Education Commons^™

Class-Wide Positive Behavior Support In Preschool: Improving Teaching Implementation Through Consultation, Deborah R. Carter, Renee K. Van Norman

Early and Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

Preschool teachers report children’s challenging behavior as their greatest concern (Alkon, Ramler, & MacLennan, 2003; Joseph & Strain, 2003), but estimates show that fewer than 10% of young children who show early signs of problem behavior receive services (Kazdin & Kendall, 1998). These data suggest that preschool teachers do not have the training or resources to implement research-based strategies. The need for effective and efficient behavior support in early childhood is apparent, particularly in light of the long-term negative effects of early problem behavior.

Ojos Claros, Roberto E. Bahruth

Literacy, Language, and Culture Faculty Publications and Presentations

Seis noches seguidas doña Clara soñó agua, soñó cielo, soñó luz. Fue así como Pati anunció, no sólo su nacimiento sino el color de sus ojos y la claridad de su alma. Y fue así, que unos meses después Pati naciera con ojos azules y claros en un mundo lleno de ojos sin luz. Desde pequeña esta niña fue especial y mágica. A su lado las personas no podían evitar sentirse en paz. Muchos empezaron a visitar la casa de doña Clara sólo para verse reflejados en la claridad azul de la pequeña. Sus ojos nunca dejaban de sonreír ni …

Mágico Encuentro, Roberto E. Bahruth

Literacy, Language, and Culture Faculty Publications and Presentations

Cuando aprendemos a caminar detenidamente, sin apuro, la vida nos revela algunos de sus secretos, esos que siempre han estado frente a nosotros y que en nuestra prisa, no vemos o no queremos ver. En mi más reciente visita a Guatemala fui dispuesto a no deterner los días en mis manos, sino dejarlos fluir mientras me dejaba envolver por el ritmo y luz de este país y su gente . Y fue así, como por primera vez, me entregué a esa canción, tan familiar, del viento jugando con los árboles. Muy pronto descubrí cómo un sin fin de colibrís llegaban …

Developing Alphabetic Knowledge In A School-To-Home Project With Students Who Are At-Risk: Literature Review, Julie Ann Armstrong

Early and Special Education Graduate Projects and Theses

Literacy skills are developing in children from the time they are born and should be nurtured during the preschool years (Joint Position Statement, 2005). There are important literacy skill sets for children to acquire to be competent readers. The 2009 National Early Literacy Panel has defined one of these skills as alphabetic knowledge (Bell & Westberg, 2009). Alphabetic knowledge is being able to recognize and name letters and their sounds. The research shows that mastery of alphabetic skills is required before children can engage successfully in phonemic awareness. (Bara, Gentaz & Cole, 2007). Parents can facilitate their child’s mastery of …

Developing Alphabetic Knowledge In A School-To-Home Project With Students Who Are At-Risk: Alphabetic Knowledge Activities Handbook, Julie Ann Armstrong

Early and Special Education Graduate Projects and Theses

Early childhood educators are on the frontline of developing emergent literacy skills in their students. Research is abundant and clear about the importance of exposure to and experience with literacy activities for young children (Joint Position Statement- International Reading Association and the National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2005). However, students arrive in the classroom with varying skills and backgrounds relative to literacy, and many students are in a position to be considered at-risk of school failure. Teaching this population of students can be a challenge. This Alphabetic Knowledge Activities handbook was created to be a resource for …

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 …

Perceptions Of The Nature Of Science By Geoscience Students Experiencing Two Different Courses Of Study, Louis S. Nadelson, Karen Viskupic

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Student knowledge of the Nature of Science (NOS) is critical to their understanding of science. NOS encapsulates the tenets of how science is regarded and the heuristics by which science is judged to be valid and appropriate. The importance of NOS to science education has lead to curricular and policy development that mandate the construct be taught throughout the K-12 science curriculum. If this curriculum is effective there is an expectation that students would enter post-secondary with foundational knowledge of NOS. Our research examined the perspectives of NOS among two different cohorts of undergraduate geoscience students, one of lower division …

Videopoetry: Historical Photography In The Desert Garden, Peter Lutze, James Armstrong, Laura Woodworth-Ney

Literacy, Language, and Culture Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper presents an integration of poetry, history and photography through the video medium to convey a cultural history of the irrigated desert in southern Idaho, USA, around 1900. The VideoPoetry project is an investigation of cultural history that employs video and poetry to make it come alive. This social history is revealed through the lives of Clarence E. Bisbee and Jessie Robinson Bisbee of Twin Falls, Idaho. Their marriage focused on their photography business that involved documenting the transformation of the desert into farms, towns, and cities. This project brings out for public view a selection of historical photographs …

The Analysis Of An Unsuccessful Novice Teacher’S Induction Experiences: A Case Study Presented Through Layered Account, Sara Winstead Fry

