Education Commons^™

Unlv College Of Education Multicultural & Diversity Newsletter, Steve Mccafferty, John Filler, Nancy P. Gallavan, Le Ann Putney, Nancy Sileo, Kyle Higgins, Porter Troutman, Paul Mecham, Cyndi Giorgis, Aimee Govett, Jean Henry, Bill Pankratius, Susan Rumann, Joyce Nelson-Leaf

College of Education Multicultural & Diversity Newsletter

A newsletter discussing a variety of topics dealing with multicultural topics and diversity in education.

Unlv College Of Education Multicultural & Diversity Newsletter, Steve Mccafferty, John Filler, Nancy P. Gallavan, Le Ann Putney, Nancy Sileo, Kyle Higgins, Porter Troutman, Paul Mecham, Cyndi Giorgis, Aimee Govett, Jean Henry, Bill Pankratius, Susan Rumann, Joyce Nelson-Leaf

College of Education Multicultural & Diversity Newsletter

The observance of tolerance and respect is, fundamentally, a personal decision. This decision emanates from an attitude that is learnable and embraceable,--a belief that every other person on earth is a treasure. As individuals, we each have the power to change our personal attitudes to overcome our ignorance and fears. As educators, we have the responsibility to influence the students with whom we work, our peers, and our community. It begins with "us."

Unlv College Of Education Multicultural & Diversity Newsletter, Steve Mccafferty, John Filler, Nancy P. Gallavan, Le Ann Putney, Nancy Sileo, Kyle Higgins, Porter Troutman, Paul Meacham, Cyndi Giorgis, Aimee Govett, Jean Henry, Bill Pankratius, Susan Rumann, Joyce Nelson-Leaf

College of Education Multicultural & Diversity Newsletter

A newsletter discussing a variety of topics dealing with multicultural topics and diversity in education.

An Application Of The Delphi Method Of Forecasting To The Future Of Public Education In West Virginia, Carl H. Friebel Jr.

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study investigated the nature and types of events that will affect the future of public education in West Virginia. A three round modified Delphi design was used to identify the events, estimate when each might occur, and determine their level of impact and desirability.

In Round 1, surveys were mailed to forty-seven educational leaders representing various educational agencies and constituencies in West Virginia. In response to the first survey, panelists generated a total of one hundred thirty-four events which had at least a 50 percent probability of occurrence between the present and the year 2020. In Round 2, panelists …

Perspectives On Early Literacy : The Monroe School, Mona S. Rosdail

Graduate Research Papers

This article is based on two days of observations and interviews in an all- kindergarten school in a small midwest city. The purpose of my research was to look at how the steps taken by this school correlate with the steps of Erickson's Dance in addressing the needs and development of the school when becoming an all-kindergarten literacy center. I feel that the information in this article would benefit educators who would like to implement changes in their schools.

Nurturing At-Risk Students' Writing Abilities, Carol A. Schmidt

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this journal article was to review current professional literature on the writing process and the importance of voice in writing and then to design and implement a writing program for at-risk sixth grade students. The writing process is an effective means for children to create meaning, especially for at-risk students.

In the writing process, the writer's voice gives the best sense of a writer's potential. This driving force was the basis of the instructional project in writing developed for at-risk sixth grade students.

Helping Children With Difficulties Learn : An Overview, Sherry Marie Jack

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this paper is to integrate multiple variables related to learning for children with special needs. Regarding the first variable, intelligence, the paper considers its history, development, and biological foundations. Gardner's contemporary theory of Multiple Intelligence is also discussed. Then a discussion of learning styles, including the history, identification procedures and matching styles to instruction, is provided. Finally, the paper takes a historical journey through the learning process, to discuss the works of numerous authors in their related fields.

