Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Enhancing Oral Language Experiences In The Pre-Kindergarten Setting, Anna Kearny

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate how an oral language emphasis benefits pre-kindergarten children in preparation for entry into kindergarten. This study investigated the concept of enhancing oral language activities in the classroom. Growth in the cognitive, social, and emotional areas in pre-kindergarten children was noted.

Experience-Based Dialogues In Secondary English-As-A-Second-Language Classrooms, Carlina V. Lobos

All Graduate Projects

An informal study was conducted to explore the effectiveness of experience-based dialogues in the promotion of oral language use in secondary-level English-As-A-Second-Language classrooms. The twenty-one dialogues field-tested in the project were developed interactively, by teacher and students, in the sociocognitive context of each of the learner's background knowledge, experience and immediate communication needs. Experience-based dialogues are a method of language teaching and learning that focuses on the communicative act rather than on isolated or discrete grammatical items. An overview of the results of the informal study was presented here. Strategies for teachers to develop and implement, using this approach, were …

Metacognitive Prereading Activities To Enhance Reading Comprehension, Katherine Laws

All Graduate Projects

This study investigated metacognitive prereading strategies content area teachers might utilize for process emphasis reading comprehension. The literature review showed the shift in reading comprehension instruction from a word based emphasis to an interactive process emphasis, described content area reading instruction and metacognition. A selection of metacognitive prereading activities was included for use by teachers in content area classrooms. Implications of using the activities were discussed.

Towards Teacher Efficacy: A Handbook For The Implementation And Development Of A Peer Coaching Program, Roy M. Abshire

All Graduate Projects

The relationship between successful implementation of the peer coaching process and the enhancing of teacher efficacy, student learning, and improvement of school climate was studied. Also examined was the assumption that successful implementation of peer coaching will require specific administrative support. The results of the study show support for a peer coaching program's ability to positively affect teacher efficacy, student learning, and the school climate. A handbook aiding the implementation and development of a peer coaching program is provided.

Implementation Of An Accelerated School's Project Model, Vipi Hansen Dorland

All Graduate Projects

The essential elements of an Accelerated School Project were described . This included the population to be served, the typical models of teaching and administering education for this population, the elements of the Accelerated School's Project Model, and the model for implementing the project in an elementary school. A journal of activities undertaken by John Muir Elementary in the Seattle School District as it implemented the Accelerated School's Project was included.

Roles, Responsibilities And Professional Preparation Of High School Department Chairs, Patricia J. Iverson

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this study was to identify and analyze roles, responsibilities, and professional preparation of high school department chairs by surveying persons who presently fulfill department chair responsibilities at the high school level in Grant County, Washington. A sample of 31 high school department chairs was surveyed using a survey instrument covering the roles, responsibilities, and preparation of high school department chairs. The results indicated professional preparation and training for the high school department chair were almost nonexistent; duties were not clearly defined; and individual competencies had no apparent relationship to the roles and responsibilities that were required of …

Cedar River Mini-School, Judy Anne Rene

All Graduate Projects

A mini-school was set up in Cedar River Elementary School in Maple Valley, Washington. The mini-school will keep the same students and teachers together for a three-year period of time. There will be a fourth, fifth, and sixth grade classroom, each with its own teacher. Research suggests that students in small schools perceive a closer, warmer relationship with their teachers, fellow students and other adults and a stronger connection with the school. This project presents a justification for and a description of the mini-school. The only conclusions reached come from the development of the mini-school, not in an evaluation of …

Emerging Practices In K-6 Multimedia Methods Of Instruction In The Bethel School District, Glenn E. Malone

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this study was to assess and describB the conditions and practices in the Bethel School District's elementary schools with regard to the use of a multimedia approach to instruction. A sample of the 260 classroom teachers, 13 principals, and 13 learning resource center specialists in the Bethel School District's 13 elementary schools (K-6) were surveyed using questionnaires covering the implementation of multimedia methods of instruction. The results showed current multimedia methods of instruction are rare in the elementary classrooms of the Bethel School District because of a lack of technological inservice and current multimedia hardware.

