This study investigates a process of technological innovation in the classroom, and a range of related issues. It discusses the development of a technology-assisted tool, ThinkSpace, combining computer-based concept mapping and a wiki, aimed at facilitating collaborative and critical engagement with complex study material. The study adopts a design-based research approach in order to develop in tandem the technological implementation of the tool as well as the pedagogical practices for the use of the tool in the classroom. ThinkSpace was introduced into two schools where it was used by A-level history students. In close collaboration with the teachers practical uses for the tool were developed and implemented in the classroom. Data were collected through classroom observation, student and teacher interviews, as well as gathering evidence of students’ work with the tool. The thesis engages with questions of developing pedagogical practice to incorporate technological tools. It provides insights into the processes of working with teachers and students on collaborative innovation projects and the ways in which technology and pedagogy can gradually be aligned to achieve shifts in classroom practice. The project also investigates opportunities for developing productive uses of wikis and concept mapping in the classroom. The results of this study highlight the gradual and incremental nature of innovation in the classroom. The study concludes that innovation with tools such as ThinkSpace requires changes to deeply-seated learning practices, which are closely linked to student identity. If such practices are to be altered, it is necessary to think more carefully about supporting students through the pedagogical changes that some technological innovations endeavour to put into place. Possible ways of providing support in the processes of innovation were found in the present study through the scrutiny of the ways some students were beginning to appropriate the ThinkSpace tool. This suggested more targeted ways of encouraging conceptualisation and collaboration practices, which were the target of the innovation presented here.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the potential benefit of two hours of activities involving 2D and 3D fabricators on the spatial reasoning skills of children in Grades 4 and 5, ages 9 to 10, from a private school in Southeast Texas. Can the introduction to hands-on activities with products created with these devices and learning about how these devices operate improve spatial reasoning skills? The research also evaluates the use of the Shapes Test as a valid measure of the spatial reasoning skills of children. The Cube Design and Spatial Memory subtests of the UNIT (Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Tests) were used for evaluating the spatial reasoning skills of the participants, based on their respected validity, along with a Shapes Test that is in development. Discussion regarding gender, language, and experiential theories of spatial reasoning skill development are included in the literature review.

The purpose of this case study with supporting quantitative data was to investigate the influence of paired grouping on student participants' perceived attitudes toward technology, perceived proficiency with technology, and perceived technological knowledge after completing a required educational technology course. Additionally, student participants' perceptions regarding the use of paired grouping on their attitudes, proficiency, and technological knowledge with regard to technology was also investigated. To measure the difference between perceived attitudes toward technology, perceived proficiency with technology, and perceived technological knowledge after completing a required educational technology course, 83 student participants enrolled in a required educational technology course at a suburban midsized Gulf Coast University in the southern United States, completed the Attitude Toward Technology Scale (ATTS), Technology Proficiency Self-Assessment for 21st Century Learning (TPSA C21), and Technological Knowledge Tool (TK). Additionally, 24 student participants participated in semi-structured interviews.

Engineering Education experiences turbulent changes, both from government pressures and from industry demands on readdressing the requirements of graduate capability. Despite vast amounts of engineering literature discussing ‘change’ within the field, engineering curricula still maintains its predominant pedagogic model of dissemination to students as it did in previous decades. Technology Enhanced Learning in education has created new and flexible options in the delivery and assessment of teaching and learning, but uptake is limited and approached with caution within Engineering Education. This mixed methods research introduces an inclusive and innovative approach to Engineering Education assessment techniques utilising an integrated blended learning strategy to the implementation of Technology Enhanced Learning within engineering curriculums. The research explores and assesses the effectiveness of Technology Enhanced Learning and educational pedagogies within Engineering Education frameworks to enhance and develop student learning, digital literacy and employability. Preliminary research positioned the research, utilising observation and interview techniques to baseline current pedagogic practices in undergraduate Engineering Education against current literature. An alternative method of video assessment was implemented and embedded following a two year cycle of action research within a cohort of two undergraduate engineering modules. A prototype ‘toolkit’ was created using Xerte Online Toolkits (XOT) to facilitate student learning and support for the assessment. Additional techniques inside the cycles gained further qualitative and quantitative data via a survey and focus groups. Student learning and assessment results showed significant improvement following the introduction of this approach and validated the transferability of this technique into other educational disciplines. An industry based survey validated chosen research methods and provided a comparison of viewpoints on key issues surrounding Engineering Education against existing stakeholders. The research introduces a new innovative approach to Engineering Education utilising Technology Enhanced Learning, validated through positive industry feedback and student academic achievement and satisfaction. Significant improvements on student employability and engineering ‘soft skills’ are evidenced.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Curriculum & Instruction / M. Gail Shroyer / Home computer ownership and Internet access have become essential to education, job security and economic opportunity. The digital divide, the gap between those who can afford and can use computer technolgies remains greatest for ethnic/racial groups placing them at a disadvantage for economic and eductional opportunties. The purpose of the study was to gain understanding and insight into the sociocultural factors influencing the digital divide as related to Latinos as a group, specifically a group of non-traditional Latina pre-service teachers from Southwestern Kansas in a required online instructional media and technology course. The folowing sociocultural factors 1) generational status, 2) English language ability, 3) educational attainment, 4) socioeconomic status and 5) gender identity are defined and identified in relationship to the success of eight Latina non-traditional, pre-service teachers in a required online instructional media and technology course as a requirement in their pursuit of a degree in elementary education. Four of the five sociocultural factors explored in this study; generational status, educational attainment, socioeconomic status, and gender roles appeared to influence the success of Hispanic, non-traditional pre-service teachers enrolled in the required online instructional media and technology course. Only one of the factors, English language ability, did not appear to have any direct influence on the success of these particular students. Although many of the students struggled with conventional use of English and this undoubtedly influenced their success in other courses, it did not inhibit their success in the on-line media and technology course. Participants were most expressive in their personal interviews about the influence of gender roles, both as a motivator and an inhibitor of success. These sociocultural factors also influence one another, particularly as generational status influences, English language ability, educational attainment, gender roles, and ultimately socioeconomic status. Socioeconomic status, in turn, highly influences computer ownership and Internet access which leads to reduced familiarity with computer and technology terminology, prior experience with computers, and the participant’s perceived self-efficacy in using computer technology for teaching. These factors all then influence the digital divide and the gaps that exist between Hispanics and other racial / ethnic groups.

