Digital Commons Network^™

El Nuevo Programa De Lengua Para El Primer Ciclo En Coastal Carolina University, Yun Sil Jeon

South East Coastal Conference on Languages & Literatures (SECCLL)

Siguiendo el sistema académico en los Estados Unidos, el estudio de pregrado en Coastal Carolina University se divide en dos ciclos claramente diferenciados: el primer ciclo dedicado a cursos de educación general (Core Courses) y el segundo ciclo donde el alumno completa sus cursos de especialidad (Major) y de libre elección (Electives o Minor). Este primer ciclo dedicado a cursos de educación general es característico en el sistema educativo universitario estadounidense. Durante los dos primeros años los alumnos cursan materias introductorias generales, tratando de abarcar todas las áreas del conocimiento humano, estrechamente ligadas a las áreas de conocimiento impartidas en …

Facilitating Motivation In A Virtual World Within A Second Language Acquisition Classroom, Andrew Warren Gump

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Cyberbullying Prevention: Intervention Effects On Student Involvement, Sarah Nash Bumpas

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Repeated studies show that cyberbullying is pervasive amongst adolescents. Cyberbullying can lead to self-harm, depression, and suicidal thoughts. Educators are called to intervene in educating students about cyberbullying through research and federal legislation. However, there is little research examining whether this education is taking place or having an effect.

This study investigates the relationship between the incidences of cyberbullying victimization and offending over time and the direct cyberbullying instruction and activities facilitated by classroom teachers. The study took place amongst sixth graders in Jefferson County Public Schools, a large urban school district located in northern Kentucky. Students in one school …

Survival Analysis: Timelines To English Language Proficiency At The Secondary School Level, Elisha W. Beardsley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

The ELL population in the United States continues to increase. Research suggests that the English language proficiency growth rates for numerous ELL students are strongly correlated with their English language proficiency levels (Cook & Zhao, 2011; Conger, 2008). The results of Conger’s 2008 study suggested that just over fifty percent of students gained English language proficiency after three years. According to the same study, the students that did not typically gain English language proficiency were students who entered public schools older and with a lower English language proficiency level. The current study examines the likelihood of high school ELLs in …

Connecting, Creating, And Composing: A Shared Multimodal Journey, Margaret B. Krause

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Given the dynamic nature of our society, literacy conceptualizations are constantly being redefined. While print literacy continues to be the primary literacy within elementary classroom, the growing nature of technological capabilities, social networking, and multimodal affordances require educators to delve into explorations of how children can be successful in negotiating meaning in our world. As an elementary educator, university instructor, and mother of three children, the author explores personal views of literacy through a shared multimodal journal experience with her children. This article highlights the experiences of her son through the journaling process and how he selects material for a …

Seven Steps To Engaging At-Risk Students With Text, Jelani Jabari Ph.D.

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Diminishing student engagement with text remains a colossal challenge with children at-risk. In this highly interactive session, participants will explore a seven-step process for engaging students with text as well as techniques for presenting highly engaging literacy lessons. Attendees will walk away with names, reading level, descriptions (and actual samples) of several engaging texts.

Modifying Science Texts To Accommodate The Needs Of Struggling Readers And English Language Learners, Regina Suriel, Crystal Randolph

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Students with learning differences, including English language learners, experience difficulties with reading classroom textbooks. This presentation, intended for educators and parents, will discuss and provide practice in the identification of readability levels of science texts discuss the importance of integration of visual stimuli in science texts, and explain culturally-relevant approaches to science curricula.

Comparing Interaction And Use Of Space In Traditional And Innovative Classrooms, Laura Gurzynski-Weiss, Avizia Long, Megan Solon

Faculty Publications

Despite myriad changes to language teaching methods over time, university-level classroom spaces have largely remained the same—until now. Recent innovations in classroom space design center on technological advances, include movable furniture and coffee-shop style rooms, and are believed to facilitate language learning in several ways. Specifically, compared to traditional classrooms, innovative spaces are designed in the hope of decreasing pre-task set up, increasing student-centered interaction, and facilitating collaborative work with multiple partners—features believed to be important for classroom learning. However, whether or not such features are present in these innovative spaces, or more so than in traditional classrooms, has yet …

Engaging The Learning Community With An Integrated E-Learning, Gaming And Social Networking Platform, Tim Thomasma

