Digital Commons Network^™

Mandated Differentiated Instruction Effectiveness Examined, Kathlyn Joan Graham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Educational institutions are implementing curriculum mandates without data to support the benefits of the mandates to students. The purpose of this concurrent, mixed-method study, which utilizes quasi-experimental and case study approaches, was to address the effectiveness of mandated differentiated instruction in a suburban high school. This study investigated the significant differences in achievement before and after the implementation of differentiation as well as differences in achievement between a school that mandated the use of differentiation and one that did not. The study also investigated strategies used to implement differentiation and student and teacher attitudes toward it. For ninth grade literature …

Content And Citation Analysis Of Interdesciplinary Humanities Textbooks Within A Framework Of Curriculum Theory, Julie Guidera

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to analyze the content of textbooks used in undergraduate survey courses in interdisciplinary humanities to understand the content of the curriculum and how an author's viewpoint shapes the product. By enumerating the texts and images authors and their publishers used to illustrate 20th century culture and the transition into the 21st century, the analysis generated a description of the range of perspectives from traditional to postmodern found in six sampled textbooks. Textbook content provided chronological data, while authors' source citations established identity properties of the works' contributors. Through a ranking system of authors' treatment …

2009-2010 Undergraduate Catalog, Morehead State University

Morehead State Catalog Archive

2009-2010 graduate catalog for Morehead State University.

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star: The Effects Of Using Music With Young Children, Eileen Heck

Graduate Research Papers

One way for children to experience music and develop early literacy skills is through nursery rhymes such as Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. This project addresses the benefits of using music with young children and the importance of professional development with early childhood educators. More and more research is being done to explore and study the effects of music with young children. It is becoming evident that music has many benefits that can enhance young children's lives. Some of these benefits include expanding children's communication skills, building oral language skills, developing phonological awareness skills, and extending concepts of print. Some …

Conference Program [2009], Georgia International Conference On Information Literacy

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

N/A

Military Children And Holistic Education: A Narrative Reflection On Classroom Practice, Edith Allison

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation uses autobiographical narrative inquiry as a source of knowledge-generating reflection to examine how the educational needs of military children might be met through the use of holistic educational practices rather than a (well-intentioned) traditional, standardized curriculum. Data were gathered through observation; personal experience as a military child, military member, mother of military children and teacher of military children; journal entries and vicarious experiences shared by students, parents, educators and other invested in this population of learners. Experiences were compiled into fictional composites to protect the identity of all parties as well as national security. These composites were then …

Second Language Development And Guided Reading, Emilia Alejo Hummel

Graduate Research Papers

Elementary teachers are being challenged to teach literacy to second language learners. In order to best serve ELL's, teachers must understand how these students acquire English and how to meet their varying literacy needs in the classroom. This project describes best practices in teaching guided reading to ELL's. The study will describe the implementation of the ELL guided reading program and how instruction was informed by knowledge of language learning.

Using Sign Language With Hearing Preschool Children, Jamie E. Johnson

Graduate Research Papers

The purposed of this review is to examine the effects of using American Sign Language (ASL) with hearing preschool children without disabilities. The research examined the effects on cognitive skills, fine motor skills, IQ, student behavior, and memory when American Sign Language is implemented into a preschool classroom. A variety of sources were examined and synthesized to provide the reader with informational data and recommendations.

The Influence Of High-Quality Early Childhood Education Programs On At-Risk Children's Literacy And Language Development, Gwendolyn M. Kellen

Graduate Research Papers

This literature review addressed the impact that high-quality early childhood education programs have on at-risk children's literacy and language development. The purpose of this review was to focus on the impact and benefits that high quality early childhood education programs have on the literacy and language development of at-risk young children, and the influence that the early childhood teachers, the early childhood classroom environment, and the early childhood classroom activities have on the literacy and language development of young children who may be at-risk of developing reading difficulties when they begin formal education.

The research concluded that at-risk children who …

Integrating And Implementing Literacy In A Toddler Classroom, Emily Knutson

Graduate Research Papers

This Project examined the topic of literacy in a toddler classroom. Research on toddler language, reading, writing, and parent involvement with literacy was discussed. The Infant/Toddler Environmental Rating Scale and Iowa Early Learning Standards were used to rate a toddler classroom in regard to literacy activities. Guidelines were presented for establishing quality literacy activities for toddler children. Conclusions were drawn from the literature and the classroom project for the future of literacy development for toddlers.

