Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Effects Of Student-Centered, Inquiry-Based Teaching On Performance, Attitudes, And Efficacy, Brad Bailey, Karen Briggs, Tom Cooper

SoTL Commons Conference

As part of research supported by the Educational Advancement Foundation, the authors conducted a quasi-experimental study comparing the effects of a student-centered and inquiry-based teaching technique, known as a Modified Moore Method or MMM, with those of lecture-based teaching methods. To study the students' attitudes, beliefs and self-efficacy and performance, the students were asked to complete a survey twice each semester and take a common final exam. This panel session includes a description of what MMM entails, what the students and instructors do both in class and out, and how MMM could be used in other classes. We will discuss …

Investigating Peer Review As An Intentional Learning Strategy To Foster Collaborative Knowledge-Building In Students Of Instructional Design, Jennifer M. Brill, Charles B. Hodges

Leadership, Technology & Human Development: Faculty Publications

Peer review has been advocated for as an intentional strategy to support the knowledge and skill attainment of adult learners preparing for professional practice, including those students preparing for instructional design and technology practice. The purposes of this article are to discuss the practical application of peer review as an instructional strategy by articulating its use in both face-to-face and online Instructional Design courses and to formulate directions for future research on the use of peer review in instructional practice. Findings from a literature review of student-to-student peer review and the authors' experiences with the use of peer review in …

Empowering The Scholarship Of Teaching And Learning: Towards An Authentic Practice, Carolin Kreber

SoTL Commons Conference

In this presentation my aim is to look at the different kinds of questions that can be asked as part of the scholarship of teaching and learning and the different types of knowledge these questions might generate. I will explore and unpack the meaning of the now common notion of ‘SoTL research’ and compare it to an alternative or complementary notion of scholarship, that of ‘SoTL practice’. The latter I will argue is not just characterized by context-specific inquiries into the effectiveness of certain teaching strategies in bringing about particular learning outcomes but by questions that are directed at values …

Sustained Employment Of Teachers In High Poverty Schools, Karen Jean Davis

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Author's abstract: The researcher's purpose of this study was to understand from the lived experiences of teachers in high poverty schools the reasons they remained in these schools. A qualitative method was used to conduct the study, which involved interviews with eight teachers (4 elementary, 2 middle and 2 high), one principal and the Superintendent who responded to open-ended interview questions. The interview questions were designed to elicit responses to the research questions and interview questions. The researcher coded transcripts from the interviews for recurring themes and patterns. Field notes from before and after each interview, as well as district …

How Do You Get Student Buy-In To A "Wonderful (To You)" Teaching Innovation?, Wendy L. Keeney-Kennicutt, Adalet Baris Gunersel, Nancy J. Simpson

SoTL Commons Conference

One difficulty in adopting new classroom tools is persuading students to accept an educational technique out of their comfort zone. Our study investigated student perceptions when Calibrated Peer Review (CPR)™, a web-based program that uses writing for learning and assessing, was introduced into a general chemistry college classroom, and the strategies that helped convert initial intense opposition into acceptance and engagement. We will share the mistakes made, the reasons for students' like or dislike of CPR, the 4 year path taken to understand the issues and modify its implementation for a more positive classroom experience, and why the instructor persisted …

Dispositions Related To Successful Co-Teaching Teams At The Secondary Level: A Case-Based Study Of Three Secondary Co-Teaching Teams, Zabrina U. Cannady

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the dispositions of successful co-teachers in the Houston County school district in order to gain insight into the establishment of successful collaborative relationships. Data for this study was collected through multiple observations and follow up/exit interviews with six teachers participating in the co-teaching model in the Houston county school district. Findings indicated the presence of dispositions identified in the literature as essential for successful co-teachers, to include positive attitude, empathy, insight, and the use of pedagogical strategies. In addition to the four observed categories, the participants also identified administrative support, creativity in …