Computer Use In K-12 Classrooms, Terry J. Shaw

Graduate Research Papers

This project has two components: a survey of educators to determine how technology is being used in K-12 classrooms and a web site of software, Internet sites, and contact person in each grade level and subject area. To discover the use of technology in the K-12 classroom, a survey was sent to 3,500 educators within the Area Education Agency 7 boundaries. The results of the survey have been published on a website and will serve as a place for teachers seeking guidance on what software and Internet sites are considered "best practice." The website is divided by academic disciplines and …

Educating Parents On The Reading Recovery Program, Amy Colette Williams Sorenson

Graduate Research Papers

Just as the African proverb states that it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a village to help some children read. The significance of the home environment on literacy development has long been recognized (Danielson, 1997; Cairney & Munsie, 1995). Even pa~ents are aware that their interest in their child's literacy learning is important (Hayden, 1995/1996). Learning to read is an educational objective that is valued highly by both parents and teachers (Berger, 1998) and the sharing of knowledge and information about learning to read empowers teacher, parents, and most importantly, children (Holland, 1991 ). Successful …

Alcohol Education For Elementary School Children, Pam R. Stamper

Graduate Research Papers

In 1992, close to 90% of high school seniors reported past experience with alcohol, while 50% stated use in the last month and 3% reported daily use of alcohol (Adger & Werner, 1994). According to a report in 1993, 78% of high school seniors had used alcohol in the past year and one-third stated that they drank heavily (Feaster, 1996). The average age of children first using alcohol, outside of the family or religious functions, was twelve years (Bosworth & Cueto, 1994; Feaster, 1996; Mason & Hodge, 1995). National data showed that adolescents and preadolescents used alcohol at age eleven …

Spelling: A Review Of Literature, Tammy Uhlenhopp

Graduate Research Papers

This is a review of the literature on spelling. The purpose for this review is to give an overview of the latest research concerning issues that affect spelling instruction. The topics discussed are complexities of the English language, how children learn, differences between good and poor spellers, how to assess children's spelling knowledge, activities designed to teach children strategies for word ~solving, and ideas for organizing for instruction. This paper. indicates principles of effective spelling instruction. The conclusion makes a call for more research regarding visual memory and states the need for teacher in-service.

Examining How Presentation Technology Affects Communication Of Student Ideas, Barbara Besch

Graduate Research Papers

This research examines the impact of presentation technology and the effect it has on the way students communicate their ideas. Students have traditionally stood at the front of the room and talked about their research and findings. Technology offers new means in presenting student research. The class that will be participating in this study will have access to presentation software and the tools to use it effectively to create dynamic presentations. Before the process begins, students will be asked to evaluate their attitudes and feelings on presenting the results of research. They will then evaluate the overall quality of their …

Imsa 1999 Profile, Office Of College And Academic Counseling

IMSA Profile

"IMSA transforms mathematics and science education through an integrative approach to teaching and learning. Advanced courses in mathematics, science, the arts and humanities emphasize connections within and across the disciplines. Students learn to integrate content and skills, demonstrating broad knowledge of important concepts. As apprentice investigators, students engage in individual and group research in all curricular areas. The Academy offered three program pathways for the classes of 2000 and 2001; the Core Program, Integrative Learning Experience (ILE), and Perspectives. Each pathway was designed to provide the same essential content and rigor but varied the instructional approach. The Core Program offered …

A Study Investigating The Process For Designing And Implementing A Technical Academy For Decatur Public Schools, Darbe D. Brinkoetter

Masters Theses

As a result of a study conducted to consider the problems of declining enrollment and buildings in need of repair, Decatur Public Schools identified technical training and strong academics as priorities for its high school students. Following several meetings with parents, staff, and community members, plans were initiated to restructure one of the three high schools into a four-year technical academy. The objective of this paper was to design a process for establishing a technical academy. New design models for high schools were researched and resulted in the identification of design elements, key questions, characteristics, and partners critical to designing …

Reasons For Home Schooling As Cited By Selected Parents In Central Illinois, Douglas A. Taylor

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the specific reasons the home-schooling option was chosen by some parents in central Illinois. The number of parents who home school their children has increased significantly in recent years. Understanding the motives behind parents' decisions can provide important information on the home-schooling movement and these parents' perceptions about public education. By knowing the reasons the home-schooling option was selected, legislators, public school educators, and parents can initiate any changes that may be warranted.

