Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

The Relationship Between Mathematics Teachers’ Perceptions Of Student Motivation And Their Use Of Instructional Strategies For At-Risk Math Students, Kayla Morris Couch

Theses and Dissertations

Student motivation in mathematics education can be affected by many variables, especially for at-risk students. Existing information is limited regarding teacher perceptions of their own pedagogy, instructional strategies, and at-risk student motivation in the area of mathematics for middle school and high school students. The purpose of this study was to analyze middle school and high school mathematics teachers’ perceptions of their own pedagogy, instructional strategies, and at-risk students’ motivation in mathematics. Deci and Ryan’s self-determination theory was the theoretical framework used to guide the current study, which focuses on psychological and instinctive needs of individuals. An explanatory, sequential mixed …

Identity Fluidity, Empowerment, And Engendered Poverty: Performing A Veteran-Latina-Online-Graduate Student, Maricela Burns

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this project is to use critical race theory and gendered discourse to shed light on engendered poverty, cultural capital and resilience in efforts to identify how the American educational system affects marginalized groups when the systems of power and privilege were not created for them. It is through a poignant narrative of one of these students (myself) in the educational system that I reflect, recollect, write and interweave my lived curriculum with what the literature says about ethnic experiences like mine. The efforts here serve to analyze the processes of constructing and building social and gender identity …

The Digital Reading Experiences Of Middle School Readers: A Phenomenological Study, Laura A. Hayward

Theses and Dissertations

Reading digitally is part of the 21st century New Literacies, residing in the curriculum as a comprehension skill developed with print reading skills. Differences exist between purpose of digital reading and print reading, manifested in the association of digital reading as a mostly non-fiction genre, the immediacy to digital information and its relevance to a reader’s decision about the usefulness of the information. Contrastingly, print reading can be fiction or non-fiction with access to all the text. The differences suggest that learning focused on immediate evaluation, synthesis, and application of information while reading digitally should be taught in the context …

Investigating The Use And Effectiveness Of The Istation Advanced Reading Program With Fourth-Grade At-Risk Struggling Readers, Andres Martinez

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of computer-based-instruction (CBI) and multimedia when used as an intervention with upper elementary students experiencing reading difficulties on the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) Reading Assessments. The researcher employed a quantitative, causal-comparative research design for this study. A Texas supplemental reading program, the Istation Advanced Reading Program, was used as a Response to Intervention (RTI) for those at-risk students of failing their Reading STAAR Test in the fourth grade and to sustain an effective reading program district-wide.

Archived data was collected from three South Texas Title I …

A Critical Bricoleur Assumes Positive Intent: Pablito's Problem, Paul Perez-Jimenez

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation serves to further critical theory research through bricolage autoethnography of a Latinx English teacher from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. The bricolage functions to unify reflective constructs that expose an emancipatory catharsis and painful reacquaintance with individual and cultural identity. This project offers the concept of a happening as a construct embedded with the ongoing, reflective, and liberating critical consciousness process. Four happenings are offered and establish that the dichotomies of oppression and liberation, how they happened, are happening or may happen are not easily recognizable unless critical introspection is involved. The leading happening titled Pablito’s Problem …

An Examination Of Professional Learning Community And Teacher Leadership Practices As Perceived By Educators In A District-Wide Plc, Melissa Castaneda

Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative research explored the correlational and causal analysis between professional learning community (PLC) and teacher leadership, as well as the demographic and capacity-building variables and dimensions of the PLCA-R and TLSS instruments as perceived by educators in an identified emergent district-wide PLC (Lopez, 2015) located in south Texas. The overarching question focused on examining the associations between professional learning communities (PLCs) and teacher leadership in South Central ISD (pseudonym).

The findings lend support to the notion that teacher leadership and PLCs are correlated concepts, and further establish that a healthy school culture embraces and empowers teachers by providing professional …

Cultural Clashes And Cultural Bridges: My Story In Afghanistan, Joe A. Hinojosa Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Narrative inquiry and grounded theory are the methodology used to tell the story of the researcher’s experiences in Afghanistan. This entailed identifying and researching a process of storytelling and weaving experiences together into a coherent and meaningful whole. The narrative inquiry method is appropriate for this project because the critical sources of data consist of the researcher’s perceptions and experiences in Afghanistan, as reported in the form of narrative stories. This qualitative analysis focuses on examining and interpreting concrete pieces of evidence, formulating quantitative analysis along with sharing personal and professional experiences. To that end, external resources, including letters and …

An Investigation Into The Use Of Escape Games In High School Social Studies Classes: A Mixed Methods Action Research Study, John Heider

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study explored the potential approaches to and benefits of educational escape games in secondary school social studies classes. The problem of practice that guided this study is the lack of data on whether or how teachers should use escape games. This study was based on a constructivist theoretical framework and explored the following research questions:

1. To what extent can playing and designing educational escape games advance students' affective development, including engagement, resilience, and intrinsic motivation?

