Digital Commons Network^™

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

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Backbone Of Classroom Instruction, Bilqees Patel

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

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 …

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 …

Resilient Teachers: A Qualitative Study Of Six Thriving Educators In Urban Elementary Schools, Paul Giroux

Dissertations

This qualitative research study used elements of phenomenological and narrative research methodology to explore the common characteristics and experiences of a sample of resilient elementary teachers working in urban schools. The six research subjects in this study’s sample each had at least eight years of teaching experience, and each participated in a cycle of three in-depth interviews designed to determine their degree of resilience and to develop a portrait of their personal and professional characteristics, experiences, attitudes and beliefs. Once the data collection phase was complete, data was coded and then analyzed to identify which of the characteristics and experiences …

Audio-Assisted Reading With Digital Audiobooks For Upper Elementary Students With Reading Disabilities, Kelli J. Esteves

Dissertations

Audio-assisted reading has been used as an effective instructional intervention for students with learning disabilities (Carbo, 1978; Gilbert, Williams, & McLaughlin, 1996) and with struggling readers (Chomsky, 1976; Hollingsworth, 1978; Hoskisson & Krohm, 1974; Koskinen, Blum, Bisson, Phillips, Creamer, & Baker, 2000; Rasinski, 1990). The strategy involves reading along while listening to an audio recording of a fluent model (Evans, 1997).

The goal of this study was to compare the efficacy of audio-assisted reading with digital audiobooks against the traditional practice of sustained silent reading in terms of reading fluency rates and reading attitude scores with upper elementary students with …

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 …

Michigan Elementary School Facility Quality And Its Impact On Student Achievement, Brett A. Geier

Dissertations

Studies on school facility quality and its impact on student achievement have been conducted throughout the nation with varying results. Some studies conclude a significant relationship exists between facility condition and student achievement, while others refute this potential phenomenon. Much of the research concludes that not enough analyses have been conducted to make appropriate generalizations. This research study focused on the condition ofelementary schools in Michigan and utilized the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (M.E.A.P.) examinations in reading and mathematics at the third, fourth and fifth grade levels as the dependent variable to assess the relationship between building condition and student …

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

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Reading Beyond The Lines, Sultana Ali Norozi

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

No abstract provided.

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 …

Towards The Understanding Of Societal Cultures And Leadership In Non-Western Countries: An Exploratory Study On Egypt, Abdel Moneim

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

The purpose of this study was to examine the societal culture in Egypt in relation with leadership attributes. This paper also reported and elaborated on the dimensions of Egypt’s culture using GLOBE categories. When I examined the societal culture using the nine GLOBE dimensions, Egypt appeared to have the lowest score on assertiveness among all the 62 countries, and had relatively lower scores on uncertainty avoidance, societal collectivism, future orientation, and gender egalitarianism. On the other hand, Egypt had the third highest score on in-group collectivism, and had relatively high scores on performance orientation, power distance, and humane orientation. In …

Mystic Inspiration Of Effective Habits?, Dennis Mcdougall, Rhonda S. Black, Garnett J. Smith, James Skouge

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

Although numerous and diverse publications address professors’ writing and research productivity, exceedingly few empirical studies report findings for interventions designed and implemented to increase professors’ research productivity. This study used an innovative mixed methods design with a concurrent triangulation strategy and methods from two research traditions that investigators rarely integrate – quantitative single-case interventions and qualitative inquiry. Processes and findings from this study illustrate how researchers can combine these methods to illuminate the how and why of changes in performance in participant-interventionist studies. In this study, university professors used goal setting and behavioral self-management techniques to increase their daily research …

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.

Leadership Through Collaborative Strategic Planning: One School’S Journey, Sally Lewis, Sylvia Imler

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

Educational administrators, school board members, and policy makers have been mandated to account for the learning and performance of the highly diverse students that comprise today’s classrooms. The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2002 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA 2004) have presented a set of challenges for educating all children using data-driven decisions in a standards-based curriculum with culturally responsive practices. These mandates from federal and state legislation demand a change in administrative culture. These challenges require school personnel to develop plans to adjust their practices to meet the academic and behavioral needs of …

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

Faculty Publications

Research has shown that those students who are socially withdrawn or isolated have difficulty learning appropriate social conduct which places them at risk for difficulties later in life (Oden, 1980; Patterson, Reid, & Dishion,1992). Children who were avoided, neglected, or teased were at high risk for developing behavioral and emotional disorders (Gresham, MacMillan, & Bocian, 1998).

Nefdc Exchange, Volume 18, Number 2, Fall 2007, New England Faculty Development Consortium

New England Faculty Development Consortium Exchange

Contents

Message from the President - Judy Miller, Clark University

From the editors - Tom Thibodeau, New England Institute of Technology, and Jeanne Albert, Castleton State College

NEFDC Fall Conference, Friday, November 9, 2007, Worcester, Massachusetts; theme: Engaged Learning: Fostering Student Success; keynote speaker: George Kuh, Indiana University

Engaged Learning: The Foundation for Student Success, Note from our Fall Conference Keynote Speaker - George Kuh, Indiana University

Fall Conference Agenda

Learning Through Community Engagement - Kevin R. Kearney, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Reciprocal Mentoring - Mathew L. Ouellett and Susan E. McKenna, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Helpful …

Digital Generation Pre-Service Teachers As Change Agents: A Paradox, Sharn Donnison

