Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

Adaptive Schools : Investigating Impact, Continuity, And Change In One School District., Winn Crenshaw Wheeler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is an examination of the work of Adaptive Schools in Smith County Schools. It begins by explaining how the work of Adaptive Schools is relevant in the larger context of school reform. To explore this relevance, a qualitative analysis of Smith County was conducted. Smith County was selected based on systematic implementation of the work of Adaptive Schools. Analysis of interview data focused on: the impact of the work of Adaptive Schools within Smith County and the degree to which Adaptive Schools intersected with themes of continuity and change. Further analysis explores emergent questions about: (a) the function …

Understanding Through Narrative Inquiry : Storying A National Writing Project Initiative., Amy Renee Vujaklija

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This narrative inquiry study informed the understanding of a professional development planning process within the National Writing Project Assignments Matter initiative sponsored by the Literacy Design Collaborative. Because little has been written about teacher-leaders in the roles of planning professional development for colleagues, this narrative inquiry used the three dimensions of situation, continuity, and interaction (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000; Dewey, 1938) to explore interviews, large and small group meeting recordings, and email communications among leadership team members during an initiative to plan professional development. Qualitative data analysis included coding of attributes, process, in vivo, and patterns (Saldaña, 2013). Pattern coding …

Student Achievement In Response To Intervention Groups, Allison L. Gardenhour

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify components of Response to Intervention (RTI) groups associated with increased student growth on progress monitoring tests. The relationship between student growth scores and fidelity of implementation scores, types of groups, types of interventionists, group setting, group time, and various demographic groups were examined. Seven hundred fifteen students enrolled in reading and math groups in an RTI program at 8 schools in an Upper East Tennessee school system participated in this study. Ten research questions and null hypotheses were analyzed using Pearson correlations, independent t tests, and one-way Analyses of Variance. Results indicated …

The Effect Of An Ipad Application With Systematic Instruction On Ela Related Skills For High School Students With Significant Disabilities, Andrew C. Baxter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The following study looks to examine the effect of an iPad application on the English Language Arts (ELA) skills of listening comprehension for students with significant disabilities. The procedure was evaluated using a multiple probe across participants single case design. Outcomes were measured for improved ELA skills after intervention and were also measured for student engagement. Building upon the research of recent studies that have sought to develop and adapt grade-level literature for students with moderate and severe disabilities, this study seeks to find the effectiveness of an adapted text version of To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee for …

Teacher Perceptions Of Individual Professional Learning Plans, Jerry W. Ripley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine PK-12 teacher perceptions of an individual professional learning plan (PLP). Specifically, the researcher examined the perceived benefits of the PLP as well as the whether the PLP helped focus teacher learning. Additionally, the researcher examined teacher perceptions of learning activities within the context of the PLP, teacher intent to implement new learning, and perceived impact on teaching practice. Participants in this study were teachers from 16 schools in a single eastern Tennessee school district. All data were collected using an online survey distributed to 525 teachers resulting in a 44% return …

Parental Involvement: Perceptions And Participation At Critical Moments Throughout The Middle School Transition, Rachel R. Heaton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare the perception scores and the frequency of parental involvement for parents of students who have most recently completed elementary school (entering 6^th grade) with parents of students who have most recently completed middle school (entering 9^th grade) in a northeast Tennessee public school district.

Data were collected by surveys containing a short demographic section, a perceptions section, and a participation section. The population consisted of the parents of 544 sixth grade students from the district’s 2 middle schools and the parents of 578 ninth grade students from 1 district high …

Teacher And Student Perceptions On High School Science Flipped Classrooms: Educational Breakthrough Or Media Hype?, Rebecca C. Hunley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For years educators have struggled to ensure students meet the rigors of state mandated tests. Challenges that often impede student success are student absences, school closings due to weather, and remediation for students who need additional help while advanced students can move ahead. Many educators, especially secondary math and science teachers, have responded to these issues by implementing a teaching strategy called the flipped classroom where students view lectures, power points, or podcasts outside of school and class time shifts to allow opportunities for collaborative learning.

