Digital Commons Network^™

Laptops And Language Learning: A Mixed Methods Study Of Technology Integration And Student Engagement, Ginger R. Starks-Yoble

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

Student engagement and motivation have been a common focus among educational researchers over the last forty years. Self-determination theory and the inclusive definition of self-regulated learning have identified that both cognitive and motivational engagement are paramount for successful language learning. Within this canon of research, few have looked at student engagement as a result of effective technology integration during the language learning process. This mixed methods study explored students’ perceptions of engagement while learning with technology integration in a first-year language class. Qualitative data was collected from a sub-sample of ten students, in the form of semi-structured interviews, journal reflections, …

An Investigation Of The Soar Study Strategy For Learning From Multiple Online Resources, Tareq Daher

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

This dissertation investigated the effects of the SOAR study strategy for learning from multiple online resources. SOAR includes the components of Selection, Organization, Association, and Regulation. In past research, the effects of SOAR training were investigated with one online resource and with students studying provided or partially provided materials following training. This dissertation examines the effects of SOAR when learning from multiple online resources and when students create their own study materials following training and thus addresses this research gap. One hundred thirty-four (134) college students were assigned randomly to the control or experimental groups. All students participated in online …

Transitioning To Writing About Writing: A Consideration Of The Metawriting Teaching Approach At The University Of Arkansas, Katie Michelle Smith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis uses case studies of six Teaching Assistants and Instructors to analyze the curricular and pedagogical shift from a writing-through-literature model to the Composition II course to a metawriting approach during the 2014 spring semester at the University of Arkansas. The administrative decision from the Program in Rhetoric and Composition to make this transition came in response to the 2007 article by Elizabeth Wardle and Douglas Downs in College Composition and Communication outlining a "Writing about Writing" approach to teaching composition.

A Comparison Of Adolescents' Digital And Print Reading Experiences: Does Mode Matter?, Heather J. Mccrea-Andrews

All Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed-methods research study was to investigate the comprehension and motivation of 36, sixth-grade students reading moderately challenging text under two conditions: Nook or book. Using a Sequential Explanatory Design model, quantitative data were collected prior to qualitative data collection (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2011). A Matched Pairs Design model (Hinkle, Wiersma, & Jurs, 2003) was employed for the quantitative portion of the study with 18 participants randomly assigned to the Nook group and 18 participants randomly assigned to the book group. Nook group participants were instructed to use the following electronic features during reading: highlighting, note …

Developing Attitudes Toward Learning Arabic As A Foreign Language Among American University And College Students, Martin Isleem

Faculty Contributions to Books

This study investigates the developing attitudes of American university and college students toward learning Arabic as a Foreign Language. The primary goal of this examination is to shed light on the ways in which students' attitudes toward learning Arabic affect their motivation to learn the language, as well as their commitment to learning it. A secondary goal of this study is to reveal students' perceptions of the use of both Spoken and Standard Arabic in the classroom, and what effect their perceptions may have on their developing attitudes toward Arabic, and their motivation to learn the language and study its …

History Of Numeracy Education And Training For Print Journalists In England, Steven Harrison

Numeracy

If the history of journalism education has been a footnote to accounts of the profession’s development, then the history of numeracy training for journalists must be considered a footnote to a footnote. Despite the universally acknowledged centrality of numbers to a clear understanding of the world, many journalism students and entrants are proudly number-phobic; it is even suggested that an aversion to maths is a key reason why some choose journalism as a career. This study traces the development of numeracy education for journalists in England. It is only with the incipient professionalisation of journalism from the mid-19th century that …

A Case Study Investigating The Impact Of A Blended International Partnership On Perceptions Of Learning And Global Mindedness In A North Carolina High School, Jennifer Ricks

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite the ever-increasing popularity of international partnerships that blend study abroad and virtual learning, very little data exists to understand their impact on student attitudes and achievement. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate the impact of a blended international school partnership on perceptions of learning and global mindedness in a North Carolina high school. Data was collected, in two phases, from stakeholder interviews, observations, an online Global Mindedness Scale survey, the NC School Report Card, and teacher lesson plans. Global mindedness was found to have increased as participants gained a multifaceted understanding of, and appreciation for, …

2014-2015 Lsu Health Sciences Center In New Orleans Catalog/Bulletin, Office Of The Registrar

Catalogs and Bulletins

No abstract provided.

