Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Evaluation Of The Relationship Of Learner-Centered Beliefs Of Seventh Grade Mathematics Teachers And Student Achievement On The Mathematics Section Of The North Carolina End-Of-Grade Assessment, Mary A. Steltz

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation was designed to examine the personal domain in systemic reform. In an effort to improve student achievement, this study focused on accountability reform. The learner-centered model was based on what teachers believe about teaching and learning and how student motivation and achievement was influenced by those beliefs. Teacher practices, beliefs and behaviors had the greatest impact on student learning; therefore this study sought to establish identification of learner-centered teachers and their effectiveness on student achievement on the seventh grade mathematics section of the North Carolina End-of-Grade Assessment.

To that end, a non-experimental quantitative study design was used to …

An Evaluation Of The Back-On-Track Program To Determine Effectiveness In Increasing The Attitude And Motivation Toward School And Academic Self-Perception Of Overaged Eighth Graders To Accelerate Grade Placement For On Time Graduation, Jean R. Dickson

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of the study was to perform a program evaluation of the Back-On-Track program to determine the program's impact on overaged eighth-grade students' attitudes towards school, motivation to continue and complete a formal education, and academic self-perception. The mixed-method evaluation consisted of an experimental-comparison design that included conducting focus group interviews with and administering surveys to all consenting program participants, performing field observations, and comparing the attitudes and motivations towards school, and the academic self-perception of program participants before and after completing the Back-On-Track program.

The researcher and a trained interviewer administered surveys to and conducted focus group interviews …

A Case Study Of The Impact Of The Learning Focused Schools Model On Culture In A Middle School Setting, Jonathan Fitzgerald Kay

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation was designed to evaluate the impact of the Learning Focused Schools model on culture in a middle school setting. The school used in this study is a Title I school with low student achievement. The Learning Focused Schools model was implemented to provide comprehensive school reform strategies and solutions based on exemplary practices and research-based strategies. These practices and strategies focus on five areas: Planning, Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment, and School Organization. The study analyzed the effects of the Learning Focused Schools model on the school culture and how that, in turn, affects the academic achievement of the students. …

The Relationship Of Learner-Centered Beliefs Of Eighth-Grade Math Teachers And Student Achievement On The North Carolina End-Of-Grade Mathematics Test, Takeda Lasha Legrand

Education Dissertations and Projects

Educators are charged with reform efforts to improve student achievement. Most efforts focus on accountability reform. The learner-centered model for school reform is organized around the personal domain for systemic reform. How teachers work with students is greatly influenced by policy and what they believe about student learning and behavior. Subsequently, teacher behaviors, beliefs, and practices impact learning. This dissertation attempted to establish teacher beliefs and their effectiveness on student achievement on the eighth-grade End-of-Grade Mathematics Test in the State of North Carolina.

This study was conducted within the Sandhills Regional Education Consortium located in the central part of North …

The Effects Of Teacher And Student Satisfaction On Student Achievement, Sean Mcwherter

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation was designed to examine factors contributing to both teacher and student satisfaction and to determine if a relationship existed between the satisfaction levels and student achievement. The contributing factors identified in this study consisted of items that could be influenced or controlled in the school environment. Maslow's (1943) hierarchy of needs was used to help identify factors that could contribute to teacher and student satisfaction.

The subjects for this quantitative study came from a rural high school in the southern part of the United States. The participants in this study were analyzed according to their level of curricular …

Should Value-Added Modeling Be Used To Identify Highly Effective Teachers? Counterpoint, Kathryn Kinnucan-Welsch

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

In the past two decades, the importance of the teacher’s contribution to student learning has been widely acknowledged. Some researchers have argued that the teacher is the most important factor in explaining differences in student achievement. In previous decades much of the educational research literature explored differences in student achievement based largely on student characteristics such as educational attainment of the parents, socio-economic status, race, and gender. It is only recently that teachers have been placed at the center of research and accountability related to student learning. To put it simply, it is widely said that “teachers matter,” and recent …

A Course Redesign Project To Change Faculty Orientation Toward Teaching, Susan Eliason, Christine L. Holmes

Elementary and Early Childhood Education Faculty Publications

This article discusses the development, implementation, and outcomes of a Faculty Course Redesign Camp for full-time and adjunct faculty members. The purpose of the camp was to educate and coach faculty in effective strategies to promote learner-centered teaching skills. Evaluation results show that the participants changed their orientation toward teaching in the dimension of their role in instruction, but they made little change in balance of power and responsibility for learning.

