Education Commons^™

Professional And Technical Writing In The High School Setting, Kristy C. Bennett

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Representation Of The Titanic In Children's Literature, Charity Rose Huwe

Masters Theses

State and national education initiatives are the driving force behind increased exploration of diverse texts, namely informational texts. Trade books offer opportunity for interdisciplinary units to develop through the rise of informational text use in both English/language arts and history/social studies. Primary source documents serve as a liaison to filing gaps in the information left out from textbooks and trade books. A more thorough understanding of historical figures and events are a result of such analysis. The initiatives do not dictate specific curricular material; teachers use their discretion when choosing available trade books, primary documents, and other curricular resources. In …

Trade Books' Representations Of Benjamin Franklin, A Life Of Reinvention, Alyson Diver Thompson

Masters Theses

State and national education standards require teachers to introduce historical topics through multiple diverse texts, with emphasis on informational texts. Historical based trade books allow teachers to meet both English/language arts standards as well as history/social studies standards. Primary sources help provide students with a balanced view of history that may not be covered in textbooks and trade books, allowing students to gain a more complete and accurate understandings. The standards allow educators the flexibility to select trade books and primary sources for their classrooms. My research empirically evaluated how Benjamin Franklin is represented in children's trade books, a figure …

An Examination Into The Instruction Of The Alphabet During Preschool Years, Amanda Titus

Masters Theses

Instruction of the letters of the alphabet is a controversial topic among early childhood educators. Not only is it debated whether letter instruction is developmentally appropriate but there is then the discussion concerning how the letters are best taught once a program deems it is developmentally appropriate. In this study, 87 children were assessed at two separate times during the school year to determine a method of instruction that proved most effective. The study took place over three consecutive school years. The first year, 27 students were exposed to alphabetic instruction through a combination of music and mnemonic device assisted …

Relevant And Represented: The Presence Of Special Populations In Trade Books, Jessica Krahnke

Masters Theses

This study provides insight into the presence of special populations in trade books. Special populations are defined as a population that has been assigned a label for the sake of educational interventions; in this case, special populations refer to thirteen categories of disability as well as English Language Learners. Past winners of the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award were analyzed for the presence of special populations, how special populations were portrayed, and any significant patterns over time regarding the presence of special populations. Results indicated a lack of characters belonging to special populations, characters in a special population most …

Researching The Historical Representations Of Ancient Egypt In Trade Books, Lieren Schuette

Masters Theses

State and national education initiatives require that historical information be introduced in the classroom through the utilization of multiple diverse texts. The role of non-fiction in the English/language arts classroom, as well as informational texts in the history/social studies classroom, increased considerably. The use of trade books allows teachers to connect the two curricula, while also meeting the standards. Primary sources can assist in filling the informational gap left by trade books and textbooks, which allow students to gain a more balanced view of historical events. Teachers, however, are not given direction as to which specific curricular materials are most …

Researching The Historical Representations Of Andrew Jackson In Trade Books, Steven K. Sakowicz

Masters Theses

State and national standards compel teachers to introduce historical topics through multiple diverse texts, emphasizing the use of informational texts. Trade books allow teachers to meet these standards while also meeting the needs of diverse students. Primary sources serve as an additional curricular resource that fill the gaps in information covered by textbooks and trade books, allowing students to gain a more complete and accurate understanding of historical figures and events. Standards leave the selection and implementation of appropriate trade books, primary sources, and other curricular resources to the classroom teacher. In this research I qualify and quantify how Andrew …

Curriculum Development For Computer Numerical Control Course, Brad Curry

Masters Theses

This study analyzed the past Machine Tool Advanced Skills Technology (MAST), and the National Institute for Metalworking Skills, Inc (NIMS) standards of workforce competency to be used to develop a curriculum, learning objectives and skill sets need by industry for a course on CNC machining. Instructional methods and strategies for delivery were determined for best practices. The coursework was designed and delivered, with an analysis of student learning based on learning objectives performed. Students were surveyed in regard to their understanding of the material covered in the course.

