Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

Thesis (M. P. A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

A Study of Primary Teachers Participating in Professional Learning Communities with a Focus on Brain Compatible Classrooms

Thesis (M.R.E.)--Conservative Baptist Theological Seminary, 1962. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [97]-101).

Literature suggests that the quality of education has diverse meanings in different contexts. This research aims to discover the perceptions of teachers and parents regarding the quality of primary education in rural Bangladesh. Family and community have important roles to play in child education. This research has also identified family and community factors that affect education quality. The research uses case studies (ethnographic in characteristic) and survey methods. Qualitative data were captured by semi-structured interviews and participant observations. Informants were teachers and parents. Data analysis was done by a process which was borrowed and adapted from the grounded theory approach. Data interpretation was underpinned by concepts derived from human capital and social capital theories. In the quantitative study, data were collected by questionnaire surveys among teachers and parents. The quantitative research findings complement the qualitative findings. The research findings unveiled three dimensions of education quality as perceived by teachers and parents: (a) the acquisition of good results and awarded scholarships, (b) the acquirement of skills, and (c) the development of values and attitudes. Here, (a) and (b) could belong to human capital concepts, and (c) may refer to social capital. The perceptions of teachers and parents are similar. Nonetheless, teachers pay more attention to children’s performance, whereas parents emphasize on their well-being. According to teacher and parent perceptions, the research suggests seven family factors affecting education quality: parental involvement in schools, family involvement in the children’s education at home, family structure, educational status, economic status, parental awareness and concern, parental commitment and family environment. The research reveals that the notion of “rural family roles” would be along the lines of a “co-institution of the school”, by means of the parents and family getting involved in the children’s education both at school and at home. In terms of the community factors, six factors that affect the quality of education, as perceived by teachers are: community involvement in the school, relationship between the community and school, community support and cooperation, values, willingness to become involved in the schools, its economic status and environment. Regarding the perceptions of the parents, the research identified five factors: financial position and environment, educational status, communication and support given to schools, community child care, as well as unity and cooperation among community people. The research also suggests that the notion of “rural community roles” would tend to be thought of as “doing something for the children”. There is also an ecological balance in the relations between the community and school. The research suggests that the human capital and social capital of the family, community and children reinforce each other in a reproductive loop. That means the human and social capital of family and community play a role in the creation of the human and social capitals of the children (quality education), and vice-versa. These observations on education quality add a new horizon to the knowledge base of primary education, and one that may contribute to policy-making and facilitate further research. / published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

<p> The purpose of this single-case research study was to examine the use of process drama to improve the quality writing and increase on-task behaviors of students in a third-grade classroom. Four students diagnosed with ADHD participated in nine different process drama sessions. Quality writing samples along with observational data were collected on these four students. Social validity questionnaires were also administered to the students, two teachers, and four parents as a component of the research. Changes in students&rsquo; quality writing and on-task behaviors were examined using an ABAB withdrawal design. Visual analysis was employed to determine if there was a functional relationship between process drama and an improvement in the participants&rsquo; quality writing and on-task behaviors during process drama intervention. Results indicated that all four participants scored higher on their quality writing samples and had an overall increase in their on-task behaviors. These findings supported the use of process drama intervention to increase quality writing and on-task behaviors of students with ADHD.</p>

This study investigated the leadership styles of elementary school principals from selected Southern Arizona school districts. A quantitative methodology was used to investigate possible differences in the styles of participants based upon socioeconomic context. Leadership style was determined using the Leadership Effectiveness and Adaptability Description (LEAD-SELF) instrument (Hersey & Blanchard, 1979). Possible relationships between selected contextual variables of the principal and his/her school community and leadership style were also examined. The constant comparative method was utilized to add further meaning, depth, and texture to the study goals. The data were collected from 47 elementary school principals from selected school districts in Southern Arizona. The data were analyzed using independent group t tests for possible differences in each of the leadership styles and style adaptability based upon the independent variable. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to investigate possible relationships between selected principal and school demographic variables and leadership style. Finally, in-depth interviews were conducted with a selected principal from each of the five participating school districts. The study suggested that there were no significant differences in leadership style or style adaptability between the two groups. There was a significant relationship between the delegating leadership style and school enrollment. Otherwise, none of the relationships between principal/school characteristics and leadership style/adaptability were significant. There were two additional findings. The first suggested a significant relationship between percentage of students on free and reduced lunch and percentage of minority students. The second finding suggested a significant negative relationship between percentage of students on free and reduced lunch and enrollment. The in-depth interviews revealed several emergent themes including the constancy of principals' core values, beliefs, and style of leadership. Another major theme was the importance of understanding the school community, situation and how this might impact practice and school programs. Recommendations that emerged from this study included training in situational leadership as important knowledge for leaders in all environments, the importance of high-relationship behavior in school leadership, possible impact of school environment upon leadership practice, and possible benefits of providing specialized training for principals about effective practice based upon contextual variables.

