This study examined the effects of social relationships and individual differences in the forms of gender and temperament on kindergarten students' use of literate language. Literate language is defined as a specific oral language register. It was hypothesized that friend compared to non-friend context would elicit more literate language, or verbalizations indicative of reflection upon cognitive and linguistic processes. Same gender dyads of 64 kindergarteners were observed during their interactions about a story in friend and non-friend dyads, and measures of oral language were collected. The effects of peer relationships, gender, and temperament were analyzed on the measures of oral language including literate language, linguistic terms, cognitive terms, emotion terms, conflicts, and resolutions. By using within-subjects design, the same students were observed both in friends and nonfriends conditions. Children's oral language derived from their interactions during literacy writing sessions and play episodes. Furthermore, children's oral language measures were examined to determine the correlation between them and literacy measures. The research findings suggested that different peer relationships differentially affect children's interactions and early literacy. The differences were mostly favorable to the friends group as predicted. Both male and female students generated more linguistic terms and resolved more conflicts while interacting with friends. Furthermore, female friends used more emotion terms in friends condition than they did in nonfriends condition. Interestingly, however, male nonfriends outperformed male friends in the literate language measure, which is opposite to the prediction. Even though the literate language scores of children with inhibited temperament were higher in friends condition than that of in nonfriends condition, it was statistically not significant. It was concluded that interacting with friends facilitated the oral language use of kindergarten students. Interpretation of the results of the study was provided in light of previous research and theory. Implications of the study were also discussed along with suggestions for future research. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Elementary and Early Childhood Education in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Degree Awarded: Fall Semester, 2004. / Date of Defense: June 28, 2004. / Literate language, temperament, social context, peer relationships, early childhood / Includes bibliographical references. / Ithel Jones, Professor Directing Dissertation; Mary Frances Hanline, Outside Committee Member; Charles H. Wolfgang, Committee Member; Vickie E. Lake, Committee Member.

Using a mixed methods approach, the researcher examined the phenomenon of subject-matter preparation within the curricular framework of secondary English teacher programs by examining program structure, literature coursework, and teacher candidate reflections. In this inquiry, the researcher used a two-part lens to observe both macro and micro-level phenomena: first, by gaining a national perspective in regard to program structure in the area of literature preparation and course learning expectations, and second, by taking a closer, microscopic look at teacher candidates currently engaged in teaching literature during their final internships. From a social and political context, this research focuses on the issue of teacher preparation in regard to quality. From an educational perspective, it examines how we can better prepare teacher candidates to enter the teaching field. And from a researcher's viewpoint, it speaks to the major question of what the situation looks like within subject-matter preparation currently, and what types of programs encourage or inhibit the development of subject-matter expertise among secondary teacher candidates. Within a qualitative paradigm, the findings present a picture of what a typical pathway toward preparation might look like for a secondary teacher candidate at a large, doctoral-granting institution with a flexible literature curriculum. This study uses a grounded theory approach to explore what type of curricular context might aid or inhibit the development of subject-matter expertise within disciplinary preparation. It concludes with a discussion of implications and recommendations for teacher educators, professors of literature, and policymakers. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Middle and Secondary Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Degree Awarded: Summer 2008. / Date of Defense: June 20, 2008. / Subject-Matter Expertise, Teacher Preparation, Teacher Education, Disciplinary, Literature, Secondary English, Grounded Theory, Mixed Methods, Curriculum, Teacher Quality, Secondary English / Includes bibliographical references. / Sharilyn Steadman, Professor Directing Dissertation; Robert A. Schwartz, Outside Committee Member; Pamela Sissi Carroll, Committee Member; Kathleen Yancey, Committee Member.

