Digital Commons Network^™

Subterranean Echoes: Curriculum Theory As Cultural Studies., Toby Allan Daspit

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Cultural studies has emerged in recent decades as a popular realm of academic inquiry (During, 1993). Giroux (1994), while noting the field's increased acceptance, ponders why cultural studies has yet to permeate critical analyses of education and simultaneously questions cultural studies' reticence in considering schools as an important site of cultural production. Edgerton (1996) concurs with Giroux and notes that cultural studies' use in colleges of education is extremely rare. The realm of popular culture, one of the central foci of cultural studies, has especially been marginalized in academic discourses. My project is to explore the implications of curriculum theory …

Critical Multiculturalism In The Classroom: From Theory To Practice, Denise Michelle Dalaimo

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Since Paulo Freire's (1970) revolutionary work Pedagogy of the Oppressed, "radical" (critical/feminist/multicultural) educators have endeavored to change the face of education by altering traditional power relations and by including the work and experiences of previously under- or unrepresented groups. Research to date in the field of radical pedagogy has been largely focused on and performed in the small and intimate classroom. Many of the approaches and techniques proposed by radical educators---though effective in smaller classes---are difficult to implement in the larger, more impersonal classroom which is becoming more and more prevalent in contemporary higher education. This research has been largely …

Special Education Students: Which Ones Are Prepared To Receive A High School Diploma?, Rhoton Titus Hudson

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study sought to determine whether statistically significant differences between students with disabilities who pass and those who fail the Nevada High School Proficiency Examination are accounted for by demographic variables alone, or if they can also be attributed to educational variables. To establish the basis for this study, legislation such as IDEA and Goals 2000 was examined, recent literature was reviewed, and court cases involving testing students with disabilities on standardized and minimum competency tests were studied; The study follows 965 students with disabilities who were in the eleventh grade during the 1998--99 school year through five administrations of …

Instrument Development And Validation For Use In A Health Education Program, Joanna Lynn Blockey

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study was conducted to establish the validity and reliability of a dependent measure instrument developed specifically for health education programs geared to expectant mothers and their significant others who smoke; This study's instrument was distributed to 201 randomly chosen college students participating in health education, general education, educational psychology, and communication studies classes at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Results from this study found that the instrument has merit. The confirmatory factor analysis, which proved the instrument's reliability, isolated three different areas of study: beliefs about smoking in general; the effects of smoking on pre- and post-natal babies; …

An Analysis Of Factors Influencing The Teaching Of Biological Evolution In Louisiana Public Secondary Schools., Donald Wayne Aguillard

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Louisiana public school biology teachers were surveyed to investigate their attitudes toward biological evolution. A mixed method investigation was employed using a questionnaire and open-ended interviews. Results obtained from 64 percent of the sample receiving the questionnaire indicate that although teachers endorse the study of evolution as important, instructional time allocated to evolution is disproportionate with its status as a unifying concept of science. Two variables, number of college courses specifically devoted to evolution and number of semester credit hours in biology, produced a significant correlation with emphasis placed on evolution. The data suggest that teachers' knowledge base emerged as …

Literacy Stories: Attitudes Toward Literacy And Motivation To Read Among African-American Males In An Urban Community., Donna Parham Washington

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Through methods of ethnographic research this study explores the attitudes toward literacy and the motivation to read of African American male secondary school students in an urban community. This study includes historical inquiry obtained through the gathering of oral histories from men who experienced their youth and adolescence in the same geographic area as the secondary school students. Over the past fifty years the neighborhood focused on in this study has undergone tremendous change, both societal and structural. Information obtained through the interviews of the older men and the younger men will be compared to determine changes in literacy attitudes, …

Can Games Help Develop Mathematical Thinking?, Dilshad Ashraf, Habib Hussain, Abdul Ghafoor, Dulshon Shamatov

Book Chapters / Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

Euroconstruction Report 1, Louis Gunnigan, Trevor Orr

Reports

This report was prepared on behalf of the Construction Industry Federation as Ireland’s initial contribution to the Leonardo da Vinci Project: Euroconstruction.

The report is divided into 3 sections.

