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Full-Text Articles in Education

Faculty Drivers And Barriers: Laying The Groundwork For Undergraduate Stem Education Reform In Academic Departments, Susan E. Shadle, Anthony Marker, Brittnee Earl Dec 2017

Faculty Drivers And Barriers: Laying The Groundwork For Undergraduate Stem Education Reform In Academic Departments, Susan E. Shadle, Anthony Marker, Brittnee Earl

CTL Teaching Gallery

Background: Calls to improve student learning and increase the number of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) college and university graduates assert the need for widespread adoption of evidence-based instructional practices in undergraduate STEM courses. For successful reforms to take hold and endure, it is likely that a significant shift in culture around teaching is needed. This study seeks to describe the initial response of faculty to an effort to shift teaching norms, with a long-term goal of altering the culture around teaching and learning in STEM. While the effort was envisioned and led at the institutional level, dialog about …


Assessing Teacher Attentiveness To Student Mathematical Thinking, Michele B. Carney, Laurie Cavey, Gwyneth Hughes Dec 2017

Assessing Teacher Attentiveness To Student Mathematical Thinking, Michele B. Carney, Laurie Cavey, Gwyneth Hughes

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article illustrates an argument-based approach to presenting validity evidence for assessment items intended to measure a complex construct. Our focus is developing a measure of teachers’ ability to analyze and respond to students’ mathematical thinking for the purpose of program evaluation. Our validity argument consists of claims addressing connections between our item-development process and the theoretical model for the construct we are trying to measure: attentiveness. Evidence derived from theoretical arguments in conjunction with our multiphased item-development process is used to support the claims, including psychometric evidence of Rasch model fit and category ordering. Taken collectively, the evidence provides …


Form, Function, And Relevance Of Contemporary Language Resource Centers, Paul L. Sebastian Dec 2017

Form, Function, And Relevance Of Contemporary Language Resource Centers, Paul L. Sebastian

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation was conducted in order to better understand the interplay between form, function, and relevance regarding contemporary language resource centers (LRCs). Five language centers housed by four different institutions of higher education in the western region of the United States were examined. Two representatives from each of the five centers were interviewed either in-person or over the phone (N = 10). Data were collected in the form of semi-structured interviews, on-site visits, and research journal entries. The data were analyzed using a flexible combination of multi-level qualitative coding, descriptive statistics, and narrative analysis. This study confirms recent findings …


“All Students Are Brilliant”: A Confession Of Injustice And A Call To Action, Amy D. Robertson, Leslie J. Atkins Elliott Dec 2017

“All Students Are Brilliant”: A Confession Of Injustice And A Call To Action, Amy D. Robertson, Leslie J. Atkins Elliott

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

The two of us (AR and LAE), in our teaching, research, and work with teachers, advocate for responsive teaching—an approach that seeks out and builds on the productive “seeds of science” in what our students say and do and assumes that “all students…are brilliant.” This pedagogical approach requires a commitment to listening to and intellectually empathizing with students’ scientific ideas.


The Use Of Visual Arts In World Language Instruction To Increase Student Motivation And Attitude, Marilena Bevilacqua Martello Dec 2017

The Use Of Visual Arts In World Language Instruction To Increase Student Motivation And Attitude, Marilena Bevilacqua Martello

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Because of the complexity and changeability that characterize languages, language learners face a number of various factors in their quest to acquire a new language. Nevertheless, it is the level of motivation and personal attitude toward language learning that will determine their rate of success (Dörnyei & Csizér, 1998). The purpose of this study was to find out (1) whether there was a relationship between the use of visual art in world language instruction and student motivation, and (2) whether student writing skills improved when visual art was used for Content Based Instruction. The study used a mixed method research …


Research-Based Stem Educator Professional Development Rubrics For The Selection Of High-Quality Professional Development: A Mixed Methods Study Of Teacher Perceptions And Outcomes, Angela Hemingway Dec 2017

Research-Based Stem Educator Professional Development Rubrics For The Selection Of High-Quality Professional Development: A Mixed Methods Study Of Teacher Perceptions And Outcomes, Angela Hemingway

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Idahoans failed to recognize approximately $240M in 2016 when over 3,800 STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) jobs, with a median wage of $30 per hour, went unfilled. This further caused Idaho to lose $14M in state income tax receipts from these unclaimed positions (Idaho Department of Labor, 2016). To mitigate these economic losses, the Idaho STEM Action Center (STEM AC) was created to develop the STEM-skilled workforce that Idaho employers demand. High-quality, STEM-educator professional development (PD) is a critical component in ensuring students are equipped with the skills required to successfully thrive in the workforce and fill industry demands. …


