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1997 Dissertation Abstracts: Part 15
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ORDER NO: ABA97-34794
SECONDARY MATHEMATICS TEACHERS' EFFORTS TO TEACH FOR UNDERSTANDING: A QUALITATIVE STUDY IN TWO SCHOOL DISTRICTS (HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS) Author: FULMER, SUSANNE PERRYMAN Degree: ED.D. Year: 1997 Corporate Source/Institution: HARVARD UNIVERSITY (0084) Adviser: SUSAN MOORE JOHNSON Source: VOLUME 58/05-A OF DISSERTATION ABSTRACTS INTERNATIONAL. PAGE 1515. 277 PAGES Descriptors: EDUCATION, ADMINISTRATION; EDUCATION, MATHEMATICS; EDUCATION, SECONDARY This is a qualitative study of the efforts of nine secondary mathematics teachers to teach for understanding in two suburban New York State school districts. Although current literature advocates that we "teach for understanding" (TFU) in order to improve mathematics instruction, we have not yet learned how to make needed changes happen, especially at the secondary level. And, we have found that teachers are often limited in their ability to change by aspects of the teaching environment. In order to understand secondary mathematics teachers' efforts to teach for understanding and how these efforts relate to the organizational context in which they work, I studied nine teachers in the junior/middle and senior high schools of two districts. I observed thirty-eight mathematics classes and completed two or three interviews with each teacher, and with department heads and administrators. I found that only those teachers who articulated beliefs consistent with TFU and who were provided with appropriate instructional time and resources demonstrated successful implementation of TFU strategies. Of these, some demonstrated "patchworks" which included both TFU and traditional strategies. Those who articulated a cohesive set of beliefs relating to TFU demonstrated, at least in some classes, rich combinations of TFU strategies. However, where their ability to control instructional time was limited, all teachers were almost entirely prevented from implementing TFU practices in the affected classes. District-level pressures for high performance on state and college entrance tests encouraged the use of traditional methods. In such districts, success in implementing TFU practices was isolated, and most likely linked with the characteristics of individual teachers. Where district priorities were less strongly attached to state mandates and testing, other aspects of the organizational context, such as support for staff development, provided significant opportunities with respect to teacher efforts to TFU. Based on the findings, I recommend that assessments at the state and local levels be expanded to reflect broader goals for student learning. Specific recommendations are also offered for teachers and policy-makers at the state, district, school, and department levels in order to provide staff development opportunities, time, and instructional resources to support TFU.
ORDER NO: ABA97-34776
During the 1960s, the way that first-year composition was then being taught was criticized by numerous rhetoricians and composition specialists, including Wayne C. Booth, Virginia Burke, Edward P. J. Corbett, and Albert R. Kitzhaber. They argued that writing instruction had largely been reduced to a matter of checking student papers for grammatical correctness, and, as such, composition instruction failed to address adequately the complex nature of the writing process. In particular, critics noted that instruction in style suffered from the notion that grammatical correctness was the only requirement of "good" style. In response to this state of affairs, a few theorists, such as Corbett, advocated returning to classical rhetoric for approaches to style that would teach students that style has a persuasive function that reaches beyond concerns of superficial correctness. Others, such as Francis Christensen, looked to the growing field of linguistics in order to develop teaching methods that would not only help students achieve greater syntactic versatility, but that would also help students generate ideas for writing by encouraging them to experiment with certain types of sentence structures. Over the past thirty years, innovative approaches to style instruction have proliferated, but have these approaches become an accepted part of the composition curriculum? This study analyzes forty college composition textbooks of the early to mid 1990s to determine which approaches to style are now most dominant. The starting point for this analysis, then, was an examination of overt instructions in style as given by the selected textbooks. The aim was to identify which approaches to style are represented by these instructions, and which theories of rhetoric, composition, and/or style underlie these approaches. This was achieved by means of content analysis of the selected textbooks. The evidence collected from this analysis suggests that innovative approaches to style pioneered during the sixties and seventies have had little lasting influence on instruction in composition, and that the nineteenth century notion of style, which requires that sentences be constructed so that they communicate thought with absolute clarity, still dominates, with only a few exceptions, contemporary composition textbooks.
ORDER NO: ABA97-34770
Three studies were conducted to investigate the use of alternative methods to provide instruction, advisement, and field-based supervision to preservice special education practicum students. Undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in a Resource Room Practicum course participated. The studies took place over a 16-week semester period. Sixty-seven students from the course participated in Study 1. This study involved the use of three instructional methods to provide instruction to the students (i.e., broadcast classroom, receiving ITV classroom, videotape lectures). Students' achievement, attendance, satisfaction, and evaluation of the instructor were analyzed. Results of this study indicated: (a) achievement was equal, (b) students attended class regardless of their instructional method, (c) students from the broadcast classroom were satisfied with their instructional method, (d) students receiving instruction via ITV were neutral with their instructional method, (e) students receiving instruction by means of videotape lectures were dissatisfied with their instructional method, and (f) students from the receiving ITV classroom and videotape lecture evaluated the instructor lower than students from the broadcast classroom. The same 67 students participated in Study 2 that dealt with the use of electronic mail (e-mail) to provide advisement to students. The instructor and students communicated via e-mail during the semester concerning assignments, grades, etc.. The total number of communications were tallied and categories were determined. A student satisfaction survey was also completed. Results of Study 2 indicate: (a) students frequently used e-mail to communicate with the instructor, (b) students enjoyed using e-mail, and (c) students felt e-mail was as effective as the telephone and face-to-face meetings for communicating with the instructor. Five methods of field-based supervision (i.e., university supervision, cooperating teacher supervision, peer coaching, university supervision coupled with peer coaching, and cooperating teacher supervision coupled with peer coaching) were investigated in Study 3. Each student was observed four times throughout the semester and received verbal and written feedback. Students also completed a satisfaction survey. Results of the study showed: (a) students in all five methods increased their effective teaching behaviors, (b) students from four of the methods decreased their ineffective teaching behaviors, (c) students were satisfied with the method of supervision they received, and (d) students did not have a preference as to the method of supervision they would prefer to receive.
