Education Commons^™

Infusing Multicultural Competence In Supervision: Current Practices For Student Affairs, K. Sean Mcgreevey Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to observe, describe and analyze what practices supervisors of student affairs professionals utilized in aiding their staffs’ multicultural competence development. Pope, Reynolds and Muller (2004) defined multicultural competence for student affairs professionals as “a distinctive category of awareness, knowledge, and skills essential for efficacious student affairs work; this category may assist student affairs practitioners in creating diverse and inclusive campuses” (p. 9). In Mueller and Pope’s (2001) study, respondents who had “discussions with supervisors about multicultural issues” (p. 140) were more likely to exhibit multicultural competence. In the 2001 study, “results suggest that the …

Dispositions Related To Successful Co-Teaching Teams At The Secondary Level: A Case-Based Study Of Three Secondary Co-Teaching Teams, Zabrina U. Cannady

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the dispositions of successful co-teachers in the Houston County school district in order to gain insight into the establishment of successful collaborative relationships. Data for this study was collected through multiple observations and follow up/exit interviews with six teachers participating in the co-teaching model in the Houston county school district. Findings indicated the presence of dispositions identified in the literature as essential for successful co-teachers, to include positive attitude, empathy, insight, and the use of pedagogical strategies. In addition to the four observed categories, the participants also identified administrative support, creativity in …

"Courageous Conversations": Rural South Georgia Teachers Reflecting On The Role Of Race And Racism In The Education Of Rural South Georgia Students, Lawanda P. Gillis

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Author's abstract: The requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has forced school systems throughout the United States to consider the achievement gap between White students and non-White students, which had not previously been a factor in determining school success for federal and state funding. However, acknowledging the gap is not enough. Schools must move beyond acknowledging the gap to developing strategies to close the gap. A professional development course entitled Courageous Conversations About Race, written by Curtis Linton and Glenn E. Singleton was taught to thirty-seven teachers in a rural South Georgia school system. Eight of …

Towards A Critical Coaching Curriculum, Hunter M. Chadwick

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Author's abstract: This historical case study utilizes Critical Discourse Analysis in order to investigate its availability or absence within American football coaching curriculum outside of the traditional education setting. The study examines texts written by or about football coaches to find where critical pedagogy exists and what it looks like within coaching curriculum. The research attempts to add to the conversation of critical pedagogy, critical theory and their use outside the classroom. Critical pedagogy is investigated in this study in order to add validity to its use within football coaching school curriculum. Critical theory is discussed as a positive element …

The Literary Coach As Instructional Leader: How Three Literacy Coaches In Rural Georgia Improve Teacher Practices, Carletha Y. Doyle

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Author's abstract: The bar has been raised on student achievement in the United States and on teaching quality as well. Compelling evidence confirms that a teacher's mastery of the academic content of what he or she teaches is critical to engaging students and inspiring them to academic excellence (Addey, 2000; Wilkinson, 2002). In order to truly impact instructional effectiveness, transformations must occur on the frontlines as teachers put research based theories into practice. A major obstacle facing literacy coaches and leadership teams is identifying an effective implementation model and practice that promotes and support high quality literacy instruction through direct, …

Static And Dynamic Stretching Effects On Athletic Performance, Jassen Dobyns

Urbana University Master’s Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Literature-Based Character Education On High School English Students, Tracey Lewis

Urbana University Master’s Theses

No abstract provided.

Virginia Public School Superintendents’ Perceptions Of The Leadership Practices Utilized To Lead Urban, Rural, And Suburban School Divisions, Brian P. Fellows

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there were differences in the perceptions of the leadership practices utilized by Virginia superintendents in rural, urban, and suburban school divisions. Never before in the history of public education has the spotlight shone so brightly on the field of public education. The federal government seeks guarantees that every child is being educated based on a minimum level of standards and that every school in the country is making annual progress. In this era of accountability, school systems, superintendents, principals, and teachers across Virginia are under immense pressure to have their individual …

Cartographic Storytelling For A Changing World: The Pedagogical Praxis Of Home In School, Pauline Sameshima

