Parental Views on Character Education Being Implemented in USA Elementary Schools

The present study focused on exploring the views of parents regarding character education programs implemented in elementary schools in the USA. The sample comprised of parents in Florida, as it is one of the states where character education is mandatory. Florida's implementation of compulsory character education is particularly significant given its unique socio-cultural structure and population dynamics. Also as one of the most populous states in the USA with a diverse and evolving social structure, Florida's emphasis on character education is noteworthy. While there is existing research on teachers' perspectives, there is a lack of sufficient research on parents' beliefs in this regard. Recognizing the significance of parents' views and roles in shaping children's character development, this study investigated parental perspectives on various aspects of character education programs, including goals, content, teaching-learning processes, and evaluation. The research methodology employed in this study is qualitative, utilizing semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 11 parents. The findings provide insights into parents’ views on goals, content, teaching-learning and evaluation processes of the character education programs. Parents in the study showcased a strong grasp of character education, emphasizing its importance, expressing satisfaction with schools addressing discrimination and highlighting the relevance of teaching foundational values, addressing negative behaviors, and praising the positive impact of character education programs, especially during challenging times like the pandemic.

Assessing Student Analytical and Graphical Skills in Introductory Economics as a Tool of Early Intervention System

The U.S. Department of Education advocates strongly using assessment of student learning as a means of maintaining high standards of education. Instructors use mostly multiple choice and discussion questions as assessment tools. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of multiple-choice and discussion questions and participant variables in assessing student analytical and graphical skills. Additionally, the aim was to explore the potential utilization of these assessment outcomes within an early intervention system. The instructor conducted three examinations, consisting multiple-choice and discussion questions, covering seven chapters in two introductory economics classes. Approximately 244 student examination artifacts were collected, and categorized based on scores on multiple-choice analytical, multiple-choice graphical, discussion analytical, and discussion graphical questions. Additionally, a survey was administered to collect information on challenges that students faced and participant variables of grade point average (GPA), race, and motivation. The instructor also attended workshops on growth, purpose, and sense of belonging (GPS) mindset; Bloom’s taxonomy and writing intensive that were integral elements of the early intervention system. For data analysis, descriptive statistics, chi-square, and analysis of covariance tests were used. The results indicate that struggling students had a mean GPA of 2.44 or below, implying that the GPA helped identify struggling students. The GPS mindset helped identify key challenges that individual students faced, Bloom’s taxonomy aided in clarifying assignment questions and comprehension, and writing intensive assignments helped improve performance on discussion questions. The early intervention system reduced failure rates by half, indicating that the integration of these four elements improved learning outcomes for struggling students.
practices.

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A Mixed Methods Analysis of a Novel Mathematics Lesson Using Student-made Manipulative Materials in the Geometry Classroom

This study was an investigation of the use of manipulative materials in the mathematics classroom. The researcher guided students to create paper triangles, which were then used as a manipulative to calculate the sum of the interior angles of a triangle. On pre- and post-measures of quantitative data, although the data indicated a positive correlation on attitudes toward math, there was no statistical difference on an 11-item assessment composed of public-released questions taken from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) exam. Mixed methods data collection and analysis found that students enjoyed the lesson and wanted more opportunities to engage with manipulative materials. Implications include the need for mathematics teachers to deploy novel approaches as instructional strategies.

Examining the Effects of the 'Look, Ask, Pick' Strategy in Enhancing Fraction Skills Among Struggling Secondary Students: A Replication and Extension Study

The present study aimed to examine the effect of collaborative practices among teachers on student achievement in state-tested science courses. Using an action research model, the author planned, implemented, and evaluated the effect of teachers collaborating in PLCs in science classes in a rural school district. Prior to the study, teachers in the district reported that they had never had the opportunity to collaborate with other teachers at different schools in the district. The school and district leaders had previously made attempts to form PLCs, but they were unsuccessful in their efforts. The district coordinator used vertical and horizontal alignment meetings throughout the school year to support the teachers' needs. Findings of the research show there was a 14% increase in students testing on the proficient and distinguished levels on the End of Course Assessment in 8th grade science, an 11% increase in Biology, and a 3% increase in 5th grade science after less than one year of the collaborative practices.

An Investigation into Business Education Classroom Pedagogies

This study investigated the classroom instructional strategies used by business education teachers in the United States. The purpose of this study was to determine the signature pedagogies used by business education teachers in their programs and to what extent does specific demographics impact business education teachers’ use of classroom instructional strategies. The study was designed using ex-post facto data collected and analyzed from business education teachers through an internet survey and analyzed. The data revealed the signature pedagogies of business education are interactive lecture, guided practice, and project-based learning. The survey results indicated that teacher demographics had an impact on the classroom instructional strategies they used.

Using Action Research to Examine the Effect of Collaborative Practices Among Science Teachers on Student Achievement on State-Tested Science Courses

The present study aimed to examine the effect of collaborative practices among teachers on student achievement in state-tested science courses. Using an action research model, the author planned, implemented, and evaluated the effect of teachers collaborating in PLCs in science classes in a rural school district. Prior to the study, teachers in the district reported that they had never had the opportunity to collaborate with other teachers at different schools in the district. The school and district leaders had previously made attempts to form PLCs, but they were unsuccessful in their efforts. The district coordinator used vertical and horizontal alignment meetings throughout the school year to support the teachers' needs. Findings of the research show there was a 14% increase in students testing on the proficient and distinguished levels on the End of Course Assessment in 8th grade science, an 11% increase in Biology, and a 3% increase in 5th grade science after less than one year of the collaborative practices.

Teacher Affection and Immediacy in College Classrooms: Predicting Student Engagement

The current study sought to compare the predictive value of teacher immediacy and teacher affection on student engagement. In the study, 224 undergraduate students at a U.S. Southwestern university responded to an online questionnaire about a current in-person class they were attending. Both teacher immediacy and teacher affection positively predicted student engagement, and teacher affection was a stronger predictor. Discriminant validity tests are needed to clearly assess the value of teacher affection as it compares to teacher immediacy. It is suggested that teachers who promote affection through classroom bonding activities may elicit feelings of compassion and care for students which in turn can promote students’ feelings of connectedness to the classroom, institution, and each other.

Investigating the Experiences of Gifted Students in Learning Algebraic Expressions through GeoGebra

With the increase in the development of science and technology, contemporary technological requirements are seen as rising needs of the countries. In this regard, technology can be considered both a means and an end to reach science. Since gifted students are more prone to computer technologies due to their cognitive structures, instructional technologies may have a significant role in the realization of more effective and advanced learning for gifted students in the field where they are gifted. At that point, GeoGebra is a program that has a useful, and understandable interface often used in educational research. In the literature, it has been seen that the number of studies on the application of the Algebra subject of the GeoGebra program and the teaching of the sub-titles of this subject to gifted students is less, compared to the teaching of geometry and measurement learning field, and the researches on the gifted student group are limited. For this reason, the present study aimed to investigate the experiences of gifted students regarding the instructive role of GeoGebra activities developed for algebra learning. The participants of the study were nine gifted 6th-grade students attending a foundation university’s Children's University. Data about the experiences of gifted students were collected with the help of in-class observations made by the researcher during the activities, worksheets of the students applied at the end of the applications, student opinion forms, and one-to-one semi-structured interviews with students. All the collected qualitative data was brought together and the data has been analyzed with the descriptive data analysis method. The findings obtained from the categories consisting of the codes used in the qualitative data analysis process are interpreted and the experiences of gifted students on the teaching process of algebraic expressions through GeoGebra are presented under two separate themes as ‘Inferences on the Learning of Algebraic Expressions’ and ‘Inferences from the Student Perspective on Learning Algebraic Expressions Through GeoGebra’.

Opinions of Parents on the Use of Technology for Their Children During the Covid-19

Providing all students with equitable treatment and access has been a cornerstone of mathematics education reform (Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators, 2015; National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2014). Studies in mathematics classrooms show that using hands-on and interactive materials (i.e., “manipulatives

This study aimed to examine the views of parents of young children on their children’s use of technology during COVID-19. The participants of this research, in which a case study was used, consisted of 10 mothers and 10 fathers living in a province in the inner Aegean region of Turkey. The interview form prepared by the researcher was used as a data collection tool. The data obtained from this research were analyzed using content analysis. The research data were gathered under the following four themes: family guidance, technology use in the family, effects on the development of the child, and technology education. The findings showed that parents had positive opinions about the use of technological tools and technology education during COVID-19. In addition, it was concluded that parents needed support on how to guide their children in this process. It was determined that while some parents tried to be positive models for their children, they showed different approaches with their spouses. To them, technology affected their children’s behavior and attention/interest levels negatively.

The Relationship Between Teacher Candidates’ GPA and Teamwork Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Educators rely on teamwork skills to productively contribute to professional responsibilities such as curriculum committees, professional learning communities (PLCs), co-teaching, and individualized education plan (IEP) teams. This quantitative study was designed to assess teacher candidates’ knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) related to teamwork. The instrument used in this study, Teamwork-KSA, measures an individual’s KSAs in specific teamwork characteristics, and researchers looked for differences between teacher candidates’ progression through an educator preparation provider (EPP) and Teamwork-KSA results. Statistical analysis was conducted using a Pearson’s correlation, resulting in the finding that a relationship exists between GPA and Teamwork-KSAs. A statistically significant relationship was revealed between GPA and the following teamwork characteristics measured by Teamwork-KSA: goal-setting and performance management, planning and task coordination, and self-management.

Burnout Among Rural Public-School Counselors

This study analyzed the risk of burnout for school counselors in rural Appalachia by surveying school counselors in West Virginia. The specific research questions delved into the areas that may predict a higher risk of burnout. These areas were clinical supervision, self-care engagement, levels of education, experience, caseloads, intensity of cases, and peer relationships. Utilizing a quantitative, predictive research design, the researcher asked participants in West Virginia to complete the Professional Quality of Life, version 5 and the Self-Care Assessment for Psychologists instruments as well as a demographic questionnaire to see if those areas could impact the potential risk of burnout. The findings provide concrete answers to these areas and school counselor burnout and implications for addressing these areas. Administrators who were not former school counselors will see how a school counselor’s need for clinical supervision can impact the potential for burnout.

Analyzing Unexpected Data After a Novel Mathematics Lesson Using the Critical Friend Process

Providing all students with equitable treatment and access has been a cornerstone of mathematics education reform (Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators, 2015; National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2014). Studies in mathematics classrooms show that using hands-on and interactive materials (i.e., “manipulatives”) support students’ conceptual understanding (Carbonneau et al., 2013), even for those who have learning difficulties and disabilities (Jitendra et al., 2017; Marita & Hord, 2017). Unfortunately, instructional approaches that incorporate manipulatives have not been implemented on a regular basis in high school mathematics classrooms (Swan & Marshall, 2010), likely due to the misconceptions of the effectiveness of manipulatives with older students (Carbonneau et al., 2013) and teachers' belief that manipulatives can be distracting (Corkin et al., 2019). The concrete-representation-abstract instructional approach, which involves the use of manipulatives, provides a promising instructional method for use in high school mathematics classrooms.

Early Intervention for Kindergarten-Aged Students: Providing an Academic Advantage to Promote Reading Growth

Achievement gaps in learning can be identified as early as entry into kindergarten. This longitudinal study explored reading outcomes of 60 students over the course of five years to determine the impact of an additional year of school prior to kindergarten. The program was created to provide alternative options for students who attended preschool but still required an additional year of maturation and cognitive development to promote school readiness. Students that participated in the early intervention program were compared with students that advanced through the traditional progression of preschool through Grade 3. Academic growth was measured using school entry scores in kindergarten with scores at the end of Grade 3. Although the early intervention group entered school at a lower achievement level, results indicated the early intervention group demonstrated greater growth at Grade 3.

Parental Educational Satisfaction and Academic Success

This study aimed to examine the effects of parents’ home and school-based involvement, parental satisfaction with their own school experience and their teens’ academic success, the frequency of communication from school; participants’ and their teens’ gender; parents’ educational status; and family income on the academic success of adolescents. A total of 349 parents having different socioeconomic and educational backgrounds participated in the study. In the hypothetical model, the frequency of communication from the school, parents’ educational status, family income, and parental satisfaction with their teen’s academic success is taken as exogenous variables, while academic performance is taken as an endogenous variable as its assumed causes are clearly displayed in the model. The results showed that parental satisfaction with their teen’s academic success is the most significant variable for predicting the academic success of adolescents. Besides, home-based involvement mediates the effects of the variables of parents’ educational status and of their satisfaction with the teen’s academic performance on the academic performance itself. In conclusion, parental satisfaction with the adolescent’s academic success is important for its impact on parent-teen interaction and for the possibility of creating an environment that would support the adolescents’ academic performance and education in general.

Evaluation of a project using a ‘School-based Index’ to improve decision making and Student Learning

The technological capacity that now exists to gather and store large amounts of data has improved access to information related to the academic performance, demographic profile and welfare needs of young people in a school. Improvements in data management techniques, statistical data analysis and software packages have made retrieving and analyzing systems data a more accessible and manageable process. This situation has provided greater opportunities for researchers, school leaders and educators to understand factors affecting the academic achievement and welfare needs of students in the school. In many countries, examining school data has become an education policy priority and is seen as a way to improve academic outcomes in student learning. However, despite the excessive amount of data available, many school principals and teachers can struggle to use data to identify students requiring additional academic assistance. This article describes the development and application of a School-based Index Analysis (SIA) implemented twice over a seven-year period in a large regional school, and the associated collaborations between researchers and school personnel. Data included in the index consists of enrolment data, as well as internal school administrative and academic data. Student data is a source representing the characteristics of the school community that can provide evidence to inform school-based decisions regarding student support programs, welfare needs, teaching and learning requirements and the targeting of resources.

Number Line or Counters? What Do In-And Pre-service Middle School Mathematics Teachers Suggest?

