Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of Interaction On Adolescent Reading Motivation, Greg A. Hoetker

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study had two main purposes: One, to discover the nature of interactions that motivate adolescent students to read; and two, to follow how adolescents’ views of interaction and reading motivation evolve over time. The study’s research question was: What do student artifacts and interviews within both middle and high school contexts reveal about adolescents' perceptions of interactions with peers, teachers, and family and their motivation to read? The concept of interaction used within this study was based on a collaborative group-process learning context (Webb & Palincsar, 1996) and a social constructivist conceptualization of intrinsic motivation for literacy learning …

Citizenship Education In Kenya: A Content Analysis Of State-Sponsored Social Studies Instructional Materials, Anna Mukhongo

All Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not the principal citizenship issues identified by scholars as significant with regard to the African experience were addressed in state-endorsed Kenyan social studies instructional materials. This study also determined whether or not the treatment of the principal citizenship issues was consistent with the recommendations in the citizenship literature. In addition, this study analyzed and evaluated the pedagogical exercises present in social studies instructional materials.
A qualitative content analysis was used for the study. Content in the social studies materials was read iteratively to determine patterns and generate themes. The generated …

Negotiating The Integration Of New Literacies In Math And Science Content: The Lived Experience Of Classroom Teachers, Jennifer Joy Wimmer

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate the lived experience of integrating new literacies in math and science content by upper elementary and middle school teachers. This study highlights the lived experience of six teachers including two elementary math teachers, two middle school math teachers, and two middle school science teachers. Data sources included five in-depth interviews, teachers' weekly reflection journals, weekly classroom observations, and one principal interview at each of the three high-needs schools. Data were analyzed through an analytic and thematic approach. A reconstructed story was created for each teacher which provides insight into the teacher …

Female North African-French Students In France: Narratives Of Educational Experiences, Donna L. Murray

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The study focused on the narratives of educational experiences of female students of North African heritage in France, and on their success as they see it in the French school system, which states that it is committed to diversity and promoting equal chances among students for academic success in the universities. The study will help to contribute to the growing research on students of immigrant origins and their successes (or lack thereof) in French school systems, asserting a vow to social diversity. I examined the current social educational issues that affect female ethnic minority students in France, as well as …

Nebraska Urban Environmental And Agricultural Systems Education Program: An Evaluation For Development, Heather Ann Borck

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In Understanding Agriculture: New Directions for Education, the National Research Council (1988) reported, “Too many Americans know very little about the social and economic relevance of agriculture in the United States, and agriculture is too important a subject to be taught only to a relatively small proportion of students enrolled in vocational agriculture” (p.1). Now over 20 years later, this problem is still relevant. During the 2007-2008 school year 10.5 percent of Nebraska high school students were enrolled in an agricultural education course. This may be the result of an absence of agricultural education in the largest four school districts …

April Agenda, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Meeting agenda.

Meeting Minutes, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Meeting minutes.

Assessing Differences In Students' Experiences In Traditional Versus Scientific Teaching-Based Biology Course, Sarah O'Leary-Driscoll, Susan C. Styer

Faculty Publications & Research

Introduction:

The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA), located in Aurora Illinois, is a public, three- year residential high school for students who are academically talented in mathematics and/or science. Students apply in their freshman year and are chosen based on test scores and grades as well as other accomplishments, such as extracurricular projects or performances. About 10-15% of the sophomore class enters IMSA from the eighth grade.

The sophomore program consists of three content- based, one-semester core courses in biology, chemistry, and physics, and one methods-in- science course. Sophomores take two science classes per semester. About 80% of the …

Touchstone Volume 3.1 (Spring 2010), Hostos Community College

Touchstone

No abstract provided.

From The Classroom To The Concourse: Studying The Grand Concourse To Discover One's Community, Elyse Zucker, William A. Casari

Touchstone

Walt Whitman’s poem, “I Hear America Singing” inspired the 13 murals painted on the walls of the Grand Concourse U.S. post office located across the street from Hostos Community College. Visited last fall by Professor Zucker’s Reading class (English 92) these looming murals helped students more fully appreciate how art enhances the Grand Concourse and, by extension, education illuminates everyday life. The 1860 poem itself celebrates America and its diversity, which 150 year later, still holds relevance for students.

Collaboration In The Design Classroom, Rees E. E. Shad

Touchstone

No abstract provided.

