Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

Standards In Research And Academia: The Role Of Standards In Teaching Professional Skills At The City University Of New York, Angelo Lampousis

Publications and Research

Standards Developing Organizations (SDOs) are pairing up with academia to continue to break the barriers to standards education at the undergraduate level. In addition, SDOs are working with the research facilities of academic institutions in a public-private partnership to maintain standards technological relevancy and to find new opportunities to provide standardization to industry and government. This session provides several examples of relationships between SDOs, government, academic institutions, and SES, and describes the advances made from these relationships.

Chaos Of Textures Or ‘Tapisserie’? A Model For Creative Teacher Education Curriculum Design, Sue E. Simon

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

A tapestry or ‘tapisserie’ methodology, inspired by Denzin and Lincoln’s ‘bricolage’ methodology (2000), emerged during the complex task of re-developing teacher education programs at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. ‘Tapisserie’ methodology highlights the pivotal task of determining stable ‘warp threads’ prior to the subsequent interweaving of myriad ‘weft threads’. In our context, the core values of the education team were deemed to be the crucial ‘warp threads’ which would provide structure and navigation through numerous ‘weft threads’. The resultant model assisted teacher educators’ understanding of this complex process within a rigorous accreditation environment. It aims to preserve …

Effects Of Single-Gender Education On The Reading Achievement Of Third Through Fifth Grade Boys, Michael Brown

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

It is said repeatedly, boys can't read. However, the statement should be boys can read they just don't. Understanding there is a need for action is the first step educators must take in helping boys emerge as confident and successful readers. Single-gender classrooms can be successful tools when seeking new ways in which to engage boys in reading. This is a step towards creating atmospheres where boys are encouraged to read and where reading is tailored to their interests. The purpose of this causal comparative study was to examine the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) reading achievement scores of third …

A Phenomenological Investigation Of Experience In Middle School Honors Math And Language Arts Courses And Student And Teacher Perceptions Of Preparedness For Similar High School Honors And Advanced Placement Courses, Melissa Butler

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to investigate student and teacher perceptions concerning the impact of honors middle school language arts and mathematics courses on preparedness for similar ninth through twelfth grade classes at a high school in northwest Georgia. The questions that guided the study focused on examining the perceptions of students and teachers who had experienced this phenomenon and their notions of the impact that participation in middle school honors mathematics and language arts courses had on preparedness for non-gifted students enrolled in similar accelerated high school courses. A transcendental phenomenological design was used to discover …

A Phenomenological Investigation Into The Self-Efficacy Beliefs Of Teachers Who Have Persisted In The Teaching Profession, Shana Market Norton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological study investigated the lived experiences of 12 secondary school teachers from public secondary schools in northern Georgia regarding their feelings about self-efficacy and why they have persisted in the teaching profession. The research questions centered around their perceptions on how self-efficacy influences the academic achievement of their students, on what personality characteristics they feel teachers add to their positive or negative self-esteem in teaching, and on what factors they identify as influencing their professional self-efficacy in teaching. Teacher self-efficacy, the belief in oneself to succeed at completing a task, is a key factor in retaining teachers. Four data …

Effects Of Self-Regulatory Status And Practice Type On Student Performance In The Mobile Learning Environment, Jeremy Tutty

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The next generation of computer-based learning environments has arrived. This generation of technology is characterized by mobile and portable devices such as smartphones and tablet computers with wireless broadband access. With these devices comes the promise of extending the online learning revolution. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of three levels of practice type (assessment aligned, reflective, none), and two levels of self-regulatory status (high and low) on student performance within the context of mobile instruction. Results indicated that the inclusion of practice activities in mobile instruction has a positive effect on student performance. Study participants …

Online Attrition At A Community College In Rural Appalachia: A Phenomenological Approach, Victoria Sue Ratliff

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The education attainment level of residents in rural Appalachia has consistently ranked below the remaining populous of the United States. Although distance education initiatives have attempted to bridge the disparities between rural Appalachia and the rest of the nation, online community college students in this region are likely to drop out or fail their classes. To understand the phenomenon of online attrition in rural Appalachia, a phenomenological study was conducted to determine what students experienced from the time they chose to enroll in online classes through the point of failure or withdrawal from their courses. This triangulated study utilized surveys, …