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Although induction support is heralded as an effective way to reduce high attrition among beginning teachers, nationwide increases in induction participation have not been accompanied by a comparable reduction in attrition rates. This inconsistency suggests some induction programs may not provide adequate support. This article presents the results of a case study that explored the experiences of a beginning teacher who left the profession despite participation in an induction program. The research question was: "Why was Stella unsuccessful in her second year of teaching?" The results are presented through the postmodern ethnographic method of layered account (Ronai, 1997). In addition …

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 …

Teaching Inquiry-Based Stem In The Elementary Grades Using Manipulatives: A Systemic Solution Report, Louis S. Nadelson, Anne Hay, Pat Pyke, Janet Callahan, Cheryl Schrader

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Young learners come to school holding myriad conceptions about how the world works, particularly in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM.^1-3 Further, young students' conceptions are commonly based on fragmented knowledge or naïve perspectives that contribute to the importance of early exposure to and practice with scrutinizing situations scientifically.^1,3 An important part of helping children gain the skills necessary to approach situations scientifically involves preparing them to conduct scientific inquiry.³ The development of critical thinking skills and scientific approaches to problem solving should begin early in education.⁴ However, lack of elementary …

The Predictive Validity Of The Early Warning System Tool, Evelyn Johnson, Carrie Semmelroth

Early and Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Early Warning System (EWS) is a tool developed by the National High School Center to collect data on indicators including attendance, GPA, course failures and credits earned. These indicators have been found to be highly predictive of a student’s likelihood of dropping out of high school in large, urban areas. The EWS tool was studied in two suburban schools. With the exception of attendance data, findings suggest that the indicators and suggested threshold for risk determination are predictive in suburban contexts.

Course-Integrated Undergraduate Research Experiences Structured At Different Levels Of Inquiry, Louis Nadelson, Linda Walters, Jane Waterman

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Enhancing undergraduate students’ preparation and interest in science careers frequently involves engagement in authentic research experiences. Traditional undergraduate research (UR) one-to-one faculty-to-student ratio is challenged by demand and cost, motivating the development of alternative approaches to offering these experiences. Embracing this challenge we integrated UR experiences into three undergraduate biology courses, each taking a different approach to engaging students. The approaches varied the amount of teacher and student responsibility, reflecting different levels of inquiry instruction; one in which students were embedded into the faculty’s on-going research; a second in which faculty provided the hypotheses and methodology and students were responsible …

Visual Culture Art Education: Critical Pedagogy, Identity Formation And Generative Studio Practices In Art, Kim Barker

Art Graduate Theses and Projects

This paper explores visual culture and its emergence as a (inter-) disciplinary field of study and practice within art education. Visual Culture Art Education (VCAE), while still in the process of defining itself, inserts itself among myriad academic disciplines as well as our everyday living experiences outside the classroom. Due to its discursive nature, VCAE draws extensively on contemporary pedagogical praxis. I advocate for the integration of visual culture, with an emphasis on popular culture, into art curricula as a means to increase the relevancy of art instruction for students. The inclusion of (popular) visual culture in the art classroom …

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 …

Pedagogical Considerations That May Encourage Character Development In A Distance Education Course, Michael C. Johnson, Richard Osguthorpe, David D. Williams

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

The aims espoused by institutions of higher education often entail the development of students’ character. Rarely, however, are these character development aims connected to the unique design and delivery of distance education programs, and the research literature that explores the moral and character development aspects of distance education is sparse. This case study examines instructor and student perceptions of approaches, instructional methods, and other factors that contributed to perceived character development in a fantasy literature distance education course. The findings indicate that the instructor and students perceived myriad kinds of character development and corresponding approaches and methods for bringing about …

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. …

Poor Metacomprehension Accuracy As A Result Of Inappropriate Cue Use, Keith W. Thiede, Thomas Griffin, Jennifer Wiley, Mary C. M. Anderson

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Two studies attempt to determine the causes of poor metacomprehension accuracy, and then, in turn, to identify interventions that circumvent these difficulties to support effective comprehension monitoring performance. The first study explored the cues that both at-risk and typical college readers use as a basis for their metacomprehension judgments in the context of a delayed summarization paradigm. Improvement was seen in all readers, but at-risk readers did not reach the same level of metacomprehension accuracy as a sample of typical college readers. Further, while few readers reported using comprehension-related cues, more at-risk readers reported using surface-related cues as the basis …

The Effects Of Interaction On Adolescent Reading Motivation, Greg A. Hoetker

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study had two main purposes: One, to discover the nature of interactions that motivate adolescent students to read; and two, to follow how adolescents’ views of interaction and reading motivation evolve over time. The study’s research question was: What do student artifacts and interviews within both middle and high school contexts reveal about adolescents' perceptions of interactions with peers, teachers, and family and their motivation to read? The concept of interaction used within this study was based on a collaborative group-process learning context (Webb & Palincsar, 1996) and a social constructivist conceptualization of intrinsic motivation for literacy learning …

Exploring Brain-Based Instructional Practices In Secondary Education Classes, Constance Darcy Jack

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Research on how the brain perceives, processes, stores, and retrieves information is important to guide pedagogy, yet many schools continue to promote practices that are inconsistent with practices suggested by brain research. Brain-based teaching practices promote a more holistic approach to teaching that acknowledges the interconnectedness of the brain and how it naturally learns.

