Educational Methods Commons^™

Identifying Preschool Students In Need Of Early Intervention, Cassie Delso Wells

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate a screening instrument targeting identification of preschool students in need of early intervention in order to determine the screening instrument's predictive validity. This study specifically examined the relationship between student scores on the DIALS and student achievement in reading at the end of first grade. All participants in the study were residing on Alaska's North Slope and the majority were Alaska Natives. The remote geographic location of the North Slope along with the ancient traditions of the Inupiat Eskimos, including the Inupiaq language that is still spoken among the residents of the …

The Relationship Between Learning Styles And Student Performance On The Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test In A Low Performing, Low Socioeconomic-Status School, Joseph Lassale Williams

Dissertations

The intention of this research was to bring light to the current state mandated testing, and possible solutions in assisting educators to address the issues of students not meeting the standards. In more general terms, this study is looking to prove to what extent a student's learning style has on their performance on the Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test (PACT). This study analyzed four of the twenty-six learning preference areas identified by the Learning Style Instrument (LSI) of middle school students in a traditional public middle school in seventh grade. The four areas that were looked at were kinesthetic, tactile, auditory, …

Student Achievement And Teacher Perception In Small Schools And Large Schools, Frances Irene Dearman

Dissertations

The study analyzed student achievement in various school sizes and teachers' perceptions of relationships and interactions with colleagues, students, and parents depending on the size of the school in which teachers work. The purpose was to assist school leaders when they are faced with decisions about school size.

Simple linear regression was used to analyze the relationship of achievement and school size of fourth-grade students. The variables mathematics achievement and size and language arts achievement and size were positively correlated. These findings suggest that as the size of a school increases, achievement increases. After holding the variables socioeconomic status and …

An Analysis Of The Career Maturity Levels Of Intellectually Gifted Adolescents, Yolanda Yvette Baker Cobb

Dissertations

This research project was conducted to analyze the career maturity level scores of intellectually gifted middle school students. The Career Maturity Inventory-Revised (Crites & Savickas, 1995) was used to compare the career-choice readiness of the intellectually gifted students to their typical middle school-age peers, as well as to the 9th through 12th graders in the norm sample. In addition, a comparison of the career maturity levels of intellectually gifted male and female 6th and 7th graders was also conducted. It was also hypothesized that the intellectually gifted students' career maturity score would increase as the students' grade level increased T-tests …

Educational Games Increase Learning Effectiveness: A Case Study, Shonda R. Hoyt

All Graduate Projects

Educators of all age groups-whether they be elementary, secondary, or postsecondary- have long recognized and known that there is a strong connection between student engagement in the learning process and student success. Given the environment in which we teach in today, with its growing diversity, larger class sizes, increased focus on high-stakes testing, and ever- expanding poverty levels, it is essential that teachers incorporate new teaching techniques into their classrooms as a tool for better engaging students in their own learning. To that end, this paper reviews the purported benefits of educational games in the classroom setting as a tool …

The Impact Of Service Learning On Moral Development And Moral Orientation, Matthew L. Bernacki Phd, Elizabeth A. Jaeger

Educational Psychology, Leadership, and Higher Education Faculty Research

Research on Service-learning's (SL) impact on students' moral development has been "mixed." In this study, 46 students in SL and non-SL sections of comparable courses offered at a northeastern Catholic university completed the Defining Issues Test, the Moral Justification Scale, and the SL Outcome Scale at the beginning and end of a semester. Although scores on moral development and orientation did not change significantly, SL students reported becoming more compassionate and more sensitive, having a greater understanding of and ability to solve social problems, and possessing a greater efficacy to make the world better. While a single-semester exposure to SL …

Motivating Students: Identifying And Motivating Reluctant Learners To Reach Their Academic Potential, Kim Yeager

