Education Commons^™

A Tier 2 Support For Online Learners: Implementing A Technology-Aided Check-In/Check-Out For High School Students With Autism, Patrick J. Mallory

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Online education is an increasingly popular format of schooling used around the world (Digital Learning Collaborative, 2019). For students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs), challenges with executive functioning skills like self-management can have a significant impact on their ability to successfully participate in online learning. With a growing number of students with disabilities like ASD participating in online education, there is a need to explore support strategies that promote self-management in virtual environments that take into consideration the unique barriers of these students and their families. However, there is very limited research on providing behavioral support for students with ASD …

Literacy Instructional Coaching In The Realm Of Writing: An Examination Of Writing Coaching Practices In Grades K-6, Jadelyn Abbott

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Due to the lack of focus on writing in teacher preparation programs and in-service professional development, teachers often feel unprepared to teach writing. One way to mitigate these feelings is through the use of literacy instructional coaches. Literacy instructional coaches are specialists who collaborate with teachers to help them develop specific skills, knowledge, and dispositions related to literacy instructional practices and students’ literacy performance. Existing research indicates that teachers who receive instructional coaching are more likely to use research-based practices, however, research on writing coaching is minimal. This three-study dissertation explores how literacy coaches are supporting and influencing teachers in …

The Preservice Teacher Self-Efficacy For Writing Inventory (Ptswi): A Tool For Measuring Beliefs About Writing, Tracey S. Hodges, Katherine Landau Wright, Erin M. Mctigue

Literacy, Language, and Culture Faculty Publications and Presentations

Teachers are often underprepared to teach writing, which can negatively impact the performance and attitudes of their students. In teacher preparation programs, one goal should be to specifically develop future teachers of writing. Focusing on self-efficacy beliefs, increasing preservice teachers’ confidence and preparedness for teaching writing could yield positive impacts on classroom writing instructional practices. Currently, tools to quantitatively measure self-efficacy for writing and writing instruction in preservice teachers are sparse, thus limiting teacher educators’ ability to understand the efficacy of writing instruction. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to gather evidence of score validity and reliability of …

Shy And Outgoing Preservice Teachers And Their Responses To Hypothetical Problem Behaviors In The Classroom, Qizhen Deng, Irina Patwardhan, Kathleen Rudasill, Guy Trainin, Stephanie Wessels, Julia Torquati, Robert J. Coplan

Literacy, Language, and Culture Faculty Publications and Presentations

The present study explored the relations among preservice teacher shyness (shy, average, outgoing) and their responses towards hypothetical children displaying classroom problem behaviours (shy/quiet, exuberant/talkative) in the classroom. Participants were 335 elementary preservice teachers attending a Midwest university in the United States. Preservice teachers completed self-reports of shyness and responded to hypothetical vignettes depicting different classroom behaviours. Among the results, shy preservice teachers reported lower self-efficacy and less tendency to use warm/supportive and social-learning strategies as compared to their more outgoing counterparts. Shy preservice teachers also had lower tendency than average teachers to refer to high-powered strategies when dealing with …

Faculty Views Of Online Competency-Based Education, Self-Efficacy, And Institutional Support: An Exploratory Mixed Methods Study, Christopher Russell Prokes

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Competency-based education (CBE) is essentially an online approach to teaching and learning featuring flexible pacing, robust competencies, and an emphasis on student completion. CBE’s differs from traditional education that focuses on seat time, credit hours, and academic objectives. Though CBE has existed on college campuses in many forms, faculty are often inexperienced in teaching CBE. Facing growing demands for CBE (notably from non-traditional students), institutions must find ways to prepare faculty to take part in CBE. This mixed methods study explored faculty views of CBE, their self-efficacy, and beliefs about support mechanisms needed for those teaching and delivering CBE. Findings …

Using Digital Games In The Science Classroom, Tamara L. Anderson

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

High school science classes can be difficult for students to be successful in because of the content-specific vocabulary and the expectation of prior knowledge in the subject area that teachers have of their students. The use of digital games in the classroom can provide teachers with the tools to help students scaffold their learning and better grasp the vocabulary necessary to be successful in science class. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to focus teachers’ and students’ perceptions of digital games in the high school science classroom on vocabulary development, scaffolding learning by activating prior knowledge, and self-efficacy. …

