Education Commons^™

Applying The Technology Acceptance Model To Predict And Explain Elementary And Secondary Preservice Teachers' Continuance Behavioral Intentions And Pedagogical Usage Of Twitter To Build Professional Capital: A Structural Equation Modeling Inquiry, Nandita Gurjar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to predict and explain elementary and secondary preservice teachers' continuance behavioral intentions and pedagogical usage of Twitter, a web based social networking, microblogging platform, to build professional growth and capital. The objective of the research study was to examine preservice teachers' beliefs associated with the specified constructs that formed the latent variables of the hypothesized research model; these latent variables were then measured with their associated indicators or manifest variables, and the relationship between the manifest variables was examined through the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) process. A non-experimental empirical research study was conducted …

Exploring Repurposing Across Contexts: How Adolescents' New Literacies Practices Can Inform Understandings About Writing-Related Transfer, Cynthia Mitchell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project examines how middle school students engage in new literacies practices and how they repurpose across contexts. With the use of screencast software and interviews, this project analyzes six case study participants' new literacies practices and the way they use and change ideas and strategies across physical and digital contexts. Drawing from transfer methodology, this project looks at how broadening conceptions of transfer and contexts to include repurposing increases the possibilities for finding transfer in literacies practices. Applying new literacies theory, this project explores how literacies practices that are chronologically and ontologically new (Lankshear & Knobel, 2006) are often …

Bringing Worlds Together: China And America Through The Eyes Of Dr. Yali Zhao, John S. Crumb Ii, Chara H. Bohan

Middle and Secondary Education Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Technology In Kentucky Social Studies Classrooms, Lesia Lennex, Andrew T. Perrin

Department of Middle Grades and Secondary Education Research & Publication Archives

Technology in Kentucky Social Studies Classrooms by Lesia Lennex and Andrew T. Perrin.

Socialization To Academic Language In A Kindergarten Classroom, Colleen E. Gallagher

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

Recognizing the importance of academic language for students’ success in schools, this article reports on an investigation of how narrative-focused literacy events in the classroom provide opportunities for academic language socialization. Data were collected from one public elementary school in a major metropolitan area in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Participants include an intact kindergarten class of 16 students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and their teacher. The results of the investigation revealed that sharing time provides opportunities for socialization to academic register through: (1) requiring that students successfully navigate the academic language demands of the interaction, …

Consistency And Change: Becoming A Literacy Leader In An Urban School, Jackie Marshall Arnold, Mary-Kate Sableski

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

An effective urban literacy teacher is one who can weather the storm of change. Remaining committed to one’s students despite the challenges that an urban environment brings is a key element in facilitating student literacy improvement. In this article we present a case study of one teacher who participated in our three year professional development initiative to improve literacy practices in urban schools. We discuss the qualities that she possessed that helped her to persist through the pains of change to impact student learning, and how these qualities should be fostered in urban school teachers to improve achievement.

Journaling The Art Of Teaching: Multimodal Responding For Narrative Inquiry, Cynthia M. Morawski, Jennifer Rottmann, Elizabeth Afrakomah, Emili Balatti, Meg Christens, Laura Kellar

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Research underscores the integral role that teachers’ recurring narratives play in their everyday teaching agendas. Like the students in their classrooms, teachers comprise a diverse group of individuals representing a myriad of ways to learn and teach, stemming from such factors as pedagogical approaches, prior life experiences, and familial relationships. Applying multimodal learning to response journaling expands teacher candidates’ opportunities to address the role that narratives play in developing their daily repertoires of practice in language arts. Hence, further investigation is needed to expand the range of practices available for fostering teacher narrative inquiry. Methodologically supported by action research in …

Impact Of Professional Development In Response To Intervention On Secondary Teachers' Efficacy, Crystal Joy Spence

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2012, a southeastern state mandated that all school districts employ the response to intervention (RtI) tiered approach model to meet the needs of struggling students. RtI was implemented at the study site; however, secondary teachers were not confident in their abilities to implement RtI. Researchers have found that a teacher's sense of efficacy can impact student academic outcomes. Professional development on implementing RtI was provided for teachers in the study school. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of explicit RtI professional development on the perceived self-efficacy of secondary teachers and their ability to impact student …

Critical Thinking To Justify An Answer In Mathematics Classrooms, Angelique E. Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Students' critical thinking in mathematics was a concern for grade 5 through 8 teachers at a Title 1 public school in the northeastern United States because of the students' poor performance on constructed response questions on the state's mathematics exam. In this exam, students were required to justify their answers in writing. When teachers recognize the connection between writing and critical thinking, they can devise strategies to help students develop mathematical literacy. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how 5th through 8th grade mathematics teachers use the GoMath mathematics literacy program to teach the critical thinking …

Middle School Teachers' Perceptions Of Bullying And Their Practices In Reporting Bullying Incidents, Katherine Eileen Blust

