Education Commons^™

Exploring Critical Literacy Through Teachers’ Professional Learning, Christina Marie Ramirez-Nava

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

With a huge focus on professional development as a method to increase knowledge and skills, one-shot initiatives or flyby in-services bombard the teaching field. Moreover, with the increase of diversity, such as second language needs, children of poverty and other social issues in schools, a focus should be on implementing a critical stance through teacher collaboration

Critical literacy aims to make the unknown known and fight injustices, but many teachers are not aware of this ideology. Simply reading articles and books about critical literacy will not necessarily lead to a critical stance, pedagogical revolution, or engaging learning for students. Working …

The Neglected Canon: The Use Of Speech In Composition Courses, Rebecca Rae Jolley

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

All college students are required to take basic courses in certain core subjects; this includes the universal requirement of composition. In composition instruction, the rhetorical canons of invention, arrangement, and style are the only skills taught in most writing programs. However, there are two other canons, both related to public speech: memory and delivery. This thesis will focus only on the canon of delivery and defines it as speaking in person before an audience of any size.

The ability to communicate through speech is no less important than the ability to communicate through writing. However, the education system, both collegiate …

A Comparison Of The Perceptions Of Music Educators And School Administrators Regarding Trends In Secondary Curricular Offerings And Implications On Student Body Participation, Leigh Falconer

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to understand the perceptions of music educators and school administrators regarding current practices in curricular offerings as they pertain to music education. These included experienced and anticipated changes to the music curriculum, music education participation rates, barriers to music participation, and school and music course ethnic composition. From a regional perspective, music teachers and administrators were surveyed to determine if perceptions regarding any of the above items varied significantly between the groups. Total potential subjects were selected through random stratified sampling (in Washington) or all music educators (Oregon and Idaho) (n = 922). …

The Idaho Statewide System Of Support: Scaling Up Whole-System Reform In A Rural Western State, Steven M. Underwood

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The Idaho Statewide System of Support (SSOS) assists schools in meeting state standards for all students. In 2009, it created and implemented a revised theory of action which emphasized improvement planning and capacity-building support programs. This study examined the impact of the SSOS in general and its Idaho Building Capacity (IBC) Project in particular on Reading and Mathematics outcomes for students who are economically disadvantaged in Title I funded schools. A Pooled Interrupted Times Series design was employed to examine possible changes in the level of achievement or rate of improvement in schools. Within-subjects comparisons of trends before the intervention …

Examining Influences Of A University Writing Course On Teachers' Dispositions, Knowledge, And Literacy Practices, Cheryle Anne Dismuke

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Lack of progress in student writing achievement has been linked to the variability in teachers' instructional practice. This mixed-methods study examines the links between university coursework in writing instruction and the dispositions, skills, and knowledge of twelve practicing teachers, grades 1-6; six of which participated in the course and six who did not. Data from response-guided interviews, daily logs, structured classroom observations, and follow-up interviews have been analyzed, compared, and integrated. Analyses found significant differences between groups for instruction in the writing processes, self-regulation skills, use of social interaction, and writing in multiple genres across the curriculum. Further analysis found …

Examining Leadership Preparation That Makes A Difference: A Comparison Of Graduate Effectiveness And Identification Of Program Components Most Valued, Randy David Lance

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The role of the school principal has radically changed over the past half century. Many colleges of education are trying to develop alternative approaches to not only meet the needs of the adult learners who enroll in educational leadership preparation programs, but also to equip future school leaders with strategies for meeting the expectations set forth by the implementation and accountability of the No Child Left Behind legislation.

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether a difference, if any, exists between individuals who graduated from the Boise State University (BSU) nontraditional educational leadership preparation program and a sample …

Using Learner-Generated Examples To Support Student Understanding Of Functions, Martha Ottelia Dinkelman

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The introduction of Common Core State Standards motivated K-12 teachers to look for ways to engage students in thinking differently about mathematics. Asking students to generate their own examples is one strategy that has proven to be beneficial to student learning for students in advanced math courses. This study was designed to determine if asking students to generate their own examples would be beneficial to student learning for high school students in a slower paced second year Algebra course.

This study occurred during a two week unit of instruction focused on the concept of function. The participants were Juniors and …

The Assignment Packet Grading System, Sarah Nichole Bruce

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The Assignment Packet Grading System is a form of choice-based learning that may be a valuable strategy to increase both motivation in students and their self-efficacy, which in return could result in higher levels of student achievement. The study was of an experimental design, carried out in Geometry classes at the high school level. Data were gathered regarding students’ mathematics self-efficacy and their academic achievement for two groups: one using the Assignment Packet Grading System and the other using a traditional classroom grading system.

