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Stockmann, Dustin. "Action Research Using Entomological Research to Promote Hands-On Science Inquiry in a High-Poverty, Midwest Urban High School." Thesis, Lindenwood University, 2016. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10241269.
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<p> The purpose of this mixed-methods action research study was to examine to what extent entomological research can promote students’ hands-on learning in a high-poverty, urban, secondary setting.</p><p> In reviewing the literature, the researcher was not able to find a specific study that investigated how entomological research could promote the hands-on learning of students. The researcher did find evidence that research on learning in a secondary setting was important to student growth. It should also be noted that support was established for the implementation of hands-on science inquiry in the classroom setting.</p><p> The study’s purpose was to aid educators in their instruction by combining research-based strategies and hands-on science inquiry. The surveys asked 30 students to rate their understanding of three basic ideas. These core ideas were entomological research, hands-on science inquiry, and urban studies. These core ideas provided the foundation for the study. The questionnaires were based on follow-up ideas from the surveys. Two interview sessions were used to facilitate this one-on-one focus.</p><p> Because the study included only 30 student participants, its findings may not be totally replicable. Further study investigating the links between entomological research and hands-on science learning in an urban environment is needed.</p>
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Haingura, Paulinus. "Research portfolio." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003615.
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The purpose of this research is to evaluate the implementation of the Namibian education policy with particular reference to Senior Secondary education (Grades 11-12) in order to develop analysing skills that will facilitate better understanding of my professional context and enhance my ability to operate within a research environment. The main purpose is to look at the theory that underpins the curriculum and to find out whether that theory is carried through into practice. This contextual analysis is also designed to provide baseline data as I subsequently explore my area of research. The specific objectives of the research are to: • conduct interviews with teachers and learners which may reveal ideological differences on how these various actors perceive the curriculum; • analyse specific areas within the curriculum that might reveal the type of theory underpinning the curriculum; • assess the curriculum in order to identify objectives and goals that may affect the implementation of the intended curriculum.
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Kim, Minyong. "Teaching, Learning, and Research as a Spiritual Journey." The Ohio State University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1482855379882582.
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Termini, Lorraine. "Student voice in high school| An action research study." Thesis, University of Bridgeport, 2013. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3570738.
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<p>This action research study examined the effects of student voice in one high school and the self-reflection of the researcher-administrator involved in the effort. Using three cycles of action research, the researcher-administrator completed a pilot study, implemented a student voice project in one class, and developed a professional development module completed by two other teachers in the school. The researcher-administrator documented personal changes throughout the process. Data was collected through student and adult questionnaires, student and adult interviews, action plans, observations, field notes, and the researcher-administrator’s reflective journal. Data was coded for themes and triangulated to obtain results. The reflective journal was used to analyze the researcher-administrator’s growth. The researcher-administrator derived two themes as important to both students and teachers engaged in the study: student growth and collaboration. Students in the study believed that by having a voice, personal and school change occurred. Teachers involved in the study believed the action research projects implemented made them more effective. The researcher-administrator’s views changed during the study in three major areas: personally, conceptually, and in the development of a Living Educational Theory. There were four outcomes to this action research study: students engaged in this study reported self-growth; students valued their roles as change agents; teachers engaged in the study reported self-reflection helped to make positive changes in practice; and the researcher-administrator evolved as a person and school administrator. </p><p> <i>Keywords:</i> student voice, action research, data collection, themes </p>
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Lindahl, Rebecca. "Research-Based Characteristics of Professional Learning Communities at the High School Level." ScholarWorks, 2011. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/859.
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An educational problem facing high schools in 2 Midwestern school districts is that few local contextual experiences exist for developing professional learning communities that contain research-based characteristics. Identifying such experiences is important to school leaders and teachers. The purpose of this study was to examine 2 local high school professional learning communities to identify research-based characteristics such as practice-based discussions and a focus on learning and results. Constructivism and social change theory provided the theoretical foundation. A single research question sought the presence of research-based characteristics. The characteristics formed the conceptual framework and emerged from many voices in the field. Qualitative case study research methods guided the study; each high school served as a case. Interviews with 10 educators, observations of 4 team meetings, and examination of artifacts from the sites were conducted to collect data. Data analysis included coding information from interviews, meetings, and artifacts; developing individual case narratives; and constructing a cross-case analysis. A key finding was that all research-based characteristics were present in each school. One conclusion reached was that strong administrative leadership contributed positively to the presence of characteristics. Another was that operating from a learning model (e.g., AIW [Authentic Intellectual Work] or DuFour) contributed positively as well. Several recommendations are included and focus on following a model under strong administrative leadership. Given the findings, positive implications for social change include more effective teaching, more authentic collaboration in schools, and a culture of teacher excellence.
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Iitula, Helena. "Master of Education research portfolio." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008196.
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This Portfolio was submitted in 2005 to Rhodes University as a Research Portfolio presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education in General Education Theory and Practice. The Portfolio consists of seven (7) key parts. The reader of this Portfolio is courteously informed that the structure of this portfolio is to some extent differ from the thesis structure. Thus, the reader should be attentive not to weigh against the two. Further more, I hereby declare that this portfolio is my own work and that all the sources that I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of references indicated at the end of each part. Part 2 and 6 are the core parts of the portfolio. The focal point of part 2 is the contextual curriculum analysis of Grade 8-10 Oshindonga Curriculum in order to investigate its implementation in four educational circuits: Oshigambo, Onathinge, Onyaanya and Omuthiya in Oshikoto Region. Based on the findings of this analysis, lack of critical inquiry and reflective practice among Oshindonga teachers was identified as one of the major obstacles that preventing the effective implementation of the curriculum. Most of these teachers are Basic Education Teacher Diploma (BETD) postgraduates. Thus, part 3 and 4 were developed as supplements to inform the main research paper (part 6) which is related to teacher's professionalism in the classroom. The focus of part 3 (literature review) was on the teacher as a reflective practitioner. This is in line with the Namibian Education Policy, which identifies reflective practice as the heart of teacher professionalism. In this part, I explored a variety of views related to the notion of professionalism in teaching. I have also focused on views related to teacher's professional development both on macro and micro levels. These views provided a clarification and an underpinning framework on which to base my analysis of reflective practice as professionalism in education. Part 4 (education theories) focused on the digging of understanding of knowledge as an important theoretical domain of behaviourist and constructivist theories. I have tried to establish how the two theories (Behaviourist and Constructivist) view knowledge and its acquisition and to gain an understanding of how the two theories have been informing the practice. Subsequently, part 6 meant to investigate and assess the extent to which Basic Education Teacher Diploma postgraduate teachers are autonomously applying the theory of critical inquiry and reflective practice in the classroom. Both part 2 and 6 have findings. There is much correlation between the issues and problems in the implementation of the curriculum as identified in part 2 and the findings of the main research paper (part 6). Though critical inquiry and reflective practice is the key journey towards a high level of reflectivity and one of the significant characters of teacher professionalism in the classroom, most issues and problems identified were related to the insufficient practice of critical inquiry and reflective practices. Low correlation was found between critical inquiry and reflective practice theory and teachers' practices in the classroom. Despite to the fact that various rationales were mentioned as to why critical inquiry and reflective practice successful implementation is not taking place, the study positioned an emphasis on team working at school, cluster and circuit base that could contributed to a great extend to making teachers more competent and supporting themselves in mastering the applicable critical inquiry and reflective practice skills.
