Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons^™

Genocide In The Classroom: How Transitional Societies Are Affected By The Quality Of Genocide Education, Leah Oppenheimer

Honors Scholar Theses

Recognized as a legal term since 1944, genocides have been an unfortunate occurrence since the beginning of world history. However, many countries have failed to properly educate students about genocides that have taken place in their own countries by either not providing accurate or consistent information about what took place or denying the genocide outright. Additionally, in many countries, relations between formerly warring ethnic groups have not improved, despite the often large amount of time that has passed since the end of the genocide. This study examines how history education, both accurate and inaccurate, has affected the current social situation …

Perceived Efficacy Of Beginning Teachers To Differentiate Instruction, Michelle K. Casey, Robert K. Gable

Teacher Education

A two-phase, sequential mixed-methods design was used to assess perceptions of teacher efficacy (10 item survey, alpha = .90) to differentiate instruction for N = 36 graduates from one MAT teacher preparation program. Research questions addressed levels of self-efficacy, perceptions of preparedness, teaching tenure, and number of certifications held. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA and t-test procedures. A focus group with N = 10 purposively selected 2010 graduates and interviews with N = 2 graduates each from the 2008 and 2009 classes, and N = 2 faculty were conducted. No significant relationships were found for tenure and …

School Reform Initiatives: Their Impact On Teacher Burnout And Perceptions Of Efficacy, W. Wesley Cottongim

Dissertations

This study involving 2,478 teachers from south central Kentucky sought to determine the impact school improvement initiatives have on a teacher. More specifically, it explored how experiencing school improvement initiatives affect the measured levels of burnout and self-efficacy of a teacher.

Participants (n = 2,478) of this study came from school districts within the south central region of Kentucky. The participating districts were selected due to varying sizes of enrollments and the number of employed teachers. Participants were invited to participate in this study via an email invitation. Two previously published instruments were used. Participants were first asked to provide …

The Learning Gardens Laboratory: Teaching Sustainability And Developing Sustainable Food Systems Through Unique Partnerships, Heather Burns, Weston Miller

Educational Leadership and Policy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Garden-based education programs at the Learning Gardens Laboratory (LGL) in Portland, Oregon, have been developed in a partnership between Portland State University and Oregon State University in order to advance the development of sustainable food systems and sustainability education. Learning gardens serve as rich sustainability learning sites due to their ecological and sociocultural benefits, and provide a hands-on way for students to engage in interconnected issues and begin to participate in solving complex problems. At LGL there is an understanding that developing sustainable food systems also requires teaching and learning practices that reflect the goals of sustainability education. Our primary …

Tripping With Stephen Gaskin: An Exploration Of A Hippy Adult Educator, Gabriel Patrick Morley

Dissertations

For the last 40 years, Stephen Gaskin has been an adult educator on the fringe, working with tens of thousands of adults in the counterculture movement in pursuit of social change regarding marijuana legalization, women’s rights, environmental justice issues and beyond. Gaskin has written 11 books about his experiences teaching and learning with adults outside the mainstream, yet, he is virtually unknown in the field of adult education. He lists his religion as hippy; he is a member of the Counterculture Hall of Fame (inducted 2004), a convicted felon, a United States Marine, a Korean War combat veteran, and a …

The Effect Of Teachers’ Expectations And Perceptions On Student Achievement In Reading For Third And Fifth Grade Students, Alfreda Ragland Williams

Dissertations

All too often, a student’s lack of success is blamed on his or her background, and/or the parent or the parent’s educational level. Many factors such as socioeconomic conditions, student behaviors, attendance, and teacher demographics can directly or indirectly affect class environment, classroom management, interaction with students, and equal treatment of students. In addition, a teacher’s perception of students plays a vital role in the teacher’s expectations, interactions, and relationships with his or her students. The purpose of the study was twofold. First, this study investigated the relationship between teachers’ expectations of equal treatment of students, class environment, interaction with …

The Impact Of Extracurricular Activities On Student Achievement At The High School Level, Steven Wesley Craft

Dissertations

The pressure applied on public schools to increase test scores and student achievement are reaching the highest levels ever seen in the United States. School systems are trying to find ways to increase student achievement while dealing with severe budget cuts. Many school systems are exploring the possibility of decreasing or suspending funding for extracurricular activities. This study explored the relationship between student achievement and participation in extracurricular activities. The study focused on the impact that participation in extracurricular activities had grade point average, absentee rate, SAT scores, and success on the Georgia High School Graduation Test. In order to …

