Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

A Study Of The Perceptions Among Counselors And High School Students Regarding The Need For A Community College In Cape May County, New Jersey, Michelle D. Myles

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare high school guidance counselors' perceptions in general regarding college attendance with those of their graduating students. It was posited, as well, that guidance counselor rankings and the student rankings of five college-choice aspects would be related; namely, that the guidance counselors' choices would be ranked in the same order that the high school students' choices were ranked, and that the students' choices would be significantly related to those aspects relevant to community college attendance. A pilot study was conducted first over phone interviews of the guidance counselors from the four public high …

Performance-Based Curriculum And Sight-Singing: The Effects On Attitudes And Singing Achievements Of Fifth- And Sixth-Grade Music Students, Pamela J. Barnes

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to gather information concerning literacy training and the use of a performance-based curriculum with fifth- and sixth-grade music students. The problems of the study were to determine the effects of different combinations of sight-singing training and CME instruction on the singing achievement and attitudes of upper elementary school students.

Twelve fifth- and twelve sixth-grade classes from an intermediate school participated in the study. The classes were randomly assigned to one of four treatment conditions involving various combinations of sight-singing training and CME. All classes were taught by the same instructor for one 45-minute period …

The Comparative Effects Of Manual Drafting And Computer Assisted Drafting On Secondary Students' Sectional View And Auxiliary View Drawings, Glenn R. Smith Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the comparative effects CAD and manual drafting have on the effectiveness of teaching technical drawing techniques to secondary students. The problem of the study was to compare CAD and manual methods using the sectional view and auxiliary view techniques of Technical Drawing on second level Mechanical Drawing students.

The researcher, as the teacher, taught the concepts of the two technical drawing techniques, sectional view and auxiliary view drawings. During each section of the study, one group was assigned to complete drawings using the computer assisted drafting method and the other group used …

The Effect Of An Active Parental Program On The Musical Achievement And Musical Affectiveness Of Elementary Instrumental Music Students, Mary Frances Bushong

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the musical environment in the homes of elementary instrumental music students. The problem was to investigate the effectiveness of an active parental involvement program on their child's music achievement and music affectiveness.

Prior to the investigation, the researcher sent a home music environment survey home to all those students who signed up for instrumental lesson in the spring of their third grade year. One of the questions asked the parents if they would be willing to participate in the experiment the following September.

Once the school year started, times and dates were …

A Study Of The Effects Of Shared Peer Reading On Students' Reading Attitudes, Christine Ellen Arsenis

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of shared peer reading on students' reading attitudes. It was hypothesized that students who participate in shared peer reading would show significant reading attitude improvements, as measured by the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey, over students who do not participate in shared peer reading. The study was a quasi-experimental design consisting of students in two first grade classrooms. Twenty students from each classroom participated in the study. One class was identified as the "participation group" and the other class was identified as the "nonparticipation" group. Both groups were first pretested using …

General Educators And Their Needs For Inclusion Classrooms, Lisa B. Minkin

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the perceptions of available inclusion supports by elementary teachers and their attitudes toward inclusion education. This correlational study used a non-random, convenience population: all thirty-nine members taught in a common district that implemented inclusion. They completed a closed-ended questionnaire which measured attitudes toward inclusion and their perceptions of available supports.

The research yielded inconsistent evidence related to the null hypothesis. Attitudes of teachers concerning inclusion and their perceived level of supports were not found to be statistically related. However, there were corresponding percentages of those who considered substantial resources …

Student Ethnicity And Teacher Expectations, Daisy Mercado

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship between student ethnicity and teacher expectations and how these expectations were communicated to students through the types of questions they were asked. The subjects for this study were twenty-two second grade students. The first phase of the study consisted of observations in which the questions asked by the teacher and the ethnicity of the student were recorded. They were later categorized as low order and high order questions. Finally, a Chi square test was used to determine if there was a significant relationship between ethnicity and teacher expectations. The study revealed that no significant relationship …

Correlational Study Of Self-Concept, Social Self-Perception, Academic Self-Concept And Behavior Problems Among Elementary School Children, Malthi Lingaraju

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships, if any, between General Self-Concept, Social Self-Perception, Academic Self-Concept, and Behavior Problems among elementary school children. Twenty-two third grade students participated in this study. The Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory was used to measure self-concept. Social Self-Perception and Academic Self-Concept were measured by subscales of the Coopersmith Inventory. The Connors' Teacher Rating Scales-39 was used to measure the general dimension of behavior problems. Findings from these two measures indicated a significant positive correlation between General Self-Concept and Social Self-Perception; General Self-Concept and Academic Self-Concept, and Social Self-Perception and Academic Self-Concept. There was, …

