Many at-risk students attending an alternative high school in a northwestern state were not graduating on-time even after a learner-centered blended learning model was implemented. The administration and teachers sought to understand why the change to a learner-centered program was only slightly increasing the graduation rate each year. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how the learner-centered instructional strategies used within a blended learning model were being implemented and supporting at-risk students. Weimer's learner-centered framework was used to ground the study and guide the research questions which examined teacher and student perspectives about the learner-centered instructional strategies that were being implemented. Interviews were conducted with 6 teachers from diverse disciplines who had taught at the study site for 3 or more years, 4 recent graduates, and 6 current students who were 18 years old or older. Classroom observations of the 6 teachers were conducted and archived student surveys from the previous 2 years were collected. All data were analyzed and coded to identify common themes and strategies regarding learner-centered instruction. The findings indicated the teachers needed professional development in how to implement learner-centered and blended learning strategies and how to help students take responsibility for their education. A yearlong professional development program focused on how to use learner-centered and blended instructional strategies was developed for teachers. Implementation of appropriate learner-centered and blended learning strategies might result in students completing their courses and increased graduation rates. As more students graduate, instead of dropping out, positive social change will occur in the community as they responsibly enter the work force.

This thesis reports a longitudinal study that investigated the factors affecting at-risk students' use of an online curriculum delivery mode for some Year 11 subjects. The study examined the skills and attitudes of the students during their online learning experience, and followed the teachers while they developed suitable teaching methods to be able to deliver their subject via online learning. Importantly, the students in the study were at risk of not completing subjects in the South Australian Certificate of Education (SALE) if some kind of curriculum intervention was not applied. Access to the school curriculum can be problematic for some young people for a variety of reasons, including a limited subject choice, an inability to attend programmed classes and exhibiting behaviour that is deemed to be inappropriate by school authorities. Students in this study were not able to study the subjects they wished because of timetable clashes, were not able to attend school regularly for personal reasons or had exhibited negative behaviour to their teachers and peers preventing them from attending certain classes. At the time of the study, all the students wished to complete their SALE, but limited access to the curriculum was likely to prevent this from occurring. The study used qualitative methods of data collection including interviews with students and teachers, analysis of students' work, electronic communications and other documents, and records of meetings. These were used to prepare case studies for each of the seven students involved. While the student sample was small, the varied personal experiences of the students in the study enabled the examination of many of the characteristics documented in the literature as those being associated with at-risk youth. / All the students involved in the study completed the NetLearning Project (NLP) unit(s) they had enrolled in, but each encountered different challenges. The case studies provided data that enabled identification of the characteristics students required to be successful online learners. Three clusters of factors relating to personal situations (reason for entry to the program, access to a home computer and continuity of schooling), skill factors (level of ICT and English literacy skills), and attitude to learning (willingness to persist and level of self-directedness) were identified as major contributors to students' ability to complete their units. The teacher case studies revealed that the characteristics required for teachers to operate effectively within the online learning environment include an ability to promote positive teacher-student relationships, a high level of ICT skills, good subject knowledge and curriculum understanding. In addition, teachers required initiative, persistence and collaborative skills. The findings of the study highlight the importance of attitudinal factors in determining the students and teachers success in the online environment and suggest that teacher-student relationships have a major impact on student learning outcomes, just as they do in the traditional classroom.

Reading fluency bridges the concepts of word recognition and reading comprehension, both of which are vital skills needed to become a successful reader. This study evaluated the impact of video self-modeling (VSM) on oral reading fluency in four upper elementary students at-risk for failing in reading. A multiple-baseline design across participants was used to evaluate the outcomes of the VSM intervention. The results indicate that VSM may have a positive impact on reading fluency of students at-risk for reading failure; the use of VSM was positively associated with increases in reading fluency in three of the four participants. The participant for whom VSM alone did not result in substantial reading gains needed an additional repeated reading intervention to improve fluency. Generalization occurred for all participants and some evidence of maintenance was noted in three participants. Social validity surveys indicated high acceptability of the VSM intervention by study participants.

Using a multivariate correlational design, this study was designed to determine the degree to which selected risk and protective factors were related to resilience in an at-risk student population. A total of 12 individual, family and external risk and protective factors were identified and data were collected from 142 6th through 11th grade students in an alternative education program for individuals who had committed severe behavioral infractions. A series of multiple regression analyses were conducted using three outcome variables: a rating of students' resilient behavior, number of behavior referrals in the students' records, and standardized reading achievement scores. Five percent of the sample then was selected for semi-structured interviews to glean additional information about the relationships between the identified variables and student resilience.The combination of individual, family and external risk variables explained a significant amount of the variance in student behavior referrals and reading achievement, but not in overall resilient status. With regard to behavior referrals, the largest contributors to the model were age, severity of sending offense and neighborhood crime. Reading achievement was related to special education status, as predicted, and negatively related to community violence. Parental structure was positively correlated with resilient status but the percentage of variance explained by the overall model was not significant.The combination of selected protective factors explained a significant amount of variance when resilient status and reading achievement were the measured outcomes, but not for the model addressing behavior referrals. Being a male and having strong cohesion as a family unit were the variables most highly related to resilient status, while special education eligibility and perceptions of school belongingness accounted for the largest variance in reading scores. School belongingness was negatively relate d to reading achievement in this sample.An examination of qualitative data revealed that teacher characteristics were important to students' motivation to succeed, and information collected reiterated the importance of family structure and cohesion in students' resilient status. Other emerging themes were apparent when mentoring and friendship were discussed, as well as when students' self-perceived strengths, weaknesses and future aspirations were identified.

