Education Commons^™

Teacher Perceptions Of Their Science Teaching And Student Learning For Diverse Learners, Yolanda Kirkpatrick

Doctoral Dissertations

The attention to the preparation of science education teachers is important to facilitate equitable learning opportunities and participation in science experiences (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1990; Lee & Buxton, 2010; Sirin, 2005). Disproportionate numbers of teachers are inadequately prepared to teach diverse learners (Darling-Hammond & Bransford, 2005; Irvine, 2003; Murnane & Phillips, 1981; Oakes, 1990; Zeichner, 1992). Wise (2001) describes teacher preparation in this country as the dirty little secret in education. By this, Wise was referring to the inadequate education and training of teachers that remained a silent part of the discourse on teacher preparation.

The …

The Relationship Between Middle Level School Science Programs And A Residential Environmental Learning Center, Ryan Mathew Walker

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A multiple case study investigation examines the relationship between a residential environmental learning center and six schools that attend their program. Pre-experience interviews were conducted with teachers to gain understanding of how they integrate the residential experience with formal classroom instruction. On-site observations of teacher participation during the program provided insight into how they foster student learning during the experience. A student questionnaire was used to reveal students' perceptions of three areas of interest: 1) most meaningful aspects of the experience, 2) most confusing aspects of the experience and 3) topics they would like to know more about. These data …

A Comparative Investigation Of Career Readiness And Decidedness In First Year Stem Majoring Students Participating In A Stem Mentoring Program Imbedded In A Living-Learning Community With Focused Data On Female Stem Students, Nirmala Ramlakhan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Female mentoring success was investigated as an undergraduate intervention utilizing career development practices to reduce dysfunctional career thinking and STEM major retention in first year freshmen females within a living-learning community. Repeated measures MANOVAs and canonical correlations in the causal comparative research design evaluated mentoring’s influence on first year females. Male voluntary participants (n = 126) formulated the comparison group, and female voluntary participants (n = 75) filled the treatment group. Repeated measure multivariate analyses of variances compared differences between the interaction of mentoring and gender over time on dysfunctional career thinking using two assessments: Career Thoughts Inventory (CTI) and …