What Every Kindergarten Teacher Should Know About Spelling, Gjoa King

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this article was to determine what research stated about writing and spelling instruction at the kindergarten level. I looked specifically at research concerning spelling and writing development in kindergarten children, the role of invented spelling, and the effects of instruction on spelling outcomes. This was done for the purpose of synthesizing the research in order to help teachers implement a developmentally appropriate spelling curriculum for kindergartners.

Meeting Academic Needs Through Explicit Vocabulary Insturction, Ann D. M. Langenfeld

Graduate Research Papers

This project focused on meeting the academic needs of students through explicit vocabulary instruction. The project consisted of nine professional development sessions delivered over one academic year and targeted reading teachers and Language Arts Resource Specialists (LARS) in a Midwestern suburban school district. Participants engaged in collaborative and interactive sessions that included colleague visits to aide in implementation of at least one method of explicit vocabulary instruction. Through a series of two different questionnaires, participant responses were used to assess background knowledge, teacher beliefs and practices, teacher perceptions, implementation, and relevance regarding explicit vocabulary instruction.

Literacy Leadership In Secondary Schools: A Case Study Of Teaching And Learning In Two School Districts, Gregory Berry

Dissertations and Theses

Improvement in literacy learning in secondary schools requires a dual focus: a district and school organizational leadership approach, and a classroom- and instruction-focused approach. To help close the achievement gap and improve learning for all students, whole school reform efforts must be focused on literacy. Elements of whole school reform may include professional development programs such as professional learning communities, peer coaching, and literacy coaching. The sociocultural contexts that these approaches incorporate can help improve the learning of both teachers and students and can bring about significant secondary school reform and academic improvement.

This dissertation study is a qualitative, collective, …

Paraprofessionals Who Work With Elementary Grade Students With Significant Disabilities In Inclusive Settings, Regina Moreno

Dissertations and Theses

The use of paraprofessional services is an established and crucial aspect in the pursuit of a free and appropriate public education for students with disabilities. Paraprofessionals are often the primary providers of instruction for students with severe disabilities yet are the least trained instructional personnel in schools. Identified competencies and necessary training content for paraprofessionals who serve students with severe disabilities are nearly absent in the professional literature.

This study extended the current literature regarding paraprofessionals who serve students with disabilities in public schools by focusing specifically on those paraprofessionals who serve students with severe disabilities in inclusive general education …

Colorblind Nonaccommodative Denial: Implications For Teachers’ Meaning Perspectives Toward Their Mexican-American English Learners, Socorro Herrera, Amanda Morales

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

Many parts of the United States are facing an increasing number of immigrant students. Focusing on mostly White teachers at a junior high school, which enrolls predominantly Mexican immigrant students, Socorro Herrera and Amanda R. Morales examine these teachers’ belief system. The authors identify the perspective of colorblind nonaccommodative denial among these teachers. • What is a colorblind perspective? How does it affect everyday teaching practices? • How would teachers justify their not accommodating minority students? What are the educational consequences of nonaccommodation?

Improving the learning experiences of culturally and linguistically diverse Mexican-American students in the United States is a …

Living In The Space Between Participant And Researcher As A Narrative Inquirer: Examining Ethnic Identity Of Chinese Canadian Students As Conflicting Stories To Live By, Elaine Chan

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

Schooling experiences of 1st-generation Canadians interact with cultural experiences in their immigrant households to shape a sense of ethnic identity both as Canadians and as members of an ethnic community. This long-term, school-based narrative inquiry is an examination of ways in which expectations for academic performance and behavior by teachers and peers at school and immigrant parents at home contributed to shaping the ethnic identity of an immigrant Chinese student as conflicting stories to live by. A narrative approach revealed challenges of supporting immigrant students in North American schools and contributed to understanding of the nuances of multicultural education.

December Agenda, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Meeting agenda.

Meeting Minutes, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Meeting minutes.

Teaching Happiness: The Role Of Positive Psychology In The Classroom, Jennifer M. Gilpin

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

Happiness can be defined in various ways, and characterizing traits that reflect sustained happiness in an individual can be a daunting task. For the purpose of this paper, I propose that contentment regarding the past, satisfaction in the present, optimism about the future, as well as cultivating individual strengths and virtues will result in sustained happiness. Using findings from and relating to the field of positive psychology, I will suggest that these qualities can be fostered in students and will benefit students individually and ultimately society as a whole.