ORDER NO: ABA97-34723
Today most second language classrooms have culture learning goals and include a cultural component. Yet little agreement exists on what type of culture to include and it has not been shown that students demonstrate gains in cultural awareness after having studied a language for several years. This study is a comparison of the level of cross-cultural awareness demonstrated by 151 U.S. second language students who had taken at least two years of university -level French (N = 32), German (N = 46), and Spanish (N = 47), and a group of U.S. college students who had not studied a second language (N = 27) from a small Midwestern private liberal arts college. A 50-item instrument called the Peterson Cultural Awareness Test (PCAT) was developed. The untimed test was taken in English by all subjects and afterwards 12 subjects were randomly selected for 20-minute interviews in English. Factor analysis was used to confirm that four distinct cultural scales were being measured, based on the work of Hofstede (1980): power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism, and masculinity. Analysis of variance showed that the second language groups did not consistently outperform the non-language group in their understanding of U.S. culture or a second culture: in most cases the French group performed significantly more poorly than the other groups and the German group performed significantly better than the other groups. The Spanish group performed similarly to the non-language group. The interviews showed that the PCAT instructions and 50 test items were clear and that the test items reflected four distinct culture scales. It is recommended that the second languages and cultures field adopt a coherent framework for defining and studying cultures and then assessing cultural awareness. It is recommended that such a framework should serve as a tool for research and practice in various business and academic settings such as cross-cultural training, preparation for overseas study, the second language classroom, and further development of an instrument such as the PCAT.
ORDER NO: ABA97-34656
The purpose of this study was to the assess the Ed.D. and Ph.D. programs in educational administration at the University of Minnesota to determine student attitudes and opinions as to the effectiveness of their graduate training. The study includes a review of the literature relative to doctoral programs in educational administration, specifically, program assessment, review, and reform, and the preparation of school administrators: a common core of requirements. The study also includes analysis of data received from a survey of 310 graduates of the U of M program between 1981-1995. The survey contained five sections which focused on: demographic and general program information; program offerings; internship; dissertation; and program impact. A total of 210 or 67.7 percent of the graduates responded to the survey. Surveys were analyzed by the total population and results were compared using three variables: age, current position; and graduates were placed in five year cohorts based on year of graduation. Demographic data describe graduates as female (58.6 percent), between the ages of 41-45 at graduation (59 percent), and Caucasian (89.5 percent). A Ph.D. degree had been earned by 82.9 percent. Generally, results were consistent and minimal variations occurred between cohorts, gender, and present position. Graduates were most satisfied with their preparation in such areas as politics of education, formal organizations in education, school law, school finance, and research. Respondents identified the program offerings that they perceived as very important to their preparation and for the future: agent for change, politics, planning, school law, learning theory, school finance, and instructional theory. The internship program was assessed in five areas. The internship received an average rating of satisfactory by 65.5 percent. The dissertation phase of the doctoral program consistently received high marks from all respondents. Looking ahead, graduates were asked to rank the top five topics and skills they felt were most necessary for inclusion in the program. The top five topics were: leadership, strategic planning/change, computers/technology, and decision making. The top five skills were: leadership, communication, interpersonal skills, decision making, allocating resources, and ethics. The study includes summary, recommendations, bibliography and appendices of the graduate survey and cover letter and all written comments of graduates.
ORDER NO: ABA97-34611
At a time when his contemporaries have biographies written about their life and retrospectives dealing with their art, Henry Howard Bagg (1853-1928) has no more than two paragraphs written about his accomplishments. Knowledge of his work exists only in the form of two or three works in several museums and collections. Yet, Bagg is considered the most prominent "pioneer" artist painting in Nebraska between the "explorer" artists of the early 1800s and the "college artist/educators" of the 1920s. Bagg is considered the earliest of the "pioneers" who came to Nebraska because of a need for new opportunities or a settled livelihood and, in some instances, out of a missionary zeal to bring culture and enlightenment to the prairie. By studying the life and work of Henry Howard Bagg, the researcher hopes to provide an informed impression of the overall character of Bagg and his art works that may lead to a reevaluation of the significance of Bagg among scholars of American art. The purpose of this study was to develop a biography of Henry Howard Bagg that illustrates the life of the artist at the turn of the century. The goal was to determine certain turning points in his life that may have impacted his works of art, illustrations, and teaching methods. The study was conducted to encourage the public to consider his combined roles as artist, illustrator, and educator. His popularity as a teacher, as well as a highly collected artist, prompted inquiry into the artist's stature in the community in early Nebraska and the place of the artist in the community today. The results of this study may prove of interest to art historians, scholars, and collectors of art for the purposes compiling material for archives, individuals, and collections; supplying more reliable resource material and an expanded listing of works; and providing research records about other artists of the same era.
ORDER NO: ABA97-34396
This study posed the following questions: (a) Does error-detection instruction improve students' confidence levels and/or reduce anxiety? (b) Do students find error-detection instruction helpful? (c) Do students' methods and awareness of error detection change after instruction ? and (d) Does age, sex, math background or personality influence attitudes toward errors and error detection? College developmental algebra students received error-detection instruction during a semester-long beginning algebra course. They discussed errors and error detection mainly through the medium of "Pat Perplexed" problems. Pat was a mythical student who rarely got a problem correct. Pat's errors were corrected and explained collaboratively. Research on transfer, language, and metacognition was instrumental in the design of these problems. At the beginning and end of the semester students completed the Fennema/Sherman Confidence in Learning Mathematics and Anxiety Scales, a survey on error-detection methods, and personal interviews. An evaluation was completed at the end. Quantitative research used the entire sample. Qualitative research used 14 nontraditional students having the lowest combined initial score for the Fennema/Sherman Confidence and Anxiety Scales. Regression analysis indicated gender, which was highly correlated with entering attitude toward mathematics of interviewed students, and Pat involvement were factors related to change in Confidence scores. Instruction did not have a significant effect on anxiety. Small group involvement was important for perceived benefit, and those benefits differed for each student. Error-detection instruction increased ability, variety of methods and efficiency in finding errors. Students who viewed mistakes as a reflection on their intelligence did less well in the course or had less improvement on the Fennema/Sherman score than those who viewed mistakes as a challenge and part of the learning process. A strong affinity existed with "Pat" allowing for increased comfort and improved metacognition. Traditional and nontraditional students were more similar than dissimilar when it came to error detection. In conclusion, the opportunity for collaboration, metacognition, writing, verbalization, and identification with "Pat" were important inclusions in error-detection instruction.
