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Giving My Heart A Voice: Reflection On Self And Others Through The Looking Glass Of Pedagogy: An Autoetnography, Vera L. Neyman

Dissertations

To improve students academic outcomes this auto-ethnographic dissertation examines my teaching practice in the Ukraine and in the United States, and the similarities and differences between the two educational systems. This study, designed in the form of auto-ethnographic vignettes, explores the effect of my personal and professional metamorphosis on the academic advancement of my students, and investigates the conditions that molded me into a teacher I am today. Through the reflections on the process of self-development as an individual and a teacher, I discovered that building the relationship of trust between school and family is an underlying condition for improving …

Teachers' And Principals' Perspectives Of Literacy Coaching In An Elementary School., Barbara Jane Anderson Hull

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to discover the literacy coach's tasks and qualities teachers valued the most and which qualities they valued the least. Knowing those precepts might help one to become a more efficient and valuable resource for both classroom teachers and principals. School visits, focus group interviews, individual interviews, interviews with each principal, and documents from the 3 southwest Virginia schools in 2 districts provided the data for analysis. Teachers' and principals' perspectives of literacy coaching explained both the desirable and undesirable practices and techniques.

The 3 schools had been swept into a change process when …

School Readiness: Parent Perceptions, Behaviors, And Child Ability Related To Ethnicity And Socioeconomic Status, Courtney N. Baldwin

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This project used data from the School Readiness Survey (SR) of the 2007 National Household Education Surveys Program collected by the National Center for Education Statistics Institute of Education Science. A subsample of 1,712 to 2,622 subjects who participated in the survey was used for this project. The purpose of the study was to examine parent perceptions, behaviors, and reported child ability related to school readiness and the effect ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES) had on each comparison. Variables from the existing data were matched to one of the five domains of School Readiness: Health and Physical Development, Social and …

Examining The Moral Development Of Young Children And Their Naturalistic Displays Of Empathy Through Service-Learning Experiences In Preschool, Elizabeth Paris

HIM 1990-2015

Moral development in preschool is a component of social and emotional development, which also includes self-regulation, interpersonal skills, and school readiness. While service-learning has demonstrated significant benefits to the social-emotional development of older students, very little research has examined the effects of service-learning with young children. The purpose of this study was to create an academic curriculum that would provide preschool children (3 to 5 years old) with a developmentally-appropriate approach to service-learning, and determine if such a curriculum had a measurable effect on naturalistic empathy. Children in two classrooms received a preliminary empathy score based on number of empathetic …

Learning Middle School Mathematics Through Student Designed And Constructed Video Games, Camille M. Mccue

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Mathematics achievement is an area in which American precollege students are faltering. Emerging research suggests that making mathematics instruction relevant and applicable in the lives of youth may impact math achievement, especially when it capitalizes on high-interest technologies such as video games.

Employing a quasi-experimental and descriptive approach, this study examined the mathematics (i.e., numbers and operations, algebra, geometry, measurement, and probability) that middle school students employed during their design and construction of video games. First, it examined the mathematics content learned by 19 sixth and seventh graders during their analysis, synthesis, and programming of three video game projects over …

Evaluation Of A High School Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (Siop) Implementation, Samuel L. Ray

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many school systems across the USA have implemented sheltered instruction observation protocol (SIOP) strategies to help their English language learners (ELLs) master core content while they learn English. Most studies have reported positive results from using SIOP strategies with ELLs. Elementary and middle school studies were available, but studies of SIOP implementation in a comprehensive high school were lacking. This action research project was initiated by teacher leaders (department chairs) and the school principal. It included a year of combined SIOP training and implementation. After the first academic year of utilizing SIOP school-wide, an anonymous electronic survey was used to …

Teaching Across Borders: Business As Usual?, Bobbe Mcghie Allen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The quest to comprehend how cultural differences can impact learning is one of those intriguing challenges that continue to beguile some scholars and educational leaders even at a time that is characterized as globalized. This dissertation is a qualitative case study about teaching to culturally diverse populations and is primarily based on the interviews of seven accountants designated as instructors and the direct observation of those instructors while teaching accounting principles to other accountants. The English language was used despite the fact that all participants, including the instructors, spoke English as a second or third language and came from diverse …

Investigating The Effects Of A Combined Problem-Solving Strategy For Students With Learning Difficulties In Mathematics, Dustin B. Mancl

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Many students, specifically those with learning difficulties in mathematics, struggle when presented with word problems to solve. With this in mind, the purpose of this research was to examine the effects of the READER Strategyon word problem performance of students with mathematics disabilities and students who are at-risk to fail in mathematics. There were two parts to this research. Part One was implemented using a single-subject design (i.e., multiple-probe across participants) and Part Two was implemented using a group design (i.e., 2 x 4 factorial design). The single-subject design included three participants identified as having mathematics disabilities. There were two …

