Digital Commons Network^™

An Analysis Of Education Reform In Sub-Saharan Africa, Katharine Eger

CMC Senior Theses

Sub-Saharan Africa continues to fall behind other developing regions regarding educational attainment, despite recent progress in enrollment. This thesis examines a variety of external conditional factors that could contribute to a country’s relative success, in terms of years spent in school using a prediction model that compares years enrolled in secondary education as a foundation to determine over- and under-performing countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

By exploring various educational policies, historical patterns, and projects executed in Rwanda, South Africa, Ghana, and Botswana, this thesis sheds light on four main challenges that can impact educational attainment: ethnic and racial tensions, an acute …

Best Storytelling Practices In Education, Calvin Bonds

Theses and Dissertations

Effective teaching strategies can be defined as utilizing the higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy, which include understanding, application and analysis (Flynn, Mesibov, Vermette & Smith, 2004). Teachers that use effective teaching strategies can significantly impact the future earnings of their students. Students that are recipients of these strategies receive a higher quality of K-12 education, which leads to a higher caliber of colleges and universities chosen. As a result of the higher education institutions attended, students become more competitive when entering an evolving workforce, earning higher salaries. This study explores the effective teaching strategy of storytelling. It identifies best practices …

Examining Teacher Multicultural Competence In The Classroom: Further Validation Of The Multicultural Teaching Competency Scale, Melissa Jo Hamilton

LSU Master's Theses

The focus of this study is to strengthen the technical adequacy of the Multicultural Teacher Competency Scale (MTCS; Spanierman et al., 2011) self-assessment measure for teacher multicultural competence. This study will also examine the relationship between it and the teacher-student relationship and teacher self-efficacy. Results show that the MTCS shows similar internal consistency reliability with a new demographic of in-service teachers. The MTCS also has predictive significance for teacher self-efficacy and student-teacher relationship scores. Implications of the study include the importance for teachers to be taught and practice this competency, as well as, validation that this construct is related to …

Satire And Synthesis: Parody And Satire Of Victorian Education In The Works Of Lewis Carroll, Cameron D. Sedlacek

All Master's Theses

Education is an integral part of any society. Victorian England saw drastic reform in the method of childhood education, shifting from religious to secular forms of rote memorization. An analysis of the works of Lewis Carroll reveals significant instances of parody, pastiche, and satire on these styles of education and their corresponding reform. Unlike traditional satire, however, Lewis Carroll’s satire does not simply criticize these targets, but utilizes a strategy of synthesis to illustrate strengths and weaknesses of various conflicting educational ideologies and to suggest ways of adopting methods from all available options.

The Imperativeness Of The Inclusion Of Multiple Intelligences In Safety Training, Melissa Diers-Sarasin

Online Theses and Dissertations

Many organizations are increasingly becoming aware that effective safety training is a key element in their success. Employers are now forced to face the challenges of holistically evaluating safety programs to ensure their multigenerational workforce comprehends, utilizes, and values the safety training provided to them. These expectations are brought about by regulations and the need to control expenditures directly related to safety training and performance. Now more than ever, it is imperative that multiple intelligences are incorporated into safety education and training programs. This article examines key elements of multiple intelligences, the significance of their incorporation in safety education and …

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 …

Experiences Of Neurotypical Siblings Of Children With An Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Qualitative Exploration, Stacie R. Keirsey

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

In recent years, the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been on the rise, prompting a simultaneous increase in scientific study regarding cause, impact, and intervention (Hughes, 2009; Ravindran & Myers, 2012). Research has proposed advances in the treatment of the individuals diagnosed and focused efforts on scholastic, parental, and professional intervention and supports. However, the siblings of ASD children have largely been neglected in this scientific investigation. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore neurotypical siblings’ experiences in living with a child diagnosed with ASD. Seven adolescents were selected using criterion, convenience, and snowball sampling. …

The Languages Of Other People: The Experiences Of Tutors, Administrators, And Students In A South African Multilingual Writing Center, Nicole Bailey

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This ethnography, conducted at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, conveys the experiences of tutors, students, and administrators in a multilingual writing lab. As the number of both multilingual and international students in American universities increases, more writing centers in the United States have begun to explore the idea of multilingual tutoring. This study offers implications for establishing American multilingual writing centers based on data that emerged from observations and interviews conducted at Stellenbosch. Several themes emerged from the data that have important implications for American centers. First, there must be a clear understanding of what defines a multilingual writing center. …

The Fourth Grade English As A Second Language Curriculum As Perceived By Teachers And Supervisors In Saudi Arabia, Maha Alasmi

