Education Commons^™

A Comparison Of Learning Subjective And Traditional Probability In Middle Grades, Jeanne D. Rast

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

The emphasis given to probability and statistics in the K-12 mathematics curriculum has brought attention to the various approaches to probability and statistics concepts, as well as how to teach these concepts. Teachers from fourth, fifth, and sixth grades from a small suburban Catholic school engaged their students (n=87) in a study to compare learning traditional probability concepts to learning traditional and subjective probability concepts. The control group (n=44) received instruction in traditional probability, while the experimental group (n=43) received instruction in traditional and subjective probability. A Multivariate Analysis of Variance and a Bayesian t-test were used to analyze pretest …

Cross Generational Personality Variables And Stress Coping Resources Among Mainland Chinese, Yuehong Chen Foley

Counseling and Psychological Services Dissertations

Mainland China has undergone drastic social and economic changes in the last century. Rapid social changes often transform individual values and family structures, which directly affect the personality development process and life quality of human beings. The review of English and Chinese-language publications will enhance the readers¡¯ understanding of the Mainland Chinese personality features, coping resources and social changes. The research assessed the impact of social changes on the patterns of personality traits, stress coping resources, and life satisfaction of 2359 people in Mainland China. Participants completed three surveys: 1) the Coping Resources Inventory for Stress (CRIS) (Matheny, Curlette, Aycock, …

Storyteller, Story-Teacher: A Portrait Of Three Teachers? Use Of Story In Elementary Classes, James Michael Shirley

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the use of storytelling as a teaching strategy in the classrooms of three experienced elementary school teachers. Storytelling is defined in this study as the use of a narrative, spoken or written, in prose or in verse, true or fictitious, related so as to inform, entertain, or instruct the listener or reader. This research answers questions concerning; (a) what constitutes storytelling in these teachers’ classrooms, (b) teachers’ purposes for using storytelling, and (c) factors that have encouraged these teachers to employ storytelling in their teaching practices. Framed within constructivist theory, the …

Exploring Faculty Perceptions Of A Case Library As An Online Teaching Resource, Yuxin Ma

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

Professors need alternative programs to support their online teaching. This dissertation reports an initial study in a long-term research agenda for developing a faculty online teaching solution.

The primary purpose of the study is to explore faculty perceptions of a case library to help decision makers and researchers determine whether they would pursue the use of such a tool to support faculty online teaching. The secondary purpose of the study is to generate design knowledge to inform future development of and research on this or similar case libraries.

The methodology of this study includes three components: development research, rapid prototyping, …

Would You Like Values With That?: The Role Of Chik-Fil-A In Character Education, Deron R. Boyles

Educational Policy Studies Faculty Publications

I explore three main lines of inquiry: (1) the specifics of “Core Essentials” as a strategy for teaching character; (2) the role (and ironies) of private businesses influencing public school curricula; and (3) the assumptions inherent in the kind of teaching of character outlined by “Core Essentials.” Girding this inquiry is a concern about the problematic enterprise of teaching character, itself, as if it were an unquestionable domain. Further, the oddly-but-related contexts of childhood obesity findings and Christian influences (both general symbolism and fundamentalist indoctrination) on and in public spheres will be considered via Theodore Brameld’s Ends and Means in …

Transactive Discourse During Assessment Conversations On Science Learning, Homer Arthur Russell Iii

Communication Sciences and Disorders Dissertations

Transactive Discourse During Assessment Conversations on Science Learning by Homer A. Russell III It has been argued that development of science knowledge is the result of social interaction and adoption of shared understandings between teachers and students. A part of understanding that process is determining how student reasoning develops in groups. Transactive discussion is a form of negotiation between group members as they interpret the meaning of their logical statements about a topic. More importantly, it is a form of discourse that often leads to cognitive change as a result of the interaction between group participants as they wrestle with …

Institutes, Foundations, And Think Tanks: Conservative Influences On U.S. Public Schools, Deron R. Boyles