Effect Of Computer-Aided Instruction On Attitude And Achievement Of Fifth Grade Math Students, Traci Shoemaker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group study was to test theories of constructivism and motivation, along with research-based teaching practices of differentiating instruction and instructing within a child's Zone of Proximal Development, in measuring the effect of computer-aided instruction on fifth grade students' attitude and achievement in math. Students in Pennsylvania completed an attitude survey at the beginning, middle, and end of the study (Pierce, Stacey & Barkatsas, 2007). Achievement was measured by the 4Sight Math assessment (Pennsylvania State Education Association, 2007) which was given at the beginning of the study, after the first seven weeks of instruction, …

The Community College Baccalaureate: A Mixed Methods Study Of Implementation And Best Practices, Stan E. Essink

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Community colleges have a number of missions ranging from developmental education through academic transfer. They are obligated to provide higher education opportunities in a manner that is affordable, accessible, and adaptable to the changing needs of their constituents. As the mission of community colleges continues to evolve, several states have interpreted this mission to include baccalaureate programming.

This study employed a mixed methods approach to understanding the best practices of implementing and offering bachelor’s degrees through community colleges. The objectives of the research were to determine the influences affecting implementation of bachelor’s degrees, to examine resulting institutional change, and to …

Promoting Authentic Instruction Through Second-Career Educators, J. Eian Harm

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Newmann, Secada, and Wehlage (1995) has shown that student achievement can be gained through the use of what is described as authentic instructional styles. These types of pedagogy maintain a focus on building knowledge through real-world application of subject matter and discussion of topics that are relevant to students’ lives. Studies have shown that an ongoing process of socialization into the school system occurs throughout a teacher’s career leading them into the use of more objectivist methods of teacher-centered instruction and rote learning of information (Hoy & Woolfolk, 1990; Staton & Hunt, 1992; Wattenburg, 2001; Zeichner, 1980). This study sought …

The Importance Of Clarity In Educational Leadership Program Goals, Matthew V. Featherstone

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Goal Setting Theory suggests specific and difficult goals when accompanied by high self-efficacy are essential to produce high levels of motivation and task performance. Goal Setting Theory has proven to be one of the most valid and robust motivational theories developed to date. Although the majority of the research on Goal Setting Theory is conducted at the individual level, many features that hold for individuals also hold for groups. For example, clearly stated goals improve performance for individuals and groups. The present research examined whether three regional educational leadership programs differ in the clarity of their stated goals, and whether …

The Challenges Of Online Courses For The Instructor, Pearl Jacobs

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Universities across the country are steadily increasing their use of online courses. Society's demand for lifelong learning will encourage the advancement of distance learning. Research tells us that today the average person changes careers every ten years. In addition, the U.S. Department of Labor estimates that about 10% of workers change jobs every year. These trends suggest a constant need for continuing education and re-education. The online delivery of education is well suited for this. To be effective, however, there are several required components. This paper will review some of these essential components.

Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility, And Sustainability Education In Aacsb Undergraduate And Graduate Marketing Curricula: A Benchmark Study, Jeananne Nicholls, Joseph F. Hair, Charles B. Ragland, Kurt E. Schimmel

Faculty Articles

AACSB International advocates integration of ethics, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability in all business school disciplines. This study provides an overview of the implementation of these three topics in teaching initiatives and assessment in business schools accredited by AACSB International. Since no comprehensive studies have been conducted for the marketing area, the results provide benchmarks as well as thought-provoking material to initiate business school and marketing faculty discussions on integrating the three topics into their curricula.

The Effect Of Online Discussion Forums On Student Learning And Student Perception Of Learning In A Science Course At The Community College Level, Rachel Syring Ryan

Dissertations

Institutions of higher education are feeling the pressure to offer a greater number of courses through alternative methods of instructional delivery including hybrid and online courses in an attempt to meet the needs of their students. Among institutions of higher education, community colleges have become a forerunner in online education, in many cases incorporating the development of online education into the institution’s strategic plan. To some educators, hybrid course offerings provide the best of face-to-face education with electronic transfer of information. One of the greatest challenges which exists in the development of a hybrid course is the development of instructional …

The Effect Of Preschool On Reaching Achievement Among Kindergarten Students, Reisha Monique Mckinney

Dissertations

As early childhood education continues to move to the forefront of public policy debate, more attention is being paid to early literacy. Strickland and Riley-Ayers (2006) indicated that early literacy and early learning opportunities play a vital role in academic achievement. This study invested whether there were statistically significant relationships between preschool attendance based on the reading and language arts scores from the Georgia Kindergarten Inventory Developing Skills test.