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Davidson, Rosemary McBryan. "Researching the Real| Transforming the Science Fair through Relevant and Authentic Research." Thesis, University of Missouri - Saint Louis, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3621184.
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<p> This teacher research study documents the processes used to help students in an all-female, religious-based high school create science fair projects that are personally meaningful, scientifically sophisticated and up-to date in terms of science content. One-hundred sixteen young women in an honors chemistry class were introduced by their teacher to the methods used by science journalists when researching and crafting articles. The students then integrated these strategies into their science fair research through collaborative classroom activities designed by their teacher. Data collected during the process included audio and video tapes of classroom activities, student interviews, process work, finished projects, email conversations and the reflective journaling, annotated lesson plans, and memories of the lived experience by the teacher. </p><p> The pedagogical changes which resulted from this project included the use of Read Aloud-Think Alouds (RATA) to introduce content and provide relevance, a discussion based topic selection process, the encouragement of relevant topic choices, the increased use of technology for learning activities and for sharing research, and an experimental design process driven by the student's personally relevant, topic choice. Built in feedback loops, provided by the teacher, peer editors and an outside editor, resulted in multiple revisions and expanded opportunities for communicating results to the community-at-large. </p><p> Greater student engagement in science fair projects was evident: questioning for understanding, active involvement in decision making, collaboration within the classroom community, experience and expertise with reading, writing and the use of technology, sense of agency and interest in science related activities and careers all increased. Students communicated their evolving practices within the school community and became leaders who promoted the increased use of technology in all of their classes. </p><p> Integrating journalistic practices into the research projects of these honors chemistry students also brought about positive changes in the attitude of the students toward science. The pedagogy implemented was successful at increasing the engagement of the participants in their own learning processes as well as increased interest in science. Moreover, the teacher researcher has expanded her skill set and is transitioning toward a more student-centered classroom. While this study focused on 116 honors chemistry students over the course of three years, it identified changes in practices that can be taken up and examined more broadly by science teachers who include science fairs as part of their curriculum.</p>
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Jeter, Andrew L. "High school peer tutor alumni research project." Thesis, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 2016. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10242959.
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<p> This study examines the perceived intellectual and dispositional takeaways for high school alumni who had been peer tutors in their secondary context. The research question which drove this study was, “What abilities, values, and skills do tutors develop from their experience as peer tutors and how, if at all, have they used those abilities, values, and skills in their lives beyond high school?” The findings come from the completed surveys of 63 high school tutor alumni who all tutored at a large, public suburban high school with a diverse population, and who represent a cross-section of the school’s population. The survey was adapted from one made available by the Peer Writing Tutor Alumni Research Project (PWTARP), a national project which seeks to better understand the developmental process of students who engage in the work of peer tutoring during their undergraduate university experience. I collected this data between 2010 and 2013 in my role as the program coordinator and although I knew these tutors very well, their responses were anonymous. Participants named 25 skills, abilities, and values they developed. Participants also indicated, through the survey’s four Likert-scale questions, that they found their tutor experiences were important or influential to their development after high school. This study used the grounded theory method of initial and focused coding for analysis of the data generated by the survey’s open-ended responses. These responses generated 180 pages of text. During the analysis 132 initial codes were applied to 2,231 excerpts from the survey responses. The 132 initial codes were grouped into 34 focused codes. These focused codes were further consolidated into 11 categories that describe the learned skills, innate abilities, and developed values of respondents. These analytic categories are descriptive in nature and constitute the major findings of this study. These categories include writing, reading, collaboration, adaptability, patience, perseverance, confidence, maturity, leadership, bravery, and joie de vivre.</p>
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Ishibashi, Midori. "Applications of postmodern pedagogy in a high school art class: A qualitative action research study." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/278779.
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This qualitative study analyzed the use of postmodern pedagogy in a first-year art teacher's classroom. The unit studied was a printmaking and bookmaking lesson that emphasized collaboration, student empowerment, and art as a form of communication. The three primary postmodern goals were: to instill in students a desire for empowerment; to spark a desire to change stereotypes and misconceptions of teenagers through personal narratives; to counter the perception of artists as solitary geniuses through collaboration. For my personal goals as a teacher, I hoped to create a safe and authentic learning environment through the implementation of postmodern strategies. The study was successful in reaching all but two of its goals. Students' weakest areas were using art as a form of communication and dispelling stereotypes. In all other aspects however, the results of the study indicate that students and teacher alike responded positively to the postmodern elements of the lesson.
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Lo, Chi-chun Rita. "An action research on a developmental guidance programme in a Hong Kong Secondary School." Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 1995. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B14042812.
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Canan, Donna. "Action Research Study on the Gradual Release of Responsibility, Critical Thinking Skills and Use of Intertextuality in a Midwest Suburban High School Setting." Thesis, Lindenwood University, 2016. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10131582.
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<p> In this study, a high school teacher’s applied various pedagogical, critical thinking, and reading strategies within a high school classroom. As students prepare to become productive members of a democratic society in the 21st century, some students need focused literacy instruction to meet the increasing literacy demands; students who lag behind in critical thinking have a disadvantage. This teacher’s action research study with struggling high school readers investigated whether implementing the pedagogical Gradual Release of Responsibility model (GRR) while engaging students with intertextual texts (juxtaposing two or more texts) within a reading community increased their critical thinking skills.</p><p> The participants included 35 ninth and tenth grade struggling readers in reading classes. The researcher used Reading Plus (2014) online silent reading comprehension, fluency, and vocabulary assessment; Fountas and Pinnell (2014) oral reading and silent reading comprehension assessment; the Weltzer-Ward, Baltes and Lynn’s (2008) Critical Thinking Assessment Framework (TAF); high school students’ self-reflections with teacher-made prompts; and the researcher’s action research journal to determine and monitor high school students’ reading and critical thinking progress. Teacher-made rubric tools measured critical thinking with 10 high school student blogs in response to high school teacher-made prompts reflecting the state’s spring standardized assessment. Within the reading class structure, the researcher created a university partnership that consisted of one education class containing students from various disciplines who communicated and offered insights and feedback throughout the high school students’ 10 blogs. The researcher offered strategies and designed the high school reading course to encourage student choice and autonomy and made teaching modifications based on students’ behavioral needs, academic progress, and struggles.</p><p> Data analysis revealed 35 ninth and tenth grade students increased their critical thinking skills over the 2014-2015 school year; however, time constraint challenges and multiple reading program components negated drawing a clear picture of which aspect held the highest value. The researcher’s journal noted that parent communication, student conferences, flexible due dates, individualized instructional scaffolding, and the online reading program contributed to students’ critical thinking. The journal revealed a consistent teacher expectation for students to engage in the critical thinking progress.</p>
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Haselton, W. Blake. "A Study of Initial Educational & Occupational Activities of Oldham County High School Seniors for the Years 1979-1983." TopSCHOLAR®, 1985. https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/2458.