Business Ethics Education: How Well Are We Preparing Students To Handle Ethical Issues At Work?, Hector Lopez

Touchstone

Educators at large constantly struggle to overcome curriculum and resources constraints to prepare students for everything within their specific academic program. The logical question to ask is whether the content of an ethics course aligns with the content of the ethical challenges students will face. While a strong case can be made supporting the mastery of classical approaches to ethical analysis, the touchstone for deciding what to include in a business ethics course or curriculum should reflect practicality and applicability as well as critical thinking. To build student awareness of ethics in real-time situations, both a conceptual foundation and ample …

Literacy, Technology And Discernment: Investigating The Role Of Information Technology In Literacy Education, Alisa Siebenga-Weening

Master of Education Program Theses

Regardless of geography, segments of the population struggle to read and write. This struggle is so pronounced that literacy has become an issue for many governments, and policies have been set in place to help ensure a literate society. Educators, in their struggle to respond to the problem, have looked to a variety of methods to help children become literate. One prominent means is the use of information technology and computer-assisted instruction. Because of its significant role, it is necessary for the Christian educator to examine the impact of computer technology, to investigate the role and extent of use of …

The Effects Of An Educational Program On Faculty Stages Of Concern Regarding The Use Of Interactive Video Services (Ivs) In Undergraduate Nursing Education, Cathy H. Abell, Dawn M. Garrett, M. Susan Jones

Nursing Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Learning With And Because Of Each Other: A High School Art Portfolio Class As A Community Of Practice, Gregory Robert Frederick

Dissertations (1934 -)

This educational criticism of a senior high school art portfolio class asks: In what ways does the community of practice developed within a successful studio art program at a high school contribute to an understanding of its success?

Interviews, documents, photographs, and classroom observations gathered over one year inform this qualitative study. Participants include three Portfolio co-teachers, twenty Portfolio students, and two younger art students. Analysis focuses on the interplay of structure and participation that shapes learning among the participants, both as a group and individually. Five themes emerge as valuable ways of understanding the community of practice: team teaching, …

Unlv Magazine, Cate Weeks, Tony Allen, Shane Bevell, Diane Russell, Brendan Buhler, Afsha Bawany, Erin O'Donnell

UNLV Magazine

No abstract provided.

Student Perceptions Of Digital Textbooks In A College Nursing Program, Alan D. Eno

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

The purpose of this research was to study the use of digital textbooks in a small liberal arts college. The research was a mixed methods descriptive study using a pre and post survey to determine student perceptions of the technology. Findings indicated that students needed training in the installation and use of digital textbooks. Findings also indicated the need for further research into what students understand about using digital textbooks. Recommendations are for the college to institute training sessions to teach students how to use the digital textbooks.

The Core Competence And Attitude Of The Small Business Owner-Manager: A Combination Of Cognitive, Affective And Psychomotor Competences And Attitudes, Hely Westerholm, Ph.D.

International Journal for Business Education

Over the coming decade, up to 2015, nearly 80,000 Finnish small and medium-sized individual enterprises possibly with a tradition as a family business will have to find successors for their current owner-managers. The current teaching and learning of entrepreneurship do not deliver enough entrepreneurs. The curriculum at all school levels should be refreshed to meet the challenges that the future entrepreneurs have to face. The study examines the occupational competence and attitudes that small business owner-managers themselves consider essential to their work. They were given an opportunity to express their views in small focus groups of peer small business owner-managers. …

Project Stimmulis: Science Teachers Integrating Mathematical Modeling For Undergraduate Learning And Instruction In Schools, William Robertson, David Carrego

Departmental Papers (TE)

Computer-based mathematical modeling in Physics is a process of constructing models of concepts and the relationships between them in the scientific characteristics of work. In this manner, computer-based modeling integrates the interactions of natural phenomenon through the use of models, which provide structure for theories and a base for experimentation. Utilizing this method, scientists construct knowledge, and in like manner, students in science construct their understandings in significant ways, addressing their preconceptions and their knowledge of concepts in physics. Project STIMMULIS provides a mathematical modeling context for pre-service mathematics and science teachers’ conceptual and applied understanding of motion. Project STIMMULIS …

Meeting Minutes, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Meeting minutes.

March Agenda, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Meeting agenda.