The Literary Coach As Instructional Leader: How Three Literacy Coaches In Rural Georgia Improve Teacher Practices, Carletha Y. Doyle

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Author's abstract: The bar has been raised on student achievement in the United States and on teaching quality as well. Compelling evidence confirms that a teacher's mastery of the academic content of what he or she teaches is critical to engaging students and inspiring them to academic excellence (Addey, 2000; Wilkinson, 2002). In order to truly impact instructional effectiveness, transformations must occur on the frontlines as teachers put research based theories into practice. A major obstacle facing literacy coaches and leadership teams is identifying an effective implementation model and practice that promotes and support high quality literacy instruction through direct, …

Review Of After Education: Anna Freud, Melanie Klein, And Psychoanalytic Histories Of Learning By Deborah Britzman, Marla Morris

Curriculum, Foundations & Reading: Faculty Publications

This review was published in the Journal of the Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies.

Reconceptualizing Mathematics Education, Melinda Ann Smith

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations (1964–2006)

This dissertation is to explore theoretically mathematics education in the United States and the need for reconcepualizing mathematics education. Mathematics education needs reconceptualizing because students know very little mathematics by the time they graduate from high school. Mathematics has become a subject to be feared and dreaded for centuries. High school teachers blame middle school teachers, middle school teachers blame elementary teachers, and elementary teachers blame parents for their students' lack of preparedness in mathematics. Elementary teachers express frustration in teaching mathematics because of their own lack of content knowledge and lack of preparation for the mathematics component of their …

An Archaeology Of Pain, Dennis Michael Gruber

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations (1964–2006)

Pain is a discursive construct of science and medicine. Through the discourses of biopower and technoscience pain is used to construct and maintain the social body. Biopower and technoscience are discursive practices that are enveloped within the disciplines of Western society. Specifically, the disciplines of education, science, and medicine use biopower and technoscience to normalize the body and construct binaries which create the abnormal. The cyborg is a discursive practice used to implode the binaries of the disciplines which maintain the social body. Through the implosion of binaries, the binary of mind/body is no longer plausible in the explanation of …

The Nostalgic Turn And The Politics Of Ressentiment, William M. Reynolds

Curriculum, Foundations & Reading: Faculty Publications

The Greatest Generation, Band of Brothers, We Were Soldiers, Nick at Night, and the confederate battle flag. We are looking backward, because looking forward is too problematic. We are living within a global conservative restoration, which has gained intensity since 9/11 and gained further solidification since the most recent elections. Ira Shor elaborated the concept of the conservative restoration in his text, Culture Wars: School and Society in the Conservative Restoration 1969-1984 (1986).

A Study Of Elementary Teachers' Abilities, Attitudes, And Beliefs About Problem Solving, Nancy Mullins Brown

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations (1964–2006)

Problem solving has been alternately viewed as the justification for the study of mathematics or as the impetus and means for studying mathematics. This study examines characteristics—attitudes toward problem solving, beliefs about problem solving, and abilities to solve problems—of elementary teachers of grades three, four, and five that relate to problem solving.

Participants completed a two-part survey to quantify their attitudes and beliefs and a problem-solving activity which quantified their problem-solving abilities. Four participants were subsequently interviewed. Analyses showed that these teachers had generally positive attitudes toward problem solving, generally positive beliefs about problem solving, and generally poor problem-solving abilities. …

An Inquiry Into Gardner's Theory Of Multiple Intelligences And Strengths Of Students Placed In Special Education Under Mildly Disabled Categories, Kathryn Sandiford Harrell

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations (1964–2006)

This study explored the strengths displayed by 4th-5th grade students placed in special education under mildly disabled categories as compared to the intelligences defined by Howard Gardner in his Theory of Multiple Intelligences (Gardner, 1983, 1999). These categories consist of Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) and Mildly Intellectually Disabled (MUD). Critics maintain that special education has been focused on the weaknesses of students while overlooking their strengths (Miller, 1993; Armstrong, 2000). Under new legislation and new performance goals for special education, the time has come to focus on students' strengths and equal opportunities for students to learn the curriculum mandated by …