The present study aimed to examine the opinions of in-and pre-service middle school mathematics teachers about teaching four operations with integers through “number line” and/or “counters”. Participants were 42 middle school mathematics teachers and 51 pre-service mathematics teachers. The data were collected through open-ended interview questions. In data analysis, a content analysis technique was used. The results suggested that the number line was easier and more understandable and that the ‘zero pair’ contributed to conceptual understanding. It was also found that the use of these models in different operations with integers was due to different reasons. The recommendation of using traditional methods (eg memorization of rules) took its place in the study as another interesting result.

Remote Learning and Parent Depression During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study examined the link between remote learning for children and parent depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. There was an intense shift in how education was delivered during the COVID-19 outbreak, increasing educational obligations for parents. In this study, two education delivery methods, “any remote learning for the household children” and “any in-person classes, at school, for the household children,” were examined by six measures of parent depression. The NLSY97 COVID-19 Supplement, collected in the first half of 2021, provided the 1,742-person sample. Remote learning for children was closely linked to parents experiencing increased depression, sadness, lack of focus, feeling that everything is an effort, not able to get “going,” and restless sleep. In-person classes, in school, and during the same time, were not linked to higher levels of these parental mental health issues. All tests controlled for general health, whether respondents had been told they had coronavirus, frequency of close contact at work, etc. These results strongly indicate that remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic is closely linked to increased parent depression. Providing mental health services for parents during extended periods of large-scale remote learning, particularly during pandemics, should be a priority.

Investigation of Preservice EFL Teacher’s Digital Literary Levels and Digital Literacy Skills

There has been extensive amount of research in terms of digital literacy and digital literacy education since the notion of embracing digital literacies in teaching contexts to reach the objectives has been highly emphasized within the 21st century teaching contexts. However, a considerable amount of research has been conducted for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers. This study aims to investigate digital literacy levels of pre-service EFL teachers and also investigates if there are any significant differences of the participants’ critical digital literacies in relation to their gender, grade, age, the amount of time they spend online, their beliefs concerning how competent they are while they are using digital technologies and their preferences about reading online or print materials. The study also aims to explore the possible relationships among their subskills: technological skill, personal security skill, critical skill, device security skill, informational skill, and communication skill. This is a cross-sectional quantitative study. The results indicated that the general digital literacy levels of the participants were moderately high (x̄=3.75). Considering the changes with regard to their demographics, the study showed that their digital literacy levels revealed a significant difference in relation to their gender, grade, and the information they had using digital platforms. However, their digital literacy level did not show a significant difference with regard to the amount of time spent online and their preferences about reading online or print materials. Finally, considering the relationships among their sub-skills also revealed some positive or negative oriented significant relationships. Particularly with the occurrence of the pandemic disease COVID-19, many institutions all around the world have had to reorganize their programs and curricular activities in accordance with distance education to suit all practices to the learners’ needs and this dictated an urgent need for the development of the digital skills of teachers to make a smooth transition. Investigating digital literacy levels and literacy skills of EFL pre-service teachers will enlighten educators

Systematic Assessment of Learning in Higher Education: A Comprehensive Approach Within Curriculum Design

promoting student competency development and demonstrating institutional effectiveness.  As faculty have a key role in these efforts, it is important that they are equipped with adequate tools and support.  A backward design model with embedded assessments aligned to industry standards is an approach that provides a clear process for faculty to design courses that engage students through formative and summative assessments with personalized feedback.   Further, real-time analyses are possible via technology-enabled learning platforms which yields data to support the faculty-student dyad in the learning process.  It also positions assessment specialists, administrators, and faculty to drive and systematically assess the impact of data-informed quality improvements to curricula. Administrative and institutional support is essential to establishing and sustaining a mature culture of assessment in which the relationships among teaching, learning, and assessment are recognized.

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Perceived Self-Efficacy and Teacher Education Programs: Pre and Post-Program Measures

The purpose of this project was to examine the results of a pre and post-program assessment of secondary teacher education candidates’ perceived self-efficacy to teach at their entry into (pre-assessment) and at the conclusion of their teacher education program (post-assessment).  The participants for this project were 200 secondary school pre-service teaching candidates at a mid-sized urban university in the Midwest in the fall of 2016 through the spring 2020.  Significant correlations were found among several of the identified key components of self-efficacy and several significant gains were seen in participant responses in perceived teaching self-efficacy when pre and post-program questionnaire data were compared.  Implications for teacher education preparatory programs and new teacher perceived self-efficacy are discussed.

The Alabama Equity Divide: Environmental Poverty and Achievement Across Urban and Rural Locales

Given its status as one of the highest-poverty, lowest-performing states in the nation, this article examines the ways in which dimensions of neighborhood poverty may impact student achievement in Alabama over and above student characteristics. We employ a unique longitudinal dataset that combines eight years of district-level student achievement with indicators of community poverty, including family composition, community education, local unemployment, food security, and generational poverty, to explore how these neighborhood factors associate with achievement between rural, suburban, and urban districts. Utilizing fixed effect regression models, results suggest that community poverty impacts student achievement but differs across spatial geographies. Results indicate that Alabama communities with low levels of financial poverty, unemployment, and single parent households and those with high levels of college degreed adults have above average student achievement scores. Alabama school districts situated in areas of persistent/generational poverty and food deserts are associated with below average student achievement. Results further imply that poverty is multifaceted and contextual, suggesting the need for schools and communities to address resource inequality through its various expressions rather than as a singular, generalized factor in student outcomes.

Classroom Teachers’ Opinions About Peer Learning and Characteristics of Qualified Teachers

The present qualitative research study, designed with a phenomenology approach, aimed to examine classroom teachers’ opinions about peer learning and the characteristics of qualified teachers. Data were gathered from 7 classroom teachers working in Ankara, Turkey, utilizing semi-structured interviews. Based on the content analysis, it was found that teachers had positive approaches to peer learning processes that entail a positive organizational climate, tools for helping each other and handling similar problems, and an effective learning environment. The need for extra effort and conflict are seen as negative effects of this process and “qualified teachers” are seen as having professional skills such as expertise, certifications, and the ability to launch and support new developments, and personal skills including good communication, respect, and creativity.

Locus of control, Peer Social Support and School Adjustment among Freshmen in a Nigerian University

This study examined peer social support, locus of control as determinants of school adjustment among freshmen in Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Nigeria. The study adopted Ex post facto as research design. The sample comprised 600 participants randomly selected from all the schools/faculties (as used in Nigeria). A total of 75 students were each randomly selected from each of the eight schools/faculties (as used in Nigeria) of the university. Three research instruments were used to collect data for the study, these are: the student adjustment to university questionnaire by Baker and Siryk (2004), the locus of control scale by Hunttley, Palmer and Wakeling (2011), and the peer support scale by Kamalevva (2006). The results revealed that peer social support (emotional, instrumental, informational and appraisal supports) predicted school adjustment. Also, internal locus of control positively predicted school adjustment of university freshmen; in contrast to external locus of control. Significant difference exists in school adjustment of students with internal and external locus of control. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that Nigerian universities should organize social forums that will afford fresh students opportunities to interact and receive support from their peers, as well enhancing their internal locus of control.

Improving Reading Fluency in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are at greater risk for reading difficulties, and for many children, the promotion of reading fluency is an appropriate intervention goal. However, few studies have specifically examined the use of repeated reading (RR) with young children with ASD. The present study used a RR intervention in conjunction with rewards contingent on performance and error correction with three young children with ASD to promote reading fluency on first and second grade level reading passages. Findings from this sample support other pilot studies extending variations of RR to use with children with ASD. Future work should rigorously evaluate the components of fluency interventions that promote short and long-term reading outcomes in children with ASD.

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A Measure of Early Childhood Educators’ Teaching Styles

Assessing teaching styles with a valid and reliable instrument would assist in the measurement of an important variable that affects children’s socio-emotional and cognitive development. Evaluation of teaching style in the early childhood classroom is difficult, as collecting data from the early childhood classroom often lies in the reliance on second-party reports (typically students or administrators) or lengthy, in-person observations. The purpose of the current study was to develop a self-report questionnaire for teachers in preschool through 3rd grade for use when systematic observations of teachers are unfeasible, students may be too young for a student report measure, or researchers wish to use multiple measures of teaching styles. A convenience sampling approach was used to recruit in-service (certified) and pre-service teachers (college students preparing to become teachers) in the Central Plains region. The researchers developed the initial items used to create the Teaching Styles Questionnaire (TSQ) as a modification of the 60 most relevant items from the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ; Robinson et. al, 1995). We used factor analyses to explore potential subscales and test the convergent validity of the Teaching Styles Questionnaire subscales. By using factor analyses, long and short versions of the Teaching Styles Questionnaire were developed, consisting of 27 and 16 items respectively. The model fit indices indicated both versions of the Teaching Styles Questionnaire have a good model fit. Criterion-related validity was supported by correlations with the Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale (Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, 2001). Limitations to this study are discussed.

The Impact of the QEP Process on Advising Culture

In 2004, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools – Commission on Colleges, (SACSCOC) required a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) for accredited postsecondary education institutions as part of the decennial reaffirmation process. The goal of any QEP is to improve student success. However, little evidence exists regarding the effectiveness of an institution’s QEP a decade after its implementation. The researchers purposefully sampled six community colleges in five states with a QEP focused on improving academic advising between 2008 and 2012. The six community colleges agreed to participate in a multi-site case study and explore how their respective advising-focused QEPs impacted the culture and improved the academic experience and success of students. At each institution, Fifth-Year Impact Reports were analyzed, and faculty, staff, and QEP directors, if available, were given an electronic pre-visit survey and interviewed in-person. One theme emerged from the study: institutions developed a holistic approach to advising students and fostered an attitude of caring on each campus.

Two Regression Lines Suffice to Determine and r2 and r

The Pearson correlation coefficient can be recovered from the two least squares regression lines and without any data. This can be done both algebraically and geometrically. This can be done without data even when the scales of the variables are different. The authors conclude with ways to use such information during instruction to help scaffold student understanding, number sense and problem-solving skills.

Problems of Turkish Education System and Solution

The teaching profession can be an extremely rewarding career. It can also be a challenging work and problematic from time to time. Therefore, the aim of this This qualitative research is to reveal problems that teachers encounter in the Turkish educational system and solutions to solve these problems. The data were collected with interview technique, and analyzed with content analysis technique. The participants were consisted of 23 teachers currently employed in Turkish schools. The participants were determined with purposeful sampling method. Results reveal that teachers have a variety of problems. Among these problems, they underlined their disturbances on frequent changes in the education system, exam-based teaching system, traditional ways of teaching, lack of interest and motivation, planning. They also complain about crowded classes, insufficient teacher training, incompatible educational policies.

Development and Psychometrics Evaluation of the Happiness Scale for Africans

There is dearth of research in happiness among Africans, because of no indigenous scale among the plethora of scales used in measuring happiness. Consequently, an indigenous happiness scale was conceived using a three stage method (stage 1 = 48, stage 2 = 408, stage 3 = 1468 participants). A sequential mixed method approach and cross sectional design were used for data collection and to validate the proposed happiness scale. The results indicated that the model fit was acceptable and confirmed one factor solution for the 23 items (SRMR =.065; PRATIO = .923; PNFI = .602; and PCFI = .615). The analyses further indicated that the scale showed a satisfactory internal consistency (α = 0.92). The scale had both convergent and discriminant validities with coefficients of 0.38 and -0.22 respectively. Therefore, the scale would serve as a “proxy” measure for happiness among the indigenous African population.

Development of The Second-Grade Students' Problem-Solving through Mental Computation Activities

This research aimed to examine whether the activities related to mental computation strategies had any effect on the development of the second-grade elementary school students’ problem-solving (PS) skills. Participants of the study are comprised of 14 children aged 7-8 years and enrolled in the second grade of the elementary school of a village. For the collection of data, the Problem-Solving Task (PST) which is composed of 12 problems linked with addition and subtraction operations was utilized. The identification of problems to be included in PST was based on problem types suggested by Sarama and Clements (2009). In this action research which lasted five weeks and three hours per week, 13 mental addition-subtraction activities (MASAs) were applied to children. Responses given by children to PST were examined in the context of time, accuracy, and strategy variables. At the end of executed activities, it was discerned that mental computation strategies used by children in solving problems got diversified, children’s response speed was accelerated and the number of correct answers given by children went up. Before MASAs, it was found that children had difficulty in solving problems through mental computation, gave random answers, or tried to count with their fingers for computation. After MASAs, it was deduced that strategies that were selected by children differed on the basis of problem types.

Flow States in Math: The Relationships with Attitudes Towards Math and Engagement in the Classroom

The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationships between the flow states and undergraduate attitudes’ towards math and engagement in a mathematics course in an education faculty. The results showed that the more positive attitudes the students had towards mathematics courses, the more flow they experienced and the less anxiety they had in mathematics courses. In addition, the flow and anxiety levels of the students varied according to their major fields of study. The groups with the lowest levels of anxiety and the highest levels of flow state were students who were studying mathematics education and science education, whereas the students studying computer technology education had the highest levels of anxiety and the lowest levels of flow state. Increasing emotional engagement and positive attitudes of students in mathematics courses can help them stay longer in flow state.

The Effects of Authentic Learning Practices on Academic Success in Science Courses

This study aimed to analyze the effects of authentic learning practices -applied in science course- on academic success. A quasi-experimental design with pre-test and post-test control groups was used in the study. The data of the study were collected from 92 students (31 of those in the experimental group, 31 of those in the control-I group and 30 of those in the control-II group) at the level of 6th grade in Van/Turkey in the 2017-2018 academic year. The academic success test developed by the researchers was used to collect data for the study. This test was applied to all three study groups as the pre-test, post-test and permanency test. Descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, ANCOVA, and repeated measures ANOVA were used to analyze the data obtained from the study. The results of the study showed that there was a significant difference between the experimental group and control groups in terms of academic success post-test and permanency test in favor of the experimental group. Besides, it was determined that authentic learning practices applied in the experimental group were effective in increasing academic success and provided permanent learning.

