Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

The Relationship Between Student Perceived Teacher Dispositions Of Care And Student Outcomes Of Belief, Understanding, And Application Of Lds Doctrine, Casey Alexander Fuhriman

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the relationship between student-perceived teacher dispositions of care and student self-reported outcomes of belief, understanding, and application of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) doctrine. Since the release of the Teaching Emphasis in 2003, LDS seminary leadership has consistently emphasized the importance of positive teacher dispositions of care and the relationship it has with desired student outcomes of LDS seminary students. However, no known studies to date have gathered and analyzed data to determine if such a relationship exists. Data regarding student-perceived teacher dispositions of care and student outcomes of belief, understanding, and application …

Middle School Student Perceptions Of Homework In Mathematics, Camille M. Thomas

Honors Scholar Theses

Homework has been a source of debate in schools for the past several decades and will continue to be an important topic in the future. It is a traditional part of education but some debate its importance in the classroom. This study explored student perception of homework and their reported performance in middle school mathematics. The research questions focused on student attitudes about homework, the relationship of students’ self-efficacy and support resources to their homework completion, and the relationship of students’ general level of achievement in mathematics to their attitudes about homework. The study involved a survey of 230 middle …

Effects Of Teacher Training On Preservice Teachers' Knowledge, Personal Beliefs, And Attitudes, Sloan Smith Huckabee

All Dissertations

This study examines the effects of the NAMI Parents and Teachers as Allies training on the Mental Health Literacy, Personal Beliefs, and Stigmatizing Attitudes of preservice teachers. A researcher developed survey was administered three times to the training group prior to, immediately following, and two weeks after the training. A nonequivalent control group was administered two surveys—a preliminary measure and a follow up measure—to provide comparison data for investigating the effects of the intervention on the group of preservice teachers receiving the intervention. Results of the study indicate the Parents and Teachers as Allies training is an inexpensive, relatively short …

Knowledge, Perceptions, And Outcomes Of Agricultural Communications Curriculum In Arkansas Secondary Agricultural Classrooms, Carley Payne Calico

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed method study was to assess the effectiveness of agricultural communications curriculum developed and incorporated into a semester-long agricultural leadership and communications course for secondary agricultural education programs in Arkansas. This study was comprised of three parts including a pilot test, teacher training assessment, and a descriptive field test over a two-year period. For the pilot test portion of the study, students (N = 297) participated in newly developed instructional modules (careers, writing, design, and multimedia) predetermined by a committee of agricultural education and communications faculty at the University of Arkansas. The pilot test indicated students' …

The Effects Of Dating On Developmental Adjustment For Adolescents, Taylor L. Smith

Senior Honors Theses

This research study examined the course and effects of romantic relationships on the psychology and development of adolescents between the age of 15 and 18. Because existing literature demonstrates a high level of developmental significance to the relationships between adolescents and platonic peers, the introduction of the romantic element to teens’ social lives carries additional importance to their maturation process. There are also certain individuals and relationships that have greater likelihood of resulting in negative outcomes such as dating abuse and depression. Of eight participants, four were male and four were female, and all participants were currently 18-19 years of …

Religious Educators' Experiences With Self-Directed Learning In Professional Development: A Qualitative Study, Brandon D. Porter

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In 2012, Seminaries and Institutes of Religion (S&I), a division of The Church Educational System of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, introduced a self-directed professional development program that allowed educators to obtain two certification credentials by completing 12 certification projects per credential. The purpose of this study was to obtain an understanding of the experiences of seven S&I educators with self-directed learning in doing certification projects.