A Study Of Television Violence And Its Effects On Elementary School Children's Social Interactions, Shari Lonker

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the amount of antisocial and aggressive television shows a child views and the occurrence of negative social interactions in which that child is involved while under school supervision. One hundred 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders in a southern New Jersey school district were given television viewing questionnaires to take home and fill out with their parents. Upon completion, the questionnaires were scored according to the child's habit of watching specific television shows targeted with violent content. Each student's teacher then rated the frequency of the child's antisocial or aggressive …

A Correlational Study Of Teachers' Attitudes Towards The Computer And The Use Of Computer-Assisted Instruction In The Classroom, Lynn Karen Lore

Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to examine the relationship between the attitude of the classroom teacher towards computers and the utilization of Computer Assisted Instruction (CAl) in the classroom instructions. The teachers were from three public schools and one private school in urban and rural districts of southern New Jersey.

The teachers completed a Computer Attitude Survey (CAS), and a Computer Assisted Instruction Survey (CAIS). The CAS measured the attitude of the teacher in four areas: their anxiety towards computers, confidence in their ability, liking of computers, and their perceptions of the usefulness of computers. Each subclass and the overall score …

The Effect Of Parental Remediation On The Musical Literacy Of Elementary School Students As Measured Through Their Music Aptitude, Margaret Davis Clement

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to study the effect of parental intervention on the music literacy of children in grades Kindergarten through Third Grade. The problem of the study was to determine if parental remediation at home could have an effect on the music literacy of children as measured through their music aptitude.

The entire population of a Kindergarten through Third Grade school participated in the study. Six classes were excluded for practical reasons. A parent survey was sent home. Some families were randomly asked to participate as the experimental group. At the same time, the Primary Measures of …

A Survey Of The State Of Teacher Effectiveness In Four South Jersey High Schools, Maryanne A. Knudsen

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers' subjective perception of their teaching effectiveness and the factors that facilitate and/or inhibit their sense of efficacy in four South Jersey high schools. In addition, two problems were examined as to the impact of class size on teaching efficacy and does experience in teaching affect a teacher's sense of effectiveness?

The sample was selected from high school teachers in a two county area in southern New Jersey. Teachers were given a questionnaire to complete which was designed to identify important attitudes toward teaching efficacy. A total of 275 questionnaires were distributed …

An Investigation Of The Association Between The Musical Aptitude Of Elementary Students And The Musical Aptitude Of Their Biological Parents, Susan Guerrini

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a hereditary link between the musical aptitude of elementary students and the musical aptitude of their biological parents.

The problem of the study was to determine if three age specific tests, created by the same author, could be equalized to measure the association of the musical aptitude of students and their biological parents.

Eighty-eight students from Grades 1 through 5 and eighty-one volunteer parents took part in the study, totaling 169 participants. The students from these families attended the same suburban, middle class elementary school, where they received fifty …

A Comparison Of The Learning Styles Of Community College Versus Four-Year College And Male Versus Female College Students, Michele M. Booth

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare the learning styles of community college versus four year college General Psychology students and male versus female college students from the combined groups, to ascertain if differences in learning style existed between the groups. The study identified David Kolb's Learning Styles Inventory elements that were important to the males/females and community college/four-year college students.

The sample included 16 General Psychology students from Salem Community College, and 29 General Psychology students from Rowan College. There were 27 female and 18 male students who participated from Salem Community College and Rowan College combined.

All …

A Study Of The Integration Of Language Arts In An Elementary Music Curriculum, Kimberly Ann Kell

Theses and Dissertations

The problem of this study was to determine the effects of the integration of the language arts in a first grade music curriculum.

Two first grade classes from the Marie D. Durand Elementary School, in Vineland NJ, participated in the study. The groups received 12 weeks of an integrated language arts music curriculum based on materials from Harcourt, Brace, and Jovanovich (HBJ) reading series and Carson-Dellosa "Phonics Fun K-1." The two control groups, which also consisted of first grades, received traditional music instruction, with no specific emphasis on the language arts.

For problem one, a survey was administered to all …

A Study On The Positive Effect Of Cooperative Learning On The Status Group Problems In The Classroom, Eugene D. Tecce

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect that cooperative learning and the teaching of group norms would have on the social ranking of the low status students in the elementary school classroom.