The Road To The White House: Using Experiential Learning In The Classroom, Gregory Domin

Perspectives In Learning

This case study presents a first hand account of experiential learning undertaken by the author and 16 Mercer University students during the 2008 presidential nominating season. The author was able to arrange a seminar entitled “The Road to the White House” which included an observation trip to South Carolina for the Republican Primary, 16-21 January, 2008, where students both witnessed and participated in the unfolding events of the 2008 presidential campaign

Addressing Relational Aggression: Assessing The Merits Of Coeducational And Gender-Specific Bullying Prevention Programs, Rena Dulberg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Interviews with eight bullying prevention program directors from around the country reveal the extent to which research findings are reflected in bullying prevention programs currently in operation. Framed as a list of best practices for coeducational and gender-specific bullying prevention curricula, the purpose of the present thesis was to document the most positive contributions made by various approaches to bullying prevention programs to the overall field, and to highlight practices of programs that reflect insight into what is known about gender differences in bullying. Best practices included new approaches to empathy-building, service-learning, confidentiality, cyberbullying, positive reinforcement, reporting systems and youth-driven …

Considerations Regarding Leadership Training In A Tofflerian Era Of Change, Thomas Mccormack, Paul Hackett

Perspectives In Learning

In 1970, sociologist and futurist Alvin Toffler predicted a future characterized by experience and information overload. This overload, said Toffler, would be caused by an exponential increase in the amount of knowledge being produced and our inability to cope with both the volume of information and the rate at which knowledge was being produced. In this article, the authors make the case that we are presently living in a Tofflerian Era that includes constant change in terms of amount of knowledge and the rate at which it is transmitted and collected due to the proliferation of new technologies. In this …

Multiple Intelligences: Theory And Application, Hope Phillips

Perspectives In Learning

Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences has challenged the historical view of intelligence as a fixed quantity since he first published Frames of Mind in 1983. Gardner prefers to describe cognitive ability as a set of eight intelligences. Once merely a theoretical perspective, Gardner’s view of intelligence can be seen in a new light with the advances in brain research in the field of neuroscience. The connection between how the mind is organized and the education of students suggests a need for additional classroom teaching and testing applications. A focus on traditional linguistic and logical teaching and testing strategies must …

Software Internationalization: A Framework Validated Against Industry Requirements For Computer Science And Software Engineering Programs, John Huân Vũ

Master's Theses

View John Huân Vũ's thesis presentation at http://youtu.be/y3bzNmkTr-c.

In 2001, the ACM and IEEE Computing Curriculum stated that it was necessary to address "the need to develop implementation models that are international in scope and could be practiced in universities around the world." With increasing connectivity through the internet, the move towards a global economy and growing use of technology places software internationalization as a more important concern for developers. However, there has been a "clear shortage in terms of numbers of trained persons applying for entry-level positions" in this area. Eric Brechner, Director of Microsoft Development Training, suggested …

The Phenomenon Of Character Development In A Distance Education Course, Michael C. Johnson, Richard Osguthorpe, David D. Williams

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Rarely are character development-related aims espoused by higher education reflected in the design and delivery of distance education programs. Further, literature exploring the character development aspects of distance education is sparse. This study finds that the instructor and students in a fantasy literature distance course perceived myriad kinds of character development related to performance, moral, relational, and spiritual character traits and strengths. This paper considers implications for character development in distance education and directions for future research.

Reading Comprehension, Learning Styles, And Seventh Grade Students, Judy Lynne Williams

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Reading is a basic life skill. Unfortunately, in 2007, only 29% of all eighth graders were able to comprehend at or above a proficient reading comprehension level. Sensory learning styles (kinesthetic, tactile, auditory, and visual) affect the way that students prefer to learn and the areas in which they will have difficulty learning. This study examined sensory learning styles as one possible factor effecting seventh grade students' reading comprehension level. The purpose of this study was to see if a relationship exists between any sensory learning style and reading comprehension levels. The subjects for this study were seventh graders from …

Using A Wiki For Collaboration And Learning In Helping Profession Education: A Pilot Study, Amanda Rockinson-Szapkiw, Richard J. Silvey

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Knowledge And Understanding Of The 21st Century Skills Through Educator Externships: Programs In Southern New England, Lizann R. Gibson, Gary G. Gray

K-12 Education

This study utilized the body of knowledge that exists on emergent workforce development issues, the characteristics of the Millennial generation as they relate to the increasingly high drop-outs rates and the globalization of the workplace, the need for 21st Century Skills to be incorporated into the K-12 curriculum, and an authentic professional development experience for teachers, the educator externship.

The Educator Externship experience is a statistically viable method of authentic professional development to help teachers provide the educational experience that their students, the Millennial generation, are demanding.

The data from this study statistically showed that the Educator Externship Experience as …