Education Commons^™

Supporting And Sustaining Equitable Steam Activities In High School Classrooms: Understanding Computer Science Teachers’ Needs And Practices When Implementing An E-Textiles Curriculum To Forge Connections Across Communities, Deborah A. Fields, Yasmin B. Kafai

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

While the last two decades have seen an increased interest in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) in K-12 schools, few efforts have focused on the teachers and teaching practices necessary to support these interventions. Even fewer have considered the important work that teachers carry out not just inside classrooms but beyond the classroom walls to sustain such STEAM implementation efforts, from interacting with administrators to recruiting students and persuading parents about the importance of arts and computer science. In order to understand teachers’ needs and practices regarding STEAM implementation, in this paper, we focus on eight experienced computer …

Curriculum Adoption In U.S. Schools: An Exploratory, Qualitative Analysis, Sarah E. Pinkelman, Kristen R. Rolf, Trenton Landon, Ronnie Detrich, Carrie Mclaughlin, Amy Peterson, Michelle Mcknight-Lizotte

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Faculty Publications

The process of adopting curricula and programs in U.S. schools is an understudied topic. Given the importance of selecting evidence-based and contextually relevant programs that meet the needs of the school, additional research to examine this process is critical. In this exploratory investigation, we conducted semi-structured interviews with ten building-level and ten district-level school administrators to learn (a) how they identify needs for a new program and (b) the perceived factors that influence decisions in selecting a program to adopt. Qualitative data from interview transcripts were analyzed through thematic analysis as outlined by Braun and Clarke (3(2):77, 2006), and saturation …

A Grounded Case Study Of Parental Perceptions Surrounding Formalized Special Education Processes, William Eric Strong

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In this dissertation, I explore, through qualitative means, the perceptions of parents related to discourse (what is said and not said) within formalized and required processes of special education. These processes are federal requirements that parents of children with disabilities or suspected disabilities encounter as their children progress through the school system. The processes purportedly protect the rights of children with disabilities. The goal of the process is to help children with disabilities make academic gains by providing scaffolds that meet their individual needs.

During this process, parents of children with disabilities become empowered or disempowered by discourses focused on …

Stem School Discourse Patterns, Colby Tofel-Grehl, Carolyn M. Callahan

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

In a cross case analysis of six specialized STEM schools across the United States selected on the basis of varied geographic location and school model type, the authors explore the ways in which classroom discursvive strutures established by teachers impact students' perceptions of their own agency and authority as relates to their science learning within specialized STEM schools. As national interest in specialized STEM schools grows, a deep need to understand the instructional practices that impact students motivation and interest has arisen. By better understanding how teachers drive classroom discourse through questioning techniques, student responses and reflections can be understood …

Differentiation For The Gifted In American Islamic Schools, F. A. K. Al-Lawati, Scott L. Hunsaker

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

A brief narrative description of the journal article, document, or resource. This research focuses on teacher instructional and curricular practices in gifted students' experiences in Islamic schools in the United States. Surveys were administered at private, full-time Islamic elementary schools to determine the extent to which differentiation practices for meeting the needs of gifted students and the integration of Islamic values were employed. Findings suggest that Islamic schools in the United States have limited programs for gifted students. A majority of teachers in Islamic schools differentiate little between gifted and average students in instructional strategies. When differentiation occurs, it is …

Exploring The Roles Of The Paraeducator In Instruction, Robert L. Morgan

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Faculty Publications

With effective training and supervision, paraeducators become valuable team members who actively participate in monitoring and delivering instruction to learners in classrooms. First, this chapter examines the paraeducator's roles in instruction; second, it describes methods the paraeducator can use to deliver effective instruction; third, it warns of excessive prompting, or "taking over"; and fourth, it considers the paraeducator's role in lesson plans, instructional settings, management, groupings, and assessment of learning style.

Exploring Gifted Education Programs, Services, And Practices In Islamic Schools In The United States, Fatma Anwer Khamis Al-Lawati

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study explored the state of gifted education in Islamic schools in the United States, focusing on school organization and elementary school teachers' practices in planning and implementing instructional and curricular experiences for gifted students and average students. The study utilized mixed methods, combining quantitative and qualitative data. Surveys addressed teacher practices and obtained information about resources available for gifted students in Islamic schools. A focus group method was employed to understand better teachers' practices with gifted students.

The study involved 32 principals and 157 teachers. Five schools participated in the focus group discussions. Descriptive statistics were used to report …

The Development Of Selected Vocational Centers And Vocational Schools In Utah, Glade C. Bailey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to collect, describe, and interpret source materials pertaining to the history of the three area vocational centers and the three area vocational schools in Utah. The historical method of research was used, and the collection of data was from personal interviews, research of records, and publications of the six vocational institutions, the Utah State Board of Education, and the local school districts.

The three area centers and the three area schools began as an outgrowth of the 1963 Vocational Education Act and the 1968 Vocational Amendments. These vocational institutions were established to meet the …

The Necessity Of Plastics Education And The Development Of A Course Outline As It Pertains To Area Vocational Schools In The State Of Utah, Denis Arthur Potter

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Purpose of the Study. The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a need in the plastics industries in the State of Utah for plastics education at the area vocational school level.

Source of the Data and Method of Study. A list of companies whose major function was plastics processing was obtained from the Directory of Utah Manufacturers. Additional companies were also identified if they were suspect of having any type of plastics processing function within their company. A questionnaire was sent to those companies identified to determine which companies were directly concerned with plastics …

A Descriptive Analysis Of Eight Remedial Reading Students In The Sevier District Schools, Doris P. Tuft

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

Authorities have variously estimated the number of children with a reading disability to be between ten and fifteen percent of the total school population.^1,2,3 Formerly, many children who had reading difficulties perhaps left school at an early age. Also, many children who might have had reading problems perhaps remained undetected before widespread group testing was initiated. Today, with the high premium placed upon high school and even college achievement, an education is, so to speak, a prerequisite to adult success. With reading unique in its being both a subject area and a tool necessary for the mastery of other …

The Origin And Evolution Of The Governmental Immunity From Tort Liability As Related To Schools With Emphasis On Utah, Charles F. Scholes

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

The common-law, as it has evolved from the Eighteenth Century, is that school districts are immune from tort liability because they are a functioning part of the state. At this time, however, there are a great many changes taking place in the laws throughout the country. Some states have completely abrogated the doctrine of tort immunity while others have done so only in part. In Utah the laws have only recently been changed but are not in effect until July l, 1966.

A Study To Determine The Content Of An Industrial Arts Program In The Elementary Schools Of Box Elder County, Charles M. Hawkes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The child is the reason for the school. He is the one for whom learning experiences are provided. Our understanding of the child as a growing individual and as a learner, his personality and his purposes and interests, supply the foundation for developing an effective educational program.

No longer do we look at the education program as a sole preparation for some future life. Instead it has now become more a process whereby we make the most of present living in order that we might live a more full and rich life each day. Education is something that goes on …

The Place Of The General Shop In The Industrial Arts Curriculum In The Secondary Schools Of Utah, Max E. Mckinnon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The primary purpose of education is to develop happy and successful citizens. Industrial arts, being a phase of general education, should in every way possible contribute toward achieving this primary purpose. Because of the rapidly changing methods of industrial production and the increasing areas of industry, it is therefore necessary, that to keep abreast of this industrial advancement, industrial education must employ every possible means to justifiably incorporate these new industrial methods and products into the industrial education program.

It is the intention of the writer that this study will bring forth evidence of the practical usability of the general …

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 …