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- Title
- Approaching Authentic Assessment: Using Virtual School Teachers’ Expertise to Develop an Understanding of Full Time K-8 Virtual School Teacher Practices.
- Creator
- Seamster, Christina Lambert, Weber, Roberta K., Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry
- Abstract/Description
-
According to Molnar (2014), full time virtual school education lacks a measurement tool that accurately measures effective virtual teacher practice. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, the current study sought to understand the common practices among full time K-8 virtual school teachers, the extent to which teachers believed such practices impacted student learning, as well as the methods in which current standards, recommendations and practices were implemented in the full time...
Show moreAccording to Molnar (2014), full time virtual school education lacks a measurement tool that accurately measures effective virtual teacher practice. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, the current study sought to understand the common practices among full time K-8 virtual school teachers, the extent to which teachers believed such practices impacted student learning, as well as the methods in which current standards, recommendations and practices were implemented in the full time K-8 virtual school setting. The relationship between virtual school teacher practices and their Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) was also explored. Using the standards, practices and recommendations developed for online learning from International Association for K–12 Online Learning (iNACOL), National Education Association (NEA), Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) a team of focus group members gave input on the common practices for teaching students in the full time K-8 virtual school environment. The results included 11 general virtual school teacher practices, 12 teacher practices relating to evaluation and three practices relating to special needs and diverse learners. Qualitative and quantitative findings indicated that teachers most frequently meet the established practices through the following strategies: phone conferences, live sessions with students, feedback on assessments, webmail communication, professional development, collaborating with peers/teacher collaboration, professional learning communities, curriculum based assessments on the phone, communicating with family stakeholders, and determining students in the bottom quartile. A framework for K-8 full time virtual school pedagogy which includes evaluating student learning and individualizing instruction through technology tools and collaborative methods was developed. Finally, the quantitative findings indicated that of the three virtual school teacher practice categories (teacher practice, evaluation and special needs and diverse learners), evaluation was the leading predictor of teacher TPACK scores. Specifically, collaboration, having an online voice and presence, and using data from assessments to modify instruction were found to significantly predict a teacher’s Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge. Using virtual school teachers’ expertise on the practices which most impact student learning and the methods for implementing virtual school teacher practices, the researcher created a draft full time K-8 virtual school teacher evaluation rubric.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004741, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004741
- Subject Headings
- Teachers--Training of--Evaluation., Teachers--Rating of., Public schools--Effect of technological innovations on., Educational change--United States--Evaluation., Educational technology--United States--Evaluation., Pedagogical content knowledge., Computer-assisted instruction.
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- BURNOUT: THE DEVASTATING IMPACT ON A NEW TEACHER.
- Creator
- Leichtman, Kevin, Baxley, Traci P., Florida Atlantic University, Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry, College of Education
- Abstract/Description
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This autoethnographical study was conducted to add teacher voice and perspective in the topic of new teacher burnout, which has been linked to beginning teachers’ historically high attrition rates within the first five years of their careers. The study was centered on a burned out new teacher who faced cognitive dissonance through attempting to implement critical pedagogy in the context of standards-based reform. Data was gathered through field notes and artifacts encompassing the first five...
Show moreThis autoethnographical study was conducted to add teacher voice and perspective in the topic of new teacher burnout, which has been linked to beginning teachers’ historically high attrition rates within the first five years of their careers. The study was centered on a burned out new teacher who faced cognitive dissonance through attempting to implement critical pedagogy in the context of standards-based reform. Data was gathered through field notes and artifacts encompassing the first five years of the teacher’s career, which spanned two schools and six grade levels in a large, low socioeconomic, southern school district. The data underwent multiple levels of analysis and classifications to allow for emergent themes. This data was then displayed as narrative vignettes, giving a representative sample of the field notes that detailed the experience of new teacher burnout. The data from this study found similarities with the current research on burnout in identifying significant contributors to new teacher burnout. Findings suggested that contributors to burnout work simultaneously and have consistent and pervasive effects. This made every contributor to burnout impactful, as the teacher was constantly suffering from negative health effects of the constant state of burnout.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013386
- Subject Headings
- Attrition of teachers, New teachers, Burn out (Psychology)
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- An investigation of the teaching practices of music teaching artists participating in four selected elementary school arts integration projects.
- Creator
- Vazquez, Olga M., Burnaford, Gail, Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry
- Abstract/Description
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This mixed methodology study investigated the arts integration practices of music teaching artists participating in four selected elementary school arts integration projects in the United States. This study also explored the possibility that music teaching artists’ formal education, arts integration training and professional development, and their own attitudes as well as different stakeholders’ attitudes about arts integration and music education impacted their arts integration practices....