Personal and contextual factors influenced how self-directed learning for purposes of professional development was experienced by the participants in this study. Understanding program requirements, expectations, and processes, and possessing sufficient motivation …

Teacher Professionalism: A Study Of Professionalism For Religious Educators In The Seminary And Institutes Department Of The Church Educational System, Michael L. Cottle

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This qualitative study investigated Seminary and Institute teachers’ perception of professionalism. To answer the question “What is the perception of seminary and institute teachers and leaders regarding professionalism,” a life history approach was used to explore what experiences and events shaped the participants’ view of professionalism in seminary and institutes. Findings indicated the following: (a) loyalty to the organization is a key attribute for professionalism; (b) positive associations with peers and administrators strengthen professionalism and foster a culture of unity; (c) observation and feedback are critical elements in developing professionally; (d) content mastery is a prerequisite for teachers seeking to …

Implementing The Common Core’S Promise Of Bringing Statistical Curricula Into Line With Recommendations Of Nctm, Maa, & Gaise, Beverly Wood, Carl Clark

Publications

We plan to make a case for the necessity of GAISE-aligned college courses in order to prepare future teachers to teach in Common Core K-12 classrooms. Beginning with an overview of the parallel evolutions of Cobb/MAA suggestions - GAISE recommendations for teaching and NCTM process standards - Common Core mathematical practices, we will emphasize that we should be modeling what researchers continually conclude are best practices for teaching/learning across the K-16 continuum. We will provide some examples to illustrate classroom tasks that satisfy both GAISE and Common Core and hope to generate some discussion of other activities already used by …

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 …

Bridging Music And The Early Childhood Curriculum In Listening And Spoken Language Programs For Children Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing, Whitney Wright

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Music is an integral aspect of human life. Its impact weaves through arts, culture, communication, recreation, and education. In addition to benefits of enjoyment and entertainment, music is a vital component of early childhood educational settings. Educators routinely utilize music as an embedded component of instruction to meet both group and individual needs of young children in early childhood classrooms. In fact, specialized musical instruction can be particularly beneficial for children with disabilities, including those who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) (Gfeller, Driscoll, Kenworthy, & Van Voorst, 2011). Children who are DHH are at significant risk for speech, …

The Relationship Between Course Design, Sense Of Community, And Student Achievement Of Students In Online Courses, Maria Eugenia Perez-Butron

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The number of students enrolled in at least one online course reached nearly 6.7 million for the 2011-2012 academic year, which represents around 32% of the total enrollment (Allen & Seaman, 2013). As more higher education institutions offer online courses, it is necessary to further study course design and effective online strategies. Numerous researchers (LaPointe & Reisetter, 2008; Liu, et al., 2007; Ouzts, 2006; Rovai, 2002a) have established that high-quality online learning fosters a strong sense of community among its members. The purpose of this study is to describe the strength and direction of the relationship between online course design …

Growth And Decline Of "Second Life" As An Educational Platform, Christine Libby Mark

Dissertations

Second Life, a 3D online immersive virtual environment, emerged in 2003 and was predicted to become the predominant online course delivery platform by 2013. Educational institutions initially rushed to create a presence in the Second Life; however, after 2009 those same institutions were disappointed by their experiences and deserted the virtual world. This study sought to uncover the reasons for the rapid decline of such a highly lauded educational platform. Using a mixed methods research design, utilizing a qualitative phenomenology with in-depth personal interviews of higher education administrators followed by a detailed quantitative survey instrument, the researcher was able to …

An Autoethnography Of Heart-Based Hope Leadership: A Matter Of Life Or Death, Cynthia Jeanne Kimball

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This qualitative, reflexive autoethnography explores my health journey over a span of 20 years and beginning with the 1994 diagnosis of breast cancer, through the 2012 diagnosis of an endothelial ischemic microvascular pattern heart dysfunction, and up to the 2014 writing of this dissertation study. The purpose of this study was to define the construct of hope-based action from the perspectives of nine participants and myself. As researcher-participant, I used reflexivity and personal narrative to describe the language and rituals of a culture of hope. The construct of hope was investigated from the perspectives of Snyder's hope theory (1994) from …

Investigating Mathematics: Using Active, Exploratory Activities To Further Math Education In An Elementary Classroom, Hillary Paige Walker