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

What are we doing now that will be good for our children? What are we teaching and how are we teaching? What does sustainable teaching look like? Sustainability pertains to intergenerational equity. In thinking about systems theory and the interdependence of living and learning, I realize the system can only change with each individual thinking about what is closest at hand while still seeing the broader picture. One avenue to begin to address the big questions this paper poses is simply through storytelling and fictions. Storying develops re-envisioned community through pedagogies of safety, hope, and liberation; and agentically challenges colonial …

The Meaning And Personal Significance Of The Small Group Experience For A Group Of Recent Graduates From The Bachelor Of Counselling Degree At The University Of Notre Dame Australia, Martin Philpott

Theses

This research is a phenomenological study investigating the meaning and personal significance of the small group experience (personal growth) for a single cohort of eight mature-age graduates (male and female) who completed the Bachelor of Counselling degree at The University of Notre Dame Australia in the years 2005 and 2006. Two facilitators of these personal growth groups were interviewed, as were two agency supervisors who had access to these graduates during their clinical practice.

The research used qualitative methods in the collection of data. A semi-structured interview was conducted with purposefully selected participants to determine their understanding of the significance …

Ursinus Magazine, Winter 2009, Wendy Greenberg, Kathryn Campbell, Joe Joyce, Jon Volkmer, Kyle Veazey, John Strassburger

Ursinus Magazine, 1995–Present

Letters to the Editor • Ursinus: One of top ten liberal arts colleges for best degree value • French and Gaines bring classical saxophone into the limelight • Transitions • Garden takes root at Hillel house • Preparation for Pfeiffer Wing allows peek at curatorial process • Art at the Museum of Archaeology • Faculty expertise: Jonathan Marks, "Lincoln's Democratic Statesmanship" • An ocean of uncertainty: Navigating the new financial reality • More than words: Spanish-speaking workers find fellowship at ESL class • From Bears to Bulldogs: Dan Mullen 1994 • Rebecca Heyl 1994 • Homecoming 2008 • Class notes …

Faculty Salary Scale 2009-2010, Saint Mary's College Of California

SMC Salary Scale

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Productive Questions In The Early Childhood Classroom, Rachel Alice Dengler

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of this study is to discover how productive questions can be used in the early childhood classroom. To establish a foundation, child development, early childhood education, and questioning strategies that are currently employed in school or day care settings will be covered first. Finally, there will be a look at the misunderstandings that current pre-service educators have with the different types of productive questions and how to use them in a developmentally appropriate manner with students in the early childhood years.

Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of The Senior Year Plus Program In Iowa, Andrew Q. Morse

Honors Program Theses

Iowa’s public institutions graduate students with the sixth highest student loan debt in the nation (Project on Student Debt, 2008). As a result, Iowa Governor Chet Culver has proposed the Senior Year Plus Program, which is a state-funded dual-enrollment program. This program’s purpose is to help alleviate the debts students incur while attending college. However, there are no examinations to this point that focus on the financial, as well as the personal and professional developmental benefits of the program, particularly in comparison to the four-year institution. The current research utilized a qualitative research design. Ten (5 Dual-Enrollers/5 Non-Dual Enrollers) participants …

Problem-Solving Behaviors In College Relationships, Bethanie Frattini-Scott

Honors Program Theses

This study examined the individual characteristics that affect one’s willingness and ability to resolve problems in romantic relationships and one’s decision to seek support from a romantic partner. One hundred twenty-six college students in romantic relationships completed measures of attachment style, relationship efficacy, partner attributions, and relationship satisfaction, and responded to hypothetical scenarios assessing their problem-solving and support-seeking behaviors. Participants reporting higher attachment ambivalence were more perceptive than others to threats to their relationships and exhibited a greater effort to reduce conflict, although they reported lower levels of confidence in their problemsolving abilities. People reporting higher avoidance anticipated placing greater …

Scientific Inquiry In Agricultural Education Teacher Preparation: A Look At Teacher Educators’ Perceptions, Darla French, Mark Balschweid

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

The specific objectives of this study were to identify the attitudes of U.S. agricultural education teacher educators toward using scientific inquiry as an instructional method and to determine their level of comfort and awareness with new information and teaching methodologies in science. A mailed survey was sent to all agricultural education teacher preparation institutions in the United States. One-half of the respondents who indicated that they presented scientific inquiry to their pre-service teachers during the methods of teaching course indicated they were very comfortable with teaching technical agriculture content, while one in eight said they were very comfortable with teaching …