Teacher Turnover, Student Proficiency, and Economic Mobility: The Case of Forsyth County, NC Elementary Schools

Forsyth County, North Carolina has the third lowest rate of upward economic mobility of any other county in the United States. One of the strongest correlates of upward mobility is the quality of schools in the local system. Using 2018 and 2017 NC Public School Report Card (SRC) data for Forsyth County elementary schools, I find that the annual rate of teacher turnover is a significant predictor of student proficiency levels. Schools where the majority of students test at proficient levels tend to have lower teacher turnover, holding constant other important factors. Schools with high turnover disproportionately serve economically disadvantaged children. Reducing turnover can improve student outcomes in elementary school, especially for those students who come from underprivileged families. I argue that the Forsyth County school system can assist in reversing low mobility rates by targeting teacher turnover, especially in low-performing schools.

Flow States in Math: The Relationships with Attitudes Towards Math and Engagement in the Classroom

State education departments find themselves pressured to reduce costs while improving student performance. To do so, state education departments must measure the performance of each school district in an objective, data-informed manner. We present a benchmarking methodology and illustrate its application in New York State school districts. We found that New York State can improve performance on standardized tests in English, Mathematics, and Science by 5.8% to 7.1%, improve graduation rate by 6.4%, and reduce staffing by at least 8.4%. The methodology provides three alternative strategic directions for each school district.

Principals' Views on Factors Affecting Academic Success: A Case Study from Turkey

The present study investigated school principals’ views on students’ development of academic skills. The study adopted phenomenology, which is a qualitative research strategy, as the research design. The data collected from participants have been analyzed both inductively and deductively. Two main themes (school administrative and centralised practices and regulations) and 12 sub-themes emerged from the analysis. With limitations in mind, principals’ leadership skills, the synergy in schools, the effectiveness of the discipline system in schools, parents’ level of interests in and visits to schools and the quality of such visits, the student and parent profiles1, and the educational policies of the Turkish Ministry of National Education have been found to be among the factors affecting schools’ levels of academic success. The complex nature of schools not only causes differentiation among their aims and practices but also decreases the significance of comparing their success rates.

Chinese Pre-service Teachers' Technology Use Experiences and their Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge

To provide a holistic profile of the factors pertinent to teachers’ knowledge in technology integration in teaching, the experiences of technology uses and the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) of Chinese preservice teachers (PSTs) were investigated. The researchers also studied what demographic backgrounds and technology use experiences predict PSTs’ TPACK. A TPACK survey was translated from English into Chinese and administered to the PSTs at a large university in Southern China. The PSTs in this study had adequate access to technology. Most PSTs (92%) reported using computers for learning related activities, but fewer (20%) used technology for productivity purposes (e.g., creating webpages). The PSTs were less confident in their technological knowledge, compared to other TPACK domains. The PSTs had significantly different levels of knowledge in other TPACK domains if compared by gender, major, prior experience through educational technology course work, or prior classroom teaching experience. The researchers identified statistically strong predictors for each TPACK domain. Implications of the findings, limitations of the study, and directions for future research are provided at the end of the paper.

Performance Targets for School Districts

State education departments find themselves pressured to reduce costs while improving student performance. To do so, state education departments must measure the performance of each school district in an objective, data-informed manner. We present a benchmarking methodology and illustrate its application in New York State school districts. We found that New York State can improve performance on standardized tests in English, Mathematics, and Science by 5.8% to 7.1%, improve graduation rate by 6.4%, and reduce staffing by at least 8.4%. The methodology provides three alternative strategic directions for each school district.

School Administrators’ Perceptions and Experiences with Isolation and Social Loneliness in the Workplace

The aim of this study was to explore the isolation or perception of social loneliness school administrators experience in the workplace. To this end, the researcher has addressed the following research questions: What are the isolation and social loneliness perceptions of school administrators?, What are the causes of isolation and social loneliness experienced by school administrators?, and What should be done to overcome the isolation and social loneliness experienced by school administrators? The data were obtained via semi-structured interviews and analyzed using descriptive analysis. The researcher has found that school administrators perceived isolation and social loneliness to be primarily a result of lack of communication and support. Moreover, the participants ranked their reasons for this isolation and social loneliness as follows: disconnect from supervisors, struggles with teachers, legal issues, different pressure groups, economic troubles, other school administrators, and technology addiction. Additionally, the participants offered suggestions for overcoming this issue.

An Evaluation of Assessment Equity for Special Education Students in Texas

The use of standardized assessments to monitor the success and productivity of public school systems in the United States is arguably a necessary component of state accountability systems. This research study is not intended to challenge the compulsion of accountability via testing, but the results of this study do raise questions regarding the equity of the assessment process required by the state of Texas for its public school system. The demographics of the Texas public school student population includes a subgroup of special education (SPED) students who are currently charged with performing on state standardized tests at the same level as their general education counterparts. These SPED students previously participated in an assessment at a slightly lower rigor level than the cohort test, with fewer questions to complete. Texas policymakers removed this mid-level assessment, referred to as the STAAR Modified (STAAR M) test after 2014, and moved forward with one testing option for most SPED students. This option assesses not only SPED students, but also general education students (Texas Classroom Teachers Association, 2013). This study calls into question the need for a tiered testing system for SPED students who function in the mainstream population but require significant instructional accommodations or curricular modification. This quantitative study employs the use of a readability analysis tool to assess the 2014 STAAR and the 2014 STAAR M to determine assessment readability levels for grades three through eight in the subjects of reading, social studies, and science. In addition, an analysis of passing percentages was conducted for SPED and non-SPED students tested in the same grade levels and subjects for 2012-2015; 2015 represents the first year that STAAR M assessments were not available to the SPED population. The data from the readability and passing percentage analyses were used to evaluate the degree of assessment equity for the Texas SPED student population after the elimination of the STAAR Modified assessment option.

Teacher Effects, Student School Attendance and Student Outcomes: Comparing Low and High Performing Schools in North Carolina

The No Child Left Behind Act (2002) stipulates that states assess students during their K-12 educational experience at various points as a way of measuring student learning. In North Carolina, the State has the NC Schools Report Card that documents to the public, parents and educators the state of education in the schools annually. A major goal of school districts and schools is to ensure student success, including high level of pass on the state achievement tests. Educational planners, policy makers, teachers, parents and other interested parties are engaged in studies and strategies on how to improve the student performance in schools and the overall quality of education.

An Analysis of Public School Principals’ Perceptions of Social Media, Computer and Smart Phone Use in Schools in Eight U.S. States

This research examines how public school principals in eight U.S. states perceive social media, computer and smart phone use in their schools. States were selected to represent high, middle, and low scorers in the annual Education Week “Quality Counts” report (Education Week, 2019). A total of 1,259 out of 8,535 working principals in the eight states responded to an online survey, yielding a response rate of nearly 15 percent. Results showed that while most principals believed schools should issue computers to all of their students, fewer than half of the schools issue computers to all or some students. Fewer than half of the schools restrict student phone use during class to educational purposes, but most schools require teacher approval in order for students to use smart phones in class. Permitting phones during non-instructional time and keeping phones in lockers or in backpacks during the school day were also top priorities in most states. Most principals want to increase the use of social media in classrooms. The study also showed that although a majority of principals believed educational goals drive instruction in their schools, over one-fourth thought technology drove instruction. Nearly one in eight believed educational goals and technology should be equal partners in driving instruction.

Determination via Paired Comparison of the Opinions of Primary School Students on Befriending Students with Special Education Needs

The purpose of this study was to determine via paired comparison the opinions of primary school students on befriending students with Special Education Needs (SEN). Data were acquired in the study from 327 students at 3rd and 4th grades in primary school. In addition, semi-structured interviews were also carried out with 30 students randomly selected from among these students taking into consideration the class level. Study data were acquired from the responses of the students to the paired comparison scale and from the interviews carried out with the students. The responses to the paired comparison scale were analyzed using the paired comparisons III. Hal and V. Hal method; whereas the interviews carried out with the participants were analyzed via content analysis method. It was determined based on the analyses that the participants mostly want to befriend typically developing students and gifted students and least of all the students with intellectual disabilities or autism. Various prejudices, fears and communication issues were determined to be effective as causes for why the participants do not accept these students as friends.

The Impact of Professor Engagement, Student Peer Interactions, and Traditional Status on Student Assessment of Quality of Teaching and Learning

As institutions of higher education become more learner-centered, and as the number of adults enrolled in higher education continues to increase, it is important to identify effective strategies for creating a learning-centered environment. A survey was used, and the measures assessed a wide variety of factors of teaching and learning among college students. Complete and usable data came from 1536 students. Data screening led to the elimination of thirty-six cases. Regression results indicate that the overall model significantly predicts quality of teaching and learning (QTL), R2 =.191, R2adj =.189, F (3, 1532) = 120.60, p <. 001. This model accounts for 19.1% of variance in QTL. Professor engagement (PE) and peer interaction (PI) were significant predictors of QTL while traditional student status was not. The interaction factors for PE and PI with traditional student status were not statistically significant. The study concluded with a discussion of the importance of institutions of higher learning to be sensitive to variables such as PE, PI among other variables so that they are fully involved in providing the kinds of educational experiences that can enhance QTL.

The Effects of Peer Coaching and Video Training on Targeted Teaching Behaviors in an Early Field Experience

The effects of peer coaching on the development of effective teaching behaviors of education students in an early field experience in special education were examined at a large public university in the southern United States. Training methods included online video instruction on targeted effective teaching behaviors including establishing student learning objectives, modeling solving a problem, checking for understanding, and providing specific praise statements. The treatment group (n = 32) was assigned in pairs to tutor elementary pupils performing below grade-level expectations in mathematics. The peer coaching pairs provided reciprocal feedback to each other after tutoring sessions. The control group (n = 67) received the same training as the treatment group on effective teaching behaviors but did not receive feedback during the field experience on their instructional performance. Eighty-nine participants submitted pre-and-post-intervention videos via a web-based storage service and were included in the analyses. Positive effects of peer coaching were not observed, however both treatment and control groups showed increases in the targeted teaching behaviors after online video training and the use of a checklist of effective teaching behaviors. Study participants and public school personnel provided feedback regarding the value and positive impact of the intervention and training. Implications and future research are explored.

An Examination of Key Assessments in a Teacher Education Program: Muddy Water With Purpose

The purpose of this project was to examine the results of 8 key assessments that elementary and secondary teacher education candidates completed during their teacher education program. The participants for this project were 72 elementary and 49 secondary pre-service teaching candidates at a mid-sized urban university in the Midwest who were in the process of completing their student teaching experience in the fall of 2016 and the spring of 2017. Significant correlations were found among several of the key assessments and the latest state required Pearson licensing exam. Implications are discussed in light of the new accreditation standards that were recently instituted by the Council of Accreditation for Educator Preparation (CAEP).

African American Student Perceptions of Higher Education Barriers

This study explored perceptions of African American college students concerning barriers to enrolling in higher education institutions, focusing on a public comprehensive regional university in Kentucky, using interviews and focus groups. The focus of the research pertained to ACT testing requirements, home and school support systems, and the role of financial aid. Data from the interviews and the focus groups suggested the study’s findings were consistent with the literature. The findings included that African American students perceived ACT testing requirements, lack of support systems, and access to financial aid as barriers for to enrollment in higher education at a public regional university. While this is a single case study with limited transferability, this research does provide a snapshot of the barriers African American students may face when enrolling in higher education and provide a structure other campuses could use to more fully explore their students’ pathway to enrollment.

An Investigation of College Student Learner Orientation Impact on Perceptions of Instructor Behavior Alteration Techniques/Messages

This study examines college students' learner orientation (grade vs. learning) and their willingness to comply with instructor use of prosocial and antisocial behavior alteration techniques/messages (BATs/BAMs). Specifically, the relationships between students' willingness to comply with instructor BATs/BAMs and their learning and grade orientations are examined. Results indicated that grade oriented students and students who were low or high in both grade and learning orientation were more willing to comply with antisocial BATs/BAMs, while learning oriented students were more willing to comply with prosocial BATs/BAMs. Instructors should adapt their persuasive strategies based on their students’ learner orientations to increase student compliance.

Correspondence Between Self-reported and Actual High School Grades

Aims: Educational research often relies on the self-reports of students to determine their grades/GPA for reasons including ease of administration, time constraints, IRB approval, and assumption of accuracy. The main purpose of this study was to determine the validity of student self-reports on their academic grades, and if the benefits outweigh the potential errors. Methods/ Results: Participants (n=415) were students in a suburban school in a large metropolitan city in the Midwest. Two methods of self-reported grades were correlated with students’ actual transcript grades. Results showed fair amounts of correspondence (r=.60-.89), with actual grades being correlated at higher levels than self-reported grades. Conclusion: Younger students and those with higher grades were more accurate reporters. Those with more diligent academic behaviors also demonstrated greater accuracy, and those with a vaguer sense of future goals demonstrated less accuracy. All results are discussed in the context of how valid are students’ self-reported grades for research purposes.

Educator Perceptions of Artistically Gifted Children: Degree of Alignment between Beliefs of Music Specialists, Art Specialists, and Administrators

Public schools often offer arts opportunities to certain students. Educator assessments of which students should receive services are of great importance in such circumstances as teacher referrals often play a major role in such decisions. Little is known, however, about educator beliefs regarding which gifted children should receive arts opportunities and what criteria should be used for selection to those programs. The current national study surveyed 1,500 educators regarding which students they believed would benefit most from arts education, qualities and characteristics that have changed by the creation of the new National Arts Standards. The educators believed that the majority of gifted children should receive arts instruction, but displayed a preference for those children who were well-behaved and displayed characteristics traditionally connected to gifted children. Certain educators also demonstrated a belief that arts enrichment should only be available for those students who were successful academically and withheld from those who struggled completing homework assignments or obtaining high grades in other subjects. Such results are potentially devastating to low-SES students, who have few other options for such instruction.