Learning To Code Music: Development Of A Supplemental Unit For High School Computer Science, Kelsey Wright Nov 2017

Learning To Code Music: Development Of A Supplemental Unit For High School Computer Science, Kelsey Wright

Computer Science Graduate Projects and Theses

Learning to Code Music is a supplemental unit developed for high school computer science. This unit was developed after researching the effects of biases in curriculum, effective teaching, and incorporating the arts into coding. This supplemental unit is intended to be used with one of the Computer Science Principles curriculum approved by the College Board and explained in the literature review. It is my goal to have other teachers and myself to use this supplemental unit in their high school computer science courses. All supplemental unit material can be found at https://sites.google.com/notusschools.org/earsketch-csp/home


Two Departments, Two Models Of Interdisciplinary Peer Learning, Julianne A. Wenner, Paul J. Simmonds Sep 2017

Two Departments, Two Models Of Interdisciplinary Peer Learning, Julianne A. Wenner, Paul J. Simmonds

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

On graduation, teacher candidates (TCs) are typically underprepared to teach science, particularly physical science, whereas physics graduates frequently lack training in teaching or effective communication. In response, we created two models for interdisciplinary peer learning where TCs were paired with either graduate or undergraduate physics students. In both models, physics students teach TCs content knowledge relevant to a given area of either classical or quantum physics, which TCs then use to design and implement a short lesson for K-5 students. Overall, both models were successful, with the two sets of students reporting benefits in each case. Affordances for TCs included …


Measuring Rights-Based Perspectives: A Validation Of The Human Rights Lens In Social Work Scale, Jane Mcpherson, Carl F. Siebert, Darcy Clay Siebert Jul 2017

Measuring Rights-Based Perspectives: A Validation Of The Human Rights Lens In Social Work Scale, Jane Mcpherson, Carl F. Siebert, Darcy Clay Siebert

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective: This article reports the initial validation of the Human Rights Lens in Social Work (HRLSW) scale, a tool designed to measure a social worker’s ability to see individual and social problems as resulting from human rights violations. The purpose of the research was to gather evidence regarding the validity of this multidimensional measure of a new construct, i.e., human rights lens. Method: Data from a convenience sample of 1,014 licensed clinical social workers were collected by electronic survey, and the sample was split to conduct discrete exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The exploratory factor analysis was performed on …


Higher Education: The Impact On Bosnian Women Who Came As Refugees To The United States, Belma Sadikovic May 2017

Higher Education: The Impact On Bosnian Women Who Came As Refugees To The United States, Belma Sadikovic

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the impact college education has on Bosnian refugee women who resettled to the United States. The research findings help us better understand the effect higher education has on female students who came to the United States as refugees, their self-sufficiency and their overall integration into their new society. Using Kunz’s refugee theory and Bourdieu’s theory on social and cultural capital as a theoretical framework, the study explores socio-cultural factors that enable and constrain the ability of Bosnian women to navigate the facets of higher education, and how those factors affect their self-sufficiency and overall integration. The participants …


The Theoretical And Empirical Basis Of Teacher Leadership: A Review Of The Literature, Julianne A. Wenner, Todd Campbell Feb 2017

The Theoretical And Empirical Basis Of Teacher Leadership: A Review Of The Literature, Julianne A. Wenner, Todd Campbell

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

The current review examined teacher leadership research completed since York-Barr and Duke published the seminal review on teacher leadership in 2004. The review was undertaken to examine how teacher leadership is defined, how teacher leaders are prepared, their impact, and those factors that facilitate or inhibit teacher leaders’ work. Beyond this, the review considered theories informing teacher leadership, teacher leadership within disciplinary contexts, and the roles of teacher leaders in social justice and equity issues. Within this review, the most salient findings were (a) teacher leadership, although rarely defined, focused on roles beyond the classroom, supporting the professional learning of …


Benefits Of Participating In Service-Learning, Business-Related Classes: Assessing The Impact On The Community Partners, Nancy Vizenor, Tasha J. Souza, Joshua Jordan Ertmer Jan 2017

Benefits Of Participating In Service-Learning, Business-Related Classes: Assessing The Impact On The Community Partners, Nancy Vizenor, Tasha J. Souza, Joshua Jordan Ertmer

CTL Teaching Gallery

Problem: Many universities offer service-learning classes that provide opportunities for students and community partners to work together on semester-long projects. Researchers have been especially interested in the benefits students receive in service-learning classes, and those benefits have been well recognized (Eyler, Giles, Stenson, & Gray, 2001). However, the benefits to community partners have been assumed but seldom explored empirically (Bringle & Steinberg, 2010; Cruz & Giles, 2000; Dorado & Giles, 2004). Research Questions: How beneficial were the service-learning projects to the community partners? What were the community partners’ experiences working with the students? Research Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive design was …


