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The Impact Of The 101s: A Guide To Positive Discipline Training On Teacher Interaction Practices, Attitudes, And Prosocial Skill Outcomes In Preschool Classrooms, Marie Louise Talayco Masterson

Theses and Dissertations in Early Childhood Education

This study investigated the impact of The 101s: A Guide to Positive Discipline on teachers of preschool Title 1 children. Current research supports the impact of responsive social emotional support and positive teacher-child interactions on both short and long term social and academic outcomes, with specific remediating benefits for children most at risk of school failure. The 101s training and materials evaluated in this study included ten principles/skills to support respectful, responsive interactions hypothesized to support positive prosocial skill responding. Training was provided to 34 teachers with control and experimental groups. Analysis of quantitative pre and post observation data found …

Dual-Language Education: A Longitudinal Study Of Students' Achievement In An El Paso County, Texas School District, Pauline Anne Dow

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This Dissertation describes a longitudinal study of one-way and two-way bilingual education programs (also known as dual-language programs) to assess achievement of elementary-aged English learners (ELs) in a school district located in El Paso County, Texas, using both norm-referenced and criterion-referenced tests. The design features assessment for bilingual students' language skills in both English and Spanish, which allows for the examination of the interrelationships among skills in the two languages. The study also compares the achievement of ELs and non-ELs in the two-way program. The work reported in this Dissertation was conducted with a common group of children over a …

Thriving, Coping, Surviving, Hoping: Negotiating The First Year Of Teaching, Debrah Jean Fordice

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In this qualitative study, I examined how four teachers negotiated their first year of teaching. All four teachers graduated from the same teacher preparation program, and secured general elementary positions in the same school district where they conducted some or all of their clinical coursework. I explored the factors that shaped the practice of these first-year teachers.

Annie, a 23-year-old, single, female marathon runner, with a vision to work with children in an inner-city setting, secured a position as a first grade teacher at a school where 85% of the children lived in poverty. Rachel, 24 years old, newly-married, and …

Upgrading Met Instructors : The Skills And Knowledge Enhancement Demanded By Met Stakeholders, Tarek Gamil

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Evaluation Of Perceptions Of A Mentoring Program Of Beginning Teachers In A Rural East Tennessee Secondary School., Mike Frazier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teachers, especially beginning teachers, continue a trend of leaving the profession at alarming rates within the first 5 years resulting in excessive costs to school systems and diminished instructional quality. Some programs, however, have shown impressive results. The purpose of this qualitative study, using an emerging interview process, was to examine the perceptions of beginning teachers in their 1st or 2nd year and those of veteran 3- to 5-year teachers regarding the effectiveness of mentoring and other guidance they received as beginning teachers in a secondary school and to understand their vision of how mentoring should be structured for beginning …

Do Parents' Literacy Beliefs And Home Literacy Experiences Relate To Children's Literacy Skills?, Rebecca C. Norman

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship among parents' literacy beliefs, home literacy experiences, and children's literacy skills. Forty-three children, who attended a university preschool, and their parents participated in the study. Parents' literacy beliefs and the home literacy experience, namely shared book reading, were examined through a self-report questionnaire. One important section of this questionnaire provided information about parents' beliefs concerning literacy acquisition; specifically, whether they believed in a top-down or bottom-up approach. The children were tested individually for emergent literacy skills, including concepts of print, alphabetic knowledge, rhyming skills, oral language skills, word recognition, and invented spelling. The results were …

The Diffusion Of The Reggio Emilia Approach Among Early Childhood Teacher Educators In South Carolina, Julie Hartman

All Dissertations

Growing numbers of U.S. educators are traveling to the northern Italian town of Reggio Emilia to study the innovative, arts-based approach to early education developed in the town's municipal infant-toddler and pre-primary programs now commonly referred to as the Reggio Emilia Approach. And though there is no way of knowing exactly how many educators and early childhood programs across the U.S. are currently making use of the approach, increasing numbers of U.S. colleges and universities are including the approach in both their ECE teacher preparation as well as campus child development programs, suggesting the Reggio Emilia Approach (REA) is diffusing …