Show moreThis mixed methodology study investigated the arts integration practices of music teaching artists participating in four selected elementary school arts integration projects in the United States. This study also explored the possibility that music teaching artists’ formal education, arts integration training and professional development, and their own attitudes as well as different stakeholders’ attitudes about arts integration and music education impacted their arts integration practices. The explanatory two-phase design of this study began with the collection and analysis of quantitative data and was followed by the collection and analysis of qualitative data, thus connecting the results from the former to those from the latter. The quantitative data provided information for purposefully selecting the interview participants who provided the qualitative data collection in phase two. The data gathered in this study indicate that the music teaching artists shared similar beliefs about arts integration but that they believed their school leaders’ goals and objectives differed from their own. The data also provided evidence for concluding that the music teaching artists believe that the most successful arts integration projects are those that are collaborative partnerships between an arts specialist or classroom teacher and a teaching artist. A unexpected finding in this study was the teaching and exploration of sound in arts integration projects team taught between a sound teaching artist,–some without musical backgrounds or formal training–a music teaching artist, and a classroom teacher. The statistical analysis in this study regarding the degree to which formal education, arts integration professional development and training, music teaching artists’ attitudes about arts integration, and the beliefs held by music teaching artists regarding school leaders’ and their arts organization’s administrators’ attitudes about arts integration were predictors of the arts integration practices as self-reported by music teaching artists produced results that were non-significant. The content analysis of curriculum documents and student products submitted by the study participants revealed information to support the findings from the interview and survey data
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004230, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004230
- Subject Headings
- Artists as teachers, Interdisciplinary approach in education, Music -- Instruction and study, Project method in teaching
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- An examination of how middle school science teachers conduct collaborative inquiry and reflection about students’ conceptual understanding.
- Creator
- Todd-Gibson, Christine, Weber, Roberta K., College of Education, Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry
- Abstract/Description
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This qualitative case study examined how middle school science teachers conducted collaborative inquiry and reflection about students’ conceptual understanding, and how individual teachers in the middle school science group acted and made reflections in response to their collaborative inquiry. It also examined external influences that affected the teachers’ ability to engage in collaborative inquiry. Observational, written, and interview data were collected from observations of teachers’ face...
Show moreThis qualitative case study examined how middle school science teachers conducted collaborative inquiry and reflection about students’ conceptual understanding, and how individual teachers in the middle school science group acted and made reflections in response to their collaborative inquiry. It also examined external influences that affected the teachers’ ability to engage in collaborative inquiry. Observational, written, and interview data were collected from observations of teachers’ face-to-face meetings and reflections, individual interviews, a focus group interview, and online reflections. The results of this study revealed that collaborative inquiry is a form of professional development that includes answering curricular questions through observation, communication, action, and reflection. This approach was developed and implemented by middle school science teachers. The premise of an inquiry is based on a need with students. Middle school science teachers came to consensus about actions to affect students’ conceptual understanding, took action as stated, and shared their reflections of the actions taken with consideration to current and upcoming school activities. Activities involved teachers brainstorming and sharing with one another, talking about how the variables were merged into their curriculum, and how they impacted students’ conceptual understanding. Teachers valued talking with one another about science content and pedagogy, but did find the inquiry portion of the approach to require more development. The greatest challenge to conducting collaborative inquiry and reflection was embedding teacher inquiry within a prescribed inquiry that was already being conducted by the Sundown School District. Collaborative inquiry should be structured so that it meets the needs of teachers in order to attend to the needs of students. A conducive atmosphere for collaborative inquiry and reflection is one in which administrators make the process mandatory and facilitate the process by removing an existing inquiry.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA0004066
- Subject Headings
- Achievement in education, Concept learning -- Study and teaching (Middle school), Inquiry (Theory of knowledge), Middle school teaching, Science -- Study and teaching (Middle school), Team learning approach in education
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- An Analysis of High-Performing Science Students’ Preparation for Collegiate Sciences Courses.
- Creator
- Walter, Karen, Weber, Roberta K., Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry
- Abstract/Description
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This mixed-method study surveyed first year high-performing science students who participated in high-level courses such as International Baccalaureate (IB), Advanced Placement (AP), and honors science courses in high school to determine their perception of preparation for academic success at the collegiate level. The study used 52 students from an honors college campus and surveyed the students and their professors. The students reported that they felt better prepared for academic success at...
Show moreThis mixed-method study surveyed first year high-performing science students who participated in high-level courses such as International Baccalaureate (IB), Advanced Placement (AP), and honors science courses in high school to determine their perception of preparation for academic success at the collegiate level. The study used 52 students from an honors college campus and surveyed the students and their professors. The students reported that they felt better prepared for academic success at the collegiate level by taking these courses in high school (p<.001). There was a significant negative correlation between perception of preparation and student GPA with honors science courses (n=55 and Pearson’s r=-0.336), while AP courses (n=47 and Pearson’s r=0.0016) and IB courses (n=17 and Pearson’s r=-0.2716) demonstrated no correlation between perception of preparation and GPA. Students reported various themes that helped or hindered their perception of academic success once at the collegiate level. Those themes that reportedly helped students were preparedness, different types of learning, and teacher qualities. Students reported in a post-hoc experience that more lab time, rigorous coursework, better teachers, and better study techniques helped prepare them for academic success at the collegiate level. Students further reported on qualities of teachers and teaching that helped foster their academic abilities at the collegiate level, including teacher knowledge, caring, teaching style, and expectations. Some reasons for taking high-level science courses in high school include boosting GPA, college credit, challenge, and getting into better colleges.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004640, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004640
- Subject Headings
- High school students., Science--Study and teaching--United States., Science.
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Aspiring to a Higher Education: Students’ Perception of Christian Campus Culture at Selected Christian.