The Impact Of Preschool Education On Students' Kindergarten Readiness And Subsequent Kindergarten Performance, Kelsey Musselman Carroll

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of preschool education on students' kindergarten readiness and subsequent kindergarten performance in a low socioeconomic primary school. There are several factors that influence a child's readiness for school, including the children's natural talents and abilities, their families, their early environments, their schools, and their communities.

The setting for this research was a primary school located within a small, urban school district in the piedmont area of North Carolina. For the purpose of this study, all kindergarten students were placed into three subgroups: kindergarten students who attended the prekindergarten program at …

In The Flow: A Mixed-Methods Phenomenological Study Of Optimal Experience In Adolescent Literacy, Susan E. Miles

Education Dissertations and Projects

This study is concerned with the flow experience of students while involved in independent reading. Based on Csikszentmihalyi's theory of flow, this experience is one of total engagement to the point of immersion involving deep concentration; enjoyment; and a loss of a sense of time, place, and self.

This is a quan>Qual study, which began with a quantitative measurement to determine a criterion sampling, followed by the primary research method, a transcendental phenomenology of flow during voluntary, independent reading. This primary research method was used due to the lack of research available on flow in the field of literacy …

Methodological Modes: Instructional Practice And 21 St Century Engagement In Secondary English Classrooms, Laurel Eury Naughton

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation was designed to provide insight into the teaching practices of secondary English teachers. Current learners are in classrooms in which the instructional practices or methodologies are employed, but may not be engaging students. Information sought included the degree to which 21 st century practices were being incorporated into the lessons, and the level with which students were engaging with the material.

The researcher observed classrooms of junior and senior English, and measured the level of engagement triangulating the data from the local school agency's observation tool with that of Van Amburgh et al.'s (2007) active learning inventory tool …

Evaluating The Impact Of The Beginning Teacher Induction Program On The Retention Rate Of Beginning Teachers, Adriane Lenette Watkins Mingo

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation examined the Beginning Teacher Induction Program of a rural school system in North Carolina. The effects of mentoring, induction sessions, administrative support, ongoing staff development, and other support offered at the system level to beginning teachers were carefully analyzed.

The researcher used eight themes based on the objectives of the school system's Beginning Teacher Support Program: improving beginning teachers' skills and performance; supporting teacher morale; communications; collegiality; building a sense of professionalism and positive attitude; facilitating a smooth transition into the first and second years of teaching; putting theory into practice; preventing teacher isolation; building self-reflection; and retaining …

Impact Of Freshman Academy Experiences On Student Academic Intrinsic Motivation, Shirley C. Sealy

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation was designed to explore the transition of a group of ninth-grade students into a large rural upstate South Carolina high school. The primary focus was to ascertain the students' levels of academic intrinsic motivation toward English, math, science, history, and their general orientation toward school learning, and to explore those freshman academy experiences that the students felt most directly impacted these attributes. The freshman academy at this school was implemented in 2006 as a district initiative to strengthen the transition to high school and ultimately increase the graduation rate.

This was a mixed methods case study in which …

Making Sense Of Integer Arithmetic: The Effect Of Using Virtual Manipulatives On Students' Representational Fluency, J. Bolyard, Patricia S. Moyer-Packenham

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

This study investigated how the use of virtual manipulatives in integer instruction impacts student achievement for integer addition and subtraction. Of particular interest was the influence of using virtual manipulatives on students’ ability to create and translate among representations for integer computation. The research employed a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design. Ninety-nine sixth-grade students participated over a four-week period. Six classes were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups. Students increased in integer computation achievement and demonstrated facility with pictures and written representations. Students had more difficulty creating symbolic representations and making connections among this and other representational forms.

