Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Curriculum and Instruction Commons™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2014

Discipline
Institution
Keyword
Publication
Publication Type
File Type

Articles 451 - 480 of 932

Full-Text Articles in Curriculum and Instruction

Effective Transitional Strategies For The First Grade Classroom, Ashley Rose Perrin Apr 2014

Effective Transitional Strategies For The First Grade Classroom, Ashley Rose Perrin

Master of Education Program Theses

Transitions take time in any classroom. First grade students make many transitions in a day. Students transition from activity to activity as well as moving from location to location. With a limited amount of instructional time, teachers strive to have their students engaged in learning and to increase the students’ time on task. There are transitional strategies available that teachers utilize to decrease transition time and increase student-learning time. Two such strategies are visual cues, such as a timer; and auditory cues, like a song. The goal of this research study was to discover effective transition strategies for first grade …

Go to article

Teaching Third-Grade Writing Using The Self-Regulated Strategy Development Model, Ellen Korver Apr 2014

Teaching Third-Grade Writing Using The Self-Regulated Strategy Development Model, Ellen Korver

Master of Education Program Theses

Writing is a self-directed activity that involves the intelligent use of a variety of mental operations and skills. Christian teachers want their students to be able to write well because it enables them not only to examine God’s world for themselves, but also to communicate with others. This communication is essential in many areas of modern life. However, research studies show that many students have only partially mastered writing skills. In this study, the effectiveness of an instructional mode, the Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) model, was examined in order to determine if its implementation would have a positive effect on …

Go to article

Self-Assessment In The Middle School Science Classroom, Stephanie Tanis Apr 2014

Self-Assessment In The Middle School Science Classroom, Stephanie Tanis

Master of Education Program Theses

Teachers using self-assessment in classrooms understand its vital role in a student’s ability to understand their own learning. The diversity of the student learners requires a diversity of assessment strategies. Specifically, in an inquiry-based science classroom, students must be able to identify their current skills and their areas of growth. The implementation of self-assessment strategies helps students to set goals and achieve them. The goal of the researcher in this study was to determine if self-assessment strategies are effective in the middle school science classroom and to determine if such strategies provide evidence supporting the growth of student achievement. Through …

Go to article

This Is God’S World: A Study Of Student Worldview In A Small Rural Christian High School, Rachel Elizabeth Bootsma Apr 2014

This Is God’S World: A Study Of Student Worldview In A Small Rural Christian High School, Rachel Elizabeth Bootsma

Master of Education Program Theses

This qualitative phenomenological study examined a small rural Midwest Christian high school and its influence on the biblical worldview of its students. The author surveyed and interviewed current seniors and former students from this Christian high school to better understand the biblical worldview of the students from their perspective. The study also attempted to identify the influence of the school and the school’s strengths and weaknesses on its students' biblical worldviews. This phenomenological study demonstrates how the practices, programs, procedures, curriculum, and relationships at a small Christian high school lead to a foundational biblical worldview in its students.

Go to article

Best Practices In The Foreign Language Classroom, Allison Kleinsasser Apr 2014

Best Practices In The Foreign Language Classroom, Allison Kleinsasser

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research project attempted to determine the best practices in teaching a foreign language to high school students. In order to determine these best practices, the researcher read literature and studies that had been previously conducted with foreign language students. This study attempted to determine if students would learn better in the context of real-life communication rather than overt grammatical lectures. Students were given a pre- and post-test to determine whether or not their levels of language acquisition and grammatical understanding improved over the course of the study. The results of the study revealed that more time is needed …

Go to article

Study Of Fifth Grade Service Learning, Phyllis Van Gelder Apr 2014

Study Of Fifth Grade Service Learning, Phyllis Van Gelder

Master of Education Program Theses

This study examined the effectiveness of the service learning implemented within the fifth grade curriculum of a small private school in the Midwestern United States with the goal of fostering civic responsibility and altruism within the fifth grade students. Data was collected from sixth grade students within two private schools; one group was the experimental group that had been involved in weekly service learning throughout their fifth grade year and the other group was the control group that had not been involved in service learning the previous year. Nominal-polytomous questionnaires, qualitative scenario-response questionnaires, and personal interviews were used to collect …

Go to article

Interpersonal Intelligence And Problem-Based Learning, Denise M. Denevers Apr 2014

Interpersonal Intelligence And Problem-Based Learning, Denise M. Denevers

Master of Education Program Theses

This study examined the relationship between problem-based learning and interpersonal intelligence. The primary goal of this study was to see if using problem-based learning in the classroom would increase one’s interpersonal intelligence. After conducting this study, the researcher found the interpersonal intelligence of the class of twenty-one seventh grade students, as a whole, increased from an average of 59.04 points out of 70 points possible to an average of 59.47 points out of a possible 70 points; a less than one percent increase, indicating a weak relationship between interpersonal intelligence and problem-based learning.