An Examination Of Variables Influencing Undergraduate Hospitality Management Majors' Moral Reasoning, Tamantha L. Brooks

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Identifying factors that facilitate moral reasoning among hospitality management majors are important since it provides insight into their capacity for ethical decision making. This study examines if the variables of age, education level, gender, ethics coursework, or supervisory experience influence hospitality majors' moral reasoning. Participants (n=449) included students taking required hospitality management courses from five Midwestern universities in the United States. The Defining Issues Test II (DIT2) instrument and a demographic supplement were used to collect data. Results showed that there was no correlation between age and moral reasoning; the level of education did not influence moral reasoning; moral reasoning …

Evaluation And Needs-Based Assessment Of Special Education Teachers' Knowledge Of Austism Interventions, Dawn Richardson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is being increasingly identified in children, yet there are only a minimal number of studies examining the use of research-based intervention strategies in a classroom educational setting. This present study examined the use of Discrete Trial Training, Picture Exchange Communication System, Social Stories, Structured Teaching, and Video Self-Modeling by special education teachers with students with ASD. A questionnaire was completed by 91 special education teachers from the Green River Region Educational Cooperative, which encompasses 17 different school districts in the area of western and south central Kentucky. They answered questions about their level of training, knowledge …

Intensive Professional Development In Early Literacy Instruction For Preschool Teachers, Rebecca Brinks

Dissertations

This study assesses the efficacy of using an intensive professional development program to improve preschool teachers' practices related to early literacy. A mixed methods approach was employed to review secondary data from a federally-funded Early Reading First Grant. The population studied consisted of thirty-one preschool teachers at four diverse programs serving low income children located in the mid-western urban community of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The intensive professional development used in this study resulted in significant improvements in the mean scores for all areas of the Early Language and Literacy Classroom Observation (ELLCO) when comparing baseline to the final scores in …

Leadership-Influenced Practices That Impact Classroom Instruction Related To Writing: A Case Study Of A Successful Elementary School, Barb Johnson

Dissertations

This research studied the practices of educators at an ethnically diverse suburban elementary school which had demonstrated success in the area of student writing, even among at-risk students. The overall research goal was to examine to what extent and how leadership-related practices impacted classroom instruction in a manner that helped produce successful writing scores. A case study approach was used to explore four key leadership-related practices (supervision, curriculum, professional development, and knowledgeable leaders) and their impact on classroom literacy-based instructional strategies.

The study participants included two leaders and fourteen teachers from a single elementary school located in a metropolitan Michigan …

Vygotsky’S Theory Of The Creative Imagination: A Study Of The Influences On Preservice Teachers’ Creative Thinking Capacities, Stephen J. Worst

Dissertations

This study investigated the effect of formal instruction in the use of creative thinking skills on preservice teachers' capacities for increased creative activity. It emerged from Vygotsky's theory of the creative imagination. Emphasizing the impact of formal schooling on the growth of creative activity, he implied that individuals who are continually adding to accumulation of knowledge develop an abundant imagination from which creativity flows.

This quantitative study used a quasi-experimental design and attempted to test Vygotsky's assumptions within a sample population of 113 preservice teachers. Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking served as the pre- and post-tests that measured the creative …

A Narrative Inquiry Of Teachers’ Perceptions Regarding Their Professional Development Experiences, Theresa Andrea Nugent

Dissertations

The purpose of this narrative inquiry study was to explore teachers' perceptions of their professional development experiences. Qualitative studies are needed to truly understand through "thick rich" descriptions (Lincoln & Guba, 1985) what is happening (or not) from the viewpoint of the classroom teacher in reference to their professional development experiences and related impact on student outcomes. In an era of accountability, teachers' voices are essential for understanding potential connections between teacher learning, via professional development experiences, and improved student outcomes.