Teaching Faculty: A Model Of Professional Development For Mobile Learning Integration In Higher Education, Devshikha Bose, Lana Grover Jan 2017

Teaching Faculty: A Model Of Professional Development For Mobile Learning Integration In Higher Education, Devshikha Bose, Lana Grover

CTL Teaching Gallery

The purpose of this study was to document faculty perceptions on the impact of an instructional designer supported, faculty peer instruction model of professional development. The aim of the study was to identify how this faculty development model impacts course design, assessment strategies, and the integration of mobile technology in teaching and learning. Data was collected during a three-day mobile learning, professional development program, via pre and post survey and a focus group meeting. Results indicate that faculty benefited positively from their experience. Faculty reported that they learned methods for integrating mobile learning into their course design and gained knowledge …


Consolidated Energy: Hillary Clinton And The 2016 U.S. Presidential Campaign, David Gabbard Jan 2017

Consolidated Energy: Hillary Clinton And The 2016 U.S. Presidential Campaign, David Gabbard

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

The one on a one-dollar bill signifies a quantitive measure of that one’s symbolic energy – what we would normally call its value. In the absence of energy, life cannot form. Just as nature abhors a vacuum, we learn to abhor a debt. This understanding of value and debt informs the larger framework of analysis used to examine the seemingly never ending U.S. Presidential campaign of 2016. While many argue that Hillary Clinton represented the maintenance of the status quo, this paper points to evidence supporting a different conclusion. In the first place, to what status quo could they be …


Urban Elementary Science Teacher Leaders: Responsibilities, Supports, And Needs, Julianne A. Wenner Jan 2017

Urban Elementary Science Teacher Leaders: Responsibilities, Supports, And Needs, Julianne A. Wenner

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

The challenge of science achievement gaps is one that scholars have struggled to solve. Teacher leadership holds great promise in closing those gaps. Therefore, the purpose of the research reported here was to explore the responsibilities and supports of formally designated science teacher leaders (STLs) in urban elementary schools that have been successful in closing science achievement gaps. Using York-Barr and Duke’s (2004) review on teacher leadership as a framework, findings from this study indicate that urban elementary STLs emphasize certain dimensions of practice (e.g., building partnerships) while deemphasizing or even omitting others (e.g., working with preservice teachers). Findings also …


Social Justice Through Citizenship Education: A Collective Responsibility, Sara Winstead Fry, Jason O'Brien Jan 2017

Social Justice Through Citizenship Education: A Collective Responsibility, Sara Winstead Fry, Jason O'Brien

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Existing research suggests that preservice elementary teachers tend to believe “good” citizens are people who follow laws and help others rather than people who embrace a more active model of citizenship that includes working to improve society. The authors propose that this trend results from a self-perpetuating cycle of passive citizenship that develops in part due to state curriculum standards and school experiences which focus on transmitting knowledge rather than preparing students to be active agents of change. The article presents the results of action research conducted in a teacher preparation course; the research was designed to investigate the impact …


Creating A Rural Nursing Workforce, Heidi Johnston Jan 2017

Creating A Rural Nursing Workforce, Heidi Johnston

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: Nursing students living in rural areas often encounter barriers, real or perceived, to receiving education. These students may be unable to leave home to obtain higher education due to expectations, financial issues, and geography (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2010), thus contributing to a shortage of qualified nurses in rural communities. Great Basin College (GBC) recently implemented synchronized distance education Synchronized Distance Education (SDE) for the (AAS) nursing program, and there was a need to conduct a program evaluation in order to maintain/improve program quality. One goal of Healthy People 2020 (2014) is improving access to comprehensive, quality healthcare services. …


Taking A Community Approach To Curriculum Change, Sarah E. Dalrymple, Anna Jo Auerbach, Elisabeth E. Schussler Jan 2017

Taking A Community Approach To Curriculum Change, Sarah E. Dalrymple, Anna Jo Auerbach, Elisabeth E. Schussler

CTL Teaching Gallery

Many undergraduate institutions are reforming their courses to increase student engagement. A critical challenge in these efforts is to engage the academic community beyond the instructors in the process of change. At our university, we embraced this challenge by creating a volunteer community of faculty, postdocs, graduate students, and undergraduates to design the discussion curricula for a new introductory biology sequence. We report on this process of curriculum development using a case study approach and describe how the community created the new curriculum and how they perceived the outcomes of the process. Our findings indicate that this curriculum design approach …