Curriculum and Instruction Undergraduate Honors Theses

Within the educational realm, students and teachers have begun to shy away from the subject of mathematics. Too often students see this content area as intimidating and solely focused on memorization techniques. However, current research (Ensign, 2012; Gabreile & Montecinos, 2001; Kyriacou, 1992; Newstead, 1998; Tomlinson& Jarvis, 2006; Valli & Buese, 2007) has shown the effectiveness of differentiated instruction, active learning techniques, investigative teaching strategies, and changing teacher roles as effective teaching tools that may address this problem. The purpose of this study was to investigate if using innovative teaching techniques impacted students’ attitudes and achievement towards mathematics. The study …

Pop Some Culture Into Literacy: Using Pop Culture To Enhance The Literacy Achievement For One Group Of Third-Grade Students, Anna Therese Bono

Curriculum and Instruction Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study investigated the impact of popular culture on reading comprehension, reading fluency, and writing in one group of third-grade students. The literacy lessons infused with pop culture characters, references, and style were aimed to inspire students and engage students in a love of literature while also improving their overall literacy. The study involved six students in the third grade with a wide range of readiness levels. The research question, “Does popular culture infused literacy lessons enhance the literacy achievement of one group of third-grade students?” was investigated. It was intended that involvement in the after-school Pop Literacy Club (PLC) …

Public School Credits For Devotional Courses In Religion: The Evangelical Reconceptualization Of Released Time, Benjamin James Bindewald

All Dissertations

Released time is an arrangement through which students are excused from public schools, during regular hours, to participate in devotional lessons conducted by local religious organizations. The courts have upheld this practice as long as classes are held off public school premises, with parental permission, and without government aid. South Carolina has become the center of operations for a movement of evangelical Christians to expand proselytizing released time programs throughout the United States. As a result of the movement’s lobbying efforts, in 2006 South Carolina became the first state to enact legislation allowing public schools to award graduation credits for …

Year Of The Adopted Family: Selected Folktales For The Seasons Of Adoptee Personal And Cultural Identity, Rachel R. Hedman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In a study of the application of storytelling to adoptive family bonding, sensemaking, and cultural adjustment, I selected 12 world folktales for adoptive families to use as oral storytelling activities. I designed and facilitated a workshop for 7 adoptive families focusing on how to select, to learn, and to tell stories as well as how to play story-based games with their children. Each adult told 1 of the 12 folktales, played 1 or 2 of 37 games (12 traditional games, 25 storybased games), and shared reactions and interactions of family members. Using the term “story talk” to describe conversational byplay …

Learning To Love The Loquacious Library, Luke Meagher, Susan Myers, Leanna Herbert

Arthur Vining Davis High Impact Fellows Projects

Libraries are underutilized resources available to high school teachers. Our team set out with the goal to bring more students into the library by designing a set of “units” for which teachers could bring classes into the library. Each unit addresses Common Core Standards while simultaneously teaching a valuable skill or specific lesson. We wanted these lessons to be applicable to students, include a form of genuine assessment, while also helping teachers transition to the Common Core standards. These units are designed to be taught by librarians, but to teach skills/lessons that teachers would in their own classroom.

Oral Interviews For Testing In The High-School Spanish Classroom, John C. Akers, Casey Calvert, Kalle Davis

Arthur Vining Davis High Impact Fellows Projects

Our project offers strategies and materials for the beginning Spanish classroom to increase oral proficiency of students through an emphasis on individual and small-group interviews with the teacher, which will be an integral part to every classroom test. These interviews will be referred to also as “One-On-One orals,” “OOOs,” or simply “encounters,” inspired by the oral proficiency interviews (OPIs) first developed in the 1980s to measure speaker competence in a second language--as per the proficiency guidelines of the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). (Our project’s classroom materials begin on page 5.)

As we know today, the …

Spanish Speaking Communities, Rebecca G. Galanti

Spanish Model Lesson Plans

No abstract provided.

Foreign Students In France, Valerie J. Spaeth

French Model Lesson Plans

No abstract provided.

