<p> This study investigated high school students&rsquo; definitions and interpretations of what an animal is, with a focus on marine animals. Past studies have shown that students&rsquo; definitions of animals often center on themes of movement or appendages. In this study, student responses were analyzed against a predetermined definition of an animal--a multicellular eukaryotic organism that is heterotrophic. Marine animals consistently misidentified by the students were also identified. </p><p> The data for this study was collected through surveys and interviews, using ninth grade high school students. Students were asked to identify marine organisms as animals or not, and to provide a definition or reasoning for classifying organisms as animals.</p><p> The purpose of this study is to better inform educators of the preconceptions about animals, specifically marine animals, that students bring into the classroom. This will allow educators to address those preconceptions to encourage a fuller understanding of animals in their students.</p>

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1987.

<p> Using a convenience sampling of 10 eighth-grade language arts students, this exploratory case study examined in depth the literacy processes used by ten 8^th grade students to generate various multimodal artifacts that comprise their final projects and the nature of the literacy transactions that fostered these processes over the course of one year in this language arts classroom. Following closely (via the case studies in Chapter Five) how four of the ten students used the literacy events of the classroom to claim spaces to perceive and perform their voices and visions, the study revealed how these students were able to turn away from a specific form of silencing, both on and off the page, and reclaim a lost voice that helped them better navigate their lives and their literacies. This navigation transcended classroom walls to encompass larger social arenas in which students continued to perform and practice their literary and living choices.</p><p> I conducted three focus group interviews with all ten students. The purpose of these interviews was to define, from these students&rsquo; perspectives, the literacy practices they engaged in over the course of the 2012-2013 academic year as part of their eighth-grade language arts class. In studying how these transactions helped shape these students&rsquo; literate thinking, my intent was to investigate ways in which both local and global contexts interact to help students promote or resist social and political trends. The study brought into question and deconstructed the grand narratives surrounding our American identity and the traditional literacies that serve to define and legitimize them.</p><p> My findings revealed that the literacy events in the classroom, facilitated and negotiated by an interested and knowledgeable adult, offered these ten students a wide range of personal ways to practice, in new and innovative ways, both academic and personal choices.</p>

<p> The purpose of this qualitative research study was to better understand why students classified with emotional disturbance (ED) were able to graduate from high school and earn high school diplomas. Students classified as having emotional disturbance have a host of deficits in the areas of reading, writing, math, and social and emotional skills. Despite these stumbling blocks, some students who had these deficiencies were resilient and able to graduate from high school, even in an era of school reform and heightened accountability. Using an extensive literature review, this phenomenological study explored reasons why this targeted population remained in school. Graduates were interviewed to determine the motivational factors that influenced and enhanced their decision to stay in an urban alternative high school. The subjects were classified with emotional disturbance over the age of 18 who were well past the age when they could legally withdraw from school and had graduated from a special education alternative high school in an urban setting. A cadre of administrators and teachers who supervised and taught this population during their 11^th and 12^th grades were interviewed for comparison to determine what kept these students in school. The theoretical framework of Alderfer&rsquo;s Existence, Relatedness, and Growth (ERG) theory was used; findings showed that the growth aspect was key in both the teachers&rsquo; beliefs as well as the students&rsquo; responses.</p>

<p> Metro Nashville Public Schools has transitioned each of their 12 zoned high schools to the academy model. The original basis of this study was to analyze student achievement and engagement between the different academies within MNPS high schools. However, as the study proceeded with data analysis, a need for baseline data became evident due to lack of completion during the initial five years of the transition to the academy model. </p><p> The findings show with regard to student achievement that 50% of schools across the nation are scoring better than MNPS on the national percentiles for the PLAN ACT. The researchers chose to use PLAN ACT instead of ACT with regard to student achievement because it is a better predictor of student achievement for the purpose of this study. It can be concluded from the research that females had higher graduation rates overall. </p><p> With regard to student engagement, it can also be concluded that attendance rates among all twelve academies were over 85%. When disaggregated by ethnic groups in the sample it was found that all had at or above a 90% attendance rate. The researchers also drew the conclusion that there was a disparity between the ratios of in-school suspensions (ISS) and out-of-school suspensions (OSS). This could possibly suggest inconsistency in how these discipline measures were implemented across MNPS academies.</p>

<p>Detracking is an often misunderstood and ill-characterized education reform movement in the United States. Yet, as public educational spaces become more diverse, the relevance of detracking as a viable solution increases. However, secondary education teachers today are often ill-prepared to implement detracking. The purpose of this study was to better understand how secondary education social studies teachers develop perceptions of detracking. In this study, I collected four secondary education social studies teachers&rsquo; life stories. These life stories were synthesized into case study narratives and a cross case analysis to understand how these teachers developed perceptions of detracking. I found a teacher&rsquo;s orientation towards social studies influenced their perceptions of detracking, but was limited by external factors such as training in heterogeneous instruction, misconceptions of detracking, and critical reflection. I also reaffirmed detracking as a complex/complicated concept and call to the field of education to expand discipline specific critical reflection and training in heterogeneous instruction. </p><p> <i>Keywords:</i> Detracking, Social Studies, Secondary Education, and Narrative Inquiry </p>