Struggling High School Readers' Responses To A Literature-Rich Curriculum, Fran Harrison Stephens

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations (1964–2006)

The purpose of this study was to determine how struggling readers in 11th grade Applied Communications classes responded to literary texts that are typically taught to college-prep students. Differentiation of literature for college-prep and techprep students began in the early twentieth century; since then, noncollege-bound students have traditionally studied literary texts that have been rewritten on a lower reading level to accommodate struggling readers in these classes. In this research project, I taught 11th grade Applied Communications students the same literature that college-prep students read; using a qualitative research design, I analyzed the impact of this literature on these students. …

The Motivational Stories Of How Women Become Scientists: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Inquiry, Sandra White Watson

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations (1964–2006)

The under-representation of women in science careers is well documented (Astin, Green, Kom, & Riggs, 1991; Felder, Felder, Mauny, Hamrin, & Dietz, 1995; Green, 1989; National Science Foundation, 1996, 1998; Seymour & Hewitt, 1997; Strenta, Elliot, Adair, Scott, & Matier, 1994; Tobias, 1990, 1992). While important information has been published concerning various factors that influenced women to pursue science careers (American Association of University Women, 1992; Debacker & Nelson, 2000; Samuels, 1999), very few research projects have allowed women scientists to share their personal experiences ofwhat motivated them to become scientists in their own voices.

The purpose of this inquiry …

Listening To Recent High School Dropouts And The Need To Reconceptualize School Violence Prevention, Beatrice A. Geddie

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations (1964–2006)

As the high school dropout rates in Georgia exceed the national average, public concern mounts. The complex interactions of internal and external factors that contribute to students' decisions to leave school before graduation require reconceptualizing the educational process on multiple levels. This dissertation addresses current public school policies designed to prevent violent acts and punish offenders, policies that reveal limited understanding of underlying causes, deterministic assumptions and an overwhelming desire for quick fixes. Interviewees deemed many of these policies not only ineffectual, but also as contributing to a negative school climate that encouraged them to drop out. Furthermore, some participants …

Student Perceptions And Use Of Electronic Financial Aid Service Delivery, Kerri L. Chapman

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations (1964–2006)

Few argue the premise that financial aid is one of the most vital services offered to college students. Over fifty percent of today's college tuition is actually paid by some form of student aid, whether it is from federal, state, private, or institutional resources. The public perception of the role of financial aid has changed drastically since its inception, the acceleration of which over the past decade has been staggering. The face of higher education itself has undergone a metamorphosis of sorts, with technological advancements at the forefront of the change. Technology has revolutionized the way we do business in …

Messages For Girls: Looking At The Representation Of Women's Short Fiction In American Literature High School Anthologies, Aurelia Ramage Tippett

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations (1964–2006)

The purpose of this qualitative study was to answer the question "What messages about the image of womanhood are available to adolescent females in female-authored short fiction that appears in a variety of American literature textbooks used since 1965, a few years preceding racial integration and widespread coverage of the women's movement in rural Georgia, through 2000?"

Five American literature anthologies that were used in the Laurens County Georgia School System for instruction in the required American literature course since 1965 were collected. Short fiction written by women was identified and then the researcher identified those women writers whose short …

Women In Public Middle School Administration In Georgia: A Feminist Analysis Of The Perceptions Of Women In Power, Karen L. Doty

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations (1964–2006)

The field of educational leadership is currently experiencing an era of educational change. Women who work in primarily male-dominated careers as principals of middle schools have experienced a variety of complex issues related to their leadership roles and their gender roles. There has been a notable increase in the number of female principals in Georgia, and in the nation, therefore the role of the principal was studied to determine how much this role has changed. Feminist standpoint theory was used to provide different insights and perspectives about the problem of marginalization of women in educational administration. Georgia middle school principals …