Much research has been conducted about the philosophy and mathematical writings of René Descartes, but that which focuses on pedagogy does so in a holistic manner. The present study uses a systematic approach to identify pedagogical techniques within each sentence of Descartes' La Géométrie. Next, the study provides an analysis of La Géométrie based on the techniques identified, their frequencies, and patterns of use within the text. The results of this analysis indicate that Descartes placed a high value on the use of demonstration, particularly in conjunction with deductive reasoning and multiple representations; that Descartes believed his method of approaching mathematical problems was superior to other methods; and that Descartes was in fact concerned with whether his readers understood his ideas or not. / A Thesis submitted to the School of Teacher Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Degree Awarded: Fall Semester, 2010. / Date of Defense: October 13, 2010. / Mathematics, Mathematics Education, René Descartes La Géométrie, Pedagogical Techniques, History of Mathematics, Seventeenth Century Mathematics, Geometry, Analytic Geometry / Includes bibliographical references. / Kathleen M. Clark, Professor Directing Thesis; Elizabeth Jakubowski, Committee Member; Leslie Aspinwall, Committee Member.

This study examined the effect of guided questioning prompts within cooperative learning groups on group performance and individual achievement, self-regulation, and domain self-efficacy. In comparison to the less guided questioning prompts, the more guided questioning prompts would be used to facilitate reflection activities within a group, which would serve as a model for learners to incorporate such reflective activities into their individual self-regulation. It is anticipated that the development of individual self-regulation will increase domain-specific self-efficacy, and in turn, improve academic achievement. A pretest-posttest comparison group design was utilized in which 37 learners enrolled in two sections of a non-majors biology course at a Southeastern community college worked in cooperative learning groups of three to four learners. Over the course of four weeks, the cooperative learning groups were given either more guided questioning prompts (MGQP) or less guided questioning prompts (LGQP) to facilitate discussion about planning and monitoring group processes to create a group project of a presentation and paper. Pre- and post- intervention survey data were collected in regard to individual academic achievement, self-regulatory behaviors, and biology self-efficacy. This study did not find any quantitative support for the hypotheses and the qualitative data yielded mixed support for the hypotheses. Cooperative learning groups in the MGQP treatment level produced papers that appeared to be more collaborative and were more likely to mention specific activities that worked well during the process of developing the project. However, cooperative learning groups in the LGQP treatment level demonstrated less variance in their progress toward the project goal, especially during the meeting prior to project submission. In addition, members of the cooperative learning groups in the LGQP treatment level were more likely to mention the social aspects of the project, such as being committed to the group. The implications and limitations of this study are presented as well as recommendations for future research. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Degree Awarded: Summer Semester, 2007. / Date of Defense: April 17, 2007. / Questioning Prompts, Self-regulation, Self-efficacy, Guided Questioning, Science / Includes bibliographical references. / Walter W. Wager, Professor Directing Dissertation; Robert C. Reardon, Outside Committee Member; Marcy P. Driscoll, Committee Member; John M. Keller, Committee Member.

