Digital Commons Network^™

Examining The Potential Of Massive Open Online Courses (Moocs) At Historically Black Colleges And Universities (Hbcus), Andrés Castro Samayoa, Thai-Huy Nguyen, Marybeth Gasman, Felicia Commodore, Ufuoma Abiola

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

This article reviews the extant literature on distance learning technologies and historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). In the context of increased attention to massive open online courses (MOOCs), this article argues that HBCUs’ challenges with respect to their technological infrastructure suggests that they may be better suited to serve as advocates for bridging the persistent digital divide in the nation rather than adopters of MOOCs as a new instructional platform. The authors offer some suggestions for further research to ensure that HBCUS leaders can address larger systemic issues affecting the quality of education on their campuses.

The Effects Of Cluster-Based Mentoring Programme On Classroom Teaching Practices: Lessons From Pakistan, Meher Rizvi, Philip Nagy

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

This paper presents and evaluates a teacher training approach called the cluster-based mentoring programme (CBMP) for the professional development of government primary school teachers in Pakistan. The study sought to find differences in the teaching practices between districts where the CBMP was used (intervention) and control districts where it was not used (non-intervention). Data were analysed to examine the effectiveness of the CBMP in terms of enhancing teacher practices and student behaviour. The paper differentiates those aspects of classroom teaching where the CBMP has been the most effective and where it has been marginally effective or not effective at all, …

Players, Consumers And Creators: Literacy Orientations Among Adolescents Attending A Small, Rural School, Christina Marie Robison

Doctoral Dissertations

This phenomenological study identifies three distinct literacy orientations among ten eighth and ninth grade students who attend a small, rural school in Northern New England: Game Players, Critical Consumers, and Aspirational Creators. In order to understand ongoing challenges for rural students in post-secondary life, students’ literacy practices, values and beliefs are examined within the context of students’ lived experiences and analyzed through the lens of literacy sponsorship. Their literacy practices, which are superficially uniform, are shown to have varying significance depending upon their literacy orientations. These underlying philosophies represent the purpose students perceive their literacy practices serve: to further their …

Forces Of Change: Silicon Valley's Developing Relationship With American Government, Marissa C. Mirbach

CMC Senior Theses

Silicon Valley has increased its political engagement over the past decade, and is becoming an increasingly powerful force in government. It defies traditional affiliation labels, and behaves differently than other industries. It embodies a blend of altruism and self-interest, which guides its interactions with government and its intentions in affecting policy changes. In order to better understand Silicon Valley's political life, this thesis outlines a brief history of its development, and then delves into three policy issues: education reform, immigration reform and encryption and security. This focus allows for an up-close, detailed look at the multi-faceted relationship between Silicon Valley …

The Fifth Migration: A Study Of Cleveland Millennials, Richey Piiparinen, Jim Russell, Charlie Post

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

Many studies and reports about the “millennial” generation have been conducted at the national level in the past few years. However, little has been done to look at the effects the members of this generation have at the local level. Framed in what has been termed “the fifth migration” or “re-urbanization” this project looks at trends surrounding the millennial generation both nationally and locally. This project not only examines where young people are living, but also dives into trends and changes surrounding mobility, housing, public transit, civic engagement, the changing workplace, and the sharing economy. Across these topics this project …

Meyer, Pierce, And The History Of The Entire Human Race: Barbarism, Social Progress, And (The Fall And Rise Of) Parental Rights, Jeffrey Shulman

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Long before the Supreme Court’s seminal parenting cases took a due process Lochnerian turn, American courts had been working to fashion family law doctrine on the premise that parents are only entrusted with custody of the child, and then only as long as they meet their fiduciary duty to take proper care of the child. With its progressive, anti-patriarchal orientation, this jurisprudence was in part a creature of its time, reflecting the evolutionary biases of the emerging fields of sociology, anthropology, and legal ethnohistory. In short, the courts embraced the new, “scientific” view that social “progress” entails the decline and, …

Information Technology And Computer Science Education At St. Patrick’S College In The Republic Of Vanuatu, Timothy R. Ward

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This report examines the role of an Information Technology and Computer Science Education Volunteer with the United States Peace Corps in the Republic of Vanuatu at St. Patrick’s College. Various methods of developing curriculum, training teachers, and teaching classes were used and the results are analyzed. Primarily cultural and logistical challenges and their associated newly discovered approaches are discussed. Some approaches were found to improve Information Technology and Computer Science Education at St. Patrick’s College.