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Student self-report surveys showed bullying behaviors were problematic among students in one Midwest middle school. Despite implementing a version of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, students continued to self-report bullying behaviors that occurred on school property during school hours. It is crucial that educators are proactive in intervening and preventing bullying to establish a safe environment for academic success. The purpose of this study was to describe teachers' perceptions of bullying behaviors and their practices in reporting bullying incidents. Bandura's social learning and Locke's social contract theories served as the study's framework. Teachers were asked to describe behaviors they perceived …

A Study Of Teachers' Challenges With The Inclusion Of Middle And High School Students With Autism, Marcie Anne Goodrow

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Middle and high school general education teachers in the school district in this bounded case study

were facing challenges with meeting the needs of students who have autism in the current inclusion

program. The purpose of this study was to understand teachers' challenges with components of the

inclusion program and serving students with autism in the general education classroom. The

conceptual framework was Villa and Thousand's 5 system-level best practices for successful

inclusive education. A purposeful sampling procedure was used to select 4 general education

teachers who were teaching autistic students in an inclusive setting; this sample included 2 middle …

Secondary-School Department Chairpersons’ Perceptions Of Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Jonathan K. Greene

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The concept of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) provides a framework for understanding the professional demands of secondary-school teachers in facilitating student learning. Teachers develop their PCK both formally in preservice and inservice education and informally with their colleagues. Teacher leaders, such as the secondary-school department chairs, can work with colleagues to promote professional growth. The purpose of this study was to understand how secondary-school department chairs understood PCK and perceived their role in promoting the PCK growth of their department colleagues. A qualitative research design using in-depth, semi-structured interviews involved 15 participants from one school district in the southeast of …

Three Reading-Intervention Teachers’ Identity Positioning And Practices To Motivate And Engage Emergent Bilinguals In An Urban Middle School, Jung-In Kim, Kara Mitchell Viesca

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

This study investigated three urban middle-school teachers’ practices with respect to motivating and engaging emergent bilinguals in reading-intervention classrooms by exploring the teachers’ identity positioning. The three teachers’ sociocultural and sociopolitical positioning of their students (e.g. students as individuals, as monolithic learners, or as problems) was found to be related to their practices for motivating and engaging the students (e.g. hybrid, calibrated, or imposed practices). The teachers’ historical and current resources partially shaped how they positioned their students. The findings support that teachers should not only learn motivational practices but also reflect critically on positioning processes in the classroom.

Crossing “The Problem Of The Color Line”: White Mathematics Teachers And Black Students, Carla Bidwell, David W. Stinson

Middle and Secondary Education Faculty Publications

In this paper, the authors explore—within an eclectic theoretical framework of critical theory, critical race theory, and Whiteness studies—the life experiences of four White high school mathematics teachers who were “successful” with Black students. The data were collected through three, semi-structured interviews, conducted over a 5-month time period. Through a cross-case analysis of the data, three commonalities among the teachers were identified as being significant contributors to their success in teaching Black students. Two commonalities the participants themselves felt strongly about, and a third became apparent during the cross-case analysis: (a) forming meaningful relationships with students, (b) engaging students in …

Why Bad Teacher Is A Bad Movie And Where The Real Crisis Is: Implications For Teachers And Teacher Education, J. Patrick Mcgrail, Ewa Mcgrail

Middle and Secondary Education Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Radical Reconfiguring(S) For Equity In Urban Mathematics Classrooms: Lines Of Flight In Mathematics And The Body: Material Entanglements In The Classroom, Susan Ophelia Cannon, Kayla Myers

Middle and Secondary Education Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

How Many Different Barbies? How Many Different Girls? How Many Different Girls In Mathematics?, David W. Stinson

Middle and Secondary Education Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Dewey, Freire, And Foucault And An Ever-Evolving Philosophy Of (Mathematics) Education, David W. Stinson

Middle and Secondary Education Faculty Publications

In this essay, the author provides a working definition of philosophy from a cultural point of view, and argues the need for mathematics educators to develop their philosophy of mathematics teaching and learning or, to speak more broadly, their philosophy of education. He then historically situates three scholars—John Dewey, Paulo Freire, and Michel Foucault—who have been instrumental in the formulation of his philosophy of education. Next, he shares how the philosophies of these three scholars provide different languages to critique three aspects of education. He concludes with brief discussions on the process of his ever-evolving philosophy of mathematics teaching and …

Breaking The Taboo: What My Mother’S Suicide Might Teach Us In Critical Social Justice And Faith Work, And Perhaps Beyond, G. Sue Kasun

Middle and Secondary Education Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Disrupting Ell Teacher Candidates’ Identities: Indigenizing Teacher Education In One Study Abroad Program, G. Sue Kasun, Cinthya M. Saavedra

Middle and Secondary Education Faculty Publications

In this article, the researchers describe and theorize the challenges and promises of exposing preservice teachers' identities to indigenous, critical second language teaching experiences in one study abroad program in Mexico. The eight teacher candidates who participated in this 4-week program were predominantly white, like the majority of teachers of English language learners in the United States today. By analyzing teacher candidates' self-assessments, course work samples, class discussions, focus group sessions, and ethnographic field notes, the researchers found three main themes of identity shifts: becoming socially aware, becoming empaths, and becoming creators of loving classroom spaces. These tentative changes appear …