2. To what extent can escape games advance students' cognitive development, including content mastery and critical thinking skills?

3. To what …

Critical Thinking In The Age Of Fake News: Developing Fairmindedness And Metacognition Among Gifted High School Learners, Tiffany Dimatteo

Theses and Dissertations

Critical thinking has proved essential for college, career, and civic readiness, and K-12 educators have accepted its significance while being unsure of how to implement it in the classroom. The purpose of this mixed methods action research study was to identify effective instructional practices for developing fairmindedness and metacognition, two elements of critical thinking identified by Paul and Elder (2012) and purposefully selected by the participating students and the practitioner-researcher as the focus for this study. A hybrid instructional approach that integrated direct instruction and collaborative learning was developed, enacted and studied using a pre-/post-assessment model with four weeks of …

English Language Learners And Home-Language Text Use In Secondary English Language Arts Classrooms, Nancy Stubbs Shaw

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study dissertation provides an overview of a problem of practice: the disengagement of English language learners in the secondary English language arts classroom. The researcher would like to determine how secondary English language arts teachers effectively incorporate one well-researched, yet infrequently used intervention: the integration of home language texts to teach transferrable English language arts skills to English language learners. An overview of relevant literature about the topic is included and multiple research questions for further study are provided. An action research phenomenological study to address the research questions along with the findings from the implementation of …

Fighting For The Users: Using Action Research To Examine The Impact Of Sustained Dialogue Through Effective Instructor Feedback On Student Satisfaction In An Online Undergraduate Course: A Dissertation In Practice, Timothy Paul Lombardo

Theses and Dissertations

As online courses continue to gain popularity in higher education, there is a need to ensure instructors are providing effective instructional feedback. Research in the theory of transactional distance points out the impact instructor interaction has on student satisfaction in courses. One way to address this is through high amounts of dialogue, feedback in this study. Throughout my years of teaching an online undergraduate course, students have continually reported in course evaluations the existence of a miscommunication gap. However, specific details around this request have been minimal. The purpose of this qualitative, action research study was to examine the impact …

Investigating Adult Learner Perseverance Through Practitioner Inquiry: Learning From The Voices Of Students And Teachers, Lisa H. Justice

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative investigation was to examine, through the process of action research and design of practitioner inquiry, the experiences of students and teachers in an adult learning program in order to better understand the problem of adult learner perseverance. The program is located in a rural community in the Southeastern United States and serves adults ages seventeen and older who do not have a high school diploma. Often, these specific adult learners are saddled with barriers that prevent their success in our program, and adult educators face challenges themselves to find ways to support learner perseverance. The …

The Quest To Improve Literacy Achievement: A Teacher-Developed Literacy Unit Incorporating A Hybrid-Instructional Approach, Dina L. Crislip

Theses and Dissertations

This Dissertation in Practice (DiP) utilizes action research methods to answer a research question that focuses on teachers being empowered to make personal choices when delivering best practices to positively impact student achievement within PAWS Elementary School. Chapter One provides the rationale behind the origin of the presented research, in which the Problem of Practice poses the question of how personal decision-making by teachers is an integral attribute to the success and achievement of all learners within the public-school setting. This acknowledgment of the problem of practice was the impetus to the proposed research question: How does the teacher's personal …

Promoting Self-Reflection Of Foreign Language Teachers Through Professional Development: An Action Research Dissertation, Hanan Khaled

Theses and Dissertations

This explanatory mixed-method action research describes how a social constructivist professional development program impacts self-reflection of foreign language teachers at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC). The problem is that traditional professional development for foreign language teachers does not improve self-reflection. Despite their individual differences and qualifications, most teachers receive traditional in-service professional development (Darling-Hammond, Hyler, Gardner, & Espinoza, 2017) on a specific topic and have no time to reflect on their existing practices, newly presented concepts, or students' responses to instruction. The effectiveness of such professional development is questionable (Darling-Hammond, Wei, Andree, Richardson, & Orphanos, 2009; Penuel, …

Implementing The Flex Model Of Blended Learning In A World History Classroom: How Blended Learning Affects Student Engagement And Mastery, Kristin N. Davis

Theses and Dissertations

In the following action research plan, an explanatory sequential mixed methods research study of the implementation of the Flex model of blended learning in a World History classroom is presented. The study and its findings are used to measure mastery of, engagement with, and understanding of historical concepts presented in a six-week unit on the Enlightenment and the various revolutions this period in history caused. Data collection and analysis, including data from pre- and post-tests, Likert scale surveys, exit tickets, and student artifacts, are discussed. The pre- and post-tests were analyzed quantitatively using descriptive statistics (minimum and maximum score, average …