The Influence of Race, Gender, Age, and Geographic Location on Children’s Fears

While exploring several demographic variables for the first time, this study found significant differences across urban, rural, and suburban locations, age level, gender, and racial identity. There were 487 students in Grades 2 – 12 in this study. Previous fear studies have investigated the impact of living in a rural or urban communities on children, thus only a limited number of studies are available for comparison purposes. The findings for this study revealed that while considering geographic location, significant differences were reported across race, age, and gender, based on the five fear-factors identified on the elementary version of the FSSC-AM (Burnham, 2005). Two unique perspectives were gathered from this research and several findings merit further review. Specifically, this study put forward distinctive findings that rendered greater understanding of how youth differ across gender, age, location, and racial identity in relation to fears. While implications for counselors are offered, results are useful for educators and other helping professionals who work with school-aged children and adolescents.

Effects of the TWA Strategy Instruction on Reading Comprehension of Students with Learning Disabilities

One of the main reasons why students with learning disabilities have difficulty in reading comprehension is their inability to have metacognitive skills such as planning, monitoring and evaluating their reading performance. In this context, the study aimed to investigate the effects of the TWA strategy, which enables students to think about their comprehension process before, while and after reading, on reading comprehension skills of students with learning disabilities. In the study, a “multiple probe across subjects” from single case design was used. The study was carried out with three students in sixth grade who were diagnosed with learning disabilities. The implementation process was continued as modelling for the TWA strategy instruction, guided practices and independent practices after the baseline level data of the subjects were obtained. The data were analyzed at the end of each session considering the comprehension performances of each subject. The results indicated that the TWA strategy instruction was effective in improving the expository text comprehension of students with learning disabilities. They continued to use the skills they gained in maintenance sessions and were able to generalize these skills to different type and structure of texts.

Pre-service Preschool Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge on Quantity Concepts in Terms of Children's Mistakes

This study examined the pedagogical content knowledge of pre-service preschool teachers on quantity concepts in terms of children's mistakes. A total of 94 pre-service teachers who were attending a teacher training program at a state university, in Turkey, participated this study. 52 of them were second-year, and 42 of them were third-year pre-service teachers. The case study method, which is one of the qualitative research methods, was applied. Five different vignettes were used as a data collection tool developed by the researchers. The summative content analysis technique was used to analyze the data. It was observed that the third-year pre-service teachers who took the preschool mathematics education course were partially successful in identifying children’s mistakes regarding the quantity concepts. The second-year pre-service teachers who did not take the preschool mathematics education course failed to identify the mistakes. The results of the study showed that the pre-service preschool teachers were not adequately prepared to eliminate children’s mistakes. The second-year pre-service teachers mostly preferred direct instruction and demonstration methods to eliminate children’s mistakes. The third-year pre-service teachers mostly preferred the meaningful learning, educational game and direct instruction methods to eliminate children’s mistakes.

School Improvement and Effectiveness Underpinned by School-based Data and Research

The technological capacity that now exists to gather and store large amounts of data has improved access to information regarding young people in schools. Improvements in data management techniques and statistical data software packages have made retrieving and analysing systems data a more accessible and manageable process. On a smaller scale, schools collect considerable amounts of data. However, school personnel lack the skills and understanding of the potential for analysis and research. This article describes the application process of a School-based Index Analysis (SIA) successfully applied in several schools. The SIA is a site-specific and site-based research tool that has the potential to enable schools use their own data to direct and monitor their own research.

Kentucky Public School Principals’ Perceptions of Social Media, Computer and Smart Phone Use in Schools and How Well Their Principal Preparation Programs Prepare Them

This research examines how public school principals in Kentucky perceive social media, computer and smart phone use in their schools. 228 of the 1,200 working principals in Kentucky responded to an online survey (response rate of 19%). Most respondents worked in rural schools. Most principals surveyed believe that schools should issue computers to all students, although fewer than a third of the schools actually issue computers to any students. Most principals said they want to increase the use of social media in their classrooms and believe that educational goals drive technology use in their schools. Still, over one-third of principals in the study believe that technology is driving instructional practice, and most of the principals said that neither the Principal Preparation Program (PPP) they attended nor their state department of Education provided effective strategies for them to use in addressing social media use in their schools.

Styles of Thinking Used by Prospective Teachers in Problem-Solving

For success in learning, it is highly important to know about how individuals think, how they develop thinking skills and the styles of their thinking. There are also situations where the thinking tendencies of each individual are different. These situations are also the types of thinking demonstrated by students while solving a problem. The purpose of this study was to determine the dominant thinking styles of prospective primary school teachers and prospective secondary school mathematics teachers while they are solving problems. The sample of the study consisted of a total of 346 prospective teachers including 145 secondary school mathematics and 201 primary school prospective teachers who were enrolled at a state university in Istanbul, Turkey. The study was in the form of a screening design, and a descriptive method was used. The data collection tools were the ‘Personal Information Form” developed by the researcher and the ‘Scale of Holistic and Analytical Thinking while Problem-Solving’ developed by Umay and Kızıltuğ (2007). For the purpose of the study, the subsequent questions of the study included determining whether or not the dominant thinking styles of prospective teachers (analytical and holistic) vary based on their gender, department and class levels. The study concluded that the prospective teachers were individuals who were closer to the style of holistic thinking.

Preservice Teachers’ Multicultural Attitudes, Intercultural Sensitivity, and their Multicultural Teaching Efficacy

This study examined early childhood preservice teachers’ multicultural teaching efficacy and its association with their multicultural attitudes and intercultural sensitivity. A total of 90 preservice teachers enrolled in an early childhood teacher education program in a state university in the Northeast U.S. were included in this study. The results showed that preservice teachers’ multicultural attitude and all five sub-constructs of intercultural sensitivity including overall cultural sensitivity were positively related with multicultural teaching efficacy. The results also showed that preservice teachers’ attitudes and beliefs are significant factors in early childhood preservice teachers’ multicultural teaching efficacy. This study discusses educational implications in ways of enhancing preservice teachers’ sense of multicultural teaching efficacy.

The Profile of Undergraduate Students who Utilize the Services of the Counselling Centre at the University of Benin, Nigeria

This study investigated the profile of students that seek counselling assistance at the counselling centre of the University of Benin in Nigeria. This was an exploratory study that adopted a census method to obtain information from the six thousand two hundred and seventy (6,270) students that utilized the counselling services provided by the counselling centre of the University of Benin during the 2015/ 2016 academic session. The findings revealed that male students sought counselling assistance more than female students, as did students within the age bracket of 21-25 years. Also, 200 and 300 level students made use of the counselling centre more than students of other levels. Academic issues were of the greatest concern to the students, followed by emotional concerns, then financial concerns, while health concerns were presented less often. It was recommended that more sensitization and orientation programmes should be embarked on by staff of the centre to heighten the relevance of the centre to students, given that at present only about 25% utilize the services.

An exploratory study of the Cultural Impact on Middle School Students’ Collaborative Problem-solving Learning

Collaborative problem-solving learning (CPS) is a critical and necessary instructional activity across educational and cultural settings, but its application in the classrooms and impact on students’ learning are shaped by the culture it is blended in. By utilizing the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015 Collaborative Problem-solving data, this exploratory study examines the differences between China and the United States regarding middle school students’ CPS performance. The results indicated that students in both countries could solve a medium-difficult problem with collaborative effort. Due to the Confucian Heritage Cultural impact, Chinese students underperformed in CPS as compared with their peers in the United States. The conclusion emphasizes that providing Chinese teachers with CPS embedded curriculum and related professional training could enhance their students’ CPS proficiency.

Holocaust Curriculum Used by Christian English and Social Studies Teachers: An Exploratory Study

The purpose of this exploratory, descriptive study was to understand what and how students learn about the Holocaust in private Christian/Catholic middle and high schools. Christian schools have been criticized for putting more emphasis on teaching religion than on providing a quality education. A convenience sample of middle and secondary English and social studies teachers in Minnesota was surveyed about curriculum resources, religious perspectives, lesson objectives, and instructional strategies used to teach the Holocaust. Findings showed teachers used a variety of Christian and secular resources, curricular goals focused on four themes, and books were widely used. Teachers may need assistance locating and integrating digital resources into curricula, and more formalized education about the Holocaust may be helpful.

Developing a Personal Philosophy of Education: A Requsite Guide to Educational Practices

Educational philosophy is the backbone of any efficient teacher. It encapsulates essentially the principles, the ways of thinking and the beliefs that provide the foundation and the framework on which teachers define, delineate, and justify their teaching agendas, their curriculum preferences, their pedagogical styles, their classroom organizational structures, name it. My experiences as a lecturer in a teaching college for several years have left me with no doubt to think that several teachers get into the teaching profession with little or no consciously well-articulated or sound educational philosophy, and thus lack the foundation likely to help them examine what they do, recapture the meaning of their profession, and guide them and their students toward greater learning outcomes. Arguably, formulating a personal educational philosophy is important for all teachers. It is my hope that in presenting the meaning of philosophy of education together with highlighting its inherent underpinning force needed for effective educational philosophy and in analyzing the processes involved in personalizing it, teachers and educators everywhere gain insight into and will be better guided in the exciting and challenging task of formulating their own educational philosophy.

Improving Teacher Quality: Professional Development Implications from Teacher Professional Growth and Effectiveness System Implementation in Rural Kentucky High Schools

Focus on improving teacher quality and student achievement led many state departments of education to implement research-based teacher effectiveness systems. The Teacher Professional Growth and Effectiveness System (TPGES) was implemented as the Kentucky teacher effectiveness system. This study examined teachers’ and principals’ viewpoints concerning the impact of TPGES on increasing their knowledge and understanding of the evaluation process and needed additional professional development at the end of the implementation year. Study results indicated mixed viewpoints concerning their knowledge and understanding of TPGES and of their viewpoints concerning additional needed professional development. In addition, researchers identified four professional development implications based on participating educators’ TPGES professional development efforts. Due to the rural setting, these implications are not generalizable to all schools; however they could provide guidance for other public school educators as they work to implement successful professional development initiatives in their schools.

Understanding Curricular Student Expectations in Texas: Readiness Standards vs. Supporting Standards

Current context for educational reform in the United States is codified in revisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965. Periodic reauthorizations reflect changing national and educational landscapes (Klein, 2015). The most recent reauthorization, Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015 (USDE, 2015), is currently undergoing the regulatory process and is scheduled to go into effect during the 2017-2018 school year (USDE, 2017). This paper will examine the impact of standards based accountability (SBA) reform within a changing national context from the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) reauthorization of 2002 (USDE, 2002) to ESSA in 2015 through the Texas context of SBA, a descriptive analysis of types of standards, and a statistical analysis of performance by cohort from 2013 to 2016.

Methods? Data? Sources? Utilizing a Research Schedule to Scaffold Student Learning

Many university students, from a range of disciplines, are required to undertake introductory research method units as part of their undergraduate or post-graduate qualification. These units provide the learner with skill development to read and make use of research as it relates to their discipline. However, research is a complex area making the teaching of research to first time consumers of research, a challenge. This article describes the use of a Journal Article Research Analysis (JARA) Schedule with 150 students studying in a research method subject as part of graduate entry initial teacher education program. The results of the study indicate that the schedule proved to be a great resource in assisting students understand the main domains of research. This is an approach and a resource that academics teaching research method classes could adopt to assist student learning.

A Metaphorical Analysis of Novice Teachers’ Perceptions Concerning First Year in Teaching, Induction Process, School Administrators and Mentor Teacher

The aim of this study is to determine the perceptions of novice teachers about the first year in teaching, induction process, school administrators and mentor teacher through metaphors. This research designed as a qualitative study was carried out with 120 novice teachers working in Van province, Turkey. The data of the research were obtained by a survey form. In the analysis of the data, content analysis technique was used. As a result of the research, it was found that a large majority of novice teachers used metaphors concerning first year in teaching with negative connotations such as lack of experience, difficult process, disappointment; most of the novice teachers used metaphors concerning induction process with negative connotations such as a difficult process, feeling of oppression, anxiety of not becoming a teacher, and not being seen as a teacher; nearly half of the novice teachers used metaphors concerning school administrators with negative connotations such as power element/oppressive, variability, symbol of formality, unfairness, and indifference; the vast majority of novice teachers have a positive view of their mentor teachers seeing them as supporters or guides, but approximately one quarter of them used metaphors that described mentor teacher as oppressive and ineffective.

Factors Influencing University Student Academic Success

Ensuring student success has been a ubiquitous and enduring goal of institutions of higher education, making it paramount to identify how this goal can be achieved. The researchers identified social integration, perceived institutional commitment to student success, and academic preparedness as potential predictors of student academic success. An ordinal regression model was used to test the relationship between the predictor variables and class grade. A sample of students enrolled in a freshmen-level general education, gateway course was surveyed. Perceived commitment of the institution to student welfare and social integration were not statistically significant. However, academic preparedness was found statistically significant in predicting the acute measure of academic success. These findings suggest that, in the quest to ensure student success, social integration and commitment should be considered secondary factors to academic preparation.

An Analysis of Principal Perceptions of Required Evaluator Proficiency Exams Used in the Primary Teaching Evaluation System in Seven U.S. States

This research examines how public school principals in seven U.S. states perceive the proficiency exam they must take and pass in order to evaluate their teachers. The test is centered on the states’ primary teaching evaluation system, which is based on Charlotte Danielson’s Framework for Teaching. An online survey was developed and 832 out of over 7,000 working principals across seven states responded, yielding a response rate of nearly 12%. States were selected to represent a cross section of high, middle, and low scorers in the annual Education Week “Quality Counts” report (Education Week, 2016). Results showed that most principals were not satisfied with the proficiency test that they must take and pass in order to evaluate their staffs. Many principals called for the elimination or drastic overhaul of their proficiency exam. Suggested changes also showed that most principals wanted better quality videos they must watch to evaluate teaching lessons, and they also wanted the test to be less subjective. The survey showed that more principals than not believed the test was unfair and should not stay the same.