The purpose of this study was to discover how Minnesota's Department of Corrections, Making a Successful Transition: Adult Pre-Release Handbook (2005), and Indiana's Department of Corrections, Pre-Release Re-Entry Program Offender Handbook (2005a), curriculum designs promoted the correctional education goal of law-abiding citizenship of adult offenders, when examined through the lenses of the philosophical education orientations of Functionalism and Liberal/Enlightenment. The study included a review of the ideologies of punishment, correctional education, and the department of corrections pre-release handbooks from the states of Minnesota and Indiana. The methodology implemented was a mixed methods content analysis. The design focused on a sequential explanatory, symbolized as QUAN - qual. Quantitative content analysis was implemented with the software NUD*IST. Qualitative content analysis required preliminary human coding completed by the researcher. The quantitative constructs discussed and examined were curriculum design and law-abiding citizenship. Curriculum design was supported according to the Functionalist and the Liberal/Enlightenment philosophical education orientations. Law-abiding citizenship was supported by terms from Mann (1838), Wynne (1986), Lickona (1993), and Hopkins (2002), the U.S. Department of Education (2005), and the Josephson Institute of Ethics (2006). The quantitative constructs applied represented the Functionalism and Liberal/Enlightenment philosophical education orientations. There were three that embodied the Functionalism philosophical education orientation associated with Durkheim, (1933) and Roosevelt (New Deal Network, 2003). Also, there were three that characterized the Liberal/Enlightenment philosophical education orientation associated with Plato, (514-520) and Nussbaum (1997). The ideologies of punishment have shifted throughout time because of political, economical, and social reasons, and these shifts have affected correctional education. Correctional education has undergone many reforms, but no reforms pertained to curriculum design. The handbooks were tools designed to guide offenders upon release and aid in the promotion of law-abiding citizenship. These pre-release handbooks were one of many education programs that were to aid in reducing recidivism rates. Hence, the intent of this study was to promote a new area of correctional education research, which improves offenders' probabilities of becoming law-abiding citizens, public safety, and public order, thus assisting in reducing recidivism rates. The mixed methods content analysis design ascertained how promoted the correctional education goal of law-abiding citizenship of adult offenders, when looked through the lenses of the philosophical education orientations of Functionalism and Liberal/Enlightenment. The results revealed that both Minnesota's and Indiana's DOC pre-release handbook incorporated the traditional and concept-based curriculum designs in the initial quantitative methods. This was achieved using the terminology according to the constructs curriculum design and law-abiding citizenship. For instance, terms that represented the traditional curriculum in the Minnesota DOC pre-release handbook showed that term ORDER #2 was applied 28 out of 33 times. As well, in the Indiana DOC pre-release handbook EDUCATION was applied 15 out of 28 times. The terms that represented the concept-based curriculum in the Minnesota DOC pre-release handbook depicted that the term THINK #2 appeared and was applied all of 17 times. However, in Indiana's DOC pre-release handbook, THINK #2 appeared and was applied all 99 times. Also, these results supported that both pre-release handbooks were comprised of the Functionalism and Liberal/Enlightenment philosophical orientations. As well, the data divulged that the pre-release handbooks promoted the correctional educational goal of law-abiding citizenship. This was shown through the use of the term RESPONSIBILITY, which appeared and was applied to the study all of 16 times in the Minnesota DOC pre-release handbook. Similarly, RESPONSIBILITY appeared 16 of 17 times in Indiana's DOC pre-release handbook. However, further inquiry was needed because the data did not definitively answer the research questions. The qualitative methods provided the confirmation that was required to answer the research questions. This was accomplished when the constructs from the functionalism philosophical education orientation and the Liberal/Enlightenment philosophical education orientation were applied to both pre-release handbooks. The results were blended with the quantitative results reaffirming that the pre-release handbooks consisted of both the traditional and concept-based curriculum designs, supported by the Functionalism and Liberal/Enlightenment philosophical orientations. Moreover, verifying that the pre-release handbooks promoted the correctional educational goal of which law-abiding citizenship. Incidentally, the study revealed that Minnesota's and Indiana's Department of Corrections pre-release handbook support their state's mission statement in both of the quantitative and qualitative techniques. Also, both pre-release handbooks were developed to meet the objectives and needs of society (Chapman, 2002). Hence, the goal of correctional education was to release law-abiding citizens from prisons (Bosworth, 2002), and thereby enhanced the "social order and public safety" of society which was a basic principle of corrections (American Correctional Association, 1986, p. 58). / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Degree Awarded:Summer Semester, 2007. / Date of Defense: May 17, 2007. / Quantitative, Ideologies of Punishment and Correctional EDU, Minnesota Department of Corrections, Indiana Department of Corrections, Self-Examination, Critical Thinking, Abilities and Opportunities, Thinking Freely, Corrections, Social Solidarity, Qualitative, Mission Statement, Social Laws and Roles, Adult Learners, Learning Disabilities, Law-Abiding Citizenship / Includes bibliographical references. / Jeffrey S. Brooks, Professor Directing Dissertation; Thomas Ratliffe, Outside Committee Member; Laura Lang, Committee Member; Robert A. Schwartz, Committee Member.