The study also determined if there were differences in the reading and language arts for those who attended preschool and those who did not based on free/reduced and full paid lunch. …

The Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of Making Middle Grades Work, Darryl Rene Porter

Dissertations

Many school districts throughout the United States utilize educational programs in their schools to improve student achievement. The Southern Regional Education Board recognized that to improve graduation rates in high school, students’ academic performance in middle schools needed to be improved, which gave rise to the Making Middle Grades Work initiative. The researcher conducted this study to determine the perceptions of the effectiveness of Making Middle Grades Work initiative. Participants in this study included 114 teachers and 18 administrators. The participants indicated their perceptions of the effectiveness of the Making Middle Grades Work initiative by responding to questions on a …

The Relationship Between Socio-Economic Status And The Frequency Of School Web Page Access To Both Mobile And Non-Mobile Sites, Richmond Hughes Parker

Dissertations

Research has shown that student performance increases when parents become more involved in their children’s education, and the positive influence of parental involvement has been shown to persist across racial, gender, and socio-economic barriers (Miller, Adsit, & Miller, 2005). As a result, an increasing number of schools have sought to use the Internet as a tool to engage parents (Swann & Fenner, 2005). The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of using the mobile web as a tool to help facilitate increased parental communication and involvement at the secondary level. It examined the relationship between socio-economic status, …

Indirect Power And The Unification Of Secondary Education In The Empire Of Brazil: 1837-1889, Karl M. Lorenz

Education Faculty Publications

The paper discusses the efforts of the Ministry of the Empire of Brazil to influence programs of studies in secondary schools that were subject to the exclusive authority of the provincial governments. The Court’s inability to directly affect education in the provinces during the Empire (1822-1889) can be attributed to the Additional Act, which amended the Brazilian constitution in 1834. From the founding of the College Pedro II, a model secondary institution in the Municipality of Rio de Janeiro, in 1837, to the founding of the Republic in 1889, the Imperial Court proposed a series of successful and unsuccessful measures …

Defining Characteristics Of An Integrated Stem Curriculum In K-12 Education, Vinson Robert Carter

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to obtain consensus concerning the defining characteristics of integrated STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) curriculum. This study utilized a three round modified Delphi study to solicit recommendations from experts of STEM education in order to: 1) create a set of categorical and defining curricular components needed to develop and implement appropriate integrated STEM curriculum; 2) identify the characteristics that set integrated STEM education curriculum apart from single-discipline curricula; 3) discuss the components necessary to gauge whether an initiative, project, or curriculum should be referred to as integrated STEM education; and 4) examine whether …

Prekindergarten And Kindergarten Teachers' Perceptions Of Demographic Determinants And Academic Success, Melanie Ellen Boyle

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine kindergarten and prekindergarten teachers' perceptions of academic success for children based on the type of care children received prior to beginning kindergarten, as well as other demographics, which could cause variations in academic success. The researcher used a seven section multi-method survey instrument, which included teacher demographic questions, Likert-scale perception questions, and one open-ended question. Sections of inquiry included: Common Core, general academic risk factors for students, barriers to overall academic success, student demographics, and promotion of academic success for students. The survey instrument was distributed to prekindergarten and kindergarten teachers in …

The Effect Of Scaffolded Strategies On Content Learning In A Designed Science Cyberlearning Environment, Cynthia Lee Kern

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Scientific inscriptions--graphs, diagrams, and data--and argumentation are integral to generating and communicating scientific understanding. Scientific inscriptions and argumentation are also important to learning science. However, previous research has indicated that learners struggle to understand and learn science content represented in inscriptions. Furthermore, when learners engage in argumentation, learning science content becomes secondary to the learning of argumentation skills. This design-based research study is nested within the larger effort to inform the design and development of the 5-Featured Dynamic Inquiry Enterprise design framework (5-DIE) for cyberlearning environments and to advance theory associated with the difficulties learners have with scientific inscriptions and …

Ethics Readiness: An Analysis Of Community College Students' Moral Sensitivity Scores, Julie Wallace

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In this retrospective causal-comparative study, the readiness of Virginia community college students to receive an accounting ethics curriculum was analyzed by measuring and comparing their moral sensitivity scores to the moral sensitivity scores of a group of four year university students. A sample of college students attending community college principles of accounting courses and a sample of college students attending four year university principles of accounting courses were administered a nationally recognized moral sensitivity survey instrument, the Defining Issues Test 2 (DIT2). The survey results were analyzed using a t-test for differences between means. It was found that there was …