Understanding Learners' Experiences Of Using Eportfolio In A High School Physics Course, Daniel P. Carroll

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

There has been a move toward personalized learning and alternative types of authentic assessment in K-12 education. This shift toward personalized learning and authentic assessment has been partly driven by increases in the available technology that can support those types of changes. This dissertation is a basic qualitative study aimed at understanding the experience of learners in a first-year physics class working with an ePortfolio as the primary method of assessment for that class. The school in which this research took place fully implemented a 1:1 program and has been piloting personalized learning strategies for the past five years. The …

An Analysis Of Ubiquitous Learning Environments And Stem Confidence Building Among Hispanic Students, Torrence G. Temple

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The fastest-growing demographic in the United States is also the one with the biggest struggle with academic success, particularly in STEM-related subjects. Pre-study research observed that one of the most significant factors facing Hispanics is their set of psycho-social behaviors influenced by cultural heritage. In a response to this challenge a solution was developed and over the two years of its implementation failure rates among Hispanic students dropped from department-wide chemistry class average of 40% down to under 10% in the treatment population. The purpose of this study was to identify a theory that identifies the relationship between individual factors …

Exploring The Self-Efficacy And Perceptions Of Virtual Mentoring Of Teachers Participating In A New Teacher Induction Program, Katie Peila

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Teacher turnover is an issue plaguing states and districts around the country, particularly among novice teachers. Research indicates that strong induction and mentoring programs can provide novice teachers with critical support and guidance as they make the transition from the pre-service environment to the professional workforce resulting in higher levels of self-efficacy and performance. Teachers with high self-efficacy exhibit more enthusiasm and persistence and higher levels of organizational commitment. While there is a considerable amount of research on traditional, face-to-face new teacher induction (NTI) programs, there are few studies that investigate the integration of technology for a virtual experience. This …

Technology Integration Self-Efficacy Reframed Through The Iste Standards: An Investigation Among Urban K-12 Teachers, Frank C. Gomez Jr.

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Utilizing a descriptive research design and a theoretical framework based on self-efficacy theory (Bandura, 1997), this quantitative study examined self-efficacy as a factor on teachers’ technology use and integration efforts in urban K-12 classroom settings of 327 Catholic school teachers in Southern California. To measure teachers’ self-efficacy in using and integrating technology in the classroom, this study employed an online survey that included the Technology Integration Confidence Scale (TICS) version 3, an instrument developed by the researcher which is aligned to the ISTE (2017) Standards for Educators, and seven key demographic questions. Chief among these is the frequency of technology-oriented …

Self-Efficacy And Attitudes For Vocabulary Strategies Among English Learners And Native Speakers, Qizhen Deng, Guy Trainin

Literacy, Language, and Culture Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study examined university students’ self-efficacy and attitudes for employing vocabulary strategies in four learning contexts. The contexts are characterized by input modality (reading vs. listening) and purpose (academic vs. leisure). Another goal was to compare the self-efficacy and attitudes between English learners (ELs) and native speakers. A total of 112 participants responded to four short scenarios by rating their self-efficacy and attitudes toward employing vocabulary strategies under each scenario. Among the results, students reported higher self-efficacy using morphological analysis and dictionary use when reading and higher self-efficacy to seek help when learning for academic purpose. There were no differences …

Understanding Second Grader’S Computational Thinking Skills In Robotics Through Their Individual Traits, Youngkyun Baek, Dazhi Yang, Yibo Fan

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study investigated the relationship between the personal traits and computational thinking skills of second graders within the context of robotics activities. The hypothesized model showed that learning preference, intrinsic motivation, and self-efficacy were the main predictors of coding achievement and computational thinking skills, while no direct relationship was found between learning preference, intrinsic, or extrinsic motivation. The final path analysis revealed that intrinsic and extrinsic motivation predict self-efficacy, self-efficacy predicts coding achievement, and coding achievement predicts computational thinking skills. Another important finding was the strong impact of self-efficacy on coding achievement as well as computational thinking skills. Results are …

“Opening The Window To A World Wider Than Our Little Classroom”: The Importance Of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, Hannah Carter, Melissa Bradford