- Creator
- Wolfe, Kathryn A., Weber, Roberta K., Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry
- Abstract/Description
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This mixed methods research study explored students’ perceptions of Christian campus culture at three Christian institutions of higher education. The aim of this study was threefold: to comprehend why students want to obtain an education within a Christian campus culture; to understand students’ perceptions of and experiences with the Christian campus culture at their Christian university/college; and to decipher the presence of predominant characteristics of Christian campus culture at all...
Show moreThis mixed methods research study explored students’ perceptions of Christian campus culture at three Christian institutions of higher education. The aim of this study was threefold: to comprehend why students want to obtain an education within a Christian campus culture; to understand students’ perceptions of and experiences with the Christian campus culture at their Christian university/college; and to decipher the presence of predominant characteristics of Christian campus culture at all three Christian institutions. Qualitative and quantitative data demonstrated that while many students attend their Christian institution due to personal conviction or their Christian identity, other students attend their Christian university or college because it was the best financial decision for them. Additionally, students often indicated that there was not one sole reason for their choice of school, but a combination of various factors that influenced their decision. Additionally, this research study was able to gain insight into students’ perceptions and experiences with Christian campus culture. Interestingly, the major components that were vital to each research site’s environment were present at all three research sites. Therefore, while each institution varied in size, student population, and location, the most frequently noted characteristics were seen at all three Christian institutions. Students often described their environment, the “bubble,” as limiting but safe. However, students also mentioned that the sense of community that they felt within their Christian campus culture encouraged them to interact with people—students, professors, and staff—that were invested in them academically, socially, and spiritually. Students also noted that their institutions make a conscious effort to create an academic environment that integrates faith and learning. In both the quantitative and qualitative data, students pointed to Bible classes and chapel as evidence of their institution’s integration of faith and learning (IFL). Upon further discussion, the participants stated that IFL was often in the way that their professors taught and interacted with them. While IFL remained an integral part of students’ experience with Christian campus culture, students continued to emphasize their invested professors as quintessential features not just in the classroom but also throughout their Christian campus environment.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004715, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004715
- Subject Headings
- Christian education -- Philosophy, Christian universities and colleges -- United States, Christianity and culture, Education, Higher -- Religious aspects, Education, Higher -- Social aspects, Universities and colleges -- Religion
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- A comparison of practices for teaching math word problems in Turkey and the United States.
- Creator
- Erkan, Betul, Zainuddin, Hanizah, Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry
- Abstract/Description
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This multiple case study investigated pedagogical differences and similarities among practices used to teach word problems in private schools of Turkey and the United States, the factors impacting teachers’ instructional decisions, and their approaches to teaching word problems as well as the role of culture in teaching and learning word problems. Quantitative survey data were collected from 28 Turkish and 27 U.S. high school mathematics teachers from private or independent schools. The...
Show moreThis multiple case study investigated pedagogical differences and similarities among practices used to teach word problems in private schools of Turkey and the United States, the factors impacting teachers’ instructional decisions, and their approaches to teaching word problems as well as the role of culture in teaching and learning word problems. Quantitative survey data were collected from 28 Turkish and 27 U.S. high school mathematics teachers from private or independent schools. The survey investigated teachers’ background information, resources used, and their use of teaching practices (teacher-centered, student-centered, concrete-visualizing, analytical) and types of word problems (true or practice-oriented) as well as their thoughts about the structure of word problems. Qualitative data were collected through classroom observations, videotaping, and focus-group interviews from four ninth grade algebra teachers in Turkey and the United States. Qualitative data helped the researcher expand upon the quantitative findings and examine how word problems actually were being taught in the classroom, the factors impacting teachers’ instruction and approaches to teaching word problems, and participants’ reflections on their own practices as well as on their international partners’ word problems instruction. The findings indicated no significant difference for most survey items, but descriptive statistical analysis revealed that Turkish survey participants incorporated teacher-centered, concrete-visualizing practices, and practice-oriented word problems more often in their instruction, while U.S. survey participants frequently used student centered, concrete-visualizing practices, and true problems. Qualitative findings pointed out what specific teaching practices were evident in the classrooms observed and videotaped in Turkey and the United States. While Turkish teachers thought the university entrance examination and national curriculum had the biggest impact on their teaching, U.S. teachers found school environment (traditional versus progressive) and student perception of word problems as influential on their instruction. The role of culture on teaching and learning word problems was observed in regard to teacher centered versus student-centered instruction, teacher versus student role, and student engagement. Study findings also indicated that cross-examination of teaching promotes teachers’ reflection on their own practices and, thus, should be encouraged and promoted across STEM disciplines and throughout a teaching career. Implications and recommendations for future research, curriculum developers, and mathematics teachers are discussed.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004193, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004193
- Subject Headings
- Educational tests and measurements, Mathematics -- Study and teaching -- Cross cultural studies, Word problems (Mathematics) -- Study and teaching -- Turkey, Word problems (Mathematics) -- Study and teaching -- United States
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- A critical analysis of first generation black male college students’ perceptions of their preparation for college level mathematics.
