<p> Integrated art curriculum is established in many school programs as a vital addition to curriculum design in the arts. When utilized as tools for learning and growing, model programs contain key elements that provide insights into how children function in a variety of educational settings. Based on the success of an innovative integrated art program in a rural school district, the following dissertation unpacks the specific elements that contribute to its success and relates their applicability as motivational tools. Through focus on the processes of evidence-based decision-making for program development and the experiences of the art educator, the students and the school-wide community, the integrated art program is examined as it evolved as a leader in creating philosophical change towards collaborative practice. Rationale is then provided for the use of visual art as an intervention component in the school&rsquo;s alternative education model. The development of an art intervention program called Studio Express is introduced and highlights the strategic processes by which art may be used as a means of positive self-expression for the student at-risk in the public school setting. Evidence is also provided that supports expressive art making processes as an aide in the development of positive self-leadership qualities in diverse student populations. The sustainability of such leadership art programs is implied through the further teaching of their development to post-secondary education students.</p>

<p> This dissertation reports on a study of two widely used eleventh grade ELA textbooks for the opportunities they provide students to construct knowledge through writing. Data included every writing task in both textbooks (158 tasks) as well as the corresponding texts. Data analysis focused on (a) how cognitive demand, textual grist, and elaborated communication contribute to the rigor of a writing task, (b) how authentic the tasks are to the discipline of ELA, and (c) how writing tasks position students as intellectual authorities. This study contributes a new approach to determine the quality of ELA writing tasks and a detailed assessment of the writing tasks in the most widely used ELA textbooks. The findings from this study showed differences in the quality of ELA writing tasks types (text-based, non text-based, and creative writing), with text-based tasks ranking the highest quality for cognitively demanding work. Findings also showed that textual grist and opportunities for elaboration in addition to cognitive demand are essential factors when determining the overall rigor of text-based writing tasks (i.e., analyzing text-based ELA writing tasks for cognitive demand alone may inflate the rigor of the task). Further findings on writing task quality describe the level of disciplinary authenticity and intellectual authority contained in ELA textbook writing tasks and why these features are important in determining the quality of ELA writing tasks. The findings from this study suggest the importance of using a disciplinary-specific theory of task quality, including a three-part model of rigor, disciplinary authenticity, and intellectual authority, to assess the quality of ELA writing tasks. Additionally, this study provides suggestions for practitioners including how teachers might revise and supplement ELA textbook writing tasks in order to support student writing.</p>

<p> Learning to speak a foreign language can be a difficult and time-consuming endeavor, involving verbal exchanges in a target language. It is a process that includes learning about, understanding, and to some extent identifying with members of another culture who speak a different language. The inclusion of collaborative activities in the language classroom provides a natural setting for conversation and increases the learners' opportunity to use the target language. When working in small groups or in pairs, students are practically forced to communicate to accomplish a learning task. Students learn together so they are subsequently able to perform better individually. </p><p> The primary purpose of the current study was to examine if a collaborative assessment preparation strategy with immediate feedback used in an intensive adult English language program at the Defense Language Institute English Language Center (DLI) had an effect on achievement, confidence and satisfaction with the learning experience. A secondary purpose was to examine the relationships among students' entry proficiency level, language anxiety, confidence, satisfaction and achievement when DLI students used the collaborative strategy. DLI provides English language training to members of foreign militaries from over 100 countries. This quasi-experimental study included 76 participants from 21 different countries, enrolled in upper-intermediate General English courses at DLI. The instructional intervention used by participants in the experimental group included individual and pair completion of practice quizzes using immediate feedback assessment technique (IF AT) answer sheets. Participants in the control condition went through the same lesson plans as their experimental group peers but without completing any of the practice quizzes. Data were collected over the course of one week using test scores, survey instruments, interviews and classroom observations. </p><p> Results showed that there was no significant difference between control group and experimental group on the outcome measures. However, the relationship between confidence and achievement was significant. Analysis of learner perceptions of the instructional strategy revealed three overarching themes: (1) students valued collaborating and discussing with peers during quiz completion; (2) the feedback they received; and (3) learning from their mistakes. Students perceived making mistakes and disagreements with their partners as less enjoyable. Instructors mentioned the immediate feedback learners received, the active learner engagement, and learner confidence as the most beneficial attributes of the intervention. The overarching concern of instructors was the time it took to complete the quizzes, due to the already limited time available to cover course content. </p><p> Limitations of the study include the short data collection period resulting in limited exposure to the intervention, the uniqueness of the participants, and the inclusion of only upper-intermediate level books in the experiment. Future research should include all levels of the General English curriculum, participant scores from practice quizzes, and learner perceptions by culture group.</p>