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

Our view is that an e-learning platform based on user-created content, gamification, and with an integrated social network, will create a content-dense environment in which all of the stakeholders can maximize their outcomes and in which the best teachers, students, lessons, and organizations will rise to the top. The elements of such an integrated e-learning platform would include: Wizards to enable instructors to quickly create engaging multi-media lessons; Capability to automatically transform lesson content into additional activities, games, and quizzes; The ability for students to take lessons in the form they prefer, including lessons presented as games; Reports and monitoring …

Hands-On Russian Culture Lessons, Ksenia S. Zhbanova, Audrey C. Rule, Michelle L. Tichy

Curriculum & Instruction Faculty Publications

The global diverse society necessitates that teachers develop cultural competency and use authentic resources for teaching. This article presents classroom-tested materials for teaching elementary students about aspects of Russian culture, developed by a native Russian and two education professors. Multiage, multi-racial American Midwestern students from a homeschooling cooperative learned vocabulary and concepts with statistically significant increases from pretest to posttest and a large effect size. The lessons began with recognition of human commonalities between Russian people and Americans, in accordance with omniculturalism theory. Lessons then highlighted and celebrated cultural differences through an exploration of Russian literature and culture. Culminating creative …

Tenure: A Communal Privilege For Service, Not An Individual Privilege For Research, Steven Kessler

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

Tenure is commonly understood as a privilege earned by individuals in higher education guaranteeing a lifetime appointment barring gross negligence. To individuals outside of higher education, the tenure process is less clear. Contemporary tenure is earned today largely for research and teaching with the heaviest emphasis on research. The third leg of tenure, service, is often neglected or discouraged in the rewards structure. While this information is widely known in higher education, the irony of this system is not. This paper aims to explore higher education’s historical roots as a medieval corporation in explaining the origins of tenure. Tenure originally …

Bailamos Juntos: Salsa En Los E.E.U.U. Y El Mundo, Betty Tran

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

This composition traces the history of Cuban-American cultural identity formation through the lens of music and dance. As the author explains, Cuban immigrants cultivated a rich music and dance culture in New York City by creating a series of Latin and Afro-Cuban music genres and dances that brought diverse groups of people together. As a Vietnamese-American woman, Tran sees several connections between her family’s Vietnamese heritage and the cultural histories of Cubans who came to the United States as refugees seeking asylum from political oppression. As a first-generation college student, Tran believes it is important to share this composition as …

Parental Deportation And Cape Verdean Youth Experiences: A Case Study, Leila Rosa

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The consistent academic underperformance of students from diverse backgrounds is a national concern and the subject of study by numerous researchers. Some scholars suggest this underperformance indicates teacher lack of preparation to address the needs of a highly diverse student population (Hollins & Guzman, 2005; Ford, 2008; Darling-Hamond, 2004). Central to the overall efforts for improving achievement outcomes should be a focus on the educational experiences of the segment of population that is underperforming, namely students of color, from diverse cultural and linguistic background. Policies of immigration are particularly relevant for the students who are immigrants to the United States …

Nnests’ Professional Identity In The Linguistically And Culturally Diverse Classrooms, Kim Song, Alla Del Castillo

Educator Preparation & Leadership Faculty Works

This study examines NNESTs’ professional identities as classroom teachers by analyzing NNESTS’ perceptions of their strengths and challenges. The study contributes to NNESTs forming their professional identity by recognizing, developing, and contesting authoritative discourse. A basic qualitative research design is employed to analyze the interview data. Participants are five NNESTs who teach in American classrooms. Three focused themes are identified; linguistic competence, cross-cultural competence, and pedagogical competence. NNEST superiority fallacy is added as the fourth theme. Additionally, the study briefly compares strengths and challenges of U.S. versus foreign graduates. NNESTs’ strengths and challenges are reported in line with other NNEST …

Effects Of Culturally Relevant Teaching On Seventh Grade African American Students, Shawanna M. Paulk, James Martinez, Dawn T. Lambeth

MLET: The Journal of Middle Level Education in Texas

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between culturally relevant teaching and science achievement in seventh grade African American students when compared to standards-based instruction. The study also examined whether the use of culturally relevant teaching improved students’ attitudes toward science, as well as their participation within the science classroom. The intervention was implemented over the course of eight weeks by using a unit test as a pretest and posttest, formative quizzes, a Science Attitude Survey, and field notes to analyze student performance. Although all participants made academic gains when comparing pretest and posttest results, the culturally …

Socioeconomic Status And Mathematics: A Critical Examination Of Mathematics Performance In Grades Three Through Eight By Mathematical Objective, Brandon L. Fox, Patricia J. Larke