- Creator
- Williams, Kyla L., Schoorman, Dilys, Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry
- Abstract/Description
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President Obama’s 2014 “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative responds to the continuing educational disparities that the No Child Left Behind Act was intended to have addressed. The preoccupation with standardized testing and accountability over the past decade has revealed evidence of disparities in achievement between Black male students and their White counterparts. Critical Race Theorists have framed these persistent disparities as evidence of the opportunity gap and have advocated culturally...
Show morePresident Obama’s 2014 “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative responds to the continuing educational disparities that the No Child Left Behind Act was intended to have addressed. The preoccupation with standardized testing and accountability over the past decade has revealed evidence of disparities in achievement between Black male students and their White counterparts. Critical Race Theorists have framed these persistent disparities as evidence of the opportunity gap and have advocated culturally responsive pedagogy that would facilitate students’ academic success.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004421, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004421
- Subject Headings
- Achievement in education, Critical pedagogy, Educational sociology -- United States, Mathematics -- Studying and teaching (Graduate), Mathematics -- Studying and teaching (High school), Minorities -- Education -- United States, Motivation in education, Racism in higher education
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- A Comparative Analysis of Required Continuing Education in Florida SB1108 and Teacher Self-Efficacy for Inclusion.
- Creator
- Scruggs, Leigh A., Weber, Roberta K., Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry
- Abstract/Description
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While classroom teachers report alarming rates of unpreparedness, and even unwillingness to include diverse populations in the classroom, our nation is continuing along a trend started in the 1990s to include students with disabilities (SWD) in general education settings. This quasi-experimental research study uncovered the impact of completing the required continuing education course in teaching SWD course mandated by Florida Senate Bill 1108 ([SB1108]; The Florida Senate, 2013b), which...
Show moreWhile classroom teachers report alarming rates of unpreparedness, and even unwillingness to include diverse populations in the classroom, our nation is continuing along a trend started in the 1990s to include students with disabilities (SWD) in general education settings. This quasi-experimental research study uncovered the impact of completing the required continuing education course in teaching SWD course mandated by Florida Senate Bill 1108 ([SB1108]; The Florida Senate, 2013b), which amended Florida Statute 1012.585 (3) (e) (Process for Renewal of Professional Certificates, 2017) on perceived teacher ability to implement inclusion practices. An online version of the Teacher Efficacy for Inclusive Practices (TEIP) scale developed by Sharma, Loreman, and Forlin (2012) was utilized, along with demographic and experiential factors for classroom teachers in the study district to examine their self-efficacy toward inclusion. Analysis of the data indicated statistically significant differences in mean TEIP scale scores for exceptional student education (ESE) and general education teachers. Data analyses revealed that almost half of the teachers had a negative view of and did not perceive any benefit from the course. While ESE and general education teachers had similar preparation needs, they also reported areas of concern specific to their subset. Overall, the course did not provide enough continuing education in the areas most needed by the participants. SB1108-mandated course completion was also not found to be an indicator of higher teacher self-efficacy for the majority of teachers. Analysis of the differences in TEIP scale scores found that only elementary school teachers benefited from completing the course, while it had the opposite effect for general education high school teachers and no significant effect for ESE teachers. Differences in TEIP scale scores from demographic and experiential factors accounted for 13% of the variance in the population and was not significant for the ESE teacher subset. One percent or less of the variance was attributed to completion of the required continuing education course. Implications include reviewing the legislation’s effectiveness for teachers in different areas and grade levels, hiring and evaluation decisions based on TEIP scale scores of applicants and employees, and designing more meaningful continuing education courses. Recommendations for state legislatures, school administrators, designers of continuing education courses, and for future research regarding improvement of teacher self-efficacy for inclusive practices are offered.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005956
- Subject Headings
- Continuing education, Students with disabilities--Education--United States, Inclusive education, Education and state--Florida, Professional development for teachers
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- AN EVERGLADES LITERACY WORKSHOP FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS: A CASE STUDY OF ITS EFFECTIVENESS AND EDUCATOR TEACHING EXPERIENCES.
- Creator
- Mitchell, Erin, Bhagwanji, Yashwant, Florida Atlantic University, Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry, College of Education
- Abstract/Description
-
Environmental Education (EE) has an overall goal of fostering eco-literate citizens who are capable of building a more sustainable planet (North American Association for Environmental Education, 2019). While EE is associated with a plethora of benefits, it is still not widely implemented in the field of education due to the many types of barriers as well as the complexity of EE content knowledge and skills. Professional Development (PD) in EE may be a viable way to increase effective...
Show moreEnvironmental Education (EE) has an overall goal of fostering eco-literate citizens who are capable of building a more sustainable planet (North American Association for Environmental Education, 2019). While EE is associated with a plethora of benefits, it is still not widely implemented in the field of education due to the many types of barriers as well as the complexity of EE content knowledge and skills. Professional Development (PD) in EE may be a viable way to increase effective implementation of EE, yet PD in EE is not widely attended or offered. It is, therefore, imperative that PD programs are designed in a way that will maximize the benefits for participants. This mixed methods case study examined the experiences of K-5 educators who attended a one-day, Everglades Literacy Teacher Training Workshop in order to understand the effective components of the workshop, changes in teacher content knowledge and self-efficacy, and experiences of teachers after the implementation of the Everglades literacy curriculum in their classrooms.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2021
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013762
- Subject Headings
- Environmental education, Professional development, Teachers' workshops
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Black adolescents’ critical encounters with media and the counteracting possibilities of critical media literacy.