The sample was comprised of 48 fourth grade students. A treatment group consisting of 24 students, and a comparison group of 24 students were pretested and posttested using a sociometric instrument designed to examine the interpersonal relationship patterns of the students.

Introduction of a treatment designed to change the existing pattern of interaction was given to the treatment group. The treatment group met for 18 …

Attitudes Of Fourth And Fifth Grade Students Toward Gender And Careers, Valerie B. Sweeten

Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to determine if students in a suburban, southern New Jersey elementary school would have gender-biased attitudes concerning appropriate roles and career aspirations for males and females.

A questionnaire was administered to a sample of 100 students from a total population of 74 fourth grade students and 58 fifth grade students from one school in a southern New Jersey suburban school district. Items on the questionnaire included a list of occupations as well as questions regarding gender and careers.

The hypothesis was not supported because it was found that most of the students did not possess a …

The Relationship Between Parental Involvement And The Reading Achievement Of Third Grade Students, Scott M. Dailey

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was a correlation between parental involvement and the reading achievement of third grade students.

The subjects in this study were 22 third grade students attending an elementary school in southern New Jersey. The elementary school was located in an urban area.

Each of the subjects was given a parental involvement survey to take home to their parents. It questioned parents about daily reading habits at home with their child. The survey was scored on a scale of 1-4, with a four indicating the highest degree of involvement.

The researcher then …

Frequency Of Female Contacts Made By Different Sex Teachers During Mathematics Class, Sheila M. Zackavich

Theses and Dissertations

Studies have shown that despite female students' eager attempt to initiate contact in the mathematics classroom, teachers tend to respond to the male students more often than the females.

This has been a questionable factor as to why females elect not to take four years of high school mathematics which exclude them from entering many high paying careers.

The purpose of this study was to observe a male and female teacher during their mathematics class and take frequency counts of all classroom contacts. This was to investigate if there was a significant difference between different sex teachers and their frequency …

Achievement And Social Status In The Cooperative Classroom, Natalie Ann Cooper

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to research whether student academic achievement and social acceptance of peers could be affected by cooperative learning instruction as opposed to a class where the students were not instructed using cooperative learning. The sample size of the experimental and control group was forty-six. The age of the group ranged from nine to eleven years of age. The sample was not randomly selected. Both classes were administered a pretest and posttest at the beginning of the study. The tests measured academic achievement and social acceptance. Both classes used the same textbook and supplementary materials. The …

Improving Reading Fluency In Elementary School Students With Assisted Reading Techniques, Leonard E. Barker

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to test the hypothesis that third grade students who participated in an assisted reading group would exhibit greater reading fluency than students who practiced repeated reading without a fluent oral model. It was also hypothesized that students who participated in an assisted reading group would exhibit fewer reading miscues than students who practiced repeated reading without a fluent oral model.

Twenty-two third grade students were randomly assigned to one of two groups. There were eleven students in the experimental group and eleven students in the control group. The class read a one hundred word …

Effects Of Group-Assisted Listening-While-Reading And Repeated Reading On The Fluency Of Fifth Grade Students, Deanne M. Alspach

Theses and Dissertations

In an attempt to verify the feasibility of using a "group-assisted listening-while-reading approach" or a "repeated reading approach" in a suburban New Jersey intermediate grade setting, the researcher set out to test both strategies in a fifth grade classroom. Using a pretest-posttest control group design and t tests for independent and non independent samples, the researcher found that a group-assisted listening-while-reading approach had a significant impact on increasing the reading fluency in one class (n=20). Students in this group demonstrated greater improvement in reading rate (p<.10) and miscue analysis (p<.01) than counterparts receiving a repeated reading treatment. Both groups also saw significant improvement between the pretest and posttest results with one exception. There was no significant difference between the pretest and posttest of the control group regarding miscue rate improvement. While research on fluency improvement focuses mainly on primary students, similarities in older poor readers necessitated further study. As they lack the necessary fluency development they do not read as often as other students. Yet, the only way to increase fluency is by reading. Researchers have recognized that there must be alternatives to develop fluency in the classroom.

