Digital Commons Network^™

Documenting Elementary Teachers' Sustainability Of Instructional Practices: A Mixed Method Case Study, Bridget Cotner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

School reform programs focus on making educational changes; however, research on interventions past the funded implementation phase to determine what was sustained is rarely done (Beery, Senter, Cheadle, Greenwald, Pearson, et al., 2005). This study adds to the research on sustainability by determining what instructional practices, if any, of the Teaching SMART[reg] professional development program that was implemented from 2005-2008 in elementary schools with teachers in grades third through eighth were continued, discontinued, or adapted five years post-implementation (in 2013). Specifically, this study sought to answer the following questions: What do teachers who participated in Teaching SMART[reg] and district administrators …

The Effects Of Systematic Reinforcement On Academic Performance In Precision Teaching: An Investigation Of Acquisition, Retention, And Endurance, Victoria Ann Hoch

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The use of positive reinforcement in acquisition programming is a hallmark of Applied Behavior Analysis; however, the Precision Teaching literature reveals a lack of reporting on the use of reinforcement. The present study utilized a groups design and single case analyses to investigate the effect of programming systematic tangible reinforcement on acquisition performance, retention and endurance of academic skills with 10 typically developing students ranging from 5-7 years of age. Results indicate that for both control and experimental participants, an increase in accuracy on both See/Say sight words and math problems occurred; however, the experimental group performed better on See/Say …

Epics: Broadening The Pathway Into Stem, Mindy Hart, Patrice M. Buzzanell, William Charles Oakes, Carla B Zoltowski

ADVANCE-Purdue Gender and STEM Research Symposium

The Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) program was co-founded at Purdue University in 1995 and has since spread throughout the United States and globally with inroads into K-12 education through EPICS High. This presentation offers a synthesis of research findings and interventions gleaned from several datasets about students’ and alumni’s reported experiences with EPICS and the consequences of their participation. In particular, this presentation discusses the ways in which EPICS provides a different vantage point on the underrepresentation of women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). Specifically, researchers have been tackling this issue of underrepresentation for decades with …

K-12 Students See Steam Everyday, Meghan Reilly Michaud

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

Today’s students exist in a visual world. A new semiotic language has emerged in the digital age. It consists of an ever-evolving vocabulary of signs and symbols that one can rapidly decipher. Icons represent applications and functions on a plethora of modern devices. Sounds indicate changes and the start and end of activity. The exposure of new audio and visual media are part of everyday communication, now more than ever. The Arts teach our students to better perceive these cues and the information that they deliver.

Lessons Learned From An Inter-Institutional Graduate Course On Interdisciplinary Modeling For Water-Related Issues And Changing Climate, Laurel Saito, Timothy E. Link, Alexander Fernald, Lisa Kohne

Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education

Computer modeling is a useful tool for integrating approaches from different disciplines to address complex water and climate issues, but because academic training is typically disciplinary, many scientists and practitioners are not aware of modeling techniques in other disciplines or ways that different models can be integrated to address complex questions. Since 2005, we have conducted a course on interdisciplinary modeling that provides lectures and laboratory exercises from different disciplines as well as topics related to interdisciplinary modeling such as issues of scale and uncertainty. Students work in interdisciplinary teams to integrate modeling approaches from different disciplines to address issues …

Media Portrayal Of Individuals In The Lower Class And Its Effects On Attributions Of Educational Hardships, Krista A. Burke

Communication Studies

This study investigated how media portrayals of individuals in the lower class affect people’s beliefs about educational hardships in lower socioeconomic areas. Specifically, this study looked at the attributions of these hardships to determine if media consumption had an effect on the internality of attributions. It was hypothesized that increased media consumption would be related to an increased tendency toward internal attributions. It was hypothesized that increased media consumption would lead to lower support for policy changes regarding education. A survey was distributed to assess media consumption habits and attitudes toward educational hardships in the lower class. Correlation results yielded …

The Efficacy Of Mathematics Education, Eric Geimer

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

Evidence supports the notion that mathematics education in the United States is inadequate. There is also evidence that mathematics education deficiencies extend internationally. The worldwide mathematics education deficit appears large enough that improving student performance in this educational problem area could yield great economic benefit. To improve the efficacy of mathematics education, education’s root problems must first be understood. Often supposed educational root problems are considered and contrasted against potential deficiencies of mathematics methodologies and curricula that are based on mainstream educational philosophies. The educational philosophies utilized to form early-grade mathematics methodologies and related curricula are judged to be the …