All Graduate Projects

Motivation plays an important role in determining how well a child will perform in school (Philips & Lindsay, 2006). Regardless of how intelligent or capable a student may be if the student is not motivated to do well then their academic performance will be less than it could have been with some motivation. Teachers need to understand why some students are motivated to try hard in school and why some students are not. This understanding will lead teachers to understand why their students are not reaching their academic potential. The purpose of this project was to design a guide that …

Staff Perceptions Of Structure, Process, And School Readiness Outcomes In Private South Florida Child Care Centers, Deborah Mazzeo

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

The quality of child care centers and school readiness outcomes continue to be important topics in the State of Florida since policymakers, school districts, and child care centers, in August 2005, began to implement the Voluntary Prekindergarten Program. The problem area of child care is whether various characteristics of child care center programs result in different outcomes for children's development.

Qualities of child care centers can be attributed to structure and process variables. A theoretical framework that is grounded in Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory is discussed. The structure-process-outcome model of quality and Spady's outcome-based education model were combined to explain the …

Western Guide To Graduate Supervision, Elizabeth Skarakis-Doyle, Gayle L. Mcintyre

Purple Guides

Based on the experiences of Western's graduate supervisors, this 30 page guide addresses the supervision of graduate students and focuses on best practices in mentoring, promoting student progress, and clarifying expectations in the supervisor-student relationship.

Results Of The Accreditation Process To Guide Postsecondary Certificate-Granting Institution Improvement, Sherri E. Nash

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Research gaps exist in knowledge about postsecondary certificate-granting institutions, as well as results of accreditation processes. This qualitative study focuses on national accreditation results that can: 1) define strengths and improvement areas in these institutions; 2) determine why action is taken or not taken on accreditation recommendations; and 3) identify results, strengths, and challenges of accreditation. This research base can guide improvements in these institutions and the North Central Association – Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI) process. The population was 125 accredited schools in ten states, representing 96% of all NCA CASI accredited public, postsecondary institutions. Methods …

Technology-Aided Participative Methods In Environmental Assessment: An International Perspective, Ainhoa Gonzalez, Alan Gilmer, Ronan Foley, John Sweeney, John Fry

Articles

Provisions for citizen involvement in the assessment of potential environmental effects of certain plans, programmes and projects are present in current legislation. An international survey revealed that public participation is common practice in European and some other countries worldwide. However, a number of issues are observed to affect public involvement in EIA/SEA processes and expert opinion differs when evaluating the effectiveness of existing participative methods. Results suggest that technology-aided methods can improve traditional participation processes. In particular, GIS has the potential to increase community knowledge and enhance involvement by communicating information more effectively. Variable accessibility to technology and data quality …

Western Guide To Mentorship In Academia, Donald Gordon Cartwright

Purple Guides

This guide addresses the importance of mentoring for new faculty members, describes the pros and cons of various mentorship models, and offers advice for mentors and mentees.

Secondary Students' Perceptions Of Web-Based Learning, Michael K. Barbour

Education Faculty Publications

This article presents the results of a survey study of secondary students' perceptions of useful and challenging characteristics of Web-based learning environments. Data were collected using a modified version of a questionnaire from earlier studies. More specifically, the author focuses on what Web-based learning looks like for secondary students, along with their perceptions of the benefits, challenges, and helpful components of Web-based learning environments. As this study utilized similar instruments to earlier studies that looked at the perceptions of postsecondary students and corporate Web-based trainees, comparisons will be made between the secondary students in this study and the populations in …

How Are They Doing?: Examining Student Achievement In Virtual Schooling, Michael K. Barbour, Dennis Mulcahy

Education Faculty Publications

Six years ago the Centre for Distance Learning and Innovation began a virtual high school within the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Designed primarily to provide courses in specialized areas to students in rural areas, where schools have difficulty in attracting second language, mathematics and science teachers. However, there has been some concern that the opportunities provided by this virtual high school are "second rate" or only able to cater to independent, self-motivated students. The purpose of the study is to examine the student achievement in standardized public exams and final course scores in the province between different delivery …

Effective Teaching & Teaching Evaluation Practices: Canadian University Geography Departments, Susan Vajoczki

