published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Science in Information Technology in Education

Introduction: Non-milk extrinsic sugar {NMES} intake among children in Scotland fails to meet dietary recommendations, which is likely to contribute to dental decay and weight gain. Children's physical activity, which contributes to energy balance, also fails to meet recommended targets. Aim: To develop and evaluate a classroom based educational intervention to improve knowledge of NMES and energy balance in children aged 10-12 years. Methods: Following development of an intervention, consisting of two educational sessions, one on NMES and one on physical activity and energy balance, a cluster-randomised trial was conducted with 268 children in 15 primary schools {8 controls}. Children completed questionnaires to assess their knowledge of NMES and energy balance and levels of physical activity at baseline and 4, 10 and 34 weeks post intervention. Intake of NMES was assessed at baseline, and at weeks 10 and 34 using a food frequency questionnaire. After the intervention, focus groups were conducted to explore children's views and opinions of NMES and the educational sessions. Results: At baseline children had limited knowledge of NMES. Post intervention, the intervention group had a significantly higher knowledge than the control group, but this declined by 34 weeks. Knowledge of energy balance between the groups was not significantly different post intervention. No changes in NMES intake or physical activity were observed post intervention. Focus groups highlighted that children did not consider health to be a priority for dietary choice. They thought it was important to learn about NMES, but were disinclined to reduce their intakes. Conclusions: Despite improved knowledge of N MES and the health consequences of excess consumption, children are unlikely to change dietary behaviour when it requires over-riding their taste preferences. Education helps children to understand healthy lifestyle behaviours, but following this, environmental changes may be necessary to facilitate behaviour change.

The coexistence of extraordinary gifts and exceptional impairment residing within the same individual is an inherently curious contradiction. Empirical research on gifted students with one or more disabilities, termed twice-exceptional, is limited. The purpose of this investigation was to explore the role of twice-exceptionality on key constructs related to identity development and self-regulation. This study examined developmental changes in students’ self-esteem ratings and locus of control ratings from eighth grade through twelfth grade, and compared students identified as twice-exceptional with their peers who were identified as gifted-only, disability-only, or non-identified (i.e., a group of “typical” students). Participants were sampled from an existing dataset – the National Educational Longitudinal Study. Measures included questionnaire items adapted from the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (1965), and from Rotter’s Internality-Externality Scale (1966). Results of a two-way mixed design MANOVA revealed no differences between groups on a combination of self-esteem and locus of control ratings, meaning that developmental patterns over time were similar across all ability classifications. Students in the gifted-only group reported the highest levels of self-esteem and the most internalized locus of control, whereas students in the disability-only group reported the lowest self-esteem and most externalized locus of control. Significant differences were revealed between average ratings of twice-exceptional students and ratings of their peers. This manuscript concludes with a discussion of the study’s limitations, implications drawn from the study’s findings, and directions for future research. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester 2017. / April 7, 2017. / Disabilities, Gifted, Identity, Locus of Control, Self-esteem, Twice-exceptional / Includes bibliographical references. / Steven Pfeiffer, Professor Directing Dissertation; Sandra Lewis, University Representative; Frances Prevatt, Committee Member; Angela Canto, Committee Member.

This paper provides a brief history of attitudes toward the deaf and the evolution of teaching and instruction of the deaf. It then discusses a pilot study that probed the acquisition of lip reading skills and the influence of mothers in the process.

This study sought to explore the question of what personal and professional characteristics may be particularly relevant to effective teachers of the gifted, by investigating the characteristics of effective teachers identified in both the general teacher effectiveness literature and the gifted education literature, through the perceptions of gifted primary students about teachers they regarded as effective. A questionnaire was created for this study, comprised of items which represented characteristics identified from the literature review and determined to be relevant to students' experiences. This questionnaire was distributed to the sample of intellectually gifted primary students (n = 168), and their responses were examined for differences between moderately gifted (n = 74) and highly gifted primary students (n = 94), as well as female (n = 84) and male (n = 81) gifted primary students. This study also recorded gifted primary students' opinions regarding what they believe were the characteristics that made their nominated teachers so effective, through the use of an open-ended question in the questionnaire. This study found that the characteristics of effective teachers identified in both the general teacher effectiveness and the gifted education literatures were supported by gifted primary students' perceptions of their nominated teachers. This study also found differences between moderately gifted and highly gifted primary students, as well as gender differences on a number of characteristics. These differences support the need to examine, more carefully, teacher behaviour and strategies in the classroom for differences in how they may influence the learning of students of different levels of ability and gender. A qualitative analysis of gifted primary students' answers to the open-ended question also revealed in-depth information about how teachers' characteristics are related to each other, and how students perceive them to be effective, as well as suggesting characteristics that were not identified in the previous review of the literature.