The analysis of the data gathered in the study did not show a statistically significant difference …

Teaching Culturally Diverse Students From International Schools: What Online Educators Have To Say, Anneliese Sheffield

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This study is designed to discover how online teachers use technology to reach their multicultural international school students. Interviews of twelve international school online teachers were conducted. The topics for the interviews focused on the technology-based strategies that teachers use to meet the needs of multicultural students. The results showed that the tools used by online teachers for international secondary schools closely matched the uses of tools recommended in the literature. Sometimes, however, course design limited the choices teachers were allowed to make regarding tools for supporting students' multiple ways of learning and for encouraging discussion and collaboration. The results …

An Instructional Framework For Tier 2 Intervention In Mathematics, Catherine Didio Beals

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the effectiveness of an instructional framework for Tier 2 intervention in mathematics. The framework suggests intervention teachers utilize instructional practices shown to be effective for students with disabilities while assessing students strengths and weaknesses in skills that are strong indicators of an MLD. This study used a mixed methods design to determine whether tutoring based on this framework led to changes in understanding of multiplication and division for four low achieving fourth graders. It also evaluated the usefulness of the instructional framework in determining whether a student had patterns of deficit related to a mathematics learning disability. …

From Expulsion To Success: Perceptions Of Expelled Students About Their Expulsion Process And Resumption Of Education, Julie Slocum Dahlgren

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-methods study examined expelled students in a Northwest public school district of 3,400 students. The purpose was to analyze perceptions of expelled students from 2003-2010 (N-68) regarding their expulsion process and experiences relating to the resumption of educational pursuits. Data was collected from a questionnaire designed by the researcher and distributed to 44 students and from transcribed and coded testimony from four students. The research centers on the whys and wherefores of student expulsions, asking questions that could help schools and school districts penetrate more deeply into the expulsion process, questions that focus on how students perceive their own …

Looking Back And Looking Ahead: A Narrative Inquiry Of Practice Related To Reading Programs In An Accountability-Based Reform Context, Amanda Villagómez

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Teaching in an era of standards and accountability-based teaching has a direct impact on teachers and students. Narrative inquiry methodology was used to better examine the impact on the participant researcher and her students in the context of teaching adolescent literacy (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000; Montero & Washington, 2011; Schaafsma & Vinz, 2011). Over a three year period, adolescent literacy teaching methodology was examined through contrasting classroom contexts through the eyes of the teacher researcher and her students.

The following questions guided the inquiry: How has policy impacted me as a literacy teacher and the decisions I make, as well …

Engaging In Learning Together: A Theory Of Undergraduate Nursing Students’ Political Learning, Pamela Marie Gehrke

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Health care and nursing are political, and nurses need to be at policy decision-making tables. Graduate nursing education prepares nurses for policy roles, but little research exists about what political and policy education is taught to undergraduate nursing students or how they learn the concepts, skills, and disposition for political and policy work. Nurses need education for civic engagement and political advocacy in their undergraduate professional education. A study was done to learn how undergraduate nursing students made sense of civic engagement concepts like political advocacy and policy making in an online blended, required Policy, Power & Voice course in …

Place-Free And Place-Based Educational Preferences Among Rural High School Principals, Joshua Pfiester

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Rural schooling and rural communities are interdependent to a degree not seen in suburban and urban contexts. Thus, the threat to the sustainability of one inevitably affects the other. One of the variables in their sustainability may be educational practices (Haas & Nachtigal, 1998; White & Reid, 2008) that influence the likelihood of rural high school graduate outmigration (Corbett, 2007; Huang, Cohen, Weng, & Zhang, 1996). Considering the body of literature that testifies to the strong influence school administrators have in schools (Hallinger & Heck, 1996; Leithwood & Jantzi, 2000; Prestine & Nelson, 2005), understanding the preferences in educational practices …

Conceptual Understanding Of Fractions And Decimals For Fourth Grade Students, Sarah J. Appleton

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

A study was conducted in two 4th grade classrooms based on current research of foundational concepts of fraction and decimal knowledge, socio-cultural learning theory, cognition and international mathematics education. The goal of this study was for students to acquire conceptual and procedural knowledge of fraction and decimal concepts. When students have multiple experiences delving into rigorous tasks with fractions and decimals, researchers (Lamon, 2006; Siegler & Alibali 2005) suggest students will show an increase in understanding. Cognition and developmental stages were examined and incorporated within the suggested tasks of the instructional unit. With assistance from current research, this study demonstrated …