The purpose of this research was to evaluate teacher and student perceptions of high …

Understanding The Meaning Of The Equal Sign : An Investigation Of Elementary Students And Teachers., Victoria Miller Bennett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of two different policies for implementing new mathematics standards in two schools, for grades two through five, on student understanding of the equal sign. The study also examined teachers’ knowledge of the equal sign. The research used a mixed methods design to explore differences in student understanding of the equal sign as a result of how standards were implemented in two adjoining states with two different decisions as to when the standards would be implemented. This dissertation shares research that may be of interest to teachers, administrators, teacher educators and …

Improving The Accuracy Of Middle School Students' Self-Assessment, Peer Assessment, And Mathematics Achievement., Elizabeth Popelka

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite the documented advantages of formative assessment (FA) strategies in elevating student achievement, much of the relevant research is dated and undermined by questionable design and inattention to K-12 settings. In order to fill these voids, this quantitative study tested the effect of a self- and peer-assessment-training instructional sequence, developed with recommendations from past research and employing explicitly described assessment measures and criteria, on middle school students’ assessment accuracy and subsequent mathematics achievement. The researcher hypothesized a correlation between measurable growth in assessment accuracy and gains in achievement, as well as a reciprocal effect of self- and peer-assessment ability. The …

The Impact Of An Interactive Technology Application On Elementary Student Achievement In Fractions., Shannon M. Stone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Data reported locally and nationally show that students struggle to understand fractional concepts. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an interactive tablet application on student achievement in fractions. Students in grades three through five at the treatment school worked with an interactive tablet application designed to facilitate student construction of fractions knowledge. The interactive tablet application is an open-platform that allowed teachers the autonomy to work with the researcher to load their desired content activities on the topic of fractions to develop instructional sessions for students. Students worked independently during the math workshop to complete …

Student Engagement And College Readiness In Mathematics., Leah White

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between reform practices, student engagement in mathematics class, college readiness in mathematics for high school students, and mathematics teacher Professional Development (PD). Quasi-experimental mixed methodology addressed the research question(s) in a parallel design. Treatment teachers participated in PD where reformed teaching practices were presented, observed, discussed, and analyzed using a Cognitive Apprenticeship (CA) framework. Student’s mathematics readiness was measured distantly and proximally. Student engagement in mathematics class and reform practice implementation were observed, using Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP), and compared across groups to assess treatment effects pre and post …

Selected Student Characteristics Related To Academic Cell Phone Use, David Pauley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The researcher addressed the need for understanding student perceptions and habits of academic cell phone use within a high school environment in regards to student characteristics. Data were gathered and analyzed in order to answer research questions regarding student perceptions of: (a) the usefulness of cell phones as an academic tool, (b) the use of cell phones within school and outside of school for academic purposes, (c) the encouragement of cell phone use to complete assignments, (d) the potential for distractions within the classroom occurring from cell phone use, and (e) the functionality of cell phones for completion of school …

Ideological Becoming : Intern Teachers' Experience Of Becoming Culturally Responsive Teachers., Sonya Burton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explored the ways that teachers on an intern license who have been recruited by a Teacher Recruitment program experience ideological becoming into culturally responsive teachers in the Four Corners region of the United States. Bakhtin’s theories on ideological becoming and authoritative and internally persuasive discourses frame this study with emphasis on the experiences that caused intern teachers tension and helped them make culturally responsive teaching practices an internally persuasive discourse. I used narrative inquiry methodology to discern intern teachers’ stories and experiences. I interviewed 5 intern teachers teaching in elementary classrooms in the Four Corners region of the …

Career-Focused Course Sequencing And Retention To Graduation In A Tennessee Community College, Samuel S. Rowell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify course sequencing associated with Industrial Technology Associate of Applied Science students who persisted to graduation at Northeast State Community College (NSCC) in Blountville, TN. The participants in this study were first-time full-time freshman Advanced Technology students whose 3-year program of study at NSCC happened during the years of 2009-2012, 2010-2013, and 2011-2014. Participants were divided into 2 groups, students who graduated (completers) and students who did not graduate (noncompleters). The researcher examined student persistence to graduation. Data for this study were obtained from the college’s information database.

The predictive variables used included …

Student Perceptions: Teaching And Learning With Open Educational Resources, Janet L. Rowell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze factors that may contribute to student perceptions of courses using Open Educational Resources (OER). Specifically, the 6 independent variables tested were the course discipline, age, gender, course delivery mode, enrollment status, and number of credit hours taken. The dependent variables were measured as mean scores of 6 OER perception dimensions: motivation to learn, quality of learning experience, value of OER, cognitive learning, affective learning, and course quality. A 27-item online survey was administered to gather data from students enrolled in a course that used OER in the fall semester, 2014. There was …

A Case Study Exploring Organizational Development And Performance Management In The Operational Infrastructure Of A Professional Working Organization, Using Academic Constructs, Wm. Casey Crear