So That All May Learn: An Essay Review Of Academic Language In Diverse Classrooms, Audrey Figueroa Murphy

Curriculum & Instruction Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Student Engagement And Action In Classroom And Community: Place-Based Education And Social Action For The High-Achieving Student, Rachel M. Jank

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This paper briefly discusses the work done in a college-preparatory, Senior English class to combat the disengagement present in many educational institutions. This disconnect does not allow for learning retention and, therefore, does not allow for students to apply the moment of learning to life outside of the secondary classroom. The work I do is based off of Jessica Singer Early, Bruce Bigelow, Linda Christensen, and many other master teachers who work with the educational designs of Place Consciousness and Social Action within their respective classrooms. The theories of John Dewey and Paulo Freire suggest that a non-traditional style of …

Digital Print Concepts: Conceptualizing A Modern Framework For Measuring Emerging Knowledge, Kristin H. Javorsky

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

This dissertation sought to produce and empirically test a theoretical model for the literacy construct of print concepts that would take into account the unique affordances of digital picture books for emergent readers. The author used an exploratory study of twenty randomly selected digital story applications to identify print conventions, text features and book handling methods present across digital picture books which were then mapped against the traditional paper reading experience. Combining study results with existing research in the reading literature, a structural model of digital print concepts as a second order measurement model accounting for five factors of concept …

A Is For App: Surveying Teachers About The Use Of Ipads/Tablets In The Classroom, Christine Scheper

Undergraduate Research Symposium

iPads and tablets are now in classrooms for the children to use ranging from educational activities to leisure activities. Current research findings are mixed as to whether they are helping or hindering children’s learning. For the purpose of this study, a 14-item survey was administered to elementary school teachers working in Southern Minnesota area school districts. The focus of this survey was to gain a better understanding of how teachers are using iPads and tablets in the classroom and which apps are most commonly used. Information on which apps are most common in different classroom subjects as well as the …

Content Integration In Elementary Schools, Lauren Lucas

College of Education Presentations

There never seems to be enough time to teach all that teachers want to teach and all that is required in elementary schools. The purpose of this inquiry project is to take a deeper look into what it is that teachers are required to teach within the Common Core State Standards and see if there is a way to integrate these standards with other content areas. The goal is to provide more information for teachers and other professional educators as to the benefits and drawbacks of content integration. Research was performed through personal instruction, observations of instruction, and interaction with …

A Historical Analysis Of Career Choice Among Chinese College Students, Fengyu Wang, Cody Ding

Education Sciences and Professional Programs Faculty Works

This study provides a historical analysis and review of the contemporary development of career choice orientations among Chinese college students in light of recent economic reform policies. Specifically, it describes the changes in, and developing trends of, career choice orientations in the past, present, and future among college students. This analysis reveals that with the profound transition from a centralized planned economy to a market economy in recent China, students’ career orientation has experienced a transformation from a societal standard to an individualistic standard; personal goals have changed from idealism to realism; and ideologies have developed from a unilateral structure …

Research Brief: "Teaching Post 9/11 Student Veterans With Symptoms Of Ptsd: The Influence Of Faculty Perceptions And Self-Efficacy", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This study aims to understand how perceptions of veterans and their military service influence instructor self-efficacy, and is important because enrollment of veterans into higher education is expected to continue increasing. In practice, universities should encourage a collaborative understanding between student veterans and faculty members to assist in producing positive educational outcomes, and policies should consider providing more resources for veterans at universities. Future research should strive to have a larger sample size, and use more neutral words that have fewer negative connotations.

Learning, Problem Solving, And Mindtools: Essays In Honor Of David H. Jonassen, Donna Russell Ph.D.

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

No abstract provided.

Moving Toward Equitable, Accessible, And Relevant Mathematics For All. A Book Review Of Rethinking Mathematics: Teaching Social Justice By The Numbers, Lauren Provost

Democracy & Education

A book review of Rethinking Mathematics: Teaching Social Justice by the Numbers, edited by Eric Gutstein and Bob Peterson.