The purpose of this design study was to examine how two teachers revise their instructional methods in response to student outcomes and how students learn strategies of writing through classroom discourse in the context of interactive writing. The study was designed to explore the role of teacher and student in socially situated writing environments and reveal how conversation affects student learning and instructional decision-making. Throughout the study I was an active participant observer continually modifying the intervention with the input of the classroom teachers. This study was based on the theoret ical model of reading as a meaning-construction process described by Ruddell and Unrau (2004). According to this model, the reader, or in this case the writer, the text, and the teacher negotiate meaning within the social setting of the classroom. Two first grade classrooms served as the bounded units of analysis for this case study with an emphasis on formative experiment. Data collected included classroom observations and transcripts, transcripts of afterschool planning and reflecting meetings, transcripts of teacher and student interviews, teacher reflection logs, written artifacts, and student assessments. Data analysis was based on Wells‟ (1999) progressive discourse analysis. Progressive discourse refers to the process of building knowledge through conversation. Dialogue is a tool used to gain new knowledge and modify existing knowledge. The two participating teachers in this study were able to revise their instructional methods based on the individual needs of their students to varying degrees. The students in the more successful teacher‟s classroom had more significant academic gains in reading and writing by the end of the intervention. The findings from this study suggest that it is important to understand the prior beliefs of teachers, their knowledge of the reciprocal relationship between reading and writing, and their preferred avenues of reflection when attempting to implement an interactive writing intervention. For student learning outcomes it may be important to consider the need for explicit literacy instruction, interactive dialogic moves, student engagement, and the opportunity for students to take on the role of teacher to their peers

The purpose of this study was to examine the various descriptions and perspectives concerning thinking in the social studies literature as expressed by social studies scholars in NCSS journals and publications across a thirty – year time frame, 1977 to 2006. A corollary purpose was to describe the various perspectives regarding methods of teaching thinking that prevailed in published NCSS resources on social studies education. The journals examined for this dissertation were Social Education, Social Studies and the Young Learner, and Middle Level Learning. A total of two hundred twenty three (223) articles from the thirty-year period dealt with thinking in some way or another. One hundred thirty two (132) of them were used for the final analysis. Based on the previous literature reviews, the researcher identified words thinking, critical thinking, decision making, and problem solving as search keywords. The researcher examined each article critically and thoroughly, looked for the answers to the research questions she was pursuing and looked for meaningful patterns with regard to the definition of thinking. The researcher concluded, based on her analysis that: 1- There is a problematic, persistent absence of a clear definition for thinking in the literature. However, social studies scholars preferred the term critical thinking by and large and conceptualized it as a combination of lower level and higher level skills, specifically analysis, evaluation, judgment, questioning and inquiring as well as certain dispositions and attitudes. 2- Scholars equated critical thinking with decision making and problem solving and related that to levels of understanding citizenship. 3- The ways scholars conceptualized thinking are related to their preferences regarding methods of teaching thinking, 4- There was a strong correspondence between the characteristics of thinking emphasized by NCSS and those focused on by scholars.

There is a critical need to attract more students into doctoral programs in mathematics education. Those in the doctoral programs in mathematics education have many career options outside of academics and research shows that 20% of those seeking the doctorate in mathematics education go into other areas besides higher education (Glasgow, 2001). Thus, there has been a shortage of qualified applicants for academic positions (Reys, 2000; Glasgow, 2000; Reys & Kilpatrick, 2001; Reys, 2002). Complicating matters is the fact that 80% of faculty in mathematics education are eligible to retire in 2008 (Reys, Glasgow, Ragan, & Simms, 2001; Reys, 2006). Thus, it is important to study faculty’s expectations of new hires and doctoral students’ experiences to allow for maximum success of those seeking positions in higher education. The purpose of this study was to compare data received about the training of current doctoral students with data collected from the profession to see if there is a match or disconnect between the two groups (i.e. doctoral student’s training and requirements for new hires in mathematics education). The data came from a combination of mail and online surveys along with e-mail interviews. Frequency counts and descriptive statistics were used to provide a clear picture of the experiences doctoral students were being exposed to in their doctoral program and the faculty’s expectations of qualified candidates for a junior faculty position. A MANOVA test was used to see if any differences occurred between the two groups. The findings of this study suggest doctoral students were for the most part being properly socialized to take on the role of an assistant professor; however, there were some areas of weakness.