Factors Influencing The Academic Major Selection Of Undecided Students: A Phenomenological Study, Christina D. Thompson

Masters Theses

This phenomenological, qualitative research study was designed to determine the most commonly selected academic major chosen by previously undecided students, the various factors that influenced the academic-major decision, and the similarities between the study participants. By comparing a Fall 2006 spreadsheet of undecided freshmen enrolled at Eastern Illinois University to a Fall 2008 spreadsheet of Eastern Illinois University students, the major choice of these previously undecided students was Communication Studies, determined to be the most highly selected academic major. Previously undecided students who had chosen Communication Studies were recruited for participation in this research. Data was collected through a demographic …

C.U.B.S.: Creating Unique Beginnings For Student Involvement On Campus, Alisha Scaggs

Masters Theses

Promoting student involvement on college campuses is an important asset for the college community. Involvement plays a role in several factors, one of the most important being overall student satisfaction. In what way is student satisfaction affected when first year students are given an extra leadership opportunity where they are automatically put in a leadership position just as they move onto campus? More importantly, in what manner will placement in a leadership role impact their development? The present study investigated the role of student involvement in the personal development of a group of Midwestern university freshmen women placed in a …

Teaching As A Moral Act: Simone Weil's Liminality As An Addition To The Moral Conversation In Education, Maryzoe Bowden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We are facing a crisis in education: there is a vacuum where there once was an exhortation in terms of how teachers serve as moral models for their students. This reality becomes even more complex when the particular educator facing the dilemma has a specific religious perspective herself. The problem confronted in this philosophical study is how does today's educator, working in the public sector and having a particular religious background, best serve her students in her role as a moral agent, given an environment that is either vacuous of or even hostile toward the moral vector implicit in education. …

The Effectiveness Of Post-Secondary Web Based Communication In The University Of Central Florida's Online Educational Settin, Brandon Hinchman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While technology continues to advance, so do methods of learning. In post-secondary education during the twentieth century, the traditional classroom setting was geared toward auditory instruction and face-to-face peer interaction. Not only was this the most efficient means of instruction for the time period but the only means. Along with the advent of communication technology came the concept of Web courses. Web courses have expanded the means by which students can experience course lectures and have beckoned the use of updated media by which such lectures can take place. Such media include threaded discussions, chat rooms and e-mail. At the …

Fostering Teacher's Conceptual Understanding Of Ordering, Adding, And Subtracting Fractions Through School-Based Professional Development, Jessica Maguhn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In an attempt to examine my practice of providing conceptually-based professional development on fractions to fifth grade teachers, I conducted a series of four one hour professional development workshops. I focused on the conceptual understanding of ordering, adding, and subtracting fractions. I examined the solution process that teachers used to solve fraction problems and their abilities to explain and justify their solutions in an attempt to interpret their understanding. My data showed the effects of this workshop series. The study helped determine the effects of conceptually-based professional development on fractions as demonstrated in the teachers' discussions, participation, and written explanations.

Science Inquiry Kits And Teacher Preparedness To Teach Science As Inquiry In Elementary Classrooms, Angela Clayton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The National Science Education Standards (1996) indicate that science education should include inquiry instruction. Many teachers still struggle with how to implement inquiry in their classrooms and a lack of high quality inquiry-based instructional materials has been posited as a hindrance. The purpose of this qualitative study was to observe the instructional practices of three elementary teachers when using an inquiry-based science kit program in their fourth grade classrooms. Teacher practices and their attitudes towards their preparedness to teach science with the support of the curricular program were examined. Data were collected through pre/post survey comparisons, observations, and a focus …

Book Review: Paul D. Spears & Steven R. Loomis. Education For Human Flourishing: A Christian Perspective., David W. Robinson

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” II Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV).

