Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2004. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xx, 275 p.; also includes graphics (some col.). Includes abstract and vita. Advisor: Terry Barret, Dept. of Art Education. Includes bibliographical references (p. 259-275).

Over the past two decades, constructivism has become an increasingly influential referent for the learning and teaching of science in schools. In the role of teacher-researcher, I conducted an intensive participant observational study in an innovative Australian middle school, where both the initial planning of the school program and the principal's vision for the school took constructivism as a key referent. The research activity involved team teaching for a total of two days per week for one school year (1996) with a group of five teachers who were attempting to implement constructivist-referenced innovations such as portfolio assessment, integrated curriculum and teacher collaborative planning in their teaching practice. I chose a narrative methodology including impressionist tales to both conduct and represent this research into my own and others' teaching practices and values - a 'novel' woven from those narratives forms Section Two of this thesis. In addition, five conjectures for further investigation emerged from the research: (1) one significant constraint to constructivist-referenced innovation is 'conceptual inertia' on the part of teachers, (2) students' epistemologies and expectations must be explicitly addressed where innovation is attempted, (3) the complexity of educational contexts extends beyond the mechanical details of schooling to the webs of expectations stakeholders bring to schools, (4) it is difficult for teachers with limited backgrounds in science to use constructivism as a referent in their science teaching, and (5) the narrative methodology chosen has value in providing a rich, complex account of schools, teachers and curricular innovations.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2002. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 200-213). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

This study comprises three parts. First, to validate the Oral Individualized Classroom Environment Questionnaire (OICEQ) which is used to assess students perceptions of the learning environment in secondary chemistry classes in the U.S.A. The OICEQ is a modified version of the actual and preferred versions of the Individualized Classroom Environment Questionnaire (ICEQ) (Fraser, 1990). Second, to investigate associations between three types of science educational assessments; predictors of performance, perceptions of the classroom environment, and chemistry academic performance. Third, to address the following two questions:1. Are chaos and constructivism allies of adversaries to assessments (predictors, perceptions, and performance)?2. Is action research a valid process of evaluating a constructivist chemistry classroom (examining associations between chaos and constructivism)?A sample of 473 students from 21 chemistry classes took the Test of Logical Thinking (TOLT), the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), the Individualized Classroom Environment Questionnaire (OICEQ), pretests, post-tests, and final examinations. The statistical analyses confirmed the reliability and validity of the OICEQ and ICEQ when used with senior chemistry students. Investigation of associations between predictors, perceptions, and performances revealed 29 significant associations with OICEQ and 21 significant associations with the ICEQ. Findings from the study indicated that: (1) chaos is an adversary to social assessment and personal constructivism is an ally to personal assessment; (2) action research is a valid process for evaluating a constructivist chemistry classroom it is a unifying concept for constructivism, chaos, and assessment; (3) through an action research-constructivist process and a cyberchaos research perspective, the impact of a constructivist teaching paradigm and chaos ++ / distort the assessment of data in a chemistry classroom.

Research paper (M.A.) -- Cardinal Stritch College -- Milwaukee, 1972. / A research paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Education (Reading Specialist). Includes bibliographical references (p. 35-39).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2008. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 135-140).

This thesis contributes to the general body of knowledge of research into engineering education. The main scope of the thesis is on enhancing laboratory education. There are three main types of laboratory: virtual, hands-on and remote. The hands-on lab is the oldest and most commonly used medium for experiential education in undergraduate degrees of science and engineering. The literature review of laboratory education has shown that hands-on labs suffer from many disadvantages, which can be overcome by utilizing hybrid laboratory structures that incorporate virtual and/or remote modes. The investigation into enhanced laboratory education is achieved via implementing new technical and pedagogical models of conducting laboratories. The technical model incorporates three access modes (virtual, hands-on and remote) to the laboratory experience in one software package called the TriLab. The TriLab concept has been applied to the Process Control Lab at the Chemical Engineering Department of Loughborough University and has been implemented using LabVIEW. The Joomla web content management system was used to develop an online portal for disseminating the remote component of the TriLab resulting in the first remote lab portal of Loughborough University and one of the few available in the UK. A pedagogical model of laboratory education based on Kolb's experiential learning theory and by the utilization of the TriLab concept is proposed. The model is built on a hypothesis, which states that the poor learning outcomes of hands-on laboratory sessions can be associated with poor activation of the stages of Kolb's experiential learning cycle. It has been proposed that access to a virtual lab in a preparatory session will play a role in activating the stages of Kolb's cycle. To verify this, educational experimentation procedures were designed and applied to two groups, control and experimental. Measurements via pre- and post-lab tests, marks for the laboratory report and the final exam of the module have been performed. The statistical analysis of the measurements has supported the stated hypothesis and solution proposal. The proposed pedagogical model is one of the few that provide a way of conducting laboratory education based on constructivist educational theories. (Continues...).

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Texas Christian University, 2009. / Title from dissertation title page (viewed Mar. 16, 2010). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

The thesis is focused on diagnosing selected pre-concepts (raw materials, plasticines, textile materials, energy, technology) within the pupils of the 4th and 5th class at a primary school and it is trying to propose a new teaching strategy of Practical skills so the teaching can get more effective. The theoretical part is focused on education, different types of learning methods, teacher{\crq}s role, pre-concept characteristics and diagnosis of those pre-concepts in the Framing educational program. In the practical part there are results of the research and its conclusions.

This thesis explains important concepts, procedures and forms of assessment in current school with a focus on new trends in this area. The thesis aim is to find out how is formative assessment and learning progress maps represented in the school assessment, whether created by SCIO or interviewed teachers. The theoretical part deals primarily with the formative school assessment, its functions and specifics. The second area on which the theoretical part focuses are innovations in the field of evaluation in connection with technology steeped era. Emperical part presents a report on whether and how is worked with progress maps on basic schools. Whether the teachers at these schools know this concept and optionally use learning progress maps in whatever form. Keywords Assessment, formative assessment, constructivist approach in teaching, portfolio, progress maps, reading continuum