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Curriculum, as a concept, has been historically associated with traditional schooling, but the reality is that its application extends to many arenas beyond academia. Through the case study lens, this dissertation utilized the ideologies of curricular theorists John Dewey, John Franklin Bobbitt, and Ralph Tyler to explore how intended, enacted, and assessed curricula phases can integrate into a professional working organization’s comprehensive functionality and materialize into the planning and implementation of its operational infrastructure. Following content analysis of a selected institution’s operational system, using closed codes, a descriptive comprehensive curriculum was designed to address the research purpose of understanding …

The Effects Of Real-Time Visual Performance Feedback On Teacher Feedback., Chris A. Sweigart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Researchers have identified a number of instructional strategies as evidence-based for improving the academic and behavioral outcomes of students. However, teachers often do not employ these practices or rarely implement them at recommended rates, perpetuating a research-to-practice gap. Further, research has demonstrated that traditional professional development is often insufficient to change teacher practice; therefore, researchers have explored a number of interventions to supplement teacher training. Performance feedback is one such method that has a growing base of empirical evidence. This study explored the effects of visual performance feedback (VPF) delivered in real-time using screen sharing technology on a discrete teacher …

The Effects Of Highly Engaged Field Experiences And Multi-Faceted Mentoring Stategies On Ameliorating Pre-Service Teacher Concerns., Twyla Diane Harris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mathematics and science teachers leave education more than teachers in other fields (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2008). Job-related stress and burn-out can attribute to early attrition in veteran teachers and pre-service teachers (PSTs) (e.g. Fives, Hamman, & Olivarez, 2007; Gold, 1985). A strategy for addressing attrition is to reduce self-preservation concerns in pre-service education programs. This study used a mixed-methods quasi-experimental research design to examine two STEM teacher education programs, with the long-term goal of improving STEM teacher retention. The first, “SkyTeach”, incorporated instructional experiences and an assortment of mentoring models prior to student teaching. The second program utilized primarily …

A Multi-Level Analysis Using Naep Data : Examining The Relationships Among Mathematics Coaches And Specialists, Student Achievement, And Disability Status., Kristin Harbour

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the need to increase students’ mathematics performance and provide a more challenging mathematics curriculum, elementary schools have begun hiring mathematics coaches and specialists (MCSs). However, limited empirical research has been conducted to examine how the use of MCSs relates to student achievement. Using restricted-use data from the 2011 NAEP Mathematics Assessment, the current study examined the relationship between MCSs and the mathematics achievement of more than190,00 fourth-grade students in more than 7,400 schools nationwide. Additionally, the study examined whether that relationship differed for students with and without disabilities, a vital concern with the continued focus of equity in mathematics …

Culture At The Core : The Impact Of Culturally Relevant Professional Learning On Teacher Beliefs And Practice : A Collection Of Scholarly Papers., Mikkaka Hardaway Overstreet

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the United States invests billions of dollars into teacher professional development, the underlying assumption is that learning leads to change and improvement in classroom practice. In truth, however, the process is not so simple. In this collection I explore what happens between new learning and application of that learning. This dissertation is a collection of scholarly papers examining teacher lives, culture, and learning from professional learning through implementation of learning in instructional practice. It examines the tensions between teacher beliefs, teacher learning and teacher practice and makes suggestions for systemic change. Within it, I contend that a focus on …

Career And Technical Education (Cte) And High School Student Success In Tennessee, Jerry Alan Sayers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between participation in CTE programs and students’ graduation rates and rates of CTE students’ entrance into postsecondary education or employment after graduation. Possible differences between students’ enrollment in urban and rural school districts and their graduation, participation, and secondary placement rates were also considered. Publicly available data on high school students in the state of Tennessee were analyzed to compare the graduation rates of CTE participants with the graduation rates of non-CTE participants in the state as a whole and in nine selected urban school districts and nine selected …

High School Educators’ Perceptions Of Their Schools’ Conduciveness To English Language Learners’ Success, Jill Winiger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of administrators, guidance counselors, and classroom teachers in the high schools of Northeast Tennessee regarding their schools’ academics, climate, culture, parent engagement, and their English Language Learners’ school experiences. The researcher sought to ascertain if significant differences exist between the perceptions of different groups of educational professionals in the school, with those groups to include school administrators, guidance counselors, and classroom teachers. Data were analyzed from 50 survey questions with 42 of those questions measured on a 5-point Likert scale, 5 questions as multiple choice, and 3 questions as open-ended. …