Educational Policy Studies Faculty Publications

While a complete analysis of the effects of conservative think tanks is beyond the scope of this article, we include the above passage as evidence of what, on a broad scale, the “idea brokers” have been working towards. While education is only one area where neoconservative think tanks seek to influence public policy, it has become the issue for many neoconservatives. In this article, we focus on four think tanks—The Manhattan Institute, The American Enterprise Institute, The Heritage Foundation, and The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation—and what they are doing to reshape public schools in ways more suitable to neoconservative and …

Reconsidering Learning Communities: Expanding The Discourse By Challenging The Discourse, Deron R. Boyles, Susan Talburt

Educational Policy Studies Faculty Publications

This article draws on historical and philosophical lenses and interviews with students to question some fundamental tenets underlying the practice of freshman learning communities (FLCs): that they develop community and improve students' learning experiences. The article brings to the discourse of FLCs some critical questions regarding their value and practice.

Uncovering The Coverings: The Use Of Corporate-Sponsored Textbook Covers In Furthering Uncritical Consumerism, Deron R. Boyles

Educational Policy Studies Faculty Publications

In this article, I explore the various kinds of book covers that exist to see if a metanarrative can be discerned. I also wish to question the degree to which the various covers indicate, inscribe, or otherwise represent cultural values that might be problematic. In a basic and general sense, my intent is to investigate what symbols are actually represented on the dust jackets. What meanings do they foreclose or 'cover' over? What messages might they send? This article highlights and describes a series of textbook covers, from over one hundred that have been provided to me by various students, …

Politics Or Principles?: Joseph Kinmont Hart And The University Of Washington, 1910-1915, Deron R. Boyles

Educational Policy Studies Faculty Publications

Joseph Kinmont Hart was a young professor of education during this time and played a role in the unrest at the university. Hart was a popular teacher, a sought-after speaker in the community, and an agitator for social change. His politics were in contrast to most of the Board of Regents and the state legislature and the battles he fought with his own colleagues ultimately led to his being fired with the rest of the department in 1915. Hart was among a number of people who questioned Suzzallo’s candidacy for the UW presidency. It was widely believed that Hart wrote …

Play To Win! Using Games In Library Instruction To Enhance Student Learning, Tammy Sugarman, Guy Leach

University Library Faculty Publications

Research has shown that educational games can have positive impacts on student learning and motivation. The success of a game played in a library instruction class depends on the type of game selected, the development of learning outcomes, and the flexibility of the librarian during class. This article explains the benefits to students and librarians of using games, discusses the development and use of a Jeopardy-style game, and provides practical tips for librarians interested in developing and incorporating games into one-time library instruction sessions.

One Teacher’S Resistance To The Pressures Of Test Mentality, Caitlin E. Mcmunn Dooley

Early Childhood and Elementary Education Faculty Publications

The emphasis on testing in Texas public schools has shaped literacy instruction in many classrooms. This article details how one Special Education teacher resists this testing mentality. She refuses to use the multiple-choice practice tests and prescribed programs that dominate the classrooms of many other teachers in her school; instead, she endorses authentic assessments and informed individualized instruction as a way to engage her students in the world of reading and writing.

Lawrence A. Cremin, Chara H. Bohan

Middle and Secondary Education Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Digging Trenches: Nationalism And The First National Report On The Elementary History Curriculum, Chara H. Bohan

Middle and Secondary Education Faculty Publications

The objective of this historical analysis is to determine the origins of the American elementary history/social studies curriculum and to determine how nationalism affected the curriculum as it progressed in the early twentieth century. The Committee of Eight (Co8), established by the American Historical Association in 1905, created the first national report on the teaching of elementary history and civics. Factors influencing the resultant curriculum, such as the pressure for diverse membership, the curriculum established in European countries, the growth and development of American identity and pride, the massive expansion of public schooling, and regulations on teacher certification are examined. …

Beliefs About Technology And The Preparation Of English Teachers: Beginning The Conversation, Janet Swenson, Robert Rozema, Carl A. Young, Ewa Mcgrail, Phyllis Whitin

Middle and Secondary Education Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Teachers, Technology, And Change: English Teachers’ Perspectives, Ewa Mcgrail

Middle and Secondary Education Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.