abstract: The National Research Council developed and published the Framework for K-12 Science Education, a new set of concepts that many states were planning on adopting. Part of this new endeavor included a set of science and engineering crosscutting concepts to be incorporated into science materials and activities, a first in science standards history. With the recent development of the Framework came the arduous task of evaluating current lessons for alignment with the new crosscutting concepts. This study took on that task in a small, yet important area of available lessons on the internet. Lessons, to be used by K-12 educators and students, were produced by different organizations and research efforts. This study focused specifically on Earth science lessons as they related to earthquakes. To answer the question as to the extent current and available lessons met the new crosscutting concepts; an evaluation rubric was developed and used to examine teacher and student lessons. Lessons were evaluated on evidence of the science, engineering and application of the engineering for each of the seven crosscutting concepts in the Framework. Each lesson was also evaluated for grade level appropriateness to determine if the lesson was suitable for the intended grade level(s) designated by the lesson. The study demonstrated that the majority of lesson items contained science applications of the crosscutting concepts. However, few contained evidence of engineering applications of the crosscutting concepts. Not only was there lack of evidence for engineering examples of the crosscutting concepts, but a lack of application engineering concepts as well. To evaluate application of the engineering concepts, the activities were examined for characteristics of the engineering design process. Results indicated that student activities were limited in both the nature of the activity and the quantity of lessons that contained activities. The majority of lessons were found to be grade appropriate. This study demonstrated the need to redesign current lessons to incorporate more engineering-specific examples from the crosscutting concepts. Furthermore, it provided evidence the current model of material development was out dated and should be revised to include engineering concepts to meet the needs of the new science standards. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Curriculum and Instruction 2013

<p> This study examined two questions related to the effectiveness of project-based learning (PBL) instruction. First, is PBL more effective than a textbook-based instructional model, and second what are teacher perceptions related to PBL methodology? Student growth scores in the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment for reading and math, as measured within one school year, fall to spring, for students in PBL and non-PBL classes were compared. A teacher survey was conducted to measure teacher perceptions of PBL and textbook-based instructional program strengths and weaknesses. Additional data on effective instructional strategies can provide further direction for educators to continue the full implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) that call for students to gain a deeper understanding and knowledge of grade level standards. The study was located in a large urban school district in Northern California. The overall findings of this study were that the MAP assessment data reflected higher annual growth scores for reading and math in six of the eight grade levels studied. Teacher survey participant responses reflected consistent support for a textbook-based instructional program over a PBL instructional program, due in large part to the additional time teachers spent in preparing for PBL lessons.</p><p>

<p> Foster youth or former foster youth face many educational, social, and emotional struggles in the classroom. Through a lens of self-determination, this study investigates the perceptions of foster youth or former foster youth about teacher autonomy support in the classroom, as well as how they perceive that teacher autonomy support affects their motivation and achievement. The five themes that arose from research question one in this study are: Theme 1&mdash;Acceptance, Respect, Understanding, Family-Like Atmosphere; Theme 2&mdash;Confidence, Trustworthiness, and Encouragement; Theme 3&mdash;Understanding the Goal of the Class; Theme 4&mdash;Comfortable Learning Environment for Dialogue and Listening; and Theme 5&mdash;Choices and Options in the Classroom. These themes suggest ways that teachers can provide for the needs of foster youth while also improving their motivation and academic performance. The four themes which emerged from research question two are: Theme 1&ndash;Confidence, Theme 2&ndash;Motivation; Theme 3&mdash;Inspiration; and Theme 4&mdash;Emotional State. These themes concern the effect on the foster child of having autonomy supportive requirements met.</p><p>

<p> Astronomy is one of the oldest STEM enterprises today. It is a discipline through which technology has been advanced, as well as our understanding of the universe. Further, astronomy is a gateway science that inspires the imagination of young learners, and can be used to promote STEM careers. In order to advance the astronomy enterprise, we must maintain an informed citizenry. The practice of astronomy has changed over time; astronomy today is much different than it was 50 years ago. In an effort to identify the current practice of astronomy, or what it is that today&rsquo;s astronomers do, 478 U.S. astronomers participated in the study focusing on their engagement in three areas of scientific practice; science attitudes, tools and techniques, and social interactions. In addition, astronomers&rsquo; perceptions about career choice, work-related activities they engage in, motivations for doing astronomy, and changes needed in education were also explored. Data were collected over a 3-month time period via an online survey and telephone interviews. Data provided by survey participants provides a solid foundation from which findings and conclusions are drawn. Today&rsquo;s population of astronomers is largely white, male, and older, however moving toward gender balance. The population as a whole places great importance on the practice of attitudes such as thinking critically, respecting the evidence, honesty, and objectivity. Unlike many might think, astronomers spend little time at the telescope collecting data, but rather the vast majority of their time is spent working at a computer. Further, engaging in administrative duties, writing, use of mathematics, searching for funding, mentoring others, and collaborating with colleagues are all critical tools/techniques and social skills in the practice of astronomy today. Finally, pop culture and personal experience plays a significant role in attracting individuals to a career in astronomy, and exploration and uncovering that which is unknown, the thrill of discovery, is what keeps them motivated. This study identified and quantified the activities in which professional astronomers engage, and the findings can be used to design formal and informal learning experiences K through adult to more closely reflect the science of astronomy and the people who engage in the practice.</p><p>