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In this thesis teaching evaluation practices in Canadian university geography departments are examined. The objective of this research is to identify good practices for teaching evaluation that can be applied within geography departments at Canadian universities and may be applicable to other departments and within other countries. In order to meet this goal a number of research questions were identified. These include:

1. What is effective teaching in higher education?;
2. What is effective teaching within the discipline of geography in higher education?;
3. How and why is teaching evaluated in higher education?;
4. What is the breadth of teaching evaluation practices currently used …

No Child Left Behind: A Historical Perspective Of Its Influence On Student Testing And High School Dropout Rates In Erie County, New York (2001-2006), Mary Jo Dudek

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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College Students’ Perceptions Of Their "Best" And "Worst" Courses And Instructors, Debra S. Emmelman, Michael Decesare

Sociology Faculty Publications

This paper presents results from a content analysis of college students' descriptions of their "best" and " worst " courses and instructors. We were interested primarily in two issues: how college students evaluate their courses , and the extent to which they emphasize various dimensions in their evaluations. We found that students evaluated their course experiences along seven interrelated dimensions: factors external to the course, level of tedium, classroom activities, classroom atmosphere, instructor's comportment, workload/assignments/grading issues, and acquisition of knowledge and skills. These dimensions were emphasized to different degrees and tended to vary in oppositional manners according to the type …

Evaluation Of An Adult Education Technology Program, Iwasan D. Kejawa

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

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the adult education technology program at a chartered alternative adult education center in Florida. The adult education center had a low rate of students passing the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). This study examined the impact of the use of computer technology in an effort to improve student learning in mathematics, reading, and science. Computers at the institution were used by all students for tutorials to prepare them for the FCAT and to obtain a high school diploma. The research questions for this study were as follows: 1. Is the education technology …

The Effects Of The Fast Start Program On The Reading Achievement Of Emergent And Beginning Readers: A Replication And Extension, Pamela R. Mears

Doctor of Education (EdD)

This study replicated the Stevenson (2001) study to determine the effectiveness of the Fast Start parent tutoring program on student success in reading achievement. The current study attempted to enlarge the original study's sample size, include kindergarten students in the program, and determine the optimal length of training time for parents needed. Additionally, data gathered from the parent participants were analyzed including parent's perceptions of the program, their confidence level in tutoring their child, and the parents' level of mastery of the concepts of tutoring before working with their child. At the beginning of the school year, 36 kindergarten parent-student …

A Personalized Art Curriculum That Promotes Art Advocacy, Nicole Marie Walters

All Graduate Projects

The following project shows the development of a personalized drawing curriculum that will encourage students to become art advocates. The curriculum is based upon art history and is designed for students to relate historical ideas to their own lives. This personalization will help students learn more about art as a form of communication. Through this art experience, students will see the value of art in their own education and it is hoped that in the future, when these students are adults they will be advocates for the arts.

Principles Of Effective Web-Based Content For Secondary School Students: Teacher And Developer Perceptions, Michael K. Barbour

Education Faculty Publications

In this article, I describe findings from a study of the perceptions of course developers and electronic teachers on the principles of effective asynchronous web-based content design for secondary school students. Through interviews, participants' perceptions of various web-based components and instructional strategies, and the effectiveness of both based upon the experiences of the participants were investigated in a virtual high school context for the purpose of generating a list of guidelines that future course developers might utilize.