Categories of knowledge needed include machining knowledge about tooling and tool selection, …

Teachers' Perceptions Of The Influence Of Standardized Tests On Curricular And Instructional Practices, Jennifer Joy Davis Fox

Masters Theses

Does a student's performance on a standardized test measure the quality of education he/she is receiving? Many students today are being bombarded with standardized assessments mandated by state and district policies. The pressure to perform well on these assessments causes teachers to focus their classroom instructional time on test preparation even at the expense of the non-tested topics and curricular areas. A written survey was designed to determine teachers' perceptions of the influence of standardized tests on curricular and instructional practices. Participating in this study were third and fourth grade teachers (n=67) who administer the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT). …

Effectiveness Of The "Baby Think It Over" Program On Adolescents' Contraceptive And Child-Rearing Attitudes, Stephanie Ann Johnson

Masters Theses

An increasing number of high schools in the United States have begun to use the "Baby Think It Over" doll as part of their curriculum in certain classes. This study examined the effectiveness of this doll on influencing 46 male and female adolescents' attitudes and behaviors regarding pregnancy, sexual activity, and contraceptives. Five specific subscales were developed to measure the teens' contraceptive attitudes and behaviors before and after using the doll regarding their feelings about becoming pregnant, understanding/comprehension of the responsibilities of child-rearing, appreciation of the impact of child-bearing on their lives/future, and attitudes toward premarital sex. Also, a qualitative …

Internet In The Classroom, Nathan J. Aslinger

Masters Theses

Purpose of the Study

This study was conducted to determine the role of the Internet in Illinois high schools, how it is integrated into the business education curriculum, and the status of technology in these high schools. Most schools are "hooked up" and the teachers are usually trained through internal workshops. Some schools even have a specific "Internet" course. The following questions are the research questions used for this study:

1. What is the general status of the Internet in secondary schools as perceived by business teachers?

2. To what extent is the Internet being included in the secondary business …

A Study Of Integrated Learning Systems In The Public Schools, Mary N. Parker

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of an Integrated Learning System (ILS). This study focused on how public school districts in Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, and Iowa were using the ILS. Eighty-five surveys were sent to public school contact persons whose names were provided by Computer Curriculum Corporation (CCC) which produces an ILS called SuccessMaker. Other software providers refused to cooperate in supplying names for the study. The study also asked if the ILS were effective in producing student gains.

While this study did not statistically evaluate the effectiveness of the ILS compared to control groups, or …

Automated Accounting: Are Computers Being Used In Accounting I?, Janet G. Johnson

Masters Theses

Continuous improvement in the accounting curriculum is needed to prepare students for the technology-based workplace of today's business world. Literature available indicated that using computers in the accounting curriculum, is one essential tool available to students. This study examined the professional opinions and teaching practices of community college and secondary educators in Illinois. A survey was used as the research instrument. There were 148 participants in the study. The purpose of the study was to determine if computers were being used by accounting instructors in Accounting I and when they felt computers should be integrated into their accounting curricula. The …

The Status Of Automated Accounting Instruction In Secondary Schools In Illinois, Bradley Donnald Kilcullen

Masters Theses

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to find characteristics of schools that teach automated accounting in Illinois. A survey instrument was developed which requested information about school size, computer facilities, demographics about the instructor, and other items that may be useful in finding information about the instruction of automated accounting.

Procedures

This study was conducted in high schools randomly selected in the state of Illinois. Accounting teachers from 250 selected schools were surveyed from the population of 760. Two mailings of the survey instrument were delivered. 151 responded to the first mailing while 28 more responded to the second …

Computer Education Needs And Usage In Bond, Fayette, And Effingham Counties, Derrold D. Jones

Masters Theses

This study focused on the availability of and use of computer hardware and software by high school students. The students researched lived within the area served by Okaw Area Vocational Center, which includes Bond, Fayette, and Effingham Counties in Illinois. Parents, educators, and persons from business and industry were surveyed to determine educational needs and expectations related to computer use. Survey results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and correlational procedures. This study was developed to assist the Okaw Vocational Center area schools in the development of curricula based on technological data. The findings of this study support reference being made …

Investigation Of The Correlation Between The Tech Prep Initiative And The Restructuring Of Curriculum In Selected Illinois High Schools, Sandra K. Ward

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between the Illinois Tech Prep Initiative and the restructuring of high school curriculum in Illinois. Tech Prep is a structured sequential program which emphasizes continuity in learning, integration of academics and vocational studies with technology, context-based teaching, and completion of the program with an associate degree.