<p> Choosing curriculum is an essential part of what teachers do to ensure students are successful learners. Students in rural areas may feel many current educational practices are biased toward urban education or may not see the need for education in their lives. Connecting students to their &ldquo;place&rdquo; through place-based learning may help rural students become engaged learners and active community members. Place-based learning is a curriculum designed around the locations near students. Students help create the curriculum by using essential questions and inquiry. Although often used in science and social studies classrooms, place-based learning may be used in the secondary English language arts classroom. This study looks at the advantages and disadvantages of using place-based curriculum in a rural secondary English language arts classroom and determines what implications there are for using place-based curriculum as a regular aspect of the rural secondary English classroom. Using surveys, interviews, reflective student writings, and observational data of community members and students, this case study shows one rural secondary English language arts classroom&rsquo;s place-based learning experience.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this research is to better understand curricular and pedagogical strategies that can play a role in college retention rates and the first-year academic experience for new students. This research aims to contribute to a larger effort to create a learning environment in which first-year students would be engaged, learn, adapt, and accomplish learning outcomes needed to be successful in university level course work. The two research questions are; how do college faculty prepare to help first-year students&rsquo; transition in to university level coursework and how do college faculty view their role in teaching first-year college students? The method of this qualitative case study included one survey taken by Cadence State University (CSU) faculty who teach first-year college students and two interviews with one staff member and one administrative staff whom both work closely with faculty teaching first-year students. The results showed professional development/training and university support for faculty from CSU is needed to educate and keep faculty informed on first-year students. It was also found that transformed pedagogy with utilization of active learning and various teaching strategies plays a significant role in helping first-year students adjust to university coursework, as well as, faculty understanding the impact they have on first-year students. The conclusion to this study reveals there needs to be a teaching culture shift where faculty take action, learn what is needed, and implement transitional pedagogy to help first-year students&rsquo; transition into university coursework. Faculty must understand their impact on new students and that they set the foundation of university coursework in their first couple of days of class. Additionally, faculty using communication and being approachable, yet not compromising their higher education standards will help faculty view their role with first-year students as important and necessary.</p><p>

<p> This dissertation describes a mathematics curriculum and instruction design experiment involving a series of embodied mathematical activities conducted in two Colorado elementary schools Activities designed for this experiment include multi-scalar number line models focused on supporting students&rsquo; understanding of elementary mathematics. Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) served as a roadmap for the development of models and problem contexts during the design process, and maintained the focus on mathematics as human activity. Key ideas and insights from scholars who have employed embodied, enactive, ecological, multimodal, and inclusive materialist theories of mathematical activity/cognition on spatiality, human vision, and perception also informed the work. Departing from the sedentary approach to U.S. elementary school mathematics learning and instruction, the designed activities intentionally required students to use their bodies and tools in space to coordinate solutions to mathematical problems. As a design experiment, the research took place in two phases over the course of a year. Phase 1 occurred over 17 days in a suburban 2^nd grade public school classroom, and phase 2 consisted of six 55-minute clinical interviews with six student pairs from two 3^rd grade classrooms in an urban public school. Findings from this research included students using the designed models to support mathematical arguments and to increase levels of precision in their mathematical activity. Themes also emerged around the ways that students responded to affordances and constraints of the models, by shifting orientations, authority, and re-purposing and creating new tools. Multi-scalar mathematical models, activities, and activity spaces afforded novel and intentionally embodied ways for students to participate in model-centric mathematical activity.</p><p>

