Digital Commons Network^™

Professionalization Of Occupational Therapists: A Study Of Emergent Identities, Lou Ann Sooy Griswold

Doctoral Dissertations

The unprecedented demand for occupational therapists and resulting growth in student numbers necessitates the need to understand how students acquire professional ideology, learn expected role behavior, and identify themselves as occupational therapists. This ethnographic study includes interview data from a series of three interviews with 37 trainees, from freshmen to the first year of employment, who had been or were in the occupational therapy program at Worcester State College, in central Massachusetts. Students included women and men who were preparing for either a first or second career. Interviews with six academic faculty and seven fieldwork supervisors in three areas of …

An Investigation Into Students' Conceptual Understandings Of The Graphical Representation Of Polynomial Functions, Judith Ellen Curran

Doctoral Dissertations

Mathematics educators are realizing the impact that technology is having on the way mathematical functions can be represented and manipulated. The increased use of graphing technology in the classroom is paralleled by an increased emphasis on the role of the graphical representation of a function to solve problems. These changes together with a recognition of the significance and complexity of developing a rich understanding of the graphical representations of polynomial functions are the motivation behind this research.

The study was designed to explore students' conceptual understandings of the graphs of polynomial functions. Guided by a constructivist approach to conceptual change, …

Acquaintance Rape, Thomas A. Paulsen

Graduate Research Papers

Most people associate rape with strangers. More women fear being raped by a stranger than by an acquaintance and authorities are more likely to respond to reports of stranger rape than acquaintance rape (Abbey, 1991). Sexual aggression in dating situations, commonly called date rape or acquaintance rape, is more common and more serious than is often realized. Acquaintance rape occurs when the assailant and the victim know one another and is four times more likely to occur than stranger rape (Warshaw, 1988).

The Ultra Project (The Universities Language Teaching Research Agreement) : A Joint Investigation By Edith Cowan University, Western Australia And The Guangzhou Foreign Language University, The People's Republic Of China, Into The Use Of Intensive And Immersion Approaches To Language Teaching And Learning At University Level, Alistair L. Mcgregor, Ian G. Malcolm

Research outputs pre 2011

No abstract provided.

Interest Group Influence On Sex Education Policy In Utah: A Cultural Perspective, Thomas H Terry

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

A case study of Utah's sex education debate of the late 1980s and early 1990s is the vehicle used to study the education and social policy process of Utah. Interest group influence is tested, and Utah history and Mormon sexual culture are discussed. The influence of historical and cultural forces on policy, through the medium of interest groups, is explored. Strong indications of group influence are revealed and groups are found to be representative of dissimilar, competing cultures in Utah. Migration is found to play a key role in social conflict in Utah.

From Teaching To Learning: A New Paradigm For Undergraduate Education, Robert B. Barr, John Tagg

Higher Education

Two alternative paradigms for undergraduate education are compared; one holds teaching as its purpose, the other learning. The natures of the two paradigms are examined on the following dimensions: mission and purposes, criteria for success, teaching and learning structures, underlying learning theory, concepts of productivity and methods of funding, and faculty and staff roles in instruction and governance.

The Secondary School Assistant Principal, Victoria W. Halsey Edd

Dissertations

School leadership research typically centers around the high profile roles of the site level principal and the district superintendent. The resulting scarcity of information in regard to the role of the assistant principal is contributing to ineffective training, fewer initial guidelines and an overall lack of clear conceptualization of the position. The purpose of this study was to construct a realistic portrayal of the assistant principal's daily professional life in the educational arena. This qualitative, ethnographic study stressed depth, richness and accuracy to depict the singular and collective voices of the participants. Eight practicing Junior and Senior High School assistant …

A Decade Of Home Schooling In Saskatchewan, Canada (1984-1994): A Case Study, Sandra Christine Hill Edd

Dissertations

The efficacy of alternative education has had a significant impact on public education. The diversity of cultures, lifestyles, and needs of home-schooling families compelled the public educational sector to make available educational alternatives. The purpose of this study was to build upon previous research (Hill, 1988) by interviewing a sample of the same families and their children to investigate the longitudinal experiences for a follow-up study. The representative sample participated in a study entitled An Investigation of Home Schooling in Saskatchewan (Hill, 1988). Twenty families (18 parents and 25 children) were interviewed; 10 were selected as case studies. Home schoolers …

Using Drawing Tasks To Communicate Ideas About Photosynthesis: A Conceptual Change Strategy For Use In The Elementary School Classroom., Byron Levy Launey