The Effect Of Service Learning On Community College Communication Students, Margaret Shu-Mei Sass

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This study discusses the implementation of a service learning component in the first year college communication 101 level courses. Through the execution of a service learning component in college communication classes at a community college, student’s communicative competency and attitude toward community service is assessed. Using two different delivery approaches, a quantitative study assessed the pre-test and post-test of the standardized tools Communicative Adaptability Scale (CAS) and Community Service Attitudes Scale (CSAS). Eight sections of the communication 101 courses were distributed into two groups: 1) the experimental group consisting of 4 classes, and (2) the control group consisting of four …

Exploring German And American Modes Of Pedagogical And Institutional Sustainability: Forging A Way Into The Future, Lindon N. Pronto

Pitzer Senior Theses

Rooted deep in Germany's past is its modern socio-political grounding for environmental respect and sustainability. This translates into individual and collective action and extends equally to the economic and policy realm as it does to educational institutions. This thesis evaluates research conducted in Germany with a view to what best approaches are transferable to the United States liberal arts setting. Furthermore, exemplary American models of institutional sustainability and environmental education are explored and combined with those from abroad to produce a blueprint and action plan fitting for the American college and university.

"A Single Finger Can't Eat Okra": The Importance Of Remembering The Haitian Revolution In United States History, Ashleigh P. Shoecraft

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis discusses the impact of the Haitian Revolution on the United States as a lens through which to view the transnational nature of American exceptionalism. It concludes with an articulation of the necessity of incorporating this relational nature of United States identity development into high school coursework, and advocates for teaching about the Haitian Revolution as an effective means through which to do this.

Defining Industry Expectations And Misconceptions Of Art And Technology Co-Creativity, Vanessa C. Brasfield

Department of Computer Graphics Technology Degree Theses

The primary purpose of this study was to establish whether or not students and industry professionals share the same views about what students should be learning in animation education, what skills are necessary, and whether or not students graduating with a bachelor’s degree would be adequately prepared for an entry level position. To establish where misconceptions lie, surveys were issued to three groups: undergraduate students, post-graduate students, and industry professionals. These surveys were then analyzed using paired t-test for validation and question relevance, and ANOVA models to establish whether or not groups shared viewpoints. These data established significance within the …

The Life Of Faith And The Life Of The Mind: An Ambiguous And Nurturing Space For Students, Michael W. Higgins

Mission & Culture Publications

Opening address by Michael W. Higgins for the Lilly Fellows Program in the Humanities and the Arts Network Exchange conference titled "Integrating A Faith-based Education for the 21st Century: Challenges and Responses" and hosted by Sacred Heart University April 15-18, 2012

The Current Education System In Senegal: A Closer Look At The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Attending A Private Catholic Institution In Dakar, Erin Clasby

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

For my independent study project I examined the possible reasons for the current state of the education system in Senegal. Focusing on the primary school level, I explored what factors contribute to the low levels of achievement currently in the schools of Dakar. To help me do this, I observed and participated in the everyday lives of children at École Primaire Sainte Bernadette, a local private Catholic school. I studied socioeconomic status, student to teacher ratio, curriculum, the importance placed on education in the culture and communities I stayed in, and how these factors affect the quality of education children …

“Diversity Is Our Daily Bread”: An Exploratory Study Of The Dutch ‘Sexual Diversity In Education’ Policy, Alex Sirotzki

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This independent study project focuses on the discourse surrounding the recently-approved ‘sexual diversity within education’ policy, which requires all schools in The Netherlands to incorporate discussion of sexual diversity into their curricula. My findings are based on six interviews of individuals who, either directly or indirectly, are connected to or affected by this policy, either in their professional work or simply in their interests. My findings include themes found surrounding the policy: what is being said, how sexual diversity should be implemented in schools, autonomy of schools, normalcy, potential racism within policy implementation, and what should be done. Ideas for …

La Falta De Desarrollo Debido A La Carencia De Igualdad: La Ineficacia Del Programa De Educación Intercultural Bilingüe Como Factor De Continuación De La Dominación Del Estado De Chile Contra El Pueblo Mapuche, Amanda Miller