- Creator
- Waldon, Kalisha, Schoorman, Dilys, Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry
- Abstract/Description
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This transformative mixed-methods research study, uniquely designed as a 12-week curriculum to facilitate critical media literacy, drew upon the principles of critical pedagogy to investigate Black adolescents ‘perceptions of the impact of media on their racial identities. Responding to the high rate of media consumption among Black youth, the Critical Encounters Unit engaged 79 Black high school students in the southeast United States in examining how they made sense of their media...
Show moreThis transformative mixed-methods research study, uniquely designed as a 12-week curriculum to facilitate critical media literacy, drew upon the principles of critical pedagogy to investigate Black adolescents ‘perceptions of the impact of media on their racial identities. Responding to the high rate of media consumption among Black youth, the Critical Encounters Unit engaged 79 Black high school students in the southeast United States in examining how they made sense of their media encounters. Data on participants ‘perceptions of the role media plays in constructing Black identities and societal perceptions of Blacks were gathered through pre-post study surveys of all participants‘ self-identities and media literacy, interviews with 15 participants, 467 student journals, and 15 video observation field notes.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004474, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004474
- Subject Headings
- African Americans in popular culture, Blacks -- Race identity -- United States, Critical theory, Critical thinking, High school students, Black -- Attitudes -- United States, Mass media and youth, Racism -- Prevention
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Exploring Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Voices: A Critical Case Study With Middle School Students.
- Creator
- Tuinhof de moed, Simone, Burnaford, Gail, Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry
- Abstract/Description
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This dissertation explores the perspectives of culturally and linguistically diverse learners and English learners on school conditions that enable them to share their heritage languages and cultures, as well as the ways that these learners propose that their heritage languages and cultures could be more recognized in an English-only middle school setting. This study focused specifically on the role that culturally and linguistically diverse learners and English learners perceived that they...
Show moreThis dissertation explores the perspectives of culturally and linguistically diverse learners and English learners on school conditions that enable them to share their heritage languages and cultures, as well as the ways that these learners propose that their heritage languages and cultures could be more recognized in an English-only middle school setting. This study focused specifically on the role that culturally and linguistically diverse learners and English learners perceived that they played in the process of their own social empowerment, a role that could be achieved through the development of their voices by becoming critically involved in creating spaces for their heritage languages and cultures in English-only settings. In this study, student voice is the means for the culturally and linguistically diverse and English learners' voices to emerge: the voices that are frequently oppressed because of the lack of power. This framework provides guidance to integrate the excluded learners' voices in a school milieu that habitually muffles these voices. Listening to the bicultural and bilingual voices is important but not sufficient to challenge the power structure of U.S. schools. In this study, culturally and linguistically diverse learners and English learners conceptualized ways that their heritage languages and cultures could be (more) recognized in their school settings. The voices of the students are important; they should be respected and valued. Hearing the students in this study reminds us and validates the assertion that students from diverse languages and cultures are not monolith. They have different and unique experiences and this study gave voice to some of those. Leaders from state level, district level, and school level could open the doors for students to share their experiences in the schools; in the case of this study, to learn from these students what a school milieu that authentically recognizes their cultures and languages is.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004553, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004553
- Subject Headings
- Children of immigrants -- Education -- Social aspects, Educational equalization, Interaction analysis in education, Multiculturalism, Multilingualism, Psycholinguistics
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Exploring pedagogical relationships within a culture of creativity in a Reggio Emilia-inspired school.
- Creator
- Becraft, Barbara A.T., Burnaford, Gail, College of Education, Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry
- Abstract/Description
-
The current study explores what characterizes the relationship between the pedagogical processes within a school culture of creativity in a Reggio Emilia-inspired school in the Southeastern United States. The questions which frame the study are: 1. How is a culture of creativity fostered within a Reggio Emilia-inspired school? 2. Within a culture of creativity, what characterizes the relationship between the pedagogical processes of curriculum and assessment? The research was designed as...
Show moreThe current study explores what characterizes the relationship between the pedagogical processes within a school culture of creativity in a Reggio Emilia-inspired school in the Southeastern United States. The questions which frame the study are: 1. How is a culture of creativity fostered within a Reggio Emilia-inspired school? 2. Within a culture of creativity, what characterizes the relationship between the pedagogical processes of curriculum and assessment? The research was designed as ethnography and incorporates multiple data sets which provide layers of rich and descriptive information that reveal how to foster a culture of creativity in a school for young children. These data sets were generated by the researcher and the study participants over 18 weeks of ethnographic fieldwork and participant observation. These data sets include class group observations, professional development observations, interviews, focus groups, and audio-photo vignettes of the life of the Reggio Emilia-inspired school which served as the research site for the ethnography. Through ongoing, iterative, and eclectic processes of qualitative data analysis, the researcher identified four emergent themes in the combined data generated during fieldwork. These themes represent the four findings of the study and are presented in the work in terms of answers to research questions, as well as how they support study conclusions, implications, and suggestions for future research in early childhood education. The four thematic findings that emerged in the ethnographic data generated for this study are: The Protagonists, The Daily Life, Research and Analysis, and Languages of Expression.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA0004006
- Subject Headings
- Early childhood education -- Philosophy, Education, Preschool -- Philosophy, Group work in education, Reggio Emilia approach (Early childhood education), Teacher student relationships
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Elementary School Teachers’ Perceptions Regarding the Inclusion of LGBTQ Themed Literature.