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research is conducted to present the status of the new English as second language curriculum that is implemented recently into elementary schools at the fourth-grade level. English as a second language is a subject that is used all over Saudi Arabia in elementary, intermediate, and secondary levels. The curriculum consists of a syllabus, list of objectives, student book, and workbook, which includes activities. This research discussed couple of themes and gaps that were found regarding teaching English as a Second Language in Saudi Arabia schools. The themes include English as a second language in Saudi Arabia in general, teaching …

The Adjustment Of First Year African American Women To Predominately White Institutions: Implications For Best Practices, Maisha Beasley

Doctoral Dissertations

Currently, both scholarly literature and educational practice are lacking depth and scope about the lived experience of African American (AA) female students, and, as a result, they lack effectiveness for this population of students. In particular, they do not address the varying ways AA female students adjust to the university during their first year, the most critical year for student retention and persistence in the college experience (Pike & Kuh, 2005), nor do they recognize how intersectionalities of identities in AA women are salient to successes and challenges at PWIs. This study addresses this gap in the research by not …

The Importance Of Maintaining A Heritage Language While Acquiring The Host Language, Anna L. Vallance

Honors College Theses

Few issues are as relevant to modern education as the topic of bilingual students. As the school-age population in the United States becomes increasingly diverse, teachers and other educational professionals need to know how they can best serve their English learners (students who speak a first language other than English). A common question that many educators grapple with is what role a student’s heritage language (native language) ought to play in the classroom. Specifically, how important is it that students maintain their heritage language? By critically reviewing the existing literature relating to the subject, this article strives to answer that …

Enhancing Esl Instruction Through Reflective Teaching: A Resource Guide For Administrators Of Intensive English Programs, Wesley Weston

Master's Projects and Capstones

Reflective teaching practices are meaningful and practical ways for administrators to support and encourage ongoing professional development among ESL teachers. Today, the global demand for English instruction has greatly surpassed the supply of qualified and experienced teachers. Many ESL teachers, therefore, can benefit significantly from continuous professional development, especially at Intensive English Programs preparing international students for higher education in the US.

Administrators can help further teacher development through the implementation of microteaching, peer observations, and surveys. These methods effectively foster professional growth by stimulating reflective inquiry, which promotes personal learning, behavior modification, and better performance. Furthermore, these practices help …

Bilingual Research Centers In An Alaska Studies Classroom, Julia Sipary

Linguistics

No abstract provided.

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

Education and Culture

No abstract provided.

From Text To Context: Literacy Practices Of Native Speakers Of Arabic In Arabic And English, Ghada Gherwash

Open Access Dissertations

Previous studies that looked at the written product of native speakers of Arabic in their second language (L2), English, have identified traces of Arabic rhetoric (L1), mainly Classical Arabic, in their writing (e.g., Atari, 1983; Kaplan, 1966; Ostler, 1987). These studies focused primarily on the L2-written texts, where the written product is used to make inferences about the rhetorical structures of the writers’ L1. The results from these studies portrayed the native-Arab writer’s text as highly influenced by Classical Arabic. This was evidenced by “foreign” rhetorical structures that Arab writers employ when producing texts in their L2 that are considered …

The Effect Of A Writing Course On The English Language Arts State Assessment Examination In A South Texas High School, Esmeralda V. Munoz

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact a writing course will have on test scores for At-Risk students who are taking the English I and/or English II State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness End-of-Course exam. The group analyzed was comprised of 2nd and 3rd year cohort students.

The Nature And Function Of Professional Support Networks For Teachers Of English Language Learners, Betsy Lynn Ferguson

Theses and Dissertations

The English learner (EL) population in the United States continues to grow. To improve their pedagogy in working with this population, many educators have received training in English as a Second Language (ESL), but the gap between ELs and their native English speaking peers persists. When teachers engage as members of professional support networks, they are more likely to successfully implement the strategies learned in their ESL professional development (Echevarria, Richards-Tutor, Chinn, & Ratleff, 2011). This study considered the nature and function of the professional support network of a district's ESL-endorsed teachers. Using network theory methods, 257 teachers and other …

At Home In Exile: Ezra Pound And The Poetics Of Banishment, Andy Kay Trevathan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Ezra Pound is one of the most important poets, critics, and writers of the 20th century. Through his literary efforts, and his work on behalf of many other writers, Pound changed the way we read and write poetry today. His cultivation and support of other writers and poets like T.S. Eliot, James Joyce, Robert Frost, Marianne Moore, etc. created the basis for what we refer to as Imagism, Modernism, and other important literary movements of the early 20th century. Pound’s use of fragmentation, pastiche, and bricolage laid the foundation for post-modern writers of the latter half of the 20th century, …