The main purpose of the study was to examine the relationship of Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) to cognitive, linguistic, and basic reading skills (word/nonword reading). Concurrent relationships among RAN, Phonological Awareness (PA), Verbal Short-Term Memory (STM), Processing Speed (PS), Letter Knowledge (LK) and Early Reading Skills (READ) were examined in 133 first- and second-grade children. The sample consisted of students who demonstrated a variety of reading skills. Causal models of RAN and Basic Reading skills were developed. The proposed direct and indirect relationships among variables were examined and appropriateness of the path models was tested through path analyses. Path analyses revealed that RAN digits/letters (RAN-DL) and PA were important and independent predictors of READ at each grade level. The findings demonstrated that RAN-DL had an increasingly predictive role in READ, whereas the importance of PA relatively diminished in the second grade. LK had a consistent predictive role in READ in both grades, whereas STM and PS had changing direct and indirect roles in READ in both grades. RAN objects (RAN-OBJ) had no significant role in READ at either grade level. Results indicated that STM and LK made significant contributions to RAN-DL and RAN-OBJ in the first grade; however, PS explained significant variance in only RAN-OBJ. PA did not explain any significant variance in RAN-DL and RAN-OBJ at either grade level. Interestingly, none of these four variables contributed to RAN-DL and RAN-OBJ in the second grade.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether selected dimensions of school culture as measured by the School Culture Survey (SCS) (Valentine & Gruenert, 1998) were related to student academic achievement on Math, Reading, and Writing as measured by Arizona's Instrument for Measure Standards (AIMS). The SCS is a 35-item Likert, and the Likert is ranged from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree). The survey factored into six dimensions of school culture: Collaborative Leadership, Teacher Collaboration, Professional Development, Unity of Purpose, Collegial Support, and Learning Partnership. The school culture factor of Learning Partnership subscale was found to have a significant linear regression with Math, Reading, and Writing AIMS scores by analyzing the data from 1,120 teachers from a sample of 56 public elementary schools. A secondary purpose of this study was to determine whether school culture variables were associated with the characteristics such as principal's tenure, principal's gender, the number of administrators, the number of the teachers, the percentage of teachers earning a Masters Degree or higher, school size, school level, and socioeconomic status (SES). Principal Tenure and SES were found to have a significant linear regression with the school culture factor of Learning Partnership. A conclusion for the study is that the variance in student achievement in Math, Reading and Writing (AIMS) can be predicted and explained by the school culture factor of Learning Partnership, which is defined as the degree to which teacher, parents, and students work together for the common good of the students.

Six female, Hispanic elementary school principals from a southwestern urban school district were asked to describe leadership for school change through personal narrative in response to two central questions: (1) How does the Latina elementary school principal define and enact leadership for school change? (2) How does the variable of ethnic culture interplay in the Latina educational leadership role? A phenomenological research approach was used to seek answers to these questions. The participants were interviewed on three separate occasions within a one-month period using three in-depth, phenomenological interviews designed to draw out the participants' subjective, intuitive, personal, and metaphorical interpretations of the meaning of educational leadership as well as to identify any leadership characteristics they might attribute to Latina culture. The participants' metaphors defining educational leadership depicted a vibrant living mosaic of a leader responsible for developing the human potential of children and adults on a stage with ever-changing directors, props, and costumes. The more literal definitions of leadership conveyed a common belief that leadership is a collaborative effort of moving others forward toward some defined goal, generally of improving student learning. They identified three unique features of educational leadership. Educating children and youth creates a different kind of leadership when one must accept all students. Secondly, educational leaders are change agents responding to reform agendas primarily emanating from government sources. Lastly, educational leaders must be able to deal with limited budgets in creative and resourceful ways. The participants described how Latina culture influenced their leadership development and roles. They reported various kinds of barriers, tensions, conflicts, and ambivalence in realizing education and career goals. However, they found ways to circumvent or transcend obstacles along their career paths All participants reported cultural differences in their leadership styles. Dominant features of Latina leadership included speaking Spanish and understanding Latino culture, respect, service, sense of family, empathy, and use of personal narratives. Three other themes emerged from their stories--their need to "prove" themselves in academic and professional endeavors, their passion and urgency to right inequities, and the need to serve as cultural "brokers" to lead others to greater cultural understanding.