Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1967. / Vita. Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

<p> Literacy is a national concern in the United States. Many students are graduating from high school across the U.S. lacking the skills needed to be a proficient reader. The lack of college readiness skills in reading causes these students to be placed in remedial classes on the collegiate level. School systems that recognize the high percentage of students entering high school who cannot read at their grade level can implement early interventions and provide professional development opportunities for teachers in order to increase reading achievement. Due to the culture created at the secondary level that held teachers responsible for teaching content, covering the mandated curriculum, and making adequate yearly progress, instructing students while utilizing best practices in reading instruction often was not a practical consideration. The traditional approach to literacy is not enough. It is time for teachers to acknowledge that literacy in middle and high school must be taught across all contents to lay the groundwork for literacy skills that students need to thrive in college. This study explored the effect of implementing Literature Circles in a secondary Communication Arts classroom on reading comprehension. While extensive research on Literature Circles exists, most of it focuses on their use at the elementary and middle school levels, with few studies investigating their implementation at the secondary level. However, the research establishes Literature Circles as a proven practice to assist students in making gains in reading skills. The sample population consisted of five 10th grade classes participating in Literature Circles and one 10th grade class as a control group. By implementing Literature Circles at the secondary level, the results of the data did not support the hypothesis that secondary students reading comprehension increased through participation in Literature Circles. While this study did not prove statistically any significant gains from participation in Literature Circles, observable gains occurred through the higher level of student questioning and students responding with evidence cited from the text. By implementing a classroom infrastructure that supported Literature Circles, students collaborated effectively about a text and used textual support to justify their responses to questions and to derive meaning from the text. The research from this study will add to the current body of knowledge regarding the use of Literature Circles at the secondary level.</p>

<p> The purpose of this case study, was to conduct research that provided an in-depth understanding of the 1-1 implementation of iPads into the senior class of two four-year charter high schools in Southern California. The problem addressed was the following: to date, there has been little definitive research to examine what works and what did not seem to work in the implementation of iPads into high school classrooms. This study describes the experiences and reflections of the participants during their first year of implementing the iPads. The participants included: administrators, staff and faculty at both schools who were interviewed, and students over the age of 18 during the last weeks of their senior year who completed an online electronic survey. All of these participants had experience with the iPad in a 1-1 setting for the 2012&ndash;2013 school year. </p><p> This study found that the culture of the school created a rich learning environment, due to the trust between participants formed from their communities of practice, which allowed for resilience in the participants while they experimented with the iPad implementation. There were more meaningful interactions between students and faculty, and the participants did not desire, or require, formal professional development. There were potential &ldquo;green&rdquo; benefits from working digitally and a &ldquo;cool&rdquo; factor that helped to engage participants. In conclusion, the culture of the school as pioneers and the shared vision of the participants, along with the nature of their training, were the factors that contributed to the success of this iPad implementation. </p>

<p> Transition is a process that occurs throughout life. The focus of this basic qualitative study was on the services and programs provided to individuals with autism and intellectual disabilities. This study included the exploration of participants&rsquo; experiences in the classroom and community. There was limited research on current pioneers in the area of transition services for individuals with disabilities between the ages of 18 and 22 who returned to the public school system for a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). The literature review in this study included extensive research regarding the value of and many practical suggestions for designing quality transition programming to prepare each student with skills and competencies necessary for successful post-school outcomes. This study included interviews with transition coordinators, special education directors, special education teachers, and paraprofessionals. The research findings include observations of transition programs within the classroom and community setting, a review of Transition Individualized Education plans. The results from this study identified the services and programs that have led to successful post-secondary options for students with disabilities and revealed the following findings, community independence, soft and hard skills, utilization of visuals to design the curriculum, real-world activities, and age-appropriate experiences. The findings of this qualitative study suggested several implications for transition services and programs for students between the ages of 18 and 22 with autism and intellectual disabilities. School districts should offer community-based programs for students with disabilities starting at the age of 14, which would be in middle school. Despite the data collected during this study, services and programs for students with intellectual disabilities and autism continue to need fine-tuning.</p>

<p> Higher achievement scores, skill building, and closing the achievement gap are all anticipated results when providing academic interventions to students. When using Response to Intervention (RtI), a three tiered model where academic interventions are provided systematically to improve student outcomes, teachers would expect academic success from students. However, one middle school is experiencing positive unintended consequences that are lifelong skills students need to succeed. Accountability, self-advocacy and relationship building are all components that have been reported by teachers who are using BOOST, a RtI model created uniquely to fit the needs of a middle school in the Midwest. BOOST stands for Broadening Opportunities to Obtain Superior Thinking; it is a tier two academic intervention program. This qualitative study used focus groups and interviews to gain perceptual data regarding the use of a tier-two academic intervention model.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this study is to examine the influences certain factors have on the mathematical motivation beliefs of students in a predominantly African American setting. Mathematical motivation beliefs, for the purpose of this study, are defined as the components mathematical self-efficacy and mathematical value, both represented as dependent variables in the study. 4 independent variables were studied as potential influences regarding mathematical motivation beliefs. The variables included parental influences, teacher influences, mathematical anxiety, and the environment/setting. This research was conducted using 2 high schools in a rural area in East Mississippi. The 1^st high school was predominantly African American and the 2^nd high school was predominantly Caucasian. 4 scales were selected for this research study. The Mathematics Confidence Scale, developed by Dowling (1978), Mathematics Problems Performance Scale (Dowling, 1978), Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitude Scale (Fennema, 1976), and My Class Activities Survey (MCA, Schweinle &amp; Mims, 2009) were all used. Findings revealed that teacher influence predicted the mathematical motivation beliefs of students in a predominantly African American school environment the most. Findings also indicated that math anxiety significantly predicted math value and self-efficacy in both classroom environments. Lastly, findings revealed that mathematical problem solving was significantly predicted by mathematical self-efficacy for students in a predominantly African American environment.</p>

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1987. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 93-96). Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Columbia University, 1911. / Life. Pub. also as Teachers College, Columbia University. Contributions to education, no. 45. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Bibliography: p. 161-166.

Thesis--University of Tennessee. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

<p> The purpose of this study was to compare the athletic participation rate of males and females within the high school of study. Freshmen and senior students were surveyed to gather data on the reasons students chose to participate or not participate in athletics. Focus groups were conducted at a local university to further explore why students participated in athletics and why some of these students discontinued their participation in athletics. Focus groups also explored challenges facing athletes and student perceptions of female participation in athletics. Athletic participation data from the high school of study were also taken into consideration. </p><p> This study also touched on the history of females as they journeyed throughout history from the Theory of Separate Spheres to Title IX. The impact of Title IX on female athletics is also touched upon. Special attention was paid to the struggle female athletes have as they compete in athletics, why athletics are good for all participants, and health risks specific to females. Based on all of the data gathered, recommendations were made to the high school of study, to parents of female athletes, and for future studies to increase female athletic participation. Results of this study will assist administrators as they look for ways to increase female athletic participation within the high school of study.</p>