Digital Commons Network^™

The Case For Participatory Education, Stephen Thornton-Taylor

ETD Archive

Participatory learning or "Participatory Education" as a formal declaration of either ideology or praxis has yet to be written and I would certainly not attempt to write one in the current educational capacity I now find myself in however I have found myself in the unique position of actually being first to something and so have decided to enjoin the relatively scant sketches of, as far as the great blade of written history is concerned, cutting edge economic philosophy with the over-personal, absolutely singular experience of a student-teacher in Cleveland, Ohio. The principles of Participatory Education are adapted from the …

So Very Hard To Go: An Action Research Project On Cultural Affirmation, Roberto David Lacarra

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This action research textbook has been developed as a cultural affirmation method to address the transfer problems faced by Chicano students in community college. The textbook will reach out to students in classrooms and engage them in building social networks that create, support, and reinforce their positive experiences in community college. The primary objective of this project is to provide cultural and practical tools to community college students enrolled in Chicano/a Studies courses so that they can use to replace their fear of failure and potential for self isolation with cultural pride and validation of their achievements. The approach is …

Out On A Limb--Forest Canopies Science And Environmental Education Utilizing A Traveling Exhibit, Zachary Evers

Theses & ETDs

Environmental and Science education is of the utmost importance to the health and longevity of our forests and the natural world. This environmental education thesis is on informing the public about science and the environment through the use of the "Out on a Limb -- Forest Canopies" exhibit and analyzing the effectiveness of its impact. "Out on a Limb -- Forest Canopies" is a science education exhibit developed to educate people about the forest canopies and illustrate the challenges of canopy access by scientists. A traveling rain forest diorama, touch screen information kiosk, and mock canopy walkway will circulate venues …

College At Risk: A Case Study Of Institutional Renewal Of A Catholic Liberal Arts Institution, Maureen V. Egan

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this case study was to explore the social, cultural, and political factors that contributed to the transformation and renewal of one small, private, Catholic liberal arts institution in the Midwest in its time of financial crisis. In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 participants who are constituents (i.e., past and former president, alumni, faculty, staff, and trustees) of Midwest College and whose knowledge by virtue of having experienced the transformation and renewal process was essential to this case study. Investigation of how the transformation and renewal process ultimately attained success indicated three themes in the results: structure (i.e., …

Four Star School Awards: Key Factors That Predict High Performance Among Indiana School Corporations, Lawrence H. Veracco

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze the Four Star status of Indiana school corporations in order to determine if certain variables currently existing among school corporations could be predictive of Four Star status. Differences in Four Star status were examined with respect to school corporation size, school corporation average teacher salary, and school corporation allocation of total budget to student instructional expenditures. The independent variables in this study were school corporation size, school corporation average teacher salary, and student instructional expenditures as defined by the Indiana State Board ofEducation. The dependent variable in this study was the Four …

Improving Student Retention Of Future Members Of The Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, And Business Workforce, Samuel L. Rohr

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ThisDissertation examined the relationship between various admissions selection criteria utilized by a small, Liberal Arts College in the Midwest. More specifically, the study examined if a higher college preparatory GPA, a higher aggregate score on the SAT, attending a larger high school, and beginning college at an older age helped predict the retention of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and business students. Data was gathered using historical enrollment data of 803 students. A logistic regression analysis was utilized to examine the impact of the four variables on retention of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and business students. College preparatory GPA, the aggregate …

Teach The Children: Education And Knowledge In Recent Children's Fantasy, Elisabeth Rose Gruner

English Faculty Publications

This essay is an investigation into how learning is portrayed in children's books. It starts from two premises: first, that at least one origin of children's literature is in didacticism, and that learning and pedagogy continue to be important in much of the literature we provide for children today. Thus, for example, David Rudd claims that most histories of children's literature on "the tension between instruction and entertainment," and that the genre as we know it develops within, among other things, "an educational system promoting literacy" (29, 34). Seth Lerer's recent Children's Literature: A Reader's History similarly traces the origins …

