Digital Commons Network^™

A Study Of The Effect Of Developmental Kindergarten Placement On Student Achievement: Issues And Other Alternatives For The "Unready" Child, Sandra F. Earley

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of developmental kindergarten placement beyond third grade and whether differences exist in levels of academic achievement between students who participated in developmental kindergarten and those who were recommended to attend but did not.

The target population of this study spanned 3 years and included 203 kindergarten eligible students in a suburban school district in mid- Michigan who were recommended to attend developmental kindergarten. The accessible population was 105 of the original 203 students.

The Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) reading and mathematics test mean scores were analyzed for both groups …

Paideia In Chattanooga: A Case Study, Carmen Jenkins

Honors Theses

This research investigated the educational reform effort based on Mortimer Adler's Paideia Proposal (Adler, 1982) as implemented in two Chattanooga City Public Schools, Chattanooga school for the Arts and Sciences (CSAS) and Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts (CSLA). Extensive research of local newspaper files to gather historical data concerning the proposal's implementation, ethnographic interviews with community leaders and educators involved in the reform process, and an evaluation of the model were included in the study. Qualitative data to date indicated that reform efforts at CSAS, the pilot school for the Paideia project, and CSLA, the sister school, have been …

Acer Newsletter No. 82 March 1995, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

ACER Newsletter archive 1969-1999

No abstract provided.

4. Practice Analysis: Building The Foundation For Validity, Joan E. Knapp, Lenora G. Knapp

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices

INTRODUCTION

A review of the literature associated with job analysis reveals two extremes of opinion as represented by the following provocative quotes:

Historically job analysis has been a relatively soporific area of industrial and organizational psychology, characterized by neither heated controversy nor prominent visibility in the research literature. (Harvey, 1991, p. 71)

Validation was once a priestly mystery, a ritual behind the scenes with the professional elite as witness and judge. Today it is a public spectacle combining the attraction of chess and mud wrestling. (Cronbach, 1988, p. 3)

Both our evaluation of practice analysis research and our professional experience …

5. Systematic Item Writing And Test Construction, Anthony Laduca, Steven M. Downing, Thomas R. Henzel

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices

Standardized objective testing remains the most popular mode of licensure testing. Even where other types of tests are incorporated, it is often the case that they are provided as complimentary to standardized, multiple-choice (MC) tests. Moreover, scoring theories and standard-setting procedures have been developed over the years in the context of standardized MC testing. At the same time, critics have pointed to limitations of contemporary MC testing practices, including lack of fidelity to real-life challenges and emphasis on recall of factual minutiae. In our view, testing professionals should make conscientious attempts to modify test development procedures so as to address …

Whole Language Based Strategies For Teaching Reading In The Content Areas, Ingrid Annemarie Spencer

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to develop a thematic unit for use in a sixth grade classroom. The unit provides a whole language, integrated curriculum concentrating on ancient Greece. Fifteen lessons were developed for use with a social studies text to teach reading strategies to a class of sixth graders. The project includes a review of selected literature related to the topics of whole language instruction, thematic units, integration, and an explanation of how to utilize the project in a sixth grade classroom. A summary with conclusions and recommendations was included.

Children's Production Of Metaphor: A Development Analysis, Lynn Haller Augsbach

Faculty Research at Morehead State University

A report submitted by Lynn Haller Augsbach to the Research and Creative Productions Committee in 1995 on the existence of the U-shaped curve of children's metaphor production.

Gender Differences In Cognitive Ability Of Children With Hearing Impairment On The Wechsler Intelligence Scale For Children-3rd Edition, Damian D. Jones

Masters Theses

This research thesis investigates possible gender differences of deaf children on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (3rd ed.). The Illinois School for the Deaf (ISD) in Jacksonville, Illinois collated the standard scores of the five standard WISC-III Performance scale subtests and the Performance IQ of 25 students attending ISD. To examine gender differences on the Performance scale subtests and the Performance IQ's, a series of oneway-analyses of variance was calculated. No significant differences were noted on any comparison. A hypothesis that gender differences would occur was not confirmed. The results are discussed with respect to the intellectual assessment of …

Parent Involvement In The Education Of Their Children With Special Needs, Cindy Ann Cole

All Graduate Projects

The intent of this project is to develop an information packet teachers may use to encourage and enhance parental involvement, in ways that are suited for each child's and parent's needs. Analysis of literature, relevant to parents of children with special needs, has been used to draw conclusions and recommendations regarding appropriate techniques teachers may use to encourage parent involvement in their child's education. The packet includes the following: 1) a questionnaire to assess parents' preferred method of involvement; 2) a parent involvement evaluation form; 3) telephone numbers of support services and resources for parents; 4) recommended activities to help …

A Bilingual Developmentally Appropriate Preschool Program, Margarita Clara Lopez

All Graduate Projects

Developmental and learning theories of the twentieth century have influenced the role of the preschool programs in public education. The debate over what is appropriate curriculum for young children is nation wide. The need to have a bilingual summer program that is appropriate to young children in the Granger School District was studied. The result was to design and develop a bilingual summer program that would fit the needs of the preschool aged children. The bilingual summer program was piloted in the Granger, Washington School District.