Teacher Gesture In A Post-Secondary English As A Second Language Classroom: A Sociocultural Approach, Natalie Hudson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Vygotsky (1978) uses the example of gesture in a child, stating that finger pointing represents an interpersonal relationship, and only after this cultural form is internalized can an intrapersonal relationship develop. Language learning must be viewed in the context of social interaction, and the gesture of others, specifically language instructors toward their students, is a form of social interaction worthy of attention. Newman and Holzman (1993) discuss the idea of performance as a mode of semiotic mediation related to meaning making. Daniels, Cole, and Wertsch (2007) also discuss the concept of performance, stating that gestures are tools which assist performance. …

Middle School Students' Perceptions Of The Gender And Ethnic Gap In Achievement, Marian Elizabeth Hendrickson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study used a mix-method approach to determine achievement gap in gender and ethnicity. Quantitative data was collected from the 2008-2009 Arkansas state Benchmark exam to investigate the extent of the gap in the school. Qualitative data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with 13 students. The students were asked to explain their perceptions of the gender and ethnicity gap in the school. The use of two methods for this study enabled the researcher to better understand the actual achievement gap that appeared at the school and compare this information to the information provided by the participants. The Quantitative data gathered …

A Sociocultural Approach To Esl For Adult Learners, Whitney Putnam

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The following portfolio is a collection of work submitted for the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program at Utah State University. Within this portfolio is the author's personal philosophy on effective language teaching written with a college-level ESL classroom in mind. Following the teaching philosophy are different artifacts and reflections, all related to the philosophy on teaching, but separate in topic. The three artifacts demonstrate the author's understanding of the role of language, culture, and literacy in a second language classroom. Also included in this portfolio is an annotated bibliography containing the scholarly works which support the writings here.

Bridging Professional Development And Context: Integrating Mathematics And Academic Language In A District Facing Takeover, Patricia Swanson, David Whitenack

Faculty Publications

This quasi-experimental, multi-phase study uses mixed methods to evaluate a professional development initiative focused on integrating mathematics and academic language. The context is a highly diverse urban district facing state takeover. The professional development focused on the understanding of key mathematics concepts and developing content-specific academic language. It linked explicitly to district-adopted texts and prescribed lesson formats. Teachers perceived the strategies to be feasible and beneficial to student learning, and had high rates of implementation. Nonetheless, pacing guides pressuring teachers to quickly cover content pose challenges for continued implementation. Implications for (1) professional development focusing on integrating subject-matter content and …

Challenges Of Oral English In English As A Second Language (Esl) Learning In Nigeria, Olufunso Fasanmi

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

Second language learning has continued to pose learning challenges to English as a Second Language Learner (ESL) learners in Nigeria. Many scholars have carried out various research works on the problems of language learning and have come out with various recommendations, but in spite of these efforts, the problems of learning to use a second language have persisted. As it is, many of the teachers of English are non – native speakers and secondly, the language is being learnt and used far away from its natural environment. Elugbe (2000) observes that non native speakers are not likely to have expertise …

Implementing A Dialogic Reading Intervention: The Experiences Of Teachers Of Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Students, Jacquelyn Urbani

Education | Faculty Authored Dissertations and Theses

Deaf and hard of hearing children (hereafter DHH) frequently have delayed language and little experience with books because they do not share a common language with their hearing parents. However, there is little research concerning language and literacy development in the DHH classroom and equally little discussion of teacher responsibilities to address these issues. This study investigated the implementation of dialogic reading, which aims to engage students in active discussion and retellings of stories, using American Sign Language, called story signings. Because dialogic reading research with language delayed, hearing preschool students resulted in significant improvement of language skill (Whitehurst, Arnold, …

Language Policy And Planning For Education In Cameroon And Nigeria, Ruth Adebile

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

The goals and overall philosophy of education in any nation is the pre-requisite to the formation of language policy and planning for education. Language generally is always a crucial phenomenon and it becomes more crucial and controversial when it has to do with formulation of policies in education (Dada, 2005) part of the reason for this is simply because most of the language problems in many African countries are colonial legacies. The language problem is even volatile in some African countries like Cameroon and Nigeria. As it is going to be expanciated in this write-up, both Cameroon and Nigeria are …

Age And Sex Differences In Information Utilization Among Legislators In Benue State Of Nigeria, Demekaa Umbur, Anthony Igbashal

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

The objective of the study is to determine the differences of legislators’ age and sex on their information utilization.