Boîte À Outils: Renforcement Des Compétences, Judith Bruce, Sarah Engebretsen, Kimberly Glazer

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Grâce à un processus appelé «conception intentionnelle», les outils d’apprentissage du Population Council aident à centraliser les besoins des filles. Ces outils s'appuient sur des preuves de la nécessité de maintenir les filles en bonne santé, de les intégrer socialement et de les préparer économiquement. La boîte à outils Renforcement des Compétences du Population Council aide les praticiens, les décideurs et les défenseurs à élaborer un contenu adapté, significatif et positif pour aider des sous-populations spécifiques de filles. La boîte à outils guide les praticiens à travers une série d'étapes qui doivent être suivies pour définir des cibles de bon …

Homeschooling: Choosing Parental Rights Over Children's Interests, Martha Fineman, George B. Shepherd

University of Baltimore Law Review

Homeschooling, the most extreme form of privatization of education, often eliminates the possibility of the child gaining the resources essential for success in adult life. It sacrifices the interests of the child to the interests of the parents, allowing them to control and isolate the child’s development. In addition, homeschooling frustrates the state’s legitimate interest in the child’s receiving a sound, diverse education, so that the child can achieve her potential as a productive employee and as a constructive participant in civic life. This Article uses vulnerability theory as a heuristic frame both to reexamine the dominant rhetoric of parental …

First-Generation College Students And Class Consciousness : Exploring How Social Class Influences College Adjustment, Rachel L. Redd

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

First-generation college students (FGCS), defined as students whose parents have not obtained a bachelor’s degree, is a new identity constructed primarily over the past decade. Utilizing the umbrella term of FGCS is problematic as it places a heavy concentration on parental education and lack of cultural capital, ignoring how current class experiences in the context of other identities, such as race and gender, shape adjustment to college. The purpose of this quantitative study was twofold: (a) to examine whether class consciousness affects first-generation students’ adjustment to elite, non-profit private undergraduate institutions, and (b) to examine how the intersectionality of race, …

Visionary Sociology In Action, Luke Castle

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purposes of this dissertation are to provide research that will further facilitate an understanding of two matters of sociological interest: public sociology and video ethnography. In order to achieve this overall objective, a video ethnographic case study was conducted with eight undergraduates at an elite southern university. The students in the study self-filmed week-to week thoughts, feelings, and experiences to provide a methodical comparison of past and current literature of the lifestyles students construct while on campus. A qualitative approach, such as the video diary protocol established for this dissertation, is unlike most research protocols because informants (in this …

Using Mathematical Research Methods To Solve A Problem In Music Theory Instruction, Specifically, The Teaching Of Secondary Dominant Chords, Angela Ulrich

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The mathematical method for research is used to find a solution to a problem in music theory: understanding and identifying secondary dominant chords. By reviewing and assessing the teaching methods of university professors and theory textbooks, and comparing those findings with student reviews, a new method for teaching the concept is developed. The proposed system incorporates aural, visual, and kinetic exercises to serve every learner. The literature review and sample unit plan are followed by a possible procedure for testing the effectiveness of the new method.

Archives, Museum Objects And Digital Humanities: Supplementing Exhibits With Aural Object Contexts, Jennifer Ware

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

This hybrid work uses examples of audio history profiles from an undergraduate introductory radio and TV news course to illustrate how audio storytelling can supplement museum exhibits to provide the functional context of items in an archived collection. Broadcast journalism students in the course researched, designed, recorded, and produced audio histories of museum objects from the 1920s "Stanley's General Store" archive exhibit at the Michigan State University Museum. The final audio files can be attached to the objects and displayed through a digital interface, which museumgoers access with their smartphones.

The project enables students to blend their traditional research and …

Impact Of Instructional Coaches On Elementary Mathematical Achievement, Kayla Marie Hibbard

Online Theses and Dissertations

Since the passage of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, school leaders have sought to improve student abilities in both math and reading. Although both subjects have made improvements in both delivery and assessment over the years, mathematics still troubles the nation as students continuously fall short of local, state and federal goals (Darling-Hammond, 1998, 2005; Franke et al., 2005; Johnson & Johnson, 2002).