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A follow-up study of five Senior Classes of Oldham County High School (Kentucky) was conducted to determine students' initial status six months after graduation. Study findings based on survey responses from slightly aver 83 % of the 2,025 students listed as seniors in the spring semester for the years 1979-1983 included the following: It was found that 58% of the respondents entered educational activities, 36% entered the work force and 6% were unemployed. Eighty-five percent of all graduates entering college did so at an in-state, state supported institution. Results further indicated that 25% of all graduates attended either the University of Kentucky or the University of Louisville and that most students entered four year colleges in the educational category and retail sales in the employment categories. It is suggested that Oldham County High School could benefit from a reevaluation of the school's curricular program offerings and further study comparing the academic program followed in high school versus actual college and/or career pursuits.
The study includes data tables showing a summary percentage of survey respondents by class year and sex, educational and occupational categories, by specific postsecondary schools attended and by academic programs indicated in high school. Appendices include more detailed information by class and sex.
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DeRossett, Woodrow Garry. "A research study of educational practice of reading strategies and assessment in Indiana high schools." Thesis, Indiana State University, 2017. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10242386.
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<p> The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate teachers’ implementation levels of best practices in reading. This study examined the frequency of instructional reading strategies serving as predictors of student success in the End of Course Assessments (ECA) for Algebra I and English Grade 10. This study reviewed current literature to determine the depth of the problem and to study effective research strategies in order to provide a better understanding of the secondary reading issue. The study also reviewed the specific reading strategies in Indiana high schools in relationship to results of Algebra I and English Grade 10 of ECA in lowest poverty schools and highest poverty schools in Indiana. </p><p> A Qualtrics survey was constructed and emailed to teacher participants. The electronic survey was separated into two sections with the first asking information about the school and the teacher, and the second asking the teachers to respond to the frequency with which the strategies of vocabulary, summarization, prior knowledge, fluency, and visualization were emphasized in classes. Each strategy included four questions for a total of 20 questions. A total of 66 teachers responded to the survey; 29 teachers from low-poverty level shcools and 37 teachers from high-poverty levels schools. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regressions.</p><p> Multiple regressions were used to address the four research questions that were used to structure the research for this study. The predictor variables do explain a significant amount of variance within the Algebra 1 ECA scores. This was determined as the significance value was lower than the given alpha level (.05) with F (5, 23) = 2.66, p = .049. ANOVA results for all predictor variables in Algebra I ECA did not reveal that the use of reading strategies is related to the success of passing the Algebra I For low-poverty level schools. The multiple regressions conducted did not prove that frequency of research-based instructional reading strategies taught in high schools served as a predictor of standardized testing performance in English 10 ECA for low-poverty schools or high-poverty schools. </p><p> This study provided information as to the selection of reading strategies as they contribute to students’ ability to pass the ECA. This was significant because it did not suggest the importance of instructional reading programs and strategies in high school. The study, through quantitative data, did not prove whether the use of reading programs and strategies will improve the students passing scores in the ECA. The study provide a better understanding why some students get through their early years of school only, to get to high school and have a difficult time with reading and become one of the numbers of students who drop out.</p>
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Mazzotti, V. L., Dawn A. Rowe, and D. W. Test. "Evidence-Based and Research-Based Practices for Teaching Academics to Secondary Students with Disabilities." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2019. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/5933.
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Runnells, Mary Mau. "Literacy self-efficacy and achievement of secondary students with disabilities." W&M ScholarWorks, 2012. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1539618620.
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Adolescent literacy, or adolescents' ability to read, write, and communicate about the variety of texts they encounter in and out of school, has remained inordinately, and consistently, low for the past 20 years (NCES, 2010). Self-efficacy is a widely-used construct for measuring and predicting student achievement (Pajares, Johnson, & Usher, 2007; Phan, 2011; Schunk& Zimmerman, 2007). A differential level of literacy achievement is noted between certain student subgroups including students with and without disabilities (NCES, 2010).Students with disabilities are also included within other student subgroups that persistently underperform on literacy assessments (NCES, 2010) compounding school districts efforts to achieve Adequate Yearly Progress benchmarks set by the federal government (NCLB, 2001). Presently, a large portion of high school graduates do not meet entry-level literacy requirements for post-graduate employment nor are they prepared for the literacy demands of college (Mikulecky, Smith-Burke, Beatty, 2009; NGA, 2010). Participants in this study include a diverse group of adolescents in seventh, eighth, and ninth grade attending one middle school and one high school in an urban, public school in one mid-Atlantic state. Results of this study support the emergent research area of developmental processes and instructional methods; in particular, this research supports educators' explicit instruction of strategic learning, self-regulation, and application of metacognitive strategies. Implications for practitioners, instructional leaders, and future research are suggested.
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Tschirner, Andrea Carol. "Perceptions Toward Research Among Undergraduates in an Imaging Sciences Baccalaureate Program: A Secondary Analysis." The Ohio State University, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1293567728.
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Hushmendy, Dilnavaz F. "A Practitioner Research Study Exploring Critical Literacy in a Secondary English Classroom." Thesis, State University of New York at Albany, 2018. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10809620.