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

It is difficult for a teacher to determine if a learner has acquired an accurate concept of the topic being taught. Most of the children in this study had sufficient language skills to communicate successfully with their teachers even though they held inappropriate concepts of photosynthesis. This study examined the use of drawing tasks to assess children's ideas related to photosynthesis in an elementary-grade classroom. Two research questions guided the study to determine if this strategy was a valid improvement over traditional methods of classroom instruction. The first question asked if elementary-grade students receiving instruction about photosynthesis would acquire and …

Articulation Of French Programs Between Secondary And Postsecondary Institutions: Language And Culture Performance Achieved By High School Students Enrolled In French Ii And College Students Enrolled In Second Semester Of French., Fatima Chajia

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine whether or not there are differences in the performance achieved by high school students (enrolled in French II) and college students (enrolled in second semester of French), on tests of culture, listening, reading, grammar, speaking and writing. The results from the background questionnaires and the six tests show that: (1) Selfplacement is the most common procedure used by university false-beginners; (2) Overall, college students scored significantly higher than their high school counterparts on all six tests; (3) College true- and false-beginners scored significantly higher than high school students on tests of listening, …

The Effects Of Teacher Efficacy, School Climate, And Stages Of Concern On The Implementation Of A Physical Science Program., Jennifer B. Baird

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This study investigated the implementation of a physical science education innovation in a large, urban school system. The program began in the summer of 1993 with the selection of two teachers from each of seventeen elementary schools. Participants were selected by program staff from among a pool of applicants with an interest in science education. The goals of the program included retraining teachers to implement hands-on, inquiry-based physical science and performance-based assessments. Teachers were provided with instructional materials, including science kits, and on-going support and assistance from science and assessment specialists. Specifically, the study examined the relationship between the independent …

Identification Of Activities That Are Appropriate Parts Of A Partnership Between Secondary Technology Education Programs And Business And Industry., Charles Edward Backes

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to identify specific activities that are considered appropriate parts of a partnership between secondary technology education programs and the business and industry community by experts in the field of technology education and business and industry in the southeastern region of the United States. The states included in the study were Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. A form of the Delphi Technique was used to solicit and reach consensus on the appropriateness of partnership activities between secondary technology education programs and members of the business and industry community. …

A Cross-Case Analysis Of Middle School Reading Teachers' Theoretical Orientations As They Relate To Classroom Practices., Shirley Theriot Fogleman

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Each interaction between teachers and students is a reflection of the theory that these professionals, sometimes unknowingly, posit about what should be occurring in their classrooms. The purpose of this study is to explore the differences between middle school language arts teachers' beliefs about how children actually read a text, and how these teachers translate these beliefs into classroom practices. The beliefs we hold about reading comprehension are essential to our understanding about how we should instruct and assess our students in our classes. Leu and Kinzer (1988) refer to two beliefs' frameworks of comprehension in reading, based on the …

Factors Influencing The Selection Of Business Majors As Perceived By Transfer And Non-Transfer Business Students., Norma Jeanne Jenkins Soileau

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The objectives of this study were to: (1) describe the students enrolled in the two-year business programs offered by state colleges and universities in Louisiana on selected demographic characteristics, (2) compare the students declaring transfer and non transfer majors in two-year business programs on selected demographic characteristics, (3) determine the influence of selected factors on the selection of a two-year business major, (4) determine the desirability of two-year business majors as perceived by students enrolled in Louisiana colleges and universities, which offer two-year business programs, and (5) determine the perceptions of students enrolled in Louisiana colleges and universities on selected …

The Socialization Of Beginning Principals In Louisiana: Organizational Constraints On Innovation., Scott Martin Norton

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the organizational socialization experiences of beginning principals. This study approached the problem through a mixed methodology strategy of research, using both quantitative and qualitative techniques. A factor analysis of 187 responses to a socialization survey instrument resulted in three components of socialization which were used as the dependent variables in the study. Variation was found in the principals' socialization level, but this variation was not predicted by any of the independent variables. For the dependent variable vision, African-American principals reported higher mean scores than white principals; also, principals in elementary schools showed …

Linguistic And Cultural Immersion And Second Language Acquisition: International Young Student Exchange., Rosita Mira Maristany

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The trend in foreign language learning reflects a move from "fragmented" language to "whole" language (Rigg 1991). It includes the individual as well as the social aspect of language acquisition; and the integration of language and culture. Student international exchange programs provide the ideal atmosphere for "whole" language learning and the integration of language and culture in total language and cultural immersion. Most research in international student exchange programs described the organization of the program or addressed a particular variable. There is a need for integrative "whole" research rather than "fragmented" research. The method chosen as most appropriate for this …

