Digital Commons Network^™

Principal Perceptions About The Implementation And Effectiveness Of Online Learning In Public High Schools In Indiana, Timothy W. Rayle

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the principal perceptions and demographic relationship of the implementation and effectiveness of online learning in non-charter Indiana public high schools. An analysis was prepared to determine whether demographic factors played a role in the principal's perceptions of the implementation and effectiveness of online learning. Factors examined included school location, school size, technology and support costs, principal's age, and principal's gender. Principal's perceptions were examined because the principal is considered to be the building levelEducational leader. As such, the principal has a responsibility to provide the students with a sound curriculum that …

Aware: Analyzing The Impact Of An Anti-Human Trafficking Advocacy Curriculum Using Sixth Grade Students In Colorado, Alex Kornelius Monroe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Human trafficking is an international problem that penetrates every society on the globe. Trafficking in children for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, and domestic servitude occurs in every state of the United States. Education is key in preventing human trafficking and American students lack proper knowledge of the issue. This study seeks to bridge this shortcoming through the creation and implementation of a holistic anti-trafficking advocacy curriculum that not only informs and motivates students and educators toward advocacy, but also meets Colorado state academic standards. Case studies using sixth grade students in Denver show the impact that …

Encourage Self Regulated Learning In The Classroom, Sharon Zumbrunn, Joseph Tadlock, Elizabeth Danielle Roberts

MERC Publications

Self-regulated learning (SLR) is recognized as an important predictor of student academic motivation and achievement. This process requires students to independently plan, monitor, and assess their learning. However, few students naturally do this well. This paper provides a review of the literature including: the definition of SRL; an explanation of the relationship between SRL and motivation in the classroom; specific SRL strategies for student use; approaches for encouraging student SRL; and a discussion of some of the challenges educators might encounter while teaching students to be self-regulated, life-long learners.

Effects Of Co-Teaching On The Biology Achievement Of Typical And At-Risk Students Educated In Secondary Inclusion Settings, Polly G. Haselden Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

School accountability is at the forefront of education with the recent passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in January 2001. One well-known instructional strategy, co-teaching has the potential to improve the academic performance of students (i.e., typical and at-risk) educated in general education classrooms. A co-teaching intervention that included operationalized components of instructional delivery and a support class was compared to the traditional instructional delivery of students receiving science instruction from a general education teacher alone in four high school biology classrooms. Results indicated that there were no significant differences between the groups of students educated in …

You're Supposed To Care: Faculty Motivations To Incorporate Service Learning Into Community College Classrooms, Carol A. Katowitz

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the motivations that cause some faculty in community colleges to embrace and actively pursue service learning pedagogy in their classrooms. It also identified the catalysts that move faculty to action in implementing this approach to instruction. The qualitative phenomenological case study approach was used to hear the stories of eight faculty members representing different areas of discipline in eight different campus locations in a Midwestern statewide community college system. Four primary themes and two sub-themes were identified through this study. The primary themes were (a) pedagogical connections to previous school experiences and …

Mvip: Math Villages For Inclusive Practices: A Model To Engage All Students And Teachers In Stem Experiences, Ida Malian Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

The Math Villages for Inclusive Practices (MVIP) model supports inclusive practices through a) the inclusion of students with disabilities, specifically mathematics disabilities into STEM related activities, b) co-teaching of STEM related topics as professional development, c) “hands-on” real life problems to be addressed collaboratively with students and co-teachers.

MVIP model levels the playing field for students with math disabilities to be engaged in integrated STEM activities. Co-teachers support these activities through professional development that creates content-rich and differentiated instruction for all students. The village concept is derived from the membership of the village learners which includes students, special educators and …

The Effectiveness Of Computer Games On Mathematics Learning In Elementary School, Sarah Michelle Lakamp

Theses Digitization Project

This study examined the use of mathematics computer games on math achievement as assessed by teachers, tests taken by students and students' attitudes. Students who played recreational games at home and used the computer game at school improved more on the math achievement measure compared to students who only played at home, who only played at school, and who played at neither home nor school, indicating that recreational game playing can prime children to gain more benefits from educational software.

Access Denied: The Rhetorical Construction Of Undocumented Students In Postsecondary Education, Yanira Estrada Figueroa

Theses Digitization Project

This thesis analyzes rhetorically the 1982 Supreme Court case Plyer v. Doe, sections of the Welfare Reform Act and the Illegal Immigratiom Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, and the 2011 version of the proposed Development, Relief and Education for Minors (Dream Act) in order to trace the underlying beliefs and assumptions that justify refusing undocumented students support for and thus access to postsecondary institutions.