Perceived Impact By Teacher Candidates Of Specific Supervision Experiences Focused On Critical Reflection, Pamela Briggs

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological case study describes the perceived impact by teacher candidates of specific supervision experiences focused on critical reflection. Within this study, critical reflection is defined as examining one’s teaching practice to consider the effects of one’s choices on others relevant to social and political context. The purpose of the study was to understand and describe the experience of specific supervision practices through the perceptions of teacher candidates practicing teaching during their professional year at assigned elementary schools. Data from this study focused on two main questions, “What specific supervision experiences do teacher candidates consider helpful to their teacher development?” …

A Developmental Study Of Asr-Enhanced E-Book Software To Improve On-Task Interaction For First Grade Users, Matthew William Gudenius

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This developmental research study explores the effects of audio-visual feedback and user input mechanisms on user behaviors and satisfaction, through development of a first-grade reading program for the computer. Specific design elements investigated include human vs. synthesized audio feedback, segmented vs. whole-word pronunciation, format of supporting graphic (image vs. animation), use of automatic speech recognition (ASR) to encourage or enforce oral reading of an e-book, and effect of tutorial with mouse-click word identification or ASR-controlled word synthesis games. The study examines a variety of quantitative and qualitative measures including use logs, recorded screen-capture videos of use sessions, one-on-one interviews, and …

Can Esl Teachers Teach Reading Metacognitive Strategies?, Adil Bentahar

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Metacognitive knowledge has been linked to use of metacognitive strategies and effectiveness in reading (e.g., Flavell, 1979). In the present research, I evaluated whether teaching three metacognitive strategies (planning, monitoring, and evaluating) would (a) improve English as a Second Language (ESL) students’ metacognitive knowledge, which in turn would (b) improve their comprehension. Eight non-English speaking students completed the Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategy Inventory (MARSI) (Mokhtari & Reichard, 2002) and a reading test at the beginning of a reading-writing course and again at the end of the course. The results revealed an increase from pretest to posttest in all three …

The Effect Of Service Learning On Community College Communication Students, Margaret Shu-Mei Sass

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This study discusses the implementation of a service learning component in the first year college communication 101 level courses. Through the execution of a service learning component in college communication classes at a community college, student’s communicative competency and attitude toward community service is assessed. Using two different delivery approaches, a quantitative study assessed the pre-test and post-test of the standardized tools Communicative Adaptability Scale (CAS) and Community Service Attitudes Scale (CSAS). Eight sections of the communication 101 courses were distributed into two groups: 1) the experimental group consisting of 4 classes, and (2) the control group consisting of four …

The Beat Goes On: The Connections Between Pitch Matching And Beat Competency In The Reading Proficiencies Of Third Graders, Lori Conlon Khan

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Children who are poor readers in their early years generally remain poor readers in their later years. Research questions explore positive connections between learning music and learning to hear, understanding the spoken word, and, ultimately, reading the printed word. A series of 12 lessons created to improve internal rhythmicity and practice pitch matching skills were administered by general music specialists to a treatment group of third grade students (n=15) reading below grade level, over a period of 12 weeks. Treatment group results were compared to a control group (n=10) who did not receive musical intervention. The research examined the reading …

Place, Purpose, And Practice: A Case Study Examining Rural Teachers’ Sense Of Community And Its Impact In The Classroom, Faith Beyer Hansen

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

In an era in which education policy directs schools towards economic outcomes and away from local and/or community goals, this research is rooted in the notion that place matters (Howley & Howley, 1995). More specifically, this study examines what impact a rural teacher’s sense of community has on her experiencing both the broader community, the community of her individual classroom, and on her practice.

This collective case study followed six teachers in one rural middle school in the mountain west. Participants were nominated using a Sense of Community Index (SCI-2) and fell into the following categories: teachers with a low, …

Student Use And Acceptance Of Video Podcasts In The Science Laboratory, Jessica Caron

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Educational technologies (e.g., computers, social software, personal response systems, and multimedia) have become commonplace in the higher education classroom; however, the full potential of this trend has yet to be realized in the laboratory setting. Technology integration into the undergraduate science laboratory is imperative if we are to, as Hofstein and Lunetta (2004) suggest, engage our current student populations in ways consistent with their experience, knowledge, and preferences. The incorporation of multimedia technologies into the laboratory is one way to meet this charge.Using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM),this study investigated the student acceptance and usage of podcasting in the undergraduate …

Measurement Of Life Skill Acquisition Of The Idaho First Lego® League State Tournament Participants Ages 9-14, Kristina Lee Luckey