ORDER NO: ABA97-34355
Luther College support and administrative staff supervise students who participate in the financial aid work-study program. Since more than 80% of the international students and 94% of American students of color participate in the program, the supervisors of these students must be sensitive to the cultural differences. The staff have recognized that they lack the skills to work effectively with multicultural students and have requested training in this area. The purpose of this dissertation project was to develop, implement, and evaluate a cultural diversity training program for Luther College staff. The research questions for the project included: "What information is needed to form the basis for the development of a cultural diversity training program for staff at Luther College ?" "What is an appropriate program for cultural diversity training of staff at Luther College ?" "What are the steps necessary for the implementation of a cultural diversity training program?" "Is the cultural diversity training program effective in meeting the needs of staff who supervise culturally diverse student workers?" Both development and evaluative methodologies were employed to answer the research questions. Formative and summative panels were organized to review and validate the program, implementation plans, and the evaluation components of the project. A draft training program including a program purpose, the training criteria, a program model, the content of the sessions, and the methods of training delivery were reviewed and modified based on the formative and summative panel suggestions. An evaluation purpose, evaluation criteria, program outcomes, and assessment approaches were reviewed by the formative committee and validated by the summative panel. The evaluation instruments were administered followed by the analysis of the collected data. The formative and summative evaluation results determined that the program was successful in teaching three diversity skills that participants were using in their work with students three months after the training sessions. Recommendations based on the evaluation findings included the continuation of the training, inclusion of more students in the sessions, additional small-group facilitation preparation, and the adaptation of the diversity training program for new employee orientation.
ORDER NO: ABA97-34348
Enabling a student to move through the school program at a rate commensurate with his/her own capabilities is a goal most districts strive for. Taking an individual interest in each and every student is a goal most teachers strive for. The general assumption is that individualization of instruction is educationally healthy for students and maximizes their potential for motivation and achievement. The major focus of this study is to determine the relationship(s) between the motivation of students and their perceptions of the level of individualization within their programs. The sample included 157 fifth grade students; 78 were from public schools and 79 were from private schools. The survey instruments were the Student Attitude Measure (SAM) published by American College Testing and the Individualized Classroom Environment Questionnaire (ICEQ) published by the Australian Council for Educational Research, Ltd. Data were collected from November, 1996 through December, 1996. The first data analysis compares mean scores of public and private school students in the five sub-tests of the SAM. The second data analysis compares mean scores of public and private school students in the five sub-tests of the ICEQ. The third data analysis compares the five sub-tests of the ICEQ to one sub-test of the SAM, Motivation in Schooling. No significant differences were found between mean scores of students in private and public schools on the Student Attitude Measure. A significant difference was found between mean scores of students in private and public schools on three of the five sub-tests of the Individualized Classroom Environment Questionnaire. A marginal significant relationship was found between the sub-test, Personalization, of the ICEQ and the sub-test, Motivation in Schooling, of the SAM.
ORDER NO: ABA97-34345
In order to successfully participate as a member of the international legal community, legal curriculum must be modified to provide practitioners with the appropriate education to understand the relationship between business law and culture. This dissertation examines the legal environments of Thailand and Vietnam in relation to the influence of culture in both settings. Specifically, it identifies opportunities and challenges presented to law firms working in the Thai and Vietnamese contexts, in order to educate attorneys in successfully conducting international legal business transactions. Moreover, this study explores the possibilities for new meanings in the global business law arena between Asian American law firms and the host nationals and the implications for future understanding in international legal practice and education development. The data collected as part of the dissertation incorporated a participatory method of inquiry based in a critical hermeneutic tradition. Conversations were held with participants who had legal and/or business experience in Thailand or Vietnam. The research findings suggest that the legal curriculum for international attorneys must be modified because the American legal community is presently facing significant changes in the way business law is practiced in the countries of Thailand and Vietnam. Continually fluctuating economic conditions that foster changes in current legal systems, as well as a persistent shift towards a more globally interdependent business arena, have created the need for a new type of international lawyer. International attorneys must begin to understand the relationship between law and culture. As such, a new educational approach for international law practice must be developed that is reflective of the individuals who create meaning through legally based relationships. International lawyers must recognize and understand the Thai and Vietnamese culture in order to create a fusion of horizons and achieve the necessary communicative competence for learning to successfully mediate legal interactions. Legal transactions do not occur in a vacuum. Instead, they are the result of relationships between individuals who must not only understand others, but themselves as well.
ORDER NO: ABA97-34214
Curriculum reform has become a very prominent issue in undergraduate mathematics. One avenue of reform in which there is currently a great deal of interest is the use of original sources, mathematical history, and writing assignments in the teaching of undergraduate mathematics. This thesis is a study of this current movement. The early chapters of this thesis report some of the major recent and current efforts from the mathematical community to move in these directions. In these chapters, the author surveys some textbooks that are part of this movement, some of which are in pre-publication form; the work of individual researchers, including course materials and courses that they have designed; the Institute on the History of Mathematics; and institutions such as St. John's College that have implemented these ideas even beyond the mathematics curriculum. The later chapters contain a summary of the author's attempts at using writing assignments and some mathematical history in his teaching at Idaho State University. In addition, these later chapters present sample course outlines written by the author for three calculus courses using historical sources and for two courses on the history of mathematics. These later chapters also present two units written by the author for use in undergraduate mathematics courses, one on Peano Arithmetic and one concerning the Hardy-Weinberg Principle from genetics.