This study examined the scope and degree which Tech Prep has influenced school districts to create new applied courses, implement new applied methods of teaching, and institute a new focus on technology. A questionnaire was mailed to principals of randomly selected high schools in …

The Meyersville School's Utilization Of Windows On Science, Art D. Anthony

Masters Theses

This study was designed to determine if the students and teachers of Meyersville School, Meyersville, Texas, liked the Windows on Science^® program better than learning and teaching science using the traditional book. All students, grades three through six, and teachers, grades one through six, were surveyed regarding their opinion of Windows on Science^®.

This field experience indicated the students and teachers liked the Windows on Science^® program better than using standard science textbooks. The male students had a higher mean score than the female students or teachers. The teachers felt they needed more experiments to help …

An Analysis Of Writing Across The Curriculum, M. Katherine Haight

Masters Theses

Between 1900 and 1925 several changes took place which modernized American universities. One of the most significant involved a different curriculum. The new program was, in part, geared toward preparing students for specialized careers. This approach, however, made it possible for teachers outside of English to eliminate writing from their courses and, more generally, to develop distorted and limited views of the uses of writing. Today, Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) programs are being incorporated into many colleges and universities across the country in an attempt to correct misperceptions and to bring writing back into non-English courses.

WAC stresses the …

Performance Expectation Based Broadcast Education, Mark L. Hamilton

Masters Theses

Parcells (1985; Parcells & Hadwiger, 1984) data from a census survey of every commercial radio station manager in five states (Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Missouri, and Iowa) to ascertain entry-level skills, long-term success characteristics, and advice for success in radio careers indicated that a reorientation of broadcast education was in order. Essentially, it challenged higher educators to respond by revising curriculum, instruction, textbooks, advisement, and overall subject matter to reflect the "new reality" of the communication industry. This study moves beyond the area of curriculum and instruction to discover whether broadcast graduates are being properly prepared for careers in the communication …

Selective Methods Of Teaching Secondary English: The Scarlet Letter: A Study And Application Of The Collaborative And Mastery Learning Methods, Janine M. Kardas

Masters Theses

This study is about the relationship of content in teaching to the process in teaching for the purpose of helping students to become better readers of literature. This study investigates two selected teaching strategies supported by research to be effective, and applies them to the teaching of a canonical piece of literature, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. This study employs literary theory in the development of the objectives and applies both cooperative learning and mastery learning methods to the teaching of this novel. Two sets of lesson plans are developed from the objectives and subsequently analyzed for their effectiveness …

Effects Of New Science Textbooks On Selected Sixth And Eighth Grade Students At Crestwood Elementary School, Paris, Illinois, David R. Pruim

Masters Theses

This paper describes the results of a six-month field study to determine the effects of a newly adopted and implemented junior-high level science textbook series on student achievement. This study took place in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade science classrooms of Crestwood Elementary School, Paris, Illinois, from December 1988, until May of 1989. This study compared the science achievement of two groups of students in both their sixth and eighth grade years. The Normal Curve Equivalents or NCE's and letter grades as given by the junior-high level science teachers at Crestwood, were analyzed using non-independent t tests. Descriptive data …

A Curriculum Response To Budgetary And Marketing Pressures On A Two-Year Community College Engineering Technology Program (Microprecision Technology), Gerald R. Hough

Masters Theses

The process described is a program level response to institutional-wide budgetary restraints. The program in question is a two-year engineering technology associate degree program (Microprecision Technology). The major focus deals with:

1. reducing unit cost

2. improving marketability (recruiting)

3. improving transferability (as it relates to recruiting

The reductions in cost center around the ratio of contact hours to credit hours in the specialty courses as well as a reduction in the number of such courses. Issues dealing with marketability are directly related to the unique nature of the program and the difficulties involved in the public presentation of such …

An Analysis Of The Impacts Of The Illinois Board Of Higher Education' S Admission Requirements On Selected High Schools In East Central Illinois, Stephen C. Selle

Masters Theses

The Illinois Board of Higher Education in 1985 instituted mandatory subject admission requirements for all state universities beginning in the year 1990. Subsequent legislative action by the Illinois General Assembly has moved these requirements back to 1993. This field experience investigated the possible impacts of these requirements on rural schools of under 500 students in east central Illinois. A cover letter explaining the purpose of the study and a two page questionnaire were mailed to twenty- one schools. Sixteen schools in the counties of Vermillion, Ford, Iroquois, Kankakee, and Will responded and were the focus of the study. Enrollment patterns …