Viewing the Behavioral Responses of ED Children from a Trauma-Informed Perspective

The purpose of this study was to investigate via a trauma-lens the types of behavioral responses recorded in the IEPs of ED children. The theoretical orientation for the study was based heavily on the framework for school-based psychological evaluations identified by Tishelman, Haney, O’Brien and Blaustein (2010). Using the retrospective record review methodology, this exploratory study confirmed existing research on the behavioral responses of ED children and added to the literature by detailing preliminary evidence of behavioral responses that aligned with three of the four functional core domains in which children may display trauma-related difficulties in school.

Is Critical Thinking a Mediator Variable of Student Performance in School?

The study explores the influences of critical thinking and interests on students’ performance at school. The tested students attended German grammar schools (“Gymnasien”). Separate regression analyses showed the expected moderate positive influences of critical thinking and interests on school performance. But analyzed simultaneously, applying a Structural Equation Model, only a direct effect of critical thinking on school performance was observed. Furthermore, critical thinking seems to be a moderator variable, mediating an indirect effect of interest on school performance. An additional analysis of the data showed that the influence of critical thinking could exclusively be observed in the subsample of students who had a family background without a migration history. In the subsample with migration history critical thinking and interests did not have an effect on school performance. Since the students with migration history did not differ in school performance from their fellow students without migration history, the result gives rise to the assumption that those students in German grammar schools may have chosen other ways of motivation and learning style to school performance. Further research has also to clarify why critical thinking turns out to be a mediator of school performance and if this function is observable regarding other variables and different age groups. Beyond that we suggest reconsidering some theoretical and empirical issues, especially reviewing the relationship and of critical thinking skills and dispositions.

Cyber Mentoring in an Online Introductory Statistics Course

Students in an online statistics course were prone to become increasingly disengaged as the semester progressed. In Spring 2015, we took a proactive measure to retain student engagement by introducing a cyber mentoring session. We describe the framework, operation and effectiveness of cyber mentoring in improving students’ learning experience and performance. With the implementation of cyber mentoring, the percentage of online students passing the class increased from 76 percent to 94 percent, and the mean score of online students increased from 74.6 to 83.2 (out of 100), while the corresponding parameters did not change significantly for students in the face-to-face classes.

The Relationships of Problem Solving Styles to Parenting Styles: Two Studies

Two independent studies were conducted to examine the relationship of problem solving styles to parenting styles. Both studies used VIEW: An Assessment of Problem Solving Style and the Parental Authority Questionnaire (PAQ). Study 1 included 173 adults recruited using Mechanical Turk and Study 2 included 131 adults recruited using Qualtrics. Data were analyzed with stepwise hierarchical multiple linear regression. After controlling for age and gender, individuals who recalled and rated their mothers' parenting styles as more permissive were also those adults who rated their problem solving styles as more Explorer-type, preferring to work with fewer restrictions and preferring more novel responses to problems. Other findings across the two studies were suggestive of additional theoretical relationships among problem solving and parenting styles.

Generating academic urgency through improved classroom management: A case study of a university and urban charter high school partnership

This case study documents a university and secondary school partnership designed to improve classroom management and student time on task at an urban charter high school. The initiative utilized the expertise and knowledge of college of education faculty to identify and ameliorate the high school’s observed barriers to students’ time on task, and unsatisfactory levels of resulting academic success. The most pressing issues identified and addressed were excessive loss of learning time due to ineffective classroom management, and the resulting need to maximize engaged meaningful learning by limiting time wasted in the classroom.

A Study of the Relationship Between Demographic Factors and Elementary School Teacher Burnout : The Iranian Case

The Effects of an Intervention Combining Peer Tutoring With Story Mapping on the Text Comprehension of Struggling Readers: A Case Report

This single-case study tested a peer tutoring model using a visualizing strategy (story mapping) to teach struggling students better text comprehension. Three teams each consisting of a tutor and a tutee attending a fourth-grade general education classroom participated in the experiment. A short series of observations was carried out before and after the treatment. The intervention consisted of merely five lessons spread across one school week. However, it still induced large effects on the tutees’ ability to correctly answer different sets of comprehension questions about short stories. Besides, the procedures were easy to implement and applicable to everyday life at school without any difficulty. The article includes a discussion of the limitations of the study and suggests directions for future research.

A Place for Us? Latino Parent and Student Satisfaction in a Cyber School

Research indicates that traditional public schools are less effective in serving Latino students. Yet Latino students, but not their parents, exhibit greater school satisfaction than do their counterparts. The purpose of this study was to examine Latino student and parent satisfaction with their cyber school and prior traditional public school using results from surveys of students (53.7% response; n=269) and parents (n=232; response = 48.7%). ANOVA indicate that Latino parents rated their cyber school and prior traditional public schools more positively than other parents. Latino students rated the cyber school but not their prior traditional public schools more positively. We discuss implications and directions for further research.

Jordanian Seventh- and Eleventh-Grade Students’ Views on Citizenship Education

Using a mixed methods approach, this study was conducted in Jordanian schools to determine the perceptions of seventh- and eleventh-grade students toward citizenship. Specifically, the study determined what students believe are the attributes of a good citizen, what activities they participate in that are related to good citizenship, and what citizenship activities they will perform 10 years in the future. The research used both a questionnaire and interviews to collect data from a stratified random sample of 515 students selected from three school districts in Jordan. The study findings revealed that students’ views of citizenship encompass community service or what is considered civic involvement, rather than political involvement. The study also showed that the participants view voting and holding public office as belonging in the future; their focus is on the present. The researcher considers that the concept of good citizenship is related to age and maturity.

Visualizing the Sample Standard Deviation

The standard deviation (SD) of a random sample is defined as the square-root of the sample variance, which is the ‘mean’ squared deviation of the sample observations from the sample mean. Here, we interpret the sample SD as the square-root of twice the mean square of all pairwise half deviations between any two sample observations. This interpretation leads to a geometric visualization of the sample SD, and a more elementary explanation as to why the denominator in the sample variance is one less than the sample size.

Female Arab Students’ Perceptions of Social Networks as an English Language Learning Environment

The purpose of this research was to investigate female Arab college students’ use of and perceptions about social networking sites (SNSs) as an English language learning environment. A mixed methods approach was adopted for data collection and analysis. First, a questionnaire was used to explore the extent to which participants (n=182) were familiar with, and used SNSs in general. Using a five point likert scale (5=Always and 1=Rarely), the second part of the questionnaire investigated the extent to which participants used SNSs to improve their English language skills. Analysis of quantitative data indicated that participants make limited use of social networks to enhance their English skills. Subsequently, focus group interviews of 34 questionnaire respondents who accepted to be interviewed were conducted to find out the reasons why participants were reluctant to use SNSs to learn English. The interviews focused on respondents’ perceptions of the role of SNSs in helping them to improve their English language skills, and their opinion on the value of incorporating SNSs in their English language courses. Qualitative data analysis helped to delineate negative factors affecting the respondents’ use of these tools. Implications for the integration of SNSs in Arab higher education contexts are discussed.

Values and Beliefs Regarding Discipline Practices: How School Culture Impacts Teacher Responses to Student Misbehavior

The purpose of this study was to determine whether teachers’ sense of efficacy influences their attitude towards the use of physical punishment in schools. There were two groups of participants in the study: pre-service and in-service early childhood teachers. The sample was made up of 78 in-service teachers from two different school districts and 61 pre-service teachers from a mid-western university early childhood education preparation program. There were multiple significant findings in the study. Teachers who value developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) significantly use non-punitive responses more frequently. Values about corporal punishment and self-efficacy were not related to non-punitive responses. Teachers in the school district that allows principal-approved corporal punishment were less likely to use non-punitive responses. In-service teachers used more punitive responses than the pre-service teachers. However, overall referral to principal for corporal punishment did not seem to be related to teacher efficacy, thus, leading us to believe that teacher efficacy and teachers’ attitudes towards physical punishment are completely unrelated, and may be two different constructs.

Mistakes Made By Freshman Students of Science Teaching and Their Reasons During the Proving Process

The aim of this study was to examine the mistakes made by freshman students of science teaching during the process of proving and the reasons for these mistakes. To this aim, the study, which was conducted via the case study method, was performed with 52 freshman students who were studying at the department of science teaching in a state university. A test composed of eight open-ended questions was used for data collection, and non-structured interviews oriented towards identifying the reasons for the mistakes made by the students were conducted with eight students.The content analysis technique was utilised in data analysis. It was found that many of the students made mistakes in terms of method, in other words, they used incorrect methods. In this regard, it was detected that more than half of the students regarded assigning numerical values as a method of proof, whereas a few of them made conceptual mistakes, algorithmic mistakes, misunderstood the questions, etc. Furthermore, it was determined that these mistakes resulted from reasons such as the fact that the students did not have any previous experience related to proof; they regarded assigning numerical values as a method of proof; and their lack of knowledge.

The Pennsylvania Positive Behavior Support Network: Describing Our Scale-Up

Pennsylvania began scaling up high-fidelity implementation of School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) in 2006-2007 due to converging regulatory, legal, ethical, and practical influences. The Pennsylvania Community of Practice on School-Based Behavioral Health adopted Algozzine et al.’s (2010) blueprint to describe and evaluate the large-scale adoption of SWPBIS. That document provides the structure for assessing the context, content, fidelity, impact, and replication of installation efforts. Particular focus of the current review is on context, content, and fidelity of scale-up efforts. Over 600 schools have received training on SWPBIS since 2007, with fidelity of implementation confirmed in approximately 200 of those schools. Sources of support for the expansion of SWPBIS include federal and state grants, resources from regional and state-level allied youth and family-serving agencies, and local contributions. Training and technical assistance is provided by a cadre of certified facilitators who utilize standard training protocols. A statewide conference dedicated to Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports has grown in course offerings and attendance while maintaining high attendee satisfaction. Future directions in Pennsylvania include expanding SWPBIS to more schools, authentically engaging youth and families, including culturally-sensitive training and practices into SWPBIS training and implementation, improving the quality of annual program evaluations, and helping schools install advanced tiers of support.

A Meta-Analysis of Video Modeling Interventions for Children and Adolescents with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders

Video modeling is a non-punitive, evidence-based intervention that has been proven effective for teaching functional life skills and social skills to individuals with autism and developmental disabilities. Compared to the literature base on using video modeling for students with autism and developmental disabilities, fewer studies have examined the effectiveness of using video modeling based interventions for students with high-incidence disabilities (e.g., specific learning disabilities, emotional/behavioral disorders). This meta-analysis evaluated the utility of using video modeling to decrease disruptive behaviors and increase positive pro-social behaviors of students with emotional/behavioral disorders. Additionally, this paper compiled a list of research gaps related to video modeling and students with emotional/behavioral disorders. Implications for future research directions are discussed.

New Teaching Techniques to Improve Critical Thinking. The Diaprove Methodology

The objective of this research is to ascertain whether new instructional techniques can improve critical thinking. To achieve this goal, two different instruction techniques (ARDESOS, -group 1- and DIAPROVE, -group 2-) were studied and a pre-post assessment of critical thinking in various dimensions such as argumentation, inductive reasoning, causal, analogic, and deductive reasoning, decision-making and problem-solving was conducted. The results show that both forms of instruction functioned as expected. Both groups improved in all the dimensions of critical thinking. However the group with the new technique was only better in two dimensions with respect to group 1, namely in deductive and inductive reasoning, but not in problem-solving and decision-making. One possible reason accounting for this discrepancy was our inability to implement the new methodology in all dimensions, such that it was applied where there was greater improvement in group 2 than in group 1. The implications of this study are important because they allow us to know which new variables are crucial for instructional methodology.

Getting More Out of Educational Workshop Evaluations: Positively Packing the Rating Scale

Collecting evaluations following a professional development workshop and similar events has become common practice for assessing workshop quality. However, these evaluation forms often do not reflect best practices in survey development and result in average ratings that are uniformly high and uninformative. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of rating scales on workshop evaluations using an experimental design where participants were randomly assigned one of four evaluation forms with different rating scales following workshops. We found that using a typical "poor to excellent" scale yielded the highest average (most homogeneous) ratings while scales that were off-centered, with more positive than negative scale points (positively packed), yielded ratings with more variability. Recommendations for designing workshop evaluations are provided.

Academic Achievement and Extracurricular School Activities of At-Risk High School Students

This study compared the employment, extracurricular participation, and family structure status of students from low socioeconomic families that achieved state-approved benchmarks on ACT reading and mathematics tests to those that did not achieve the benchmarks. Free and reduced lunch eligibility was used to determine SES. Participants included 211 high school seniors from a large, rural southeastern high school. Eighty five of the participants met the low SES criterion and were the study’s primary focus. The study found that at-risk students from low SES families that met ACT reading and mathematics benchmarks were more likely to participate in extracurricular activities than students that did not meet this benchmark. Unexpectedly, students who met the reading benchmark were statistically less likely to have both parents employed. Student employment status and family structure were not statistically associated with ACT performance. Implications and areas for future study are discussed.

Effects of Pre-service Teacher Learning and Student Teaching on Teacher Education

The purposes of this research were to investigate and examine the effects of pre-service teacher learning and student teaching on teacher education. Three hundred and ten out of 349 intentionally selected participants responded to a two-dimensional survey. The gender, nationality, marital status, age, and academic year had no significant effects, but pre-service teacher learning (71%) and student teaching (75%) had significant influential effects on teacher education. In two academic majors (English education and geology education), pre-service teacher learning, student teaching, and teacher education had significant influential effects. In light of our results, the discussion addresses the influential effects found in this research compared to previous research findings and makes recommendations both for administrators in the University's teacher-education programs and for future research intended to improve the quality of teacher-education programs through the development of and/or improvements to pre-service teacher learning and student teaching as complementary components of teacher education.

