Digital Commons Network^™

Chinese Undergraduate Students’ Preference For Chinese Tas And American Tas In The U.S. Context, Ruochen Li

Open Access Theses

This study researches and compares Chinese undergraduate students' (N=70) perceptions of and preferences for American TAs and Chinese TAs, and identifies factors that play significant roles in influencing Chinese students' perceptions and preferences. Multiple independent variables were measured, including age; gender; years at Purdue; years in the U.S.; GPA; overall TOEFL score; experiences with Chinese TAs; effectiveness of Chinese TAs; effectiveness of American TAs; English ability of Chinese TAs; and native speaker preference, ethnic identity, and level of acculturation, among which ethnic identity and level of acculturation are the major variables the current study aims to examine. Preference for Chinese …

The Historic Inability Of The Haitian Education System To Create Human Development And Its Consequences, Patrick Michael Rea

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study aims to evaluate the role that a lack of literacy and education has played in Haiti's historic and presently low level of human development. The pedagogical philosophies of two educationists, Paolo Friere and Maurice Dartigue, are used throughout the study as lenses from which to read and interpret the history of Haitian education -its many failed attempts, and recurrent challenges- in creating a literate and educated population. The author concludes that mass literacy is prerequisite if the Haitian people are to achieve self-realization and actualization, which essentially equates to what the United Nations Development Program calls "Human Development". …

Policy Partners In The Neoliberal Age: Corresponding School And Prison Reforms Since 1970, Jeremy Paul Benson

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation is a comparative policy study of changes in education and incarceration of the past 40 years. Following national and global trends, New York City saw public school and carceral policies converge as the city experienced massive deindustrialization and governmental cutbacks while its political economy shifted to one driven by finance, investment, real estate, and the growth of a low-wage service sector. These changes dramatically increased economic inequality across racial lines, and spurred the intimate linkage of public education and state incarceration as institutional tools for the mass management of low-income communities of color. Following from a growing policy …

Information And Communication Technologies And Igbo Studies In Tertiary Institutions In Nigeria: Issues And Challenges, Brendan Eze Asogwa, Martha Nkiruka Asogwa

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Purpose: This paper identifies ICT tools and programmes that are relevant to Igbo studies in tertiary institutions in the South East Nigeria; it examines the opportunities and challenges in applying these technologies in the enhancement and promotion of teaching and learning Igbo in Nigeria universities.

Methodology/Approach: Questionnaire, interviews, and observations were used in collecting data for this study. The population was 118, comprising 31 lecturers and 87 students randomly drawn from the Department of Igbo Studies in six selected tertiary institutions in the South East Nigeria.

Findings: Flash drive, video camera, electronic white board, cassette recorder and tapes, …

The Role Of The Judiciary In The European Union's (De)Segregation Of Roma Students, Lindsey M. Green

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

Our Grades Were Broken: Overcoming Barriers And Challenges To Implementing Standards-Based Grading, Randal Peters, Tom Buckmiller

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

The purpose of this study was to describe the barriers and challenges school leaders face as they implement a standards-based grading (SBG) system. The researchers used a multiple case study methodology to investigate how key school leaders described their implementation journey at three schools that differed in size, demographics, and location. Purposeful sampling was used to identify key administrators at three different schools who were in the process of implementing a SBG system. Data were collected primarily via semi-structured interviews. In the analysis, researchers used three phases: horizontalization, thematizing, and textural-structural synthesis. Each of the three schools had very different …

A Resource Package Training Framework For Producing Quality Graduates To Work In Rural, Regional And Remote Australia: A Global Perspective., Tj Lynch

Plymouth Institute of Education

The purpose of this paper is to advocate the resource package for producing quality graduates to work in rural, regional and remote Australia (TERRR Network), using a global perspective. This paper argues that the resource package achieves more than the objectives of the original project; ‘Developing Strategies at the Pre-service Level to Address Critical Teacher Attraction and Retention Issues in Australian Rural, Regional and Remote Schools’. Through implementation of the resource package, subsequently all Teacher Education students develop the ability to understand context and build confidence to adapt curriculum accordingly, thus enhancing learning and teaching. This often requires extension from …

Toward A More Perfect Definition Of Learning: Using Biomarkers To Predict And Assess Learning Performance, Samuel J. Hunt