ORDER NO: ABA97-34184
The purpose of this study was to investigate the beginning development of a teacher study group composed of three second-grade teachers, a special education teacher, and a university researcher. The group met to discuss literacy instruction for the second-grade general and special education students in their classrooms. The study group created a learning community with the general and special education teachers who were working in separate educational systems. The beginning development of the group was examined from descriptive and sociolinguistic analytical approaches. The descriptive analysis answered questions about the development of the study group over the year of meetings. The sociolinguistic analysis examined the discourse in a key meeting and provided insights into the moment-to-moment negotiations between participants. Data sources included: (a) transcribed audio- and video-tapes of the group meetings; (b) fieldnotes from the meetings and from classroom observations; (c) pre- and post-interviews; and (d) personal reflections recorded after the meetings and observations. This study extends the research in teacher development and educational change by examining questions about the process of beginning a collaborative effort in an elementary school. First, the investigation of the group's beginning informs our understandings of how participants in study groups begin the process of learning together. The negotiations over the first year of the meeting revealed a process of balancing change with feelings of success in the current system. Issues of beliefs, roles, and leadership in the group influenced the participants' conversations and learning. Second, the investigation addresses questions of educational change in the current climate of special education reform. Many schools are including students with disabilities into the general education programs. It is important for educators to work together so that collaborative decisions about content and instruction, rather than mandates about educational settings, will support the learning of the more diverse students population. The development of collegial relationships that uncover and negotiate differences between educators holds the potential for meaningful change and future collaboration efforts. This study suggests what is needed to support general and special education teachers' initial efforts to examine their practice in order to meet the needs of diverse students in their classrooms.
ORDER NO: ABA97-34164
Claims of benefits of instructional uses of new technologies are often based on anecdotal statements from faculty and students rather than on empirical and objectively measured data secured by educational research methods. This study was conducted to: (1) determine the effects of using computer courseware programs, designed to teach college -level physiology concepts, on students' learning achievements; (2) assess the level of importance of courseware characteristics in promoting effective learning as perceived by experts; (3) assess the extent to which the quality of courseware characteristics helped in promoting effective learning as perceived by students and experts; and (4) construct a framework for analyzing and evaluating computer-based multimedia courseware. Exam grades for students in Physiology 431 course, offered at Michigan State University during the Fall Semester of 1995, were collected and analyzed as a measure of the effect of courseware programs on learning achievement. The students and two groups of experts interacted with and evaluated the programs using evaluation instruments constructed by the researcher. Data collected from the subjects were analyzed using simple descriptive statistics, oneway analysis of variance (ANOVA), multidimensional scaling, and stepwise regression procedure. Their comments on the programs were compiled, categorized, and analyzed. The major findings of the study were: (1) students who used all three programs significantly performed better than other students; however, gender and GPA were the significant predictors of learning achievement; (2) only courseware 2, the program on Control Systems, enhanced learning achievement. Interestingly, while the students rated the courseware as least in quality, the experts rated it as best; (3) only students' class level and previous experience using courseware had a significant relationship to their perceptions regarding the quality of courseware characteristics; (4) nearly all the students liked the programs and expressed deep interest in using similar courseware in other courses; (5) the experts rated "presenting complete, accurate, or current lesson content" as the most important characteristic in promoting effective learning; (6) gender and age were the demographic factors that differentiated the experts in their perceptions regarding courseware characteristics; (7) while the experts were more stringent in rating the quality of courseware characteristics, the students were more detailed as to the specific ways the programs enhanced learning; and (8) while most of the students liked the way humor was used in the programs, most of the experts did not. In conclusion, "A Framework for Analyzing and Evaluating Computer-Based Multimedia Courseware" was constructed based on the results and findings of the study in light of established theoretical paradigms in educational psychology.
ORDER NO: ABA97-34155
In this study, the case method was used to explore the factors that bring about the socialization of faculty at a College of Applied Arts and Technology (CAAT). Through qualitative methods, the study examined the impact of faculty recruitment and selection, formal faculty training and informal faculty experiences during entry and in the early years of their service. The most influential attractors to newcomers into the CAAT studied was the perceived lifestyle of the professor, ease of entry into the profession and the vocational orientation of the CAAT. Recruitment of new professors appears to come predominantly by way of direct contact with vocational areas and selection criteria tend to focus on vocational expertise and reputation with little regard to teaching skills or the affective qualities of candidates. Newcomers appear to have limited or no knowledge of the realities of the lifestyle of a professor before their entry into the college. The most commonly unanticipated realities were workload, the complexity of bureaucracy, the intricacy of teaching responsibilities, and inadequate support for teaching activities. Also unanticipated were the high degree of collegiality, the diversity of faculty roles, and the college 's culture of informality, freedom and flexibility. Unlike most occupations, that of the CAAT professor does not usually have a well defined anticipatory stage of socialization. Rather, transformative experiences usually begin only upon entry into the college . Formal socialization agents proved to have variable degrees of success, generally having less impact than expected primarily because of the lack a sound theoretical framework. While the purpose of formal experiences is to attempt to socialize newcomers into the organization, new professors appear to offer resistance. Instead, they tend to maintain a strong identity with their academic departments and their previous careers. More important than the formal influences were the informal ones, especially the interaction with students and peers, although these appear to affect different aspects of the newcomers socialization. Informal influences appear to exert their influence more at the department level, preserving and reinforcing the vocation-centered identity. The study concludes with eighteen recommendations that the author believes would help the CAAT studied to improve the career socialization of new professors.