Relationship Of Perceived Autonomy And Grade Point Average, Nancy J. Benninger

Theses and Dissertations

This correlational study examined the relationship between perceived autonomy and grade point average. The sample was twenty-six ten and eleven year old fifth grade students in one class of an elementary school. Perceived autonomy was measured by the Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale, a forty item self-report questionnaire. Grade point average was calculated for the first three marking periods of the school year. The Pearson r calculation was not significant at the .01 level, Results did indicate a positive relationship between perceived autonomy and grade point average.

A Study Of The Effects Of Teachers' Mathematics Anxiety And Mathematics Teaching Confidence Level On Their Attitudes Toward Manipulative Use, Jacqueline L. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to determine the effect of teachers' mathematics anxiety and their mathematics teaching confidence level on their attitudes towards manipulative use. To investigate this, a survey was developed and distributed to all of the mathematics teachers in the eight elementary schools in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

The survey was composed of fifty-five statements. These statements were rated on a five point Likert type scale. Thirteen of the statements researched mathematics anxiety in the sample teachers. Twelve of the statements investigated the confidence level of teachers as they instructed their students in the subject of mathematics. …

A Study Examining The Effectiveness Of Teaching Reading Using A Literature-Based Approach Vs. A Basal Approach, Tammy L. Vance

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if first grade students who were instructed following a literature based program would demonstrate a better understanding of reading. A comparison was made between the test scores and attitudes of those first grade students using a literature based reading program and those first grade students using a basal program.

The design for this study was a pretest posttest design with one treatment group and one control group, both having 24 students. Both groups were pretested and posttested using the Scott, Foresman Celebrate Reading (1993), Anthology Assessment. This test was selected to measure …

Comparison Of Developmentally Oriented Kindergartens And Academically Oriented Kindergartens, Lori Ann Weyer

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate if students enrolled in a kindergarten with a curriculum stressing academic skills perform better or worse on standardized tests than students in a developmentally oriented program by the end of first grade.

A survey was developed to establish if a kindergarten curriculum was developmentally oriented or academically oriented. This survey was sent to schools in Gloucester and Morris Counties in New Jersey. Mean Iowa basic skills tests were then used to determine if academically oriented kindergarten curriculums score significantly higher than developmentally oriented curriculums by the end of kindergarten. Also, the mean …

Spelling: A Comparison Between A Formal Text-Based Program And An Integrated Approach, Kathleen Gamble

Theses and Dissertations

This study was undertaken to determine if there was any discernible difference in students' spelling performance within classrooms employing the formal text-based methodology and classrooms employing an integrated approach.

The sample in this study was 49 third grade, heterogeneously grouped students from a suburban area school in New Jersey. There were two classrooms involved with all students in each classroom participating in the study.

Third grade students in the study were administered a pretest and posttest in word recognition and vocabulary. A comparison of the mean test scores in the areas of word recognition and vocabulary for each group within …

The Examination Of Academic Achievement And Self-Concept Between Early And Late Entrants Of First Grade Pupils, Terri J. Wells

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not students who entered first grade at an earlier chronological age could successfully compete with late-entrance students regarding academics and self-concepts. Research suggests that there may be a link between school success and chronological age for elementary students.

A study was constructed that included 18 first grade students of the same class. The 18 students were classified as being either "Early" or "Late" entrants. Late entrants were those students who were born between October, 1987 and March, 1988. Early entrants were those students who were born between April, 1988 and …

A Study Of The Effects Of Using The Word Processor And Telecommunications In The Writing Process For Elementary Students, Andrea J. Carroll

Theses and Dissertations

It is the responsibility of an elementary teacher to provide students every opportunity to succeed in the classroom. Writing compositions, using correct style, form and mechanics can be a complex task for elementary students. If a method can be used to assist the relief of these complexities involved in the writing process, then this development should be encouraged.

The purpose of this study was to determine if fourth grade students will become better writers producing clearer style, form, and mechanics when using the word processor in the writing process. It will also determine if the use of telecommunications will cause …

The Effectiveness Of Using Portfolio Assessment To Improve Instructional Planning And To Determine Attitudes Toward Mathematics Of Sixth Grade Students, Heather A. Moran

Theses and Dissertations

It was the purpose of this study to determine the effectiveness of using information gained from portfolio assessment to improve the quality of instructional planning in order to meet the needs of a specific group of students. This study also evaluated the change in attitude toward mathematics of the control and the experimental groups. A unit on the addition and subtraction of fractions was taught by this researcher to two different sixth grade classes. The control group was instructed using lessons designed from textbook recommendations and the experimental group was taught using lessons designed from a combination of textbook recommendations …