Education Commons^™

A Focus Group Analysis Of Interdisciplinary Knowledge Held By Special Education Teachers And Community Rehabilitation Service Providers, Tabitha Pacheco

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This research study describes the current understanding of high school special education teachers and community rehabilitation providers (CRP) staff regarding the direct transition services available through each party, the challenges and barriers encountered by each party, and recommendations for improving collaboration between special education teachers and CRP staff to improve student outcomes. Current research emphasizes the importance of interagency collaboration and that collaboration can improve student post-secondary outcomes. The method included three focus groups. Thematic analysis revealed key themes in the areas of experiences, questions, barriers, collaboration, and recommendations. The results and recommendations from this study may provide guidance for …

Fundamental Features Of Fostering Teacher Collective Efficacy: Principals’ Attitudes, Behaviors, And Practices, Shelley Nordick

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to explore the attitudes, practices, and behaviors of principals who foster teacher collective efficacy. The research questions were developed based upon Bandura’s social cognitive theory to include (a) what are the attitudes held by principals that influence TCE; (b) what are the behaviors enacted by principals that influence TCE; (c) what are the practices employed by principals that influence TCE. The study utilized a qualitative approach with a multisite case study design. The Collective Teacher Efficacy Scale developed by Goddard et al. was used to measure TCE of participating schools. The survey results were …

Teacher Perception Of Social/Emotional Skills Of Preschool Children And The Relationship To Common Core Standards, A. Mi'kel Price

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Sampson is a 4-year-old preschooler. It is difficult for him to make friends, understand simple social settings, and interact with peers. He struggles to interpret incoming contextual information (such as talking to a peer about the blocks they are playing with), has difficulty comprehending non-literal/figurative expressions (such as jokes and irony), and implicit messages (such as when a child does not want to play with him). Sampson’s difficulties increase his risk of social isolation and lower self-esteem.

This vignette offers a glimpse into the challenges faced by children with low social/emotional skills. The social use of language, often referred to …

The Academic Preparation And Background Of Public Secondary Mathematics Teachers In Utah 1966-1967, Charles Martin Crittenden

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A random survey was conducted to determine the academic preparation and background of the public secondary mathematics teachers in the state of Utah.

The survey indicated that there is a wide variance in the teacher mathematics preparation between the three types of public secondary schools. The class B high schools have a smaller percentage of well prepared mathematics teachers than either the class A high schools or the junior high schools.

The following facts were discovered: (1) 22.03 percent of all the surveyed mathematics teachers had between 1 and 15 quarter hours of college mathematics preparation, (2) 5.22 percent had …

Democratic Inclusive Educators, Amy Baird Miner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Educating for democracy has long been established as a central purpose for schooling in America and continues to be included in the ongoing discourses on educational policy and programs. While educating for democracy has been defined in many ways, it is commonly agreed that it is the knowledge, skills, and experiences that members of a democracy should possess in order to be contributing citizens of a global society. Nested within the context of democratic education, inclusion as advocated by Iris Marion Young provided the framework for this study. Young suggested that inclusive democracy enables the participation and voice for all …

Explicit Instruction Elements In Core Reading Programs, Angela R. Child

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Angela R. Child at Utah State University conducted a content analysis study aimed at describing the inclusion of seven explicit instruction elements, namely, direct explanation, modeling, guided practice, independent practice, feedback, discussion, and monitoring, found within five widely published core reading programs (CRPs). These seven elements of explicit instruction will be sought in essential reading component lessons which include: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension only.

The study sought to describe the instructional recommendations found within the CRPs lessons to benefit society by; aiding educators in the selection of a CRP for their school or district; assisting classroom teachers …

Improving The Quality Of Teacher Support In Anticipation Of The Instructional Use Of Technology: An Action Research Study, Darren E. Draper

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The formation of the Canyons School District brought with it unique opportunities for assessing current practice, implementing change, and evaluating the effectiveness of that change. Accordingly, this action research project served as an effective initial step in accomplishing this series of tasks. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to describe the instructional technology needs of teachers, as well as the related support efforts provided in a public school district.