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Youth development programs provide opportunities for children to learn and apply the life skills they are likely to utilize later in life. Therefore, it is critical that steps are taken to evaluate their effectiveness. The direct purpose of this study was to measure life skill outcomes of participants ages 9-14 of the Idaho FIRST LEGO® League program state tournament participants. This mixed method pre-experimental design study incorporated quantitative measurements using a paired samples test and qualitative measures utilizing a single-category design focus group methodology for triangulation purposes. This study contributes to the literature by providing empirical evidence of the formation …

School Choice Decisions: A Naturalistic-Constructivist Inquiry Into Parents’ Perceptions On School Choice And School Improvement At A Pedagogically Progressive Charter School, Emily Louise Gibson

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Politicians and educational leaders often cite school choice as a sound mechanism for improving public education. However, education theorists and researchers call for more research to verify whether and how choice has an impact on what happens in public schools for all learners, and suggest that there is a need for more naturalistic-constructivist studies to examine the realities inherent in school choice contexts. Missing from the research literature are in-depth perspectives of those on the front lines of school choice decision: parents.

This naturalistic-constructivist inquiry used grounded theory and mixed methods to examine parents’ recollections of their own elementary education …

Assessing The Value Of A High School Mentoring Program, Janet L. Downs

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

School-based mentoring programs have recently emerged as a potential method to improve pro-social behavior, academic success, resiliency, a sense of school connectedness, and reduce at-risk behaviors and drop-out probability among youth. This action research study surveyed 142 students to assess changes in student attitudes associated with implementing the first year of a sophomore mentoring program at a semi-urban high school in the northwestern United States. The mentoring program was called the Pathfinder program, a youth-to-youth group mentoring program developed and marketed by Varsity Gold Leadership, Inc. The extent of influence the Pathfinder program exerted over concepts related to school connectedness …

The Inquiry Learning Model As An Approach To Mathematics Instruction, Michael C. Brune

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Since current approaches to mathematical instruction fall short of the goals of NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) research was conducted in a small rural school district in the northwest United States evaluating inquiry based instruction. To complete the study two high school geometry classes were taught area formulation using a traditional lecture based approach to instruction. A third geometry class was taught area formulation utilizing inquiry-based instructional methods. Students in both groups took both a pre-test and post-test, filled out a questionnaire, and participated in a project designed to test their applications of mathematical understanding. Results indicated that …

Design Of Computer-Based Assessment Secondary Education For Understanding Of Mathematics, Mark Damian Lewis

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a computer-based assessment to reveal mathematical understanding. Relevant literature suggested that developments in cognitive science and computer-based assessments could allow the outcomes of cognitively guided instruction to be made explicit. An assessment instrument designed to make mathematical thinking explicit was developed and administered, consisting of 15 animations showing the solutions of one and two digit multiplication problems. A consistent set of five questions followed each animation. The assessment was administered to four classes of fourth grade students in two elementary schools participating in cognitively guided instruction professional development programs. …

Teaching For Social Justice With Students From Privileged Groups: Integrating Social Justice Into Middle School Curriculum, Bong Seok Jang

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation research focuses on the teaching for social justice with privileged middle school students. A need for this research was established based on the limited findings specific to teaching for social justice in mathematics.

This research was implemented with junior high level students in a public charter school. The socio-economic status and ethnic diversity of the class in which this study took place is primarily middle to upper middle class and ten percent nonwhite.

Qualitative research methods were used because this study focuses more on human interactions in the natural setting of a classroom. First, my observations of the …

Schools, Community, And Family: The Promises Of Community-Based School Reform And School Success, Shannon Sue Rishky

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

A new trend in U.S. education is community-based schools. Community schools offer on-site programs and services to whole families to improve student success. Community-based schools can improve student learning, increase parent participation, give teachers more time to focus on instruction, and create the necessary conditions for learning. But we know relatively little about successful new programs in rural states and smaller urban centers. This thesis, a case study of an elementary school in a small U.S. urban center, identifies key factors for the success of such programs. Through in-depth interviews with administrators, teachers, and support staff the following factors were …

School Size And Student Academic Achievement In Idaho High Schools, Barbara J. James

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not a relationship existed between school size and student academic performance in Idaho high schools. This study used the mathematics portion of the Idaho Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) taken by all 10^th grade students in the spring of 2009 to compare academic achievement in students in small schools and students in large schools. Mean scores for proficient and advanced students were calculated and categorized into five school size classifications. For instance, 91% of all Boise High School (BHS) 10^th grade students demonstrated proficiency in mathematics on the ISATs. …