Survey of Developmental Students’ Print and Online Metacognitive Reading

This quantitative study is a comparative analysis of developmental students’ print and online support metacognitive strategy use. More specifically, a study was conducted utilizing the Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory (MARSI) to measure developmental college students’ awareness and perceived use of support reading strategies while comprehending print and online academic texts. The findings show significance in four of nine support metacognitive reading strategy uses.

Increasing Social Interactions Using Prompts and Rewards for Adolescents with ASD in an Ice Hockey Practice Context

We evaluated the effects of using prompts and reinforcement procedures to increase the social interaction of two children with autism (ASD). This study took place during the context of a hockey practice. Two adolescent participants were evaluated using an ABAB single subject reversal design. Baseline data were collected prior to and after the implementation of a treatment phase. During baseline, the social interactive behavior of participants was measured. The participants engaged in vey low levels of social interaction. During treatment, the instructor applied prompting and reinforcement with the participants and social interaction was measured. The results indicate that social interaction of our participants can be increased during the hockey practice through the use of prompting and reinforcement.

Establishing Groups in the College or University Classroom: Using VIEW to Form Better Cooperative Groups and Improve Learning Outcomes

Six classes at a selective liberal arts college in the Midwest, two each in chemistry, educational studies, and Spanish, used cooperative groups as part of the students’ learning experiences. One class from each discipline used VIEW to formulate these cooperative groups, while those that constituted the control groups used more traditional ways of creating groups. At the end of each class, all students were given a survey asking them to evaluate various aspects of their experiences with group activities. Those students whose groups had been formed using data from VIEW reported statistically significant differences in their satisfaction with their group experiences, especially with regard to attention the group gave to new ideas, preferences for the level of structured authority, how information was handled by the group, and the balance between task concerns and personal or interpersonal needs when making decisions.

An Evaluation of Read Naturally® on Increasing Reading Fluency for Three Primary Students with Learning Disabilities

The purpose of this research was to examine the effectiveness of the reading fluency program Read Naturally®. This program employs passage reading and comprehension questions. These are graded at various instructional levels (kg. to adult). The program employs several practice procedures such as passage reading along with a pre-recorded audiotape, reading the passage independently, and finally reading the same passage again to an adult. The participants were two, third graders (one boy and one girl), and a fourth grade boy. Data were collected on the correct words read orally per minute across various lessons. These data were gathered in the elementary school’s resource room and taken daily. The effectiveness of the Read Naturally® program was evaluated with a multiple-baseline design. Our overall outcomes indicated that there was little change in correct words read per minute without practicing the passage (a cold read) and a large increase in correct words read after practice (a hot read). The results suggest that the procedure of repeated practice with an audiotape and practicing independently are effective procedures for increasing words read per minute. While the present outcomes were positive, further research is warranted regarding the efficacy of the Read Naturally® in the schools.

Formulating Good Open-Ended Questions in Assessment

The purpose of the study was to examine the quality of open test questions directed to high school and college students. One thousand five hundred examination questions from various fields of study were examined using criteria based on the writing centers directions and guidelines. The 273 questions that did not fulfill the criteria were analyzed in this study. The commonest mistakes found were: inappropriate usage of action verbs (66%); errors in formulation (13.1%) and the use of titles instead of questions (9.5%). In my opinion, the two most important findings of the study are the high percentage of inappropriate use of action verbs and inadequate number of points given to questions, since these findings were not described previously. The study results suggest that training teachers in question-writing should be incorporated in the curriculum for pre-service and in-service teachers. Various ways of composing more coherent test questions are described after presenting and discussing the mistake types.

A Modified Delphi Study to Define Ah ha Moments in Education Settings

Ah ha moments are often mentioned in education literature. These moments are suggested to be a powerful aspect of learning, yet limited research is present regarding this topic. Ah ha learning moments have also not been defined in the education literature, resulting in the likelihood that each educator and learner may have differing definitions. Before studies can be conducted to seek out educational strategies to promote these learning moments, a clear definition is needed. This article presents the results of a modified Delphi study aimed at seeking a consensus definition of ah ha learning moments among a group of experts from varied education settings.

The Effects of a Modified Cover, Copy, Compare on Spelling Tests and in Written Compositions for Three Students with Specific Learning Disabilities

Spelling skills are vital in teaching students to read and write effectively. One method to help students learn to spell words correctly is called cover, copy, and compare (CCC). This study was designed to evaluate the effects of using CCC on the spelling and writing skills of three students with learning disabilities. These skills were measured both before and after implementation of CCC spelling intervention. When CCC was in effect, our participants spelled more words correctly on spelling test probes. Generalization of correct spelling on a writing samples was found. The students reported they enjoyed using CCC.

Tracking Drop-out Students in Palestinian Refugee Camps in Lebanon

This research paper examines the perceptions of students on the school drop-out problem in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon regarding (a) the social and economic causes associated with the phenomenon of school drop-out; (b) the educational policies and practices used in UNRWA schools and their relationship to student drop-out; and (c) the role that parents play in preventing Palestinian students from dropping out of school. Based on qualitative field data, the methodology is grounded in tracking the trajectories of five drop-out cases. These five cases were drawn from four carefully selected United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) schools in Lebanon. The cases provide ethnographic accounts of the risk factors underlying students’ dropping out of school in these communities. Attention is paid to important issues, including socio-economic status, school curriculum and services, corporal punishment, and family involvement. The conclusion of this paper looks toward developing a plan to address the rate of early school drop-out in Palestinian refugee camps based on the findings of this report.

Analysis of the Mathematical Proof Skills of Studens of Science Teaching

Mathematics and proof are two closely related concepts. Mathematics not only shows what is right or wrong, but it also teaches that it is not enough to know the latest formulas and results should be explained with causality. In this context, students learn the underlying meaning behind what mathematicians do by way of proofs. Accordingly, this study aims to analyse the mathematical proof skills of students studying science teaching. The study group is composed of 50 first-year college students studying science teaching in the academic year 2011-2012. The study employs case study method as a form of qualitative research and six open-ended questions are used for data gathering purposes. The obtained data show that students successfully employ mathematical proof methods (induction, deduction etc.), but the majority of the students accepted the technique of giving a numerical value as a method of proof.

A Half-Flipped Classroom or an Alternative Approach?: Primary Sources and Blended Learning

This paper examines an alternate approach to the “flipped” classroom paradigm for an upper level history class using a blended on-line and in-class format. The concept of the flipped classroom has received increasing emphasis based on its potential to create a student-centered learning environment that incorporates practical instruction along with collaborative techniques. The use of flipping has largely been tied to the incorporation of video technology either in the form of a student practicum or an instructor lecture via on-line delivery combined with a classroom meeting involving collaboration and/or application exercises in the face-to-face session. With respect to flipping the history classroom, this paper offers the results from an upper division history course in which historical primary sources were introduced in the on-line portion of a hybrid class. The use of the primary sources also included a bi-modal collaborative mechanism, since students collaborated by sharing their thoughts prior to class and the start of the class incorporated a student-centered collaborative exercise based on the primary sources. This collaborative discussion on the primary sources served as the gateway into the broader topic discussion. This paper describes this process and uses student feedback to evaluate the effectiveness of this methodological approach.

Girl-child education outcomes: A case study from Ghana

The importance of girl-child education is largely documented and initiatives to promote girl-child education are widespread. However, studies on service delivery methods, processes and the impacts are limited in the literature. This study assessed the Plan Ghana’s girl-child educational project.

According to the findings, the project has helped to improve the girls’ confidence level and performance in examination. They associated more with their colleagues from affluent homes, and the financial burdens on their parents were also lessened. However, more girls need to be supported and boys with the same socio-economic backgrounds of the girls also need to be assisted by such educational projects/programs.

Not so fast my friend: The rush to R and the need for rigorous evaluation of data analysis and software in education

Commercial data analysis software has been a fixture of quantitative analyses in education for more than three decades. Despite its apparent widespread use there is no formal evidence cataloging what software is used in educational research and educational statistics classes, by whom and for what purpose, and whether some programs should be recommended over others. This paper argues that the rise of the R data analysis software has intensified the need for rigorous evaluations of these programs to identify their strengths and weaknesses in ways that provide educators with guidance in choosing programs. Examples of research activities to produce a literature to guide these choices are described.

The Relationship between Library Use and Academic Achievement of English and Spanish-Speaking Hispanic American Students

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between school library use and academic achievement of Hispanic students. This study utilizes data from the base-year and the first follow-up of the Education Longitudinal Study: 2002/06. A series of hierarchical regression analysis is incorporated to examine the nature of associations among the variables in this research. The results indicate that Hispanic students’ school library usage for class has a positive relationship with academic achievement, while their library usage for entertainment has a negative relationship with academic achievement. However, effect size of the students’ library usage on academic achievement is greater for Spanish speaking Hispanic students than for English speaking Hispanic students. Implications for researchers and practice are discussed.

Which Field Experiences Best Prepare Future School Leaders? An Analysis of Kentucky’s Principal Preparation Program

This paper examines the effectiveness of field experiences in preparing school principals for the exigencies of the job. Current school principals throughout Kentucky were surveyed regarding their perceptions of the utility and comparative effectiveness of field experiences in the principal preparation program (PPP) each attended. Surveys were emailed to school principals across Kentucky; the response rate was 30% (263 of 900 principals). Most respondents completed field experiences as part of their PPPs, and they considered many of these field experiences to have been valuable learning tools. Of those who did not complete field experiences, nearly all agreed that they would have been better prepared for school leadership had they performed field experiences. Current principals identified the most valuable field experiences to be those involving practical, hands-on, typical principal responsibilities (key words were leading, identifying, interviewing, and working). Least useful were observation-type experiences. This research finds clear support for augmenting use of two particular types of field experiences: (1) Budget and Finance and (2) Site-Based Decision Making. This research also shows the clear practical value of making field experiences an integral part of PPPs. In light of recent criticism that PPPs fail to adequately “ready” school principals, this research offers clear prescriptions for PPP improvement and highlights areas in which Kentucky’s PPPs succeed.

A Multisite Study of High School Mathematics Curricula and the Impact of Taking a Developmental Mathematics Course in College

The relationship between high school mathematics curricula and the likelihood of students who enroll in a developmental (non-credit bearing) course in college taking additional mathematics courses was studied. The results showed that high school mathematics curriculum, years of high school mathematics completed, and ACT mathematics scores were related to developmental mathematics course-taking, but curriculum was not related to the subsequent mathematics course-taking of students who began college with developmental mathematics. The results have important implications for educational researchers and policymakers at the college and high school levels.

Lower Response Rates on Alumni Surveys Might Not Mean Lower Response Representativeness

The purpose of this research is to explore some possible issues with response representativeness in alumni surveys. While alumni surveys can provide important information, they often have lower response rates due to bad contact information and other reasons. In this study we investigate potential differences between responses on the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) from the cohorts of graduating seniors from 2000, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 and those same cohorts of alumni responding to the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP) in 2010 at six diverse institutions. A series of chi-squared analyses were done for each of the six cohort years. Findings indicate that the demographic characteristics and institutional satisfaction of alumni respondents closely mirror those of the graduating seniors. The results from this study suggest that even though response rates on alumni surveys might be lower, the results may be just as representative as studies with much higher response rates.

The benefits of utilizing child life specialists when dealing with pediatric stress

Introduction: In pediatric hospitals there are varying opinions regarding who is part of the healthcare team. Each specialty has a different view on the various aspects of care.
Objective: The study explores healthcare providers’ diverse points-of-view on stress and compares coping strategies to obtain the most effective way to reduce stress in pediatric patients with a chronic condition.
Method: The study used a qualitative research design. The sample population included six nurses and five child life specialists who have significant experience in pediatrics. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews. To identify common themes, a content/data analysis was performed.
Results: Six themes were recognized and led to the identification of differences and similarities between nurses and child life specialists, both of whom reported fear of the unknown as the biggest stressor for the pediatric patient. The act of healthcare workers lying to the child as an attempt to reduce stress on the child was reported as an ineffective coping strategy. Nurses reported crying as a symptom of stress, while child life specialists reported crying as an effective coping strategy. The care of a child coping under stress needs to be a collaborative group effort. Most professionals reported that situations would have been conducted more efficiently if better communication had been in place. Family-centered care was perceived as valuable for improving pediatric patient coping mechanisms.
Implications: The discovered data help to identify the importance of collaborating with all available resources to obtain the best care possible for patients. This article provides effective coping strategies to care for patients. It will help nurses and other healthcare professionals understand how child life specialists help chronically-ill patients cope effectively with stress.

A Comparison of Student Ratings in Traditional and Interactive Television Courses

Although interactive television (ITV) allows colleges and universities to reach a wider audience, little research has been conducted exploring the effectiveness of the courses as perceived by students. This study compared student ratings of teacher effectiveness between 331 traditional courses and 125 ITV courses. The data included 456 graduate level courses over six contiguous semesters. Results clearly favored the traditional courses, followed by perceived effectiveness of the instructor at the ITV sending site and the ratings at the ITV receiving site. Implications for the use of ITV are discussed.