An Examination Of Embedded Librarian Ideas And Practices: A Critical Bibliography., Carl R. Andrews

Publications and Research

Although this annotated bibliography is primarily targeted to library science professionals in an academic setting, the literature examined can very easily support secondary and college level general education teaching initiatives. The majority of the literature examined in the list comes from journal articles. The author focused primarily on actual case studies that take place in an undergraduate academic setting. Attention was paid to community colleges and schools where there are students in need of remediation. The author was also interested in seeking out literature that addressed the needs of student academic success after an embedded program was implemented. Non-traditional embedded …

The Writing Is The Wall: Expanding The Means Of Communication With Multimodal Approaches To Teaching Composition, Matthew Williams Schering

All Student Theses and Dissertations

As the paradigm of communication shifts into the digital realm, it seems only logical that instructors’ pedagogical approaches to teaching writing should shift as well. Though there is still much merit to teaching tradition approaches to composition, are there more modern methods that could be employed to teach communication in a contemporary setting? This thesis shall examine the role that new media can play in a multimodal composition course, as new media seems to be the most effective way to teach rhetorical communication skills in a modern setting. By looking at new media elements, such as podcasts, wikis, and images, …

Though This Be Madness, Yet There Is Method In’T: Using Graphic Shakespeare Texts To Create Meaningful Engagement In The High School Classroom, Eric Kallenborn

All Student Theses and Dissertations

This thesis covers the attempt to successfully motivate and connect with high school students by giving them the option of reading a graphic form of Hamlet instead of the original text. This research was conducted to not only dispel the myth that comics and graphic novels are juvenile and adolescent but to also explain the benefits of such texts to educators and administrators.

For this research, 10^th graders were assigned Hamlet and were allowed to select the graphic text over the traditional text, allowing for student buy-in from the selection. Students also took part in a project that …

A Comparative Study Of The Practitioner's Role To Integrate Technology Within An Inquiry-Based Learning Environment, Ashley C. Mayor

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis considers alternative pedagogical approaches within which the integration of technology is applied, to determine if inquiry-based learning is an approach that can facilitate the integration process more effectively. The role of the practitioner was evaluated to determine beliefs, concerns, and perceptions of technology integration. Practitioners' use of an inquiry-based learning approach was gauged and compared with practitioners use of a more traditional approach. The level of technology integration was assessed and compared as subgroups according to their teaching practices. The study analyzed the responses of teachers' survey data, with intentions to draw conclusions about the optimal approach for …

Student Engagement And Academic Achievement In Technology Enhanced And Traditional Classroom Environments, Tomeko Johnson-Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which student engagement and academic achievement were associated with exposure to different modes of instruction; specifically technology enhanced environments vs. traditional FACE-TO-FACE environments. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in October 2013 at a local community college in Charlotte, NC. The Class Level Survey of Student Engagement (CLASSE) was administered to collect valid and reliable variables relating to student engagement from a convenience sample consisting of 80 volunteers enrolled in the Medical Science and Science divisions. Other variables were collected using the Demographic Questionnaire, and the Instructional Environment Questionnaire. The …

Voices From The Classroom: Elementary Students’ Perceptions Of Blogging, Ewa Mcgrail, Anne Davis

Georgia Educational Researcher

Blogging appears to be a promising instructional strategy which may provide solutions to some of the challenges in traditional writing instruction; however, few studies explore elementary students’ views on blogging. This qualitative case study gives elementary students voice as it examines their perceptions of blogging and their views of themselves as writers, readers, and learners. The researchers drew from multiple data sources, including student and teacher interviews, student and teacher blog writing, and classroom observations, to ascertain young writers’ perspectives. The findings indicate these student bloggers’ reader awareness and appreciation of the reader-writer relationship. Student bloggers also benefited from emotional …

The Reading And Writing Connection: Merging Two Reciprocal Content Areas, Renee Moran, Monica Billen

Georgia Educational Researcher

The purpose of this article is make connections between two content areas, reading and writing, which have traditionally been separated and consider the relationship between their theoretical underpinnings. Based on their reciprocal nature, the authors posit that students could greatly benefit by reading and writing being taught simultaneously. Relying on this premise, this article provides the reader with three practical strategies that could be applied in the literacy classroom to intertwine reading and writing. These practical strategies include: classroom blogs, graphic depictions, and pen pal responses to literature.