Developing Students' Sense Of Accomplishment Through Student Choice: Uncovering An Emerging Framework For The Development Of Intrinsic Motivation To Learn, Lauren Ashley Gehr

Theses and Dissertations

Teachers are encouraged to provide and equitable learning environment in their classrooms. This can be a struggle due to the emphasis on standardization. The purpose of this mixed methods, action research study was to examine the impact of providing students with choices for how to demonstrate their learning (SC) on their sense of accomplishment (SoA) in a high school English Language Arts course. The research question that guided this study was, "How does elevating student choice for demonstrating learning through Project Based Learning (PBL) impact students' sense of accomplishment in the secondary English classroom?" Using a Project Based Learning (PBL) …

Apples To Apples: Special Needs Education In The United States And Denmark, Maria Knuckley Robinson

Theses and Dissertations

This comparative case study is designed to uncover varying approaches to teaching students with special needs based on the perceptions and practices of teachers. A closer look is made into the specific experiences of educators that resulted in Learner-Centered approaches to curriculum and instruction. Data was collected through published documents, questionnaires, and interviews of teachers who instruct students with special needs in the United States and Denmark. In the United States, data from educators in a private specialized education program in Georgia was used to compare data from public education teachers in a Danish Municipality. The study builds on current …

Opening Eyes To What They Don't Know: Talking About Race With White Pre-Service Teachers, Stacy Payne Martin

Theses and Dissertations

This study seeks to determine if a critical element of pre-service teachers' racial socialization lies within an analysis of racial isolation experiences, a lack of understanding White privilege, and how much accurate, historical instruction about racism in America they received from their middle school and high school teachers. The mixed methods action research sought answers to the following two research questions: How do life experiences shape White pre-service teachers' understanding of race? When White pre-service teachers engage in race-based self-examination activities, do they experience a shift in their perceptions and beliefs about race? This critical case study examines White pre-service …

Using Standards-Based Grading Practices To Support Student Self-Assessment, Alison Espinosa

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was to determine the impact that four standards-based (SBG) grading practices have on students' ability to critically and accurately self-assess their understanding of secondary mathematics learning objectives, as well as the overall impact on student learning. This research took place over twelve instructional weeks in a ninth-grade mathematics class. During the first four weeks, the baseline cycle, students completed weekly formative assessment items and an accompanying assessment reflection; traditional assessment practices were enforced during the baseline cycle. During the final eight weeks, the treatment cycle, students continued to complete weekly formative assessment items …

Use Of Formative Assessment To Structure Flexible Differentiated Learning Groups: A Pathway To Equity, Deanna M. Westedt

Theses and Dissertations

The action research contained in this study seeks to identify the impact of formative assessment in the structuring of flexible differentiation in order to provided equity within the self-contained classroom for all intersectionalities amongst elementary students. Grounded in community of practice theory, the research explores structures within flexible differentiation and small group learning that provide students of varied and overlapping identities with access and equity within the four walls of the self-contained classroom. Additionally, the influence of flexible differentiation on the affective nature of students was explored. The teacher-researcher utilized a mixed-methods approach in order to provide a holistic picture. …

Children See Race; Teachers Should Too: Challenging Bias, Stereotypes, And Prejudice Through Children's Literature, Alexandra J. Jenkins

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the impacts of antibias culturally responsive literature on kindergarten children and teachers through qualitative action research conducted in one classroom over the course of twelve weeks. It examines how young children in this kindergarten classroom use what they have learned from and about antibias culturally responsive literature in their daily play, writing, conversations, and interactions. I clarify the process through which kindergarteners transform in relation to the understanding of their and others' cultures. In the research, two types of strategies were used: (1) critical research and (2) narrative inquiry. Data was collected from whole group discussions set …

High School Social Studies Teachers' Perceptions And Practices Using Workshop Model: A Qualitative Action Research Case Study, Joseph Marangell

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research case study was to examine how a job-embedded professional development approach influenced high school social studies teachers' perceptions and practices related to a workshop model of instruction. Three research questions guided this work: (1) How do teachers' perceptions related to the workshop model used within social studies classrooms change over time? (2) How do teachers' practices related to the workshop model used within social studies classrooms change over time? (3) How do teachers' perceptions of disciplinary literacy and the workshop model influence their classroom practices?