The study took place in the fall of 1998 utilizing a survey instrument that was developed using information gleaned …

Nutritional Education And Its Impact In The Copalacaya, Choquenaira, Callisaya And Muruamaya Communities Of La Paz, Rosa Yolanda Mamani Arias

Theses and Dissertations

This investigation was conducted with the collaboration of the authorities of the Carrera de Nutrición y Dietética (UMSA) and the Institute of Agriculture and Food Science Ezra Taft Benson. The general secretaries, mayor scholars Management 1998, rural professors and farmers of the communities of Copalacaya, Choquenaira, Callisaya and Muruamaya of the province of Ingavi of the Department of La Paz. It has been very gratifying for the author to carry out this research in said communities, in addition to knowing the reality in which these farmers live, with whose collaboration valuable information was collected that permitted an analysis on the …

Barbadian Teachers' Personal Practical Knowledge About Advocated Pedagogic Practices Used In The Education Of The Under-Fives, Sonja M. Anderson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study investigated the personal practical knowledge of twenty-one Barbadian teachers in relation to a range of pedagogic practices advocated for use in the education of children under five years of age. The investigation of this knowledge was based on an interpretative perspective. The conceptual underpinning was framed by Personal Construct Psychology (Kelly, 1995), and its methodology, the repertory grid technique. The grid was formulated and used in a sample of schools with under-fives. Findings were clarified, confirmed and elaborated by the use of in-depth interviews conducted with teachers in their classroom settings. The findings revealed that teachers construed pedagogic …

The Literacy-Related Knowledge Of The Children In Two Western Australian Preprimary Centres And The Literacy-Related Practices In Their Homes, Susan M. Beilharz

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study investigates both the literacy-related knowledge of two groups of children beginning their preprimary education and the literacy-related practices identified by their parents as taking place in their homes. The two groups of children were attending preprimary centres located in different suburbs of Perth; one was in a low socio-economic status northern suburb and the other was in a high socio-economic status inner metropolitan suburb. The results of a questionnaire about family literacy practices showed that there was a wide range of literacy-related practices and materials available in the majority of the households involved in the study. The results …

Film Dialogue Translation And The Intonation Unit : Towards Equivalent Effect In English And Chinese, Jian Li

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis proposes a new approach to film dialogue translation (FDT) with special reference to the translation process and quality of English-to-Chinese dubbing. In response to the persistent translation failures that led to widespread criticism of dubbed films and TV plays in China for their artificial 'translation talk', this study provides a pragmatic methodology derived from the integration of the theories and analytical systems of information flow in the tradition of the functionalist approach to speech and writing with the relevant theoretical and empirical findings from TS and other related branches of linguistics. It has developed and validated a translation …

Crosslinguistic Influence In The Speech Of Hungarian-English Bilinguals, Valerie Kollmann

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The study is written in an attempt to report on factors that affect language transfer between Hungarian and English and on the extent 1.1 and 1.2 lexical elements are integrated into the speech in either language. An attempt is made to classify the functions of the integrated lexical elements. Furthermore, it is hypothesised that transfer could be interpreted as a production strategy. Data collection included a questionnaire and audio recording of interviews and observations of eleven bilingual participants involved in problem solving tasks.

Student And Teacher Perceptions Of A Season Of Sport Education In A Regional Primary School, J. G. Strikwerda-Brown

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

An interpretive case study approach was employed to examine student and teacher perceptions of the implementation of a sport education in physical education program (SEPEP) in a Western Australian regional primary school. Choi’s (1992) curriculum dimensions were used as a framework. Three year seven teachers implemented SEPEP using a team teaching approach. The focus teacher, Ms Jenson, a highly regarded classroom teacher, described herself as non-sporty and lacking confidence and expertise in PE teaching. Students in her SEPEP volleyball class were considered less popular and less athletic when compared with those in the other two SEPEP classes. A focus volleyball …

Notions Of Justice Through Drama, Elvira Sammut

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This paper explores and describes the lived-experience of a group of 16-year-old girls in a drama class designed to heighten awareness of values of social justice. The students involved are experienced drama students, with a good knowledge of the theory of role-play and play-making, as well as, sound dramatic skills and techniques. The lived-experience provided the source for the research study that used film as a medium to inculcate notions of justice and equity in the classroom through self-devised drama. Phenomenological research was conducted with a group of seventeen Year II drama students. The students took part in a series …

The Development Of A Noncommercial Community Television Delivery System: A Model For Small Rural Community Colleges, Rudolf H. Timmerman

