Educational Methods Commons^™

Teaching Algebra Through Functional Programming:An Analysis Of The Bootstrap Curriculum, Robert Lee

Theses and Dissertations

Bootstrap is a computer-programming curriculum that teaches students to program video games using Racket, a functional programming language based on algebraic syntax. This study investigated the relationship between learning to program video games from a Bootstrap course and the resulting effect on students' understanding of algebra. Courses in three different schools, lasting about six weeks each, were studied. Control and treatment groups were given a pre and post algebra assessment. A qualitative component consisting of observations and interviews was also used to further triangulate findings. Statistical analysis revealed that students who completed the Bootstrap course gained a significantly better understanding …

An Examination Of Middle School Counselors' Comfort With Technology, Patricia Christina Roddy

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the differences in comfort with technology in middle school counselors in South Carolina. The researcher’s goal was to determine the effects of years of experience, technology training, gender, and age on middle school counselors’ comfort with technology.

After a review of literature, it was determined that this study was warranted to determine middle school counselors’ comfort with technology. As technology progresses, it is critical that school counselors are appropriately trained to utilize technology in their work. Their comfort levels with technology should be as strong as their ability to use a …

Public Education In A 'Religious State': South Carolina Responds To Engel V. Vitale (1962), Abington V. Schempp (1963), And Murray V. Curlett (1963), Jessica Kathleen Sweeney

Theses and Dissertations

Since its inception in the mid-1800s, public education has been one of the most contested arenas in American life. Among the battles fought in this domain, none have been more heated than the appropriate role of religion in the public schools. From the 1844 Philadelphia Bible Riots, to the 1925 debate over Darwinism and Creationism, to recent skirmishes regarding the Pledge of Allegiance, these and other disputes have been the subject of considerable scholarship. In South Carolina, however, one controversy regarding the intersection of religion and public education has received little attention, namely the trio of harshly criticized Supreme Court …

Assessing The Effectiveness Of Gordon Allport's Contact Hypothesis Ability To Increase Cultural Openness In First Year College Students, David Alan Kahn

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to test Gordon Allport's theory of Contact Hypothesis about cultural attitude change in college students. Participants were college First year students participating in First year seminar classes in a small southeastern liberal arts university. The treatment group of randomly selected First year seminar classes was exposed to a one-week seminar designed to address the issue of cultural diversity. A non-treatment group received the standard instruction on this issue. The content of the seminar included exposure to multicultural issues that include Allport's most important tenants for changing prejudicial attitudes. For this study components of Allport's …

A Constructivist Examination Of Counselors' Conceptualization Of "Sexuality": Implications For Counselor Education, Wenndy Dupkoski Mallicoat

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the dialectical dilemma between meeting the demands of the managed health care industry through the adherence to the medical model while promoting an emphasis on wellness, the counseling profession does not promote a consistent definition of sexuality. Using a qualitative, phenomenological approach from a constructivist lens, this study was conducted to examine the construct "sexuality" and "sexuality counseling" from counselors' perspectives. One synchronous online focus group and two online individual interviews were conducted with counselors predominantly in the Southeastern United States. Themes from the data include: Sexuality is multi-dimensional; sexuality is developmental; sexuality counseling is dialectical; and sexuality …

School Counselors' Perceptions Of Their Role In Assisting Students With College Preparedness, Tabatha Mcallister

Theses and Dissertations

Access to quality precollege counseling is a crucial component of students' post-secondary educational planning. High school counselors provide educational planning and guidance to students which make them a valuable commodity to obtain information for students contemplating their postsecondary options (Hoyt, 2001). School counselors are situated as the focal point for students and their parents to obtain the information needed for academic and financial college preparedness. The research problem was ascertaining a descriptive definition of the elements that comprise the roles of the school counselor in student post-secondary preparedness. As well as determining if there are factors that enhance or inhibit …

Development And Initial Validation Of An Innovation Assessment, Jacob D. Wheadon

Theses and Dissertations

In the past two decades, there has been an increased demand for more innovative individuals and organizations. In response to this need, a number of groups have begun to teach innovation courses to improve people's innovation skills. While many of these groups report success in helping people become more innovative, there is no way to test the effectiveness of the innovation courses. This study describes the development and initial validation of an innovation test instrument. It demonstrates how the author identified the content domain of the test and created test items. Then it describes initial validation testing of the instrument. …

The Effect Of The Engineering Design Process On The Critical Thinking Skills Of High School Students, Heather Ure