ORDER NO: ABA97-34081
This dissertation describes a qualitative study which was undertaken to develop and evaluate materials for use by adult educators involved in facilitating returning adult students. The need for such materials was identified through an awareness that institutions of higher education are concerned with serving the increasing numbers of adult students on campus. Information was needed to develop better resource materials for those who facilitate programs or courses designed to assist adult learners as they enter or reenter the higher education setting. Although resources exist which relate to reentry adult learners, they are limited in scope, are based on research and testing with traditional-age students, and are generally written for the learner as opposed to the facilitators. This study utilized a qualitative, inductive approach for the collection, analysis, and synthesis of perceptual and evaluative data obtained from adult students, facilitators of adults, and individuals considered expert in the fields of adult learning, instructional materials and adult education. These measures were employed to ascertain the critical elements that need to be included in a program designed to assist reentry adult students. To ensure that diverse opinions and needs were met, the triangulated methodology utilized in this study sought input from 89 participants, which consisted of 40 adult learners, 40 adult educators, and 9 individuals considered expert in the areas of adult learning and adjustment to college. Several methods of data collection were employed, including critical incidents, interviews, preference inventory ratings, a design document, and reviews of manual drafts. The research was conducted in a fluid manner, whereby, the review of the literature was an ongoing event which was conducted in order to confirm or further elucidate issues which emerged through the data collection and analyses. This process led to the creation of a manual entitled, Facilitating Adults' Adjustment to College : A Manual for Facilitators. This manual reflects the values, needs, perceptions, and suggestions of those who would use the manual as well as of those who would ultimately benefit from the manual, guided along the way with the expertise of those cited in the literature. The study, therefore, demonstrates an important collaboration, which resulted in a product which has the potential of being a valuable resource for adult educators involved in facilitating an adult's reentry to higher education. This study further demonstrated the value of using a participatory process for the development of materials which would be used in an adult learning environment.
ORDER NO: ABA97-34080
The present study was undertaken to develop an interactive computer-based self-contained teacher training module that would give teachers the means and the opportunity to learn and practice using on their own time and at their own pace a tool called TAGCR (Tool for Analyzing and Generating Communications Requiring Responses). TAGCR is a tool derived from FOCUS--an extensive and multi-purpose classroom observation instrument--to investigate communications that require responses such as questions, commands and requests. The principles of systems approach to instructional design shaped the design and guided the development process of the prototype computer-based teacher training module. The need for the study arose out of my own experiences of using FOCUS as a student and a supervising teacher in the TESOL program at Teachers College, Columbia University, and various needs expressed in the literature that support such study. The present study had two purposes. One purpose was to develop, using the principles of systems approach to instructional design, a prototype teacher training module, and the second purpose was to report on the process of the development of the prototype as well as to examine critically the extent to which efforts at applying the principles of systems approach to instructional design to a specific context were successful. In accordance with the principles of systems approach to instructional design, a prototype computer-based teacher training module was constructed and subjected to successive reviews and revisions to improve the instruction. An informal field test of the module was also undertaken to determine the learning that occurred as a result of the instruction. There were some indications in the informal field test to justify the claim that the prototype in a limited sense achieved its goals. The efforts to apply principles of instructional design to the design and development of the prototype module in a specific context were examined with reference to a nine-element composite model of instructional design elicited from the works of a number of instructional designers. These efforts were judged to be moderately successful.
ORDER NO: ABA97-34079
Is it possible to combine the power of education with the fun and excitement of entertainment and technology? What type of educational content can be added to entertainment in a videogame to avoid the "kiss of death" for sales and become "a good learning strategy" for teachers and parents in homes and schools? Can schools help? Fifty-one senior executives in the videogame industry were asked to explore the feasibility of creating a new learning dynamic in videogame design, where active elements of education are blended with passive entertainment to both make money and an educational difference. Goldilock's proposition. Dale Mann of Teachers College, Columbia University explains the challenge videogame developers face while attempting to add education in game design: too much or too little can make the difference in financial success as well as learning achievement. Senior executives in the videogame industry identified "mystery/adventure" games as having the most potential as money makers and educational values. They also perceived that a videogame can support almost 50% education added to entertainment and sustain profit potential. Is this supported by existing products in the public consumer marketplace? The "nag" factor. Investment in the videogame industry will continue to rise as the American teenage population grows to 35 million in 2010. Teenagers have more purchase power with videogames than with shoes or clothes. Senior executives with major responsibilities in research and development perceive investment in the education and entertainment (edutainment) videogame market as unlikely, due to distribution problems and crowded markets in both home and school markets, despite the fact they perceive home platform and delivery channels as supportive of edutainment. Schools were perceived by the survey group as a last dollar investment because of the market size (too small) and uncertain technology. However, senior executives with major responsibilities in marketing and distribution perceive schools helping through teacher development teams, product endorsement and beta test-sites. Conclusion. Who will lead the way to "edutopia", where a new learning dynamic can be developed for the child's first teachers (parents) in America's smallest schools (homes) to combine the power of learning with entertainment and technology?
ORDER NO: ABA97-34078
Computer conferencing is a growing trend in higher education and one that is credited with increasing access as well as promoting democratic patterns of classroom interaction. Although this vehicle may widen access to learning institutions, little is known about how participants actually experience its use. To address this need, a descriptive research study of university online classes was undertaken in 1995. The purpose of this study was to help teachers, researchers and theorists understand the unique challenges and opportunities of computer conferenced classrooms. Case studies were constructed to document the curriculum designs, the teaching practices employed and the online interaction that occurred in each course. Data sources included course transcripts, interviews with the teachers and students, student surveys, and online observations. Data analysis of the transcripts relied upon a coding system defined inductively from participants' descriptions of their experience. The findings are presented first as three case reports which provide an overview of each course, followed by a detailed cross-case analysis which compares the courses' curriculum designs, the teaching strategies employed, and the patterns of participation. The central finding of the study was that computer conferencing can support a range of learning environments, from a traditional teacher-led symposium to a participatory writers' workshop model. Importantly, participants attributed this variety to the teachers' beliefs and practices rather than factors related to the medium. In two of the three courses studied, there was a high level of interaction and satisfaction among the participants. However, participation patterns across the courses showed that a few students dominated the majority of online discussion. The sparse interaction in the third course made visible the potential pitfalls of communication that can occur. The data suggest that teachers' frequent participation and explicitness about their expectations are essential factors to a healthy online discussion. Together, these findings call into question some of the benefits hailed in the literature on computer conferencing, namely that it promotes equal participation and a democratic learning environment. The uneven participation in all three courses suggests that a horizontal response level is not a given function of the medium, despite the equal access provided.