<p> This study explored the opinions of teachers regarding use and effectiveness in the use of graphic organizers in their classroom instruction. Data collection and analyses sought to determine if participating teachers used graphic organizers in their classrooms and how effective teachers perceived graphic organizers to be in the areas of English/language arts, social studies, science, and math. </p><p> A descriptive statistical study was conducted using a survey emailed nationwide. Quantitative methods of data collection, including a questionnaire, were used to gauge teachers' attitudes and uses of graphic organizers in their classrooms. The majority of teachers surveyed indicated they were aware of graphic organizer use and effectiveness in the classroom. Future research topics and recommendations were summarized regarding the use of graphic organizers by teachers in the high school content classrooms.</p>

<p> The increased availability of technology in Western culture has resulted in an increased use of technology among adolescents in both academic and personal settings. In the U.S., adolescents use technology to communicate, access information, create and distribute products on a daily basis. More importantly, this increase in technology has resulted in many more reasons and opportunities to read. It is unclear, however if increased reading in these new digital modes are related to increased scores on traditional academic assessments. This study used an archival data set to investigate relationships that existed among self-reported reading frequencies in different modes and contexts and scores on a high-stakes assessment for students in an urban, high-needs district in the Northeast (N = 232). The relationship of frequencies of reading in four settings; Academic Print, Academic Digital, Recreation Print and Recreation Digital, to student scores on high-stakes, eighth grade ELA assessment was investigated using hierarchical regression analyses. In addition, alternate methods of quantifying survey responses were studied. The study found that student frequency of reading in Recreation Print and Recreation Digital modes were predictive of high-stakes ELA scores; however, frequency of reading in the modes and settings of Academic Print and Academic Digital were not predictive. Gender differences were found; two different predictive models were required when looking at the predictive value of reading frequencies on ELA outcomes males and females. Suggestions are given for developing or adapting alternative survey values in order to analyze archival data. In addition, further research into the nature of engagement in different modes of reading and consideration for individual differences in reading, specifically by gender is discussed. Suggestions also address the need for research on digital modes of reading and academic outcomes as the availability of digital material increases.</p>

<p> This action research study investigated the effectiveness and impact of instructional uses of computer gaming on student comprehension of major themes and concepts in United States history. A concurrent embedded experimental mixed method design (Creswell, 2009; Creswell &amp; Plano Clark, 2007; Greene &amp; Caracelli, 1997) was used to determine what impact gameplay has upon student learning as well as student perceptions of the gaming experience upon their learning using Sid Meier's <i>Civilization IV: Colonization</i> in an eleventh grade high school United States History class. This study addressed key issues concerning computer gameplay in an educational setting, asking what impact does computer gameplay have on student understanding and academic performance, and what impact does social interaction surrounding computer gameplay have upon student understanding of content. The quantitative phase of this study focused on the relationship between computer games and academic performance. The qualitative phase of the study focused on student understanding and comprehension of historical content, perceptions of computer gameplay and the social interaction surrounding gameplay. </p><p> Students were randomly assigned to one of two classes: one class engaged in gameplay utilizing <i>Civilization IV: Colonization</i> and served as the experimental group, the other class engaged in traditional research and served as the control group. Quantitative data was collected from a pretest administered at the beginning of the semester as well as a posttest administered at the end of the semester. Additional quantitative data was collected from term project presentation grades from both groups at the end of the semester. Scores from the pretest/posttest and student presentations were analyzed to determine if there was a significant difference in learning between the two groups. </p><p> Qualitative data was collected at multiple points throughout the study from the experimental group utilizing observation, teacher-researcher reflections, individual interviews, focus group interview, and student data sheets to explore student understanding of the exploration and colonization of North America as well as perceptions of the gaming experience. The qualitative data was analyzed to inform and better understand the impact of computer gaming on student learning. </p><p> The findings of this study indicated students who engaged in gameplay with <i>Civilization IV: Colonization</i> scored significantly higher on the postest and presentation scores as well as developed a deeper understanding of major themes, concepts and content in United States History than students who conducted traditional research. The findings of this study also supported and built upon previous research concerning computer game-based learning, specifically within social studies education, as well as addressed a specific void in the research &ndash; what impact does computer game-based learning have upon student academic performance?</p>

Proefschrift--Amsterdam. / "Stellingen" ([3] p.) laid in, at end. "Lijst van aangehaalde werken": p. [241]-244.