Education Commons^™

Action Research As Empowering Practice, Kathryn Herr

Department of Educational Foundations Scholarship and Creative Works

There is a large debate in the social work literature regarding the gap between research and practice, with current research methodologies critiqued as potentially “blaming the victim” or decontextualizing the practice situation. This paper presents an alternative approach, utilizing action research to inform practice. Originally conceived of as a qualitative interview study, the manuscript traces the evolution of the worker, a teacher and high school students. The research itself addresses the issue of “What is it like to be a student of color here?” in a predominately white school environment. Students and adults conceptualize ways to work together for change …

Attitudes Of Black Secondary School Teachers Toward School Guidance In The Potchefstroom Area, South Africa, Elias H. Masibi

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Linking Teacher Evaluation, Professional Growth, And Motivation: A Multiple-Site Case Study, Nancy C. Wagner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the nature of the activities, processes, and structures used to link a teacher evaluation program to professional growth and motivation. A total of 52 teachers in the Johnson City School System, who were scheduled for evaluation during the 1994-95 school year, were selected by both random and purposeful sampling techniques to participate. Data were collected through both quantitative and qualitative methods. Principals of the nine schools involved also participated in the naturalistic inquiry component of the study. Data were analyzed both deductively and inductively. The analysis revealed attitudes, behaviors, and perceptions …

The Analysis Of Methods Of Instruction In College Algebra And Trigonometry Courses In The Langston University Department Of Mathematics, Cristie L. Bostic

McCabe Thesis Collection

In 1978, a recurring effort was made to remedy the constant decline of test scores in the area of mathematics around the country (Milhalko, 1978). At this time educational methods of "back-to-basics" and "competency-based" programs were seen as the solutions to the drastic decline in test scores and the decrease in interest among students in mathematics courses. Seventeen years later, teachers of mathematics in both the secondary schools and universities (entry level courses) are confronted daily with students who possess a fear of mathematics, students who are unwilling, uninterested, and unable to learn the concepts in mathematics, and students who …

Volume 09, Number 01, Richard F. Welch Editor

Reaching Through Teaching

Full text of Volume 09, Number 01 of Reaching Through Teaching.

Regular And Special Education Teachers' Perceptions Of Their Role In A Collaborative Teaching Model, Kristen Philbrick

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this study was to investigate regular and special education teachers' perceptions of their role in a collaborative teaching model ..The subjects of this study were (N=39) from elementary, middle, and high school levels . A self-developed survey was used in collecting data for this research. Responses were categorized as either regular or special education, and how much question items were representative of each teacher's particular classroom situation. An independent sample t-test was used to determine any significant differences between the perceptions of regular and special education teachers. A. Pearson-r was used to examine any significant relationships between …

Cognitive Effects Of Community Colleges And Four-Year Colleges: Further Evidence From The National Study Of Student Learning., Ernest Pascarella, Marcia Edison, Amaury Nora, Linda S. Hagedorn, Patrick Terenzini

Linda Serra Hagedorn

The two-year community college has become one of the major institutional configurations in the American postsecondary system. It has undoubtedly increased both the access to higher education and the social mobility of numerous individuals whose education world otherwise have ended with high school (Cohen & Brawer, 1989; Nunley & Breneman, 1988). However, critiques of the community college posit that, although it may largely guarantee equality of opportunity for access to higher education, it has not, in relationship to four-year colleges and universities, provided equal opportunity in terms of the outcomes or benefits of higher education (Brint & Karabel, 1989; Grubb, …

Mcmillan Magnet School: A Case History Of A School Acquiring A Critical Mass Of Computer Technology And Internet Connectivity, Neal Grandgenett, Neal Topp, Bob Pawloski, Pamy Mooney, Kerry Newman, Robert Goeman, Wayne Fisher

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

McMillan Magnet Center is located in urban Omaha, Nebraska, and specializes in math, computers, and communications. Once a junior high school, it was converted to a magnet center for seventh and eighth graders in the 1983-84 school year as part of Omaha's voluntary desegregation plan. Now 'the ethnic makeup of the student population is about 50% black and 50% white, with a few other minorities. This document seeks to archive McMillan's success in its mission to become a technology magnet school, including nationally recognized achievements in ~ethnology integration and Internet connectivity. McMillan's technological leadership came about thanks in large part …

Career Stability Of University Graduates Of Agriculture In Benue State, Mchivga Alexander Abelega Dr.