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Este trabajo investiga el Programa de Educación Intercultural en la Escuela Chapod en la lX región de Chile. Se propone conocer el efecto del PEIB en el desarrollo de la identidad Mapuche. Se investiga mediante una etnografía en la comunidad Chapod, realizando observaciones de la escuela y entrevistas formales e informales. Esta etnografía es apoyada por entrevistas en la comunidad de Llaguepulli y Santiago. Se describe el PEIB en el contexto de la Escuela Chapod y la eficacia del programa en el contexto actual de la comunidad mapuche. Con los teorías de capital cultural y hegemonía, se encuentra que el …

An Examination Of Newbery Medal Books From The 1920s Through The 2000s: Biblical Perspective, Kimberly Fleming

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Content analysis was conducted to determine the frequency of the presence of positive Biblical virtues and paired opposite traits across 18 Newbery Medal books from the 1920s through the 2000s because the Newbery Award is a prestigious honor bestowed upon children's literature, and the criteria for selection among books specifically precludes the necessity of good character. The fruit of the spirit listed in Galatians 5:22 served as the rubric by which the characters' thoughts, dialogue, and actions were measured. Consensus data was recorded, and chi-square tests of independence were conducted after three readers examined the presence and frequency of each …

Enhancing The Team Experience In Service Learning Courses, Audrey Falk

Education Faculty Publications

Service learning is pervasive in higher education today, with 31 percent of students at Campus Compact member schools engaging in service activities (Campus Compact, 2009) and universities’ missions and strategic planning documents increasingly aimed at developing engaged citizens. Service learning has many potential benefits for college students; among those benefits is the opportunity to develop and practice teamwork skills. The present paper describes the strategies used in a team-based service learning course to support positive team experiences for students.

“Nos Trabalhamos Em Rede:” How The Instituto Povo Do Mar Utilizes Local Networks And Knowledge To Foster Empowerment., Cléa Major

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Instituto Povo do Mar (or IPOM) seeks to improve the lives of children in the favela of Serviluz through experiential education, providing classes in music, art, yoga, surfing, and other subjects. Previous studies have shown how surfing programs can provide immense psychological benefits for children who are at risk for trauma because of their impoverished environments, and the other classes that IPOM offers also give structural support to community children in various ways. In addition to the direct benefits that Serviluz children receive from these programs, IPOM also has a broader social justice goal in mind. The organization sees …

The Influence Of An Activity-Based Explicit Approach On The Turkish Prospective Science Teachers’ Conceptions Of The Nature Of Science, Suat Celik, Samih Bayrakceken

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of an activity-based explicit nature of science (NOS) instruction undertaken in the context of a “Science, Technology and Society” course on the prospective science teachers’ (PSTs’) understandings of NOS. In this course, social science based inquiry activities were used to as a context to lead reflection and explicit discussions and project based learning approach (PBL) was used to model an active student centred NOS teaching and learning. Participants were 36 senior PSTs. An adopted form of VNOS questionnaire along with semi-structured interviews was used to assess participants’ conceptions before and …

International Coordination And Response To The Quality Of Teaching In Refugee Camp Settings, Alexandra Box

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Refugee education has been evolving and developing since it was brought to the attention of the international community in the 1960s. Although education has become more accessible worldwide, the quality of this education has started to become a concern. Increasing the number of enrolled students in formal education systems is an achievement, but if half of these children drop out before the end of the school year what progress has really been made? Providing a quality system has long-term benefits that extend outside of the school setting, benefiting children, educators, parents and the rest of the community. In refugee camp …

Climate & Chemistry- An Introductory Course For First Year Students, Catrena Lisse, Chavonda Mills, Julia Metzker

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019) (Archived)

Students will be able to:

• explain multiple approaches that respond to problems in chemistry

• implement effective search strategies and evaluate sources of chemical information for relevance and authority.

• explain and analyze scientific evidence.

• form logical conclusions from the chemical information presented.

• understand the chemical properties of atoms, molecules, ions and gases.

• understand the chemical principles of stoichiometry, reactions in solutions, thermochemistry, atomic structure, periodicity and bonding.

• construct strategies to solve problems with integrated concepts and evaluate solutions

The Need To Teach Civility In Ece Classrooms, Michael Borders, Donna Borders

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019) (Archived)

Methods for the teaching of civility to teacher education candidates—the why, what and how—are premised on the current societal need to emphasize altruistic behaviors. Survey results from 120 teacher candidates and 120 clinical supervisors within an eight- county Georgia area will be exhibited along with research literature reviews, lesson plans, and pre- and post-test data analyses.

