<p> This study investigates the development of flexibility and reversibility in a calculus environment that attends to linking multiple representations. Reversibility was studied through Krutetskii&rsquo;s framework of reversibility of two-way processes and reversibility of the mental process in reasoning. The study was conducted over approximately four months in a high school calculus classroom in an urban school district in a mid-Atlantic state. Instruction attended to linking multiple representations whenever possible. Four types of data were collected: 1) a pre-test, 2) a post-test, 3) daily assessments, and 4) clinical interviews. Twenty-one students completed a pretest and post-test that together assessed development of flexibility over the course of the study. They also completed daily assessments that were collected to provide evidence of the development of reversibility during the course of the study. Six students participated in four clinical interviews each, spread throughout the study. Inferential statistics were used to compare the results of the pre-test and post-test for significant differences and to determine significant differences in the presence of reversibility on the daily assessments over the course of the study. The clinical interviews were analyzed for evidence of students&rsquo; thought processes while solving reversible questions. Analysis revealed that over the course of the study, students demonstrated significant increases in both flexibility and reversibility. Two-way reversibility seemed to develop with relative ease for most students and often developed simultaneously with learning a forward process. Developing reversibility of the mental process in reasoning was difficult and tended to develop simultaneously with learning in a forward direction for students with high levels of flexibility. For students who did not develop reversibility simultaneously with forward learning, both two-way reversibility and reversibility of the mental process in reasoning were able to develop through multiple opportunities to solve reversible tasks of similar content. Analysis of the clinical interviews indicated that students typically followed a 4-step thought process when using reversibility to solve problems. Implications and limitations of the study and areas of further research were discussed.</p>

<p> In a school district, teachers and administrators found that students lacked the academic technology immersion necessary to ensure their technological preparation for the 21st century. Professional development was offered to prepare teachers to integrate 21st century technology into their instruction; however, teachers were not fully implementing technology. Administrators and stakeholders have indicated concern. The purpose of this study was to explore whether professional development was effective in increasing teachers' capacity to integrate student-directed technology into instruction. The study, guided by Prensky's transformation and Siemen's connectiveness theories, indicated that technology immersion was necessary within schools. The overarching research questions explored the extent to which technology-based professional development experiences have most directly affected the integration of technology into the classroom. The research design was a qualitative explorative study comparing archival teacher learning logs of 15 teachers from 5 high schools with 2 questionnaires. The narrative findings from the learning logs were cross-checked through triangulation with the percentage data from a Likert-type scale and questionnaire to determine accuracy and reliability. Data indicated that professional development increased technology integration in a moderate way, whereas comprehensive integration will better prepare students for the future. The purpose of the white paper report was to encourage stakeholders to collaboratively discuss the needs of teachers and review strategies to meet the 21st century technology skills of students. Implications for social change are that high school stakeholders who read this white paper may be prompted to discuss options to equip students to use 21st century skills to address personal, local, and world issues.</p>

<p> The focus of this study was to examine a high school online learning experience. This study used Hattie's (2009, 2012, 2014) four levels of feedback to determine the most frequent levels of feedback provided to online learners. This study also determined if a correlation existed between students' perceptions of the amounts and levels of feedback they received from their instructor and overall course satisfaction. The four overarching questions addressed in this study were as follows: What levels of feedback (task, process, self-regulation, personal) are an online teacher using when responding to student work? At what level are students satisfied with the quality and quantity of feedback they are receiving from their online teacher? At what level are students satisfied with the online course? What correlation exists between satisfaction with feedback quality and quantity and overall course satisfaction? This study yielded findings that most online teachers in this particular high school online learning program provided the lowest levels of feedback: level one (task) and level four (personal). This study also showed a positive correlation at a statistically significant level between students' perceptions of the <i> amount</i> of feedback they receive and overall course satisfaction, as well as a positive correlation at a statistically significant level between students' perceptions of the <i>levels</i> of feedback received and overall course satisfaction. This study revealed there was a stronger correlation between students' perceptions of the <i>amount</i> of feedback they received and overall course satisfaction than the <i>level </i> of feedback they received. Overall, it was determined there is a need for continued professional development in the area of navigating between different feedback levels.</p>

There is no abstract available for this thesis.

<p> This project examined the college-going culture at David Starr Jordan High School, an urban high school in North Long Beach, California. Drawing from two conceptual frameworks, Joyce Epstein's six elements of school-family-community partnerships and Patricia McDonough's nine elements of a college:.going culture, a new conceptual framework was developed: school-family-community partnership collegegoing culture. This new conceptual framework emphasizes the three C's: (a) communication, (b) college-information, and (c) collaboration, bridging schoolfamily- community partnerships and college-going culture. </p><p> To increase the college-going rate at David Starr Jordan High School, two community events were implemented at the school utilizing this new conceptual framework-providing a link between theory and practice. As a result, the project helped build school-family-community alliance, disseminated college information to students and families to debunk myths about college-related options, and promoted David Starr Jordan High School as a safe and caring high school. </p>

