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Full-Text Articles in Education

Attitudes Towards Inclusion Of General Education Teachers Who Have And Have Not Taught In An Inclusive Classroom, Nicole P. Maccarthy Jan 2010

Attitudes Towards Inclusion Of General Education Teachers Who Have And Have Not Taught In An Inclusive Classroom, Nicole P. Maccarthy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Through the lens of Bandura's social-cognitive theory, which proposes that one's sense of self-efficacy can foster positive beliefs, the purpose of this descriptive, quantitative study was to determine whether the attitudes held by general education teachers have an influence on their perceptions of inclusion. General education teachers' beliefs in their abilities regarding teaching in inclusive classrooms may have an influence on the success of inclusion. This study examined the difference in attitudes toward inclusion between elementary school general education teachers whose previous teaching experience was with solely general education students but who now teach in an inclusive classroom, and those …


Confidence-Based Assessment In Moodle: Insights From Teachers, Administrators, And Programmers, Timothy P. Florian Jan 2010

Confidence-Based Assessment In Moodle: Insights From Teachers, Administrators, And Programmers, Timothy P. Florian

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Critical thinking is a skill that school systems are trying to develop in their student populations. Numerous studies have been conducted on developing critical thinking skills such as self-regulation, interpretation, and analysis. However, available data on the use of learning management systems (LMS) as a means to develop critical-thinking skills have been opaque. This study examined the perceptions of local stakeholders and the impact of confidence-based assessment (CBA) on secondary students at one high school. The conceptual framework guiding the study represented a synthesis of theoretical perspectives on critical thinking and its development with the current research on the pedagogical …


Impact Of A Ninth-Grade Transition Program On Cumulative Gpas And Credits, Ninth-Grade Dropout Rates, And Student Satisfaction, B. R. Buhrman Jan 2010

Impact Of A Ninth-Grade Transition Program On Cumulative Gpas And Credits, Ninth-Grade Dropout Rates, And Student Satisfaction, B. R. Buhrman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Concerned educators have been implementing ninth-grade transition programs to help freshmen adjust to the demands in high school and to reduce ninth-grade failure rates. The purpose of this quasi-experimental quantitative study was to investigate the impact of a ninth-grade transition program. The research questions addressed impact on cumulative GPAs and credits, ninth-grade dropout rates, and student satisfaction with ninth grade as measured by a survey of 120 ninth-grade transition program participants and 102 nonparticipants. Theoretical foundations were provided by the construction of new knowledge based on different background knowledge, different social conditions, and different life experiences. Another theoretical foundation was …


Empowering Adolescents: A Multiple Case Study Of U.S. Montessori High Schools, Wendy J. Larue Jan 2010

Empowering Adolescents: A Multiple Case Study Of U.S. Montessori High Schools, Wendy J. Larue

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The standards-based, teach-and-test methods that have come to proliferate secondary education since the inception of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) fail to adequately prepare students for higher education and employment. This system lacks opportunities for developing 21st century skills such as higher-level thinking, problem solving, and group dynamics, as well as opportunities for fostering spiritual growth and personal development. This problem impacts graduates of U.S. high schools because they are unprepared for higher education and the 21st century workplace. Using qualitative multiple case study methodology, this study examined five U.S. Montessori high schools through the lens of cultural-historical …


Assimilative Domain Proficiency And Performance In Chemistry Coursework, Scott William Byrnes Jan 2010

Assimilative Domain Proficiency And Performance In Chemistry Coursework, Scott William Byrnes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The assimilation and synthesis of knowledge is essential for students to be successful in chemistry, yet not all students synthesize knowledge as intended. The study used the Learning Preference Checklist to classify students into one of three learning modalities -- visual, auditory, or kinesthetic (VAK). It also used the Kolb Learning Style Inventory (KLSI), which utilizes four learning domains - Converging, Accommodating, Diverging, and Assimilating - to explain the students' maturation process by showing shift from any domain towards the Assimilating domain. A shift approaching this domain was considered as improvement in the assimilation and synthesis of knowledge. This pre-experimental …


The Effect Of Text-To-Self Reading Strategies On Reading Comprehension, Cathy Arlene (Legg) Cutright Jan 2010

The Effect Of Text-To-Self Reading Strategies On Reading Comprehension, Cathy Arlene (Legg) Cutright

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Middle-school male students currently face a disadvantage in reading comprehension compared to female students. Research suggests the problem is that more male students score below grade level in reading comprehension because they require more cognitive scaffolding. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of text-to-self reading instruction and to compare the comprehension achievement of male and female students in 6th-grade reading and language-arts classes using guided reading of text-to-self instruction and guided reading using novels. The foundation of this study was based on constructivist theories including Dewey's pragmatist philosophy, Piaget's developmental theory, and Vygotsky's theory of zone …


Grounded Theory Approach To Understanding Student Perceptions Of Asynchronous High School Learning Environments, Paige N. Morabito Jan 2010

Grounded Theory Approach To Understanding Student Perceptions Of Asynchronous High School Learning Environments, Paige N. Morabito

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although the development of cyber high schools over the last 10 years has increased, no data are reported in the literature regarding the factors that have contributed to the increased enrollment or student perceptions of success. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to develop a theory describing why students currently enrolled in an online high school program chose an asynchronous setting and their subsequent perceptions of success. Critical pedagogy, as a basis of transformational experiences through education, served as the conceptual framework. An attitudinal survey, provided as a limited data set by the high school, was used to …


Perceived Attributes And Organizational Support Influencing Course Management System Adopter Status In Historically Black Colleges And Universities, Gayla Spooner Keesee Jan 2010

Perceived Attributes And Organizational Support Influencing Course Management System Adopter Status In Historically Black Colleges And Universities, Gayla Spooner Keesee

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The rapid growth of online learning fueled by technologies including course management systems (CMS) has transformed the traditional educational landscape. Little research shows why faculty members at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have been slow to adopt this new teaching paradigm. This quantitative, nonexperimental study utilized Rogers's diffusion of innovation theory as the theoretical base. Research questions explored faculty perceptions of the CMS's attributes (relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, observability) and organizational support (policies, procedures, and norms) in order to predict adopter status. The study used a convenience sample of 137 full-time faculty from 3 public and 2 private …


High School Teachers' Perspectives On Effective Approaches For Teaching Biology To Students With Special Needs, Agnieszka Kos Jan 2010

High School Teachers' Perspectives On Effective Approaches For Teaching Biology To Students With Special Needs, Agnieszka Kos

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The demands of national educational reforms require high school biology teachers to provide high quality instruction to students with and without special needs. The reforms, however, do not provide teachers with adequate teaching strategies to meet the needs of all students in the same context. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to understand high school biology teachers' perspectives, practices, and challenges in relation to teaching students with special needs. This approach was used to develop a substantive model for high school biology teachers who are challenged with teaching students with and without special needs. Data were collected via …