Multilinguality In The Digital Library: A Review, Anne Diekema

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Research

Purpose – Together, increasing globalization and the internet created fertile grounds for the establishment of multilingual digital libraries. Providing cross-lingual access to materials is of particular interest to political entities such as the European Union, which currently has 23 official languages, but also to multinational companies and countries that have different languages represented among their citizens. The main objective of this paper is to review the literature on multilingual digital libraries and provide an overview of this area.

Design/methodology/approach – Based on a thorough literature search in four different databases, a core set of literature on multilingual digital libraries was …

Role Of The Chapter Advisor, Charles Eberly

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

The attached document is "In Press" and will be published later in 2012 as part of a Fraternity / Sorority Advising Manual by the Association of Fraternity and Sorority Advisors. The document provides a thoughtful rationale for reasons to secure a faculty member as an advisor to a campus fraternity or sorority chapter.

A Study Of West Virginia Elementary Special Education Teachers' Roles, Responsibilities, And Practices Within A Multitiered Instructional Support System: Implications For Policy And Practice, Linda M. Palenchar

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of the study was to provide a data-based description of West Virginia special education teachers’ roles, responsibilities, and practices relevant to their participation in selected components of the Response to Intervention (RTI) process. Special educators’ practices related to assessment, tiered instruction, decision making, and collaboration comprise the main components of study and were based on a conceptual framework developed by Hoover and Patton (2008). A researcher-developed survey, the Special Educator Response to Intervention Inventory (SERTII), was used to explore the extent and characteristics of special educators’ participation in RTI. The study population included all elementary special education teachers …

Identifying Cyberbullying, Connecting With Students: The Promising Possibilities Of Teacher-Student Social Networking, Mark Schmitz, Molly Hoffman, John Bickford

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

Cyberbullying, an emergent problem that most students face but few report, negatively affects students’ academic and personal development, disrupts the school environment, and usually peaks around middle school. The Association of Middle Level Education (AMLE) suggests that successful middle schools should, among other things, ensure every student has an adult advocate to guide academic and personal development in an inviting, safe, inclusive, and supportive school environment. The Olweus Anti-Bullying Program denotes educators’ proactive intervention must first follow recognition of students’ misbehaviors and both identification and supervision of problematic school contexts. Without such recognition, identification, and supervision, educators’ proactive interventions are …

Does Code Switching Work For Young Children? A Case Study Of English Language Learners, Shamah Md-Yunus, Geena Anselmo, Mohogany Williams

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

The study examines if a code switching technique demonstrated by the teacher helps English language learners acquire a second language. Nineteen preschoolers from families speaking Spanish as their primary language participated in the study for seven weeks. Structured classroom observations, pre-and post-test checklists, anecdotal notes, and the Speaking Component Scale were used to measure children’s scores in speaking, listening and writing in English. Data from the Speaking Component Scale showed an increase in grammar and expressive language scores after learning about the code switching technique. However, the children scored low in the reading component of identifying concepts about print and …

Original Political Cartoon Methodology And Adaptations, John Bickford

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

This paper is grounded on the premise that effective educators base lessons on rich and intriguing content which is relevant to students’ lives, implement the content using engaging and age-appropriate methodology, and measure students’ learning through authentic assessments. In order to support practicing teachers’ effective implementation of best practice methodology and assessment, educational researchers investigate the interconnections between content, methodology, and assessment. As technology facilitates teaching methodologies and learning assessments, meaningful activities such as students’ original political cartooning should be examined, detailed, and adapted. In this article, the methodological suggestions for, and adaptations of, students’ original political cartoons guide educators …

Does Code Switching Work For Young Children? A Case Study Of English Language Learners, Shamah Md-Yunus, Geena Anselmo, Mohogany Williams

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

The study examines if a code switching technique demonstrated by the teacher helps English language learners acquire a second language. Nineteen preschoolers from families speaking Spanish as their primary language participated in the study for seven weeks. Structured classroom observations, pre-and post-test checklists, anecdotal notes, and the Speaking Component Scale were used to measure children’s scores in speaking, listening and writing in English. Data from the Speaking Component Scale showed an increase in grammar and expressive language scores after learning about the code switching technique. However, the children scored low in the reading component of identifying concepts about print and …