Go to article

Reforming General Education: A Departmental Experience With Mission And Assessment, Joesph M. Valenzano, Samuel P. Wallace Apr 2014

Reforming General Education: A Departmental Experience With Mission And Assessment, Joesph M. Valenzano, Samuel P. Wallace

Communication Faculty Publications

Changes to general education curricula are taking place across the globe. From the Bologna Process in Europe to the Liberal Education and America’s Promise initiative in the United States, colleges and universities are reforming what constitutes general education for their students. At the University of Dayton, such reforms took the shape of a massive overhaul of general education to the new, student learning–driven Common Academic Program. The Department of Communication at University of Dayton was forced to fundamentally change its basic course in communication, formerly delivered in three separate one-credit modules, to a three-credit course with a different focus. This …

Go to article

Implementing Positive Behavior Systems In Rural Schools, Harvard Law School Mississippi Delta Project Apr 2014

Implementing Positive Behavior Systems In Rural Schools, Harvard Law School Mississippi Delta Project

Delta Directions: Publications

School discipline is a growing problem in Mississippi. As a state, Mississippi has some of the most extreme school discipline policies in the country. With limited resources, state public schools struggle with managing student behavior through appropriate consequences, often resorting to severe punishments like classroom exclusion (expulsion and suspension) and corporal punishment. However, these punishments very rarely lead to the behavioral results schools desire and school districts, such as Quitman County School District, are beginning to see a need for alternative disciplinary interventions in order to reach more positive behavioral results.

Go to article

Postsecondary Writing: First-Year Students’ Perceptions Of College Writing Preparedness, Kerri E. Hoppe Apr 2014

Postsecondary Writing: First-Year Students’ Perceptions Of College Writing Preparedness, Kerri E. Hoppe

Higher Education Student Work

As access to higher education continues to grow it is important to consider the way students are prepared for college level work. This is especially true in the area of writing, which is considered to be the academic skill most linked to success at the college level (Conley, 2008). This qualitative study investigates college writing preparedness through the perspectives of ten first-year students at a small, liberal arts institution in Massachusetts. The study sought to explore how K-12 institutions and postsecondary schools can work to better prepare students for college writing. Participants described the differences between secondary and postsecondary writing …

Go to article

How Three Schools View The Success Of Literacy Coaching: Teachers’, Principals’ And Literacy Coaches’ Perceived Indicators Of Success, Kristen Ferguson Apr 2014

How Three Schools View The Success Of Literacy Coaching: Teachers’, Principals’ And Literacy Coaches’ Perceived Indicators Of Success, Kristen Ferguson

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This paper investigates how the participants in literacy coaching (teachers, literacy coaches, and principals) perceive the success of their literacy coaching programs. This qualitative study uses data from interviews and observations of literacy coaching from three schools in Ontario, Canada. Four perceived indicators of success were found: growth in student achievement, improved teaching, an increase in professional dialogue in a safe environment, and a commitment to the literacy coach. While the study did not collect student data, the beliefs of teachers, literacy coaches, and principals are significant as perceptions of self and group efficacy can predict outcomes. This research suggests …

Go to article

Character Education In Christian Schools, Curtis Van Dam Apr 2014

Character Education In Christian Schools, Curtis Van Dam

Master of Education Program Theses

Character education programs have been an important part of school systems across the country since the Colonial time period. The way character education has been taught has changed over the years, but the goal to help students make ethical decisions remains the same. Over the last few decades, Christian values have slowly been removed from many character education programs and replaced with values concentrating on citizenship. The goal of one small midwestern Christian elementary school was to develop an effective character education program that was centered on Christian values to help carry out its mission statement. This study shows that …

Go to article

The Battle Of Chancellorsville, Sue Caler Apr 2014

The Battle Of Chancellorsville, Sue Caler

Lesson Plans

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Advertising And Its Effects On American Life And Personal Choices, Diane Boutet Apr 2014

Advertising And Its Effects On American Life And Personal Choices, Diane Boutet

Lesson Plans

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Comparing Revolutionary War Primary Sources, Nancy Cocconi Apr 2014

Comparing Revolutionary War Primary Sources, Nancy Cocconi

Lesson Plans

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Analyzing Political Cartoons From The American Revolution, Lisa Pendersen Apr 2014

Analyzing Political Cartoons From The American Revolution, Lisa Pendersen

Lesson Plans

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Correlation Between Interactive Ebooks And Printed Text In Reading Achievement And Student Interest, Kimberly D. Beimers Apr 2014

Correlation Between Interactive Ebooks And Printed Text In Reading Achievement And Student Interest, Kimberly D. Beimers