Literary Creativity In Second Language English: A Speech Act Study Of Ola Rotimi’S Ovonrawmen Nogbaisi, M.J. Oloko

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

Language remains the most formidable tool that writers use for literary creativity. It is the vehicle through which literature delights and instructs. The most important gift God gave human beings over and above other creatures he created is the power of language (Ezeigbo 2008). Language is indispensable to the creative artists, to literary critics, who must have a facility for words. Words are no doubt a powerful tool in the literary arsenal of the writer. In the hands of a writer, words can do a lot of things. Writers are creative people who create with words. It is no longer …

Eliminating Health Discrepancies: Insights Through Free Market Or State Control, A. Singh, Bharathi Purohit

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

Healthcare inequality or healthcare disparity refers to the differences in the quality of health and health care across different populations. This may include differences in the prevalence of disease, health outcomes, or access to health care across racial, ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic groups. Differences among populations in the presence of disease and health outcomes are well documented in many areas. In the United States, disparities are well documented in minority populations such as African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Latinos, with these groups having higher incidence of chronic diseases, higher mortality, and poorer overall health outcomes. For example, the …

Resistance Meets Spirituality In Academia: "I Prayed On It!", Vonzell Agosto, Zorka Karanxha

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Faculty Publications

We describe the lived experiences of a Black Woman educational leader who has studied and worked in the academy and in the field of K-12 education. This partial life history, excavated through the tenets of Critical Race Theory (CRT), illuminates the social construction of race and the pervasiveness and permanence of racism. We determined through a series of interviews that the participant's resilient resistance is guided by critical spirituality so that circumstances and people who challenge her also confront this source of power. Her lived experience, from student to faculty member, conveys the challenges and opportunities she faces and adds …

The Need To Create Culturally Responsive Teachers: Implications For Teacher Education Programs, Cass Griffin

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

Using nine reflections as a centerpiece, this thesis aims is to inform readers about the power that an international travel experience and/or practica in dual-language environments can have in becoming a more effective teacher, a culturally responsive teacher.  From personal experience in a both settings, I think I am now better able to relate to students with culturally or linguistically diverse backgrounds because I have been in a similar situation. Students with diverse backgrounds (that are different from their teacher) may have extra difficulty communicating or expressing their thoughts and ideas. Teachers need to recognize these difficulties and respond appropriately …

Development And Design Of A Merged Secondary And Special Education Teacher Preparation Program, Ann Fullerton, Barbara Ruben, Stephanie Mcbride, Susan Bert

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

As middle and secondary classrooms become increasingly inclusive, some special educators may not be prepared to teach content, and some general educators may not be prepared to address diverse learning needs. This mismatch between the reality of today's schools and traditional teacher preparation has led to the development of new models for teacher education that integrate or merge special education and general education. Integrated and merged models are two approaches to combining special and general education pedagogy for teacher education. In merged programs, faculty in general and special education collaborate to develop one program in which all candidates receive licensure …

An Analysis Of Teachers’ Discourse And Their Perceptions Concerning The Use Of Questioning And Feedback During Reading Instruction In Third-Grade Classrooms, Jennifer C. Farist

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

The purpose of this study was to investigate teacher talk during elementary reading instruction. The study was designed to gain insight into existing discourse patterns and to attempt to understand how change in these patterns might be facilitated. The design of the study evolved after a review of existing literature on the topic of teacher talk indicated a lack of widespread, intentional focus on classroom discourse and its potential impact on student learning.

Qualitative methods were used to capture the language used by third-grade teachers during read aloud instruction. Data sources included audio recordings of lessons and teacher interviews. These …

The Promotion Of “Character” And Its Relationship To Retention In Higher Education, Karen Noble, Robyn Henderson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

With transition to university a strong focus across most higher

education institutions, undergraduate teacher education programs have been

increasingly scrutinised regarding their (in)ability to adequately prepare students

for the challenging social contexts that they will meet. As a result, there has been

a burgeoning of approaches which initiate beginning students. In the Education

Faculty of a regional Australian university, the FYI (First Year Infusion/For Your

Information) Program attempts to build capacity among pre-service students in a

supportive learning community. In an intentionally created context, the program

provides a Learning Circle approach to student support. Through consciously

infusing the value of …

Evaluation Of A Merged Secondary And Special Education Program, Ann Fullerton Dr., Barbara Ruben, Stephanie Mcbride, Susan Bert

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

If classroom teachers are among the greatest determinant of student learning, then teacher preparation programs have a role to play improving educational outcomes for struggling learners. There are currently three established teacher preparation program models: (1) "discrete"; (2) "integrated"; and (3) "merged." In the "discrete" model, which is the most widely implemented of the three, general and special education programs are separate. In the "integrated" model, separate programs are retained but faculty work together to develop some courses and/or field experiences in which special education candidates learn about the general education curriculum while general education candidates learn about inclusive education. …

Forum On Identity, Angela Bilia, Christopher Dean, Judith Hebb, Monica F. Jacobe, Doug Sweet, Sue Doe, Mike Palmquist

English Faculty Articles and Research

The forum contributors draw on their personal experiences and insights to put forth ideas about contingent faculty's relations with other faculty and with the academic institution as a whole.

Reviewing The Literature On “At-Risk” And Resilient Children And Young People, Ria Hanewald

Australian Journal of Teacher Education