Dissertations

This study seeks to establish groundwork for a new definition of learning based on neurogenesis capable of guiding future educational policy and practice. The purpose of the research was to: (1) produce separate increases in neurogenesis and intelligence, (2) measure the changes in neurogenesis using protein biomarkers, and (3) correlate increases in levels of the protein biomarkers with increases in intelligence. The study employed a randomized pretest-posttest, control/comparison group research design. Thirty-eight fourth- and fifth-grade students with diverse academic needs were divided into three experimental groups: chess, exercise, and combined; with an additional control group. Pre-post measures included intelligence (RSPM) …

Reducing Court-Related Stress Through Court Education: Examining Child Witnesses, Attorneys And Parents, Brittnie Turquoise Watkins

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Court education presents a useful approach to addressing children's stress, anxiety or fear related to testifying. The current study uses a pretest-posttest design to evaluate whether Kids' Court School (KCS), a court education program in Clark County, Nevada, reduces court-related stress in child witnesses. In addition, attorneys' and parents' concerns related to various elements of the child's impending testimony, are evaluated. The measure used to assess stress was the Court-Related Stress Scale (CRSS), a 10-item Likert scale adapted from the Stressfulness of Life Scale. In addition, open-ended questions were posed at the time of posttest. The CRSS was administered to …

Factors That Contribute To Hispanic English Language Learners' High Academic Performance In High School Science In The Rio Grande Valley Of Texas: A Multicase Study, Antonio Elizondo

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this study was to identify, discover, uncover, examine, and document factors that contribute to Hispanic English Language Learners’ (ELL) high academic performance in high school science in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Participants were high school seniors enrolled in college-level classes who had scored commended on the science exit-level Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills and ranked toward the top of their class. One science teacher and school administrator from the respective schools also participated in this study. One student from each of four different high schools in south Texas was selected to participate. School officials …

Integrating Art Education And Literacy Education: A Curriculum For The Secondary Level, Erin Moody-Zoet

Masters Theses

The purpose of this paper is to examine, through the design of a new curriculum, how the integration of reading and writing literacy into a visual arts curriculum can strengthen literacy skills as well as foster creative thinking at the middle school level. There is a growing demand for the integration of literacy in all core, and non-core curricula. By developing a curriculum that integrates literacy strategies in a visual arts program, as well as touches on the disconnect that I see between individuals and their own creative outlets, a curriculum is established that fosters and engages students in creative …

Hybridity And Dynamics Of An Individual’S Learning Styles, Quintana Marie Clark

Open Access Theses

Based on Kolb Learning Style Inventory 4.0, the objectives of this research were to demonstrate the existence of hybrid learning styles and demonstrate the existence of dynamic learning styles between subject matters (mathematics and English). Understanding an individual's dynamic distribution of learning styles might be used to further improve the quality of instruction, learning, and educational materials. Optimizing the quality of instruction, learning, and educational materials is important because careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields are increasingly needed. Personalized learning has been identified as an area that could improve the quality of STEM education. Exploiting individuals learning …

The One Voice Project, Amanda Rose Hartley Villarreal

Master of Theater Production Graduate Projects

This process drama is intended to guide inner-city students of diverse ethnic backgrounds in the discovery of theatre as a viable form of expression in their lives. Through the course of a 6-week unit, these students will be introduced to different types of performances, from pantomime to monologues, making theatrical performance a less foreign experience. Once they have gained a familiarity with theatre and with different types of performance, the students will be invited to write theatrical performances of their own.

Unity Vs. Uniformity: The Influence Of Ziya Gökalp And John Dewey On The Education System Of The Republic Of Turkey, Rasit Celik

Education and Culture

Creating a democratic nation-state and sustaining its progress was seen by the founders of the Republic of Turkey as necessary to achieving the goal of becoming a distinguished member among developed civilizations. The founders conceived of education as a main instrument in disseminating this new ideology and ensuring the emergence of a culture of democracy in Turkish society. Accordingly, establishing a new education system was a primary consideration during the early years of the Republic. Scholars, looking at the issue from diverse perspectives, have routinely revealed the influence of John Dewey’s report on Turkish education and discussed how his recommendations …

A Look At Intercultural Communication In The Adult Esl Classroom: Using English To Empower Not Overpower, Ashley Elizabeth Nelson

Communication Studies

An ethnographic telling of time spent in an ESL (English as a Second Language) classroom and the intercultural forms of communication that took place.