MLET: The Journal of Middle Level Education in Texas

This quantitative research study examined TAKS mathematics performance data across socioeconomic identifiers and found statistically significant differences were observable in grade three across all objectives between students’ not identified as economically disadvantaged and students’ receiving free meals. The highest number of quantifiable differences occurred between the mean scores of students’ identified as not economically disadvantaged scoring significantly higher on objective means than students’ receiving free meals or identified as other economically disadvantaged. After students’ move beyond the third grade, the number of statistically significant differences drastically reduces. By the eighth grade, statistical differences are difficult to locate. An examination of …

Raising The Standard: An Assessment Of Peer Collaboration As An Enhancer Of Speech Evaluation Fidelity, Terrell Kody Frey

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the state of speech evaluation training in the basic communication course at Illinois State University. Specifically, a new type of pedagogy known as the "peer workshop" is integrated into the course as a potential supplement to the speech evaluation training procedures. Quantitative and qualitative methods reveal how the course has become engrained into the academic expectations of the student body and identify written peer feedback as a necessary focus of future training in the classroom. Specific theoretical and pedagogical implications, as well as limitations and future directions, are discussed in detail.

Experiences Of Computer Science Curriculum Design: A Phenomenological Study, Art Sloan, Brian Bowe

Articles

This paper presents a qualitative study of twelve computer science lecturers’ experiences of curriculum design of several degree programmes during a time of transition from year-long to semesterised courses, due to institutional policy change. The background to the study is outlined, as are the reasons for choosing the research methodology. The main findings are presented and the implications of the study described. The methodology chosen was hermeneutic phenomenology. The data were the texts of interview transcripts of the twelve participant lecturers. The experiences that emerged from analysis of the data grouped naturally in identifiable and presentable themes and these themes …

Artful Teaching And Learning: The Bank Street Developmental-Interaction Approach At Midtown West School, Sam Intrator, Soyoung Park, Ira Lit

Books

This case study begins by examining the Theater Study, a yearlong integrated social studies unit that serves as a cornerstone of the first grade curriculum at MidtownWest. As Midtown West is located in the heart of Manhattan’s theater district, the study is both an investigation of community and an in-depth exploration of, and engagement in, the many facets that go into the production of a play—from story, to script writing, to the many indispensable jobs, such as creating sets, lighting, and acting. The case study then turns to the “centrality of meetings” and the importance of meaningful discourse as a …

Immigrant Children In The Age Of Educational Reform, Audrey Figueroa Murphy

Curriculum & Instruction Faculty Publications

Immigrant children are the fastest growing subgroup among United States schoolchildren today. This paper explores how the new testing movement affects these students, many of which are English language learners.The passage of new federal laws mandating that all students be tested within one year of entrance into a U.S. school is refuted by long standing research. Studies have demonstrated that it takes five to seven years for students to attain the academic language necessary to achieve success in educational settings.This paper explores the instructional program options for immigrant students and advocates for changes in the current testing protocol for them.

Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Implementation Of The Literacy Common Core State Standards For English Language Learners And Students With Disabilities, Audrey Figueroa Murphy, Elizabeth Haller

Curriculum & Instruction Faculty Publications

This qualitative study explored the experiences of U.S. teachers of English language learners (ELLs) and students with disabilities (SWDs) as they sought to align the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS) with previously used standards and instructional approaches during the first year of CCSS implementation. Open-ended interviews were conducted with 20 ELL and SWD literacy teachers to investigate (1) the teachers’ experiences as they began the alignment of their curriculum and teaching methods with the CCSS, (2) the teachers’ perceptions of the support that they received and that they still require, and (3) the teachers’ perceptions of the challenges to …

Preparing Secondary Social Studies Teacher Candidates To Address Common Core State Standards And The C3 Framework With Diverse Learners, Gayle Y. Thieman, Susan J. Lenski

Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study investigates the relationship between the literacy strategies used by social studies teacher candidates, the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies (CCSS), and the College, Career and Civic Life (C3) Framework. In an initial study the authors discovered that teacher candidates (TCs) in high-poverty schools tended to teach lower-level literacy strategies. We also explored the differences between TCs who were identified as using more high-level literacy strategies and those who used lower-level strategies. This follow- up study examines the work samples of six secondary social studies TCs in high poverty schools to …

Learning To Play, Playing To Learn: The Bank Street Developmental Interaction Approach In Liliana's Kindergarten Classroom, Soyoung Park, Ira Lit