Examining Spiraled Elementary Curricula On Columbus: A Case Study, Maegan Wilton, John Bickford

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

Educators’ content background and use of accurate, age-appropriate teaching materials generates quality teaching. Content in every grade level should supplement content from previous grades in a spiraled format. State test results on students’ math and reading indicate, but do not prove, the presence of these two presumptions. Because history is not tested, the authors examined the basis of these two presumptions for history in two school districts that require every elementary educator to teach about Christopher Columbus. Findings reveal significant interconnections between these two presumptions and have consequential implications as states consider standardized testing in other curricular areas, such as …

What Are The Characteristics Of A Scholar?, Andreas Tolk

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Can They Work Well On A Team? Assessing Students' Collaborative Skills, Sophie M. Sparrow

Law Faculty Scholarship

[Excerpt] "Among the many critiques of legal education are criticisms that law students do not graduate with effective emotional intelligence skills-in particular, they have not learned to work well with others. Working with others is an important legal skill; and as law practice increasingly relies on collaboration among lawyers, legal staff, clients, and other individuals, so have legal employers raised the demand for effective collaborative skills among law students and recent graduates.

This essay will focus on ways to engage students in collaborating and assessing that collaboration effectively. Students' interpersonal collaborative skills can be effectively taught and assessed in large …

Seeing To Learn – Learning To See Using Video To Support The Training Of Student Teachers, Catherine Moore

Research Journeys in Education

No abstract provided.

Student English Achievement, And Behaviour In Bilingual And Monolingual Middle Schools In Aceh, Indonesia, Khairiah Syahabuddin

Research Journeys in Education

No abstract provided.

Role Of The Chapter Advisor, Charles G. Eberly

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

The attached document is "In Press" and will be published later in 2012 as part of a Fraternity / Sorority Advising Manual by the Association of Fraternity and Sorority Advisors. The document provides a thoughtful rationale for reasons to secure a faculty member as an advisor to a campus fraternity or sorority chapter.

Catalog 2012-2013, Bank Street College Of Education

Graduate School of Education

This course catalog from a past academic year is a resource for referring to previous course offerings, degree requirements, institutional policies, and more.

The Relationship Between Teacher Cultural Competency And Student Engagement, Erin Nicole Robinson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory study investigated teachers' cultural competency and their students' engagement within international high schools located in Hong Kong. Cultural competency is defined as a combination of knowledge about cultural groups as well as attitudes towards and skills for dealing with cultural diversity (Betancourt, 2003). The literature indicates that cultural competency will continue to play an increasingly important role in the professional work place as culturally diverse people become more interdependent. When examining the classroom experience, cultural competency equates to a teacher's ability to successfully instruct and engage culturally different students.

The students in this study reported over 30 different …

Must-Have Books: Critical Reading For Your Classroom Library, Jane Leeth

Articles

Visiting Scholar Katherine Bomer shared more than four dozen books with teachers at our 2012 Winter Workshop, helping us envision Critical Reading and Writing for Social Action units for our own classrooms. If you missed the workshop or didn’t get to see all of Katherine’s 50+ books, IPYW reading workshop coach Jane Leeth can help. Here, Jane presents her “must-have” recommendations from Katherine’s stack—including grade levels and story descriptions.

Academic Development Perspectives Of Blended Learning, Roisin Donnelly, Claire Macavinney

Books/Book Chapters

Technological advances in every aspect of today’s higher education environment create a forum for academic developers to re-examine existing delivery methods for professional development. Within the context of this case study, the term ‘academic developer’ is taken to encompass the role of learning technologist. In order to be responsive and accommodate the changes, traditional instruction methods are being extended to encompass the range of Web 2.0 tools available. Debate is ongoing in the area of blended learning as to the ultimate effectiveness of technology integration. Through exploration of the experiences of two academic developers involved in the design and delivery …