Community schools are alternative education strategies hailed in some circles as successful educational development endeavors. In Mali, support for community schools began in 1992 using nonformal education strategies to engage rural Malians in a three-year endeavor to provide literacy, numeracy, vocational, and life skills to children in rural areas with limited access to formal schools. Today there are over 1700 community schools in Mali offering the full primary cycle. This study examines community schools in Mali from multiple standpoints to analyze various stakeholder understandings of and experiences with them from three separate, yet overlapping levels: international, national, and local. What are the notions and practices regarding community schools at each level? Where do opinions of community schools converge and what are the differences in opinion at the various levels? The community schools in Mali, in this study supported with the assistance of Save the Children/USA, serve as a case study to present an embedded and layered analysis of the various viewpoints attributed to community schools by different stakeholders. The study includes an overview and examination of the nature and history of community schools in Mali based on analytical document reviews and field research done during the 1999-2000 academic year. Interpretive frameworks are considered to analyze why community schools are popular educational development strategies. The research contributes to a more integrated understanding of uses of and perceptions regarding community schools in Mali. At different levels diverse experiences exist regarding community schools. Results from the study include that communication between stakeholders at various levels is often challenging, that different ideas exist about what constitutes a "community" school, and that there is both harmony and disharmony in opinion regarding the direction of the community schools, particularly when referring to their ability to serve local versus national and international needs. Though community schools offer educational opportunities to marginalized children in Mali, there is debate over their purpose and ability to contribute to social change and development in rural, undeveloped areas. Paradoxically, though hailed for their "alternative" nature, community schools more often serve "traditional" education efforts and the international goal of achieving "education for all." / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Degree Awarded: Summer Semester, 2004. / Date of Defense: April 6, 2004. / Alternative Education, Mali, Community Schools, International Development Education / Includes bibliographical references. / Karen Monkman, Professor Directing Dissertation; Rebecca Miles, Outside Committee Member; Peter Easton, Committee Member.

This study explored factors that may influence the attitudes towards information and communication technology (ICT) by Jordanian teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL). This study replicated research with extension by Albirini (2004), who explored attitudes ICT among teachers of EFL in Syria. This study's focus was ICT use among EFL teachers in Jordan. The Diffusion of Innovations (Rogers, 1995), and the theoretical relationship between attitudes and behavior posed by the Theory of Reasoned Action (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980) served as a theoretical framework. A multi-sections survey in Arabic language was administered to the EFL teachers in the first and second districts of the capital city of Jordan, Amman for the scholastic year 2005-2006. A random sample of 363 was utilized. The data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The study showed that Jordanian EFL teachers have positive attitudes towards ICT. Jordanian EFL teachers' perceptions of ICT perceptions from highest to lowest in mean scores were: observability, relative advantage, complexity, and compatibility. Jordanian EFL teachers have moderate positive cultural perceptions of ICT. Jordanian EFL teachers have a moderate computer competence and have a high access to ICT. Also, Jordanian EFL teachers' access to ICT was higher than Syrian EFL teachers. However, the location of access was different: in Jordan, school was the place where most Jordanian EFL teachers have access while home was the place that most Syrian EFL used. It was also found that Age and teaching experience had a negative correlation with attitudes, whereas qualification had a positive correlation with attitudes. There was a weak positive correlation between training and attitudes. Type of training, obtaining an ICDL Certificate, and length of training were explored. Gender, teaching methods, and Grade level were found not significantly correlated with attitudes towards ICT. 64% of the total variance in Jordanian EFL teachers' attitudes towards ICT was explained by the four main independent variables of the study: attributes cultural perceptions, competence, and access. More studies are needed to add to EFL instruction and ICT integration in the Arab region. Future qualitative studies are needed to provide deeper insight. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Middle and Secondary Education in partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Degree Awarded: Fall Semester, 2006. / Date of Defense: August 14, 2006. / Computer attitudes and language use, ICT and Teachers, English language and technology / Includes bibliographical references. / Deborah Hasson, Professor Directing Dissertation; Barbara Palmer, Outside Committee Member; Pamela Carroll, Committee Member; Angela Lupo-Anderson, Committee Member.