Ohio Educational Choice Scholarship Pilot Program: A Comprehensive Policy Analysis, Andrew J. Hill

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Relationship Between Student Achievement And Use Of Power Videos Digital Educational Videos, Rick Sorrells

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Dominican High Schools: Personal, Professional, And Institutional Transitions And Fidelity To The Dominican Charism, Deborah A. Egan

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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The Process Of Making Meaning: The Interplay Between Teachers' Knowledge Of Mathematical Proofs And Their Classroom Practices, Megan Paddack

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate and describe how middle school mathematics teachers make meaning of proofs and the process of proving in the context of their classroom practices. A framework of making meaning, created by the researcher, guided the data collection and analysis phases of the study. This framework describes the five central aspects of the process of making meaning: knowledge, beliefs, utilization of knowledge, interconnections of practice and knowledge, and making sense of past knowledge and current experiences. The utilization of a qualitative research methodology that combined ethnographic fieldwork and discourse analysis allowed the researcher to …

Flow Within The Engineering Pipeline: Motivation Of High -Achieving Students During The High School To College Transition, Nick Tatar

Doctoral Dissertations

Student motivation is often related to perceptions of the learning environment, making the transition from high school to college a critical period as students adjust to new learning environments. It is also a critical time for engineering programs as high-achieving students who drop out of engineering during this period are not likely to be replaced.

A web-based survey including nine scales assessing personal motivation, perceived classroom goal structures, and academic related beliefs and behaviors was administered to eighty-eight students who participated at two time points---the end of senior year in high school and the end of the first semester in …

Predicting Inclusive Teaching Using The Transtheoretical Model Of Behavior Change And The Theory Of Planned Behavior, Heather D. Hussey

Doctoral Dissertations

The diversity related materials in many university and college courses do not reflect the extent of diversity in society (Banks, 2002). Attempts to diversify curriculum have been made (Montgomery, 2001; Richards, Brown, & Forde, 2007), but further work is needed to prepare students to thrive in a culturally diverse society (Banks, 2002; Marshall, 2002). Research regarding faculty views toward diversity on campus and in the curriculum is limited (Brunner, 2006; Piland, Hess, & Piland, 2000; Wasonga & Piveral, 2004). Although a majority of faculty believe that a diversified institution and curriculum is positive, little research has examined the types of …

A Comparison Of The Achievement Test Performance Of Children Who Attended Montessori Schools And Those Who Attended Non-Montessori Schools In Taiwan, Hsin-Hui Peng

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There are two purposes of the current study. First was to examine whether or not children in the elementary school in Taiwan who had received Montessori early childhoodEducation obtain significantly higher scores on tests of language arts, math, and social studies than children who attended non-Montessori pre-elementary programs. Second one was to examine whether or not the number years of MontessoriEducation has a positive impact on the students' scores when they are in elementary grades. According to Chattin-McNichols (1992b), children from MontessoriEducation program are doing better in some respects than other programs. Some studies have found that in the United …

Child Labor In Latin America: Poverty As Cause And Effect, Michaelle Tauson

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Throughout much of the developing world, children make up an alarming portion of the workforce. These children are robbed of their childhood in order to provide economic supplementation to their families. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), 5.7 million children in Latin America participate in the regional workforce (2006). It is a common misconception that children, who do not participate in the formal workforce, are not child laborers. However, the ILO defines child labor as any work that is detrimental to a child’s well-being or interferes with a child’s education. Due to the many categories and classifications of child …

Implementation Of Inclusive Education In Brunei Darussalam: Review Of Possible Implications For School Counselors, Lawrence Mundia Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

The paper looked at the provision of counseling services to students in government schools after the implementation of inclusive education in Brunei Darussalam. The creation of the Special Education Unit and the Division of Counseling and Career Guidance (both in the Ministry of Education) to coordinate the respective services was a welcome decision in the right direction. Inclusion, however, may have expanded the role of school counselors in many ways and possibly brought other unforeseen problems. Thirteen identified and selected factors that may impact negatively on the work of school counselors under inclusion are discussed. In addition it was observed …