<p> The pervasive nature of technology in society is not reflected in schools. Research indicates that teachers are reluctant to integrate technology to the levels that are expected by organizations such as the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), the author of the national standards used to assess technology in schools. Included in the ISTE standards are standards for educational administrators that place the responsibility for leading the change towards integration firmly in the hands of the principals as the educational leaders of the schools. </p><p> While there is no clear definition of leadership, the common thread is the ability to create change in the beliefs and actions of followers. According to the Situational Leadership &reg; theory, an effective leader is one who uses the appropriate leadership strategy to create and manage change in the given situation. The LEAD other instrument is used to assess the effectiveness of leaders as perceived by their followers. The purpose of this study was to explore the existence of a relationship between effective leadership as measured by the LEAD other instrument and teachers&rsquo; levels of technology integration as measured by the Mankato Technology Survey. While not indicating causality, a positive correlation would indicate that principal leadership effectiveness needs to be further explored in the process of understanding why technology integration is not occurring at expected levels. The results of the study did not provide sufficient support to reject the null hypothesis, thus suggesting that no relationship exists between principal leadership effectiveness and the level of teacher technology integration. The lack of a significant relationship suggests that additional research is required to determine if in fact the responsibility for technology integration and comfort has been inappropriately placed on the principal, and to examine what other factors require further consideration.</p>

<p>The inclusion of technology in the school curriculum has been a concern in many countries following the 1990 Jomtien World Conference on Education for ALL (Jenkins, 1996). However, there are different perspectives and views about technology education. As a result technology has been included in the school curriculum in varied ways.</p> <p><br /> In recognition of the importance of technology in economic development, Lesotho has attempted to include technology in the school curriculum by incorporating science and technology. This study evaluated the Lesotho science curriculum which incorporates technology. The evaluation study is based on the framework first proposed by Stake (1967). Stake&rsquo / s model addresses the relationship between the intended curriculum and the implemented curriculum (Stenhouse, 1988). In this study the intended curriculum is defined as the curriculum plan as depicted in the curriculum materials such as the syllabus, the examinations questions papers and the textbook which was used as an exemplary material for teaching the science-technology curriculum. The implemented curriculum is viewed as what actually happened at school level as teachers tried to interpret the curriculum developer&rsquo / s plan. Although Stake&rsquo / s model served as a guide in the collection and analysis of empirical data, other theoretical areas supported it. These included Gardner&rsquo / s (1990) approaches to the incorporation of science and technology / the constant comparative approach (Merriam, 1998) / and some aspects of curriculum theory, particularly curriculum development and curriculum evaluation as espoused in the works of certain scholars (e.g. Ornstein and Hunkins, 2004 / Stenhouse, 1988). The study was designed as a multiple-site case study (Merriam, 1998). The sites where in-depth study of the implemented curriculum was done were four high schools in Lesotho. The intended curriculum was mainly examined by analysing the curriculum materials such as the syllabus, the examinations question paper and the textbook. The methods that were used for collecting the data were interviews, classroom observations, document analysis, and the achievement tests.</p>

<p> Preschool teachers must overcome the pressure to become more academic in lieu of a whole child development curriculum approach in order to preserve developmentally appropriate practices and shape well-adjusted future citizens of society. In order to achieve this, it is important to give a voice to preschool teachers to better understand their struggle and to find effective resolutions. This is only possible through a qualitative case study that employs observations, interviews, and a focus group with an inductive analysis approach to the data. The development of the whole child will only be attainable through national policies that are supported by sound research and ongoing teacher training that is aligned with that research. When theory and practice are aligned, it provides more opportunities for teachers, parents, and the rest of the community to advocate for the same goals, which ultimately benefits children.</p>