Section 1 concentrates on the recent and likely future changes in the structure of the Irish construction market and the impact of these changes on project management and project financing. The recent growth of the industry is documented and predictions for the future of the industry in Ireland are summarised. The conclusions reached show that an increased involvement in the financing of public projects is required from the private sector if …

The Design And Development Of A Student-Parent Handbook And A Parent-Family And Community Volunteer Handbook For An Elementary School, Richard Kevin Bates

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to design and develop a Student-Parent Handbook and a Parent-Family and Community Volunteer Handbook for Robert Gray Elementaiy School in Aberdeen, Washington. To accomplish this purpose, a study of current research and the incorporation of State laws, Aberdeen School District Board policies, and the special needs of Robert Gray Elementaiy School were all taken into consideration. The Student-Parent Handbook was developed to communicate in written format with the parents. It was to include information, rules, policies and procedures to further students', parents' and school staffs understanding. The Parent-Family and Community Volunteers Handbook was developed …

A Comparative Study Of 1-12 Public School Systems Of The United States And People's Republic Of China, Sean Xiong Chi

All Graduate Projects

The purpose ofthis study was to recognize and extrapolate the major similarities and/or differences between the public education systems of the United States and the People's Republic of China. The researcher was primarily concerned with the examination of similarities and differences in origin, evolution, structure, organization, curriculum, funding, law and governmental regulations in Grades 1-12 school systems in the two countries. The researcher's analysis of the project was intended to provide other educators and researchers with a picture of the nature of the two school systems. There is no value judgement of either country's educational system in this comparative study.

A Study Of Organizational Health In The Context Of Court-Ordered Desegregation, Alicia I. Finch

Theses and Dissertations

The study of organizational health in the context of court-ordered desegregation focused on the three school districts in Pulaski County, Arkansas: Little Rock School District, North Little Rock School District, and Pulaski County Special School District. The purpose of the study was to determine the existence of a relationship between organizational health and the desegregation process. The organizational health of each school district was measured on the theoretical concept of schools as social systems. The organizational health of the school districts was measured using a revised version of the Organizational Health Inventory developed by Hoy and Feldman (1987). Seven constructs …

Creating Conditions For Developing And Nurturing Talent: The Work Of School Leaders, Stephanie Pace Marshall, Martin Ramirez, Kathy Plinske, Catherine C. Veal

Publications & Research

In 1993, two decades after the 1972 U.S. Office of Education Report on the status of gifted and talented programs (the Marland Report), U. S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley issued a report stating that gifted education is essential to our nation’s future and documenting the “quiet risk” faced by gifted children and gifted education programs in the United States.

Using Mathematical Modeling For The Prediction Of Success In Developmental Math., Kathy Rogers Autrey

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This exploratory study was primarily designed to determine the possibility of developing a discriminant model to predict success in developmental mathematics. The sample included 402 students enrolled in a developmental math class at Northwestern State University, a small public school in North Louisiana, in the fall semester of 1996. Demographic, achievement and attitudinal variables were used in the development of the model. High school GPA, social enrichment scores from the College Student Inventory, and black were factors identified as significant in the model. Although limited in its predictive ability, the model does provide faculty and advisors with additional information to …

Using Academic And Demographic Variables To Predict Success In The General Education Curriculum., Steven Giles Horton

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Student success and attrition in all levels of education is becoming a more important issue in an age where education dollars are diminishing while various schools of higher learning are increasing. As a result, schools are reevaluating their current programs of study in an attempt to determine if both students and universities are fulfilling their respective goals. This process of reevaluation has several fundamental considerations, one of these which is addressed in this study--the effectiveness of prerequisite requirements and other demographic variables on predicting the success of students in courses in the general education curriculum. The purpose of this study, …

Clinical Laboratory Science University Faculty Learning Types And The Use Of Information Technology In The Classroom., Cynthia Susan Handley

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This study was designed to explore the status of learning types of clinical laboratory science university faculty and their use of information technology in the classroom. Traditionally clinical laboratory science education has been lecture and lab sessions. However, with the advent of the information age, professors are moving from the role of lecturer to facilitator. Some professors are in tune with the new information tools while others are not interested at all. This research had a two-fold purpose: (1) to explore who was using technology in the classroom and identify what they were using, and (2) to search for a …

The Current Status Of Four-Year Undergraduate Construction Education Programs In The United States., Lawrence Leslie Rosso