A Model That Integrates Experimental Social Studies, English, And Reading Curriculum For Sixth Graders, Cecilia Ann Mahre

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to design and develop a model integrated, experiential social studies, English, and reading curriculum that would help sixth grade students to relate and apply school studies to real-life/real-world situations. To accomplish this purpose, current research and literature on experiential learning, integrated/interdisciplinary curriculum, the multiple intelligences, and service-learning were reviewed. Additionally, selected businesses throughout the greater Ellensburg area were invited to participate in a partnership to provide experiential learning sites for students. Finally, unit overviews, student learning objectives, performance criteria, learning activities, teaching strategies, and instructional materials were adapted and developed.

Vision And The Ideal Teacher: Implications For Educational Practice, Rosalind Victoria Aaron

Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to describe how and why teachers with a vision of an ideal teacher have chosen teaching as their profession and to articulate how that vision has influenced their educational practice.

Procedure. This study was conducted in the classroom setting using qualitative methods. The qualitative techniques were informal and formal interviews, non-participant observations, and personal journal entries.

Conclusions. The findings of the study revealed that the three teachers do have visions, which they clearly articulated. Their visions resulted from their interaction with others, but specifically with some of their former teachers. As new ideas, …

Comparative Study Of Needs-Assessment Methodologies As They Apply To The Development Of A University Computer Science Curriculum In A Central African Country, Perry Munger

Dissertations

A Central African society consisting of two local ethnic groups, as well as Europeans, Asians [Pakistanis and Indians), and North Americans, provided a milieux for the evaluations of five needs-assessment methodologies as to their appropriateness in a multi-ethnic environment. Five methodologies, a questionnaire, a job analysis log, audio and video interviews, and an informal indigenous contact, were used in a needs assessment for the computer science department of the Adventist University of Central Africa, a private church-operated university, located at Mudende, Gisenyi, Rwanda, Central Africa. The five methodologies were evaluated in two different manners:

1. An evaluation of the appropriateness …

Urban Teachers’ Views And Ranking Of Five Home And School Variables With Respect To Effective Teaching Of Disadvantaged Students, Loraine Constance Enniss

Dissertations

There is a range of information on effective teaching of disadvantaged students, with educators supporting either the home or school, as the variable with the greatest impact. What are the opinions of classroom teachers on this topic?

In this exploratory study, Group 1 teachers included all those who ranked the impact (on their ability to effectively teach disadvantaged students), of the home variables: parental involvement, dialects of English, socioeconomic status as 3, 4. and 5 and the school variables: teaching methodology and teacher expectations, as 1 and 2. All others were in Group 0. Scores of these two groups of …

The School Improvement Industry: A Case Study Of Framingham, Abigail Jurist Levy

New England Journal of Public Policy

This study looked at school improvement in the Framingham public schools from three perspectives. We were interested in finding out if the administration and school committee, local businesses with an interest in education, and agencies that provide training and technical assistance to schools have similar ideas regarding how the Framingham schools should improve. We conducted interviews with administrators and members of the school committee, local businesses and businesses involved in school/business partnerships, and six agencies that provide training and technical support to schools in the Greater Boston area. We found that although all groups shared many interests, the businesses and …

Effects Of Sign Language On Letter-Sound Recognition Of A Non-Hearing Impaired, Developmentally Delayed Student, Joanne Bear

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of sign language on letter-sound recognition of a non-hearing impaired, developmentally delayed student. A single subject was probed on letter-sound recognition skills and then three letters were selected that the subject did not know. The subject was taught sign language (i.e., fingerspelling for each of the three letters and a sign for a cue word for each letter) to enhance letter recognition skills . Using a multiple probe across behaviors design, it was found that after three weeks sign language improved the subject's performance at letter recognition and naming of …

Syntactic Markedness In Sla: The Acquisition Of The Dative Alternation, Mohammad Atef Sallam

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Using A Time Delay Procedure To Increase Pragmatic Language Skills With A Child With Neurological Impairments, Karla Gravitt

Theses & Honors Papers

Many studies have researched increasing language skills using a time delay procedure with children with autism and children with mental retardation, but there is little existing literature using a time delay procedure to increase language skills with children with neurological impairments. The purpose of this study was to show how time delay could increase pragmatic skills in a child with neurological impairments . The following single subject study was designed to test the hypothesis that three self care words could be taught, using a time delay procedure, to enable a child with neurological impairments to function more independently in social …

Experiences And Attitudes Of Post-Secondary Students With Learning Disabilities In Public And Private College Settings, Laura A. Goodell

Theses & Honors Papers

Research and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (Public Law 101 -476) suggest students with learning disabilities need a transition program from high school to post-secondary education. This study examines the attitudes and experiences of twenty students with learning disabilities who attend three different colleges in Virginia. These students were identified as having a learning disability prior to post-secondary education. One of the colleges that participated was public and co-educational. The other two were private, one all-male, and one all-female. This study also attempts to identify correlations between special education services in the high school and student's attitudes and success …