Master of Education Program Theses

Interactive eBooks or traditional printed text? Teachers face difficult decisions when determining which are the most effective tools to use to increase student reading achievement. Studies (Chong, Lim, & Ling, 2009; Ciampa, 2012; Coyle, 2008; Huang, Liang, Su, & Chen, 2012; Jones, & Brown, 2011; Larson, 2010; Martinez-Estrada, & Conaway, 2012; Maynard, 2010), have found that students prefer the additional features of interactive eBooks over traditional printed text; however, studies have failed to prove that these additional text features increase student reading achievement over traditional printed text. There has not been enough evidence to show that student reading achievement increases …

Go to article

Motivating English Language Learners: An Indonesian Case Study, Rebekah Nichols Apr 2014

Motivating English Language Learners: An Indonesian Case Study, Rebekah Nichols

Master of Education Program Theses

Motivation is a complex issue, especially when considered in the Asian context, where passive learning and teacher-centered lessons dominate. This study attempted to identify student-preferred motivational strategies that would correlate to increased attention and engagement among and increased levels of intrinsic motivation in Chinese Indonesian students in a Year 12 English classroom. Student surveys indicated preferences for the use of audiovisual material and the use of collaborative reading quizzes. The implementation of these strategies resulted in positive levels of attention and engagement in the classroom, but no increase in levels of intrinsic motivation were observed.

Go to article

Ua64 Cebs Magazine, The College Of Education And Behavioral Sciences At Wku, Charles S. Evans, Dean, Pam Pierce, Editor-In-Chief, Wku College Of Education & Behavioral Sciences Apr 2014

Ua64 Cebs Magazine, The College Of Education And Behavioral Sciences At Wku, Charles S. Evans, Dean, Pam Pierce, Editor-In-Chief, Wku College Of Education & Behavioral Sciences

College of Education and Behavioral Sciences Publications

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Mastery Learning In Calculus I Affects Student Learning, Grade Improvement, And Professor Exhaustion, Judith Puncochar, Don H. Faust Apr 2014

Mastery Learning In Calculus I Affects Student Learning, Grade Improvement, And Professor Exhaustion, Judith Puncochar, Don H. Faust

Conference Presentations

Three Calculus I courses were taught under conditions of either traditional teaching, 2/3 mastery, or full mastery to test four hypotheses. Under conditions of mastery learning on exams, students should attain appropriate higher-level mathematical concepts, achieve more learning of higher-level mathematical concepts, learn higher-level mathematical concepts more quickly, and evaluate mastery learning favorably. Support for all hypotheses occurred only in the 2/3 mastery condition. A shift toward higher grades was attributed to grade improvement, not grade inflation, as determined by six mathematicians with blind review of final exam items. Final exams in mastery learning courses were significantly more …

Go to article

An Investigation Of Teacher Response To National Science Curriculum Reforms In Turkey, Ridvan Elmas, Nilay Öztürk, Meltem Irmak, William W. Cobern Apr 2014

An Investigation Of Teacher Response To National Science Curriculum Reforms In Turkey, Ridvan Elmas, Nilay Öztürk, Meltem Irmak, William W. Cobern

Scientific Literacy and Cultural Studies Project

Major science education curriculum reform is taking place in Turkey involving a substantial break with past science curricula. Such reform has significant implications for teachers but to date there has been little research on teacher response to these reforms. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the impact on the teachers who are charged with implementing reforms. Semi-structured interviews with 18 elementary science teachers were conducted and additional observational data was recorded. The interview schedule comprised 23 questions in 9 themes. According to the data analysis, the main problem for teachers is that curriculum reforms involve overly big …

Go to article

Editors' Note, Lauren Freedman, Susan V. Piazza, Maria Selena Protacio Apr 2014

Editors' Note, Lauren Freedman, Susan V. Piazza, Maria Selena Protacio

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Short introduction to issue.

Go to article

Reading Horizons, Vol. 53, No. 1 Apr 2014

Reading Horizons, Vol. 53, No. 1

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Complete issue of Reading Horizons, volume 53, issue 1.

Go to article

Comprehension Instruction For Elementary Learners: A Content Analysis Of Professional Literacy Texts, Margie Garcia, Mary Beth Sampson, Wayne M. Linek Apr 2014

Comprehension Instruction For Elementary Learners: A Content Analysis Of Professional Literacy Texts, Margie Garcia, Mary Beth Sampson, Wayne M. Linek

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This study examined how reading comprehension was addressed in literacy texts used with preservice teachers at five universities in the southwestern United States. Universities were selected based on the highest number of graduates receiving their initial Early Childhood through 4th grade (EC-4) teaching certificates. An introductory Reading course was selected from each university. A total of 11 required textbooks were examined for definitions of reading comprehension, the presence of reading instructional incidents (RIIs), and reading comprehension instructional incidents (RCIIs). Overall, more RIIs (reading instruction) than RCIIs (reading instruction related to comprehension) were found.