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the research reported here was to determine the impact learning the engineering design process (EDP) would have on the critical thinking skills of high school physics students. An EDP unit was conducted with 5 classes of high school physics students in grades 10-12 over 1 month. The EDP unit's curriculum allowed for the gradual release of responsibility as students became more familiar with the EDP and more consistent in using it. The six steps used in this EDP unit were Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create, Test, and Improve. The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal was given as a pre- …

A Study Analyzing Five Instructional Methods For Teaching Software To Junior High Students, Scott Ronald Bartholomew

Theses and Dissertations

If you ask 5 different teachers what the best way to teach a new technology to a student is you will get 5 different answers. (Bork, 2001; Cheong, 2008; Egal, 2009; Howell, 2001) What is the best way to teach a new computer software application to a student? In the technological world we live in today the effective transfer of technological knowledge is paramount. With varying opinions even among the leaders of national technology teacher associations (Haynie, 2005) there is a large level of ambiguity in relation to best practices in technology teaching. This study evaluates five commonly used methods …

School Leadership: Development Of An Evaluation Instrument And Process For Administrators, Kathy L. Mccormick

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study was conducted for purposes of changing the formal evaluation for school administrators to one constructed around the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) 2008 standards, inclusive of multifaceted components aimed to increase the active participation of both the evaluator and the individual being evaluated. The previous instrument assessed leaders' performance on a set of generic indicators. There were no requirements for pre-evaluation conferences, nor did the school leader have formal opportunity for self-reflection. Outcomes were not linked to district goals, to individual or district professional growth plans, nor to standards or criteria-based process of leadership assessment. …

Teacher Perceptions Of The Benefits Of Teacher Collaboration And An Analysis Of Indicators Of Potential Teacher Attrition, Thomas Owen Moore

Theses and Dissertations

Teacher collaboration is being implemented in many schools for a number of reasons with various claimed benefits. Collaboration is being heralded by many as a fix for many of the problems affecting teachers. This study shows that teachers believe that collaboration improves their ability to teach subject content, improves teaching methods, improves teacher's ability to manage students, and provides benefits to teachers in general. The majority of participants in this survey, whether currently participating in collaboration or not, indicated that they agree that collaboration provides these benefits. This study also examines four potential indicators of teacher attrition: administrative support, teacher …

An Investigation Of Utah Technology Education Teachers' Acceptance Of An Emphasis On Engineering Education Content, Douglas Ron Livingston

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to collect information documenting Utah technology education teachers' acceptance of an emphasis on engineering content in technology education. The Stages of Concern Questionnaire (SoCQ) was used to determine the level of acceptance of this change. It was found that a majority of technology and education teachers are more concerned about other unidentified tasks, activities or initiatives than they are about the addition of engineering content to their classes. They were also shown to be concerned with being able to organize, manage, and schedule the change effectively and were found to be least concerned about …

Comparison Of Guided And Open Inquiry Instruction In A High School Physics Classroom, Brett M. Guisti

Theses and Dissertations

This study compared two levels of inquiry in high school physics classrooms over a year-long course. One class fit well the definition of guided-inquiry and the other matched common descriptions of open-inquiry. Four sections of introductory physics at Lone Peak High School in Highland, Utah were randomly divided into two sections for each treatment. The majority of students in all classes were sophomores with relatively few juniors and seniors. The guided-inquiry classes followed the Modeling Instruction Program developed at Arizona State University, while the open-inquiry classes were be based on an approach used by Wolff-Michael Roth, at the University of …

The Effect Of Inquiry-Based Learning In A Technical Classroom: The Impact On Student Learning And Attitude, Ian R. Hartman

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the effect of inquiry-based instruction in technical undergraduate education. Specifically, the effect was measured along two dimensions: 1) the effect on student learning and, 2) student attitude towards subject matter. The researcher designed an inquiry-based instructional approach to encourage interaction between teacher and students and to help students take more responsibility for their learning. Three technical undergraduate classes participated in the study. Each class was divided into experimental and control groups. For the experimental group, a twice-a-week traditional lecture was replaced with a once-a-week inquiry-based question and answer session. Students in the control group were taught as …

Fostering Creativity Through A Nonlinear Approach To Teaching Technology At Wood River Middle School, Warren Edgar Hull

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to address the following research questions: 1) what is the current status of creativity research in a typical classroom, and 2) how does an instance of exemplary teaching serve to encourage creativity in a technology education setting? The first research question is focused on through a thorough review of published literature on creativity in order to frame the second research question. The second research question is addressed by understanding how Mr. Brad Thode, the technology teacher at Wood River Middle School in Hailey, Idaho, encourages his students to be creative. By investigating this one …

The Use Of Personal Digital Assistants In The K-8 Classrooms, Tracy A. Brosovich

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) are being used in the K-8 classrooms and if so to what extent. By way of a stratified random sample, four counties in central and southern New Jersey were selected. A survey was developed and sent to the participating districts. Two hundred seventy-five surveys were mailed to eight districts, with a return rate of sixty-eight percent (68%).