Data gathering methods included a district-wide needs assessment survey of school-based licensed personnel (N =1,313). Additionally, the utilization of focus group protocol on an existing district technology committee …

Teacher Strategies To Improve Pupil Self-Concept, Kathleen L. Van Horn

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this research was to assess the effects of the Utah State University Pupil Self-Concept Program on the performance of inservice elementary school teachers and on the self-concepts of pupils in their classrooms. Four volunteer teachers were trained in the Self-Concept behaviors as part of an inservice course. A single-subject multiple baseline design was used to determine teacher effects for these four teachers. The first teacher was the main subject, and the study was then directly replicated three times using the other three experimental teachers. Data on these four subjects were collected through observation of program-related teacher behaviors. …

The Effectiveness Of Training For Empathy In Pre-Service Teacher Education, John Bruce Jessen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The specific objective of this research was to determine the effectiveness of training on understanding empathy in the teacher training process.

Subjects were Utah State University students enrolled in Elementary Education during winter quarter 1976. The experimental group was composed of 34 subjects and the control group of 27 subjects.

Both groups were administered a pretest. The experimental group then received the treatment which consisted of a training program designed to help them to be able to (1) define, (2) recognize instances of, and (3) to emit empathic behavior. At the conclusion of the training program both the experimental and …

A Study Of The New Sodia Program In Elementary Teacher Education At Utah State University, Larry D. Klein

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was designed to compare elementary teacher preparation programs at Utah State University as a basis for evaluation of the SODIA program. SODIA is the acronym for a new elementary teacher preparation program initiated in the Fall of 1972 which was designed to be field centered and competency based.

The population of the study consisted of 104 elementary student teachers enrolled in student teaching during Fall and Winter Quarters of the 1973-74 academic year. There were four groups identified by the type of preparation program they had experienced. The groups were SODIA (the new program for preparing elementary teachers), …

Dogmatism And Philosophy: Their Relation To Teacher Acceptance And Understanding Of The New Social Studies, Donald E. Anctil

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research project was a study to determine the relationship of two characteristics--dogmatism and educational philosophy--to teachers' acceptance and understanding of the New Social Studies (NSS).

The sample consisted of 222 secondary social studies teachers from three counties in tho San Francisco Bay Area. Questionnaires were mailed to schools selected at random and were administered by an agent, in most cases, the department chairman, to all social studies teachers in the school, during a single administration period.

The questionnaire utilized four measurement scales. Troldahl and Powell's Short Form Dogmatism Scale and Curran's Short Test of One's Educational Philosophy, published and …

An Evaluation Of The Secondary Teacher Education Program At Utah State University By Selected Graduates, Dallas Lloyd Holmes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Introduction

The present study attempted to identify the strengths and limitations of the Utah State University teacher preparation program, Recommendations of improvements and changes in the program were based on the evaluations of graduates of the teacher preparation program. Information was gathered to determine if any difference in graduate evaluations of the program would be found based on the graduate's sex, age at graduation, community size teaching in, number of years of teaching experience, secondary major area of preparation, and the college graduated from.

Method

A questionnaire was developed to survey the evaluations of the graduates of the teacher preparation …

Student Achievement Effort As Related To Achievement And Self Concept, Michael Lynn Maughan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was designed to investigate more completely the variable of achievement effort (effort in school) as related to self rating, teacher rating, student self concept, actual achievement, and sex differences.

A group of 198 sixth grade students were used as the experimental subjects. Five sets of data were obtained on the students: (a) students' self ratings on an achievement effort rating scale, (b) teachers' ratings of their students on the same achievement effort rating scale, (c) students' scores on a self concept scale, (d) students' performances on an achievement test, and (e) students' performances on an intelligence test. Partial …

A Determination Of Variability Of Teaching Assignments In The Secondary Schools Of Utah Together With Implications For Teacher Education Curricula, June Butler Willhite

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

It is usually recognized that, in the broad sense, our public schools are maintained for the instruction of children and youth. Moreover, there appear to be three important factors which bear directly upon the nature of this instruction: (1) the individuals who enter the teaching profession, the kinds of people they are, their physical, emotional and mental characteristics or capacities; (2) the kind of education these potential educators receive in preparation for their professional work; and, (3) the actual teaching assignment the individual receives in the particular school where he is employed. Commonly, these three matters are referred to as …