ORDER NO: ABA97-34074
New teachers are confronted with the complexities of teaching and the need to learn more about their job. This study examines the experience of twenty-five beginning teachers over a period of three years in order to find out more about teacher learning. It investigates the issue from three perspectives: teacher as learner; teachers' networks for learning; and the school as a work and learning environment for teachers. The sample included two distinct groups: teachers who had completed a traditional college -based teacher preparation program, and teachers who had entered teaching through the New Jersey Provisional Teacher Program (alternate route). Interviews were conducted at the onset of teaching, and then, at the end of each year, for the first three years of teaching. Findings from this study have implications for teacher education and learning in the workplace. The study revealed that teachers consistently felt they needed to learn more about teaching over a period of three years. From their perspective, teachers felt they needed to know more about instructional strategies, subject matter, discipline, and students. Both groups reported the need to learn more about instructional strategies. Initially, college -based teachers felt they needed to know more about subject matter whereas, alternate route teachers felt they needed to know more about discipline and students. In their efforts to learn more about teaching, teachers developed a variety of networks which include other teachers, relatives, school administrators, and even students. Other teachers, however, were their primary resource for learning in the workplace. With regard to school settings, more college -based teachers felt their schools were supportive than alternate route teachers. Supportive schools were described as schools that had supportive administrators, opportunities for professional growth and development, and opportunities to interact with other teachers in the school. The study has implications for teacher education, school settings, and adult learning. Teacher preparation must be viewed as a long-term process which spans both the formal teacher preparation phase, and the early years of teaching when teachers are developing as professionals.
ORDER NO: ABA97-34031
The structure of engineering curricula currently in place at most colleges and universities has existed since the early 1950's, and reflects an historical emphasis on a solid foundation in math, science, and engineering science. However, there is often not a close match between elements of the traditional engineering education, and the skill sets that graduates need to possess for success in the industrial environment. Considerable progress has been made to restructure engineering courses and curricula. What is lacking, however, are tools and methodologies that incorporate the many dimensions of college courses, and how they are structured to form a curriculum. If curriculum changes are to be made, the first objective must be to determine what knowledge and skills engineering graduates need to possess. To accomplish this, a set of engineering competencies was developed from existing literature, and used in the development of a comprehensive mail survey of alumni, employers, students and faculty. Respondents proposed some changes to the topics in the curriculum and recommended that work to improve the curriculum be focused on communication, problem solving and people skills. The process of designing a curriculum is similar to engineering design, with requirements that must be met, and objectives that must be optimized. From this similarity came the idea for developing a linear, additive, multi-objective model that identifies the objectives that must be considered when designing a curriculum, and contains the mathematical relationships necessary to quantify the value of a specific alternative. The model incorporates the three primary objectives of engineering topics, skills, and curriculum design principles and uses data from the survey. It was used to design new courses, to evaluate various curricula alternatives, and to conduct sensitivity analysis to better understand their differences. Using the multi-objective model to identify the highest scoring curriculum from a catalog of courses is difficult because of the many factors being considered. To assist this process, the multi-objective model and the curriculum requirements were incorporated in a linear program to select the "optimum" curriculum. The application of this tool was also beneficial in identifying the active constraints that limit curriculum development and content.
ORDER NO: ABA97-33980
New students enrolled at American River College, Sacramento, California had a success rate, as measured by A, B, C grades, of 62 percent in fall 1996. The student success rate was inconsistent with student performance on an achievement test for new students. The achievement test was taken by about half of the new students. The achievement test, in use for the past five years, had consistently shown that about 40 percent of the new students read above the 12th grade level. The study examined the relationship between faculty teaching behaviors and student success. The study was undertaken, in part, to determine if the institutional emphasis on effective teaching staff development activities had an effect on faculty teaching behaviors and student success. This was a correlation study using survey research and face to face interviews to examine the relationship between faculty teaching behaviors and student success as measured by passing grades rates of A, B, C. Full time faculty members were surveyed (N = 230) using the Faculty Teaching Behaviors Questionnaire (FTBQ) developed by the researcher. Follow-up interviews (N = 15) of randomly selected faculty members were used to corroborate the survey findings. The study did not show a strong relationship between the FTBQ scores and student success rates. Faculty grades were obtained from the fall 1996 Grade Analysis Report. The interview results suggest that all of the subjects think they are practicing effective teaching behaviors and want their students to be successful. The study showed that teachers generally agree on what constitutes good teaching behaviors. However, the interviews revealed that subjects did not have a common understanding of effective teaching methods and goals. The study also found that teachers try many different approaches to reach, motivate and teach their students. The interviews revealed that teachers have a tenuous relationship with their students. They wanted their students to do well in their course, but it appeared that some faculty members were not certain of how this could be done.
ORDER NO: ABA97-33884
This study was designed to determine the affect of college students' judgments of an instructors' overall teaching competence on their responses to specific attribute items. Three nonequivalent methods of determining halo effect and a confirmatory factor analysis were utilized to identify latent factors of overall teaching quality. A correlation study indicated a moderate inverse relationship between students' general assessment of teaching quality and inter-item variance among responses to specific attributes. Two strongly related (.85) latent factors of overall teaching quality were identified by the researcher: (a) social-learning environment; and (b) organization. The loadings of the latent factor of perceived quality of instruction on the social-learning environment latent factor (.97) and on the organization latent factor (.91) were high. The results of this research indicate that there is a strong relationship between students' perception of overall quality of instruction and attribute indicators.
ORDER NO: ABA97-33883
This study is the pilot test of a model designed to simultaneously teach student and mentor teachers to effectively use computer-based instruction to support their curriculum. Secondary education student teachers were first required to complete a core computer course and receive discipline-specific computer experience in their teaching methods course. They were then paired with interested mentor teachers and collaboratively developed computer support for their curriculum within the structure of a school-university partnership. Results of this study show that (a) collaborative curriculum development can be an effective method to teach student and mentor teachers to use computers to support their curriculum, (b) student teachers may provide the most effective computer help to the mentor teachers, and (c) the desire to use computers to support curriculum must be intrinsic to the teachers rather than come as a directive from school or district administrators.