Books

This case study of Liliana presents a portrait of a Bank Street alumna in her classroom. Liliana strives for her classroom to be a space where the core principles she learned during her Bank Street education guide the experience of children. The study of her work begins by exploring how a commitment to educating the cognitive, physical, and social–emotional domains of the whole child involves developing systems that promote play as the learning tool to achieve academic and social outcomes. After exploring how Liliana creates conditions for children to engage and learn through play, the case study focuses on how …

Using The Instructional Congruence Model To Change A Science Teacher's Practices And English Language Learners' Attitudes And Achievement In Science, Hania Moussa Salame

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to examine the effects of adapting the instructional congruence model on the English Language Learners' (ELL) attitudes and achievement in science. Changes in teacher's views and practices were documented. The mixed-method approach was adapted. Data sources were the "Attitude Towards Science" survey, VNOS-C questionnaire, Luykx and Lee (2007) observational instrument, Gee (1997) discussion categories, video recordings, and pre- and post-tests. A science teacher and a class of 24 ELL female students in a charter school participated in this research. The results of this study indicated that student achievement increased significantly and students' attitudes …

Music’S Impact: A Review And Curriculum Proposal, Susanna M. Lindberg

Selected Honors Theses

The following thesis is a review of literature, covered in three chapters, and a proposal for a researched-based education curriculum. The goal of this research is to find how music affects the brain, how it influences education, whether it affects emotions, and if it has an impact on special populations in regards to education. In the final section of this thesis, there is a theoretical proposal for a yearlong music-based literacy curriculum for third grade students who struggle with reading and comprehension.

Can Group Discussions And Individualized Assignments Help More Students Succeed In Developmental Mathematics?, Reem Jaafar

Publications and Research

Students taking developmental mathematics courses resist attempting word problems when they are presented to them. Although word problems can help students contextualize learning, develop better understanding of the concepts and apply world knowledge, they constitute an impediment to students’ progress in developmental mathematics courses. A two-semester study on the first developmental mathematics course at LaGuardia Community College shows that students perform better at word problems when they have been discussed in groups with their peers prior to the homework. Moreover, when assigned word problems without a class discussion, students perform better when these problems are individualized based on their areas …

Creating Opportunities For Learning: Play As A Scaffold For Format Based Informational Text Features, Susan Fisher Dandalides

Wayne State University Dissertations

Abstract

A play intervention was used with second grade students to help them develop a deeper understanding of format based informational text features. On Day 1 of the intervention, groups of students role played as reporters as they observed classmates at play. During Days 2 - 5 of the intervention, the same students wrote an informational book about the play they had observed. A pre-interview was used to determine which format based informational text features were noticed and/or explained by the students in an informational trade book. The text features that were included in the trade book were: table of …

Bringing The Outside In: Connecting Literacy Practices In A Layered, Technologically-Driven Seventh Grade Honors English Curriculum, Geneva L. Scully

Wayne State University Dissertations

As technology consumes our society today, it was one intention of this study to examine whether purposeful curriculum design that both scaffolded and layered technological tools into a unit of study in a seventh grade honors English classroom would lead to more critical and creative thinking. Through a qualitative design, case study analysis of three students whose experiences demonstrated how students were able to achieve increased levels of critical thinking was described. Another intention of this study was to examine whether or not students connected their in-school and out-of-school literacies through this experience in a more meaningful way as contributors …

Neural Alterations Influencing Skilled Reading In Adhd: A Task-Based Fmri Study, Brianne Mohl

Wayne State University Dissertations

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a heterogeneous, neurodevelopmental disorder which co-occurs often with Reading Disability (RD). ADHD with and without RD consistently have higher inattentive ratings compared with typically developing controls, with co-occurring ADHD and RD (ADHD/+RD) also demonstrating impaired phonological processing. Accordingly, inattention has been associated with greater phonological impairment, though neither the neural correlates of the co-occurring disorders nor the association are well understood from a functional neuroimaging perspective. The goal was to assess to what extent ADHD/+RD differ from ADHD without RD (ADHD/-RD) and typically developing controls (TDC) in functional activation of attention- and reading-related areas during various …

Ncssfl-Actfl Can-Do Statements: An Effective Tool For Improving Language Learning Within And Outside The Classroom, Aleidine Kramer Moeller, Fei Yu

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

This article explores the theoretical foundation of the NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements, developed by the National Council of State Supervisors for Languages (NCSSFL) and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), describes why and how to use these progress indicators in language education and reveals the value and impact on student learning when effectively integrated in the language classroom. These Can-Do statements serve as learning targets to document what learners “can do” with languages and can provide teachers and language programs with learning objectives for curriculum and unit design that are user-friendly, learner-centered and promote reflection and self-regulation …