant to the well-established curricular domains of theoretical knowledge, professional expertise, and civic action. They explained their insights using a mix of idiosyncratic, institutional, and disciplinary language that frequently relied on forms of …

Transformative Learning Through Oral Narrative In A Participatory Communication Context: An Inquiry Into Radio Drama-Based Training Among Zambian Caregivers Of Abused And Exploited Children, Charles Brent Madinger

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

This research investigates instructional narrative interventions for transformative learning among high orality reliant peoples. Two research questions asked: “Does an oral strategy of radio drama in a participatory environment lead to significant changes in knowledge and beliefs,” with a hypothesis stating there would be significant positive changes; and “When listeners experience narrative transport can it affect receptivity leading to knowledge and belief change,” and the hypothesis stated that narrative transport would correlate to higher positive responses. The mixed methods design analyzed personal experiences and survey responses of treatment group and control groups. Quantitatively I assessed a treatment group using a …

Course Outline And Weekly Plans For Eds 718 Culminating Master’S Project, Lisa Cavallero

Open Educational Resources

Topics covered in this course include: getting to know your students, edTPA, baseline data, student profiles, differentiation, academic language, writing measurable goals and objectives, lesson planning, flexible grouping, choices, tiered assignments, IEPs, classroom environment, online tools for differentiation, and grading

This course outline includes:

• all assignments for the course (link to assignments packet).
• links to lecture slides
• instructor notes
• additional resources

Note: users will be prompted to make their own copy of documents when clicking on links to Google Docs and Google Slides.

Accelerated Growth: A Case Study Of Teacher Beliefs And Instructional Strategies That Promote Achievement For Students Of Color, Astein K. Osei

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This study examined the beliefs and instructional strategies that promote accelerated achievement for students of color in a suburban Minneapolis district. The research aimed to identify the beliefs and instructional strategies that lead to traditionally marginalized populations of students in grades 2-5 demonstrating growth on the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment. The study affirmed that teacher beliefs and instructional practices matter when attempting to create academic growth for traditionally marginalized groups of students. During the study several themes surfaced in relationship to the importance of educator beliefs and instructional practices.

School Leaders’ Assessment Of Teachers’ Preparedness For Culturally Responsive Teaching, Victoria Maria Siliunas

Dissertations

Societal and school inequities continue to be highlighted via widening achievement gaps that adversely impact historically marginalized groups of students and their communities. An acknowledgement of the importance of developing teachers who are prepared to work with students of culturally differing identities from their own in the day-to-day work of teaching has inspired a shift in language and practice from a more general multicultural approach to a culturally responsive teaching methodology in which a purposeful inclusion of the ethnic and cultural backgrounds of students is prioritized. Addressing challenges schools face related to cultural difference between teachers and the students they …

Review Of Self+Culture+Writing: Autoethnography For/As Writing Studies, Rebecca Jackson And Jackie Grutsch Mckinney, Editors, Amanda E. Scott

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

This volume brings together a compendium of works that explore autoethnography and its emerging applications. A qualitative approach that first appeared in the social sciences, autoethnography has recently gained traction within other disciplines over the last two decades, including rhetoric and composition studies. However, due to its theoretically and methodologically amorphous qualities, over the years researchers have struggled to firmly define autoethnography, especially as the field continues to evolve. Still, many within writing studies have championed the method and now understand it as a recursive tool for studying “the relationship between self and other and all of its dimensions” (Kafar …

"We Are The Stories" : Narrative Competence And Cognitive Mapping As A Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy In The Education Of Emergent Bilinguals, Sepideh Yasrebi

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Much has been said about the drawbacks of “teaching to the test” in K-12 public education in the U.S. When it comes to English as a New Language (ENL), however, few studies have explored the ways in which ENL literacy and education is framed and conceptualized in the New York State Next Generation Learning Standards (NGLS), which, in turn, decisively shape ENL curriculum and instruction at schools. Considering the issues of deficits perspectives, context and pragmatics in Second Language Acquisition, mechanical approaches to writing, and narrative and agency, this study intends to reframe narrative writing around students’ lived experiences. In …

Teacher Self-Efficacy Levels In Providing Reading Instruction To Students In Kindergarten Through Second Grades, Rebekka Powers

Doctor of Education Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy levels of kindergarten through second-grade teachers in their ability to provide reading instruction to students with a focus on the five foundational areas of reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. In addition, the study sought to make recommendations as to how the district of study can enhance teacher efficacy in delivering reading instruction, as well as assist the district in providing instructional resources and teacher professional development that increase teacher efficacy levels in reading instructional practices. A mixed method approach was used to conduct this study. Data were …