The purposes ofthe dissertation were: 1) to examine the effects ofpower generation and two different landing protocols on the lower extremity during a landing activity, and 2) to examine the effects ofpower generation and gender on impact attenuation during a landing activity. During the first study, eight elite male recreational athletes and eight non-elite male recreational athletes, selected based upon their maxinlunl jump heights, preformed drop landings in one of six conditions for two different protocols. Each subject landed from a height of40 cm, 60 cm and 80 cm in the first protocol (PT1) and from a height of 70%, 100%, and 1300/0 oftheir maximum vertical jump height in the second protocol (PT2). Ground reaction force (GRF) data were recorded using a force plate (OR6-7, AMTI) and kinematic data were recorded using a six camera motion analysis system (Vicon). Both the GRF and kinetic variables were normalized by potential energy. A Group x Protocol x Height mixed design repeated measures ANOV A with Group as the between subject factor was used to test the significance of selected variables. The nonelite athletes landed with a larger loading rate for the second GRF peak and a larger hip extension moment compared to the elite athletes. The non-elite athletes also landed with a greater ankle plantarflexion moment, knee adduction moment and ankle eccentric work in PT 1 whereas the elite athletes landed with a smaller ankle plantarflexion moment, knee adduction moment and ankle eccentric work. These findings suggest that the elite athletes ware better equipped to absorb the loads at impact and that the two groups of athletes responded differently. During the second study, additional sixteen female subjects divided into the nonelite and elite groups prefornled drop landings in the same protocols as described in the first study. A Group x Gender xProtocol x Height mixed design repeated measures ANOV A with Group and Gender as the between subject factors was used to test the significance ofselected variables. No significant differences between the genders were observed. The elite group proved to land with smaller second GRF peak, greater ankle plantarflexion and knee extension moments compared to the non-elite group in PTI. These results demonstrated that the non-elite and elite athletes used different joint kinetic patterns to dissipate impact loading. Despite no statistical evidence supporting gender differences, females landed with a trend ofgreater percent increases in the first GRF peak while males landed with a trend ofsmaller second GRF peak. The elite males showed a decrease in the ankle eccentric work in PTlcompare to PT2. The females showed no change in the ankle eccentric work across the two protocols. These fmdings demonstrated that the males and females might have used different neuromuscular control ofthe lower extremity joints to attenuate the forces at impact.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between academic and athletic satisfaction for Division IA intercollegiate athletes. Student-athletes (n = 367; 16 teams) at a Division IA university in the Midwest completed the Athlete Satisfaction Questionnaire (ASQ) and the Student Satisfaction Inventory (SSI), in addition to a demographic survey. The data was analyzed using a variety of analytical procedures including descriptive statistics, bivariate correlation, and hierarchical regression in order to answer the research questions guiding this study: 1. What is the relationship between Division IA intercollegiate athletes’ satisfaction with their academic and athletic experiences? 2. What is the relationship between Division IA intercollegiate athletes’ satisfaction with their academic and athletic satisfaction controlling for differences by: ethnicity of athlete, gender of athlete, gender of coach, leadership style of coach, nature of sport (individual vs. team-oriented), team win/loss record, year in school, grade point average, injury incurred, and extent of games missed? 3. What is the difference between the satisfaction and importance scores Division IA athletes assign to questions about their academic and athletic experiences? There was a statistically significant relationship between academic and athletic satisfaction (p < .01), even after controlling for the intervening variables. This finding suggests that academic satisfaction is a powerful predictor of athletic satisfaction.

Each year, we move away from the Holocaust as active history. On each subsequent anniversary, we carefully repackage this atrocity in history with claims of ‘never again’ or ‘remember.’ The focus on this past should be crucial to our actions in the present and important to our future. One of the biggest questions asked has been ‘what have we learned?’ As students today grow further and further away from the Holocaust era, it remains to be seen if these lessons in humanity and inhumanity will simply fade away. With the danger of the Holocaust falling solely into history textbooks, Poland has instituted compulsory Holocaust Education to promote the teaching of this material. Yet, the lessons from this period in history extend beyond a glance into the past into an understanding of changing human obligations. The hope is that Poland’s efforts in Holocaust Education will build upon values and ideas that seek to integrate human beings on similar, simpler levels. Ultimately, the goal of Holocaust Education is not to teach about the period of history from 1933 to 1945. The aim is to instruct and critically examine the implications of hate and intolerance. Based on fieldwork in Poland, this research explores the current teaching strategies and attitudes toward Holocaust Education. This thesis will discuss aspects of the educational evolution of Holocaust Education with a special emphasis on how teachers are teaching the subject. Using a survey of 155 Polish teachers, this project looks at what teachers are teaching about the Holocaust, what they hope students gain from learning about the subject, and why they teach it.

In order to discover the experiences of public school students with the presence of corporate advertising available in their schools, data was collected from a public elementary, middle, and high school. This included a walkthrough of the schools to make note of advertisements available to students on a regular basis; informal interviews with school staff; and collection of classroom materials from teachers. Also, a total of ten students representing three different grade levels were interviewed in three focus groups, one per grade level. This study is a qualitative analysis conducted from a critical and phenomenological standpoint. The impetus for the study was an interest in the influence(s) of corporate presence in public schools, and a concern for what implications that may/may not have on democratic ideals in American society in general and American educational systems in particular. The results are presented as a literary journey of what students experience in terms of corporate advertising in their schools. Using Hatch’s interpretive analysis as a guide led to the development of five common themes that permeated the focus group discussions. Those include an understanding of the basic concept of advertising; a rejection of the idea that corporations employ the use of manipulative practices within the school; varying levels of awareness and abilities to recollect corporate names present within the school; the presence or lack of student agency; and evidence of “successful” manipulations of the students with regard to corporate agendas. Also noted was the presence in schools of practices that do not concur with school goals.

Statement of the problem: It was the purpose of this study to survey the work being done in drama in Tennessee high schools. Specifically, the study was to determine which dramas were being read and studied in English classes, what the general policies and practices relating to high school dramatic productions were, and what efforts, if any, were being made to extend the student's interest in drama beyond the classroom situtation. An effort was also made to access the attitude and opinions of teachers concerning the study of drama.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--New York University, School of Education, 2005. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 444-467). Also available in electronic format on the World Wide Web. Access restricted to users affiliated with the licensed institutions.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--New York University, School of Education, 2005. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 234-237). Also available in electronic format on the World Wide Web. Access restricted to users affiliated with the licensed institutions.