America's Missing Link: Educational Reform And Workforce Development, Sharon A. Weiner, Lana W. Jackman, Glen Warren

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

This presentation was given at a White House meeting about the potential role of information literacy in Michelle Obama's Reach Higher initiative on June 18, 2014.

Report Of A Curriculum Used In A Peer-Delivered Intervention To Reduce Obesity Of Adolescents In Southern Appalachia And Its Relationship To The National Health Education Standards, Diana Mozen, William Dalton, Taylor Mckeehan, Deborah Slawson

International Journal of Health Sciences Education

Adolescent obesity in Southern Appalachian is among the highest in the nation. Even though adolescent obesity is a major public health concern, effective interventions are limited. Team Up for Healthy Living is a cluster-randomized control trial developed to test the effectiveness of a cross-peer intervention with high school students focusing on healthy eating and physical activity. This instructional article describes the 8-week curriculum developed and utilized by Team Up for Healthy Living with an emphasis on the relationship to National Health Education Standards. This is important given the standards were created to promote and support health-enhancing behaviors for students all …

3-D Printing, Copyright, And Fair Use: What Should We Know?, Posie Aagaard, Michael A. Kolitsky Phd

Charleston Library Conference

If the library is more than its collection, then use of 3-D printing to create knowledge is a good fit—but 3-D printing in library makerspaces can also provide greater access to collections by transforming 2-D images into 3-D tactile informational objects for use by blind or visually impaired patrons.

Will new negotiations between libraries and publishers of journals, images, maps, and other visual resources now include access to files for 3-D printing tactile objects for on-demand creation of 3-D prints for tactile use? Is a 3-D print of a 2-D photo or digital image a derivative work? Will the treaty …

"Punk Has Always Been My School": The Educative Experience Of Punk Learners, Rebekah A. Cordova

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Punk music, ideology, and community have been a piece of United States culture since the early-1970s. Although varied scholarship on Punk exists in a variety of disciplines, the educative aspect of Punk engagement, specifically the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) ethos, has yet to be fully explored by the Education discipline.

This study attempts to illucidate the experiences of adults who describe their engagement with Punk as educative. To better know this experience, is to also better understand the ways in which Punk engagement impacts learner self-concept and learning development. Through the phenomenological in-depth interviewing of six adult participants located in Los Angeles, …

College Dreams À La Mexicana . . . Agency And Strategy Among American-Mexican Transnational Students, Nolvia A. Cortez Román, Edmund T. Hamann

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

Drawing from in-depth interviews with university-level transnational students in Mexico, we highlight these students’ resistance and agency in the face of US legal and educational policies that have marginalized them and other undocumented students. We also illustrate pitfalls and possibilities that students encounter in a Mexican system that has not anticipated their presence. The interviewed students viewed return migration for higher education in Mexico as a strategy that could allow them to access/develop their imagined identities as college-educated professionals and one day, legalized citizens of the United States. At the time they made their decisions, before Deferred Action for Childhood …

Foundations For The Health Care Workforce: The Future Of Health Science Education, Allison Kabel, Ying Hsiu Liu, Jessica Dimka

Perspectives In Learning

Increasing demand for health sector jobs has resulted in unprecedented growth in health science undergraduate education. The rapid pace of growth in this area has left many unanswered questions about the requirements for educating tomorrow’s health care workforce. In this study, 122 undergraduate health science programs in the United States are examined, providing information on basic aspects and current status of health science education, such as education delivery format (face-to-face or on-line), curriculum focus, and identified occupational targets. Program characteristics are also explored. This study illustrates the big picture regarding health sciences education. Critical issues are raised about how to …

Teaching In Times Of Changing Administrations And Stringent Budgets, Kimberly Gill, David Kerr, Kyle Christensen

Perspectives In Learning

This paper explores the organizational and administrative changes occurring at Columbus State University as a result of changes in the University System of Georgia occurring from a progression and degree completion emphasis. Developments in this paper focus on changes at the departmental level to promote and enhance student learning in the context of reduced financial support. These efforts include the use of mentoring, peer tutoring, and improved pedagogical techniques in the online and traditional in-class settings for both undergraduate and graduate education. The goal of this paper is to highlight best practices and lessons learned for other institutions facing similar …