This research project involved a purposeful sample of 8 1st-grade and 2nd-grade teachers, identified by their principals as "committed" …

Inside Unlv, Cate Weeks, Diane Russell, David Ashley, Grace Russell

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

School-Based Mentoring: An Effective Intervention With Students At Risk For Ebd, Paul Caldarella, Shauna Valentine, K. Richard Young, Michael Adams

Faculty Publications

Relationships with non-parental adults are vital assets for positive youth development (Scales, 2003). Studies of resilience among youth from at risk backgrounds alerted scholars to protective functions that can be fulfilled by relationships with non parental adults (Werner, 1995).

The Effects Of Peer Praise Notes On Socially Withdrawn Adolescents: A Classroom Intervention, Julie Nelson, Natalie Webb, Paul Caldarella

Faculty Publications

Relationships with non-parental adults are vital assets for positive youth development (Scales, 2003). Studies of resilience among youth from at risk backgrounds alerted scholars to protective functions that can be fulfilled by relationships with non parental adults (Werner, 1995)

Mind Your Accent, Zahid Ali

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

No abstract provided.

Koinonia, Jolene Cassellius, Shannon Schans, Brian Powell, Glen Kinoshita, Michael Santarosa, Carol Harding, Ryan K. Giffin, Jesse Brown

Koinonia

Spotlight Feature
Thinking Globally in a Local Context, Jolene Cassellius

Family and Balance, Shannon Schans

Cultivating Philanthropy in the Co-Curriculum: An Alternative to the Narcissism of the iGeneration, Brian Powell

Interview
The Ministry of Reconciliation: A Conversation with Brenda Salter McNeil, Glen Kinoshita

Thinking Theologically
Thought About Thinking Lately? How About Thinking Christianly?, Michael Santarosa

Book Review
Hush: Moving From Silence to Healing After Childhood Sexual Abuse, reviewed by Carol Harding

I'm the Teacher, You're the Student: A Semester in the University Classroom, reviewed by Ryan K. Giffin

Reconciliation Blues: A Black Evangelical's Inside View of White Christianity, reviewed by …

Promoting The Success Of All Students:, Lisa Bertrand, William Bratberg

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

In today’s schools, building level administrators are faced with numerous challenges as they attempt to provide leadership that promotes successful learning experiences for all students. Setting the stage for this leadership, the Council of Chief State School Officers organized the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) in 1996. This consortium was formed for the purpose of developing model standards and assessments for school leaders. The ISLLC’s primary constituency is the state education agencies responsible for the administration of licensure. It included representatives of state agencies/departments of education and professional standards boards, with considerable participation by professional associates.

The Effectiveness Of Face-To-Face Vs. Web Camera, Cyndi Danner-Kuhn, Sue Jacobs, Beth Walizer

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

A major challenge of university faculty and adjunct members in teacher education is the logistics of scheduling and observing remote field experience evaluations of candidates. According to National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS.T) (2003), observations require an investment of time, scheduling logistics, and trained professionals to observe and analyze evaluation data. The authors of NETS.T (2003) state, “Put another way, observation opportunities are precious and should be designed to make every moment count” (p. 112). Technology, particularly in the form of videoconferencing, is being used to develop and improve the level of communication when observing and evaluating candidates. This …

College Students’ Perceptions Of Their "Best" And "Worst" Courses And Instructors, Debra S. Emmelman, Michael Decesare

Sociology Faculty Publications

This paper presents results from a content analysis of college students' descriptions of their "best" and " worst " courses and instructors. We were interested primarily in two issues: how college students evaluate their courses , and the extent to which they emphasize various dimensions in their evaluations. We found that students evaluated their course experiences along seven interrelated dimensions: factors external to the course, level of tedium, classroom activities, classroom atmosphere, instructor's comportment, workload/assignments/grading issues, and acquisition of knowledge and skills. These dimensions were emphasized to different degrees and tended to vary in oppositional manners according to the type …