Dr. Mchivga Alexander Abelega

The paper was designed to establish career stability of graduates of agriculture in Benue state. Data was collected from 413 respondents using a four-point scale questionnaire. Percentages, means and standard deviations were used for analysis. It was found inter alia. that there is a higher career stability among soil scientists followed by agricultural engineering graduates. it was found that the situation was due to employment opportunities

The Long-Term Effects On High School Seniors Of Learning To Read In Kindergarten, Ralph A. Hanson, Donna M. Farrell

Donna M Farrell

This follow-up study assessed the educational history and current reading proficiencies of 3,959 high school seniors from 24 school districts in 10 U.S. states in 1986. The purpose was to examine the effects, if any, of receiving formal reading instruction in kindergarten. Over one-third of these students attended elementary schools that implemented a carefully developed beginning reading program in their kindergarten classes in 1973. Although the study included kindergarten students from all backgrounds, those from at-risk backgrounds were overrepresented. Three types of information were combined for each student to create a data base for this study: (a) the amount of …

The Effect Of Gender And Age On Ppst Performance In An Urban Teacher Education Program, Judith Harrington

Counseling Faculty Publications

This study examined PPST scores for 318 College of Education students in a midsized, midwestern, urban university. Factors of gender and age were used to compare performance on the three PPST subtests of Reading, Writing and Mathematics. Findings tended to support some gender-stereotypical beliefs with regard to math and verbal abilities. The study's findings did not support the often perceived belief that traditional students outperform nontraditional students. Inferences for urban colleges of Education are discussed.

Flarr Pages #2: The Umm Academic Partnership: Teaching Portfolio Project, Janice A. Adams, Julie A. Bona

FLARR Pages

No abstract provided.

Koinonia, Melissa Schermer, Steve Moore, Alan Mula

Koinonia

An Article by Philip Yancey

President's Corner

CoCCA: Sharing the Wealth

Photo Collage of the ACSD '95 Conference

Who Wants Revival?

Book Review: Managing Student Affairs Effectively

Distinguished Service Awards

Hop on the Information Superhighway with the ACSD Electronic Discussion Group

Bridging Two Worlds: Professional Service And Service Learning, Deborah Hirsch, Ernest Lynton

New England Resource Center for Higher Education Publications

Authors of this essay, also published in the NSEE Quarterly, argue that proponents of service-learning and faculty professional service should join forces to pursue a common agenda of community outreach. At a time when colleges and universities are being urged to help solve society's problems, the faculty represents a virtually untapped resource. Certainly, there are presently - and always have been - individual faculty working in the community as consultants or as supervisors and guides for students. If the campus is to make a significant impact, however, the institution must be able to deploy departments, divisions, interdisciplinary centers and …

Using Motivational Theory With At-Risk Children, Rachel M. B. Collopy, Theresa Green

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

Rawsonville Elementary is a neighborhood school near Detroit, where the automotive industry is the major employer. Recent layoffs have affected many families in the area, and more than half of the school's 480 students receive reduced or free lunch. Of the district's six elementary schools, Rawsonville has been identified as most in need of Chapter 1 services. For years, the school improvement team had worked hard to improve student motivation and learning. Yet, something was still missing. The number of at-risk and underachieving students entering the school continued to increase.

At the same time, a group of researchers at the …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Transformational Leadership And School Climate, Christine L. Jensen

Dissertations

The study investigated the relationship between transformational leadership and school climate in elementary schools in w est Michigan with enrollments of 200-800 students. Eighteen school districts with 294 participating teachers completed two questionnaires.