<p> Principal leadership is crucial to the success of a high school character education initiative. The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory research was to identify the roles and effective practices that high school principals utilize in developing, implementing, and sustaining a high functioning character education program. Fourteen high school principals from around the country, representing different schools, were interviewed one-on-one through Skype, Google Hangout, or by telephone. Data were collected during these one-on-one semi-structured interviews and analyzed through three separate coding procedures: (a) open coding, (b) axial coding, and (c) selective coding. Open coding analyzed the concepts emerging from the interview data and relationships among the concepts were revealed. Six categories emerged from the data: (a) Cultural Engineer, (b) Plate Peddler, (c) Collaborative Leader, (d) Reflective Leader, (e) Moral Leader, and (f) Champion. Data were decontextualized and microanalyzed in relation to the categories through axial coding procedures. The axial coding process revealed interrelationships between the data that were not initially evident. Selective coding, the final stage of the coding process, was applied to the data and focused on a macroanalysis that was provided in an explanatory narrative. The narrative synthesized the relationships that emerged from the data around a core category&mdash;"Principal Leadership in a Character Education Program." The narrative report described the basis of the study's findings and explored the interrelationships between the categories. </p><p> The first finding from this study outlines the roles high school principals play in the phases of a character education initiative&mdash;development, implement, and sustainment. Throughout these three phases a high school principal plays a combination of the roles of: (a) Cultural Engineer, (b) Plate Peddler, (c) Collaborative Leader, (d) Reflective Leader, (e) Moral Leader, and (f) Champion. The second finding describes the various exceptional practices of principals in a high school character education initiative that are exercised during the three phases. The third finding reveals and describes a detailed timeline in developing, implementing, and sustaining a character education initiative. The timeline outlines the roles and exceptional practices that are utilized at the different phases to ensure the sustainability of the character education initiative.</p>

<p> Test-driven development is a style of software development that emphasizes writing tests first and running them frequently with the aid of automated testing tools. This development style is widely used in the software development industry to improve the rate of development while reducing software defects. Some computer science educators are adopting the test-driven development approach to help improve student understanding and performance on programming projects. Several studies have examined the benefits of teaching test-driven programming techniques to undergraduate student programmers, with generally positive results. However, the usage of test-driven learning at the high school level has not been studied to the same extent. This thesis investigates the use of test-driven learning in high school computer science classes and whether test-driven learning provides benefits for high school as well as college students.</p>

<p> The number of college students choosing to major in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in the United States affects the size and quality of the American workforce (Winters, 2009). The number of graduates in these academic fields has been on the decline in the United States since the 1960s, which, according to Lips and McNeil (2009), has resulted in a diminished ability of the United States to compete in science and engineering on the world stage. The purpose of this research was to learn why students chose a STEM major and determine what decision criteria influenced this decision. According to Ajzen's (1991) theory of planned behavior (TPB), the key components of decision-making can be quantified and used as predictors of behavior. In this study the STEM majors' decision criteria were compared between different institution types (two-year, public four-year, and private four-year), and between demographic groups (age and sex). Career, grade, intrinsic, self-efficacy, and self-determination were reported as motivational factors by a majority of science majors participating in this study. Few students reported being influenced by friends and family when deciding to major in science. Science students overwhelmingly attributed the desire to solve meaningful problems as central to their decision to major in science. A majority of students surveyed credited a teacher for influencing their desire to pursue science as a college major. This new information about the motivational construct of the studied group of science majors can be applied to the previously stated problem of not enough STEM majors in the American higher education system to provide workers required to fill the demand of a globally STEM-competitive United States (National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, &amp; Institute of Medicine, 2010)</p>

<p> This research project was a study that was based on a prior dissertation study that analyzed student success, as measured by achievement tests, within local communities with high poverty rates. Two Title 1 Reward high schools in the Phoenix area were examined through qualitative case studies to determine what had been implemented to help eliminate the perception of students coming from low income socio-economic backgrounds to achieve success on standardized tests. Five research questions were answered through classroom observation, interviews, and artifact collection and analysis to determine what efforts ensured student success. The aim of this dissertation study was to have provided other high schools whose student populations included low-socioeconomic backgrounds to implement and foster success for their students with possible replication. </p><p> Findings from this study included five research questions. Results from research question one outlined evidence that helped to explain how EHS was successful in helping their students be effective on standardized tests. Next, question two results exposed that EHS nurtured a culture of trust amongst teachers and administrators. Thirdly, question three illustrated for the reader more commonalities amongst the schools. Research question four results included that EHS and WHS worked hard to build student attitudes/attributes to have enjoyed success on standardized testing. Finally, question five results indicated that EHS used a shared leadership model having consisted of a principal, federal programs director, and counselor.</p>

This study examined the Kenyan Diversified Secondary School Curriculum (KDSSC) which was implemented in 1985. / Data were collected from twelve provincial secondary schools selected from urban, semi-urban and rural regions. Questionnaires were administered to Form three students, teachers and staff of the Kenya Institute of Education (KIE). Additional data were collected through interviews with the deputy Director of Education in charge of the implementation of 8-4-4, deputy Director of KIE and relevant official documents. / The findings indicate that KDSSC addresses the needs of national development and is influenced by human capital theory and the philosophy of African Socialism. / KDSSC is characterized by an academic orientation and the process of implementation is affected by conceptual and operational difficulties. Consequently, a state of distress is evident in schools. / Ultimately, the study concludes that the rationale for KDSSC reflects the prevailing will of policy-makers to ensure that desirable national development takes place in Kenya. However, KDSSC as currently structured is a limited strategy for meeting the needs of national development. / The study has implications for national development strategies, curriculum planning, teaching, and theory on educational innovations. Recommendations are made which may help shape future directions of KDSSC and national development strategies. Finally, areas for further research are proposed.