Literacy, Language, and Culture Faculty Publications and Presentations

Diversity in today’s classrooms must be considered and valued to create effective learning environments. Through surveys (N=83) and interviews (N=10), this mixed methods study examined in-service elementary teachers’ beliefs about culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) – more specifically, self-efficacy and outcome expectancy, as related to CRP. Results showed that teachers not only have highly positive outcome expectations for CRP quantitatively, they also explain specific benefits of CRP – relationship building, student achievement, and learning beyond the curriculum. Teachers were efficacious implementing CRP related to general good teaching practices, such as developing relationships and building trust with students. However, they were less …

Studying Teachers’ Self-Efficacy And Experience While Empowering Technology Use Through Personalized Professional Learning, Allison Hall, Lida Uribe-Flórez, Kerry Rice

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to investigate the impact and experiences of teachers who had engaged in a personalized professional learning program to promote ICT integration in preK-12 classrooms. Survey results (n=344) showed that teachers’ perceptions of their ability to use technology tools and their self-efficacy towards using technology in the classroom improved significantly after the training. Interview results indicated support, choice, and coherence as positive aspects of the program with content support, community, and the overarching struggles of teaching as challenges to improvement. Overall, being able to have their individual needs met empowered teacher progress towards their …

Personalized Professional Learning Experiences And Teacher Self-Efficacy For Integrating Technology In K-12 Classrooms, Allison Barsnica Hall

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The studies in this dissertation were designed to develop an understanding of the impact of personalized professional learning experiences for K-12 teachers. These studies took place in a large, preK-12, public school district in the Southwest region of the United States. Through a combination of quantitative and qualitative methodology, these studies measured the growth of teachers’ perceptions of their ability to work with technology tools and their self-efficacy towards integrating technology purposefully to improve the learning experiences of their students, as well as delving into the personal experiences of select teachers in the program. The Core Conceptual Framework for teacher …

Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions Of Their Abilities For Technology Integration: A Mixed Methods Case Study, David James Mulder

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This case study was developed to understand pre-service teachers’ perceptions of their abilities to integrate technology into the classroom, and to understand their perceptions of how those abilities developed. The case that was investigated in this study is the teacher preparation program at a small comprehensive college located in the upper Great Plains region of the United States. Utilizing a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, both a survey as well as semi-structured interviews provided data to understand pre-service teachers’ perceptions of their preparation for technology integration. The TPACK framework for technology integration (Mishra & Koehler, 2006) and self-efficacy theory (Bandura, 1986, …

How Debriefing Strategies Can Improve Student Motivation And Self-Efficacy In Game-Based Learning, Cigdem Uz Bilgin, Youngkyun Baek, Hyungsung Park

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Debriefing is an important step in game-based learning environments. In the present study, the effect of different debriefing strategies in terms of two factors, grouping (self vs. team) and timing (in-game vs. post-game), was investigated on the motivation and self-efficacy levels of students. In a 2x2 ANOVA design, 62 sixth grade students were randomly assigned into two debriefing groups: self-debriefing and team debriefing. About half of members in each group performed either one of the two debriefing: in-game debriefing or post-game debriefing. Students in the self-debriefing as well as in the team-briefing group played the game three days a week …

The Relationship Between Elementary Teachers' Self-Efficacy For Teaching Mathematics And Their Mathematical Knowledge For Teaching, Meagan Mckinney

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between elementary teachers’ mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) and their self-efficacy for teaching mathematics. Self-efficacy and MKT are of high importance with implications in regards to quality of instruction and the Common Core State Standards for mathematics. Using the Content Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics (CKT-M) instrument, data for this study were collected from thirty-five elementary school teachers participating in the Improving Teachers’ Monitoring of Learning Grant at the time. The data were concerned with these teachers’ self-efficacy with the pedagogy and content of mathematics using the Self-Efficacy for Teaching Mathematics Instrument (SETMI). Qualitative data were …

Another Look At Reflection: Promoting Student Voice, Self-Efficacy And Student/Teacher Dialogue Through Structured, Guided Reflection Prompts In A College Reading And Study Skills Course, Linda Kirby

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

“Learning improves to the degree that it arises out of the process of reflection.”

Shermis, 1999

In the past 10-15 years, numerous commissions, boards, and foundations as well as states and local school districts have identified reflection/inquiry as a standard toward which all teachers and students must strive not only in meeting new educational reforms but in helping maintain a dynamic, democratic society. The focus of this study was to examine the impact of using guided, structured reflective prompts and written discourse occurring between students and teachers within a college-level reading and study strategies course. Although there is a large …