The Accuracy Of Metacomprehension Judgments: The Biasing Effect Of Text Order, Tracy Linderholm, Xuesong Wang, David J. Therriault, Qin Zhao, Laura Jakiel

Curriculum, Foundations & Reading: Faculty Publications

Introduction: Two experiments tested the hypothesis that relative metacomprehension accuracy is vulnerable when readers' cognitive efforts are biased by text order. It is proposed that the difficulty level of initial text information biases readers' estimates of text comprehension but is correctable when more cognitive effort is applied.

Method: In both experiments, participants were randomly assigned to read a series of expository texts in one of two text order conditions: easy-to-hard and hard-to-easy. Readers made estimates of their comprehension and took comprehension tests over their understanding of the texts in the series in order to determine relative metacomprehension accuracy.

Results: Experiment …

Ua41 Information Literacy And Critical Thinking: Applying Elements To Academic Research Practices In The First Year, Sara Mccaslin

UC Publications

No abstract provided.

Project Gaya: A Study Abroad Program Design For Fundación Operación Gaya Internacional, Lauren E. Johanson

Capstone Collection

Since 2008 Fundación Operación GAYA Internacional, a Costa Rican NGO has provided youth training and development programs to local youth in Costa Rica, empowering young people to be “architects” in the development of their own communities and to take the lead in creating a world that is more peaceful and just. Through the implementation of Project GAYA, the foundation will expand its programming to international youth for the first time.

The proposed program offers a comprehensive program design for a short-term study abroad experience for U.S. high school students to Costa Rica. Students will engage in experiential learning and critical …

Case Study Of A Participatory Health-Promotion Intervention In School, Venka Simovska

Democracy & Education

This article discusses the findings from a case study focusing on processes involving pupils to bring about health-promotion changes. The study is related to an EU intervention project aiming to promote health and well-being among children (4–16 years). Qualitative research was carried out in a school in the Netherlands. Data sources include project documents, interviews, and observations. Thematic analysis was carried out combining the different data sources. The case study shows that, if given sufficient guidance, children can act as agents of health-promoting changes. The main arena for youth influence was the pupil council. Pupils were meaningfully involved in two …

There Is No Culturally Responsive Teaching Spoken Here: A Critical Race Perspective, Cleveland Hayes, Brenda Juarez

Democracy & Education

In this article, we are concerned with White racial domination as a process that occurs in teacher education and the ways it operates to hinder the preparation of teachers to effectively teach all students. Our purpose is to identify and highlight moments within processes of White racial domination when individuals and groups have and make choices to support rather than to challenge White supremacy. By highlighting and critically examining moments when White racial domination has been instantiated and recreated within our own experiences, we attempt to open up a venue for imagining and re-creating teacher education in ways that are …

Effectiveness Of C-In-Ed Course For Inclusive Education: Viewpoint Of In-Service Primary Teachers In Southern Bangladesh, Asim Das, Toshiro Ochiai

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

The study was conducted to examine primary school teachers’ views on effectiveness of Certificate in Education (C-in-Ed) course in terms of teaching in inclusive classroom in Bangladesh. A number of one hundred forty two in-service teachers from fifty six mainstream primary schools in four southern districts participated in this study. Semi-structured interview and focus group discussion were carried out for data collection. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and general inductive analysis to synthesize into some key themes that are associated with present teacher education program. The major findings of the study revealed that lack of content on special …

Attendance Rates Of Special Populations In One Rural County, Julie Bright

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this current study is to determine if a difference exists in the attendance rates for special education students and low socioeconomic status students when compared to their peers who do not have these designations. The attendance data from one rural county school district for the years of 2007-2011 were examined to determine if a difference in the attendance rates did exist. Results from this research revealed that students receiving special education services were absent significantly more than their general education peers. However, students of low socioeconomic status were not absent any more than their peers who were …

Evaluating The Impact Of The Beginning Teacher Induction Program On The Retention Rate Of Beginning Teachers, Adriane Lenette Watkins Mingo

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation examined the Beginning Teacher Induction Program of a rural school system in North Carolina. The effects of mentoring, induction sessions, administrative support, ongoing staff development, and other support offered at the system level to beginning teachers were carefully analyzed.

The researcher used eight themes based on the objectives of the school system's Beginning Teacher Support Program: improving beginning teachers' skills and performance; supporting teacher morale; communications; collegiality; building a sense of professionalism and positive attitude; facilitating a smooth transition into the first and second years of teaching; putting theory into practice; preventing teacher isolation; building self-reflection; and retaining …