In this study, undergraduate students majoring in business (n = 124) were asked to examine then rate the overall strength of a job applicant's qualifications. The main thrust of this investigation was to examine the association between job applicant disability status and the strength of rating given the job applicant for employment. Three focal areas comprised this study. The first examined the impact of (a) disability status of the job applicant, (b) attitudes of the participants toward people with a disability, and (c) prior contact with people having a disability on the hiring decisions of the participants. The second focal area examined the extent to which the association between the job applicant's disability status and strength of rating given the applicant varied depending on the participants' (a) attitudes toward people with a disability and (b) extent of prior contact with disability. The third focal area examined the extent to which attitudes toward people with a disability may be influenced by a job applicant's disability status and whether attitudes toward people with a disability mediate the association between the job applicant's disability status and the strength of rating given the applicant for employment. The Attitude Toward Disabled Persons (ATDP) Scale, Form – O (Yuker, Block, & Campbell, 1960) provided a measure of attitudes. A six-point job applicant rating scale was used to measure the propensity for hiring the applicant. A four-point scale was adopted to provide a measure of prior contact with disability. The demographic factors of age, gender, and race/ethnicity were also incorporated into the analyses. The participants of the study were randomly assigned to one of two groups based on their class membership. One group of participants viewed a video depicting the job applicant sitting in a wheelchair when greeted by the interviewer while participants assigned to the second group viewed a video showing the job applicant walking when being greeted. Results of bivariate as well as multivariate analysis indicated that the participants in both groups comprising this study tended to rank both job applicants favorably without regard to their disability status. Ratings submitted by participants viewing the job applicant not in a wheelchair versus those viewing the job applicant in a wheelchair were 1.295 and 1.370 respectively (p = 0.6920). Multivariate analysis revealed that a significant amount of the variance in attitudes toward people with a disability was explained by the set of independent variables (R2 = 0.1459, p = 0.0092). The variance in attitudes toward people with a disability was explained primarily by disability status (â = 7.2895, p = 0.0011) and Hispanic ethnicity (â = 7.9547, p = 0.0241), with those viewing the job applicant in a wheelchair having more positive attitudes toward people with a disability than those viewing the job applicant not in a wheelchair, and those of Hispanic ethnicity having more positive attitudes toward people with a disability than whites. The implications for assessment and placement practices in the field of vocational rehabilitation have been provided as well as suggestions for future research. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Childhood Education, Reading, and Disability Services in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Degree Awarded: Summer Semester, 2005. / Date of Defense: June 28, 2005. / job applicant, employment, employer, hiring decisions, disability, attitudes / Includes bibliographical references. / Deborah J. Ebener, Professor Directing Dissertation; David A. Macpherson, Outside Committee Member; Bruce M. Menchetti, Committee Member.