Theses and Dissertations

Information can empower as well as unite people. A primary source of information was found to be the media, specifically television. The literature indicated that in rural areas the information provided by the media was not germane to the residents and, considering the rather broad mission of community colleges, the investigator proposed the development of a noncommercial television delivery system using the assets of the college. It was further hypothesized that this development could serve as a model for other rural colleges. While the literature supported the proposition that local television access had a positive effect on the community, little …

Great Blueness And Other Predicaments (1968) By Arnold Lobel, Gareth B. Matthews

Picture Books

Long ago, there was no color in the world. It was the time of The Great Greyness. Down in the cellar of his house a Wizard mixed up something in a pot and used it to paint the thatched roof of his house. “I call it blue,” he told his neighbors, who begged him to share it. Soon the whole world was blue. It became the time of The Great Blueness. Unfortunately, having blueness everywhere made people sad. So, the Wizard went back down into his cellar and came out with something new .... Philosophy is colorful! Plenty of …

The Effects Of The Directed Reading Thinking Activity On Second Grade Reading Comprehension, Connie Eilar Renn

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of reading comprehension scores in a second-grade classroom where reading instruction was provided using the traditional Directed Reading Approach (DRA), to the reading comprehension scores in a second-grade classroom where reading instruction was provided using the Directed Reading Thinking Activity approach.

Much of the reading instruction being provided in elementary schools across the country is textbook-centered. Teachers typically use the textbook questions suggested in the teacher’s edition of the book to check for students’ understanding of the text. Rarely, however, are students actually being instructed in the strategies and skills …

State-Wide Training Sessions For County Office Personnel Using The Blue Ribbon Data Management System, Rebecca L. Nibe

Graduate Research Papers

A statewide training initiative was necessitated by the upgrade of the statistical database management program required by the State 4-H Office. The upgrade was released in the fall of 1998, but was flawed and buggy, resulting in much frustration among users. Additionally, I was the newly-hired State Support Specialist, and had not established any credibility with the users I was hired to support. The Associate State Director and I decided that an ambitious early spring training program would be beneficial to all parties involved.

I believe that this project was both a personal and a professional success. I was able …

Creating A Registration Database Using Microsoft Access 97, Darren A. Otte

Graduate Research Papers

Every business or organization that conducts any type of training, whether on a small or large scale, must deal with logistical issues. There are several ways of keeping track of relevant and important information, including anything from paper based systems to off the shelf computer applications. Very often, these methods are cumbersome or not applicable to the needs of the organization. This research project focuses on the customization of training registration information and logistics for a specific company, for the purposes of this paper called XXXX, using a database.

Specifically, a Microsoft Access database was created to keep track of …

Student Satisfaction Of Educational Media Reference Guide For Courses 240:020 And 240:031 At University Of Northern Iowa, Velma M. Sallis

Graduate Research Papers

University of Northern Iowa students desiring to become educators are required to enroll in an introductory basic technology course. Integrating technology has become an important issue in American schools. Ritchie and Baylor (1997) argue teacher candidates will be required to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in educational technologies before acquiring their teaching credentials. How to help future educators grasp technology-related competencies and the use of technology when teaching is being addressed by many institutions of higher learning within their teacher education programs. Ritchie and Baylor suggest that in addition to providing demonstrations and hands-on experience, reference aids which detail the …

School Violence And Its Implications For Gifted Children, Nancy Schuldt

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this article is to review the research of school violence, the emotional needs of gifted and talented students, and the implications of school violence for gifted students. The violence which has occurred during the past two years in the United States, not only in the high schools but also the middle and elementary schools, has been widely publicized in current periodicals, television, radio and newspapers.

The questions I have addressed in this article include: What is violence? What is school violence? What does research say about the emotional needs of gifted students? What are the implications of …

Writing Portfolios In A Second Grade Classroom, Cheryl R. Schwery

Graduate Research Papers

Assessment of a student's writing ability should entail descriptive qualitative techniques. One way to provide a qualitative assessment is through the use of portfolios. In using portfolios, students are actively immersed in their own learning and in establishing goals for future learning. In doing this, instruction is more closely related to assessment. The value of writing portfolios, implementation, and introduction of portfolios within a second grade classroom will be discussed. Focus will be on three second grade students, with varying abilities, as they progress in their writing and instructional needs.