Evaluating The Efficacy Of Communicative Reading Strategies With High-Risk First-Grade Students., Melanie Crim Michaelson-Ezell

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The specific aim of this project was to determine the efficacy of an integrated approach to remediation of oral language and reading. Communicative Reading Strategies (CRS) (Norris, 1985) was used with a group of twenty-one high-risk first grade students. Improvements were measured for aspects of language development that are specifically related to success in oral language use and reading. Nine children demonstrating below average performance on standardized measures assessing language and reading received intervention. A control group of 12 matched children served to control for changes as a result of maturation or general curriculum effect. The treatment group received intervention …

The Effect Of Structured Task Presentations And Reinforcement On Attention, Achievement, And Attitude Of Selected High School Choirs., Dwayne E. Dunn

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This study nested a behavioral design within an experimental design to observe performance improvement after structuring the presentation of musical academic tasks, and to examine the effect of teacher reinforcement on student attentiveness, musical achievement, and attitude in choral ensembles. Two high school choral music classes (N = 60) were assigned intact to one of two treatments. The No Feedback Group (n = 29) received task presentations and directions followed by student performance and no verbal/facial teacher reinforcement. The Feedback Group (n = 31) received task presentations, directions, student performance, and teacher reinforcement. Three similar choral music excerpts were edited …

Principal Behaviors In Special Education: Secondary School Climate., Diane Simmons Brown

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This study examines the relationship of the high school principal and school climate with regard to special education. Perceptions of principals and general and special education teachers regarding school climate were measured by the Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire-Rutgers Secondary (OCDQ-RS) (Hoy, Tarter and Kottkamp, 1991). Perceptions of principal behaviors with regard to special education were measured by the Special Education Principal Behavior Profile (SEPBP), developed as a portion of this study. Findings suggested that principals and special education teachers have significantly different perceptions of school climate. Principal behaviors related to special education which were moderately correlated with the openness factor …

Content Development Strategies In Physical Education: An Exploratory Investigation Of Student Practice, Cognition, And Achievement., Edward Paul Hebert

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the manner in which content development strategies function in physical education instruction. The relative effects of three content development conditions on mediational variables and achievement of students varying in entry ability were compared. College students enrolled in four sections of tennis were assigned to one of three content development conditions: part training, simplification, and criterion. Four instructors taught three small groups of students, one using each content development strategy. Instructors followed detailed lesson plans standardized according to time allowed for serving practice, task presentation, provision of feedback, and task elements emphasized during …

An Approach To The Musical Analysis Of Wind Band Literature Based On Analytical Modes Used By Wind Band Specialists And Music Theorists., Jerome Raymond Markoch Jr

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to construct a method of musical analysis based on analytical modes used by theorists and wind-band specialists, and to apply this method to wind-band literature. The study was motivated by the failure of wind-band sources to address the spectrum of musical analysis and ideas practiced in the music theory community. Two bodies of literature were reviewed: (1) wind-band analyses and methods of analysis proposed by conductors and composers, and (2) analytical methodologies described by theorists. The analytical method advocated in this study modified and incorporated methods and ideas espoused by two theorists (Jan LaRue, …

An Examination Of Costs And Per-Pupil Revenues In Special Education With Simulations Designed To Enhance The Equity Of Louisiana's Special Education Financing Program., Alton John Royer Jr

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The primary issues this study addressed were special education costs and equity of special education per-pupil revenues among Louisiana's sixty-six school districts. Actual data from 1980 to 1992 were examined and four special education finance models were developed which addressed these issues. Average annual rates of increase in mean per-pupil revenues for regular education and special education were examined to determine the increase in cost of special education versus regular education. Findings indicated special education per-pupil revenues increased at four times the rate of regular education per-pupil revenues for the period examined. Special education per-pupil revenues were examined to determine …

A Study Of The Relationship Among Teacher, Process, And Outcome Variables Within School-Based Consultation., Katherine Frances Wickstrom

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This study investigated the relationship among several teacher, process, and outcome variables within school-based consultation. A total of 32 consultant-consultee dyads participated in the study until completion of a problem identification interview, a problem analysis interview, and a follow-up session. Four types of data were collected. First, sessions were tape recorded and coded to examine the effect of an "expert" versus a "collaborative" interaction style. Second, teachers completed paper and pencil measures pertaining to (a) attributions of child behavior, (b) preferred service delivery, (c) severity of behavior problem, (d) consultant verbal interactions, (e) treatment acceptability, and (f) teacher satisfaction. Third, …