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<p> This dissertation is a qualitative practitioner research study in which I explore how my students and I engage in critical literacy using sociopolitical Articles of the Week (AoWs). Critical literacy is the ability to read, write, and speak about texts in a reflective manner to better understand power, inequality, and injustice that prevails in the world. The two major questions that drove this study were: (1) How are eleventh-grade students’ perspectives evident in their discussions and reflective papers? (2) How do my students and I take up the opportunity to pursue a social action project in response to Articles of the Week? The twenty-two research participants for this study were students in one of my three eleventh-grade English classes. While I used AoWs in all three eleventh-grade sections, I conducted my research in only one of these sections. This class differed from the other two sections only in that these students planned and implemented their social action projects in groups in lieu of individual presentations of their research paper in the other two classes. </p><p> I collected six kinds of data: (1) scanned copies of students’ eight reflective papers based on AoWs; (2) transcriptions of eight video-recorded AoW discussions; (3) teacher journal; (4) students’ post AoW surveys; (5) scanned copies and/or photographs of students’ social action projects; and (6) transcription of a post social-action whole class video recorded discussion. I collected these data in four phases from October 2015 to June 2016. Every week, over eight weeks (October-December), students read an AoW. After, and as homework, they wrote a reflective paper and brought it to class at the end of the week (Friday), when we had a whole-class discussion. After reading eight AoWs, students chose and researched a social action, researching daily for six weeks. This six-week research project resulted in a research paper that satisfied the research requirement of the eleventh-grade English class. Finally, two days per week for five weeks, students implemented their group social action projects on these topics: (a) Gun control laws, (b) Syrian Refugees, and (3) School Start Later. </p><p> Using the constructivist grounded theory technique (Charmaz, 2000, 2006) and the two methodological frameworks—practitioner research and inquiry as stance (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 2009)—as well as the four dimensions of critical literacy (Lewison, Flint & Sluys, 2002) to analyze and interpret my data, the following findings emerged: Findings to research question 1—most students appreciated considering multiple perspectives, both in writing and discussion. Students’ discussions demonstrated strong knowledge building in the following areas: incidental knowledge building; knowledge building with immediate effects; knowledge building by geography; and knowledge building as deliberation and debate. Findings to research question 2—social action projects involved two major activities: procedural activities and negotiating power. The procedural activities involved choosing a social action project, researching, and working in groups to implement the social action projects. The power analysis in this study revealed that examining multiple perspectives and including them in social action projects can work positively for students—social networks opened for students who provided a balanced perspective on topics. For students taking a one-sided perspective, social networks shut down. The results of this study have the potential to inform future practitioner researchers and critical pedagogues to develop new ways of building a critically reflective classroom that allows for robust social transformations that could influence educational policies because <i>teachers’ voices do matter</i>. </p><p>
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Dietrich, Lars. "Bullying in Schools| How School and Student Characteristics Predict Bullying Behaviors Among Boys in American Secondary Schools." Thesis, Brandeis Univ., The Heller School for Social Policy and Mgmt, 2016. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10010595.
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<p> This dissertation argues that bullying is a fundamental response to bullies’ feelings of insecurity. Past research has found factors associated with bullying to include socioeconomic status and propensities towards violent behavior. Contextual factors posited here that produce the feelings of insecurity, which lead to bullying, include peer group dynamics, school climates, and teaching. </p><p> In relationship to peer groups, the theoretical framework of this dissertation draws primarily from the theories of Robert E. Crosnoe and Dorte M. Sondergaard. The assumption is that students are socially embedded in peer groups in which they struggle for social status (Crosnoe 2011) and in many cases experience the threat of social marginalization (Sondergaard 2012). Sondergaard, in particular, theorizes that the more insecure students feel about their social status in peer groups, the more likely they are to resort to bullying behavior. </p><p> All multivariate analyses in this dissertation are limited to white, black, and Latino boys. The resulting sample comprises N=6,491 student observations nested within 153 schools. The nested sampling structure requires multi-level modeling (MLM) for the calculation of unbiased estimates.</p><p> I find that individual-level student background characteristics are stronger predictors of bully identification than the school context, as measured by student body composition and teaching style factors. In addition, social status insecurity is a mediating factor for many of the student- and school-level predictors of bullying. </p><p> The dissertation distinguishes four types of schools, each of which is above or below average on two major dimensions. The first dimension is academic support (i.e., how caring and responsive teachers are), while the other is academic press (i.e., how strict and demanding they are). </p><p> I find that black male students are more likely to self-identify as bullies in schools that are below average on both academic support and academic press, compared to those that are above average on both. The pattern for Latino boys is different. For them, self-reported bullying is higher when the school rates high on academic support, but low on academic press. </p><p> I find no statistically significant role for teaching styles in predicting the amount of bully identification among white males.</p>
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CHAPPELL, CATHRYN A. "POST-SECONDARY CORRECTIONAL EDUCATION AND RECIDIVISM: A META-ANALYSIS OF RESEARCH CONDUCTED 1990-1999." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2003. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1052944947.
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Latimer, Janet Humphreys. "Basic Academic Skills and Post-Secondary Technical Education." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2018. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3499.
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The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if there is a significant difference in WorkKeys score, skills score, theory score, and job placement rates as compared by credential and program of study at a technical college in Tennessee. The study used data retrieved from a WorkKeys database and SIMS (Student Information Management System) at a technical college. The population consisted of 445 students in seven programs from 2010-2016 who had participated in the WorkKeys online academic training modules.
The dependent variables for the study were WorkKeys score, skill score, and theory score. The independent variables were job placement status (related, non-related, not placed), program of study (Collision Repair/Motorcycle Repair, Computer Information, Welding/Machine Tool and Industrial Maintenance/Residential Maintenance), and graduation credential (diploma, certificate, none).
Based on the data collected, it was found that there was a significant difference in the WorkKeys score by credential, skill score by credential, theory score by credential, WorkKeys score by job placement status, skill score by job placement status and theory score by job placement status. The job placement status was significantly affected by the program of study. Finally, the WorkKeys score was not affected by the program of study. Additionally, the not placed status for the Computer Information program was higher than the other two categories (related and non-related) whereas the related status was the highest for the other three programs of study (WEL/MT, CRT/MOT, and IM/RBM).
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Chan, San-wing Frederick. "Developing inquiry based learning in secondary geography education topic weather forecast : an action research /." Click to view the E-thesis via HKUTO, 2003. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record/B3984870X.
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Spandagou, Ilektra. "Comparative and ethnographic research on inclusion : the case of English and Greek secondary education." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 2002. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/2974/.
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This thesis presents a comparative ethnographic exploration of inclusion in English and Greek secondary education, and at the same time it examines how comparative ethnographic research can be used for understanding inclusion. Inclusion is seen as inseparable from exclusion and both of them as relating to a citizenship and democratic discourse in education. Educational policy and practice in England and Greece are examined in a comparative way in an attempt to highlight how inclusive/exclusive discourses are both localised and part of an international discourse. The purposes of education in each socio-political and cultural context are examined in relation to knowledge/ability and disciplinelbehaviour discourses as presented in young people's representations of their student identities in mainstream schools. The concept of "frameworks of competence" is used to explore how participants in schools actively negotiate inclusion and exclusion.
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Chappell, Cathryn A. "Post-secondary correctional education and recidivism a meta-analysis of research conducted 1990-1999 /." Cincinnati, Ohio : University of Cincinnati, 2003. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=1052944947.
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Fithian, Ellen C. "Rate of advanced placement (AP) exam taking among AP-enrolled students: A study of New Jersey high schools." W&M ScholarWorks, 2003. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1550154063.
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Edinger, Matthew J. "An exploratory study of creativity -fostering teacher behaviors in secondary classrooms." W&M ScholarWorks, 2008. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1550154057.