Move, Interact, And Connect Personally Barter Theatre’S Project Real Gets Implicit In Order To Learn, Megan E. Atkinson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Body movement, hands-on activity, embodiment, social interaction, emotions, and self-reflection allow teaching artists of Barter’s Theatre’s Project REAL to conduct a lesson with an implicit learning experience as the focus. Barter Theatre’s Project REAL exists as a theatre for education program that collaborates with regular classroom teachers on delivering the curriculum through specific theatre exercises in order to connect the material personally to the students’ lives. Theatre tools provide a human experience that enhances learning for the student by use of kinesthetic movement, social learning, emotions and interpersonal skills. To understand the effects of Barter Theatre’s Project REAL, the director …

An Examination Of Successful Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Males In A Northeast Tennessee Middle School, Stephen E. Long

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to gain an in-depth understanding of the factors that contribute to positive educational outcomes as measured by the EXPLORE test for eighth grade males who qualify for free or reduced price lunch. In addition, this study was conducted for the purpose of improving the educational program at a Northeast Tennessee middle school. Archival EXPLORE data, as well as free and reduced price lunch data, were used to identify high school graduates, 6 males and 6 females, who had performed at or above expectation on the eighth grade EXPLORE test. Females were included …

Faculty Integration Of Technology In Undergraduate Courses At Private Colleges And Universities, Evelyn G. Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative research study was to investigate the integration of technology in undergraduate courses by faculty at private colleges and universities. Integration of technology is using technology as an instructional tool to improve teaching and learning (Clayton-Pedersen & O’Neill, 2005; Wilson & Hayes, 2000; Woodbridge, 2004). Chickering and Gamson’s (1987) 7 principles for good practice in undergraduate education provided the theoretical framework for this research. The researcher conducted a survey of full-time faculty at 21 private colleges and universities in Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The results of the study indicated that faculty use …

Weightlifting, Performing Arts Electives, And Academic Achievement: A Comparison In An East Tennessee High School, Lana Page

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a significant relationship between the academic achievement as measured by ACT English, math, and composite scores of students who took 6 or more credits of weightlifting, 6 or more credits of performing arts, or no elective focus in an East Tennessee high school serving grades 9-12 from the graduating classes of 2010 through 2014. The independent variables were the elective focus groups students took during high school and race and ethnicity. The dependent variables were ACT English, math, and composite scores. A series of one-way analyses of variances (ANOVAs) …

Factors Impacting Success In Ninth Grade Algebra I For High School Students, James M. Lamie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS, 2013), No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, and the Race to the Top initiative of 2009 has placed a greater emphasis on high stakes testing. A renewed emphasis on math education for all students and their ability to succeed in high school mathematics place new challenges on today’s classroom teachers. Although the belief is that with new standards and best teaching strategies students will improve their test scores, there are multiple factors that can serve as deterrents to the success in mathematics for at-risk high school students (Balfanz, 2009). The …

An Exploratory Critical Study Of Questioning Strategies Posed By Early Childhood Teachers During Literacy Blocks, Angela H. Baker Ms.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the cognitive types and functions of questions orally posed by early childhood teachers in kindergarten through 3rd grade during a 90-minute literacy block. The cognitive types of questions were determined by the criteria established using Hess’ Cognitive Rigor Matrix (Hess, Jones, Carlock, & Walkup, 2009). The functions of the posed questions were determined by criteria based on the work of Costa (2001), Hughes (as cited in Fusco, 2012), and Lowery (as cited in Fusco, 2012). This study examined questioning strategies used by 12 early childhood teachers from a Northeast Tennessee School District. …

"Punk Has Always Been My School": The Educative Experience Of Punk Learners, Rebekah A. Cordova

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Punk music, ideology, and community have been a piece of United States culture since the early-1970s. Although varied scholarship on Punk exists in a variety of disciplines, the educative aspect of Punk engagement, specifically the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) ethos, has yet to be fully explored by the Education discipline.

This study attempts to illucidate the experiences of adults who describe their engagement with Punk as educative. To better know this experience, is to also better understand the ways in which Punk engagement impacts learner self-concept and learning development. Through the phenomenological in-depth interviewing of six adult participants located in Los Angeles, …

Development And Validation Of Indicators Of Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Positive Dispositions Toward Problem Solving., Alison L. Mall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines disposition from a historical, theoretical and practical viewpoint. Chapter I introduces the purpose of the study: to apply Wilkerson and Lang’s (2007) Disposition Assessment Aligned with Teacher Standards (DAATS) model to develop an assessment framework for measuring secondary mathematics teachers’ dispositions toward mathematical problem solving. The study assumes secondary mathematics teachers’ positive dispositions toward problem solving and students’ productive dispositions toward problem solving are significant, beneficial factors in the mathematics classroom. Chapter II examines the historical, theoretical and professional literature on teachers’ dispositions and builds a case for: (1) the inherent value of teachers’ dispositions toward problem …