Investigating Attributions Of Academic Success And Failure In Adolescents, Elizabeth S. Meehan

Master's Theses and Capstones

Adolescents attribute their school success to ability and effort to varying degrees. This study investigated how attributions vary with school achievement. Achievement was defined by the proxy of English class placement: Fundamental, Intermediate, Accelerated, Honors/AP. One hundred and fourteen 10th grade students from a New England high school responded to a survey instrument that used 5-point Likert scale items. Students rated their agreement with statements attributing success or failure to either the level of their ability or effort. These questions addressed academic success in English class, reading, and writing as well as in more general term. There were no significant …

Using Virtual Laboratories In Control Engineering Education, Aidan O'Dwyer

Level 3

The twin pressures of the need for students to learn a wider variety of concepts, ideally in a self-learning mode, and the reduction in class contact time has led to the use of increased levels of information technology in control engineering education. This paper reports on, reflects on, and evaluates the author’s use of virtual laboratories (computer based laboratories available on the internet) in control engineering modules at DIT Kevin St. The use of the virtual laboratories helps in the ongoing evolution of the teaching approach from a traditional didactic lecture and laboratory course to a more learner-centred approach. The …

Factors Influencing Conservation Success Or Failure In Tiger Range States, Megan C. Saunders

Honors Theses

Tigers are currently found in 13 countries. Three of eight recognized subspecies are extinct and the other subspecies are considered endangered throughout their range. Major threats to tigers include habitat and prey loss and poaching. Most studies of tiger decline, to date, have explored direct threats. This study uses a range-wide approach to explore possible underlying drivers of tiger decline. I used recent tiger population estimates and identified 6 biological measures and 27 socioeconomic measures to ask why some countries are more successful in conserving tigers than others. Data were analyzed using correlation and regression analyses in SPSS. Higher rates …

Understanding The Practice Of Teacher Educators In Implementing The Intel® Teach Essentials Pre Service Course In Pakistan, Nelofer Halai, Ratan Salem, Nasira Gardezi

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

This paper focuses on understanding the practice of teacher educators in implementing the Intel® Teach Essentials Course at four sites in the provinces of Punjab and Sindh in Pakistan. The focus is on teacher educators’ practices rather that the practice of teachers and hence the research sites selected for the study are teacher education institutions where the Intel® Teach Program is being implemented for teaching prospective teachers. A qualitative study was undertaken selecting 21 teacher educators and interviewing them on key objectives of the Intel Teach program. The findings are encouraging, and show that teachers in both rural and urban …

Sitka School District Kindergarten Literacy Curriculum Handbook, Jacqueline Elizabeth Hedrick

All Graduate Projects

The intent of this handbook is to provide support to a teacher and be used as a resource. This document is intended to guide a Baranof Elementary Kindergarten teacher, through the year, with the use of a theme document. However, the scope and sequence contains the skills and content that must be addressed by the end of the year. The literacy curriculum handbook was developed based on Froebel's kindergarten philosophy and Bruner's educational philosophy that early childhood education should be hands-on and developmentally appropriate. The handbook includes programs available to kindergarten teachers in Sitka, Alaska while continuing to be content-based, …

Benefits Of Using Primary Sources In The High School United States History Classroom, Norene Lee Osborne

All Graduate Projects

History textbooks have not traditionally included the perspectives of the whole of society. The contributions of non-whites, women, the poor and the illiterate are consistently forgotten or ignored in the history classroom. When the stories of these groups are present, the content is incomplete and minimal, due to the resources available to the teacher within the curriculum provided by the textbook manufacturers or the school districts. Primary sources, or first hand accounts of history, can be used to supplement gaps in the curriculum, allowing students to construct a more authentic and complete knowledge of history. This project includes practical supplemental …