K-12 Virtual Students: Relationships Between Student Demographics, Virtual Learning Experience, And Academic Achievement, Jamie H. Whitinger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify significant differences in academic achievement among virtual students of various backgrounds, demographics, and virtual learning environments. The study also sought to identify factors that may predict the academic achievement, as defined by final course grade, of virtual students. This study examined those relationships for the 476 students enrolled in virtual courses between January 2010 and January 2013 in Sullivan County Schools, TN. These students were in grades 7-12 during the time the courses were taken. Independent variables in Phase I of the study included gender, race/ethnicity, socio-economic status, prior number of virtual …

Predicting Performance On The Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment For Reading For Third Graders Using Reading Curriculum Based Measures, Robert S. Kirkham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite flexibility waivers granted to states by the United States Department of Education from some provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act, our nation’s public schools continue to struggle to improve reading proficiency as measured by high stakes assessments. To reach state targets for reading proficiency schools must use data at the earliest point possible to inform instructional strategies and identify students at risk of failure. The response to intervention model holds promise for improving reading outcomes particularly for early elementary students.

The effective use of reading curriculum based measures (R-CBM) to determine if instruction is adequate to produce …

Northeast Tennessee Educators’ Perception Of Stem Education Implementation, Kristin Turner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A quantitative nonexperimental survey study was developed to investigate Northeast Tennessee K-8 educators’ perceptions of STEM education. This study was an examination of current perceptions of STEM education. Perceived need, current implementation practices, access to STEM resources, definition of STEM, and the current condition of STEM in Northeast Tennessee were also examined. The participating school districts are located in the Northeast Region of Tennessee: Bristol City Schools, Hamblen County Schools, Johnson City Schools, Johnson County Schools, Kingsport City Schools, Sullivan County Schools, and Washington County Schools. Educational professionals including both administrators and teachers in the elementary and/or middle school setting …

"An Easy Switch": A Descriptive Case Study Exploring The Shift Toward Informational Text Accompanying The Implementation Of Common Core State Standards In Five Primary Classrooms, Heather Denise Kindall

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this descriptive case study was to discover how the newly implemented Common Core State Standards (CCSS) may have changed teachers' practices and philosophies regarding literacy instruction and to determine which teaching strategies were being presented in regard to informational text in the studied Kindergarten through second grade classrooms.

The research was conducted in five classrooms within one elementary school in the mid-Southern United States. The study design involved semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and teacher-reported lesson plans over a fourteen week data collection period. The aim of this research was to portray a vivid description of the implementation …

Attitudes Of Virginia Technology Education Teachers Toward The Effectiveness Of Their Curriculum, Glenn Patton

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The problem of this study was to determine Virginia technology education teachers' attitudes regarding the effectiveness of their curriculum and resources.

Dnr-Based Curricula: The Case Of Complex Numbers, Guershon Harel

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

DNR is a research-based framework which seeks to understand fundamental problems of mathematics learning and teaching. This paper discusses DNR with a particular reference to a curricular unit on complex numbers. Originally designed for college-bound high school students, the unit is structured to progress along a path that roughly parallels the development of complex numbers in the history of mathematics. We have tested the unit in three teaching experiments with inservice and prospective secondary mathematics teachers. The results from these experiments demonstrate the ways of thinking afforded and targeted by the unit. The correspondence between these ways of thinking and …

Riding The Wave: Open Access, Digital Publishing, And The Undergraduate Thesis, Char Miller

Pomona Faculty Publications and Research

Char Miller, W. M. Keck Professor of Environmental Analysis at Pomona College, Claremont, CA., gave the Opening Keynote for the USETDA 2013 Conference, July 24-26, held on the Claremont McKenna College and Scripps College campuses.

In this keynote address, Dr. Miller discusses the importance of building the educational foundation to support students and then incorporate opportunities for undergraduates to share their research.

Dr. Miller draws from his experience collaborating with librarians to integrate information literacy into the curriculum and requiring that all senior theses in the program be posted on the Claremont Colleges' Open Access institutional repository, Scholarship@Claremont.

Scientific Skateboarding And Mathematical Music: Edutainment That Actively Engages Middle School Students, William Robertson, Larry Lesser

Selected Works Temporary Series

Edutainment has recently been a major growing area of education, showing great promise to motivate students with relevant activities. The authors are among innovators who have developed cutting-edge fusions of popular culture and STEM concepts to engage and to motivate middle school students, using vehicles such as music/song and skateboarding. The importance of using relevant and practical methods of instruction and curriculum delivery that build on student interests and increase enjoyment in the learning process are critical at the middle school level, especially in the STEM fields. The use of edutainment in this manner is meant to inspire broader interest …