Senior Project: A Paradox In Critical Pedagogy, Mark Allen Winters

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations (1964–2006)

High school education is currently based upon technicist pedagogy, transforming education into mere technical training for the workforce. The regimen of testing in schools standardizes experiences and fails to provide a complete view of what students know and are able to do. Students need freedom to question and to insert their own interests into what they are studying. Such freedom provides more than preparation for graduation; it provides emancipatory education. I focused on a single curricular program—Senior Project. My research questioned, "Can Senior Project provide high school students with the freedom to study topics of personal interest and the freedom …

Student Leaders: Are There Differences With Institutional Satisfaction?, Ginny L. Van Rie

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations (1964–2006)

This quantitative study investigates differences in student leaders" satisfaction with their institution. An adapted form of the ACT Student Opinion Survey (four-year-form) is administered to 103 student leaders representing two types of leadership positions, those selected or hired by the institution and those elected by their peers. Descriptive statistics and independent t-tests indicate only 2 significant differences in the satisfaction areas assessed. Both groups of student leaders tend to have moderate to high levels of satisfaction with their institution. However, selected/hired student leaders have more homogeneous satisfaction scores than the student leaders elected by their peers. Hired student leaders indicate …

A Study Of Elementary Teachers' Attitudes Toward Mathematics Instruction And Mathematics Teaching Methods Used In The Elementary Classroom, William Otis Lacefield Iii

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations (1964–2006)

This study involved an investigation of elementary (grades K-4) teachers' attitudes toward mathematics instruction and the mathematics teaching methods elementary teachers plan and implement in the classroom setting. The population consisted of 492 elementary teachers (grades K-4) currently teaching in the Bibb County, Georgia, Public School System. The sample represented a cluster sampling of the population and consisted of 90 elementary teachers currently teaching in six public elementary schools. One inner city school, four suburban schools, and one rural/semirural school were randomly selected. The research design used was a correlational design. The sets of data considered were elementary teachers' self-expressed …

Survey Of Student Satisfaction With Financial Aid Services, Elise Wrye Boyett

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations (1964–2006)

Financial aid offices exist in virtually every postsecondary institution in the United States. They disburse money to students in a variety of methods, including scholarships and grants with no repayment requirements, and various loans with payback responsibilities varying in terms of time, rate of interest, and who pays. Institutions use financial aid funds for multiple purposes — to attract highly qualified students, to attract students to specific programs, and to assist students who would not otherwise be able to attend. Thus, financial aid and student enrollment are closely related.

Over the last 40 years, the primary purpose of financial aid …

Teachers' Life Histories As Curriculum Context, Rebekah D. Kelleher

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations (1964–2006)

This qualitative study focuses on the teacher as curriculum enactor. Using life history methodology, the study explores how ordinary teachers' life experiences impact their present classroom decisions. The purpose of the study is three-fold: to give voice to the classroom teacher as curriculum expert; to encourage reflective practice; and to contribute to curriculum knowledge by focusing on the enacted curriculum. Three female middle school teachers participated in structured and unstructured interviews in which they shared their life stories and reflected on the origin of their teacher knowledge and behavior. The researcher reviewed transcripts of interviews and notes from observations of …

An Examination Of Georgia Middle School Teachers' And Principals' Beliefs About The Nctm Standards, Factors Influencing The Change Process, And The Role Of Identified Principals During The Mathematics Reform Effort In Georgia, Lynn Deal Futch

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations (1964–2006)

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) recommended that schools implement its Standards because they believed that the Standards improved students' mathematical ability. Every mathematics teacher in the state of Georgia had the opportunity to attend or be a part of a workshop, conference, or project involving suggestions for implementing the Standards in the classroom The problem for Georgia educators was to determine if these Standards were being perceived by principals and teachers, the key change agents, as having merit enough to change their views of how mathematics should be taught. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to …