- Creator
- Grasso, Dominic, Baxley, Traci P., Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry
- Abstract/Description
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This critical explanatory mixed methods study examined elementary teachers’ perceptions regarding the inclusion of LGBTQ-themed literature in the curriculum. An electronic survey questionnaire and focus group sessions were used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data that described the perceived benefits and barriers of LGBTQ-themed literature and teachers’ level of interest in attending professional developing on this topic. The sample population for this study consisted of 100...
Show moreThis critical explanatory mixed methods study examined elementary teachers’ perceptions regarding the inclusion of LGBTQ-themed literature in the curriculum. An electronic survey questionnaire and focus group sessions were used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data that described the perceived benefits and barriers of LGBTQ-themed literature and teachers’ level of interest in attending professional developing on this topic. The sample population for this study consisted of 100 participants. All 100 participants completed the electronic survey questionnaire, and a subset of 10 of the survey respondents participated in focus groups to explore further the perceived benefits and barriers relating to the inclusion of LGBTQ-themed literature. There were five key findings that emerged in relation to the research questions for this survey: (1) although teachers perceive parental backlash and insufficient training as the two most significant barriers preventing them from including LGBTQ-themed literature in their classroom, their beliefs and comfort levels surrounding LGBTQ individuals and topics are significant barriers as well; (2) participants felt there were many significant benefits that might result from the inclusion of LGBTQ-themed literature, including building an increased awareness of diversity among students and less bullying in regards to sexual orientation/gender expression; (3) participants felt that parents and administration have significant control over what teachers can teach in their classrooms, and that their autonomy and choice was straightjacketed by the demands of the parents and administrators; (4) participants were interested in attending professional development training focusing on the inclusion of LGBTQ-themed literature; and (5) Black respondents expressed more hesitation towards the inclusion of LGBTQ-themed literature as well as towards attending LGBTQ-themed professional development than other demographic subgroups.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004742, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004742
- Subject Headings
- Education, Elementary--Curricula., Sexual minorities' writings, American., Sexual minorities in literature., Human rights in literature--Study and teaching.
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Elementary school teachers’ perceptions of bullying and antibullying curriculum: a qualitative case study.
- Creator
- Moosai, Vikaash, Hyslop-Margison, Emery, Weber, Roberta K., Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry
- Abstract/Description
-
Numerous studies examining bullying among elementary school students and anti-bullying curricula and programs are available in educational literature. However, little research examines the perceptions of elementary teachers and guidance counselors regarding implementing the curriculum. To address this gap in the literature, my case study focused on three elementary schools and 21 participants (18 teachers and three guidance counselors) in South Florida and their perceptions on bullying and...
Show moreNumerous studies examining bullying among elementary school students and anti-bullying curricula and programs are available in educational literature. However, little research examines the perceptions of elementary teachers and guidance counselors regarding implementing the curriculum. To address this gap in the literature, my case study focused on three elementary schools and 21 participants (18 teachers and three guidance counselors) in South Florida and their perceptions on bullying and the antibullying curriculum implemented during the 2011 school year. The data collected included approximately 50 hours of interviews and the disaggregation of each school’s discipline summary report. There were two major themes that emerged from the study. The first theme (elementary school bullying) addressed the individuals responsible for addressing bullying, the outcomes of bullying, the characterisitcs of a bully, the locations of bullying, and the reasons why bullying occurs. The second theme (elementary school anti-bullying curriculua) addressed the professional development offered and what is needed, the components within an anti-bullying curriculum and what is needed, and the ways in which special needs students are addressed through an anti-bullying curriculum.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004310
- Subject Headings
- Aggressiveness in children -- Prevention, Bullying in schools -- Prevention -- Case studies, Curriculum planning, School violence -- Study and teaching (Elementary)
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Examining Student Level Variables as Predictors for On- Time High School Cohort Graduation.
- Creator
- McMahon, Brian M., Sembiante, Sabrina, Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry
- Abstract/Description
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Recent literature on high school graduation and drop out have shifted the focus from identifying causes of drop out to identifying students who are at risk of dropping out. The Early Warning Systems (EWS) used to identify students seek to use existing data to predict which students have a greater risk of dropping out of school so that schools can intervene early enough to reengage students. Despite widespread attention to individual indicators, there is no defined system of indicators proven...