Data was collected from the surveys and calculated into percentages. Although seventy-two percent (72%) of the respondents report using some form of technology on a daily basis, only three percent …

Design And Application Of A Nutrition Education Program Based On A Test Of Improved Practices For Pregnant Women And Women Of Childbearing Age In La Rinconada And Cuambo, Odila Nicaragua

Theses and Dissertations

This study was done with the objective of designing and applying a nutrition education program based on a test of improved practices for pregnant women and women of childbearing age in the rural communities of Ibarra canton: La Riconada and Cuambo. For this, information was collected on knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding the eating habits of pregnant women. These results were used to identify content and recommendations to reinforce and/or instruct about eating during pregnancy. Nutrition education was based on the methodology of the improved practices test, which consisted of testing the recommendations in families' homes before recommending them …

Nutritional Food And Health Education With Instructive Lessons In The Community School Of La Rinconada, Cantón Ibarra, Province Of Imbabura, Olga Maria Gómez Chirán

Theses and Dissertations

The general objective of this work was to offer nutritional food and health education using instructive lessons that were prepared based on the diagnostic of knowledge among teachers and children in the School of La Rinconada. The study is descriptive-cross performed from October 2000 to June 2001. The universe of study is 100% of teachers and children attending schools in the communities of La Rinconada and Cuambo, totaling 104. The considered variables are diet, nutrition, and health-related topics. These variables contemplate the elementary education plan of study, besides providing training to students and teachers. Because the project was developed primarily …

Implementing A Context-Based Teaching Curriculum For French Learners At The Mtc, Stephanie Wallace Olsen

Theses and Dissertations

Two control groups and two experimental groups of missionaries and teachers participated in a study comparing a grammar-based method of teaching to a context-based method. The study lasted for two weeks during June 1997. Each classroom was recorded using a timing-based observation system that captured 13 missionary and teacher language behaviors. The behaviors were recorded in real time and later evaluated to determine in which classroom setting the most real communication occurred. A second purpose was to determine the effectiveness of teacher training with respect to teachers in the experimental group. Findings revealed that missionaries in the context-based classroom received …

Elaboration And Validation Of The Educational Material Used In Nutritional Education In The Communities Of Copalacaya, Choquenaira, Callisaya, And Muruamaya, Of The Providence Ingavi Of The Department Of La Paz 1998, Maria Isabel Mercado Miranda

Theses and Dissertations

This work had the objective to elaborate and validate educational, graphic material to give Nutritional Education in the communities of Copalapaya, Choquenaira, Callisaya, and Muruamaya belonging to the Ingavi province. With exclusive material for the rural area and with themes directed toward women, men, and children, such material was elaborated with the participation of all the community, where each one of them they put its abilities and gave ideas to improve the material and on all requested that the drawings be as close to reality as possible. The development of the study proceeded by the following: It started with a …

Nutritional Education And Its Impact In The Copalacaya, Choquenaira, Callisaya And Muruamaya Communities Of La Paz, Rosa Yolanda Mamani Arias

Theses and Dissertations

This investigation was conducted with the collaboration of the authorities of the Carrera de Nutrición y Dietética (UMSA) and the Institute of Agriculture and Food Science Ezra Taft Benson. The general secretaries, mayor scholars Management 1998, rural professors and farmers of the communities of Copalacaya, Choquenaira, Callisaya and Muruamaya of the province of Ingavi of the Department of La Paz. It has been very gratifying for the author to carry out this research in said communities, in addition to knowing the reality in which these farmers live, with whose collaboration valuable information was collected that permitted an analysis on the …

An Analysis Of The Ability Of Commercial Wargames To Fulfill The Education Requirements Of The Air Force Wargaming Center, Scott Goehring

Theses and Dissertations

It has been the contention of some that current commercial wargames could possibly fulfill the education requirements addressed by the Air Force Wargaming Center. The Wargaming Center, lacking the opportunity to conduct a thorough, in-house analysis of these commercial wargames, requested an independent evaluation be performed. This thesis identifies potential commercial wargames and provides an analysis of those wargames to determine their ability to educate senior military officers in the application of aerospace power. In addition, this thesis establishes a set of Measures of Effectiveness (MOEs) against which future wargames can be easily evaluated. The MOEs were developed from the …