Go to article

Reading Is A Blast! Inside An Innovative Literacy Collaboration Between Public Schools And The Public Library, Maria T. Genest Apr 2014

Reading Is A Blast! Inside An Innovative Literacy Collaboration Between Public Schools And The Public Library, Maria T. Genest

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Public libraries have long supported the literacy goals of public schools in their communities by providing access to printed and electronic resources that enhance learning and teaching. This article describes an ongoing collaboration between the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s BLAST outreach program and the Pittsburgh Public Schools that has positively impacted thousands of students by increasing access to library resources while also emphasizing vocabulary, text-based discussion, and writing using both fiction and informational texts. This program can serve as a model for similar community partnerships that have the potential to enrich the literacy lives of students.

Go to article

Making Their Voices Count: Using Students’ Perspectives To Inform Literacy Instruction For Striving Middle Grade Readers With Academic Difficulties, Carolyn Groff Apr 2014

Making Their Voices Count: Using Students’ Perspectives To Inform Literacy Instruction For Striving Middle Grade Readers With Academic Difficulties, Carolyn Groff

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

The consequences of lack of reading and poor reading skills are problematic for all students, regardless of background; however, for middle grade striving readers with academic difficulties these problems can lead to lower self-efficacy and motivation to engage in literacy tasks. Using the perspectives of urban, middle grade special education students, this article seeks to demonstrate how teachers can use student interview feedback to differentiate instruction by aligning their voices with appropriate practices. Consistent with previous research, (Roe, 2009; Smith &Wilhelm, 2002), the data show that supportive contexts increase self-efficacy and interest in reading. These perspectives have the potential to …

Go to article

District Mandated Changes In Technology And Inquiry-Based Instruction, Mulonge Musa Kalumbula Apr 2014

District Mandated Changes In Technology And Inquiry-Based Instruction, Mulonge Musa Kalumbula

Dissertations

Federal and state mandates aimed at improving the American K-12 school system abound (Spillane, 2004). Federal legislation of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB, 2002), and state-mandated curriculum are aimed at improving teaching and learning thus ultimately improving student achievement. The purpose of this phenomenology study was to examine the experiences of 7 middle and high school social studies teachers through district-mandated changes in inquiry-based instruction and technology-integrated lessons. By capturing how individual teachers experience mandated changes, this research aimed to discover the existence of policy coherence within a district as it translated federal and state policy …

Go to article

The Relationship Between Temperament And Changes In Cultural Competency Among Undergraduate Students, Kwame Opoku Akyeampong, Olufolajimi Onadipe Apr 2014

The Relationship Between Temperament And Changes In Cultural Competency Among Undergraduate Students, Kwame Opoku Akyeampong, Olufolajimi Onadipe

Education Presentations at National and International Conferences

The study examined the relationship between Temperament Type and changes in Cultural Competency among a group of university undergraduate students. For this study, Temperament Type (Keirsey, 1998) was considered to be a set of observable personality traits, e.g., communication, habits, behavior patterns, values, attitudes, talents, etc. Cultural Competency, according to Hammer and Bennett (2010), was defined as “the capability to accurately understand and adapt behavior to cultural difference and commonality.” The study responded to this research question: To what extent does Temperament Type affect changes in the Cultural Competency of undergraduates? Data was collected using two computer-based, online inventories. First, …

Go to article

Currere And The Beauty Of Soulful Classroom Moments, Jessica Sierk Apr 2014

Currere And The Beauty Of Soulful Classroom Moments, Jessica Sierk

The Nebraska Educator: A Student-Led Journal

Drawing on Pinar’s (1975, 2011) work on currere and the author’s own experience as an educator both in the K-12 and higher education arenas, the author argues that curriculum is a living entity and should therefore be allowed to deviate from the “plan” that most people think of when the topic of curriculum arises. Gaudelli & Hewitt’s (2010) idea of “the beauty of soulful moments” is also used to illustrate the utility of such deviations. Dewey’s (1934, 1938) themes of improvisation, participation, communication, and experience, as well as the idea of “the unexpected turn” also serve as backdrops to discussing …

Go to article

Eliciting And Characterizing Students’ Mental Models Within The Context Of Engineering Design, Chelsey Ann Dankenbring Apr 2014

Eliciting And Characterizing Students’ Mental Models Within The Context Of Engineering Design, Chelsey Ann Dankenbring

Open Access Theses

Recently, science education reform documents have called for the incorporation of engineering principles and practices into the K-12 science standards and curriculum. One way this has been done is through the use of engineering design tasks as a way for students to apply their scientific understandings to real-world problems. However, minimal studies have documented students' conceptions within the context of engineering design. Thus, the first chapter of this thesis outlines the steps taken to develop a draw-and-explain item that elicited students' mental models regarding the cause of the four seasons after finishing an engineering design task. Students' mental models regarding …

Go to article

First Prev Next Last