This study investigates the teaching practices that three Grade 9 Applied Mathematics teachers use to increase student engagement and enhance student learning. Specifically, the study examines the factors within social and academic domains that teachers used to increase student engagement. Qualitative data were collected in the form of teacher interviews, classroom observations and teacher journals. The evidence from the study shows that all three teachers were cognizant of attributes of their early adolescent learners as the teachers sought to increase student engagement in their Grade 9 Applied Mathematics classes. Six major findings as suggested by the case studies can be summarized as follows: (1) developing student self-confidence is a critical component of increasing student engagement for early adolescent learners; (2) teachers may focus on one domain more than the other as a result of their personal comfort with that domain; (3) domains for student engagement and the factors found within these domains are not independent; (4) the Ontario Ministry of Education’s TIPS4RM resource is an effective way to increase student engagement; (5) technology is also an effective and relevant way to increase student engagement; and (6) the use of a framework for student achievement may support teachers efforts to increase student engagement. Implications from this study suggest that teachers should consider a variety of factors to increase student engagement in the Grade 9 Applied Mathematics class. Teachers can consider characteristics of their early adolescent learners, and factors for social and academic engagement. Teachers will favour approaches that parallel their personality and values and efforts in one factor may support another factor of student engagement. Suggestions for areas of further research are included at the end of the study.

This study investigates the teaching practices that three Grade 9 Applied Mathematics teachers use to increase student engagement and enhance student learning. Specifically, the study examines the factors within social and academic domains that teachers used to increase student engagement. Qualitative data were collected in the form of teacher interviews, classroom observations and teacher journals. The evidence from the study shows that all three teachers were cognizant of attributes of their early adolescent learners as the teachers sought to increase student engagement in their Grade 9 Applied Mathematics classes. Six major findings as suggested by the case studies can be summarized as follows: (1) developing student self-confidence is a critical component of increasing student engagement for early adolescent learners; (2) teachers may focus on one domain more than the other as a result of their personal comfort with that domain; (3) domains for student engagement and the factors found within these domains are not independent; (4) the Ontario Ministry of Education’s TIPS4RM resource is an effective way to increase student engagement; (5) technology is also an effective and relevant way to increase student engagement; and (6) the use of a framework for student achievement may support teachers efforts to increase student engagement. Implications from this study suggest that teachers should consider a variety of factors to increase student engagement in the Grade 9 Applied Mathematics class. Teachers can consider characteristics of their early adolescent learners, and factors for social and academic engagement. Teachers will favour approaches that parallel their personality and values and efforts in one factor may support another factor of student engagement. Suggestions for areas of further research are included at the end of the study.

The deleterious effects of not completing high school in the United States and around the world in the current monetary, societal, and employment climate make efforts toward increasing graduation rates an imperative. The impetus for educational reform for improving graduation rates is even more salient for students with disabilities who graduate at lower rates than their peers without disabilities (Stetser & Stillwell, 2014). To provide the multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) necessary to engage in this reform, data-systems with accurate and timely information are necessary. This research included construction of Hierarchical Generalized Linear Models to investigate the individual- and school-level predictor variables associated with on-time high school graduation for students with disabilities. To that end, the research examined the relationships among (1) individual student demographic background variables (2) individual academic and behavioral school related variables (3) school-wide characteristics of the schools that students in the research study attended and (4) on-time graduation as defined by the Federal Uniform Graduation Rate criteria. This research revealed significant relationships between on-time graduation and individual-level variables for students with disabilities including grade point average, attendance, and primary disability labels of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disabilities across grade levels. Additional significant predictors were found at specific grade levels (e.g., socio-economic status and education in a more restrictive environment). Implications for research to practice include a focus on early intervention prior to high school to increase odds of on-time graduation for students with disabilities and inclusion of additional variables for students with disabilities in Early Warning Systems (EWS). Additionally, customizing EWS through analysis of predictor sensitivity for specific populations by school district or school was discussed.

Teachers face great demands on their time, energy, and level of commitment. Previous studies have established that high numbers of teachers leave the profession each year due to burnout. Burnout is frequently caused by difficulties with classroom management and behavior problems, as well as time pressures, and social isolation. Despite these obstacles, other teachers have been able to maintain positivity and dedication in their practice. Teachers' sense of self-efficacy has been found to be a predictor of better job satisfaction, less burnout, and more positive and productive interactions with students. The current study examined how burnout and self-efficacy may interact and how they might impact teachers' referral of at-risk students for additional school supports. Additionally, this study examined whether burnout and self-efficacy impacted teachers' identification of at-risk students using a screening measure developed to improve the school's ability to identify and start interventions for students experiencing difficulties. Results found a moderate correlation among burnout and self-efficacy, whereby teachers with higher self-efficacy experienced less burnout. Higher teacher self-efficacy was correlated with fewer referrals for students to the student support team and the identification of fewer students at-risk for emotional difficulties. Higher teacher burnout was not correlated with number of referrals but was found to be associated with the identification of more students at-risk for emotional difficulties as well as the number of total students identified as at-risk overall. Implications for practice, limitations, and future research directions are also discussed.

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