Show moreRecent literature on high school graduation and drop out have shifted the focus from identifying causes of drop out to identifying students who are at risk of dropping out. The Early Warning Systems (EWS) used to identify students seek to use existing data to predict which students have a greater risk of dropping out of school so that schools can intervene early enough to reengage students. Despite widespread attention to individual indicators, there is no defined system of indicators proven to be generalizable across grade levels, specifically at the elementary grade levels. Drawing on the tenets of Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) Ecological Systems Theory, the purpose of this quantitative research study was to determine to what extent the State of Florida’s EWS model can predict on-time cohort graduation in grades 3-8. Using a retrospective longitudinal sample, this study first established that Allensworth and Easton’s (2005) grade 9 on-track indicator was predictive of dropout, finding that 92.2% of students who were on-track in grade 9 graduated on time. Using this grade 9 indicator as a proxy for graduation, this study then examined the effectiveness of the Florida EWS at predicting on-track status. Through this a priori link to graduation, this study was able to shed light on predictive indicators in the elementary and middle school years without the temporal distance between the predictor grade levels and graduation typically associated with longitudinal studies of this nature. The findings that the Florida EWS successfully predicted 71.6% of future on- and off-track status confirms its use as a predictive indicator of students at risk of not graduating. The academic, behavioral, and engagement indicators found in both Allensworth & Easton’s (2005) grade 9 on-track indicator and the Florida EWS were found to successfully capture the molar activities of students within the school ecological system and were successful at providing an indication of a student’s development in terms of being on track to graduate on time from high school.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005958
- Subject Headings
- Graduation (School), High school dropouts--Prevention, Education and state--Florida
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Creativity in an arts integrated third space: a case study of elementary school students in an international collaboration.
- Creator
- Hyatt, Susan, Burnaford, Gail, Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry
- Abstract/Description
-
This qualitative case study examined the impact of an arts integrated international collaboration on elementary school students’ creativity when the students were communicating and creating exclusively through a technological third space. Two organizations, one in the U.S. and one in Mexico, served as the sites for the case study. Five findings emerged from the study relating to the nature of creativity and two findings related to the impact on students’ creativity when engaged in arts...
Show moreThis qualitative case study examined the impact of an arts integrated international collaboration on elementary school students’ creativity when the students were communicating and creating exclusively through a technological third space. Two organizations, one in the U.S. and one in Mexico, served as the sites for the case study. Five findings emerged from the study relating to the nature of creativity and two findings related to the impact on students’ creativity when engaged in arts-integrated international collaboration. The findings for the first question were: 1. Students and teaching artists view creativity as a process that is reflexive and engaging, 2. When reflecting on their work, students and teaching artists see creativity as an interplay of ideas and are open to and capable of modifying their ideas to achieve creative results, 3. Creative work is relative to the individual and is directly correlated to both originality and effort, 4. Students and teaching artists value creativity as a means for both self-expression and communication, 5. A collaborative environment sets the stage for creative behavior in terms of inviting feedback, providing constructive criticism, and sharing ideas. For the second question relating to impact, the two findings were: 1. Teaching and learning in the third space becomes a recursive process, and 2. Students work in new modes of communication in order to bridge cultures.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004293, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004293
- Subject Headings
- Arts -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- Case studies, Creative thinking in children -- Case studies, Curriculum planning -- Case studies, Group work in education -- Case studies, Interdisciplinary approach in education -- Case studies, Space perception -- Case studies, Virtual reality -- Case studies
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Creating Spaces For Culturally Responsive Pedagogy Amid Standards Driven Curriculum In Secondary School English/Language Arts Classes.
- Creator
- Leichtman, Anala, Schoorman, Dilys, Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry
- Abstract/Description
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This hermeneutic phenomenological study emerged from concerns about the ways teachers’ pedagogical practices are affected by growing diversity in their classrooms and continuous education reform. Drawing on the perspectives of critical pedagogy and postcolonial literary theory, this study also explored the tension that exists between what students ought to learn in schools and what they actually learn. Data was gathered through two interviews and a classroom observation with each of eight...
Show moreThis hermeneutic phenomenological study emerged from concerns about the ways teachers’ pedagogical practices are affected by growing diversity in their classrooms and continuous education reform. Drawing on the perspectives of critical pedagogy and postcolonial literary theory, this study also explored the tension that exists between what students ought to learn in schools and what they actually learn. Data was gathered through two interviews and a classroom observation with each of eight high school language arts teachers in South Florida to gain an understanding of how they use their pedagogical practices to navigate changes that occur in the practice field and create spaces to utilize culturally responsive pedagogy in their implementation of the current secondary school English/Language Arts curriculum. Teachers’ reflections on their experiences, descriptions of the climate of their practice and how teachers create spaces for culturally responsive pedagogy were analyzed to consider how their pedagogical practices conform to or challenge the structural and normative assumptions of the practice field. Findings revealed that despite the constraints imposed on their pedagogy by education reform, including standardization of their practice, all teachers used culturally responsive pedagogy in their classrooms to achieve state mandated goals, albeit at a foundational level. While teachers unencumbered by standardized testing expressed higher levels of freedom to make pedagogical choices in their classrooms, all participants suggested that prescribed curriculum and resources could do more to represent students’ needs and growing diversity in schools rather than standardized assessments. Furthermore in their implementations of culturally responsive pedagogy, teachers continue to use students’ voices to represent standardized curriculum and universal literary themes rather than establishing them as curriculum in their own right. As such, this study’s findings extend discussions by educational and postcolonial literary theorists regarding whose knowledge has legitimacy as a part of curriculum especially in a practice field that emphasizes student performance at state mandated levels above all else.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013084
- Subject Headings
- Culturally relevant pedagogy., Multicultural education., Language arts (Secondary) Study and teaching
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Developing Empathetic Responses in Third-Grade Students Through Multicultural Literature.