Instructional coaches have become a norm for many districts across the U. S. as districts seek to draw knowledge and leadership from mastery level teachers as they help improve everyday teaching and student learning. …

High Wire, No Net: Emergence From Generational Poverty Without Higher Education, Corey Alan Caugherty

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Existing literature indicates that education is vital to overcoming poverty, yet educational prospects for those in persistent, generational poverty (GP) are often limited. This qualitative phenomenological study centered on the emergence from GP of individuals without formal education beyond 12th grade or a high school equivalency certificate, and explored how those who have done it perceived their experiences. Rutter's resilience theory was the conceptual framework for examining this phenomenon and its challenges and processes. A sample of five adult participants from the United States were recruited using a snowball method, completed a screening survey, and then participated in in-depth interviews. …

Health, Education And Children’S Rights: A Comparability Analysis Of Kenya And Brazil, Charlette Lopez

Dissertations and Theses

Developing adequate health care and education systems has been an ongoing struggle for the governments of both Kenya and Brazil. Despite moderate improvements in health and education statistics for both of these countries, there is clear evidence that these states will have to be actively engaged in order to overcome the challenges that lie ahead. Kenya and Brazil may differ in geographical location, history, culture, and socioeconomic status, but both countries are congruent in the challenges they face to provide sufficient access to quality health care and educational resources to the upcoming generations of children who are being failed by …

Developing Information And Communication Technologies For Education In Haiti, Nabeel Janjua

UROP Posters

Over the past few decades, much of the world has continued to experience economic development largely due to rapid growth in technology. Despite this progress, there are still areas that remain untouched by advanced technologies. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and one of the poorest nations in the world with 80% of the population living under the poverty line and 54% in abject poverty (CIA, 2013). Many Haitians have no clean running water, about 21% have access to electricity, and almost 50% of the country is illiterate (Bank, 2012). The intense levels of poverty have resulted …

Design Thinking For The Development Of Formal Operations: A Team-Based Middle School Design Curriculum, Stephanie K. O'Dell

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, I propose a team-based design curriculum that aligns with the cognitive development of middle school age students. The ability to think abstractly develops at a specific time in development, according to widely accepted cognitive theory. The middle school years are the launching pad of abstract thinking. At this age, students are also primed for learning through social activity. The design process often includes abstract problem solving challenges, and working within a team structure. These ideas build a foundation for a research question—could a team-based design curriculum in middle school strengthen students’ natural cognitive development by providing opportunities …

Effect Of The Criminal Justice Curriculum On The Attitudes Of 12th-Grade Students Toward The Police, Willie Howard Bradley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While the use of criminal justice courses and law-related education programs have been shown to serve as a crime prevention and deterrence mechanism against school crime and violence, and help students to gain positive experiences and attitudes toward law enforcement, many high schools still do not offer criminal justice courses. The purpose of this quasiexperimental study was to compare the attitudes of 12th-grade students from a school district in Massachusetts who took a criminal justice course to 12th-grade students from another school district in Massachusetts who did not to determine if there is a statistically significant difference between the groups. …

Taming Place: Faubourg Tremé, The Insurgence Of Interstate 10, And The Redefinition Of Black Educational Space, Reagan Patrick Mitchell

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In most of the United States, the central area situated between boulevards is referred to as the median; however in New Orleans, Louisiana, since the Civil War, the area is called the neutral ground. This qualitative study concerns the neutral ground area of the segment of North Claiborne Avenue which runs through Faubourg Tremé, the oldest Black neighborhood in the United States. My interest in this specific space stems from the fact that I understand it as a space of Black education. The problem is that between the years of 1961 and 1969 the government procured the neutral ground as …

Sustaining Conversations For Rural North Dakota Language Arts Teachers, Erika Joy Dyk

English

This qualitative study explores the role conversation plays in sustaining rural North Dakota Language Arts teachers. This study examines the questions: What conversations are sustained rural North Dakota Language Arts teachers engaging in? and What role does conversation play in sustaining rural North Dakota Language Arts teachers? Six rural Language Arts teachers were interviewed about their experiences with conversation using the framework of the three different discourse communities as proposed by Australian researchers Tytler et al. for rural professional development: the local school community, the local community, and the subject-matter community. Tytler et al.’s framework was productive in this study …

The Digital Divide Through The Lens Of Critical Race Theory: The Digitally Denied, Stacy Gee Hollins

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to examine African American community college students’ availability to technological resources and how that availability affects their success. In this study, technological resources include access to the internet, software, hardware, technology training, technology support, and community resources. This study included six community college professors and six African American community college students enrolled in a Midwest community college. A major tenet of Critical Race Theory, storytelling, was used to give voice to students who lack sufficient access to technological resources referred to as the digitally denied. Data from this study can create an …

Getting It Right From The Beginning: Imagination And Education In John Dewey And Kieran Egan, Davide Weible

Education and Culture

No abstract provided.