Building A Framework For Engineering Design Experiences In Stem: A Synthesis, Cameron D. Denson

Publications

Since the inception of the National Center for Engineering and Technology Education in 2004, educators and researchers have struggled to identify the necessary components of a “good” engineering design challenge for high school students. In reading and analyzing the position papers on engineering design many themes emerged that may begin to form a narrative for engineering design in a high school setting. Before educators can provide a framework for engineering design in STEM courses, four questions need to be answered: (a) To what degree should engineering design challenges be open-ended or well-structured? (b) What are the relationships between engineering design …

Thermal Analysis As An Important Research Tool For Colleges And Universities, Jeffrey Allen Fruscella

ETD Archive

Three experiments were performed to demonstrate that thermal analysis is an important tool for use in colleges and universities for conducting scientific research. The first experiment used thermogravimetry, differential scanning calorimetry and thermal mechanical analysis to compare polymer resins from two ResinKits®, one from 1994 and the other from 2010. Analysis was done to determine if resins from the 1994 kit were viable standards. The experiments showed significant thermal differences between select resins and it was concluded that resins form the 1994 ResinKit® are no longer acceptable as standards.The second experiment used thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry to determine the …

Culturally-Responsive Dance: Building Community One Step At A Time, Jeanette Jackson

ETD Archive

James Catterall's, (1997) report, "Involvement in the Arts and Success in Secondary School", espoused the need for Arts Education. Finding that students who were involved in the arts had increased motivation, school attendance, and positive attitudes, this longitudinal study became a national model of Arts Education advocacy. Landson Billings (1995) assertion that culturally-relevant pedagogy is a pillar for student success is but a further expansion of Ogbu (1987) which stated that "A culturally relevant pedagogy must provide a way for students to maintain their cultural identity while succeeding academically" (p. 155).Although the academic world has reflected and responded to the …

Lessons Learned From Comprehensive Deployments Of Multiagent Cscl Applications I-Minds And Classroomwiki, Nobel Khandaker, Leen-Kiat Soh, L.D. Miller, Adam D. Eck, Hong Jiang

School of Computing: Faculty Publications

Recent years have seen a surge in the use of intelligent computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) tools for improving student learning in traditional classrooms. However, adopting such a CSCL tool in a classroom still requires the teacher to develop (or decide on which to adopt) the CSCL tool and the CSCL script, design the relevant pedagogical aspects (i.e., the learning objectives, assessment method, etc.) to overcome the associated challenges (e.g., free riding, student assessment, forming student groups that improve student learning, etc). We have used a multiagent-based system to develop a CSCL application and multiagent frameworks to form student groups that …

Teaching To Cultivate Gardening Education Programs In Public Elementary Schools, Andrew Noune

Theses & ETDs

In an attempt to explore ways that the educational system can encourage an understanding of food production systems and their effect on the environment and human health, I explore the components of edible school gardening programs. Eight public elementary school programs in a county in southwest Florida were studied by interviewing the facilitating teachers and observing in-class activities. Components related to horticultural procedures, academic connections, and students' home life were identified and analyzed. The findings of this research suggest that in-ground school gardens are likely to contain more horticultural components and academic connections than earth box or hydroponic gardens. Therefore, …

"You Can Still Be A Feminist, Be Proud Of Being A Woman, And Deal With The Gender Binary" Issues Of Sex And Gender At Indian Brook Camp, Flavia Grattery-Musinsky

Theses & ETDs

Established in 1941 to provide girls the opportunity to engage in physical work and wilderness trips, Indian Brook is a single-sex summer camp in Southern Vermont. Though one must be female-bodied to attend or be employed at Indian Brook, one does not necessarily have to identify as a girl/woman; this relationship is emblematic of the unique, complex, and inevitably tenuous dynamic that is a product of the incorporation of queer pedagogy into a community organized upon seemingly conventional notions of sex and gender. Utilizing ethnographic methods over a two-month period in the summer of 2010, this study examines Indian Brook�s …

Teachers' Perceptions Toward Enhancing Learning Through Multiple Intelligences Theory In Elementary School: A Mixed Methods Study, Nouf I. Al-Wadi

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of multiple intelligences theory on elementary students' academic achievement and to investigate teacher perceptions of multiple intelligences theory. The multiple intelligences school that was chosen for this study was Edwin Rhodes Elementary School. The study examined Edwin Rhodes Elementary School performance via the California Academic Performance Index. Edwin Rhodes School scores were compared with similar traditional school scores and with gifted and talented scores. The study found that the multiple intelligences school performance was between traditional and gifted and talented school performances. The study also explored teachers' perceptions at Edwin …

Three Elements Of Self-Regulated Learning: Metacognitive Functioning, Self-Efficacy, And Study Behavior, Catherine E. Overson

Doctoral Dissertations

Individuals' metacognitive insight regarding their own performances -- what people think they know about what they know -- is often flawed. Students' metacognitive functioning was examined in two studies. In Study 1, exam performance estimates compared with actual scores were assessed across three in-class exams. Results demonstrated a systematic tendency for lower performers to overestimate their exam performances. Top performers underestimated their performance. In Study 2, an incentive to be as accurate as possible in exam performance estimations ($50 gift card) did not reduce estimation miscalculations for either bottom or top performers.