Consultant Effectiveness And Treatment Acceptability: An Examination Of Consultee Requests And Consultant Responses., Dinah Stuart Graham

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Consultation is a process whereby a consultant (e.g., a psychologist) works with a direct caregiver (e.g., a teacher) to provide services to a client (e.g., a child). There has emerged a very strong supposition in the literature and in practice that consultation be a collaborative venture between co-equal professionals. Although a collaborative approach has been generally assumed beneficial, an emerging body of research is calling this into question. Further explication of the collaborative process is needed. Commonly held notions of "collaborative behavior" and "expert behavior" may be misleading, or inaccurate. This study was designed to elucidate the collaborative process. Teachers …

The Chemist In The College Chemistry Classroom: A Case Study Of Excellence., Anthony Quilah Zehyoue Jr

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Prominent in the agenda of science education research nowadays are studies focusing on the science teacher/professor. Consequently, this study focuses on a particular chemistry professor at Louisiana State University. He was chosen because of his outstanding and award-winning teaching activities; his voluntary workshops for area high school chemistry teachers; and his active involvement with a college chemistry curriculum reform committee, serving as chairman of the committee. Additionally, his continuing accomplishments and engagements with inorganic chemistry research activities are noteworthy. He was studied for three semesters in his teaching of introductory level chemistry to a large freshman class and his teaching …

An Insider's View: The Teacher As Impetus In Literacy Acquisition., Kerry Pierce Laster

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to derive a deeper understanding of one successful kindergarten teacher, her behaviors, and her effect on students as they develop early literacy skills. This study examined the following aspects of teacher behavior as they related to early literacy development: (a) the interactions of the teacher with regular education and special education inclusion students in an inclusive kindergarten classroom with holistic, language-based curricula, (b) the behaviors of the teacher while engaging students in the literacy processes of reading and writing, (c) the behaviors of the teacher as she encouraged students to react to books using …

Reconceptualizing A Secondary Content Area Reading Course From A Phenomenological Perspective Using Reflections Of Preservice Teachers., Edith Grossman Mayers

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This study is the reconceptualization of a secondary education six credit hour content area reading course. Classroom and field experiences were modified to promote preservice teachers' reflections concerning what teaching is, who teachers are, and self-as-teacher. The purpose of the revised multifaceted course was to provide opportunities for students' rethinking of teaching as they were taught or teaching as they experienced such in student teaching. In addition, prior lived experiences and students' resistance to a course in content area reading were examined from a hermeneutic phenomenological perspective. The existing course classroom experience was modified to include reading autobiographies and construction …

Caring Communication: Strategies And Skills For Health Professionals, Tony Hussey, Michael Finn, Yvonne Hauck

Research outputs pre 2011

Over the last 15 years, the teaching of professional interpersonal communication skills has become well established within the curriculum for most health professionals. Recognition is thereby given to the significance of interpersonal communication skills in professional practice. One of the challenges in teaching and learning in this area of skill is the recognition and analysis of examples of both good and bad practice. This package provides a number of such examples.

The package consists of 33 vignettes in health care settings. These vignettes variously depict skills or groups of skills, illustrate negative and dysfunctional communication behaviours and, through the print …

Children's Knowledge And Understanding Of Basic Number Facts, Jack Bana, Richard Korbosky

Research outputs pre 2011

Automatic recall of all the basic number facts is a major objective in primary school mathematics. This is an objective that is not easily attained. Many students have problems acquiring the skills which lead to correct and immediate responses (automatic recall) for all the basic number facts. Knowledge of the basic number facts is essential for undertaking all computation efficiently. These basic facts are defined as 0 + 0 to 9 + 9 for addition and their subtractive opposites; and 0 x 0 to 9 x 9 for multiplication and their inverses in division. This is a total of 390 …

A Focus On Learning : Wuality In Teaching & Learning : The Proceedings Of The Teaching & Learning Forum, Edith Cowan University, Perth, February 1995, Laurie Summers (Ed.)

Research outputs pre 2011

These papers represent the proceedings of the fourth Teaching and Learning Forum conducted in Perth from February 7-9, 1995. Curtin University hosted the first two Forums and we at Edith Cowan University the third and fourth. In 1996 the honour (and the hard work) transfers to Murdoch.

The Forum's objectives were:

• To bring together people in higher education who are interested in practical teaching issues (Lecturers, managers, administrators, students, support, general and technical staff).

• To share ideas, information and practices in a variety of mutually supportive, friendly and co-operative ways.

• To celebrate quality in teaching and learning …