Today's Children, Tomorrow's Protectors: Purpose And Process For Peer Mediation In K-12 Education, Raija Churchill

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

The article offers information on the evolution, development, and role for peer mediation programs (PMPs) in K-12 education (kindergarden-12th class education), which acts as a dispute resolution tool that provides training to students assisting in mediation of conflicts in their schools in the U.S. It examines the effectiveness of the PMPs' for training students related to achievement of educators' goal to derive safety in the U.S. schools.

Overview Of The Akdn And Its Agencies, Aga Khan Development Network

Selected secondary sources and publications with substantial content about AKU

A brochure-style document providing a concise overview of the Aga Khan Development Network, its mission, structure, and major agencies across sectors including health, education, culture, and economic development. It outlines AKDN’s contributions, guiding principles, and institutional reach.

Tennessee's No Child Left Behind Waiver, Tennessee. Comptroller Of The Treasury.

Office of Research and Education Accountability

No abstract provided.

Mathematics Achievement With Digital Game-Based Learning In High School Algebra 1 Classes, Terri Ferguson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined the impact of digital game-based learning (DGBL) on mathematics achievement in a rural high school setting in North Carolina. A causal comparative research design was used in this study to collect data to determine the effectiveness of DGBL in high school Algebra 1 classes. Data were collected from the North Carolina End-of-Course (EOC) Test for high school Algebra 1. The data collection was broken down by comparison groups based on academic achievement as measured by the North Carolina EOC Test for Algebra 1. The comparison groups were student participants who received digital game-based instruction and tradition instruction …

Extended Learning Time, Tennessee. Comptroller Of The Treasury.

Office of Research and Education Accountability

No abstract provided.

The Modern School In The Garbage Settlement: Different Social Imaginaries Of The Future Of The Zabbaleen Recycling School For Boys, Marwa Adel Abed El Fattah

Theses and Dissertations

At 9 am, when 11-year old Ezz starts his day at the Mukattam Recycling School, he is already quite exhausted. Like most Zabballeen or juvenile garbage-collectors, he was up until well into the night the day before, gathering trash with his father in the more affluent neighborhoods of Cairo. In its communication material, the NGO-based school he attends in the morning promises to turn Ezz and others like him into “waste-management entrepreneurs". Fueled by this goal along with illiteracy and basic mathematics classes, Ezz is expected to hand in a monthly quota of used shampoo bottles and miscellaneous beauty product …

Mathematics In Rural Mexico: Motivations And Barriers For Adult Women Learners, Janel Wilson Williams, Dr. Jacqualine Taylor Voyles

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Math educators have long realized that women in general have shied away from involvement in the mathematical world. Current research in the mathematics education field studies the motivations and barriers women have to studying math. My research extends this topic to a small village in Mexico: La Estancia. By studying factors that encourage or discourage adult Mexican women from studying math in rural settings, important influences can be identified. The identification of these elements can lead to the development of important intervention programs targeted at minimizing negative influences while capitalizing on and strengthening the existing positive influences.

Reu Site Program | Eed, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

This ten-week summer program provides undergraduate students in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) discipline with intensive experience in engineering education research, such as how learners’ experience, background, and perception play a role when they learn engineering knowledge and skills. The program provides research experience for undergraduates (REU) and is not an internship. The program is sponsored by the National Science Foundation and hosted by Utah State University (USU) in Logan, Utah, a beautiful city nestled between two mountain ranges.

The central focus of this summer research program is on self-regulated learning (SRL). When confronted with a problem or …

Using Culturally Ambitious Teaching Practices To Support Urban Mathematics Teaching And Learning, Lanette R. Waddell

Journal of Praxis in Multicultural Education

Culturally relevant pedagogy is an ideology upon which strong urban classrooms can be built. However, culturally relevant pedagogy has not been operationalized in a way that allows consistent implementation in classrooms. This work focuses on the conceptualization of culturally ambitious teaching practices (CATP) in mathematics that exemplify the tenets of culturally relevant pedagogy – academic achievement, cultural competence, and critical consciousness – with those of ambitious mathematics teaching practices. This paper will describe the findings of the initial work of developing and operationalizing CATP in mathematics through a quantitative and qualitative analysis.