Absence Of Diversity In Collegiate Upper-Level Mathematics Classrooms: Perpetuating The “White Male Math Myth”, David W. Stinson

Middle and Secondary Education Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Signs Of The Times Around Us And Proposing Alternative Interpretations, Ewa Mcgrail

Middle and Secondary Education Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Questions Of Truth: Ethical And Moral Wanderings In Middle Grades Mathematics Classrooms And Research, Susan Ophelia Cannon, Stephanie Behm Cross

Middle and Secondary Education Faculty Publications

This paper describes two researchers engagement with two teachers as they taught a middle grades mathematics course, Current Events Math, in a large urban school district. The researchers share bits of data and their ethical entanglements as they entered into the site to find the truth about what works in middle grades mathematics classrooms only to realize that truth cannot be found through research. They then grappled with the question of the purpose of research and their roles as researchers in the school and the academy.

Mathematics As (Double) Gatekeeper, Student As Bordercrosser: A Case Study, Susan Ophelia Cannon, Kayla Myers, Stephanie Behm Cross

Middle and Secondary Education Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Using Wii Technology And Experiential Learning To Teach Newtonian Mechanics To Rural Middle School Students, Joseph S. Dvorak, Tanya C. Franke-Dvorak, Shane Neel

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

This study looked at the effects of an experiential learning activity using the accelerometer in the Wii Remote to teach basic concepts of Newtonian mechanics, e.g., acceleration, to middle school students in a rural school district. A major prerequisite for students at the mid-level in biosystems engineering programs is that they have a good knowledge of basic science, including physics. Education in these concepts must begin before college, such as at the middle school level. Improvements in science education are vitally necessary to achieve essential learning outcomes for middle school students in the U.S. and to prepare these students for …

Predicting Mathematics Teachers' Acceptance Of Reflective Blogging To Improve Instruction, Diana Sue Fesmire

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An internal district audit identified that a rural, socioeconomically disadvantaged Southwestern school district has a lack of congruent and consistent implementation of the Common Core State Standards in mathematics. Innovative and cost-saving avenues for professional development (PD), such as reflective blogging, foster teacher learning to reconcile the enacted curriculum with the intended curriculum. This correlational study investigated the predictive power of technology acceptance and motivation constructs on reflective mathematics teachers' social media use intention and participation in informal, virtual Communities of Practice (vCoP). The framework that guided this study is the unified acceptance and use of technology and self-determination theory. …

Effective Professional Development For Teachers : Read-Alouds In The Middle Level, Kelly Ann Behmer

Graduate Research Papers

Teacher read alouds are common practice in the elementary level, but they are rarely seen in the middle level. This paper addresses the importance of read alouds, with evidence from the literature, followed by the development of an effective professional development process for working with teachers at the middle level in developing instruction that includes read alouds. The goal of this professional development plan is to teach teachers of all subject areas in the middle level school how to conduct read alouds so they will know how to incorporate them into their specific subject area to enhance their students' learning.

Classroom Management, Summer L. Emich

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project focused its research on how various teachers implement classroom management into their classrooms. The definition of classroom management used for this project is from The Glossary of Education Reform, which says classroom management refers to the “wide variety of skills and techniques that teachers and schools use to keep students organized, orderly, focused, attentive, on task, and academically productive during a class” (Great Schools Partnership, 2014, p. 1). The purpose of this project was to determine how various teachers incorporate classroom management into their classrooms. Two schools were used during this project where two principals were interviewed and …

Principals’ Perceptions Of Teacher-Student Interactions In Diversifying Suburban Middle Schools, Yolanda E. Bloodsaw

Wayne State University Dissertations

This qualitative study examined the kinds of troublesome teacher-student interactions that principals in a large Midwestern metro community manage. Personal interview data from nine suburban middle school principals as well as a group interview with four of the nine participants followed an interpretivist paradigm. This study found that the tense teacher-student interactions are triggered by conflicting perceptions held by students and teachers as a result of racial/cultural differences and socioeconomic status. Conflicting perceptions included stereotypes, cultural insensitivity, student motivation, student survival, loud Black kids, and tardiness. The bulk of the teacher-student interactions described by participants primarily concerned interactions between the …

Making Your Traditional Text Work: Input, Scaffolding And Communication, Andrew J. Demil

The Coastal Review: An Online Peer-reviewed Journal

Second Language Acquisition (SLA) studies provide evidence that comprehension activities that involve meaningful language production and communication promote language acquisition more effectively than mechanical drills. Recent studies review the state of foreign language textbooks and demonstrate that the majority of foreign language textbooks do not follow SLA research. This article provides ways that a second language instructor can use a traditional text to help lead to meaningful language instruction.