For the past forty years, alternative methods and techniques have been researched and developed in light of reducing the burgeoning knowledge and memory requirements of individual workers. One such method is reliance on print-based job aids designed to reduce the amount of complex information that would otherwise be stored in working memory. Job aids are particularly useful where the transfer of skills and knowledge is critical, especially in high-risk industries, those industries in which task error can have serious consequences to property, environment, and life. This study focused attention on one specific format of job aids--the checklist. / Checklists are an invaluable resource and a virtual necessity in the aircraft cockpit. Paper checklists are commonly used in the aircraft cockpit for many of the normal and emergency flight procedures. Yet, there is contention within the aviation industry that checklists contain design flaws, are often misused, and sometimes ignored (Degani & Wiener, 1990, 1991; Turner & Huntley, 1991). / The question the aviation industry and governmental regulators must confront is whether the current design of checklists is a problem. Degani and Wiener (1990) and Turner and Huntley (1991) contend that traditional flight-deck checklist design and some of the checklist concepts in the aviation industry do contain problems. A model that would provide specific guidelines for aviation training personnel on the optimal methods for identifying the good characteristics of a checklist would provide a way to fulfill this need and at the same time address the problem. The model would assume that the checklist has already been developed and would evaluate it based on its content and characteristics. Therefore, the purpose of this study's model is to determine if the checklist contains the characteristics of a good checklist. / The intent of this study was to (a) document the practices and procedures that guide the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of checklists and job aids in some of the major airlines, and (b) to develop and field test a model for evaluating aircrew checklists. / A three phase development and validation approach was used in this study that included: (a) an analysis of the current status of aircrew checklist development in the aviation industry, (b) development of a model and job aid for evaluating aircrew checklists, and (c) validation of the model and job aid. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-10, Section: A, page: 3424. / Major Professor: David F. Salisbury. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1992.