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Chan, So-Ming Clio. "Why aided schools have not joined DSS : a qualitative research /." Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 1995. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B14042782.
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Waymark, Bruce. "Exploring photo-elicitation as a research method for teachers conducting research in their own institution : a case-study at St Agnes' School." Thesis, University of Southampton, 2015. https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/376645/.
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Burbach, Jessica H. "Pushing Back on School Pushout| Youth at an Alternative School Advocate for Educational Change through Youth Participatory Action Research." Thesis, Portland State University, 2018. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10784201.
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<p> In the United States, a staggering four thousand students drop out every school day. Moreover, in 2016, the graduation rate in Oregon was only 74.8%, one of the lowest in the nation. Research shows that a disproportionate number of youth leaving school are from historically marginalized communities. Many of these youth resiliently return to education at alternative schools. This research sought to explore the educational experiences of youth in alternative schools in their own voices and perspectives. From a theoretical framework based in sociocultural theory, cultural capital, and critical theory, this study underscored the importance of youth voice in changing the education system by incorporating qualitative methods and YPAR (Youth Participatory Action Research). Working alongside seven youth co-researchers who attended an alternative school in Oregon, we interviewed eight other students at the same school about their educational experiences and perceptions of the education system. The youth co-researchers and I co-constructed four themes collectively: “I felt invisible to the teachers”; “Teaching is a sacred act”; “Regular high school is like drowning, it’s cruel”; and “Dropping out was [actually] a success.” We also compiled counternarratives in the words of the eight student participants, which highlighted how the school system pushed them out despite their desire to learn. Finally, we spoke truth to power, in solidarity with the youth in this study, by presenting our recommendations for educational change to teachers, including how they can co-create spaces with students that foster care and empathy, value youth voice, and are culturally sustaining and identity affirming.</p><p>
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Hathaway, Kevin Bruce. "Survey Research of the Inclusion of Non-Western Art Education in Ohio Secondary Public Schools." The Ohio State University, 2001. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1419262172.
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Bean, Pat. "Educational computing in secondary schools of the Cape Education Department: a research survey to assess computing facility acquisition and its utilization." Thesis, Rhodes University, 1992. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003387.
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Secondary schools under the jurisdiction of the Cape Education Department (CED) have, over the past 10 years, been acquiring computer equipment without a national policy on educational computing in South Africa, and within only broad parameters provided by their department. The aim of this study was to determine the present status of educational computing in these schools. A literature survey on educational computing was undertaken and a number of international and local 'computers-in-schools' initiatives were elucidated. A field survey, involving all CED secondary schools (239), was initiated by sending questionnaires to principals of these schools - a return rate of 89% was achieved. The results of the research revealed that most CED secondary schools have already acquired computer facilities. The role of pressure groups such as teachers, parents, business sector etc together with other factors that might have influenced schools in acquiring their computer facilities was also investigated. The investigation also revealed where and how these facilities are being utilised: most schools use their computers for administrative functions, with the computer-as-a-tool for teachers and pupils also fast gaining ground. Computer-assisted learning activities, where the computer is integrated with subject curricula, are however still limited. The extent of both teachers' formal training in educational computing and their familiarity with different software applications were also determined. Schools were also required to indicate the areas where they experience problems in getting teachers and pupils more involved in 'computers-in-education' activities. The present educational computing position in secondary schools of the CED will have to serve as a foundation for the department's CISR Project embarked upon in 1991.
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Doyle, Philip Gerard. "Developing statistical literacy with students and teachers in the secondary mathematics classroom." The University of Waikato, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10289/2324.
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This thesis investigates the teaching of statistical literacy in the first two years of secondary school mathematics. The teachers involved in the research aim to make changes to classroom practice in the teaching and learning of statistics and statistical literacy in response to changes in the New Zealand curriculum. An action research methodology is adopted by the research. A group of three teachers and the author undertake an action research cycle of planning, observing, acting and reflecting in three different Year 9 and 10 mathematics classrooms. The research documents the designing and implementing of strategies by a group of teachers in a mathematics department for integrating statistical literacy into teaching programmes. The research adopts framework for improving practice that utilise models for statistical literacy and thinking and principles for teaching with a language learning or literacy focus. Data is collected through discussions with teachers, observations of lessons and interviews with teachers and students. Themes emerge from the data. They include the significance of teacher and student concepts of statistics and statistical literacy, the importance of language and literacy in the statistics classroom, the adoption of teaching principles to facilitate statistical literacy and the challenge of adopting a critical literacy stance in the statistics classroom. The study highlights the importance of literacy and language skills in statistical literacy. The research concludes that the important changes needed for developing statistical literacy are about classroom methodology rather than content knowledge and shows that adoption of language learning principles into the teaching programme may achieve this.
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Hoveka, E. P. "Research portfolio." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003616.
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The purpose of this study is to look at English Second Language IGCSE Core Curriculum for Grades 11 and 12. The criteria that has been identified and selected for analysis as stipulated by the Ministry of Basic Education and Culture Language policy Document of 1996 reads as follows: The aim of teaching English as a language should be to enable the learners to increase their participation in the learning processes. This aim was selected as the criteria for investigation because the notion of active participation by the learners in the teaching and learning process places the learners in a different perspective. In other words, the learners are to be seen as possessors of knowledge rather than ‘empty vessels’ as depicted by the behaviourist approach (Van Harmelen 1999). This idea of a learner-centred approach as embedded in Social Constructivism approach is the foundation on which the Namibian Education Reform Process is based. The justification for selecting these particular criteria for close inspection in the English Second Language Curriculum was sparked by the professional attachment of the researcher into teaching English Second Language to Grades 11 and 12 at the Herman Gmeiner Technical School in Swakopmund. The researcher is also serving as a subject head for this particular discipline. Furthermore, evaluating and analyzing the English Second Language curriculum on this particular objective, the researcher hopes to uncover or come to an understanding of how our educational practices have moved from what was practiced under the behavioural approach and to discover the needs of teachers in terms of implementing the new curriculum in their daily practices as educators. Having the criteria stated, the study will focus on how the data was collected and the type of methodology used to gather this information.
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Payne, Paula. "School administrators' perceptions of the contributions of No Child Left Behind to the achievement gap." ScholarWorks, 2010. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/785.