A Case Study In How French Teachers Understand Purpose In Educating Immigrant Students, Dana Doggett

Senior Theses

The purpose of the study was to comprehend how two French teachers understood their roles in teaching immigrant students. To achieve this goal, I observed classes at a middle school in Pau, France over the course of three months. I recorded extensive field notes and conducted two in-depth interviews with both of the teachers I observed. After returning to the United States, I coded my notes, identifying and analyzing patterns in the data. Among other conclusions, I discovered that these teachers emphasized students’ individual identities, including their diverse national and cultural backgrounds, while at the same time pushing the students …

Antonio T. De Nicolás: Poet Of Eternal Return, Christopher Key Chapple

Research Resources

This book includes essays in honor of Professor Antonio de Nicolas.

Connecting With Families Of Poverty Handbook, Rebecca Christine Oren

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project is to create a handbook describing services available in the Sumner School District and researched based practices for elementary administrators and teachers to use when working with students and families of poverty. The McKinney-Vento Act in the United States protects families to ensure that all students have immediate access to school-linked services, including free breakfast and lunch, as well as transportation needs for getting to and from school. This handbook includes descriptions and contact information for local support organizations that administrators and teachers can additionally partner with to create supportive learning environments within their school …

Don’T You Be Telling Me How Tah Talk: Education, Ebonics, And Code-Switching, Laquita N. Gresham

Honors Theses

Ebonics, currently referred to as African-American English (AAE), is a highly-controversial topic inside and outside of the classroom. Many educators, scholars, and legislators debate how teachers should approach students who speak AAE and how they can fill the gap between African-American English and Standard English in a way that disbands the dialectal prejudices that may exist. This thesis focuses on code-switching as a pedagogical tool to help teachers instruct Black students in mastering Standard English on a proficient level, particularly Black students who speak AAE. This study explores current problems and practices in the way that English teachers approach AAE …

Teaching The Universal Language Of Creativity: A Guide To Training., Carlie R. Arnone

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Teaching the Universal Language of Creativity: A Guide to Training.

The purpose of education in any regard is to provide knowledge and information, to teach something. Parents, educators, and professionals alike are experiencing some difficulty in education, in that they are not being properly taught how to nurture some particular needs of individuals with developmental disabilities, specifically on how to use creativity to do so. Educators, parents, and professionals in the field need to start advocating for a balance between strict regulations and creativity. In the recent years, there has been quite the push for creativity and innovation in businesses, …

Exploring The Potential Of Video Games As Educational And Story-Telling Tools, Kelsen Amy Kitchen

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

For my honors thesis, I have attempted to explore the potential of video games as educational and storytelling tools. The central questions I formulated before beginning this project are twofold:

1. How can video games be used as tools to educate players?

2. How can video games be used to tell stories, and how are they unique from other storytelling methods?

In pursuit of the answer to the first question, I conducted a literature review of articles that explored the educational and cultural potential of various video games. The articles that I surveyed were diverse, ranging from studies of elementary …

Demonstrating Reflection: A Content Analysis Of Reflection That English Teacher Candidates Demonstrate In Writing, William Kerns

All Dissertations

This study is an analysis of the depth of reflection exhibited in written documents produced by English teacher candidates. Description and insights were drawn into the reflective thinking of the undergraduate teacher candidates in the context of teacher research essays that they produced. Reflection is widely viewed as enabling teacher candidates to make connections between actions and consequences as well as between theory and practice. Teacher education programs are encouraged by accreditation agencies to adopt a framework that helps teacher candidates to reflect on practice. However, there is no broadly accepted protocol in place for determining depth of reflection that …

Biblical Hermeneutics For The Twenty-First Century African American Church: Introducing Seven Key Solutions Promoting Higher Education, Jacqueline Montague

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite the fact that education builds knowledge, higher learning through Seminary is preached from many African American pulpits as having little merit. The author's hope is to channel broader understanding on how the seminary experience can make a difference in accomplishing the assignment commissioned by Jesus to a postmodern society. To achieve this goal, the author divulges the importance and necessity of seminary studies from a semiotic approach. Research includes a study of the hermeneutic circle and its three parts: text, messenger, and listeners; collected data from culture analyses and statistical reports to comprise three pastoral interviews. The objective is …

