Education Commons^™

Developing Mathematical Content Knowledge For Teaching Elementary School Mathematics, Eva Thanheiser, Christine A. Browning, Meg Moss, Tad Watanabe, Gina Garza-Kling

Faculty and Research Publications

In this paper the authors present three design principles they use to develop preservice teachers' mathematical content knowledge for teaching in their mathematics content and/or methods courses: (1) building on currently held conceptions, (2) modeling teaching for understanding, (3) focusing on connections between content knowledge and other types of knowledge. The authors share results of individual research projects and teaching approaches focusing on helping preservice elementary teachers develop such knowledge. Specific examples from different content areas (whole number, fractions, angle, and area) are discussed.

Student Teaching Abroad Inter-Group Outcomes: A Comparative, Country-Specific Analysis, Binbin Jiang, Debra J. Coffey, Robert A. Devillar, Sandra Bryan

Faculty and Research Publications

As student diversity becomes the norm in U.S. schools, future teachers must be comprehensively prepared to work with the increasingly diverse student population through application of informed instruction that enhances general and individual student learning and outcomes. Teacher Education programs increasingly promote student teaching in international settings as a substantive step to develop teachers who embody these new competencies and instructional practices. The proposed paper presentation offers a framework and analysis highlighting similarities and differences between two groups of student teachers in Belize (2005 and 2008). Findings are comparative and relate to the type and degree of (1) cultural-, professional-, …

Pre-Service Physics Teachers And Physics Education Research, David Rosengrant

Faculty and Research Publications

Training pre-service teachers requires, among other things, content knowledge, pedagogical skills and pedagogical content knowledge. Teacher preparation programs have little, if any spare time to add more courses/activities to their program. However, I argue in this paper that we, as educators, must enhance the amount of physics education research in our pre-service physics teacher training programs. In this study, I analyze the results of two different types of exposure to physics education research (PER) from two different groups of pre-service physics teachers in our masters of arts and teaching program. The preliminary results show, for example that the PER helped …

The Stories They’D Tell: Pre-Service Elementary Teachers Writing Stories To Demonstrate Physical Science Concepts, Jennifer Kreps Frisch

Faculty and Research Publications

Preservice teachers enrolled in a science content-based course wrote stories that could help their future students understand a science concept. First, participants chose their topic and wrote the story with few guidelines to establish a baseline. In the next part, a different set of students were given a choice of three topics (based on force, electricity, and heat misconceptions), and collaborated to write stories with guidance from the instructor. Stories were analyzed for narrative and science units, and test scores examined. Without guidance, many students struggled to find ways to integrate science within a story. With guidance, participants wrote stories …

The Use Of Audience Response Systems In Nursing Education: Best Practice Guidelines, Nicole Mareno, Marie Bremner, Christie Emerson

Faculty and Research Publications

The use of Audience Response Systems (ARS) or 'clickers' as an active learning strategy in nursing education has been steadily on the rise. ARS technology allows the dynamic engagement of students in the classroom by providing immediate two-way communication between faculty and students. ARS can be used to explore knowledge and common misconceptions, act as a springboard for classroom discussions, and can be used for testing or evaluation. The aim of this paper is to present best practice guidelines for both novice and experienced ARS technology users. A summary of the state of the research in this area will be …

Creative Exercises In General Chemistry: A Student-Centered Assessment, Scott E. Lewis, Janet L. Shaw, Kathryn A. Freeman

Faculty and Research Publications

Creative exercises (CEs) are a form of assessment in which students are given a prompt and asked to write down as many distinct, correct, and relevant facts about the prompt as they can. Students receive credit for each fact that they include that is related to the prompt and distinct from the other facts they list. With CEs, students have an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and the opportunity to select the information that they believe is related to the prompt. In addition, CEs encourage students to connect concepts because any relevant information presented can assist them in completing the …

A Longitudinal Study Of Cultural Competence Among Health Science Faculty, Astrid H. Wilson, Susan Sanner, Lydia E. Mcallister

Faculty and Research Publications

The purpose of this study was to measure the process of cultural competence over time in a group of Health Science Faculty teaching nursing and other allied health students. Faculty (n=28) were administered the Inventory for Assessing the Process of Cultural Competence Among Healthcare Professionals (IAPCC) prior to a cultural competence workshop, immediately after the workshop, and again at three months, six months and 12 months. The mean scores increased significantly with each administration of the IAPCC from the pretest administration (52.17) to the 12 month administration (59.71) demonstrating new knowledge related to cultural competence as a process.