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Under the federal No Child Left Behind law (NCLB), schools that fail to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) receive assistance and eventually are subject to corrective action if they do not improve. This qualitative case study used interviews with 10 elementary and middle school administrators from 8 public schools to assess the influence of NCLB on schools with a high percentage of students of color and students in poverty. This study was viewed through the lens of Toffler's conceptual framework of how change occurs, and on the current school reform climate surrounding NCLB and how its accountability system of assessments for students of color and high poverty makes it difficult for them to participate in the American economy. The data analysis strategies included the use of data triangulation through the review of archival data, participant interviews and employing member checks to insure the trustworthiness of data. Results showed that administrators in the targeted schools have difficulty retaining highly qualified teachers. Interventions such as extending the school day, increasing test preparation, using test data to drive instruction, and using academic intervention services have met with mixed results. Participants generally believed that NCLB has prompted a lack of curricular innovation and has promoted too much teaching to the test. Outside academic intervention, services were described as expensive and inconsistent. Interview data from the study indicated that the prevalent challenge was dealing with unmotivated and disrespectful students. This study has the potential to influence social change by providing further support for both social policy advocacy and other research on NCLB. Scheduled for reauthorization in 2009, state, federal policymakers and education advocates have called for sweeping modifications. The results of this study will contribute to the ongoing debate on student achievement, teacher quality and school equity.
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Carter, Brandon S. "The impact of a professional learning community on student achievement." ScholarWorks, 2008. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/620.
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Professional learning communities (PLC) have the potential to strengthen students' academic achievement. An academic pyramid of interventions, one aspect of PLCs, may be especially helpful in schools where subgroups of students are underperforming relative to other students on standardized testing. This quantitative, one-group, pretest-posttest study examined the impact of implementing an academic pyramid of interventions as part of a PLC on middle school student academic achievement. The 100 students from grade 7 and 8 who participated in the study were identified by teachers as being at-risk for success on the Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT). The reading and math test scores from the CRCT were extracted for data analysis. The researcher used a repeated-measures t test to compare the mean pretest and posttest scores. Bivariate correlations were conducted to determine the relationship between math and reading scores at grades 7 and 8. Results indicated that reading scores significantly increased across time (p < .001). Math scores also increased but the difference was not statistically significant. All correlations were significant (p<.05). Overall, the results indicated that implementing a PLC improved the standardized test scores of at risk students. These results have potential implications for social change in that all students will be better prepared for success throughout their academic career. These implications also suggest that when teachers work collaboratively within a PLC they will better meet the academic needs of all subgroups of students, especially those identified as at risk.
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Behrmann, Tatiana. "Evaluating the Effects of Mother Tongue on Math and Science Instruction of Secondary School Students| An Action Research Study." Thesis, Capella University, 2019. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=13806849.
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<p> Although Kreyol is the language spoken and understood by the majority of Haitians, French is the language used as the medium for instruction. The use of a foreign language as a means for students to acquire literacy is a practice that has led to an ineffective educational system in Haiti. The aim of the quasi-experimental research study is to study the effects of using Kreyol versus French as the instructional method in math and science classes. Participants were selected from a target population of 246 girls enrolled at Institution X, a private school in the Ouest Department. Students from this institution are part of the 29% of people who attend secondary schools in Haiti. The 139 students that were part of the sample were randomly divided into two groups per class (standard and Kreyol condition) and were given a pre-test followed by a lesson then a post-test. Students in the standard group were taught in French and those in experimental group in Kreyol. Data gathered from the intervention were analyzed and results indicated that pre-test scores of French condition and Kreyol condition groups were normally distributed. When ANCOVA was used as one of the data analysis tools, because it French conditions for pre-test values and allows for observation of post-test scores, results yielded confirmed a significant difference between the French condition and Kreyol condition groups. The results from this quasi-experimental study provided data that aligned with the literature review and demonstrated that there was in fact a significant difference in performance when Kreyol was used as a medium for instruction instead of French. The results further provide statistical data confirming the important role that Kreyol should play in the improvement of the Haitian education system.</p><p>
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Warren, Sean Stephen. "A non-authoritarian approach to secondary school pedagogy : a critical action research project." Thesis, University of Worcester, 2014. http://eprints.worc.ac.uk/3997/.
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This thesis critiques authoritarian school policies and the pedagogic industry that overauthoritarianism has spawned to manage pupil behaviour. The overarching paradigm has been behavioural, centred on rewards and punishments. As a secondary school teacher I was deemed to be highly effective as an educator and disciplinarian by all objective measures, a no-nonsense, assertive persona championing authoritarian authority. I became disillusioned with this pedagogy of coercion and reached a point of professional ‘living contradiction’. I realised for the first time that the authoritarian teacher might actually be part of the problem, not the solution to poor discipline. I wished to develop a pedagogy in tune with my espoused values, developing positive teacher-pupil relationships which, I felt, might encourage both motivation in schoolwork and the development of pupils’ self-control and self-discipline. This thesis is an account of my intellectual and pedagogical journey to replace my authoritarian pedagogy with a way of teaching and learning based (in both directions) on respect, manners and friendly school relationships which is co-constructivist, encouraging pupils to be deeply involved in their own learning. I evidence the effect of this on classroom behaviour. I defend my relational pedagogical approach through a review of research literature alongside a three year action research with sixteen of my own classes, interrogating my performance to ask ‘Can non-authoritarian teachers contribute towards a well-ordered class of self-disciplined pupils?’ The reconnaissance stage locates this question in the context of my own educational history, the auto-biographical reflection validated through critical friends. The data collection phase used a range of instruments and reflective processes exploring how I wrestled with pedagogical issues when adopting a non-authoritarian approach, how I learned to be authoritative rather than authoritarian, and how I learned to deal with uncooperative pupils in new ways. In order to extend my new approach more broadly in the school, I worked with six volunteer colleagues, both experienced and newly qualified and I evaluate short and long term effects. I conclude by showing that effective pedagogy comes from positive teacher-pupil relationships which provide an effective solution to most low-level pupil indiscipline by establishing a culture and climate of cooperation and co-construction of learning.
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Galán-Rodríguez, Noelia M. [Verfasser]. "Motivation in CLIL: Research in Secondary Education in the Galician Context / Noelia M. Galán-Rodríguez." Frankfurt a.M. : Peter Lang GmbH, Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften, 2020. http://d-nb.info/1223112039/34.
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Klein, Charmain Phillida. "Participatory programme development at an environmental education centre through action research involving secondary school teachers." Thesis, Rhodes University, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003573.
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This mini-thesis documents and analyses an action research project which I conducted with secohdary school teachers. The teachers wished to learn more about environmental education so that they could run their own programmes. I, on the other hand, wanted to improve environmental education programmes offered at the centre where I worked. I hoped that through encouraging teacher participation and involvement, I could begin a process through which the teachers themselves could contribute to, and be in greater control of, their own learning in environmental education. As an introduction to this mini-thesis, I provide some background information on the centre, and state the reasons for having embarked on this project. In addition, I outline the literature and various research findings pertinent to this study. For the purpose of this study, I have selected emancipatory action research as a mode of research, since I believe that emancipatory action research, which embodies processes of reflection and informed action, constitutes the possibility for authentic, emancipatory change in the practice of teachers. The bulk of this thesis, therefore, documents the first two cycles of the action research process and the experiences of those involved in the process. I also briefly comment on some of the claims of action research as a method for research. An important feature of this thesis is that it addresses the possibilities of and constraints to implementing education for the environment in the teachers' practices. The existence of the latter is acknowledged and discussed from my perspective and those of the participating teachers. The study, furthermore, documents teachers' understandings of environmental education, and how this determines the kind of environmental education activities in which they engage. In the final analysis, I argue that the education system we inherited from the apartheid regime has had the effect of producing passive, disempowered and highly demotivated teachers with extremely low levels of self confidence and assertiveness. Despite this fact, I have not only had the opportunity to wltness some positive attitudinal changes occurring in teachers as the study progressed; the project has also enhanced my own understanding of environmental education and the effect the apartheid education system had in shaping my own thoughts and life.