Learning Styles: A Focus Upon E-Learning Practices And Their Implications For Successful Instructional Design, Morris Cooze, Michael Barbour

Education Faculty Publications

With the proliferation of online learning into the K-12 learning environment, the focus of investigation needs to shift specific studies that pertain to this environment. One such area of investigation surrounds the development of specific online course content and the individualized learning styles of the students in these online learning environments. This review focuses upon the vast body of literature for the post-secondary online learner and argues the case for additional research in K-12 education. While recent studies have started the process of changing this focus, as online learning becomes more prevalent and accepted as a means of learning at …

A Reading Apprenticeship Model For Improving Literacy: A Pre-Service Teacher Case Study, Divonna M. Stebick, Diana J. Pool, Jonelle Pool

Education Faculty Publications

A major challenge of today's standards-based assessment movement targets the need to address and improve the achievement of struggling readers. As teacher education programs must prepare content teachers to address the challenges of teaching students who lack reading skills, we need to prepare out pre-service teachers to help students make meaning while reading any text. To accomplish such a goal, comprehension instruction must be explicit, direct, and effective. As VanDeWeghe (2004b) notes, even though students may still need development as readers at the secondary level, there may be confusion surrounding where reading instruction is addressed in the secondary curriculum. After …

Social Constructivist E-Learning: A Case Study, Michael K. Barbour, Peter Rich

Education Faculty Publications

This paper considers the use of Knowledge Forum to complete a curriculum-based project with students enrolled in asynchronous, web-based Advanced Placement courses in Canada and the United States. Knowledge Forum is an online database that promotes written interaction in a social constructivist environment. The paper looks at how students utilized the system to enhance learning, more so than traditional environments, at both lower-order and higher-order levels.

From The Co-Editors

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

No abstract provided.

Technology Follows Technique: Refocusing The Observational Lens, Anton Brinckwirth, Elizabeth M. Kissling, Kathryn Murphy-Judy, Carlos Valencia

Latin American, Latino and Iberian Studies Faculty Publications

Digital video is being applied to teacher training, development, and evaluation. This chapter evokes theories and practices of performance observation and improvement. It demonstrates facilitative media used in the design and implementation of a current interinstitutional project by the authors. Simultaneously, the implications of teaching evaluation techniques caught in the lens of digital observation technologies lead to considerations of their personal and social impact on the field of world language teacher training and professional development in the 21st Century. A more communal and non-hierarchical approach, called peer coaching, is advanced with a value-added digital video and e-community twist.

Quality In Education: Teaching And Leadership In Challenging Times. Vol. 1, Sajid Ali, Meher Rizvi

Books

No abstract provided.

Demonstrating Experiential Learning At The Graduate Level Using Portfolio Development And Reflection, David Winslow Rausch

Dissertations

Problem. Various guidelines for assessment have been developed in an effort to promote academic quality and integrity for educational programs that recognize experiential learning. The purpose of this present study was to determine the extent to which experiential learning and assessment, through portfolio development, help adult students in a graduate-degree program demonstrate graduate-level learning and competency.

Method. This qualitative single-case study used the assessment processes and outcomes elements of the Jackson and Maclsaac process model to analyze the use of reflective practice and the use of portfolios in a graduate education program. Data were triangulated using individual interviews and the …

Factors Which Impact The Conduct Of Fifth Grade African-American Males, Derricka Bashetta Thomas

Dissertations

This study examines the factors that impact the conduct of fifth grade African- American male students who participated in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten (ECLS-K). The participants in this study are located throughout the United States of America. These students attend private and public schools. The data for this study were provided by the National Center of Education Statistics (NCES), a division of the U.S. Department of Education. The researcher utilized ECLS-K’s Public Use Data File and Electronic Codebook to create an SPSS syntax file in order to measure the factors that impact the conduct of fifth grade African- American …

The Effect Of Athletic Training Program Course Progression And Implementation Of Course Progression On First-Time Success Rate On The Board Of Certification Examination, Matthea S. Hungerford

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Context: For optimal preparation for the Board of Certification (BoC) examination, the environment in which a student learns should be designed to disseminate the appropriate knowledge in a sequenced, timely manner. Objective: To determine if there is a relationship between progression of courses (prevention and care, first evaluation course, rehabilitation, modalities, organization and administration) and their respective timing on first-time pass rate of the written and overall BoC examination. Design: Multiple Pearson correlational analyses. Setting: Web-based survey. Patients or Other Participants: Program directors from 31 Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) accredited entry-level undergraduate athletic training education …