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The objectives of this study were to describe selected program, curriculum, student, and faculty characteristics, and to explore bivariate relationships between selected pairs of variables within these categories. The review of literature encompassed: general curriculum development and philosophy; American Council for Construction Education, Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, and National Association of Industrial Technology accreditation agencies program philosophies and criteria; and past studies related to programs, faculty, and graduates. The methodology included: a survey of 156 programs; a 26 item survey mailed questionnaire; two follow-up postcards and a follow-up telephone call to all non-respondents; and a facsimile to 25 …

Comparison Of Students Enrolled In An Alternative Academic Program With Regularly Enrolled Students In A Research I University., Margo Myers Abadie

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to describe an academic program, ACCESS, initiated to support entering freshmen students who did not meet the required admission standards for Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. The ACCESS Program offered support in the areas of tutoring and special classes for the first 24 credit hours of study. The second part of the study was to compare academic and personal characteristics of ACCESS Students to a sample of Regularly Enrolled Freshmen Students to determine if differences existed between the two groups. Participants in the study were 244 ACCESS Students and 244 Regularly Enrolled Freshmen …

An Evaluation Of Student Support Services At Southeastern Louisiana University., Lavanner Showers Brown

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Student Support Services (SSS) at Southeastern Louisiana University as these services relate to grade point averages and retention rates. Four groups of 45 students were selected for the study. Forty-five SSS freshmen participants were matched on their at risk classification with 45 non-SSS participants. Forty-five SSS sophomores and 45 non-SSS contemporary sophomores were also matched according to the at risk classification. First generation and low income students who scored 18 and below on the ACT, and had earned a high school grade point average of 3.0 or less constitute …

An Exploration Of The Relationship Between Principal Leadership Style And Student Academic Achievement In The Philippines., Mary Sylvette Tanjuan Gunigundo

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Principal leadership has been identified to be a crucial factor in the success of a school. One measure of school success is student academic achievement. Effective school literature suggests that there exist a relationship between principal leadership and student academic achievement. Thus, this study explored the relationship between principal leadership style (transformational, transactional, or laissez-faire) and student academic achievement in the Philippines. Three control variables were considered in examining this relationship and these were teacher educational background, student population, and student socio-economic status (SES). This study was conducted in thirty-six elementary public schools in the Philippines. The revised Multifactor Leadership …

Logistic Regression And Item Response Theory: Estimation Item And Ability Parameters By Using Logistic Regression In Irt., Necati Engec

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the utility of logistic regression procedures as a means of estimating item and ability parameters in unidimensional and multidimensional item response theory models for dichotomous and polytomous data instead of IRT models. Unlike the IRT models, single logistic regression model can be easily extended from unidimensional models to multidimensional models, from dichotomous response data to polytomous response data and the assumptions such as all slopes are the same and intercept is zero are unnecessary. Based on the findings of this study, the following preliminary conclusions can be drawn: Item and ability parameters …

Teacher Selection Practices In Effective Elementary Schools Which Differ By Community Type And Socioeconomic Status Context., Amy Barham Westbrook

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The current study investigated teacher selection in elementary schools which differ by school type, community type, and socioeconomic status (SES). The qualities sought, procedures utilized, and problems encountered by principals during teacher selection were examined. Statistical analyses were used to determine whether school types differ significantly on variables regarding teacher selection. The present study involved collecting both qualitative and quantitative data, and was conducted in four phases. In Phase I, all elementary schools in the state were classified by community type, student body SES, and "effective" and "typical" status. Phase II consisted of 12 site visits to "effective" schools which …

Research In Mathematics Education: A Contemporary Perspective, Alistair Mcintosh (Ed.)

Research outputs pre 2011

The twelve chapters in this book-all but two written by researchers in Australian universities-provide ample evidence of the impressive contributions currently being made by Australia to research in mathematics education. The authors' fields of inquiry are diverse: they include discussion of the roles of language and imagery, problem posing and problem solving, students' beliefs and students' thinking, gambling and mental computation. T!1eir methodologies are no less diverse, incorporating descriptions of both quantitative and qualitative research projects, including action research in classrooms, theoretical perspectives and the development of theoretical models, reviews of research, surveys, clinical interviews and descriptions of new research …

How Can We Make Our Mathematics Lessons Meaningful And Enjoyable?, Takbir Ali

Book Chapters / Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

Coastal Marine Science For Law And Business Students: Preparing Law And Business Professionals To Make "Informed Decisions" About Coastal Issues, David H. Niebuhr, Lynda L. Butler, Don Rahtz, Britt E. Anderson, April N. Lawrence