A Handbook For Investigative Science Projects Including An Introduction To Statistical Analysis, George E. Averill

Theses and Dissertations

A Handbook for Investigative Science Projects: Including an Introduction to Statistical Analysis provides a step-by-step procedure from how to select a project to displaying the finished product. The handbook fills the gap in the literature between guidance for elementary students and graduate level research. Both middle and secondary teachers may wish to use the handbook as a resource guide when planning remedial instruction. Advanced students at the secondary level should be able to read and understand the handbook on their own. It includes specific instructions for keeping a professional logbook, budgeting time, researching the literature, evaluating the results, and writing …

Attitudes Of Seventh Grade Students Toward Reading Using А Literature-Based Approach, Robin R. Coe

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe and analyze the effects of a literature-based approach to teaching reading on student attitudes toward reading. Relatively few studies have been conducted to describe students' attitudes toward reading in a literature-based approach which includes the following: the use of children's literature, silent reading by students and teachers, expressive reading by the teacher, and various book-sharing activities and projects. Four seventh-grade reading classes at Faith Middle School were randomly selected to participate as subjects. Students' attitudes toward reading were assessed in the fall using the Short Form Reading Attitude Survey. Students were taught …

The Effects Of Vocabulary Instructional Methods On Vocabulary Retention, Janet S. Robertson

Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to determine which of three instructional methods for teaching vocabulary (teacherpresented, student-presented, and no direct presentation) commonly used by English teachers was most effective in affecting student achievement. Sixty-two eleventh grade students in a selected county in Georgia served as subjects for the study. Pretest and posttest vocabulary scores were analyzed, and a simple analysis of variance was computed to determine the mean and standard deviation for each of the three groups. The Scheffe Test was then computed to obtain an F-ratio comparison among the groups. The analyses supported neither of the original hypotheses which assumed a …

Cinema As Literature: A Semester Course In Language Arts, Greg Westbrook

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this project was to prepare "Cinema as Literature," a curriculum guide for an elective course in high school English for the Muscogee County School System, to be implemented in school year 1992-93. The proposed elective course will utilize cinema material for the application of literary techniques and modes of criticism for a fuller understanding of the relationship between movies and printed matter as mediums of literary and artistic expression.

The project has produced this curriculum guide through a review of relevant current resources, and in cooperation with the local county school authorities, with the eventual aim of …

Using Colored Overlays And Reduced Lighting: A Case Study, Jeanette P. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

This case study of a forty-five year old male sought to improve the reading rate and comprehension of printed reading material and computer reading lessons with the use of a colored transparent overlay. The reading rate increased by fifty percent with the use of the colored overlay and comprehension improved thirty percent for this individual.

A Controlled Composition-Based Exercise Program To Teach Error Remediation In Writing In The High School Regular Freshman English Classroom, Sarah E. Mitchell

Theses and Dissertations

For this project, a controlled composition-based exercise program was developed for use in the high school freshman English writing classroom. This non-error-based method utilized a four-stage design -- attention grabber exercises, rewriting exercises, proofreading practice and test exercises, and writing assignments -- to teach error remediation through writing. After the students were exposed to correctness in stage one, they were asked to make transformations, to practice proofreading, and finally to demonstrate knowledge of correct usage in both testing and writing modes.

Included in the program are two diagnostic tools, a student checklist, an introductory sentence section, and sections to address …

Encouraging A Positive Self-Image, Lois W. Atkins

Theses and Dissertations

This project was designed as a workshop to teach a method of encouraging better self-images in students. A series of self-improvement imagery exercises are outlined. Steps include choosing goals; writing them in behavioral terms and specific measurable outcomes; and using self-recording, self-reward and self-punishment. By aiding students early in their school career to develop positive self-concepts, good work habits, and high motivation, ultimately a lower dropout rate and higher percentages of self-actualized persons is visualized.

A Handbook For Parents Of Children With Problem Behaviors Based On A Descriptive Study Of Treatment Strategies, Kay Dowis

Theses and Dissertations

Parents of children with problem behaviors in special education classes are not often knowledgeable concerning treatment strategies used with their children. Eight treatment strategies commonly used with children with problem behaviors attending behavior disorders classes are described in this study for the purpose of developing a handbook for parents of children with problem behaviors. The eight strategies described are: contracts, peer teaching, token systems, modeling, cognitive modeling, assertive discipline, time out, and self-management. The resulting handbook describes these strategies', their rationales, advantages, disadvantages, implementations, and examples. These strategies are presented in chapter form. This handbook has been developed to explain …