The problem. Teachers have been given responsibility for providing the academic, social and vocational education necessary for students to function as whole and healthy citizens in society. In the United States, public schooling has stood at the center of viable democratic processes. This study examines the extent to which one large, urban school district with a multicultural population, provides multicultural educational opportunities to classroom teachers. Scope of study. The primary questions this study seeks to address include: (1) What multicultural staff development opportunities are available to teachers in the District of Columbia school system? (2) Are teachers given release times to participate in multicultural staff development training? (3) What incentives are provided to encourage teachers to participate in multicultural staff development training? and (4) What resources have been made available to assist teachers with training and development in multicultural education? Chapter one outlines the statement and background of the research topic and research questions. The significance of the study and study's assumptions and limitations are described. In addition, definitions of the key terms used in the study are provided. Chapter two provides a review of the literature on multicultural education. Research on teacher education and staff development and multicultural curriculum development is also reviewed. Chapter three outlines the research design. This includes a description of the data collection and analysis procedure, the population of the study and the methodology used in the data analysis. Chapter four presents the study's findings and chapter five provides a summary of the conclusions, implications and recommendations of the study. Method. A six-point Likert type scale questionnaire consisting of 27 items was designed to measure four categories related to multicultural education training and development opportunities for middle school teachers in three randomly selected middle schools. Subsequently, a total of 57 out of 65 respondents returned questionnaires. In conclusion, an overall review of the qualitative data reveals the level and frequency of participation of middle school classroom teachers within three randomly selected middle schools in multicultural staff development activities. Further, the analysis of the data will serve as a guide for subsequent planning with system-wide training.

To meet the affective and cognitive needs of adolescents and to choose appropriate teaching strategies it is necessary for teachers to be able to diagnose these needs. This feasibility study investigates the Developmental Assessment Paradigm (DA) as a tool to enable teachers to diagnose their students' cognitive and affective levels. The paradigm is based on the model of Developmental Assessment created by Ivey (1986) and researched by Rigazio-DiGilio (1989), Bradford Ivey (1990) and Gonclaves (1988). Ivey's research demonstrated that counselors could learn to use DA effectively. A Pilot Study (Brodhead, 1988) found that it was possible, using DA, to identify different levels of cognitive and affective development within the dialogue of a sample of high school classrooms. This feasibility study evolved from these previous studies. The dissertation discusses the need for the diagnosis of developmental levels, it introduces developmental assessment as a diagnostic tool and describes the results of the pilot study and the design and results of the feasibility study. The review of the literature in Chapter II supports both the need for teachers to be able to diagnose their students' developmental levels and the potential of this diagnostic ability to enable teachers to choose effective and appropriate teaching techniques. To this end, the review develops a working definition of "effective schools" and "effective teachers", and examines paradigms that identify and define interpersonal skills. A small group of teachers participated in two training sessions, one week apart. Data from pre- and post-tests showed significant improvement in the participants' ability to recognize DA levels in sample statements of high school students' dialogue. On their evaluation forms, the participants expressed their belief in the value of DA as a diagnostic technique and suggested strategies for implementation in their classrooms. Discussion during the sessions indicated they were able to identify DA levels using transcribed dialogue from their own classrooms. The results of this study indicated that these teachers were able to significantly improve their ability to recognize levels of DA in samples of students' dialogue and in dialogue from their own classrooms. Further study with a larger sample was recommended.

The purpose of the present study was to explore teachers’ orchestration of the class communication during teaching and to show whether the communication can be explained by frame factors. This study is a multiple case study of two physics teachers – one public and one private school teacher - using observational and interview data to illustrate and analyze their communication/talk process in the classroom. Implications are drawn for the way that they develop dialogue, which is further explored in regards to identified frame factors. Data collection was complemented with field notes and audio-recordings. The observations served for identifying the communication process. Interviews were used to develop the understanding of the teacher’s background and their beliefs on teaching for further strengthening the evidence for the findings. Transcripts were developed for detailed qualitative analysis of selected episodes of their communicative approaches.Concepts and theories on the importance of the communication process for reflective thinking and a learner-centered classroom along with the frame factors theory aid the construction of the research and are linked to the findings.The study provides insight on the frequency of elicitation of dialogic communication encouraging of reflective thought occurring at recurrent rate by the private school teacher during lecturing. The findings showed that frame factors steering the two teacher’s elicitation of communication were the curriculum, the teachers’ educational opportunities, external support and their ideologies. Findings suggest that reverting the teachers discourse fully towards an environment of dialogic communication encouraging of reflective thought - an aim of the Kosovo Curriculums - require additional sustenance and a profounder inquiry of the influence of teachers ideologies and how it can be diminished. Furthermore, an assessment of the curriculums implementation in classrooms and its limiting aspect of providing dialogically organized instruction is necessary along with assessment of the trainings offered to teachers.

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1985. / Photocopy of tyepscript.

<p> The purpose of this project to was to 1) develop, 2) instruct, 3) evaluate, and 4) revise a 5^th-12^th grade fisheries conservation engineering outreach program entitled <i>Smart Fishing and the Bering Sea</i> (SFBS).</p><p> Fishery resources are important to Alaska and Alaskans, but present complex conservation challenges including user conflicts and concerns about unsustainable fishing practices. Increasing Alaska residents' environmental literacy will enhance natural resource management decisions regarding fisheries. The intent of the SFBS program is to introduce students to ecological and economical factors that drive conservation engineering in the Bering Sea pollock fishery. I instructed the SFBS program to 93 students from four different public and private institutions in Anchorage, Alaska. My observations and participants' pre- and post-program concept maps were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the SFBS curriculum. Participants gained content knowledge from this fishery outreach program about the Bering Sea and commercial fishing. Program evaluation analysis and results were used to revise the curriculum and make suggestions to SFBS stakeholders.</p>

The purpose of this study was to determine the fourteen pre-service mathematics teachers&rsquo / beliefs about mathematics and teaching and learning of mathematics, and their expectations and acquisitions of the Five Year Integrated Program in the Department of Secondary Science and Mathematics Education at Gazi University, Turkey, and the development in their beliefs during the last three semesters of the program. The data were collected through four longitudinal interviews from each participant. Data collection process began at the beginning of the spring semester of the 2002&ndash / 2003 academic year and ended at the end of spring semester of the 2003&ndash / 2004 academic year. The interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim to produce a complete record of the interviewees&rsquo / conversation. The findings that were gathered from analyses of individual interviews show that pre-service teachers came to teacher education programs with some beliefs about mathematics, and teaching and learning of it. The interviews have provided evidence that pre-service teachers seemed to develop some new beliefs about mathematics during the first 3.5 years of program, and that the courses of the last 1.5 years of the program improved and consolidated pre-service teachers&rsquo / attitudes towards and beliefs about mathematics, and beliefs about the teaching and learning of mathematics. The research findings lead to the conclusion that OFD406, OFD408, OFD509 and OFD501 courses were perceived as the most effective courses and OFD402, OFD410 and OFD507 courses were considered as the least effective courses of the program.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Waikato, 2009. / Title from PDF cover (viewed October 2, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p. 102-119)

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 232-243).

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1985. / Also available in print.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 232-243). Also available in print.