In Study 1, higher levels of students' self-efficacy …

Proof And Reasoning In An Inquiry-Oriented Class: The Impact Of Classroom Discourse, Susan D. Generazzo

Doctoral Dissertations

Over the past decade, mathematics educators and researchers have become increasingly aware of the impact of social interactions on students' learning (NCTM, 2000; Bowers & Nickerson, 2001; Forman, 2003). Current research indicates that the classroom environment, including the activities and discussions that take place, can have a significant effect on the ways students make sense of mathematical concepts (Yackel, 2001). Understanding mathematics involves knowing how to make sense of key concepts through the processes of reasoning and justification. Educators and researchers agree on the importance of providing students with opportunities in class to explore, conjecture, and prove in order to …

The Deconstruction Of Ambition: Campus Climate, Stereotype Threat, And The Motivational Goals Of African American Students At A Selective Small Liberal Arts College, Roland S. Davis

Doctoral Dissertations

African American students face many challenges when they attend highly selective, predominantly White institutions. Lack of support for or belief in their academic success on the part of White faculty and peers may contribute to a climate in which it becomes increasingly difficult for African American students to be motivated and believe in their ability to excel academically. Studies suggest that an unsupportive racial climate on campus perpetuates "stereotype threat"---the conception that task performance can be affected by a fear of being evaluated on the basis of, or inadvertently perpetuating a stereotype about one's racial group, and a decade of …

Artifact-Based Reflective Interviews For Identifying Pragmatic Epistemological Resources, Christopher Walden Shubert

Doctoral Dissertations

Physics Education Research studies the science of teaching and learning physics. The process of student learning is complex, and the factors that affect it are numerous. Describing students' understanding of physics knowledge and reasoning is the basis for much productive research; however, such research fails to account for certain types of student learning difficulties. In this dissertation, I explore one source of student difficulty: personal epistemology, students' ideas about knowledge and knowing.

Epistemology traditionally answers three questions: What is knowledge? How is knowledge created? And, how do we know what we know? An individual's responses to these questions can affect …

Educational Referendum Voting In Ohio Based On District Size, Socio-Economic Status, And Median Income, Thomas A. Galovic Iv

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify the successful tax levy votes for capital project referendums in Ohio over the past 17 elections and correlate those with the socio-economic level, median income, and district enrollment in which the votes took place. This will serve as a guide to predict what school districts in Indiana would have successful capital project referendum votes based on the Ohio results. The study used data provided directly from the Ohio Department ofEducation in regards to the levy votes and the poverty level of the school districts over the past 17 elections from school years …

Faculty Perceptions About Attributes And Barriers Impacting The Diffusion Of Onlineeducation In Two Saudi Universities, Mohammed Mfarij Alhawiti

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recognizing that faculty are an essential part of the success of any distanceEducation program, this study sought to examine faculty perceptions of attributes and barriers impacting diffusion of onlineEducation at two Saudi universities: Taif University and Tabuk University. More specifically, the study intended to (a) give an overview of faculty members' current stage in the innovation-decision process in regards to onlineEducation, (b) examine faculty perceptions about attributes (motivating factors) and barriers (inhibiting factors) impacting diffusion of onlineEducation, (c) investigate the relationship between faculty members' selected personal characteristics (including age, years of teaching, DE experience, gender, academic rank, nationality, and level …

Teachers' Beliefs And Practices Observed In Inclusive Classes, Gyagenda Khamis

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

The world over there is a wave towards more inclusive education for children who are disadvantaged in one-way or another. The Salamanca conference of 1994 focused on the child with Special Education Needs (SEN) with a call to governments to ensure that such children were given an appropriate education especially by being included in mainstream classes. Developing countries shows less initiative and effort towards including the child with SEN, with more efforts towards including the girl child. But some schools are implementing the policy on their own initiative. It can be assumed that their belief in inclusive education drive their …