ORDER NO: ABA97-33877
The modern rhetoric of reform in education has been in the forefront since the 1980s, but it has now taken on a new meaning, a greater importance to both students and teachers, a new urgency for change, and a sense of hope that this time reform will truly make a difference. The major purpose of this study was to compare historical reform initiatives to the current Florida state initiative, Blueprint 2000: A System of School Improvement and Accountability. Five questions were considered: (1) how similar were historical and current reform initiatives; (2) what aspects of reform were actually accomplished; (3) what are the elements of a profession; (4) what implications might this research have for university programs and inservice training programs regarding their role in the preparation of teachers; and, (5) what implications might research have on the promotion of professional practice.
ORDER NO: ABA97-33876
From educational, communications, psychological, and technical points of view, the renovation of pedagogy in media education is based upon the promotion of "educational technology." The promotion of educational technology relies upon the appropriate availability and knowledge of different educational media made available by the trained media personnel. In the past three decades most of the junior colleges in Taiwan set up educational media centers to help students learn through the use of media which enables them to obtain optimum benefits in a short time. What are the roles the media personnel play in the media center? What responsibilities have they to bear in the center? What differences are there when a trained and untrained media personnel are presented in junior colleges media center in Taiwan? What do the trained and untrained media personnel feel toward the importance of each media service in the area of media center's administration, media production, specialized media duties, and the training of staff in media use? These are the questions addressed in this study. Through the study of the related literature and a survey conducted in the junior colleges in Taiwan, recommendations are offered to provide improvement of the services and training of media specialists in Taiwan that are appropriate for a changing work and environment. These recommendations are for media specialists to be formally trained to effectively serve the changing needs of school library media so as to make optimal use of media in the junior colleges.
ORDER NO: ABA97-33758
The focus of this dissertation is to examine how the researcher's use of reflective practice served as a vehicle to change discourse and relationships in Middle School's culture. The researcher was the principal of Middle School and served as both subject and researcher. To study the impact of reflective practice in a middle school, the researcher used a qualitative research methodology. While action research informs the methodology, this is a personal case study in action learning conducted over the period of one year. Through reflection and inquiry, the researcher formulated actions that were implemented. Data sources included personal reflective journaling, notes, informal conversations, principal evaluations, reflective journaling with two teachers and reflective dialogue and journaling with a principal colleague. Triangulation was obtained through the variety of data sources and served as an alternative to validation. The researcher used stories and vignettes to describe the interventions used to suspend assumptions, examine mental models, develop talents as an adult educator, and the results of interventions. The results revealed that engagement in reflective practice had a profound impact on the fundamental relationships within the school community, and brought about substantive change in the discourse and culture of the school. Lessons in the principalship were explored and learned. Through the generative conversations with faculty members at a Midwestern university and colleagues at a middle school, the researcher examined espoused theories and theories-in-use as well as deconstructed and reconstructed personal theories of practice. The researcher noted bonds of trust and safety developed among staff members. Conversations around teaching and learning also increased. As the building principal, the researcher came to understand that she could not do or be everything for the staff. The researcher discovered when power and control were given up, more power was created within the staff. The principal became a compass for the school and gave direction to members in the school community. She learned as she sought to keep her focus on true north, north often moved. Therefore, she was continually readjusting the direction she was leading the school. Ultimately, she came to understand that the journey never ends.
ORDER NO: ABA97-33673
The present dissertation addresses the psycholinguistic process of second language (L2) Spanish morphosyntactic development (aspectual distinctions) among college -level L1 English students. The empirical analysis was based on data from several tasks: elicited oral narratives, grammar tests (cloze and editing tasks) and problem solving speak-aloud tasks. The longitudinal part of the study was based on the analysis of oral movie narratives collected at two different times two months apart among 20 college -level L1 English students (five levels of academic experience). Four native speakers acted as a control group. The cross sectional study was based on the analysis of the selection of Spanish past tense morphology in a cloze and editing task among 32 monolingual Spanish speakers, and 47 L1 English speakers enrolled in intermediate and advanced courses in academic Spanish. The use of verbal morphology in both sets of data was analyzed according to the lexical aspect hypothesis (e.g., Andersen, 1986, 1991). The classification of verbs into lexical aspectual classes was determined by operational tests. The results of the study show that the lexical aspectual semantics of the verb phrase has an increasing influence on the selection of verbal endings throughout development of the L2. In contrast, the effect of lexical aspect during the beginning stages of acquisition is minimal compared to the effect of tense contrasts. The results are supported by both sets of data. Additional descriptive analyses of the selection of past tense verbal morphology during the joint problem solving task (speak aloud protocols) revealed that the students' judgments were preceded by extended metalinguistic talk. In turn, the metalinguistic talk was heavily influenced by the type of pedagogical rules presented in classroom instruction. The results of the study are analyzed in relation to previous empirical findings in the area of tense and aspect development in both L1 and L2 acquisition.
ORDER NO: ABA97-33503
The purpose of this speculative philosophic inquiry is to examine the curriculum and the pedagogy appropriate to an education for democracy in the high school, the general education component of college, and the teacher education program. Chapter One offers a review of the current state of American democracy, and continues with an examination of the various interpretations of the meaning of democracy. A psychologized definition of democracy is posited which will be used as the foundation of the suggestions offered in regard to educational approaches. Democracy is conceived as a set of knowledge, skills and dispositions whose essence can be defined as a frame of mind with seven attributes. The assumption is posited that democracy will be best served by an education pragmatically designed to foster these attributes and the knowledge, skills and dispositions needed in the daily activities of a democratically conducted life. Chapter Two examines the knowledge, skills and dispositions required in daily life in a democracy. These are analyzed in the various domains of experience, defined as the self, the family, the home, friends and friendship, the community, the environment, the workplace, the nation, and the world. Chapter Three examines the content and process of education in the traditional high school and college. The failures of the traditional approach to education for democracy are highlighted. Chapter Four offers concrete suggestions for how education for democracy might proceed more effectively at the high school and college levels, and concludes with a look at the characteristics of the democratic classroom. Chapter Five presents the characteristics of the democratic teacher and offers ideas on how teacher education might be structured in order to foster teachers who will promote democracy. Cautionary remarks about the implications of the need for diversity and continuing experimentation in a democracy's approach to education conclude the study.