<p> <b>Purpose.</b> The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the impact of the implementation of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP) on teachers in Southern California high schools. This study examined the lived experiences of teachers who teach courses in the IBDP. Based on the literature, the specific focus was on the following themes related to the impact: content knowledge, confidence, creativity, relationships with students, and increased workload. The research provided valuable information for teachers and site and district administrators as to what to expect during and after the implementation of the IBDP.</p><p> <b>Methodology.</b> Three schools served as the cases for this phenomenological study. There were 11 participants. The researcher conducted one-on-one semistructured interviews to explore the lived experiences of the IBDP teachers. The results were rated on a Likert scale and coded for deeper meaning. </p><p> <b>Findings.</b> Four of the 5 themes impacted the implementation. Workload and relationships with students were highly impacted. The theme that had no impact was content knowledge. Two additional themes emerged: increased stress and the love for the IBDP program. </p><p> <b>Conclusions.</b> The study revealed that all participants felt an impact, positive and negative, when implementing the IBDP. The data revealed that teaching the IBDP courses takes their entire person, academically and personally. The participants were completely entrenched in the program, which impacted their lives in ways they could not have predicted.</p><p> <b>Recommendations:</b> Future studies regarding the impact of the implementation of IB should include middle school teachers who do not need to demonstrate expertise in their content area to teach. Additionally, a longitudinal study of the same participants might yield different results on the variables. This study could be replicated to include only new schools which had at least one graduating class of diploma students. The data may provide a fresh perspective as teachers will have results to refer to and reflect upon when discussing their experiences.</p><p>

<p> Achievement data collected within a standards-based education are susceptible to validity concerns, one of which is the alignment of the standards, assessments, and instruction. While educational policies compelled by Standards-Based Reform have begun to address increasing the alignment of standards and assessments, fostering instructional alignment is overlooked. But a Professional Learning Community, which promotes a similar but internally developed standards-based education, encourages practices that foster instructional alignment through collaboration driven by norms. This dissertation used the Surveys of Enacted Curriculum data set in an exploratory quantitative methodology to link the reform efforts with the principal intention to provide educators with accepted alignment practices towards maximizing the validity of the achievement data, examining instructional practices, and ultimately increasing student learning. First, demographic data were reduced to four components that reasonably represented a professional learning community using a reviewer question reduction process and a Principal Components Analysis. Second, the components were incorporated in a fixed-effects regression model to explore the extent to which the components predict instructional alignment based on the years of experience, the grade band, and the survey year. The results varied with the model being statistically significant in all but one group and the regression coefficients and variability explained by the model were both small. However, notable finding included that the variability explained by the model was highest for the less than one year of experience group, components in English were largely positive statistically significant, components in mathematics were infrequently positive statistically significant, and a component composed of professional development questions in mathematics was a negative predictor for experienced teachers and primary teachers. While the finding indicate alignment practices can be predictive of instructional alignment, they also are suggestive that inconsistent implementation of the Professional Learning Community hinders maximizing the use of alignment practices.</p><p>

<p>The Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) highlight the importance of students? conceptual understanding, mathematical reasoning, and problem solving in order to prepare students for college and careers. However, the success of this reform effort largely depends on how teachers actually design and implement instruction based on the goals of the new standards. In particular, teachers? concerns about the reform have a significant effect on this change and the implementation of reform curricula. While there exists an increasing amount of research on reform efforts, many questions still remain regarding the implementation of the CCSSM and teachers? concerns. The purpose of this qualitative dissertation study is to investigate the concerns teachers have regarding the implementation of the CCSSM and how those concerns relate to the enactment of their curricula. This study also explores how teachers address the mathematical shift of rigor defined in the CCSSM in connection with the tasks they use and types of questions they pose to their students. This research involved case studies of three Algebra 1 teachers. Each teacher was observed during three different lessons on linear/non-linear functions. Pre- and post-observation interviews were conducted both before and after each lesson was taught. In order to determine how teachers addressed the mathematical shift of rigor, three different analyses were conducted. Mathematical tasks in the teacher guided notes and lesson enactment were explored in conjunction with teacher questions and the use of the eight mathematical practices. Observations and interviews were used to examine how teacher concerns connect to their implementation of the CCSSM. In particular, cases based on the teacher interviews and videos were compared to one another to explore possible reasons why the teachers address the mathematical shift of rigor differently. Findings suggest a complicated relationship exists between teacher concerns and their intended and enacted curriculum. The results of this study showed that teachers at all stages of concern are not providing cognitively demanding lessons nor are they addressing the mathematical shift of rigor. Only during review lessons did two of the three teachers increase the cognitive demand of the tasks and questions they posed during the enactment of their curriculum. Regarding teacher concerns, different factors seem to take account for the complicated relationship between teacher concerns and their enacted curricula. First, the teacher with self concerns had a lack of content knowledge. This teacher was not able to adjust her intended curriculum, followed the textbook closely and had a difficult time addressing student misconceptions. The teacher with management concerns tended to express her students? low abilities in doing mathematics. This teacher thus focused on student ability, only slightly modified the intended curriculum and provided only low cognitive demand tasks and questions. Finally, the teacher with impact concerns had a high interest in student learning. This teacher was able to alter her intended curriculum based on student questions and misconceptions. However, her tasks and questions remained at a low cognitive demand for two of the three lessons. This study has implications for curriculum developers and professional development providers, as well as teachers and school administrators to help ensure the success of reform curriculum.