Participants included two high school Modern World History teachers …

Beyond The Words: Paratextual And Bibliographic Traces Of The Other Reader In British Literature, 1760-1897, Jeffrey Duane Rients

Theses and Dissertations

Over the course of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, compounding technological improvements and expanding education result in unprecedented growth of the reading audience in Britain. This expansion creates a new relationship with the author, opening the horizon of the authorial imagination beyond the discourse community from which the author and the text originate. The relational gap between the author and this new audience manifests as the Other Reader, an anxiety formation that the author reacts to and attempts to preempt. This dissertation tracks these reactions via several authorial strategies that address the alienation of the Other Reader, including …

Efficacy Of An Online, Concepts-Based Fitness And Wellness Course, David Townsend Mann

Theses and Dissertations

With the sudden growth of distance education at the turn of the century, online offerings of fitness and wellness courses spread quickly across college curriculums. However, the emergence of rigorously designed research regarding the ability of online, concepts-based fitness and wellness classes to significantly improve student health has progressed at a more leisurely pace, leaving stakeholders within higher education unsure of its effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to examine changes of levels health-related fitness among 28 undergraduate students enrolled in an online, 15-week fitness and wellness course. The study centered around the concept of health-related fitness having five …

The Effects Of The Station Teaching Model Of Co-Teaching On Students With Learning Disabilities, Kathryn A. Ruoff

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was: (a) to examine the effects of using the station teaching model of co-teaching to improve academic performance of students with learning disabilities, (b) to examine the effects of using the station teaching model of co-teaching to improve attention and engagement of students with learning disabilities, and (c) to evaluate student satisfaction of the station teaching intervention. Eight elementary students, five second graders and three fourth graders participated in the study. All eight students, three males and five females, were eligible for special education services as classified with varying learning disabilities. A single subject ABAB …

Male Educators Implementing Instructional Practices That Academically Engage Students, Kenneth B. Beneby

Theses and Dissertations

Male Educators Implementing Instructional Practices That Academically Engage Students. Kenneth Bernard Beneby, 2019. Applied Dissertation, Nova Southeastern University, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. Keywords: teacher, African American male teachers, academic engagement, secondary teaching profession, pedagogies, African American male students

This phenomenological research explored how a selected group of African American male educators understood their own experiences while implementing strategies to academically engage African American male students. The research explored the public secondary education experiences of African American male educators to better understand their occupational understandings; how having more African American educators were helpful in …

Feminist-Infused Participatory Action Research To Promote Female Students’ Self- Efficacy In Mathematics, Nicole Hreno

Theses and Dissertations

Prompted by the manifestations of decreased levels of mathematical self-efficacy among the female students in my district, the purpose of this study was to investigate the source of self-efficacy development that was most influential among our female students and engage in praxis to combat these gender inequities. Grounded in critical feminist theory, I engaged six teacher-researchers in participatory action research through qualitative methodologies. Using questionnaires to examine the worldviews of our female students, the emergent study was guided by these voices which were previously silenced. The interventions employed were a direct result of the females’ expressed mathematical experiences, leading us …

The Impact Of Poetry Annotations On The Critical Thinking Skills Of High School Juniors And Seniors At A School In A Southeastern State, Stefanie J. Fowler

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of poetry annotations on students’ critical thinking skills. This action research study took place in the spring of 2019 with eight high school participants. Participants were enrolled in an English IV-Honors class that was a combination of juniors and seniors. The setting was a public high school in a southeastern state. A mixed methods design was used; however, the study was more dominantly a qualitative study, and data was collected from participant pre and post-surveys and interviews, student-participant work, teacher-researcher observation notes, journal entries, and rubrics for annotations and responses …

When Affect Meets The Relational: A Dialogical, Life Writing Approach To English Studies, D. Shane Combs

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation responds to a lack of explicit conversation and pedagogical approaches inclusive of both life writing and interior individual experience in composition studies. Broken into three chapters, the first serves to consider the detrimental impact composition studies has on interiority when it equates the internal with expressivism (Bishop; Newkirk; Gradin; Murray). This chapter focuses on the life writing of Donald Murray, a composition scholar pivotal to one-on-one conferencing and the process movement in composition. This chapter considers how elements of Donald Murray’s work—aloneness, one-to-one relational, and vulnerability—might overlap with introverts and highly sensitive people. If Murray is dismissed, then, …

The Effects Of Synchronous Online Course Orientation On Student Attrition, Rachel C. Fowler

Theses and Dissertations

Online course offerings are becoming more abundant in post-secondary education; such is the case with science courses at Tidal Wave Technical College. Online courses bring many benefits to students including flexibility, convenience, and the ability to learn anywhere, anytime. However, despite these benefits many challenges are also associated with online course offerings including student attrition. Using a non-major biology course as the test model this research sought to trial one possible way to alleviate the problems associated with online learning by incorporating a synchronous online orientation. Data on student attrition, success, and perception was gathered to gain insight into the …