Mapping The Organizational Relations Within Physical Security’S Body Of Knowledge: A Management Heuristic Of Sound Theory And Best Practice, Richard Coole, David J. Brooks

Australian Security and Intelligence Conference

Security Science education at university levels is still in its infancy, with little agreement towards knowledge, curriculum and competency. Therefore, it is essential that educators draw on relevant literature highlighting means of efficient and effective knowledge transfer for tertiary students within the Security Science domain. Such knowledge transfer will reduce the gap between academic knowledge (explicit) and professional competency (tacit knowledge). This paper presents phase one of a multiphase study. A qualitative “systems based knowledge structure” of security domain categories has been conceptually mapped as a domain heuristic. The heuristic drew on research highlighting that experts have both richer depths …

Developing Strategies At The Pre-Service Level To Address Critical Teacher Attraction And Retention Issues In Australian Rural, Regional And Remote Schools, Sue Trinidad, Elaine Sharplin, Graeme Lock, Sue Ledger, Don Boyd, Emmy Terry

Research outputs 2011

This ALTC project is a collaborative endeavour between the four public universities involved in teacher education in Western Australia (Curtin University, Edith Cowan University, Murdoch University and The University of Western Australia), focussed on improving the quality of preparation of pre-service teachers for rural, regional and remote appointments. The project, building on the work of other recent Australian rural education research projects (conducted through the ARC funded Renewing Rural Teacher Education: Sustaining Schooling for Sustainable Futures [TERRAnova] and the Renewing Rural and Regional Teacher Education ALTC Curriculum projects), will create a nexus between the theory and practice of teaching and …

Understanding A Pakistani Science Teacher’S Practice Through A Life History Study, Nelofer Halai

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

The purpose of the single case life history study was to understand a female science teacher’s conceptions of the nature of science as explicit in her practice. While this paper highlights these understandings, an additional purpose is to give a detailed account of the process of creating a life history account through more than 13 in-depth interviews. It includes a discussion of what the author calls composite observations where the observations of the teacher and the researcher are presented as a single unified story. Also discussed are ethical issues specific to life history created due to the intimacy created by …

Pemahaman Murid Tingkatan Satu Tentang Pembahagian Pecahan / Fan Siong Peng, Siong Peng Fan

Student Works (2010-2019)

This study was conducted within the framework of radical constructivism. The purpose of the study was two-fold. The first was to indentify children’s patterns of thought on proper fractions, improper fractions, and meanings of division based on languages, verbal and actions when they attempted to give meanings to fractional situations. The second was to investigate children’s understanding on division of fractions which refers to Form One Student’s patterns of thought by constructing specific ways to solve fractional division problems involving whole numbers, fractions, or combination of both using knowledge of proper fractions, improper fractions, and meanings of division. Six types …

Adapting To Change: An Exploration Of Students' Transition Experiences In A Senior College In Western Australia, Linda Rogerson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research sought to explore the experiences of students during their transition to a senior college. The senior college was established in response to the amendments to education policy in Western Australia that made it compulsory for students to remain in full-time education, training or employment until the age of 17 years (Department of Education and Training, 2008). Senior colleges were established to teach Years 11 and 12 exclusively, to promote a school environment that suited the maturity of senior students. Students attending senior colleges experience an additional transition during their senior school years and, as previous research has shown, …

Where Hope Takes Root, Faculty Of Arts And Sciences, East Africa

Faculty of Arts and Sciences Archives

Our Vision, A Liberal Arts Education for Africa, Inspiring Lives Educating Leaders, A Hub of Inquiry

Developing Researchers In Education Through A Doctoral Programme: A Challenge In The Context Of Pakistan, Nelofer Halai

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

This is a reflective paper on the challenges of developing educational researchers through doctoral education in the context of Pakistan. These challenges are discussed from the perspective of the PhD programme in education offered by the Institute for Educational Development of the Aga Khan University, a private university in Pakistan. The analysis was based on the author’s experiences of developing and remaining actively engaged with the programme for more than seven years covering the period of admission of the first three cohorts of doctoral students from the year 2002 to 2009. First, the main features of the programme are described …

Bringing Physical Education Home: A Handbook Of Fitness Activities For Use Outside Of School, Nicholas Joseph Lombardo

All Graduate Projects

A handbook has been developed to aid in the integration of physical fitness and movement of elementary students beyond the school gymnasium. As more and more evidence points to the need and importance of physical activity being a daily part of children's lives, it is clear that the current requirements of physical education in today's schools are not enough. The handbook consists of six sections regarding the scope of where outside the school these activities can be done: at home indoors, your own back yard, within your neighborhood, surrounding cities, around the state, across the Nation. The targeted population for …