Thesis (D. Min.)--New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 1994. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 208-226).

Thesis (D. Min.)--New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 1994. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 208-226).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 1999. / Title from title page screen, viewed July 28, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Edward R. Hines (chair), Kenneth Strand, Amee Adkins, Anne Gray. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 133-145) and abstract. Also available in print.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Illinois State University, 1995. / Title from title page screen, viewed May 4, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Robert L. Fisher (chair), Larry D. Kennedy, Franzie L. Loepp, Vicky L. Morgan, William L. Tolone. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 152-169) and abstract. Also available in print.

Thesis (D. Min.)--New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 1994. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 208-226).

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2006. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on August 14, 2007) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

This diploma thesis introduces the concept of the constructivism, which follows and supports the natural ways of learning, as a paradigm for teaching and learning. First, the text describes a comprehensive educational programme Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking (RWCT). Second, application of the programme in the teaching of modern history is discussed with the special reference to the history of Czechoslovakia in the years 1918-1938. Proposals of lectures respect the three-phase model of learning and using different types of historical sources. Keywords: critical thinking, lower-secondary school, interwar Czechoslovakia

abstract: Federal mandates, such as, No Child Left Behind (NCLB) set high standards, but in reality did little to promote critical thinking instruction and learning in our nation's schools. Race to the Top is our nation's current attempt to improve education and thanks to this legislation there is now a set of common core standards aimed at infusing critical thinking into the curriculum. Districts in Arizona are struggling to provide common core training to prepare teachers to teach these new, rigorous standards. This is a problem because teaching critical thinking is challenging. While grade level teams often get together, little time is devoted to create lessons that are focused on deep learning and little time is set aside to observe lessons and reflect on student engagement. One potential solution to this may be lesson study. Lesson study is a method of professional development that encourages teachers to reflect on their teaching through a cycle of collaborative lesson planning and observation. The lesson study cycle connects with the constructed nature of learning provided by Vygotsky Space. This action research was designed to explore how 10 fourth, fifth, and sixth grade teachers at a K-8 school in Arizona learned how to infuse critical thinking into their lessons. This study took place from July to November of 2011. A mixed methods approach was used to collect data. Quantitative measures included Likert-items on a survey and lesson plans scored with the district rubric. Qualitative measures included open-ended survey items, transcriptions of lesson debriefs, reflective learning logs, and the researcher's personal field notes. Data were analyzed separately and then triangulated to reduce bias. Findings from this study indicate that although it was challenging for the teachers, lesson study enabled them to successfully integrate critical thinking into their lesson plans. The process of lesson study increased the teachers' efficacy to create lessons, and it helped them understand how important critical thinking was for their students. The teachers also came to value the lesson study process as a positive approach to professional development. Based on these findings, implications are made, and further action research cycles suggested. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Leadership and Innovation 2012

Ett samhällsproblem i dagens Sverige är att fler individer i större utsträckning påverkas negativt av sociala medier. Instagram är ett av de största sociala medier som används idag och de bilder som publiceras på Instagram är oftast inriktade på kroppen. Denna kvalitativa fenomenologiska studie har som syfte att utforska och förstå unga individers upplevelse av kroppen vid användandet av Instagram. Studien använder kroppsuppfattning, utseendeideal, social jämförelser, social påverkan och kritiskt tänkande som teoretiska utgångspunkter för att skapa en djupare förståelse kring studiens fenomen och essens. Studien bidrar till en förståelse för det socialpsykologiska perspektivet gällande individens subjektiva upplevelse av kroppen utifrån Instagram-användning. Tio informanter i åldrarna 18–25 år deltog i semistrukturerade intervjuer som analyserades utifrån en tematisk analysmetod. Resultatet visade att majoriteten av informanterna upplevde den egna kroppen negativt vid användandet av Instagram då de upplevde att kroppen som framställs på Instagram är snyggare, smalare och mer vältränad. Jämförelse mellan den egna kroppen och kroppen på Instagram visade sig därför vara av stor betydelse för hur informanterna upplevde kroppen. Resultatet visade även att kritiskt tänkande är en viktig del i hur informanterna upplevde deras kroppsuppfattning vid användandet av Instagram.

Cognitive abilities in the age of adolescence reach a high standard. Critical thinking, an ability of each young individual, offers possible solutions for everyday situations as well as for complex tasks requiring an intellectual engagement. It is crucial to find new ways to support and further develop critical thinking of adolescents. The theoretical section is divided into three subsections. The first of them is based on a specification of the period of adolescence mainly focusing on the cognitive development. The second section is dedicated to critical thinking and in the last section, the academic debate as a method of education is presented. The core of this thesis is to examine the influence of debating on the development of critical thinking of adolescents. The empirical section describes a survey conducted as a part of an international survey project Evaluations. The theoretical baseline has determined three specific tasks to evaluate the gathered data. In these tasks, three groups of participants are observed and compared - debaters beginners, advanced debaters and non-debaters. Keywords: Adolescence, Debating, Cognitive development, Critical thinking.