The Impact Of A School Gardening Program On Nutrition Attitudes, Behaviors And Interests Amongst Fourth Grade Students, Anjali Barnick

ETD Archive

This study intended to examine the impact of the gardening curriculum in an urban elementary school in Cleveland, Ohio. This yearlong gardening education program is introduced to the students in the 4th grade and incorporates a curriculum that includes gardening, nutrition, community service and experiential learning. With ample support from the community and from parents, this school provided the ideal setting to research the topic of how school gardening programs influence the students, their families and the community.The study used a series of questionnaires administered to the students in the fall of August 2013, early winter December 2013 and February …

Policy Without Purpose: The Misalignment Of Policymakers' And Students' Perceptions Of The Goals Of Education, Carly Shannon Evans

ETD Archive

This dissertation focused on understanding high school students' perception of the goals of education as they relate to those of policymakers, as these perceptions have largely been absent in the dialogue of education reform and policy. These goals may compete with each other, as do broader educational goals, reflecting different societal views of the purpose of education. Understanding students' perception of the goals of education (as framed by the goals of policymakers) may provide greater insight into current policy, and serve as a compass in directing future reforms that is inclusive of all stakeholders involved in this complex system. Using …

Cit Extended Campus : Case Studies On Engaged And Entrepreneurial Universities, Daithi Fallon, Irene Sheridan

Case studies

In 2011 the Department of Education and Skills in Ireland published its forward looking document ‘National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030’. That document focused on restructuring the higher education system as a key action in ensuring Ireland’s Economic Development and the creation of an ‘Innovation Island’. The Strategy document stated that ‘Engagement with the wider community must become more firmly embedded in the mission of higher education institutions’. The same document proposes the designation of some institutes of technology as Technological Universities and emphasises that the new universities should have ‘very strong links with enterprise to create programmes informed …

A Mixed-Methods Study Of Teachers' Perceptions Of The Impact Of The Common Core State Standards On Elementary Students' Abilities To Think Critically, Chris Blanton

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation employed a mixed-methods design to ascertain the perceptions of elementary schoolteachers in relation to the impact the Common Core State Standards had on their students' abilities to think critically. The participants were teachers from three schools within the same district in western North Carolina. Quantitative data were collected via a 5-point Likert scale survey distributed via Survey Monkey. Qualitative data were collected via open-ended questions and focus group interviews. The data were collected to answer the research question, "What is the impact of the Common Core State Standards on the critical thinking abilities of students?" The researcher designed …

A Case Study Of A Priority Middle School Involved In The North Carolina Turnaround Initiative, Jo Beth Clark

Education Dissertations and Projects

In 2007, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction included low-performing middle schools in its Turnaround Initiative. The purpose of this initiative was to offer support and guidance to designated low-performing middle schools across the state. This research study was a descriptive case study that involved a North Carolina priority middle school located in the north central part of the Piedmont, which served a diverse, low socioeconomic population. This research study investigated how the implementation of the North Carolina Turnaround Initiative impacted the school's culture and reviewed student achievement trends for the years 2007-2010, covering 3 school years.

This descriptive …

Evaluating Project L.I.F.T And Its Impact On Reducing The Elementary Literacy Gap Through Teacher Professional Development, Quinetta Hall

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation was designed to evaluate Project L.I.F.T and its plan to reduce the student achievement gap. A 5-year plan was proposed by investment researchers who recognized the importance of increasing student achievement and closing barriers in education. Trends in research data indicate that literacy significantly falls behind math on many state tests. Despite teacher professional development, innovative literacy practices, and interventions, there has not been an increase in literacy scores among minority subgroups such as African Americans and Hispanics. There is also a trend in achievement gaps among males and females.