A considerable interest in the concept of emergent curriculum has been generated by the early childhood centres of Reggio Emilia in Italy. This study traces the progress of a science project on spiders in an Australian early childhood centre which purports to have an emergent curriculum. In particular, this study sought to answer the question: What form does a science learning project take in an early childhood class that purports to have an emergent curriculum philosophy? What are the processes involved? What are the roles of the main players? Was this curriculum truly an emergent one? How did it fit with the different perspectives being taken to emergent curriculum in the literature? Did science learning take place? How did this learning fit with current views on science learning in the literature? Using a participant observation approach, this study looks at factors that characterise the processes and the players in this project and considers these in the context of current views on emergent curriculum and early childhood science. Results indicate that while the curriculum in this centre was clearly ‘emergent’, it differed in some minor aspects from both the Reggio Emilia model and the American model of emergent curriculum. The approach used was consistent with the social constructivist approach to science teaching and was clearly conductive to the children's science learning. The study shows that emergent curriculum is a very appropriate approach for science learning.

A considerable interest in the concept of emergent curriculum has been generated by the early childhood centres of Reggio Emilia in Italy. This study traces the progress of a science project on spiders in an Australian early childhood centre which purports to have an emergent curriculum. In particular, this study sought to answer the question: What form does a science learning project take in an early childhood class that purports to have an emergent curriculum philosophy? What are the processes involved? What are the roles of the main players? Was this curriculum truly an emergent one? How did it fit with the different perspectives being taken to emergent curriculum in the literature? Did science learning take place? How did this learning fit with current views on science learning in the literature? Using a participant observation approach, this study looks at factors that characterise the processes and the players in this project and considers these in the context of current views on emergent curriculum and early childhood science. Results indicate that while the curriculum in this centre was clearly ‘emergent’, it differed in some minor aspects from both the Reggio Emilia model and the American model of emergent curriculum. The approach used was consistent with the social constructivist approach to science teaching and was clearly conductive to the children's science learning. The study shows that emergent curriculum is a very appropriate approach for science learning.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Graduate School of Education, Oral Roberts University, 2006. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 88-101).

The purpose of the study was to determine if a prepared serial or sequential line of teacher questioning, immediately following the reading of a narrative selection, is a more effective method of teaching to increase inferential comprehension skills of gifted learners that a random questioning method of teaching. The setting for the study was a magnet elementary school for gifted children in a midwest metropolitan area. Forty-nine gifted, fifth grade students were randomly selected for inclusion in the study to target differences in inferential comprehension mastery resultant to intervening questioning treatment.A norm referenced pre-test and post-test was utilized to determine the degree of effectiveness in assessing inferential comprehension skills in long term mastery learning. The null hypothesis was tested by using Analysis of Covariance. Weekly tests were used to assess short term mastery of inferential comprehension. The null hypothesis was tested by using Multiple Analysis of Variance. The .05 level of significance was established as the critical probability level for the non-acceptance of hypotheses.Findings1. After a six week intervening treatment comparing the effects of a serial and random questioning line with gifted learners measured by pre and post-test instruments of a norm referenced test, non-significant gains were made by the experimental group attributable to the type or line of questioning utilized.2. There existed a difference between the groups over the individual tests measured. Gifted learners were affected in short term mastery of inferential comprehension skills as indicated in scores on three weekly five item tests.Conclusions1. There is no difference in inferential comprehension skill mastery between the control and experimental group after a six week serial questioning treatment as measured on the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills, Form U, Level G, grade 5.2. There is a difference in inferential comprehension skill mastery between the control and experimental group as assessed during the six week treatment for a serial line of questioning of three day per week measurements.

The purpose of the study was to determine if special education children classified as emotionally handicapped riding school buses for longer time periods exhibit more behavior disorder characteristics than children classified as emotionally handicapped exhibit riding buses for shorter time periods. The study was restricted to one midwestern metropolitan school district's seventy-five elementary and middle school children classified as emotionally handicapped under Indiana Rule S-1 definition.Data was collected from school bus drivers, school aides, and school administrators. The data was recorded and analyzed for thirteen separate behavioral characteristics.Findings1. A total of 79 percent of the disobedient and disruptive behavior on school buses occurred when emotionally handicapped students were scheduled to ride buses for longer than thirty-one minutes.2. Boys had 85 percent of the total recorded problem behaviors on school buses.3. Girls were responsible for 15 percent of the total problem behavior reports on school buses.4. Eighty-one percent of all problem behaviors on school buses for emotionally handicapped boys and girls occurred for students scheduled to ride school buses longer than thirty-one minutes.Conclusions1. The length of time an emotionally handicapped student was transported needed to be shortened to less than thirty minutes travel time.2. Classroom placement or location needed to be centralized to reduce the length of time for school bus trips transporting emotionally handicapped students.3. Training programs for school bus drivers in. student management, behavior modification, assertive discipline and psychology of the emotionally handicapped child has major implications for changes in student behavior.