In order to explore brain-based teaching practices, this study focused on a high school (grades 9-12) in southwestern Idaho to determine whether teachers’ perceptions of their use of brain-based teaching strategies are consistent with the strategies they demonstrate in the classroom. Data included two original instruments: …

An Exploratory Study Of 2007-08 Idaho Early Childhood Special Education Outcome Data, Brenda Mortensen Cannon

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Legislation such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) of 2004 include accountability and enforcement provisions for the education of all children, including children with disabilities. The United States Department of Education, through the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), requires all local educational agencies (LEAs) to submit, on an annual basis, data regarding the developmental outcomes and academic achievement of preschool children and youth with disabilities ages 3 through 21 in accordance with NCLB and IDEA 2004. OSEP has established indicators that are meant to inform and support Early Childhood Special …

Virtual Movie Sets And Branching Video: Developing Interactive Educational Machinima With Second Life And Youtube, Chareen Snelson

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Machinima is the technique of using real-time 3D technologies such as computer games or virtual worlds in the creation of animated video productions. The Second Life virtual world provides an open landscape where inexpensive virtual movie sets, props, costumes, and characters may be created to meet specialized educational purposes. Interactive video techniques used to create online video simulations, virtual tours, adventure games, or interactive tutorials can be coupled with machinima to create interactive educational machinima products. YouTube supports this technique by providing both video hosting and the Annotations tool, which enables linking from video to video. Usage and demographic data …

Beyond The Rubric: Practicing Alternative Assessment In The Elementary Classroom, Erin Kueneman

College of Education Poster Presentations

The successful use of alternative assessment improves a teacher’s ability to evaluate how well students apply knowledge and demonstrate real-world skills. Using alternative assessment as part of an instruction-assessment cycle, teachers are better prepared to be responsive to the diverse learners in today’s classrooms. Alternative assessments are generally considered to be formative and summative, as well as authentic, evaluations of a student’s knowledge and skills. This definition excludes traditional “paper and pencil” tests, curriculum-based, IQ, and achievement tests, including standardized assessments. This project’s goal is to evaluate how and when teachers use alternative assessment in their classrooms and to more …

Efficient And Effective Communication For Parents And Teachers, Brenley Box

College of Education Poster Presentations

Parent/Guardian-Teacher communication is essential for the success of students in any classroom. Communication is important because teachers need to know necessary information about students and things that may be happening in their home lives that may, in turn, affect their school work. Parents/guardians also need to know what is going on at the school in order to have active involvement in their child’s education. Communication may take place in many forms: newsletters, e-mails, letters, conferences, home visits, telephone, homework folders, face-to-face, daily planners, etc. Due to the importance of communication in the classroom, this project is designed to find the …

Identifying Student Perceptions: The Effect Of Parent-Child Relationships On Attitudes Towards Academic Abilities, Heather Gifford

McNair Scholars Research Journal

This study expands on research that identifies the many negative effects poor parent-child relationships can have on children by examining how these disadvantages continue into children’s young-adult lives and influence attitudes and confidence levels towards success. This study will focus on young-adult, college students and will specifically consider their attitudes and confidence levels towards achieving self-defined, academic success. The purpose of this research is to determine if participants with weak parent-child relationship face more academic disadvantages due to lower levels of confidence and development of derogatory attitudes towards their capability to achieve in order to identify potential educational disparities related …

S.C.O.R.E, Catherine Keyes

Service-Learning Program

No abstract provided.

Critical Literacy: Changing The World Through The Word, Martha S. Mendoza

McNair Scholars Research Journal

This study analyzes the role that children’s literature plays in acquiring critical tools and deconstructing the internalized sense of worthlessness and oppression that Latinos living in poverty might experience. The goal is to provide literacy spaces and critical tools for both, teachers and students from marginalized and oppressed backgrounds, as Paulo Freire and Donaldo Macedo suggest, to become aware of one’s reality and act upon our world. This intends to engage students in dialogue and reflection, in order to critically analyze and understand issues of social, economic and political injustice and inequities; and deconstruct their internalized sense of worthlessness and …

The Phenomenon Of Character Development In A Distance Education Course, Michael C. Johnson, Richard Osguthorpe, David D. Williams

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Rarely are character development-related aims espoused by higher education reflected in the design and delivery of distance education programs. Further, literature exploring the character development aspects of distance education is sparse. This study finds that the instructor and students in a fantasy literature distance course perceived myriad kinds of character development related to performance, moral, relational, and spiritual character traits and strengths. This paper considers implications for character development in distance education and directions for future research.

Handy Manny And The Emergent Literacy Technology Toolkit, Howard P. Parette, Jack Hourcade, Nichole Boeckmann, Craig Blum

Early and Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper outlines the use of a technology toolkit to support emergent literacy curriculum and instruction in early childhood education settings. Components of the toolkit include hardware and software that can facilitate key emergent literacy skills. Implementation of the comprehensive technology toolkit enhances the development of these critical literacy skills in at-risk young learners.