Academic Leaders Use Innovative Doctoral Programs To Respond To Shortage Of Business School Faculty, Darrell Burrell, Asila Safi

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

As more universities create weekend, evening, and on-line master’s programs in business (MBA) in the United States, the shortage for university faculty in college business schools continues to grow, especially in Information Technology, Management, and Finance. If you review the USA university job search website http://www.higheredjobs.com/, you will see that there are plenty of high paying jobs for business school faculty around the country. These jobs require instructors to publish articles, work on research projects, make presentations at professional conferences, while teaching on average of only 3 classes a semester for full time salaries. Having a doctorate degree also provides …

Book Review: Island Of The Lost: Shipwrecked At The Edge Of The World By Joan Druett, Peter A. Maresco

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

A book review of Island of the Lost by Joan Druett.

A Follower's View Of Leadership, Albert Desimone Jr.

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

Leadership and leaders—the embodiment of leadership—exist to effect positive change. If we were all satisfied with the way things are in the world, there would be no need for leaders. We would still need managers to oversee the individuals who maintain the status quo, and we would still need supervisors to oversee the tasks and processes associated with that maintenance.

It Governance And Digital Application Of Online Customers Expectations, Ezendu Ariwa, Sarah Olaya

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

The main purpose of this study is to: Investigate and identify UK online customers’ perceived key elements of hotel websites information contents for purchases decision. Use the key elements identified as ‘measurement indicators’. Evaluate the performance of UK two and three –star hotel websites.

A Mentoring Process To Support Teachers’ Growth And Retention, David Bell, Earl Thomas

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

As educational consultants one of the pressing needs that we find administrators often recognize is the need for mentoring new and veteran teachers. Despite their concerns mentoring is often not part of the school system or it is executed in a haphazard manner. For example, when principals are asked to describe the current teacher mentoring system they often report that they just assign new teachers with veteran teachers who are willing to take on an additional responsibility. This suggests there is a lack of attention given to the importance of the quality relationship that must be established between mentor teacher …

Teachers Perception Of Principals Leadership Capacities In Nigeria, M. Arikewuyo

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

Without any doubt, leadership plays a dominant role in the outcome of any organized effort aimed at a particular goal or a set of goals. It is the genius of leadership that mobilises human and material resources and creates the necessary climate for productivity. As a matter of fact, studies have shown that leadership accounts for most of the outcomes observable in Organisations. In the view of Jiboyewa (1988), leadership involves much more than the behaviours exhibited by leaders in any other organisation.

The Future Of Site-Based Management: Principals Are The Key, Agnes Richardson

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

Site-Based Management (SBM), also known as decentralization, is a process that gives decision-making power over educational programs to individual schools instead of district offices with the ultimate goal of improved student learning (Hansen 2005; Tanner and Stone 1998; Walker 2007). It is a concept that was introduced to education over two decades ago (Cromwell 2005). There are a number of states and major cities in the United States that have legislated and mandated SBM programs, including Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Chicago, New York City, and Los Angeles (Chittum 2006; Walker 2007). SBM successes and failures have a …

Curriculum Integration: A Trial, Pat Grant, Kathy Paige

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Curriculum integration and working in teams are two key characteristics of middle schooling in Australia today. As part of a new primary/middle teacher education program an interdisciplinary team of academics has developed a course that aims to teach pre service teachers how to plan for and teach an integrated curriculum unit in an authentic context: their 6 week school placement. This paper will describe the first cycle of an action research project detailing the issues for the third year pre service teachers and for the staff involved in teaching the course as they come to grips with new ways of …

School-Based Mentoring: Drawing Strength From The Community To Help At-Risk Students, Shauna Valentine, Paul Caldarella, Adam Fisher, Jennifer James, Janet Young, Michael Adams

Faculty Publications

What is a mentor? Someone with greater wisdom or experience; Someone who offers guidance or instruction intended to facilitate growth and development; A guide, teacher, friend, tutor, advocate, motivator, role model, link to another generation.