- Creator
- Gordon, Linda Kim, Schoorman, Dilys, Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Curriculum, Culture and Educational Inquiry
- Abstract/Description
-
This study utilized an action research design with qualitative methods to explore the transformative potential of a multicultural literature curriculum within a general education setting. Providing young students with opportunities to develop perspective taking and empathetic responses to others who are different, offers the critical potential for reducing prejudice. Based on Allport’s (1979) contact theory, originally written in 1954, multicultural literature served as indirect contact,...
Show moreThis study utilized an action research design with qualitative methods to explore the transformative potential of a multicultural literature curriculum within a general education setting. Providing young students with opportunities to develop perspective taking and empathetic responses to others who are different, offers the critical potential for reducing prejudice. Based on Allport’s (1979) contact theory, originally written in 1954, multicultural literature served as indirect contact, providing access to characters who were different from the students. The design included the researcher’s classroom and a teacher cohort of five third grade teachers interacting with a total of 103 students in a public charter elementary school in South Florida. The selection of third graders was purposeful by the developmental window of social perspective taking identified by Selman (1980). Each teacher utilized the multicultural book set to conduct interactive read-alouds along with critical questions to support the students in understanding the settings and problems and therefore the perspective of the diverse characters. We gathered data from student work samples, audio tapes, cohort meetings, teacher journals, researcher journals, and critical friend meetings. Computer-assisted qualitative data analysis aided in the organization and handling of the quantity of data as Glasser’s (2008) constant comparative method was applied to coding through the action research recursive cycles. Emergent themes and patterns from the data demonstrated positive development in the depth of discussion through improved emotional vocabulary and new understanding of mixed emotions. The variety of storylines offered new knowledge of social justice issues such as immigration, refugees, religious tolerance, slavery, and poverty while developing vocabulary to engage in reading and discussion. The indirect contact experiences with diverse characters and the lessons provided practice in perspective taking and emotional empathy skills. This study contributes to the body of literature using multicultural literature for empathy and perspective taking development and adds to indirect contact studies for prejudice reduction by focusing on younger students and being conducted within an authentic school context.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013210
- Subject Headings
- Third grade (Education)--Florida, Multicultural stories, Empathy in children
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Fostering Creativity Using Special Library Collections: A Case Study of The Arthur & Mata Jaffe Center For The Book Arts.
- Creator
- Binder, Andrew D., Weber, Roberta K., Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry
- Abstract/Description
-
This dissertation examines the Arthur & Mata Jaffe Center for the Book Arts (JCBA) at Florida Atlantic University, focusing on creativity. Sixteen artists whose artwork is collected by the center were chosen to provide an overview of the creative process of book artists: Susan Allix, Julie Chen, Béatrice Coron, Johanna Drucker, Timothy Ely, Karen Hanmer, Linda K. Johnson, Marie Marcano, Bea Nettles, Matthew Reinhart, Robert Sabuda, Susan Joy Share, Keith Smith, Beth Thielen, Carol Todaro, and...
Show moreThis dissertation examines the Arthur & Mata Jaffe Center for the Book Arts (JCBA) at Florida Atlantic University, focusing on creativity. Sixteen artists whose artwork is collected by the center were chosen to provide an overview of the creative process of book artists: Susan Allix, Julie Chen, Béatrice Coron, Johanna Drucker, Timothy Ely, Karen Hanmer, Linda K. Johnson, Marie Marcano, Bea Nettles, Matthew Reinhart, Robert Sabuda, Susan Joy Share, Keith Smith, Beth Thielen, Carol Todaro, and Marshall Weber. The artists and the JCBA were selected for this study not only because these artists‘ books provide a unique opportunity to explore the creative processes of their makers, since many points of creative decision must be made, but also because artist‘s books by definition are often conceived, written, designed, printed, and bound by an individual artist. The list contains several artists who have been important to the historical development of the artist‘s book or pop-up publishing fields. Their influence ranges in scope from the historical to the international, national, and local, especially in terms of the JCBA. This dissertation should be useful to creativity researchers and students of the book arts because it is the first study to use qualitative research and creativity studies as a lens to investigate the artifacts and creative processes of artists in the book arts genre, as well as the first to use the case study approach to examine a book arts center and its educational practices with the focus of creativity research. With these goals in mind, concept maps were first created to document the artists‘ internal and external processes of creation, while master composite maps were compiled to facilitate a meta-analysis of their experienced creativity. The JCBA was then profiled, and its educational programs, practices, and policies were documented in order to describe and demonstrate how it encourages the creativity of book artists, as well as how its creativity-enhancing practices are established and traced into associated organizations. A model of how the organization does this is proposed and discussed with the intention of enhancing this effect at the JCBA and in other book arts organizations.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004650, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004650
- Subject Headings
- Artists' books -- United States -- History -- Case studies, Creation (Literary, artistic, etc.), Creative ability, Creative thinking, Jaffe Center for Book Arts, Jaffe, Mata, Jaffe, Arthur
- Format
- Document (PDF)