The Pedagopticon: Other Eyes In The 21 St Century Classroom, Robert W. Sweeny

Journal of Social Theory in Art Education

The Pedagopticon is a revolutionary new technology that allows educators to do away with outdated methods of discipline and punishment. Fusing traditional optical equipment (eye, camera lens) with the latest in high-tech gear (digital camera, web linked connectivity), the 'Pedagopticon' is the future of teaching. It was once said that seasoned teachers had 'eyes in the back of their head.' Well, the scientists at 'technology is the devil' have taken this adage and made it real. Now, you can have eyes everywhere! No corner of your classroom is out of your gaze. The 'Pedagopticon' offers a full 360 degrees of …

Design, Development, And Implementation Of A Wireless Local Area Network (Wlan): The Hartford Job Corps Academy Case Study, Tracey Kershner Cooley

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) offer flexibility, mobility, and scalability to educational institutions. Students are increasingly expecting anywhere, anytime access to online resources. Secondary school administrators, who serve a similar population as the National Job Corps Program (NJCP), realize that student success in the 21st century workplace depends upon the student's ability to use new and emerging technologies, including wireless technology. Computer access anytime and anywhere is crucial to the success of students today.

Wireless technology has been broadly deployed at educational institutions, such as the Hartford Job Corps Academy (HJCA), but little is known about how these networks are …

It's All One Curriculum: Activities For A Unified Approach To Sexuality, Gender, Hiv, And Human Rights Education, International Sexuality And Hiv Curriculum Working Group, Nicole Haberland, Deborah Rogow

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Education on sexuality and HIV can help adolescents develop the capacity for healthy, respectful relationships and protect themselves from unwanted and unsafe sex, unintended pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infections. A 2015 Population Council study found that sexuality and HIV education programs that address gender and power in intimate relationships are five times more likely to be effective than programs that do not. However, most curricula still do not address these issues. It’s All One Curriculum provides a rationale, content, and sample activities for placing gender and rights at the center of sexuality and HIV curricula—both as stand-alone modules and integrated …

The Status Of School Science Laboratory Technicians In Australian Secondary Schools : Research Report Prepared For The Department Of Education, Employment And Workplace Relations, Mark Hackling

Research outputs pre 2011

Australia needs a scientifically literate society and a supply of scientists and technologists to sustain a thriving economy and to address a wide range of social and environmental challenges. The goals of scientific literacy and a sufficient supply of science and technology graduates from higher education require that primary and secondary schools offer authentic and inquiry oriented science curricula that engage students and inspire them to continue their studies of science (Ainley et al., 2008). Science teachers depend heavily on good facilities and high quality technical support to implement an engaging and inquiry-oriented curriculum and this will be particularly important …

Administrative Support For Online Teaching Faculty, John David Meyer

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

When administrators make decisions about the infrastructure support needs of a current or planned online teaching program, these decisions are often based on external expert advice rather than on the advice of experienced ground level faculty who are living with the dynamic nature of the technology and support needed to develop and maintain an effective online teaching program. Online teaching faculty are the best source of advice and information on what works and what does not.

Faculty at the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) were surveyed to find out what elements are important to the development of an effective online …

Cross-Cultural Competence Assessment Instruments For The U.S Military Academy's Semester Abroad Program, Scott E. Womack

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Quality Instruction Creates Higher Student Learning, Kelly Jan Austin

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Many agree that science education is in need of reform, due to the fact that America is falling behind other industrialized nations in measures of science performance. In order to revolutionize the direction of this discipline is it up to the educators to implement changes in their classroom. It seems that our educational settings know what needs to be done in order to reach higher standards of achievement, however it is concerning that schools aren’t taking the steps necessary to reach these levels. In trying to enhance student learning, there are several methods in science education that are targeted at …

Education And Transition To Work Among Youth In Tamil Nadu, International Institute For Population Sciences (Iips), Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The extent to which India will be able to successfully harness its demographic dividend depends significantly on the situation of its youth, notably on the levels of education and market-oriented skills they attain. Youth in Tamil Nadu have made considerable strides in terms of educational attainment, yet it is not clear whether they are prepared for the challenges they will face in a globalized world. For example, are opportunities available that enable them to complete secondary education, increasingly a prerequisite for participating in the labor market in the context of globalization. Are opportunities available that enable youth to overcome skill …