"Socratic Circles Are A Luxury": Exploring The Conceptualization Of A Dialogic Tool In Three Science Classrooms, Michelle Renee Copelin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research has shown that dialogic instruction promotes learning in students. Secondary science has traditionally been taught from an authoritative stance, reinforced in recent years by testing policies requiring coverage. Socratic Circles are a framework for student-led dialogic discourse, which have been successfully used in English language arts and Social studies classrooms. The purpose of this research was to explore the implementation process of Socratic Circles in secondary science classes where they have been perceived to be more difficult. Focusing on two physical science classes and one chemistry class, this study described the nature and characteristics of Socratic Circles, teachers’ dispositions …

The Effects Of Music On Education And Early Literacy: An Insight On Defining Literacy And The Use Of Music In The Classroom, Lindsey Hawkins

University Honors Program

The purpose of this essay is to examine the effects that music has on education and literacy, and to provide insight on how to go about using music in a classroom. First, the essay will define the word ‘literacy,’ and prove why this is important, and then describe how literacy is taught in a classroom using phonics. Then, it will take a look at how music affects the student brain, and how those effects are linked directly to the way students process reading, writing, and communication. Finally, this essay will look at the direct effects that music has on education …

The Effects Of Music On Education And Early Literacy: An Insight On Defining Literacy And The Use Of Music In The Classroom, Lindsey Hawkins

University Honors College

The purpose of this essay is to examine the effects that music has on education and literacy, and to provide insight on how to go about using music in a classroom. First, the essay will define the word ‘literacy,’ and prove why this is important, and then describe how literacy is taught in a classroom using phonics. Then, it will take a look at how music affects the student brain, and how those effects are linked directly to the way students process reading, writing, and communication. Finally, this essay will look at the direct effects that music has on education …

The Teleological Effect Of Neoliberalism On American Higher Education [Special Section], Paul E. Bylsma

College Student Affairs Leadership

This article explores the impact of a neoliberal political and economic context on American higher education, arguing that the purpose of higher education has been reduced to a transactional process rather than maintaining its transformative potential. Recommendations to mitigate this phenomenon are presented.

Transaction Circles With Digital Texts As A Foundation For Democratic Practices, Sally Brown

Democracy & Education

Transaction circles weave together elements of guided reading and literature circles in an open conversational structure that supports students as agentive learners. Discourse within these circles utilizing digital informational texts assist in the development of democratic practices even in a time when federal mandates limit curricula and prescribe programs. The findings of this study reveal the importance of aesthetic learning experiences in knowledge construction and the ways in which thinking through complex issues with others benefits social action.

"How To Be Nice And Get What You Want": Structural Referents Of "Self" And "Other" In Experiential Education As (Un)Democratic Practice, Franklin Vernon

Democracy & Education

This critical ethnography explores a social justice program utilizing nontraditional, democratic, "experiential" education practices. The author posits a historical legacy of pedagogy of self obscures its emancipatory, democratic potential while simultaneously expanding on contemporary discourses of self and other as aspects of the educational setting. Students' labors to reference and enact oppressive, capitalistic idealizations of either self or other problematizes pragmatic theories of self, and the author draws upon critical pragmatism to reposition self and other as aspects of pedagogy and curriculum in democratic education.

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 …

Sabbatical Leave Proposal & Report, Raymond Meredith

Sabbaticals

I am applying for sabbatical leave to move to and study in Costa Rica during the spring of 2014 and possibly most of that summer. This sabbatical leave is of both a personal and a professional nature. I will be moving to Costa Rica with my children and spouse, where I will experience day to day family life, take courses toward a master's degree in Latin American Studies, and improve my understanding of the Spanish language and of one of the cultures in which it is spoken.

Exploring The Digital Humanities At Auc #Dhauc, David Wrisley, Maha Bali

Faculty Journal Articles

The digital brings different playgrounds and new kinds of interaction, and we must incessantly ask questions of it, disturbing the edge upon which we find ourselves so precariously perched. And what the digital asks of us is that every assumption we have be turned on its head.

Culturally Responsive Contexts: Establishing Relationships For Inclusion, Mere Berryman, Therese Ford, Ann Nevin, Suzanne Soohoo

Education Faculty Articles and Research

As our education systems become more culturally, ethnically and linguistically diverse, rather than benefiting and learning from each other, we still expect all students to be represented within the same curriculum, pedagogy and testing regimen or we form separate enclaves resulting in marginalizaton. When diverse students have physical and/or learning disabilities, marginalization is further exacerbated and problematized. In this paper, the authors theorise within an alternative framework that we have termed relational and culturally responsive inclusion. Based on key understandings from our own research, much of it derived from Kaupapa Māori and Freirean philosophies, we encourage a framework where establishing …