Project L.I.F.T was granted $55 million to be …

Lack Of Quantitative Training Among Early-Career Ecologists: A Survey Of The Problem And Potential Solutions, F. Barraquand, T. G. Ezard, P. Søgaard Jørgensen, Naupaka B. Zimmerman, S. Chamberlain, R. Salguero-Gómez, T. J. Curran, T. Poisot

Biology Faculty Publications

Proficiency in mathematics and statistics is essential to modern ecological science, yet few studies have assessed the level of quantitative training received by ecologists. To do so, we conducted an online survey. The 937 respondents were mostly early-career scientists who studied biology as undergraduates. We found a clear self-perceived lack of quantitative training: 75% were not satisfied with their understanding of mathematical models; 75% felt that the level of mathematics was “too low” in their ecology classes; 90% wanted more mathematics classes for ecologists; and 95% more statistics classes. Respondents thought that 30% of classes in ecology-related degrees should be …

Measuring The Effects Of An American Physiological Society's Phun Week Activity On 2Nd Grade Students, James Edelman

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the last few years the United States has been on the decline in the fields of science and technology. The American Physiological Society (APS) has developed a program to engage young minds with scientists. Physiology Understanding Week (PhUn) is the APS initiative to use interactive experiments to engage school-age children with science and physiology. Even though PhUn Week has been going on since 2005, systematic assessment of the activities effects is rare. Here, we sought to assess if an APS PhUn Week activity enhances physiology understanding and interest in science in second grade children form a rural area. The …

The Pedagogy Of Hip Hop In Teaching Missiology: Exploring A Project Based Learning Environment Using Elements Of Hip Hop Culture As The Curriculum, Daniel White Hodge

Papers

No abstract provided.

A Study Of Effective Characteristics Most Valued In Superintendents By Principals, Camille Goldman

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effective characteristics of superintendents through the principal's perception. The perceptions of principals were compared to those of superintendents. A one-way ANOVA was used to interpret and analyze the data for this study. All superintendents and principals in public schools in Indiana were invited to participate in this study. This study was conducted by administering a survey to public school district superintendents and principals in Indiana. The Effective Characteristics of Superintendents survey was developed by me to quantitatively measure the perceptions of superintendents and principals with research from the ISLLC standards, theorists,Educational …

A Study Of Student Perceptions Of Exemplary Instruction And Servant Leader Behavioral Qualities, Richard C. Setliff Jr.

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined students' perceptions of certain servant leader behaviors associated with either typical or outstanding instruction. Five servant leadership dimensions were considered: altruistic calling, emotional healing, wisdom, persuasive mapping, and organizational stewardship. Two groups of 300 students attending a midsized university located in the Midwest participated in the survey. The instrument used was based upon the Servant Leadership Questionnaire developed by Barbuto and Wheeler (2006). Four of five servant leader qualities: altruistic calling, wisdom, organizational stewardship, and persuasive mapping had some measure of explanatory power. A low participation rate by students adversely affected observed statistical power and was a …

Teachers' Perceptions Of Technology Effectiveness In High School, Heather L. Gianfagna

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine high school teachers' perceptions of technology in the classroom, including technology access, usage, and effectiveness. This study was conducted by administering a survey to high school teachers, Grades 9 through 12, in Indiana. The survey, entitled Teachers' Perceptions of Technology Effectiveness in High Schools was used with high school teachers' to determine their perceptions of technology access, usage, and effectiveness in classrooms. A total of 343 teachers submitted complete responses to the Teachers' Perceptions of Technology Effectiveness in High Schools. A developed survey was used to quantitatively measure the perceptions of teachers …

The Balanced Approach To Literacy Instruction In Middle Schools, Tenicia Rae Helmberger

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if the frequency in which middle school teachers implement research based literacy strategies serve as predictors of success on the English/ Language Arts portion of ISTEP+. The study looked at research based strategies in fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary. Teachers of English, Language Arts, Social Social Studies, Science, and a combination of the above subjects were surveyed. The seven questions were posed relating to the frequency of implementation per quarter. The study was split into two files, high poverty and low poverty schools. Of those teachers surveyed, teachers in low achieving, low poverty …

The Impact Of Compensation Models On Professional Development And Collaboration, Kathryn Margaret Reckard

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether professional development and collaboration practices are affected by performance pay in schools. The study investigated the differences in perceptions of principals, veteran teachers, and beginning teachers. Six questions and statements were posed relating to both professional development and collaboration. Based on the findings, no significant difference in perception of professional development and collaboration exists between educators currently utilizing a compensation model and those not utilizing a compensation model. Second, where a compensation model was implemented, principals were predicted to have higher levels of agreement regarding their views on professional development. Additionally, …