Faculty Publications

The rigors of employment-directed undergraduate education. and decreased emphasis on "Liberal Arts" studies occurring at some colleges and universities has left many graduates with a level of scientific understanding which is inadequate to make infonned choices about issues which effect the environment. To address this lack of scientific understanding. the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (Virginia) and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, with the Marshall-Wythe School of Law and the School of Business Administration of the College of William and Mary are developing a Coastal Ecosystem Science Program to teach future law and business professionals the basics of …

Yearning For Lake Wobegon: The Quest For The Best Test At The Expense Of The Best Education, Lisa Kelly

Articles

This article first will outline the various tests or assessments. Next, recent federal and state mandates for standardized testing of elementary school children will be examined. Then, the educational literature will be reviewed to expose the dangers of testing, particularly in the early grades. Finally, I will urge that the Clinton administration, Congress, and the states step back from this manner of securing educational adequacy. These governmental policies are rooted in the stated intention of guaranteeing that all schools are doing right by all of the children. However, early testing fosters the opposite result-educational inequity through tracking, retention, and the …

Parental Perceptions Of Pre-School Education In Malaysia, Bronwyn L. Hewitt

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Pre-school education in Malaysia has expanded significantly over the past twenty years and is currently the focus of increased attention within the Ministry of Education. This study explores and describes the perceptions of Malaysian parents concerning pre-school education. Guided by Bronfenbrenner's theory of the ecology of human development, the study examines the potential influence of macrosystem elements on the parents' perceptions, as well as the likely impact of such perceptions upon the home- pre-school mesosystem. The research was conducted with a group of 21 parents of children in their final year of preschool education. They were selected from four private …

Links Between Devolution And Changes In Curriculum Policy : A Case Study Of Year 8-10 Social Studies Curriculum In Western Australia Since 1987, Shaohua Xie

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study investigates the links between devolution and Year 8-10 Society and Environment (SAE) curriculum policy in Western Australia (WA) since 1987. It explores whether changes to the structure within which SAE resides, the process through which curriculum decision making occurs, and the content of SAE are consistent with the principles and practice of devolution. An attempt is made in the study to determine whether these changes would have occurred anyway, even if devolution had not been introduced. The investigation is based on a radical humanist model of social inquiry, As such, it uses a critical theory conceptual framework to …

The Language And Literacy Skills And Behaviours Of Two Middle Primary Severely To Profoundly Hearing Impaired Students In The School Environment, Renee M. Kinsman

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Much research has shown that the hearing impaired population typically achieve only very low levels of literacy. Many researchers have examined the language and literacy deficits of the hearing impaired population in order to explain this. Nevertheless, a recent study has shown that hearing impaired children's preschool language and literacy development may occur along a similar pathway to that of their hearing peers. The present study aimed to investigate the language and literacy skills, behaviours and interactions of two severely to profoundly hearing impaired middle primary boys in the context of their mainstream school. Both qualitative and quantitative data sources …

Stakeholders' Voices : A Socio-Cultural Approach To Describing And Extending An Understanding Of Primary Education In Mauritius, Michelle Griffiths

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study describes and expands an understanding of primary education in one developing country, Mauritius. The need for the study was argued from a review of literature which brought to notice the lack of social action perspectives in analysis of education in and about developing countries and the necessity and importance of knowing about the reality of schooling in developing countries. The research was conceptualised as a socio-cultural approach. It gave analytical priority to the actions, experiences and perceptions of teachers, pupils, parents and educationists in order to create an account of what Mauritian education was like and meant to …

A Profile Of The Nigerian Educational System And Policy Options For Improved Educational Development For Rapid Economic Growth And Development, M O. Ojo, O. Adesanya, A. Bamidele

CBN Occasional Papers

Attempts is made in this paper to situate Nigeria's educational system within the context of her overall economic development in view of the universal acceptance of the ultimate importance of human resources in determining the level and manner of economic progress. The various ways in which education contributes to the process of economic development are explored. A statistical review and appraisal of the Nigerian Educational system show that given its current level, the system is under-developed as reflected by an overall adult literacy ratio of 49.5% and primary school enrollment level of 63.5% of the primary school-age cohort as at …