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Banegas, Dario Luis. "Teachers developing language-driven CLIL through collaborative action research in Argentina." Thesis, University of Warwick, 2013. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/57142/.
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CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) is an umbrella term for the integration of content and second/foreign language learning through different models. As in a continuum, these models range from content-driven to language-driven explorations. Such a broad learning approach may be European in origin and driving aims but its influence has reached other diverse contexts outside Europe. As a teacher-researcher working in collaboration with three colleagues, I investigated the beliefs, motivations, and overall experiences of a group of teachers and learners who adopted an indigenous language-driven CLIL version in a secondary school in southern Argentina. In the year 2009, we started to include curricular content in our EFL lessons. Although these were isolated episodes, I noted the potential of content and language integration and decided to research and improve our own practices through a collaborative action research project from March to November 2011. The action research comprised three cycles over the 2011 school year. Each cycle included three stages: action (teachers developed their materials), intervention (teachers taught with those materials; lessons were audio-recorded) and evaluation (student surveys and group interview with teachers and students). Data analysis focused on a thematic approach using inductive coding as categories emerged from the data themselves. The experience revealed (1) higher levels of motivation and participation among learners and teachers, (2) teachers’ professional development through collaborative materials development and research instruments such as group interviews, (3) a rise in teachers’ autonomy, (4) reconfiguration of teachers’ identity, (5) an interest in combining a grammar-based coursebook with teacher’s materials, (6) the belief that CLIL is an approach to be adopted after students have been exposed to a more traditional language learning approach for a number of years, (7) syllabus negotiation, and (8) the development of teacher-derived principles which may constitute the backbone of CLIL didactic transposition. This action research project indicates that language-driven CLIL experiences need to create spaces for equal participation and autonomy in syllabus planning which includes lessons and materials. Furthermore, CLIL in EFL contexts may offer significant outcomes if contents are truly context-responsive.
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Raven, S. N. "From the inside looking out : creating a research based curriculum in a secondary school." Thesis, University of East Anglia, 1989. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.243827.
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Resnick, Edward. "Practitioner Research in Schools: Revealing the Efficacy Agency Cycle." Chapman University Digital Commons, 2018. https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/ces_dissertations/16.
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Years of high stakes testing and managerial directives to improve student test scores created a trend of teachers’ declining sense of efficacy and agency. Researchers have yet to examine the perceptions of teachers following requirements to improve student engagement and school climate in an effort to improve academic performance following the authorization of local and national educational accountability reforms. The purpose of this study is to examine how teachers perceive their efficacy and agency in response to the addition of nonacademic measures and the requirement of documented input from teachers and other stakeholders into educational policy planning procedures. Veteran K-12 teachers’ responses to survey and interview questions were coded, analyzed, and organized into themes to generate an educational theory. Grounded Theory Methodologies (GTM), Culturally Responsive Methodologies (CRM) and Critical Pedagogy (CP) informed data collection methods and theoretical foundations for this study. The creation of a safe dialogical space between the practitioner researcher and participants developed a relationship for both to engage as co-researchers. Teachers discovered renewed senses of efficacy and agency while acknowledging their leadership potential in schools and the community. This study and further practitioner research with teachers in schools will inform pre-service education training programs and confirm teachers’ role as critical intellectuals in American society.
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Charnock, Nathan Lee. "Predictive Modeling of Enrollment and Academic Success in Secondary Chemistry." Thesis, NSUWorks, 2016. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/fse_etd/36.
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The aim of this study was to identify predictors of student enrollment and successful achievement in 10th grade chemistry courses for a sample drawn from a single academic cohort from a single metropolitan school district in Florida. Predictors included, among others, letter grades for courses completed in academic classes for each independent grade level, sixth through 10th grade, as well as standardized test scores on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test and demographic variables. The predictive models demonstrated that it is possible to identify student attributes that result in either increased or decreased odds of enrollment in chemistry courses. The logistic models identified subsets of students who could potentially be candidates for academic interventions, which may increase the likelihood of enrollment and successful achievement in a 10th grade chemistry course. Predictors in this study included grades achieved for each school year for coursework completed in mathematics, English, history, and science, as well as reported FCAT performance band scores for students from sixth through 10th grade.
Demographics, socioeconomic status, special learning services, attendance rates, and number of suspensions are considered. The results demonstrated that female students were more likely to enroll in and pass a chemistry course than their male peers. The results also demonstrated that prior science achievement (followed closely by mathematics achievement) was the strongest predictor of enrollment in—and passing of—a chemistry course. Additional analysis also demonstrated the relative stability of academic GPA per discipline from year to year; cumulative achievement was the best overall indicator of course enrollment and achievement.
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Theodosiou, Zipiti Galatia. "Ethnic minority students in secondary education in Cyprus : their attainment and risk profile." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2014. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/ethnic-minority-students-in-secondary-education-in-cyprus--their-attainment-and-risk-profile(6c511113-bf68-4965-b0fb-66333b8cc655).html.
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The attainment of ethnic minority students in their host countries has been occupying a significant part of the international literature for many years. However, results suggest that no generalisations can be made on whether an ethnic minority group underachieves in a particular country and the reasons behind their attainment levels, unless that specific group has been investigated in the country in question. Cyprus joined the EU in 2004 and since then the demographic composition in the island changed dramatically; a change reflected in schools. The literature on ethnic minority group attainment in secondary schools in Cyprus is virtually non-existent and, as such, in this PhD programme the aim was to examine the attainment of ethnic minorities compared to native students and the reasons behind the observed patterns. In order to answer the research questions a series of studies were carried out. Initially, two quantitative studies were conducted. These studies used trimester grades as a proxy of attainment and Rasch analysis to turn these ordinal student grades into a linear scale. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analyses were then run to check for trends and significant associations. Two qualitative studies then followed. Firstly, a focus group study was conducted utilising the help of six young female teachers, all teaching classics to create a homogeneous group. Then followed an interview study utilising semi-structured interviews on sixteen teachers. For both studies a thematic analysis was undertaken on the transcribed discussions. Another quantitative study then followed which employed an enhanced methodology to the first two studies and richer data. The final study was a mixed methods study and concentrated on school absences. Results demonstrate the reality in lower secondary schools in Cyprus for the first time. The minority group Georgians, the first time that this group is met in the literature, and a combination of other smaller groups put together in a group called ‘Others’, are shown to achieve significantly lower than natives. Ethnic background, gender, generation status, absences, the socio-economic status of the family and the character of the local educational system were shown to be related to student attainment. The widely held belief that ethnic minority students do even worse in those subjects that are more language-dependent is disproven; rather it is the content of the subject that is felt to be more influential on attainment. Also, the recently emerging consensus that unexcused absences are more strongly associated with attainment than excused absences is not upheld in this study; a more detailed classification of unexcused absences might be responsible for this. Finally, it is interesting to note the differential influence of different absence variables on different school subjects. Findings highlight the need for change and improvement in the educational practice in Cyprus and add to both the local and international literature. The specific factors identified can form the basis on which to base suggestions for improvements and further research.