The independent variable of transformational leadership was investigated by using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire to measure teachers' perceptions of leadership factors. The dependent variable of school climate was investigated by using the Organizational Climate Descriptor Questionnaire-Revised Elementary. The questionnaire was used to determine teachers' perceptions of principal openness, teacher openness, and overall school climate.

As a result of the data analysis, the investigation supported that there was …

Dedication- Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, And Practices, James C. Impara

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices

The impetus for this book and for my involvement in it are due principally to the efforts of three people: Jimmie Fortune, Howard Stoker, and Barbara Plake. Jimmie edited (and contributed to) an earlier book devoted to licensure testing (Fortune, J. C., & Associates, 1985, Understanding Testing in Occupational Licensing, Jossey Bass: San Francisco.). Shortly after that book was published he told me that he felt some important topics had not been included and that another book was needed. He encouraged me on several occasions to edit a new book that picked up where his left off and expand …

Preface- Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, And Practices, James C. Impara

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices

This book represents a unique effort for the Buros Institute of Mental Measurements and the Buros-Nebraska Series on Measurement and Testing. All of the previous books in this series have been associated with a symposium sponsored by the Buros Institute of Mental Measurements and the University of Nebraska. This book is "free standing" in that it is an independent effort intended to fulfill a perceived need for a book, but without preceding the book with a symposium. There are few books devoted solely to the topic of licensure testing, but each state and the federal government is involved in this …

An Extended Year Program For At-Risk Middle School Children, Karen Patrice Flanigan

Masters Theses

At the beginning of this century only 6% of the American population even received a high school diploma. Now that diploma is so necessary that our society can no longer support or afford any undereducated citizens. Every year there is less and less room for them in the work force.; The states and school districts are reacting to this by trying to identify these at-risk children and to pose interventions to keep them in school. This is one account of an extended year program that was implemented for at-risk middle school children. The research focuses on the characteristics of these …

A Study On The Positive Effect Of Cooperative Learning On The Status Group Problems In The Classroom, Eugene D. Tecce

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect that cooperative learning and the teaching of group norms would have on the social ranking of the low status students in the elementary school classroom.

The sample was comprised of 48 fourth grade students. A treatment group consisting of 24 students, and a comparison group of 24 students were pretested and posttested using a sociometric instrument designed to examine the interpersonal relationship patterns of the students.

Introduction of a treatment designed to change the existing pattern of interaction was given to the treatment group. The treatment group met for 18 …

Achievement And Social Status In The Cooperative Classroom, Natalie Ann Cooper

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to research whether student academic achievement and social acceptance of peers could be affected by cooperative learning instruction as opposed to a class where the students were not instructed using cooperative learning. The sample size of the experimental and control group was forty-six. The age of the group ranged from nine to eleven years of age. The sample was not randomly selected. Both classes were administered a pretest and posttest at the beginning of the study. The tests measured academic achievement and social acceptance. Both classes used the same textbook and supplementary materials. The …

Attitudes Of Fourth And Fifth Grade Students Toward Gender And Careers, Valerie B. Sweeten

Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to determine if students in a suburban, southern New Jersey elementary school would have gender-biased attitudes concerning appropriate roles and career aspirations for males and females.

A questionnaire was administered to a sample of 100 students from a total population of 74 fourth grade students and 58 fifth grade students from one school in a southern New Jersey suburban school district. Items on the questionnaire included a list of occupations as well as questions regarding gender and careers.

The hypothesis was not supported because it was found that most of the students did not possess a …

The Relationship Between Parental Involvement And The Reading Achievement Of Third Grade Students, Scott M. Dailey

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was a correlation between parental involvement and the reading achievement of third grade students.

The subjects in this study were 22 third grade students attending an elementary school in southern New Jersey. The elementary school was located in an urban area.