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In this paper I examine the assumptions or ‘cultural models’ (Gee, 1992, p. 60) that 70 aspiring Digital Generation pre-service teachers in south-east Queensland have formed about themselves as future teachers. This paper is drawn from a larger study that focused on the cultural models and resulting discourses that these pre-service teachers expressed about the development of their future lives and careers. In this paper, I argue that these pre-service teachers possess conflicting cultural models about both themselves as teaching professionals and as social activists. While they profess to be educational and social change agents they also profess discourses of …

Turkish Pre-Service Teachers' Beliefs About The Importance Of Teaching Chemistry, Esen Uzuntiryaki, Yezdan Boz

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The purpose of this study was to describe Turkish pre-service chemistry teachers’ beliefs about the importance of teaching chemistry in high schools. For this purpose, 45 pre-service chemistry teachers were administered a questionnaire involving open-ended questions which asked what the importance of teaching chemistry is, and why we teach chemistry in high schools. Based on the written responses, 12 pre-service teachers were chosen to be interviewed to obtain more elaborated information about their beliefs. Data analysis revealed that most of the pre-service teachers expressed that chemistry should be taught in order to explain daily life events. However, a very small …

Collaboration: Advocacy For School Change, Cynthia Strong

SPU Works

Adolescent literacy is a looming issue in secondary schools. Being able to read, comprehend, and write is imperative for students to understand the content of their classes and textbooks. According to Michael Kamil, professor of psychological studies in education and learning at Stanford University, "we almost need a trauma center to take care of this problem, it's that serious for kids that can't read...It's the number-one factor standing in the way of their graduating" (Manzo-Kennedy). Given the importance of literacy, this article provides a story of how a high school media specialist on the east coast sought to collaborate with …

Inside Unlv, Shane Bevell, Diane Russell, Erin O'Donnell, Mamie Peers, Grace Russell, Cate Weeks

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

A Decision To Serve: Decision Making Through Service Learning, Elizabeth A. Romey

Perspectives In Learning

The use of service learning and community service with students at all levels of ability is becoming increasingly prevalent, especially with gifted students, because of their need to prepare for college applications. These applications often require a range of activities including community service as well as straight academic success. However, the distinction between community service, a reactive activity, and service learning, a proactive process in which students take leadership roles in their community, is not always emphasized. The role of structured decision-making processes, like those in Talents Unlimited and Future Problem Solving, to enable gifted students to take proactive leadership …

Editorial Board, About This Issue, Table Of Contents, Deirdre Greer

Perspectives In Learning

Welcome to Volume 8, Issue 2 of Perspectives in Learning. This issue represents our first fall publication and begins with an article by Lenoir Gillam and Lisa Shaw, which details the process of student placements in partner schools for a counseling program. The authors reveal how the use of data has improved this process.

Constructivism In Early Childhood Education, Joseph Mills

Perspectives In Learning

At most universities and colleges, a form of constructivism based on child psychological theories dominates the stage as the “official knowledge pre-service early childhood teachers must know to be proclaimed competent” (Livingston, 2003, p. 3). Why, then, have the understandings of how children learn and the teaching practices suggested by this theory not taken root in many early childhood classrooms? In attempting to answer this question through a review of current literature in the field, three topics of discussion have been suggested: an explanation of the development and learning theories which support constructivism, identifying classroom practices which are considered to …

Voices Echoing The Past: 'I Decided To Do Teaching Because Of The Teacher That I Had.' Thirteen Female Secondary Entry-Level Teachers Candidates Teaching Not Only What But Also How They Were Taught, Steven S. Sexton

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper reports on a study that sought to uncover and explore the beliefs female secondary pre-service teachers held about teaching and being the teacher as they entered into their teacher education programs. The results indicated that for the participating teacher candidates it was their prior teachers in their intended subject who most informed how they saw themselves in the role as the teacher. Specifically, those secondary teachers who sought critical thinking in them as students impacted upon this teacher-role identity the most. Implications highlight the lack of research on females in secondary education and the importance in-service teachers play …

Homework: A Nightly Ritual Beginning In The Elementary Grades, Ann-Marie N. Skaggs

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Homework has become an accepted staple within education in the United States. However, little is acknowledged regarding the influences homework has on students. The purpose of this extended literature review is to look at the influences of homework on students in the elementary grades. The following research on homework was found through books, peer-reviewed journal articles, government reports, magazine articles, and interviews. Within the research, educational, socioeconomic, and parental factors show the largest influence, both positive and negative toward homework. The author discusses future implications to better improve homework's influence on students in the elementary grades. These implications include a …

Unpacking The Millennials: A Cautionary Tale For Teacher Education, Sharn Donnison

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper is about the millennial generation. Much has been written about the generation: their character; beliefs; motivations; values; and future potentialities. This literature has gained momentum as marketers, employers, and educators seek to understand the generation as they come of age and enter into positions of social responsibility. The purpose of this paper is to examine the claims made about the Millennials, determine who are making these claims and why, and discuss the utility of such claims for teacher educators. This paper argues that teacher educators should be cautious about accepting and adopting popular discourses about the generation as …

A Cross-Cultural Teacher Training Program For Singaporean Muslim Students, Margaret Bowering

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Drawing upon evaluations of a teacher-training program for Muslim participants presented by Edith Cowan University staff in Singapore, this case study provides readers with insights into program design and management. It reports on lecturer and student attitudes as revealed in evaluations of the Singapore short course. In drawing the conclusion that attention must be given to cultural matters such as religious values and obligations and issues of language and assessment, the article asks the reader to rethink the universality of prevailing notions about internationalisation, particularly those relating to the necessary redesign of the curriculum. It ends with the suggestion that …