School Principals' Perceptions Of Bilingual Education And Their Relation To English Language Learners' 8th Grade Reading Performance On Staar, Imelda Mares

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This research examined school principals’ perceptions of bilingual education to determine whether perceptions were a function of gender, age, years of experience, level of academic knowledge of bilingual education, and language discourse or bilingualism. Moreover, this study explored whether principals’ perceptions of bilingual education were related to English language learners’ 8th grade reading performance as measured by the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR). Thirty-one middle and high school principals in five school districts from south Texas and one district from southeast Texas responded to an electronic survey that solicited demographic information, perceptions of bilingual education, and academic …

Factors Affecting Attitudes Towards Individuals With Schizophrenia: Perceptions Of Mexican American College Students, Valerie Paredes

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study is designed to examine the effects of acculturation and level of familiarity on stigma of Mexican American college students towards individuals with schizophrenia along the border of Texas and Mexico (N = 223). The area has a history of high levels of disparity in regards to the utilization of mental health services. Data was collected by surveying Mexican American college students through a convenience sample at two separate post-secondary southwestern Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) along a border community. The instrumentation for the study was composed of a demographic questionnaire, The Acculturation Scale for Mexican-Americans-II (Cuéllar, Arnold, & Maldonado, 1995), …

Benefits Of Using Reading Strategies In Elementary Bilingual Classrooms, Diana Arely Garcia

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This quantitative study focused on the benefits of reading strategies used by second grade students. What strategies they can use to comprehend tasks, what textual cues they attend, how to make sense of what they read, and what they do when they do not understand a word. In this study, a questionnaire was given to the students. The questionnaire had a list of reading strategies in which students chose the strategy they felt more comfortable to use whenever they needed in order to comprehend a text. The data collected was analyzed and served its purpose of helping one reach the …

Evidence-Based Health Literacy Training Program For Occupational Therapy Professionals : Program Development And Evaluation, Cheryl Miller-Scott

Occupational Therapy Program Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This capstone project is a training program development and evaluation project. The purpose of the project was to develop, pilot, and evaluate an

evidence-based health literacy training program for occupational therapy professionals. Occupational therapy strives to be a science-driven profession, which provides client-centered care. Health literacy is a client-centered factor for which occupational therapy professionals require additional training to best serve their clients in all settings and across the lifespan. A review of health literacy literature was used in this project to develop the training program and offers a science-driven approach to this client-centered factor for occupational therapists to better …

Analyzing Responses To Open Ended Questions For Spirit Using Aspect Oriented Sentiment Analysis, Animesh Jain

Open Access Theses

Open ended questions provide an effective way of measuring the attitude and perception of respondents towards a topic. Surprising Possibilities Imagined and Realized through Information Technology (SPIRIT) was a program (2008-2012) that employed open-ended questions to gauge program participants' attitudes related to computing. SPIRIT sought to increase the interest of high school students, especially female students, towards computing courses and careers. Pre- and post-attitude surveys were used during the program to measure the changes in attitudes of the participants towards IT and also to analyze the impact different sessions had on different demographic groups of participants. The open-ended survey questions …

Historical Configurations Of Knowledge Among The Iñupiat In Arctic Alaska, Joshua Andrew Van Drei

Open Access Theses

This thesis explores how the Iñupiat of the North Slope of Alaska have responded to cultural pressures, specifically those arising from the introduction of missions and schools, and characterized by an increase in permanent outsider settlement, and how they have internalized these pressures into their knowledge system. By examining political, economic, and social factors, this thesis provides a more holistic picture of how and why Iñupiat knowledge has changed through time, beginning with the contact period in the early to mid-1800's until the present day. I find existing models of knowledge transmission cannot account for the ways in which Iñupiat …

Design And Evaluation Of An E-Learning Service For Online Self-Presentation Education: A User-Centered Design Approach, Zhihua Dong

Open Access Theses

With the booming of Web 2.0, cyber recruiting becomes much more prevalence. This makes online self-presentation literacy a necessity for college students to prepare for better career opportunities. This study proposed to design and implement a working prototype of an online educational platform for college students to learn about online self-presentation management. The design and implementation of the working prototype followed an iterative design process, through which the design was created, evaluated, and improved. Within this process, cognitive walkthrough study, competitive analysis, and usability testing study were adopted as major methods to design and evaluate the prototype.

Through the design …