A Phenomenological Investigation Of Women's Experiences With Personal Training, Cherilyn N. Hultquist, Melissa N. Madeson, Amy Church, Leslee A. Fisher

Faculty and Research Publications

Personal training is a rapidly growing industry in a country that is in dire need of physical fitness and health improvements. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to better understand women's experiences with personal training. To address the research question, eight female participants ages 24 to 54 years were interviewed using the following phenomenological question: "When you think about your current experience with personal training what stands out for you?" The interviews were conducted, transcribed, and qualitatively analyzed to identify themes in participants' responses. The ground that emerged was positive experience within which existed four figural themes: Relationships, trainer …

Effects Of Personality On Attitudes Toward Academic Group Work, William R. Forrester Jr., Armen Tashchian

Faculty and Research Publications

This study investigated the effects of personality on attitudes toward academic group work among a sample of 225 business students. Data were collected using pre-existing scales for measuring personality and attitudes toward academic group work. Specifically, the Neo-FFI scale was used to measure the five personality dimensions of openness, agreeableness, extroversion, conscientiousness and neuroticism. Regression analysis indicated that extroversion was the best predictor of respondents' attitudes toward academic group work. Individuals with high extroversion scores had positive attitudes toward academic group work. Neuroticism, agreeableness and conscientiousness were also related to respondents' preference for group work and discomfort with group work. …

Contemporary Memoir: A 21st-Century Genre Ideal For Teens, Dawn Latta Kirby, Dan Kirby

Faculty and Research Publications

A brief narrative description of the journal article, document, or resource. For the past 20 years, the authors have been reading and teaching literary memoir to students of all ages. In the mid-1980s, they began looking for ways to incorporate more nonfiction into their literature classes, hoping to find a fresh genre unflattened by instruction. They wanted to explore with students a genre that literary critics had not already overanalyzed and for which they had not created formulaic heuristics for student analysis. More than anything else, the authors wanted to find literary works that connected directly with students' lived experiences. …

Impact Of Fiscal Resources Allocation To Schools Based On A Differentiated Supervision Model, Adrian L. Epps

Faculty and Research Publications

This study examines the ability of a differentiated supervision model to initiate quality improvements in school systems by classifying schools according to several identified factors and modifying the resources allocated to all schools based on their supervision classification. Conceptual development and an archival post-hoc analysis approach were used to analyze the effects of the supervision model on the improvement of schools in a large urban school district. The researcher developed the supervision model and collected data regarding school characteristics, classification, and performance for individual schools during the first and sixth years of implementation. The researcher found that the grade level …

Re-Adjusting The Kaleidoscope: The Basic Tenants Of Invitational Theory And Practice, Daniel E. Shaw, Betty L. Siegel

Faculty and Research Publications

Given the variance in the literature regarding definitions of terms and elements of Invitational Theory and Practice, this article proposes the adoption of a standard terminology for the foundational principles and elements unique to this theory. The major concepts are presented herein as an attempt to set the standardization for future use.

"What Was Really Accomplished Today?" Mathematics Content Specialists Observe A Class For Prospective K-8 Teachers, Andrew M. Tyminski, Sarah D. Ledford, Dennis Hembree

Faculty and Research Publications

One of the important activities mathematics teacher educators engage in is the development of teachers at both the in-service and pre-service levels. Also of importance is the professional development of these professional developers. In the summer of 2004, a summer institute was held that allowed mathematics teacher educators watch the teaching of a mathematics content course for prospective K-8 teachers. This paper examines the manner in which a specific group of mathematics content specialists experienced this professional development.