Educators’ Ability to Detect True and False Bullying Statements

The majority of research investigating children’s lie-telling behavior has focused on lay people and legal professionals’ abilities to detect deception. Fewer researchers have assessed educators’ abilities to evaluate the veracity of children’s reports of bullying. In this study, educators’ abilities to detect true and false accounts of bullying and educators’ confidence ratings of their abilities to detect the veracity of children’s bullying accounts were examined. Participants (93 educators) were shown video clips of children (between the age of 4 and 8 years) telling true and false statements about being bullied. Participants were asked to assess the veracity of the child’s bullying statement and rank how confident they felt about their responses. Overall, educators’ ability to detect both true and false accounts of bullying was not significantly above chance levels. Regardless of reported years of experience with children, detection rates were approximately the same; educational professionals with fewer years of experience yielded similar detection rates to those with more experience. In general, educators were not very confident in their abilities to distinguish between children’s true and false reports. However, all educators were significantly more confident in their overall ratings of false stories than true stories. While educators are not accurate in detecting deception, the current findings suggest that they may be over confident when assessing false accounts of bullying; condemning students that are falsely accused of bullying could have negative consequences for student, their classmates, and for the teacher. Through understanding educators’ perceptions of children’s lie-telling behavior, especially with respect to bullying, appropriate and effective bullying interventions can be developed by school psychologists in collaboration with educators.

Graduate Students’ Expectations of an Introductory Research Methods Course

While there is a scattered literature base on teaching research methods courses, there is very little literature that speaks to what and how students learn in research methods courses. Students are often described as coming to the course not seeing its relevance, bringing negative attitudes and low motivation with them. The purpose of this exploratory mixed methods study was to investigate graduate student attitudes toward research, expectations of an introductory research methods course, and any relationship between the two. A total of 117 students completed the Attitudes Toward Research scale and a series of open-ended questions. Results indicate these graduate students actually came in with moderate to high positive attitudes toward research and mixed expectations about what the course would entail. Students expected research methods to be difficult, but they did not report much anxiety related to research. Implications for teaching and future research are discussed.

No pending national elections, who cares? What newspaper publications reveal about local efforts towards Millennium Development Goal 3.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) has become a catch phrase in development discourse. This study is an assessment of the MDG 3: to promote gender equality at all levels of education in Ghana. The Daily Graphic (a newspaper in Ghana) which is Ghana’s prominent newspaper was reviewed from 2000 to 2011 to determine the frequency of articles pertaining to addressing gender disparity at all levels of education and their sources. Also, we compared the rural and urban geographical emphasis of the articles. Findings demonstrated that primary level of education received the largest emphasis with the least number of writings on tertiary education. The articles were mainly authored by NGOs, politicians and education practitioners, and the majority referenced rural communities. It appeared that national elections influenced the frequency of the articles that The Daily Graphic published over the review period. We conclude that monitoring systems are central to keeping governments on track. Similarly, efforts that encourage the public to make their voice heard by frequently sending in articles can keep the state and other development agencies continually challenged and motivated until they deliver on their promises.

Think Pair Share: A teaching Learning Strategy to Enhance Students’ Critical Thinking

This study investigated the change in critical thinking (CT) skills of baccalaureate nursing students who were educated using a Think-Pair-Share (TPS) or an equivalent Non-Think-Pair-Share (Non-TPS) teaching method. Critical thinking has been an essential outcome of nursing students to prepare them to provide effective and safe quality care for patients. Think-Pair-Share is a cooperative discussion strategy that provides students with adequate time to think in order to increase their quality of responses. Students become actively involved in thinking about the concepts presented in their discussion. Ninety one students participated in this study. Forty six (50%) of the participants were included in the control group (Non-TPS) and 45 (50%) were included in the experimental group (TPS). The participants were sophomore-level generic accelerated baccalaureate nursing students enrolled in the same Health Assessment nursing course. The HESI critical thinking test was the tool used before (Pretest) and after (posttest) the course to collect data about student's CT skills. The study used a quasi experimental design. The independent sample t test and Mann-Whitney test were used to analyze the data. Findings revealed a significant increase in CT over time, throughout the 17-week course, with the use of TPS teaching/learning strategy. The results suggest that TPS is an effective strategy to foster CT of nursing students and could be used by educators to foster learners’ CT in their courses. The study has significant implications on education, nursing practice, and research.

Student and Faculty Perceptions on Plus-Minus Grading: A Case Study

The decision of higher education institutions to grade student performance with whole letters or with pluses and minuses has many factors. In particular, student and faculty opinions on this choice require further study. Faculty at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) recently investigated recent opinions by reviewing literature and the grading practices of peer institutions, and by surveying both students and faculty at SIUE. The primary findings of the study indicated that 1) an overwhelming majority of students (83%) are satisfied with SIUE’s current whole letter grading scale, 2) most faculty (59%) favored a change to plus-minus grades, and 3) students and faculty alike noted that accurate reflection of performance was the most important issue to consider when choosing a grading system. Based on the evidence collected, SIUE chose to retain the whole letter grading system for the time being.

New Graduate Nurses' Perceived Definition of Critical Thinking During Their First Nursing Experience

Critical thinking (CT) is a flourishing concept that has been developing throughout the fields of both nursing education and practice. In fact, every person thinks in his or her own way that is varied among individuals; it is the nature of human mankind to do so. Nevertheless, much of our thinking might be subjective, indefinite, limited, conventional or inclusively narrow-minded. CT is an essential expected competency of nurses at all levels of education and practice, and is a required component of nursing programs, including critical care nursing training programs (National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, 2006). Various authors have accentuated the need for nurses to be able to think critically in order to apply the proper theoretical knowledge in their clinical skills, using reasonable judgments in providing high standards of quality patient care. Yet, each author has defined CT in a different way. Luckowski (2003) reported that CT is basically the ability to analyze andappraise evaluations.

The Role of Vocational and Technical Education in Nigeria Economic Development

The researchers tried to ascertain the role of vocational and technical education in the Nigeria economic development using historical survey in analyzing the views of various academic authors in an attempt to inform researchers' on current issues on the field. The research reveals that there was a defect in the curriculum of vocational and technical education programmes in Nigeria. The role of Vocational and Technical Education in the production of skilled manpower cannot be achieved if an efficient and effective teaching and examination is not maintained. No nation can develop without vocational and technical education. The solution to the economic development is total commitment to accepting vocational and technical education in Nigeria. Vocational and Technical Education graduates are not given proper training, therefore, are unable to be engaged in the area of maintenance of roads, pipe water, electricity, refineries, improving the food supplies etc. Conclusion and recommendations were made.

Think Pair Share: A teaching Learning Strategy to Enhance Students' Critical Thinking

This study investigated the change in critical thinking (CT) skills of baccalaureate nursing students who were educated using a Think-Pair-Share (TPS) or an equivalent Non-Think-Pair-Share (Non-TPS) teaching method. Critical thinking has been an essential outcome of nursing students to prepare them to provide effective and safe quality care for patients. Think-Pair-Share is a cooperative discussion strategy that provides students with adequate time to think in order to increase their quality of responses. Students become actively involved in thinking about the concepts presented in their discussion. Ninety one students participated in this study. Forty six (50%) of the participants were included in the control group (Non-TPS) and 45 (50%) were included in the experimental group (TPS). The participants were sophomore-level generic accelerated baccalaureate nursing students enrolled in the same Health Assessment nursing course. The HESI critical thinking test was the tool used before (Pretest) and after (posttest) the course to collect data about student's CT skills. The study used a quasi experimental design. The independent sample t test and Mann-Whitney test were used to analyze the data. Findings revealed a significant increase in CT over time, throughout the 17-week course, with the use of TPS teaching/learning strategy. The results suggest that TPS is an effective strategy to foster CT of nursing students and could be used by educators to foster learners' CT in their courses. The study has significant implications on education, nursing practice, and research.

Assessing Student Teaching Experiences: Teacher Candidates' Perceptions of Preparedness

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of student teaching experiences by measuring teacher candidates' perceptions of their preparedness. The participants were 130 teacher candidates who had completed their student teaching as part of a program preparing them to teach children in pre-K through grade 4. Teacher candidates responded to the survey by recalling their before and after student teaching experiences. A paired t-test was calculated to determine statistical mean differences before and after student teaching on five categories: a) pedagogical content knowledge, b) planning and preparation for instruction, c) classroom management, d) promoting family involvement, and e) professionalism. Mean differences of all of the paired items between pre-and post survey were shown to be statistically significant on all five categories.

The Nexus between the Above-Average Effect and Cooperative Learning in the Classroom

The present study examines the above-average effect (Chambers & Windschitl, 2004; Moore & Small, 2007) in assessments of task performance. Participants completed self-estimates of performance and group estimates of performance, before and after completing a task. Participants completed a task individually and in groups. Groups were self-selected by participants, or randomly assigned by the researchers. Previous research examined the above-average effect in performance self-estimates for individuals, but little has been done examining the above-average effect in group performance. Results indicated robust above-average effects for both individual and group estimates of performance, and these effects were not limited by group type. Furthermore, above-average effects were observed for estimates of performance both before and after completion of the task, suggesting that participants were not more accurate in their post-task estimates. In addition to these data, results of a group-work survey administered to participants are disseminated, suggesting some practical applications for group work in the college classroom setting.

Field Experience + Inclusive ECE Classrooms = Increased Preservice Teacher Efficacy in Working with Students with Developmental Delays or Disabilities

The current study examined whether field placements within an inclusive classroom are associated with improved preservice teacher's efficacy when working with children with developmental delays or disabilities. Study participants were 165 undergraduate students enrolled in primary teacher education classes at a Midwestern university. Participants responded to a modified version of the Teacher's Sense of Efficacy Scale. A significant positive correlation between preservice teachers' efficacy of working with children with developmental delays or disabilities and their inclusive field experiences was found. Findings in this study stress the need for undergraduate early childhood education programs to utilize diverse, highly inclusive classrooms in their students' field experiences; not only in the hopes of increasing efficacy, but to also develop the skills and dispositions valued by our profession.

The Benefits of Latin?

Classicists have long claimed that the study of Latin has benefits that exceed knowledge of the language itself, and in the current economic times, these claims are made with urgency. Indeed, many contend that Latin improves English grammar and writing skills, cognitive abilities, and develops transferable skills necessary for success in the sciences. In and of itself, the study of Latin seems to be a topic of concern primarily within Classics departments. However, given the broad claims that have been made about the benefits of Latin for educational development, it is useful to investigate the role of Latin within elementary and high school curriculums as it relates to learning: does the study of Latin improve cognitive abilities and English skills, including grammar and vocabulary?

Using AMLO to Improve the Quality of Teacher Education Outcomes

This study aims to find ways to improve learning outcomes in teacher education courses by using an Analysis Model for Learning Outcomes (AMLO). It addresses the improvement of the quality of teacher education by analyzing learning outcomes and implementing curriculum modifications related to specific learning objectives and their effects on student learning and achievement. The learning outcome data of two groups of female students enrolled in an education course were analyzed for comparison. The results indicated significant improvements in learning outcomes for the second group after curriculum modifications were implemented. These results highlight the importance of analyzing learning outcomes for quality improvement in teacher education. This paper discusses some of the benefits of using AMLO in teacher education and other disciplines, and provides recommendations for faculty members, administrations, and researchers.

Comparison of Generic Accelerated Nursing Students

Case study pedagogy is a teaching strategy in which teachers hope to help students develop and use critical thinking (CT) abilities. This study compared CT skills of 75 second year generic accelerated baccalaureate nursing students during their Fundamentals of Nursing course before and after being educated using case study pedagogical method. Through the use of a standardized CT (HESI) exam, taken at the beginning and the end of the course, scores were compared for improvement using paired t-tests and a one sample t test. The results demonstrated that the HESI CT test scores identified a statistically significant difference with a larger average score after the intervention of the integration of the case study teaching strategy as compared to the pre-intervention average. The findings have implications for educators to help students develop insight into the usefulness of case studies as a teaching learning method to foster students.

English Language Learners' Educational Resilience and Classroom Learning Environment

Resilience is an area of research that has important implications for the educational improvement of English Language Learners (ELLs) because it focuses on ELLs who are successful in school despite the presence of adverse conditions such as living in economically- and socially-disadvantaged circumstances. This study compared the classroom and instructional learning environment of 189 fourth- and fifth-grade resilient, average and nonresilient ELLs. Resilient and average students perceived significantly (p < .05) more competition in the classroom than nonresilient students, while nonresilient students and average students perceived their reading classes to be significantly (p < .05) more difficult than resilient students. The classroom observation results revealed that resilient and average students were on task significantly (p < .001) more than nonresilient students.

The Impact of Post-Training on Job Performance in Nigera's Oil Industry

The Nigeria's oil industry has been criticized for some time now for its inability to render adequate services to the general public. This criticism is predicated on the fact that the standards of productivity in their services are low and that their facilities (i.e. the refineries) are not working up to capacity. This is evident in their inability to produce at installed capacity and maintain the refineries, thereby leading to importation of fuel into the country for local consumption. For improved performance, the employees require administrative and technological training. Based on the observation, the study determined the types of training programme that existed in the Nigeria's Oil Industry, the instruments used for the identification of training and development needs and the factors that influenced selection of staff for training and development. The job performance of staff before and after training, the application of professional knowledge of trained staff and the competence of staff to cope with changes before and after training were also investigated. To achieve these objectives, data were collected with the aid of Nigeria's Oil Industry Training and Development Questionnaire (NOITDQ). A simple random sampling of 400 trained workers were selected from NNPC, Shell and Chevron. The data generated through the instruments were analyzed using percentages and the chi-square (x2) for testing the stated hypotheses. The result of the analysis shows that oil workers were offered training opportunities and that the most patronized type of training programmes were seminar, conference and workshop. Reports by supervisory staff was the most patronized instrument for identifying and selecting staff for training and development needs; nomination of staff for training was based mainly on low job performance. Professional training, educational qualification and vacancy position were major factors that influenced the deployment of staff after training and that political consideration was rarely used for staff deployment. Application of professional knowledge of staff varied significantly in positive terms with training, and there was a significant difference in competence of staff to cope with changes before and after training in favour of post training. It was concluded that training opportunities were offered to staff and that instruments for identification of training needs existed in the oil industry. There were also training and development; training and appropriate deployment had positive effect on job performance and its inherent tasks. Based on these conclusions, recommendations were made for policy options to ensure effective staff training and development. The recommendations include the following: that courses should be organized for staff through seminars, conferences and workshops in favour of technological change and that there should be flexibility in the selection of staff for training without necessarily adhering to seniority and so on.