Each of the subjects was given a parental involvement survey to take home to their parents. It questioned parents about daily reading habits at home with their child. The survey was scored on a scale of 1-4, with a four indicating the highest degree of involvement.

The researcher then …

Improving Reading Fluency In Elementary School Students With Assisted Reading Techniques, Leonard E. Barker

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to test the hypothesis that third grade students who participated in an assisted reading group would exhibit greater reading fluency than students who practiced repeated reading without a fluent oral model. It was also hypothesized that students who participated in an assisted reading group would exhibit fewer reading miscues than students who practiced repeated reading without a fluent oral model.

Twenty-two third grade students were randomly assigned to one of two groups. There were eleven students in the experimental group and eleven students in the control group. The class read a one hundred word …

Frequency Of Female Contacts Made By Different Sex Teachers During Mathematics Class, Sheila M. Zackavich

Theses and Dissertations

Studies have shown that despite female students' eager attempt to initiate contact in the mathematics classroom, teachers tend to respond to the male students more often than the females.

This has been a questionable factor as to why females elect not to take four years of high school mathematics which exclude them from entering many high paying careers.

The purpose of this study was to observe a male and female teacher during their mathematics class and take frequency counts of all classroom contacts. This was to investigate if there was a significant difference between different sex teachers and their frequency …

Effects Of Group-Assisted Listening-While-Reading And Repeated Reading On The Fluency Of Fifth Grade Students, Deanne M. Alspach

Theses and Dissertations

In an attempt to verify the feasibility of using a "group-assisted listening-while-reading approach" or a "repeated reading approach" in a suburban New Jersey intermediate grade setting, the researcher set out to test both strategies in a fifth grade classroom. Using a pretest-posttest control group design and t tests for independent and non independent samples, the researcher found that a group-assisted listening-while-reading approach had a significant impact on increasing the reading fluency in one class (n=20). Students in this group demonstrated greater improvement in reading rate (p<.10) and miscue analysis (p<.01) than counterparts receiving a repeated reading treatment. Both groups also saw significant improvement between the pretest and posttest results with one exception. There was no significant difference between the pretest and posttest of the control group regarding miscue rate improvement. While research on fluency improvement focuses mainly on primary students, similarities in older poor readers necessitated further study. As they lack the necessary fluency development they do not read as often as other students. Yet, the only way to increase fluency is by reading. Researchers have recognized that there must be alternatives to develop fluency in the classroom.

Relationship Of Perceived Autonomy And Grade Point Average, Nancy J. Benninger

Theses and Dissertations

This correlational study examined the relationship between perceived autonomy and grade point average. The sample was twenty-six ten and eleven year old fifth grade students in one class of an elementary school. Perceived autonomy was measured by the Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale, a forty item self-report questionnaire. Grade point average was calculated for the first three marking periods of the school year. The Pearson r calculation was not significant at the .01 level, Results did indicate a positive relationship between perceived autonomy and grade point average.

Mathematical And Theological Beliefs: A Cognitive Science Perspective, Ron Benbow

ACMS Conference Proceedings 1995

In recent years, research studies have shown that control decisions and processes, beliefs about the nature of mathematics, attitudes, and other affective variables have enormous impact on the mathematical performance of students. This paper gives an overview of the research on mathematical beliefs and reviews some work done in Christian education relating to theological beliefs. It then compares the two.

Using Data To Develop Mathematical Methods, Philip R. Carlson

ACMS Conference Proceedings 1995

An analysis of ordered pairs and their scatter plots leads to interesting questions related to mathematical modeling. Some statistical methods suggest ways to approach this analysis of the ordered pairs. Both high school and college methods are illustrated in this paper.

The Intermediate Value Theorem, Dale Varberg

ACMS Conference Proceedings 1995

The Intermediate Value Theorem (a continuous function on an interval assumes all values between any two of its values) is one of the big theorems of calculus. Yet the theorem is absent or briefly mentioned in most calculus textbooks. The theorem deserves better as we intend to show by listing ten picturesque consequences that we think could enliven any calculus course.