Homeschool Curriculum Choices: A Phenomenological Study, Sarah Pannone

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the factors influencing homeschool curriculum choices. Within the study, three research questions were asked: 1) How do select home educators describe the factors that influence their curricular choices? 2) How do select home educators' beliefs affect their selection of curriculum? 3) How do select home educators' teaching styles and methodologies affect their curricular decisions? To best address these questions a transcendental phenomenological approach was used to examine the shared curriculum choice experiences of 10 home educators. Data was collected by means of surveys, interviews, and a focus group and then …

Comparing Students' Perceptions Of Online Language Learning To Traditional Learning, Noreen La Piana

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined students' perceptions towards online language learning and face-to-face learning. A survey of multiple intelligences (McClelland & Conti, 2008) combined with an Online Learning Readiness Survey (OLRS) survey (Dray, Lowenthal, Miszkiewicz, Ruiz-Primo, & Marczynski, 2011) was distributed to 2,177 community college and university students in order to measure the strength of each of the nine intelligences each student possessed, as well as their perceptions of readiness for online language learning. Student preference for online/hybrid versus traditional language class was also considered. The three research questions involved an investigation of: 1) the differences between students who attended an online/hybrid …

Designing Playful Games And Applications To Support Science Centers Learning Activities, Michail N. Giannakos, David Jones, Helen Crompton, Nikos Chrisochoides

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

In recent years there has been a renewed interest on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Following this interest, science centers' staff started providing technology enhanced informal STEM education experiences. The use of well-designed mobile and ubiquitous forms of technology to enrich informal STEM education activities is an essential success factor. The goal of our research is to investigate how technology applications can be better used and developed for taking full advantage of the opportunities and challenges they provide for students learning about STEM concepts. In our approach, we have conducted a series of interviews with experts from science …

Blogging Beyond Blackboard For Deeper Learning, Marie A. Hulme, Pilar Munday

English Faculty Publications

Presentation by Marie Hulme and Pilar Munday at the Fairfield University Center for Academic Excellence Annual Conference on Innovative Pedagogy & Course Redesign May 29-30, 2014.

Teaching The Moral Imagination: How Global Education Aids In Peacebuilding, Charlee Bianchini

Capstone Collection

In this paper I present distinctive information from written resources and in-depth interviews with 17 constituents who are in some way involved in the incorporation of Global Education curriculum in the US. I specifically looked at Brookwood School in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, a private school looking to develop programming around this subject. I also looked at World Learning Youth Programs in order to gain insight from an institution solely focused on GE. The aim of the research was to learn why and how Global Education programs are being incorporated into curriculums, what skills schools are aiming to have their students learn …

Global Education In New York City High Schools: What We Can Learn, Emily Gifford

Capstone Collection

In an increasingly globalized world, where international issues affect local communities, it is important for students to learn about global topics. International education in colleges is becoming more ubiquitous, but many students do not go to college and need to be introduced earlier. Is global education being taught in high schools? How have educators incorporated international issues into their classrooms? In this study, I spoke to educators in New York City to examine what public high schools are doing to integrate global issues into their curricula.

The study examines what obstacles teachers and schools face, what helps teachers to be …

A Mixed-Methods Inquiry Into Science Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Effects Of Professional Development Experiences On Implementation Of Research-Based Instructional Practices, Norma D. Felton

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This was a modified integrated mixed methods study of teachers’ perceptions of factors that influence transfer of research-based teaching strategies into classroom practice. Participants were made up of 66 respondents to a researcher made survey, “Survey of Teacher Attitudes toward Change and Classroom Implementation of Research–Based Strategies”. Respondents were divided into two groups based on participation in Louisiana Systemic Initiatives Programs (LaSIP): LaSIP, N= 39 and Non-LaSIP, N= 27.

Answers to five research questions were based on analysis of quantitative data from a survey, recorded on a five-point Likert scale and qualitative data from analyses of transcripts of three …

A 4th-5th Grade Social Studies Curriculum Unit On Compromise And The Declaration Of Independence, Elizabeth O'Ferrall

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This independent study is a ten lesson curriculum on the study of compromise and the Declaration of Independence. It was designed for a fourth and fifth grade class in a progressive public school in New York City. The goal of this curriculum is to promote critical thinking and discussion about the role of compromise in American history and present day politics through the examination of historical and contemporary contentious issues.