Profiles Of Promise: Students With Learning Difference Prepare For Optimal Foreign Language Learning, Ludmilla Coven

Dissertations

Many secondary school counselors discourage students with diagnosed native language deficits from foreign language studies. They hold the unsubstantiated belief that these studies would jeopardize their hard-earned gains in native language learning. Research disproves that position, and some writers advocate foreign language study to improve language learning and enhance cognitive strategies. Improvement occurs more readily when the instructor has the expertise to choose from a repertoire of teaching styles the one most compatible with the learning style of the student. With the full inclusion promised by the regular education initiative becoming a reality, this study explores research, design, and team-teaching …

Building A Consensus For The Development Of National Standards In History, Mary Vassilikou Bicouvaris

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This research project examines the process used by the National History Standards Project to build consensus for the development of national standards for teaching history in America's schools.

Since the publication of A Nation At Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform by the National Commission of Excellence in Education in 1983, the American educational community has been in the grips of a reform movement. The aim of this movement is to examine where we have been and where we are going as a nation and to redefine what we believe in and what we believe is important to teach our …

Acer Newsletter No. 79 March 1994, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

ACER Newsletter archive 1969-1999

No abstract provided.

An Interdisciplinary Multicultural Resource Guide For Middle Schools, Carol Ann Mccombs Drinkwater

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to promote multicultural education within middle school classrooms. My intent was to provide an accessible means by which other educators could incorporate or supplement their current nine month curriculums with diverse multicultural activities for students in grades 6-8. This multicultural guide was developed around an integrated curriculum. The themes or objective areas focused on the curriculum areas of Social Studies, English, Multicultural Awareness and Art. Most of all, this resource guide was developed for the purpose of providing students additional opportunities to recognize and experience differences through a positive interactive approach. This project was …

Acer 1993-1994 Annual Report, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

ACER Annual Reports

No abstract provided.

Exposure To Electronic Entertainment Media And Student Outcomes In Two Demographically Diverse Elementary Schools, Ronald W. Busby

Dissertations

Problem. Standardized test-score results have declined sharply and learning difficulties have risen significantly during the decades that electronic entertainment media (EEM) have become a national phenomenon. Exposure to electronic entertainment media has generated much speculation, discussion, and study. Research, however, is lacking on how sensory overload impinges upon the brain and mind of developing children with respect to learning and adapting socially. Thus, research is needed that addresses sensory overload phenomena and academic performance and social behavior.

Methodology. The population consisted of 349 third- and fourth-grade children in a demographically diverse public school district located in southwestern Michigan.

The Time …

A Study Of The Thematic Integrated Curriculum (Tic) Of The Focus 2000 Program, Sherry Collins

Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to describe how a thematic integrated curriculum (TIC) enhances the quality of education by examining three outcomes of a TIC. These outcomes are: (1) the instruction of critical thinking skills, (2) the motivation of students to be self-directed and assume responsibility for their own learning, and (3) the empowerment of teachers to become educational leaders. The underlying assumption of the study was that the more the three outcomes are used in the learning process, the better will be the quality of education.

For this study, the process of "enhancing the quality of education" …

Reinventing The University: Finding The Place For Basic Writers, Jane E. Hindman

Publications and Research

A poststructuralist critique of basic writing placement and pedagogy, this paper argues that our notions of good writing (i.e., the criteria by which we as English professors and compositionists authorize and "place" students) come not from some general or transcendent standards, but rather from the practices by which we self-authorize within our own discourse community. Using Bartholomae and Petrosky's curriculum presented in Facts, Artifacts, Counterfacts as a point of departure, I propose a language-centered curriculum which uses discourse itself as the subject of the semester-Jong project wherein students eventually learn to critique our practices and create their own discourse communities. …

The Reading And Writing Connection: A Writer's Workshop Guide For Second Grade, Monica Louise Donovan

All Graduate Projects

The primary purpose of this project was to develop a writers' workshop curriculum guide for the second grade. The relationship between reading and writing was studied. Data was presented to support the reading and writing connection. By integrating reading and writing through the use of a directed guide, an effective educational curriculum for a writing workshop was developed. The research and results from writing samples received showed support that an integrated reading and writing program is advantageous. Implications for using a writers' workshop format are discussed.

Let's Decode: Inservice Manual, P. J. Formentin

Research outputs pre 2011

This manual contains inservice material that was prepared for a research project that came to be known as Let's Decode. My motive for publishing the material in this form is to make it available to other teachers who may wish to apply the same principles and procedures in their own classrooms. Typically, they will be teachers who are concerned about children experiencing difficulty learning to read, and teachers responsible for students with special education needs. I am confident that regular classroom teachers will also find the material valuable for all children in the early stages of learning to read. My …

Acer 1992-1993 Annual Report, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

ACER Annual Reports

No abstract provided.