ORDER NO: ABA97-33145
Research on computer anxiety has examined multiple facets but has done little to pursue the possibility of relationships between the anxiety level of the computer student and the behavioral attributes and teaching strategies of the instructor. This study examines the levels of computer anxiety among students in a Technology Tools course and looks for relationships among seventeen identified behavioral (or personality) attributes and seven specified teaching strategies of the instructor. These were taken from a variety of measures, (Tuckman Teacher Feedback Form and the Florida Teacher Performance Measurement System) and used to develop a treatment of instruction. The students were divided into two groups with one group receiving the treatment and the other receiving regular instruction. Sixty-eight undergraduate students (44 females, 24 males) participated in the study. Rosen's Computer Anxiety Rating Scale (CARS) was used to pre and post-test anxiety levels while Spielberger's S-Anxiety Index and a subsequent subset were used as repeated measures throughout the length of the course. An end-of-course survey was developed listing the seventeen attributes and the seven teaching strategies along with open-ended questions. Students were asked to rank the consistency of the use of the attributes and strategies and to complete the open-ended questions. Although the treatment was not shown to be significant in reducing anxiety, there was an overall reduction of computer anxiety among all participants pre and post (Treatment group x = 42.79 pre and x = 34.54 post; Control group x = 39.66 pre and x = 34.25 post).
ORDER NO: ABA97-33143
Beginning teacher induction and the on-going support necessary to guarantee a smooth and successful transition from education student to classroom teacher is the focus of this dissertation. A variety of methods and approaches for providing the instructional /curricular and emotional support which novice teachers require are explored within the literature review. Topics addressed include: the California mandates, problems and challenges of novice teachers, induction and support programs, attitudes and expectations new teachers bring to their first assignment, the important role of the site administrator, mentor teacher support, and the continuing responsibility of the university in assisting new teachers through the challenging first years. Novice teachers and the personnel officers responsible for implementing induction programs within their districts were queried for this research. The ultimate goal of this study was to determine the components of an effective new teacher induction and support program according to the perceptions of each group. Through an analysis of the similarities and differences between the opinions expressed by the survey groups, a more comprehensive and effective induction program can be designed addressing the specific needs expressed by the novice teacher. The dissertation concludes with suggestions that may be adopted by teacher preparation institutions, districts, site administrators and school staffs to help beginning teachers feel competent in their new profession. By understanding beginning teachers' emotional phases and their developmental stages, we can provide the support necessary to quell the high levels of new teacher attrition.
ORDER NO: ABA97-33096
Self-regulated learning involves students' use of strategies and skills to adapt and adjust towards achievement in school. This research investigates the extent to which self-regulated learning is employed by community college students, and also the correlates of self-regulated learning: Is it used more by students in advanced science classes or in some disciplines? Is there a difference in the use of it by students who complete a science course and those who do not? How does it relate to GPA and basic skills assessments and science achievement? Does it predict science achievement along with GPA and assessment scores? Community college students (N = 547) taking a science course responded to the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). The scales measured three groups of variables: (1) cognitive strategies (rehearsal, elaboration, organization, and critical thinking); (2) metacognitive self-regulation strategies (planning, monitoring, and self-regulation); and (3) resource management strategies (time and study environment, effort regulation, peer learning, and help-seeking). Students' course scores, college GPA, and basic skills assessment scores were obtained from faculty and college records. Students who completed a science course were found to have higher measures on cumulative college GPAs and assessment scores, but not on self-regulated learning. Self-regulated learning was found not to be used differently between students in the advanced and beginning science groups, or between students in different disciplines. The exceptions were that the advanced group scored higher in critical thinking but lower in effort regulation than the beginning group. Course achievement was found to be mostly unrelated to self-regulated learning, except for several significant but very weak and negative relationships in elaboration, self-regulation, help-seeking, and effort regulation. Cumulative GPA emerged as the only significant predictor of science achievement, accounting for roughly one-third of the variance. The basic skills assessments and self-regulated learning were not significant predictors. English and reading assessments were more highly significant predictors in the biology than in the physical science groups, while math assessment was not related to science achievement.
ORDER NO: ABA97-32898
This study is an historical survey of the origins of academic unions in the United States with a special focus on the acceptance of academic unionism by the Instructional Staff of the City University of New York. It examines the sociological factors which tend to encourage the acceptance of collective bargaining as a vehicle for professional improvement by the professoriate and it seeks to provide a formula for a modus operandi for the successful functioning of a faculty/academic union in today's colleges and universities. It also discusses the impact of the United States Supreme Court decision in Yeshiva, and the related determinations of the National Labor Relations Board. It contains statements by highly respected practitioners from among arbitrators, mediators, union leaders, and college and university administrators and faculty describing the unique qualities of academic unions and their impact on their institutions as influenced by the idiosyncratic dynamics of the academic workplace. The study concludes with a comparison of the similarities with and the differences from traditional trade unions and suggests the relative importance of each.
ORDER NO: ABA97-32870
ORDER NO: ABA97-32755
We are preparing students and teachers to engage postmodern world with modernist tools. Here I write to interrupt this condition. This dissertation brings together theory and practice, the personal and the academic, the modern and the postmodern, to enact novel strategies for rereading and rewriting the postmodern classroom. This feminist, postmodern, interpretive enactment of alternative and traditional forms of discourse, makes a case for teachers viewing themselves as writer/researchers and demonstrates the possibilities that emerge through using writing to learn and writing in alternative forms both for our own development and in our classroom practice. I explore and analyze two alternative forms--the I-Search paper (Macrorie, 1988) and the Mystory (Ulmer, 1989), "field testing" them on myself as I write, demonstrating that in radical qualitative inquiry, writing is a method, is the research. The finished products serve as data, as complex, reflexive, multi-layered artifacts of this research process. Seeking to extend that personal, reflexive framework, to engage multiple strategies, I observe classes, reflect on my own teaching with alternative forms, and interview students and teachers at Solon High School, Cleveland State University and John Carroll University who are using alternative writing forms in their classrooms. | ||||||||||||