Effects Of Instructional Television In Math, Science And Language Arts In Two Small Elementary Schools, Delbert Maroon

Masters Theses

This field experience investigated the effects of instructional television on academic achievement of fifth and sixth grade students in two small elementary schools in Bond County. A two tailed t-test for the difference of means at the .05 level of significance was used to analyze the data collected. A self assessment survey collected from nine teachers determined that no significant differences in opinion existed between members of the teaching staff regarding instructional television usage. An analysis of student grades determined that no significant increase in student grades was found in the comparisons made. Results of this study indicate that the …

Evaluation Of The Language Arts Curriculum In Cerro Gordo Community Unit School District #100, Keith Ashcraft

Masters Theses

Cerro Gordo Community Unit School District #100 in Cerro Gordo, Illinois has a student population of approximately 700 pupils. The schools are located within Cerro Gordo, a village of 1600 residents, but gain students from surrounding areas in the ninety-nine square mile district. Most of the parents are employed in farming or in Decatur which is twelve miles to the east.

During the 1985-86 school year teachers were surveyed as to what academic area needed evaluation. The teachers selected language arts as the subject for study. A committee of volunteers was formed and began meeting.

The researcher served as committee …

A Curriculum Review And Coordination And Articulation Study Of The Niantic-Harristown Unit School District #6, David O. Bills

Masters Theses

Reform of the public schools is a major issue in Illinois today. Numerous reports claim that public education is mediocre at best. These reports have fostered public concern that has led to a call for school accountability that has caused those involved in education to take a close look at their schools. In this atmosphere of school accountability, a careful and thorough examination of the school curriculum by the local administration can be useful.

Strong instructional leadership from the Superintendent of Schools in a local school district is an important characteristic of an effective school. In the face of state …

An Evaluation Of The Primary Prevention Of Substance Abuse Program Of Mattoon Community Unit School District Number Two, Kathryn Hanneken

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Primary Prevention of Substance Abuse Program grades kindergarten through six in Mattoon Community Unit School District Number Two, Mattoon, Illinois. In order to accomplish this purpose the study utilized the Purpose--Input--Process--Outcome—Decision Model for program evaluation. The study was divided into four chapters. Chapter 1 presents the background and statement of the problem of substance use and abuse by America’s youth. Chapter 2 is a review of current literature and related research. For organizational purposes, the literature and research are divided into two sections: the problem of substance abuse …

Integration Of Visual Art With Other Subjects In The Illinois High Schools, Laura Lynn Pottala-Irle

Masters Theses

The true nature of this work is to show that integration of visual art is taking place in the Illinois High Schools. This conclusion is the result of a survey sent out to a group of Illinois High Schools. The results show that the Central and Southern Illinois High Schools have more integration of academic subjects incorporated in their curriculum compared to Northern Illinois High Schools. Yet integration of other art subjects are taught more in the Northern Illinois High Schools then the Central or Southern Illinois High Schools. Physical Education proved to be the subject least likely to be …

The Evaluation And Selection Process Of Instructional Games And Toys, Linda Kay Young

Masters Theses

Games and toys used in the classroom have been determined to be an effective means of instruction. The more teachers know about the games and toys being used in their classrooms, the more valuable these games and toys will be to their teaching and their students' learning. The main focus of this study was to gain understanding of the qualities and characteristics of instructional games and toys that will affect the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains of the student at the elementary level. This study examined the criteria that was considered important by "experts in the field" and validated those …

A Proposal For The Development Of A Computer Literacy Curriculum In The Charleston School District, David Robert Carey

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to develop a computer literacy infusion plan for Community Unit School District Number One in Charleston, Illinois. The plan was developed to extend and build upon the existing computer usage study prepared in 1982. Specifically, this plan was prepared to provide direction and recommendations in the form of curriculum development, planning for staff development, and improved software and hardware selection processes for the elementary schools in Charleston.

A review of the research and literature revealed that the computer and its use has developed at a remarkable rate since the late 1970's. Successful projects throughout …