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Lo, Chi-chun Rita, and 羅賜珍. "An action research on a developmental guidance programme in a Hong Kong Secondary School." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1995. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31958060.
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Tucker, Gail. "High-stakes testing and teacher burnout in public high school teachers." ScholarWorks, 2009. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/653.
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Demands associated with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 contribute to the risk of teacher burnout; however, the relationship between teacher burnout and specific teaching assignments is unclear. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to investigate if burnout is greater for high-stakes subject area public high school teachers than for low-stakes subject area public high school teachers and to ascertain teachers' perceptions about difficulties associated with teaching a high-stakes subject area. The job demands-resources model and the multidimensional model of burnout provided the theoretical framework. The concurrent mixed methods design included quantitative tests of differences in burnout scores of 87 Maryland public high school teachers across high-stakes and low-stakes subject areas, and the qualitative research question documented perceptions. The Maslach Burnout Inventory---Educators Survey measured burnout, and although high-stakes teachers reported greater burnout, chi-square and independent sample t-test did not confirm statistically significant differences across subject area. Qualitative data underwent coding into emergent burnout-related themes that were reanalyzed and revised to explain teacher perceptions. Analysis of teacher responses yielded 5 domains that affected burnout: workload/time incompatibility, pressure on teachers for students to pass high-stakes tests, need for all stakeholders to take responsibility, diminished teacher autonomy, and lack of resources. Recommendations include addressing teacher workload and sharing educational responsibilities among all stakeholders. Because burnout is an organizational issue, positive social change is achievable if administrators promote positive coping strategies and include teachers in the change process necessary to achieve the goals of No Child Left Behind.
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Neshila, Selma. "Action research on an organization development intervention in a secondary school in the Erongo education region of Namibia." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003299.
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Organisations that will not, that resist, that cannot, that are incapable, that lack the confidence or that believe it’s not possible to change are likely to stagnate and die (Smith: work in progress). Since independence in March 1990, the new Namibian Government has realized that the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of Namibian schools depends on the ability of teachers and other stakeholders to be innovators and facilitators of change, especially through effective communication, effective meetings, working through conflict, solving problems and making decisions. Organization Development (OD) is an effective, planned change approach for improving organization workgroup processes. Resting on a foundation of values and assumptions about people and organizations, OD promotes collaboration, interdependence and interconnectedness, empowerment, participation and involvement in problem solving and decision-making for all members. Based primarily on a normative, re-educative strategy and secondarily on a rational-empirical strategy, OD assumes that people will change if and when they realize that change is advantageous to them. OD makes use of interventions to determine areas requiring change. The intervention used for my research included a survey-data-feedback (SDF) where data was gathered, analyzed and fed back to the participants. The data was used as a basis for problem solving and training in organizational processes of communication. The case study involved 23 teachers. Journal entries, observation, formal and non-formal interviews as well as focus interviews were used as data collection tools. Participants wanted to see immediate organizational changes thus it was important to remind them that OD is a long-term change approach and that there is no quick fix. Initially, participants were used to the norm of fault finding to determine areas requiring change. However, a year later, during problem solving sessions, I observed collaborative and positive involvement by all participants. Finally, the outcome of the intervention based on the data from the communication workshop and the problem-solving meetings revealed that participants want OD to be institutionalized in all Namibian schools.
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Oei, Lily. "An action research on improving communication satisfaction among teachers in a local secondary school." Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 1999. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B21183740.
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Bock, L. J. "Research portfolio." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006128.
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Roorda, Nicole Lynn. "The impact of professional development on assessment and grading practices for secondary teachers." ScholarWorks, 2008. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/637.
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Studies suggest that a potential misalignment between assessment and grading practices in reporting secondary student academic achievement has negatively impacted students since grades may not truly reflect actual achievement. Accordingly, the purpose of the current study was to compare secondary teachers' use of academic and nonacademic factors when reporting student achievement before and after professional development on assessment and grading practices. Following change theory, the study investigated the efficacy of employing professional development as a means of influencing more standard and appropriate practices among secondary teachers with regard to using academic and nonacademic factors when employing standards-based reporting to determine grades. The single-group repeated measures design used a random sample of 39 secondary teachers (6th-12th grade) in a nonpublic school in the Midwest who completed online adaptations of the Teacher Survey on Grading Practices (TSGP) and McREL surveys. Chi-square analyses of the TSGP indicated that there was a significant difference in the way teachers used academic and nonacademic factors in determining grades after professional development. Specifically, improvement and mastery, two academic criteria, increased after the intervention, whereas all nonacademic factors on the survey decreased in the amount of weight teachers gave them in determining a summative grade for students. The results of this study led to the conclusion that professional development was an effective means to influence change in grading practices. The study contributes to social change by informing professional development models that promote meaningful conversations about the nature of student achievement, systematic assessment practices, and how to most accurately and equitably assign grades.
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Farmer, Tadd Spencer. "Exploring Concerns of K-12 Online Educators." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2017. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/6487.
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Although a relatively small number of K-12 students are currently enrolled in online classes, the dramatic growth in online enrollments in recent years suggests that online education will play a significant role in the future landscape of public education. While our understanding of online teaching and learning continues to grow, relatively little is known about the experiences of teachers as they engage in online teaching. In particular, very little is known about the concerns of teachers as they navigate their teaching roles and responsibilities in an online teaching environment. Using an interpretative phenomenological analysis approach, this qualitative study explored the concerns of seven online K-12 teachers through video interviews and bi-monthly journal entries. The findings in this study resulted in six themes with associated sub-themes. These themes suggest that online teachers are highly concerned about themselves, their roles, and their students, along with concerns found at the intersections of these areas. Additionally, this study reveals that the political, educational, and organizational contexts surrounding these online learning environments significantly influence the development and degree of teachers' concerns. The implications of this research encourages greater dialogue between teachers and online educational leaders to better understand teacher concerns and mitigate the negative impact of these concerns on online teachers.