Those of us who have spent many years in Christian education, presumably engaged in thinking as Christians about the issues facing each of us in our academic disciplines, are familiar with …

An Examination Of Professional Development Activities Available To Teachers In The Mid-America Region Of The Association Of Christian Schools International, Linda M. Neuzil, Marsha Vaughn

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

The spotlight in education in recent years has been focused on the areas of professional development activities for teachers and the development of professional learning communities. However, the majority of research has omitted the Christian school community which requires its own body of research examining the unique conditions in which both private school students and educators learn and work. While the need for student achievement remains constant in both public and private schools, the social, philosophical, political, financial, and emotional contexts are quite dissimilar. The purpose of this study is to examine the availability and utilization of professional development activities …

The Contributions Of Professional School Counselors' Values And Leadership Practices To Their Programmatic Service Delivery, Margaret Shillingford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Professional School Counselors (PSCs) have been called to be leaders for educational reform to support the academic, career, and personal/social development of all students through the coordination and facilitation of their comprehensive, developmental school counseling program (American School Counselor Association , 2005; National Model). The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the contributions of PSCs' values and leadership practices to their programmatic service delivery (counseling, coordinating, consulting, and curriculum). The three constructs and instruments investigated in this study were: (a) Schwartz Value Theory (the Schwartz Value Survey ; Schwartz, 1992), (b) the Leadership Challenge Theory (the Leadership Practices …

Integrating Universal Design For Learning Through Content Video With Preservice Teachers, Sara Aronin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Given current legislation to ensure education for students with disabilities and that institutions of higher education are required to use universal design for learning (UDL) principles, the purpose of this study was to explore the impact of video modeling on preservice teachers' knowledge, understanding and application of the three principles of UDL. Preservice teachers were randomly assigned to control or experimental groups to determine if video embedded with UDL principles impacted their thinking. Specifically, pre and posttest information of knowledge and understanding as well as self-perceived ability to teach students with disabilities using UDL was analyzed. In addition preservice teacher …

Videotaped Oral Reading Fluency Lab: An Alternative Approach To One-On-One Interventions For Intermediate Elementary Students With Learning Disabilities, Beth Christner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The ability to read aloud fluently is a reflection of one's ability to automatically decode words and comprehend text at the same time (Samuels, 2006), a task which may be difficult for many intermediate elementary students with learning disabilities (LD) (Ferrara, 2005). Previous research shows that audio-assisted repeated readings and goal-setting with feedback are effective methods of improving oral reading fluency (ORF) (Chard, Vaughn, & Tyler, 2002; Morgan & Sideridis, 2006; Therrien, 2004) but implementing these interventions may be time-consuming for teachers and tedious for students. The purpose of this research was to determine the impact of including repeated reading …

Exploring The Relationship Between Marital Expectations And Marital Satisfaction Between Married African Immigrant Couples And U, Evadne Ngazimbi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Marriage is still considered a universal institution in many countries worldwide. Marriage provides benefits for wives, husbands, children, families, and communities. Why Marriage Matters (Wilcox et al., 2005), outlined the benefits of marriage, including improved physical and mental health, biological and social benefits for husbands, wives, children and families in America. In sub-Saharan Africa benefits emanating from marriage included increased survival rates for young children (Omariba & Boyle, 2007); reduced maternal morbidity and mortality rates for women due to reduced risks from self-inflicted abortions (Garenne, Tollman, Kahn, Collins, & Ngwenya, 2001); and improved economic management in homes due to exchanging …

Ucanfnsh: A Virtual Learning Environment Created To Engage And Inspire Self-Determination In Middle School Students With Learnin, Kara Rosenblatt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the efficacy of using a virtual college campus to teach self-determination skills to middle school students with learning disabilities. Teaching self-determination skills is considered best practice for students with disabilities as they transition into adulthood. Three measures, a self-determination knowledge measurement scale, a behavior rubric, and 15 multiple choice questions measured self-determination knowledge and skill application ability with 71 middle school students with learning disabilities. The measures were used to determine whether the students who learned about self-determination skills in the virtual college setting during one training session displayed more knowledge and application of these skills than …

The Effects Of A Modified Learning Strategy On The Multiple Step Mathematical Word Problem Solving Ability Of Middle School Students With High-Functioning Autism Or Asperger's Syndrome, Peggy Schaefer Whitby

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Students with HFA/AS present with a unique set of cognitive deficits that may prevent achievement in the mathematics curriculum, even though they present with average mathematical skills. The purpose of the study was to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of the use of a modified learning strategy to increase the mathematical word problem solving ability of children with high functioning autism or Asperger's syndrome; determine if the use of Solve It! increases the self-perceptions of mathematical ability, attitudes towards mathematics and attitudes towards solving mathematical word problems; and, determine if Solve It! cue cards or a Solve It! multimedia academic …