The Academic Needs Of The Native Spanish-Speaking English Language Learner Under The No Child Left Behind Act (Nclb), Amy J. Whicker

Senior Honors Theses

The instructional demands and pressures placed on today’s educators are constantly increasing, influenced by national and state learning standards, assessments, and changing student demographics. More specifically, the standards of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) set by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) require academic gains to be made yearly by all students, including those with significant learning hurdles, such as the language acquisition difficulties faced by English Language Learners (ELLs). While the future of the NCLB Act is debatable, the necessity of effective classroom arrangements and instructional methods is indubitable. In addition, because the majority of this ELL population is …

Rigorous Curriculum And Sat, Feifei Li, Thanos Patelis, Robert Lissitz

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

The main purposes of this study are to investigate the relation between course-taking pattern and the SAT score, and examine the invariance of this relation across subgroups. In addition, we are also going to verify the accuracy of self-reported information from the SAT Questionnaire by examining the actual high school transcripts, and build the link between SAT and the achievement by correlating SAT scores with state assessment scores. If the SAT score is a function of high school course-taking behaviors regardless of students' gender, socioeconomic status (SES) and ethnicity, every student should be provided with equal opportunity for rigorous curriculum.

Students In Transition: The Library Of Congress Classification System As Initiation, June B. Joyner

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

See presentation description.

Supporting Children's Participation In Second Language Stories In An Irish Language Preschool, Maire Mhic Mhathuna

Articles

This paper considers how children learning a second language were supported as active participants during storytelling sessions in an Irish-language immersion preschool in Dublin. Audio-recordings and observations were made of the story sessions once a fortnight over a period of six months. The resulting transcripts were analysed from an interactionist perspective, recognising both the cognitive and social aspects of the process. The staff were also interviewed and a questionnaire was completed by the parents. The analysis showed that the practitioners provided support for the children through dynamic repeated readings of target books, scaffolded interactions, sufficient experience of storybook reading and …

Adolescent Literature And Second Life: Teaching Young Adult Texts In The Digital World, Laura Nicosia

Department of English Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Action Items, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Overview of action items handled by the Graduate Council.

Gsi: Geo Scene Investigation! On-Site Programming (Grade 7), Discover Mojave: Forever Earth

Curriculum materials (FE)

GSI: Geo Scene Investigation! introduces students to the differences between observations and interpretations and to some of the fundamental principles of geology. Students identify specific geologic processes and landforms in the landscape surrounding them at Lake Mead National Recreation Area (NRA) by solving mysteries with a set of geology-related clues.

The Effects Of Traditional And Instructional Models Of Sustained Silent Reading On The Reading Achievement And Motivation Of Third And Fourth Grade Students, Jacquelynn Malloy

All Dissertations

Despite a lack of empirical support for the effectiveness of sustained silent reading (SSR) in the literature, the practice of providing time for students to read materials of their own choosing during the school day is still offered in many classrooms today (Block & Mangieri, 2002; Nagy, Campenni, Shaw & Shaw, 2000; Pressley, Rankin & Yokoi, 1996). While many of the previous studies investigated a traditional version of SSR, where the teacher served as a model by reading silently during the period, this research also explores the effectiveness of an instructional version of SSR, known as Instructional Sustained Silent Reading, …

Classroom Organizational Structures As Related To Student Achievement In Upper Elementary Grades In Northeast Tennessee Public Schools., Darrell Wayne Moore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Transformative Education For Culturally Diverse Learners Through Narrative And Ethnography, Aileen Hale, Jennifer Snow-Gerono, Fernanda Morales

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article presents a study of the effects of creating a bridge between the narrative and ethnographic methods and writing processes as a means to more effectively educate teachers of culturally diverse learners. Ten teacher-participants from a Masters of Education (M.Ed.) degree programme in Bilingual Education at a university in the northwestern United States took a sequence of courses in which instructor-researchers taught them narrative and ethnographic pedagogy, theory, and methodology. Through qualitative methods, instructor-researchers analyzed teacher-participants’ personal narratives and ethnographic case studies for generative themes. In discovering the commonalities of themes between these two methods of inquiry, the research …

Unlocking The Power Of Multidimensional Literacy In A Language Arts Classroom: A Middle School Language Arts Curriculum, Andrew Raymond Kostelnik

All Graduate Projects

A curriculum project that incorporates a multidimensional and multicultural point of view is created for a middle school language arts classroom in a rural community. Multiculturalism theories and underpinnings are examined and critically analyzed. Materials are identified and examined to determine the appropriateness in relation to the demographics and nature of the Kayman School District. Multiple sources and materials were established as a permanent curricular component to ensure an education that incorporates multiple perspectives and viewpoints.