The main purpose of this study was to explore how two ESL students who are exposed to the AES feedback as opposed to two who are presented the written TF incorporated the type of feedback they received into their drafts. The participants consisted of adult ESL students who were attending at the Intensive English Center at a university in North Florida. A class of 12 students was divided into two groups. Approximately half of the students were exposed to computerized feedback (AES group) and the other half received written feedback from the teacher (TF group). However, the focus of this study was four case study students (two from each group). The data were collected through various sources: a) diagnostic essays, b) student essays on five writing prompts (both first and subsequent drafts), c) analytic and/or holistic feedback that were assigned to the essays either by the MY Access!® program or by the teacher, d) demographic, computer literacy, and opinion surveys, e) student and teacher interviews, and f) classroom observations. The results of the study revealed that the nature of the AES feedback and written feedback was different from each other. While the written TF was shorter and more focused, the AES feedback was quite long and generic. The MY Access!® program provided extensive amount of feedback points on all five traits. The document (essay) analysis results revealed that the program suggested twice as many usable feedback points as written feedback points provided by the teacher. However, the students who were exposed to the MY Access!® program used only the half of the usable feedback points suggested. The results also showed that both feedback pairs were quite similar within pairs, and they were substantially different across pairs in terms of the feedback points they were suggested on five traits. Furthermore, while the extent to which each pair used the type of feedback they received in their drafts was quite similar within pairs for most traits, it varied dramatically across pairs for all prompts with the exception of the mechanics and conventions feedback. This study is unique because there has been no research published regarding the use of an AES system in an ESL classroom setting at the time of this study was being conducted. It is the only study that focused on the feedback capacities of an AES program rather than its scoring ability. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Middle and Secondary Education in partial fulfillment ofthe requirements for the degree of Doctor ofPhilosophy. / Degree A warded: Summer Semester, 2007. / Date of Defense: December 8, 2006. / Writing, Assessment, Technology, ESL / Includes bibliographical references. / Deborah Hasson, Professor Directing Dissertation; Allan Jeong, Outside Committee Member; Patrick Kennell, Committee Member; Susan Wood, Committee Member.

The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the extent, if any, of possible relationships between child (gender and race), family (birth order, parental age at child's birth, educational level, marital status, household income, and the biological father living in the home), teacher (proximity and perception), and classroom (global quality and location) variables and aggression (physical, relational, telling, and avoidance). Expulsions from preschool occur at an alarming rate due to aggressive acts in the classroom against peers and teachers. A total of thirty children and their families, six teachers, and three for-profit community child care centers participated in this naturalistic examination of aggression within the social context. Data collected using the Preschool Social Behavior Scales (Crick, Casas, & Mosher, 1997), the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale – Revised (ECERS-R) (Harms, Clifford, & Cryer, 1998), child observation log, and a family questionnaire provided a rich source of data from multiple informants. Pearson Moment Product Correlations and hierarchical linear regression were used to analyze existence of possible relationships. Consistent with previous studies, gender was a critical factor, as boys were more likely to exhibit physical aggression. Interestingly, child and family variables were not a factor in predicting aggression within the social context of the classroom. Rather, the findings suggested that teacher proximity was critical in the prediction of aggression in the classroom, as the teacher's proximity increases so does the likelihood of aggression. Teachers and children agreed on children who were physically aggressive; however, they did not agree on relational aggressors, thus suggesting further importance of the social context. This study provides support for the use of alternative measures for classroom quality, such as the calculation of play units rather than the use of the ECERS-R, which did not predict aggression. The actual location of the aggressive act was suggested to predict children's aggression in the classroom; specifically, blocks, cubbies, open table tops, and the areas that were undefined for children had the highest frequencies of aggression. Implications for early childhood practitioners include critical examination of the components of the classroom environment, including adequate quantities and quality of play materials, organized play spaces, a balance of open ended and specific use or closed centers, and the floor plan of furniture and traffic patterns within the classroom. Additionally, the teacher proximity must be utilized to reduce the likelihood of aggression among young children. Teacher training is a possible intervention for reducing expulsion in preschools. Future research is recommended in similar community based settings in order to generalize these findings to a larger population. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of the Childhood Education, Reading, and Disability Services in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Degree Awarded: Summer Semester, 2008. / Date of Defense: July 9, 2008. / Classroom environment, Preschool, Aggression / Includes bibliographical references. / Ithel Jones, Professor Directing Dissertation; Thomas Ratliffe, Outside Committee Member; Vickie E. Lake, Committee Member; Charles H. Wolfgang, Committee Member.