<p>The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how educators describe their lived experiences with regard to addressing social skills challenges for children with ASD and what meaning can be derived from the experiences of those educators. Digitally recorded semistructured interviews were conducted with twelve educators working in school settings in Southern California. The participants held a variety of titles and all participants had at least six years of experience teaching social skills to children with ASD. Findings from this study resulted in five major thematic groups: (a) defining social skills; (b) how social skills are assessed; (c) program characteristics; (d) instructional and standardization challenges; and (e) critical factors. Study findings primarily indicated a need for a more structured approach to research due to the diversity within the ASD diagnosis and the complexity and broad nature of social skills. Two major recommendations for future research evolved from this study. First, future research should systematically explore the varying characteristics within the ASD population and how intervention strategies or intervention types impact the subpopulations within the ASD diagnosis. Finally, research should explore social motivation as a possible pivotal characteristic for successful social skills development and whether it is possible to cultivate motivation. </p>

<p> Embodied practices are central to the cultivation of nursing presence, but are rarely taught in nursing programs. This study proposed the use of brief embodied learning practices embedded in a nursing course. It quantitatively and qualitatively examined the impact of such a program experienced by 22 first-semester students in a registered nursing program. Embodied meditation (e.g., sensing and shifting attention to the body) and inquiry exercises (e.g., interacting with others while remaining fully present in oneself) were introduced in theory and skill lab classes during an 8-week Foundations of Nursing course taught in the spring semester of 2017. Fourteen students completed the embodied learning program as well as pretest and posttest questionnaires. Eighty-six percent of participants reported increased scores on embodied presence as measured by the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). Their posttest score on the FFMQ was greater than their pretest score with a moderate to high effect size (<i>p</i> &lt; .05, <i>d</i> = .75). A majority of participants reported positive changes in their wellbeing, learning ability, learning outcomes, relationships with patients, and satisfaction with the instruction of embodied learning, as measured by an Impact Questionnaire. Participants&rsquo; satisfaction with embodied learning was greater than their satisfaction with conventional instruction (<i>p</i> &lt; .05). The study found a positive correlation between increases in participants&rsquo; FFMQ scores and their overall exam scores in the course (<i>p</i> &lt; .01). Qualitative data from a focus group aligned with the quantitative findings. The results suggest practice guidelines for teaching embodiment within the context of content learning in nursing courses.</p><p>

<p> The world today needs citizens that value and behave in response to an ever-accelerating ecological crisis. Place-based environmental education delivered in an expeditionary framework can facilitate the development of students' conservation ethic and action. This thesis seeks to apply research on conservation psychology and environmental education in the design of a comprehensive, semester-long, field-based expeditionary curriculum focused on landscape studies of the Colorado Plateau taught at Prescott College. The research and curriculum design explore the question: <i>What are the critical elements of an expeditionary, place-based semester curriculum that instill a conservation ethic and action within students?</i> This question was explored through curriculum design and implementation informed by textual research and theory and in utilizing the application of heuristic research methodologies. As a result, the research grounds and integrates the awareness to action continuum into an expeditionary field semester curriculum to present the critical elements of fostering a conservation ethic in students, using a creative applied thesis format.</p><p>

<p> The achievement gap and educational equity have been major concerns in the United States for many years. While many groups are impacted by educational inequities, one population of growing concern is Long-Term English Learners (LTEL). LTELs continue to be &ldquo;stuck&rdquo; at the intermediate level of English proficiency limiting their access to rigorous curriculum. One program developed to specifically address the linguistic and academic needs of middle school LTEL students is AVID Excel. </p><p> This qualitative case study explored the ways in which the implementation of AVID Excel at the middle school level, in a single district, sought to provide linguistic, academic and cultural supports for LTEL students. The study approaches this issue from an implementation perspective, based on the practices and perspectives of the adults who are enacting the program. Utilizing multiple data sources, the results included four key findings: intrinsic motivation, parental support and Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills are strengths the adult participants perceived LTEL students have that help them succeed in school; academic language, navigating American schooling expectations and redesignation are perceived challenges keeping LTEL students from achieving academic success; a combination of specific AVID Excel strategies and external ELD strategies were used to address language acquisition; despite citing parental support as a strength, participants identified family-connections and American school cultural development as LTEL students&rsquo; needs. </p><p> There are implications as to the importance of providing continued explicit focus on English Language Development skills as well as academic language. In addition, ? Implications for further research, policy and practice should focus on the role of culture and promoting teacher&rsquo;s cultural competencies in supporting LTEL students&rsquo; academic success. As well as supporting teachers in implementing the cultural <i>funds of knowledge</i> students (and parents) bring from their homes in order to bridge students&rsquo; <i> culture</i> with the American schooling context and focused language development found in programs like AVID Excel.</p><p>