Digital Video Presentation And Student Performance: A Task Technology Fit Perspective, Arjan Raven, Elke M. Leeds, Chongwoo Park

Faculty and Research Publications

The article presents findings of a study regarding the adaptation of the Task Technology Fit (TTF) model in the teaching and learning process in the U.S. It emphasizes the three dimensions of fit, which include the Ease of Learning, Task Match and Ease of Use, which were applied in the context of digital video for oral presentations in the classroom environment. It stresses the importance of the digital technology in education, wherein the results of the study showed significant improvements in the oral presentation skills with the application of digital tools.

Generativity: The New Frontier For Information And Communication Technology Literacy, Jorge Pérez, Meg C. Murray

Faculty and Research Publications

Information and communication technology literacy is increasingly referred to as the fourth literacy. However, it is neither as well understood nor as readily assessed as reading, writing, and arithmetic. This paper argues that better understanding and more effective measurement of ICT literacy are needed to gauge readiness to both pursue higher education and enter the workforce. The paper builds on existing definitions of ICT literacy by introducing a model that extends the dimensionality of the construct. The model posits that skills and knowledge, along with attitudes toward IT, coalesce in the context of reflective self-awareness and purposeful intent to allow …

Creating Sustainable Education Projects In Roatan, Honduras Through Continuous Process Improvement, Arjan Raven, Adriane B. Randolph, Shelli Heil

Faculty and Research Publications

The investigators worked together with permanent residents of Roatán, Honduras on sustainable initiatives to help improve the island’s troubled educational programs. Our initiatives focused on increasing the number of students eligible and likely to attend a university. Using a methodology based in continuous process improvement, we developed tutoring programs, college preparation workshops, long-term plans for a local school, and solicited involvement by an island educational coalition. Lessons learned from these initiatives may be used to expand other efforts on the island and can be generalized to other programs in Central America.

The Impact Of Physical Classroom Environment On Student Satisfaction And Student Evaluation Of Teaching In The University Environment, Mary C. Hill, Kathryn K. Epps

Faculty and Research Publications

Recently, many colleges and universities have made significant investments in upgraded classrooms and learning centers, incorporating such factors as tiered seating, customized lighting packages, upgraded desk and seat quality, and individual computers. To date, few studies have examined the impact of classroom environment at post-secondary institutions. The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of classroom environment factors on individual student satisfaction measures and on student evaluation of teaching in the university environment. Two-hundred thirty-seven undergraduate business students were surveyed regarding their perceptions of classroom environment factors and their satisfaction with their classroom, instructor, and course. The results …

Assessing The Level Of Curriculum And Scholarship Diversity In Higher Education, Kathryn K. Epps, Adrian L. Epps

Faculty and Research Publications

In January of 2007, Kennesaw State University (KSU), a comprehensive state university in the southeastern United States, embarked on the trail to garner an understanding of the extent to which diversity is embedded in the curriculum, scholarship, and creative activities of the campus. This project, the KSU Diversity and Equity Assessment Initiative, consisted of four separate work teams, and each team was charged with assessing the state of diversity in a specific area of the institution. Each work team was comprised of both faculty and staff representatives from all seven colleges on the KSU campus. For the purpose of this …

Database Security: What Students Need To Know, Meg C. Murray

Faculty and Research Publications

Database security is a growing concern evidenced by an increase in the number of reported incidents of loss of or unauthorized exposure to sensitive data. As the amount of data collected, retained and shared electronically expands, so does the need to understand database security. The Defense Information Systems Agency of the US Department of Defense (2004), in its Database Security Technical Implementation Guide, states that database security should provide controlled, protected access to the contents of a database as well as preserve the integrity, consistency, and overall quality of the data. Students in the computing disciplines must develop an …