The Effects of Using Reading Racetracks for Teaching of Sight Words to Three Third-Grade Students with Learning Disorders

Those of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of reading racetracks with three 8-year-old students with learning disabilities. All three children were performing well below grade level in reading. A single subject reversal design was used to evaluate the effects of employing reading racetracks. Corrects responses and errors were recorded using high frequency "No Excuse" word lists used in the school district. All three students showed an increase in sight words learned when the reading racetracks were used. This was replicated each time the reading racetrack procedure was implemented. The applicability of using reading racetracks in the classroom is discussed.

Cohort versus Non-Cohort High School Students

The purpose of this study is to compare multiple measures of mathematics achievement for 1,378 cohort students who attended the same high school in a district from 9th to 12th grade with non-cohort students in each grade level. Results show that mobility had an impact on math achievement. After accounting for gender, ethnicity, and SES, adjusted mean scores on three large-scale achievement tests and adjusted average math grades were significantly higher for the cohort than the non-cohort. In terms of course-taking, larger percentages of cohort versus non-cohort students took advanced math courses in 11th and 12th grades. However, after controlling for gender, ethnicity, and SES, the impact of mobility on the type of math course taken was negligible. The study also examined math coursework over the four years of high school for cohort students. Differences were found across demographic subgroups with regard to the type of courses taken and cumulative math grade point average. Significant gaps were found between the two SES groups for both Black and White students in terms of the percentages of students taking advanced math courses.

Early Parenting Practices and Outcomes for Adolescents

This study compared early parenting practices and adolescent behavior to determine whether parental attachment-promoting behaviors in the first year of life were associated with psychosocial adjustment in teenagers. The mothers of 22 adolescents completed a behavioral assessment of their teenager and an inventory of their recollected parenting practices during the first year of that child's life. The adolescent participants, ranging in age from 12 to18 years (9 males and 13 females), also completed a self-report measure of psychosocial adjustment. The results indicated that early attachment-promoting parenting practices were associated with psychosocial and behavioral outcomes. Attachment Parenting appears to offer a useful protocol for understanding and implementing best practices in early childrearing for parents. Implications for future research are discussed.

After-School Elementary School Mathematics Club: Enhancing Achievement and Encouraging Future Teachers

Large, urban school districts struggle with many educational factors. A university-school partnership developed an after-school mathematics program to address two issues challenging a local district, increasing the mathematics achievement scores on standardized tests and a variety of other assessments and maintaining a highly qualified teacher workforce. The national turnover rate for teachers is approximately 16% and that rate doubles in urban areas. Related to the turnover rate of teachers is the link researchers report between those changes and the academic success of children in urban schools. Efforts to encourage and retain a prepared, consistent and stable workforce and to building a strong academic foundation early in the K- 12 curriculum have been connected to stemming the escalating high school dropout rate in urban districts.

Enabling Initiative and Enterprise: Faculty-led Course Redesign in a STEM Discipline

This study focuses on processes and outcomes associated with a faculty grassroots initiative to reform teaching and learning in an introductory chemistry course at a research university. The purpose of this study is threefold. First, the study considers faculty groups and teams as sites and sources of pedagogical change in an effort to improve undergraduate teaching. Second, the study examines the interaction between institutional change initiatives and grassroots faculty reform efforts. Third, the study aims to develop understandings of how outcomes of technology-enhanced reform can serve to alleviate time constraints on science faculty and address problems of faculty role overload.

Changing Pattern and Process of High School Dropouts between 1980s and 2000s

There has been a general decline in the dropout rate and an increase in the high school completion rate over the last three decades. This research investigates causes for the decline in the dropout rate over the periods using decomposition analysis. Traditional cross-section analysis was inadequate to perform this task. Using the two cohort surveys of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) in the 1980s and 2000s, we separated changes in characteristics into two parts: explained change and unexplained change. Results of the research suggest that the common explanations for the characteristic of school dropout account for little of the decline of the rate. Relatively unnoticeable factors such as location and regions contributed to the decline of the dropout rate while socioeconomic, personal, familial factors contributed to increase the dropout rate.

Employing Reading Racetracks and DI Flashcards With and Without Cover, Copy, and Compare and Rewards to Teach of Sight Words to Three Students with Learning Disabilities in Reading

The purpose of this study was to study the effect of pairing reading racetracks and flashcards for the teaching of sight words. The first participant was diagnosed with a specific learning disability in reading and writing and was also diagnosed with ADHD. The second participant was diagnosed with a specific learning disability in reading, writing, math, and social skills.  The third participant was diagnosed with a specific learning disability in reading, writing, and math. Data were taken on the number of corrects and errors for select sight words.  A combination multiple baseline with reversals and a generalization probe single case design was employed to evaluate the various interventions. The results for two of the participants indicated that reading racetracks paired with flashcards were quite effective in increasing oral reading of sight words.  For a third participant, the addition of cover, copy, and compare and rewards improved sight word acquisition. A brief generalization probe to new words indicated that the gains in sight words did not generalize to new untrained words.  The applicability of employing data-based decision making with our various interventions was outlined.

When Best Intentions Go Awry: The Failures of Concrete Representations to Help Solve Probability Word Problems

Previous research has cast doubt on the efficacy of utilizing external representations as an aid to solving word problems.  The present study replicates previous findings that concrete representations hinder college students' ability to solve probability word problems, and extends those findings to apply to a multimedia instructional context.  Our concrete-representation group was instructed in how to use Venn diagrams to solve probability problems involving non-mutually exclusive events; our procedural group was instructed only in the formulation of equations.  Results showed that the procedural group outperformed the concrete-representation group; additionally, there was a main effect for performance on transfer problems, favoring near-transfer problems over far-transfer problems.  Contrary to previous findings, however, in the present study cognitive load did not appear to be a factor in the lower performance of the concrete-representation condition.

Measuring Practices of Teaching for Social Justice in Elementary Mathematics Classrooms

This study used the Teaching for Social Justice Observation Scale (TSJOS) of the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol-Plus (RTOP+) to examine the extent to which twenty-two novice elementary teachers implemented practices related to teaching for social justice in their mathematics instruction. In addition, this study sought to examine the extent to which practices related to teaching for social justice were related to pupil learning outcomes, as measured by end-of-unit district-based assessments. We found that, on average, the participants in this study implemented a moderate amount of teaching practices related to teaching for social justice. Furthermore, after correlating the teaching practices with pupil outcomes, we found a significant, positive relationship between teaching for social justice and pupil outcomes (r = 0.44, p<0.05).  We discuss implications of these findings and recommend further use of the TSJOS.

Exploration of Instruments Measuring Concepts of Graduateness in a Research University Context

This article considers the appropriateness of international instruments to measure the separate concepts of graduateness for a research university context. The four concepts of graduateness -- reflective thinking, scholarship, moral citizenship and lifelong learning -- are operationalized using five existing instruments. These instruments were administered to students from the Social Sciences and the Humanities. Usability within a research university is determined. The Reflective Thinking Questionnaire and the Task and Win Orientation in Sports Questionnaire were found to be usable but there were problems associated with the Visions of Morality Scale when used in this context. The Research Self-Efficacy Questionnaire and subscales of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire require minor adjustments when used within a research university.

Tracking: Educational Differentiation or Defective Strategy

For almost a century, schools have assigned students to various groups or classes based on their perceived academic ability. Referred to as Tracking, in the United States, and Streaming, in England, this organizational differentiation very often results in unequal access to knowledge and the differential treatment of students.  Proponents of tracking contend that it facilitates instruction and promotes the learning of all students.  They suggest that it enables teachers to adjust the content and quantity of the curriculum to the various ability levels of their students.  Notwithstanding the research which underscores the negative impact of tracking on student outcomes, this practice remains pervasive in schools and a number of assumptions support its popularity. This article examines these assumptions in light of existing English and American research to determine, once and for all, if tracking is a positive form of educational differentiation or a defective strategy.

The Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) test was the major source of data for the Texas educational accountability system from 1994 through 2002. Contrary to critics who claim that TAAS data are invalid and unreliable measures of student performance, structural equation analyses of TAAS reading data based on the 1994 Texas third grade cohort followed through eighth grade indicate that TAAS reading data meet conventional standards of trait validity and reliability. Rather than assume reading performance follows a quasi-simplex models, i.e., test scores in one year largely account for test results in the following year, an alternative conceptualization views each of the annual TAAS reading tests as one indicator of a fairly stable trait of general reading ability. A second-order factor of reading achievement provides a more reasonable fit to the data than a quasi-simplex model. Both quasi-simplex and second-order factor models indicate TAAS reading scores were highly stable from one grade to the next.

An Effective Way to Improve Mathematics Achievement in Urban Schools

The local Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEARUP) partnership serves 11 K-8 schools with the lowest achievement scores and the highest poverty rates in a large Midwestern urban district. Recently, GEARUP launched a specially designed teaching program, Mathematics Enhancement Group (MEG), for underachievers in mathematics. To maximize the efficiency of classroom teaching, MEG, a pull-out program, was created to serve students with disorderly behavior but with a strong potential to improve their mathematics skills.
      The pull-out program positively affected other students' achievement in the classroom, too. Overall proficiency level from the Ohio Achievement Test improved from 5.6 % of the previous year to 8.1%, while the district proficiency level decreased from 46.3 % to 38.7 %. The outcome of this research shows that MEG was effective for improving standardized test scores and study habits for the participants. Simultaneously, the setting appeared helpful in correcting students' classroom behavior.

"Minimization as an Alternative to Unrestricted Randomization in Educational Research"

This paper describes an alternative to unrestricted randomization in experimental design, termed minimization, which can be used to achieve better balance of critical factors in small to medium-sized experimental studies. Several critical factors are controlled which are known to influence outcomes but which are not the foci of the study. Based on the critical factor values of previously entered participants, a new participant will be allocated into an experimental group to minimize imbalance across groups on critical factors. Minimization has been primarily employed in medical interventions and clinical trials. This article provides examples of the potential use of minimization in education, its advantages, and limitations. Minimization is one possible strategy to attain stronger validity in small to medium-sized experimental studies.

"Staffing at the Middle School Level: Are the Least Qualified Principals Assigned to the Neediest School Buildings?"

A structural equation modeling approach is used to assess the relationships among human capital endowments of school principals and characteristics of students at the middle school level. Human capital endowments are measured according to education, teacher experience, and administrator experience, while characteristics of students are assessed according to diversity, English language learners, and poverty. Results indicate that high risk students are equally served but not better served. That is, the most qualified principals are not assigned to the neediest school buildings. Consequently, school districts are failing to capitalize on staffing opportunities for principals.

Classroom Management Competencies of Intern-Teachers in Nigera's Secondary Schools"

The purpose of the study was to find out the adequacy of the current classroom management training program for intern teachers in Nigerian Universities. Two hundred and six respondents were used for the study. A structured questionnaire was administered to seventy males and one hundred and thirty-six females drawn from Arts, Science, Technical and Social Science programmes. Data were analyzed using frequency, mean scores and analysis of variance. Major findings revealed no significant difference in classroom management competencies of male and female interns as regards leadership and discipline but there is significant gender difference in communication competencies. There is variability in classroom management competencies of intern teachers from Arts, Science, Social Science and Technical Education programmes. The intern teachers see classroom discipline as a major problem confronting them.

"The Relation Between Time Management Skills and Academic Achievement of Potential Teachers"

The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between the time management skills and academic achievement of students who are potential teachers studying in faculties of education. The research was conducted in the 2007-08 academic term among 849 graduate students in the Faculty of Education at Gazi University. The Time Management Questionnaire was used in the research. The results of the research were analysed by using arithmetical mean, standard deviation, simple correlation, and regression analysis techniques. As a result of the research it was determined that student behaviour in the category of time planning was at the highest level and behaviour in the category of time consumers was at the lowest level. The success of the students was above average. There was a significant and positive relation between time planning and time consumers and the academic achievement of the students; there was a low and positive relation between time consumers and academic achievement; there was a meaningful and moderate relation between time management and academic achievement. The relative importance order of the predictor variables on academic achievement, according to the standardized regression coefficient, was time consumers, time planning, and time attitude; each of the three variables had an important predictor effect on the academic achievement of the students.

A Validation Study of an Instrument Designed To Measure Types of Learning: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach"

This study reports the results of a validation study of student assessment of types of learning (ToL) scale, a measure of teaching effectiveness based on student summative judgments. The study investigated the factor structure of ToL and how consistent the factor structure held across multiple groups. This study used measures developed by Ellett, Loup, Culross, McMullen and Rugutt, 1997 and data from two independent administrations, involving 1096 and 1536 students from two semesters respectively. The results showed that the overall instrument possesses good internal consistency and adequate construct validity across the two samples. The SEM analyses with LISREL (Jreskog & Srbom, 1996) methodology revealed that ToL consists of 2 latent variables that are stable over time and consistent over different groups.

Military Deployment and Elementary Student Achievement"

The purpose of this research was to determine the effectiveness of the Read Naturally® program. The program was used in hopes to improve each student's ability in reading fluency. The study used Read Naturally® as an intervention for two struggling readers identified as two third grade students. The program included passage reading and comprehension. The participants were placed in the correct instructional level within the program by determining their age, grade level, reading abilities, and instructional level. The Read Naturally® program followed a multi-step procedure that required the students to read for a minute for a cold read and hot read, read passages aloud, follow along as the passages are read through an audiotape, and answer comprehension questions pertaining to the passages. Data were collected throughout the study to determine if there was an increase in words per minute for each participant from a cold read to a hot read.. The effectiveness of the Read Naturally® program was examined through an ABAB single-subject reversal design. The overall outcomes indicated improved fluency for each student. This improvement from hot to cold reads during the intervention was not found for either participant. Therefore, caution is urged regarding the use of Read Naturally®.