The Relationship Between School Learning Climate And Student Achievement, Craig Stanley Olson

All Graduate Projects

Based on the review of the literature and research, the relationship of school learning climate and student achievement is explored. Common ideological, organizational, and leadership factors characteristic of high-achieving, "effective" schools are identified and their relationships examined. Ideological factors identified are: 1) A belief that all students are expected by staff to reach high levels of achievement; 2) A belief that individual and school-wide performance on achievement tests is an appropriate goal and measure of school effectiveness; and 3) A belief that self-concept is an important factor in student achievement. Organizational factors identified are: 1) High degree of trust; 2) …

A Description Of The Changing Role Of The Elementary Principal, Joe Martinez

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this study was as follows:

a. to demonstrate the changing role of principals.

b. to describe the characteristics of this new role.

c. to contribute with research and literature in education.

The Effects Of Computer Assisted Esl Instruction On Limited English Proficient Students, Raul M. Sanchez

All Graduate Projects

A study was conducted to determine whether computer assisted instruction or the traditional ESL teaching method was more effective in teaching Limited English Proficient (LEP) students, English language proficiency. Twenty-two second grade subjects were separated into two groups at one elementary school in Yakima, Washington. The experimental group received computer assisted ESL instruction, while the control group was instructed with the traditional ESL teaching method. Analysis of the results supported the research hypotheses for one of the three dependent variables. The null hypothesis could not be rejected for a second variable, while for a third variable, a significant difference was …

A Handbook For Orientation Of First Year Teachers In The Walla Walla School District, Robert C. Maib

All Graduate Projects

The transition from student teacher to becoming a professional teacher can be a very trying experience. Research, interviews and studies were done to point out problems beginning teachers have in their first year of employment. Due to these problems, beginning teachers need to know where to go for help. Administrators, secretarial services and custodial services can be very beneficial to aid the beginning teacher in the first year of employment. The aim of this project is to create a handbook for beginning teachers in the Walla Walla School District with the research discussed.

The Organization Of A Learning Resource Center At The Christian And Missionary Alliance Church In Ellensburg, Washington, Robert Neil Gordon

All Graduate Projects

This paper presents an investigation into providing a model and designing and organizing a learning resource center (LRC) for the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church. Including existing and potential resources and/or media used in teaching and general church ministries, the plan makes provision for systematically using these resources by evaluation. Recommendations for the learning resource center were based on the review of related literature, the philosophy, goals and objectives of the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church and input from church members.

A Comparison Of Teacher Creativity And Organized Demeanor As Measured By The Tuckman Teacher Feedback Form, Deborah Joanne Karas

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this study was to make a comparison of personality variables between four essential dimensions of classroom climate. Creativity, Dynamism, Organized Demeanor, and Warmth and Acceptance were examined, with specific attention given to the relationship between Creativity and Organized Demeanor. The Tuckman Teacher Feedback Form, an instrument designed to measure these variables, was selected and implemented in this study. One hundred and eighteen teachers teaching in grade level positions that ranged from Kindergarten through the twelfth grade, were administered the Tuckman instrument during their annual evaluation period by their building administrators. After computing and comparing mean percentages, it …

Group Lesson Training Packet(S) On The Selection And The Uses Of Personal Computers In Ther Home, Cora Gladys Vowell

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project report was to provide a group lesson training packet on the selection and the uses of personal computers in the home including information on their history, their basic components, the criteria to evaluate the need for one, and resource materials available on the topic. The instructional materials developed included: a leader's guide, visual aids, a videocassette tape, an activity sheet, information sheets, two evaluation tools, and a partial listing of existing Extension instructional materials on microcomputers.

A Follow-Up Study Of Graduate Students Admitted To The Central Washington University Special Education Administrator Program, Richard P. Lynch

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine characteristics of those candidates who had been admitted into the Central Washington University Special Education Administrator Program in order to draw conclusions concerning identifying profiles; ascertain the extent to which the respondents perceived the required courses of instruction as relevant to subsequent educational functions; and finally to determine specific reason(s) for non completion of program leading to Washington State Program Administrator Certification.

Simplified Record-Keeping Project For The Yelm School District Elementary Schools, Jerry L. Higgins

All Graduate Projects

The relationships of student record-keeping, student learning objective tracking, and student progress reporting were studied. The management problems of these record-keeping processes, such as teacher time spent on paperwork, the overabundance of paperwork, and the duplication of labor were studied. The results of the study provided information for the design of a simplified record-keeping project for the Yelm School District elementary schools.