A inclusão de História da Contabilidade na formação do contador é frequentemente ignorada nos cursos superiores de Ciências Contábeis, dado seu viés tecnicista, o que contribui para que tal profissional seja visto como um mero técnico, em vez de um indutor de mudança social. Essa pesquisa visou favorecer a disseminação de conhecimentos relacionados à História da Contabilidade, a fim de fornecer subsídios para a reflexão sobre o mito da neutralidade contábil. Para tanto, desenvolvemos o jogo digital Deborah Game, que foi integrado ao curso de História da Contabilidade, disponibilizado em duas plataformas online (Coursera e Moodle), utilizado como tratamento experimental em três turmas durante o ano de 2015. Os participantes responderam a um pré e a um pós-teste, por meio dos quais verificamos que a aprendizagem de aspectos históricos da Contabilidade afeta o posicionamento do indivíduo com relação ao mito da neutralidade da Contabilidade. Assim, fornecemos subsídio para a recomendação de eliminação do mito da neutralidade na Estrutura Conceitual para Elaboração e Divulgação de Relatório Contábil-Financeiro e equivalente internacional, Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting. / Accountants not rarely are seen as mere technical professionals rather than as social changers. This stereotype tends to be reinforced since colleges usually ignore Accounting History as a component in their Accounting courses. We aimed to disseminate Accounting History content in order to provoke critical reflection on the accounting neutrality myth. So, we have developed Deborah Game, a serious game which was part of the Accounting History course on Coursera and Moodle online platforms, used as experimental treatment in three groups in 2015. Participants have answered a pre and post-test which enabled us to check that learning historical aspects of Accounting impacts subject positioning regarding accounting neutrality myth. Thus, we provide subsidies to recommend eliminating the statement that accounting information is neutral from the Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting and its Brazilian correspondent norm.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department Not Listed / Kenneth F. Hughey / As higher education continues to integrate technology, the counselor education field has evolved and recognized the importance of graduate students’ attitudes towards technology acceptance of a wide array of technology in their training programs (Burt, Gonzalez, Swank, Ascher, & Cunningham, 2011; Kennedy, 2011; Orr, 2011; Sabella, Poynton, & Isaacs, 2010; Tyler & Sabella, 2004). This study examined the attitudes of counselor education graduate students in CACREP-accredited program towards technology acceptance using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as the theoretical framework for the study. In particular, the purpose of this study was to better understand counselor education graduate students’ attitudes towards technology acceptance as it relates to perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, technology self-efficacy, and technology anxiety. Participants in the study were 107 graduate students who were enrolled in Fall 2018 at 10 Midwest CACREP-accredited counselor education programs. Data were gathered by an online survey consisting of a demographic questionnaire and four instruments (Technology Acceptance Model Scales, Media and Technology Usage and Attitudes Scale, Technology Self-efficacy Scale, and Technology Anxiety Scale). The results of the hierarchical regression analysis for each of the research questions revealed several significant findings regarding graduate students’ attitudes towards use of technology. For the first research question, perceived ease of use was predicted by technology self-efficacy and technology anxiety. The results indicated perceived ease of use was influenced positively by technology self-efficacy and negatively by technology anxiety. For the second research question, perceived usefulness was predicted by technology self-efficacy and technology anxiety. The results indicated perceived usefulness was influenced positively by technology self-efficacy and negatively by technology anxiety. For the third research question, counselor education graduate students’ attitudes towards the use of technology was predicted by perceived usefulness. In addition, this study found a strong positive relationship between perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness likely due to multicollinearity. Technology plays an increasing role in counselor education programs. Findings from this study provide important information for counselor education programs to consider regarding graduate students’ attitudes towards the use of technology.

A inclusão de História da Contabilidade na formação do contador é frequentemente ignorada nos cursos superiores de Ciências Contábeis, dado seu viés tecnicista, o que contribui para que tal profissional seja visto como um mero técnico, em vez de um indutor de mudança social. Essa pesquisa visou favorecer a disseminação de conhecimentos relacionados à História da Contabilidade, a fim de fornecer subsídios para a reflexão sobre o mito da neutralidade contábil. Para tanto, desenvolvemos o jogo digital Deborah Game, que foi integrado ao curso de História da Contabilidade, disponibilizado em duas plataformas online (Coursera e Moodle), utilizado como tratamento experimental em três turmas durante o ano de 2015. Os participantes responderam a um pré e a um pós-teste, por meio dos quais verificamos que a aprendizagem de aspectos históricos da Contabilidade afeta o posicionamento do indivíduo com relação ao mito da neutralidade da Contabilidade. Assim, fornecemos subsídio para a recomendação de eliminação do mito da neutralidade na Estrutura Conceitual para Elaboração e Divulgação de Relatório Contábil-Financeiro e equivalente internacional, Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting. / Accountants not rarely are seen as mere technical professionals rather than as social changers. This stereotype tends to be reinforced since colleges usually ignore Accounting History as a component in their Accounting courses. We aimed to disseminate Accounting History content in order to provoke critical reflection on the accounting neutrality myth. So, we have developed Deborah Game, a serious game which was part of the Accounting History course on Coursera and Moodle online platforms, used as experimental treatment in three groups in 2015. Participants have answered a pre and post-test which enabled us to check that learning historical aspects of Accounting impacts subject positioning regarding accounting neutrality myth. Thus, we provide subsidies to recommend eliminating the statement that accounting information is neutral from the Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting and its Brazilian correspondent norm.

This study examined the perceptions of the Students and the Teachers of METU Development Foundation Schools about the use of e-learning / sharing portal technology in their educational activities. Their perceptions were investigated in terms of three aspects: effects of the use of this technology on their perceived motivation, the perceived usefulness and the perceived ease of use of this technology. A central server was installed for setting up an e-learning / sharing portal environment. Microsoft SharePoint, which is a Sharing Portal Software, was used to access to the central server. The study was conducted in the form of action research. The data were collected from 6th and 7th grade students of METU Development Foundation Schools by using a questionnaire. Also, interviews were conducted with the teachers. Descriptive statistics, frequency distributions and descriptive analysis methods were used to analyze the results. The findings of the study indicated that the students and the teachers perceived that e-learning / sharing portal technology is a useful and also easy to use technology. It was found out that the students and the teachers are satisfied with advantages of the use of this new technology in their learning environment. In the same way, the teachers and the students stated that using the system effected students&rsquo / perceived motivation towards the educational activities in a positive way.