In Defense Of Magic: Using Fantasy Literature In The Classroom, Marisa Florence Cignarella

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

This thesis argues for the greater inclusion of fantasy literature in high school and middle school English classrooms. Through an analysis of the popularity of fantasy series, including recent movies and their widespread pop cultural appeal, this thesis illustrates that fantasy resonates with many readers. A close examination of various works of fantasy literature appropriate to be read in full or excerpted in the classroom demonstrates that fantasy usefully illustrates various literary concepts, such as symbolism, metaphor, allusion, allegory, and character foils; provides clear examples of the hero's journey, which appear in various canonical texts as well as other media; …

Blacks In Massachusetts: Comparative Demographic, Social And Economic Experiences With Whites, Latinos, And Asians, James Jennings, Barbara Lewis, Richard O’Bryant, Rachel Bernard, Linda Sprague Martinez, Russell Williams

William Monroe Trotter Institute Publications

This report describes the social and economic, and education status of Blacks in Massachusetts, within a comparative framework with Whites, Asians, and Latino/as. A range of population, household, and economic variables are highlighted under the following categories: Population Characteristics; Families and Households; Education and Schooling; Housing; Health Characteristics; Labor Force, Occupations and Employment; and Income and Poverty. The information presented in this report is based on data from the 2010 Decennial Census; the American Community Survey 2009 – 2013 5 Year Estimates; the American Community Survey 2009-2013 5-Year Estimates Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) as well as PUMS for the …

Renaissance Fair, Richey Piiparinen

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

As Cleveland moves forward as a city on the rise, we risk leaving too many behind. Creating solutions for greater equity may be our best chance at a sustainable future.

The Effects Of International Study Tours In The Decision Of Students To Go To Work Abroad – The Example Of The Ggs’ Ist To Turkey And Russia, Rafael González, Christopher Stehr

Studia i Materiały Wydział Zarządzania Uniwersytet Warszawski

Until now, much of the research on International Study Tours has focused on the learning opportunities and intercultural advantages of participating in such mobility programmes. However, there has been limited literature on the relationship between joining these study trips and the motivation that students might get to start working abroad. This new research promises many advantages for our globalized world as more and more companies struggle to get the right people at the right place – sometimes without success. The possibility of participating in such a study programme could not only contribute to preparing a future world manager, but it …

Mindfulness, Democracy, And Education, Andrea Marie Hyde, James G. Laprad

Democracy & Education

In this article, we explain how mindfulness can enhance a democratic way of being, connecting practices of awareness, reflection, dialog, and action to democratic citizenship and social arrangements. We begin by sharing our understanding of democracy as a philosophy and a political system. We then provide a background for the concept of mindfulness as it is used by those in the field of education and health care and as we connect it to democracy and democratic education. We introduce a mindfulness pedagogy and use this pedagogy to develop our concept of mindfully democratic schools. We use the work of John …

Addressing The Past, Embracing The Future: An Analysis Of How Historic Inequality Has Created Current Obstacles To Learning English In Brazil And A Proposal For A New Community-Based Approach, Aja C. Bryant

MA TESOL Collection

This paper contextualizes current challenges to English learning in Brazil within the educational history of the country. It explores the ways in which language, both native literacy and foreign, has been used to set apart and advantage the elite class, while educational policy and approaches have served to pacify and control the majority. This history has left psychological, cultural, and economic legacies which inhibit learning today. Nevertheless, modern globalization is placing increasing pressure on Brazilians to achieve fluency in English and other languages. This paper briefly outlines the new and complex intellectual and social skills needed to participate in a …

Perceptions Of The Use Of Indigenous Languages Pedagogy To Facilitate Citizenship Education In Multicultural Countries, Bagegulira Faizal

Master of Education

The purpose of the study was to gain an understanding teachers’ perception and interpretations of the tensions generated by their role as teachers an indigenous language as an independent subject for the facilitation of an embedded citizenship education curriculum. Guided by the socio-cultural language-learning theory, the naturalistic qualitative case study was undertaken to discover how teachers of indigenous languages as subjects that emphasize both the language and culture of their particular ethnic communities in a multicultural Uganda, perceive their citizenship education obligations. The findings revealed that there is either rarely taught, or poorly taught or not taught at all. Teachers …