A Follow-Up Study To Determine Selected Characteristics And Perceptions Regarding The Academic Preparation Of Master Degree Graduates Who Majored In School Administration: Central Washington University 1976-1981, Richard P. Lynch

All Graduate Projects

The purposes of this study were (1) to determine selected demographic characteristics of master degree graduates, who majored in school administration, and who graduated from the Graduate Division of Education since the 1976 Summer quarter through the 1981 Summer quarter; (2) to ascertain the extent to which these graduates perceived the courses of instruction in their academic preparationas being relevant to subsequent educational administration functions; and (3) to determine additional courses of instruction, not in the present curriculum, that these selected graduates perceived would be professionally relevant to current educational administrative functions.

Development Of The Minimum Competency Exam In Mathematics For The Hoquiam School District, John Daniel Descher

All Graduate Projects

Two competency exams (Test A and Test B) were constructed and field tested on high school students in the Hoquiam School District. Individual results were compared to respective Stanford Achievement Test scores. Statistical analyses were performed to investigate population differences. Results from Test A were compared to results from Test B. Also, differences between performances of juniors and seniors were analyzed. A further statistical analysis was performed to compare performances between boys and girls.

Media Effectiveness Training, Robert Lee Davis

All Graduate Projects

An analysis of the Tolt Junior-Senior High School faculty's use of instructional media showed a need for a program designed to increase the effective use of the Learning Resource Center's available media. This project consisted of developing a series of inservice classes designed to train the teachers to better utilize the overhead, opaque, slide, filmstrip, and 16mm projectors, tape recorders, VTR, microfiche reader/printer, and dry mount press. Appropriate examples have been produced in each medium and a tool created for the evaluation of the inservice program.

Camas School District; Mathematics Curriculum, Student Learning Objectives K-8, Gregory C. Strohmaier

All Graduate Projects

The Camas School District; Student Learning Objectives (K-8) is designed to help school district personnel comply with Washington State Student Learning Objectives Law RCW 28A.58.090, which requires that all school districts in the state of Washington develop student learning objectives in the areas of reading, language arts, and mathematics. This guide was developed to identify, clarify, and catagorize, sets of goals and student learning objectives which will improve students' learning opportunities in the area of mathematics, and at the same time provide direction for the classroom teacher.

This guide does not reflect all of the goals and objectives taught at …

A Study Guide For Eigth Grade Developmental Reading Based On Cooper And Petrosky's Strategies, Barbara Ann Trezise

All Graduate Projects

A study guide, to increase students' ability to use study skills, to read expository and narrative material with greater fluency, and to maintain positive attitudes towards reading, was developed using Cooper and Petrosky's (1976) "A Psycholinguistic View of the Fluent Reading Process." Sequential lessons were designed from available printed materials. A pre/post test attitude scale, study habits survey, and standardized reading achievement tests were administered. Modified miscue analysis provided diagnostic information.

A Teaching Strategy Using Visual Literacy Skills In Grades Four Through Six, Mark Truman Collins

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of the project was to develop a brief curriculum which would provide classroom activities related to visual literacy. The project was focused on grades four, five, and six. Visual literacy activities were developed to be used as learning experiences to develop specific visual skills. Other activities were also developed to be used as teaching aids in the subject areas of language arts and reading. The lessons were then tested on a limited basis in classroom situations. The results of the tests showed the activities to be functional and motivational.

Values And Art Education, Rob Prout

All Graduate Projects

The following series of four articles represents some of my current concerns in art education. The articles are a result of explorations in contemporary writings by people from various fields of endeavor and a condensation and evaluation of the input from these several sources. The first three articles are a progression from current rationale in art education, to the importance of art in formulating values relative to our environment, to a discussion of the use of the t'elevision medium in art education. The fourth article is in the form of a T.V. workbook that might be used in art (or …

Team Teaching - Elementary And Secondary, Raymond L. Peterson Jr.

All Graduate Projects

With so many schools taking a serious look at teaming procedures, our educational system is becoming more open to new innovative programs, cooperative planning, and a variety of staff utilization possibilities. A first year teacher or teacher new to team teaching may find such a program too challenging unless a situation is provided to orient the prospective teacher into an open-concept, nongraded, or flexible building where team teaching is taking place.

This project was undertaken because beginning teachers usually do not receive sufficient indepth training for working in team teaching situations. It is the intent of the writer to:

(a) …