This study explores the ways that acts of writing occur and become recognized as “writing” in a kindergarten classroom. Symbolic representations often aligning with the dominance of conventions come to be seen and named as writing as soon as children enter school, therefore influencing how one is seen and named in the classroom space as a “writer.” This often-narrow focus on what it means to be a writer leaves little room for teachers to acknowledge the various acts of writing that occur or might occur across space and time in a given classroom or in out of school contexts. With this naming of particular acts of writing, comes the exclusion of other acts. Drawing on a sociocultural framework with tenets of post structuralism, this case study uses a Foucauldian approach to shed light on the multiple powers/knowledges that are deployed in a classroom. Using ethnographic methods this work highlights the ways that children engage in acts of mark making both within and beyond the designated pedagogical space dedicated to writing. Data were gathered through participant observations, interviews, and the collection of artifacts across the first 4 months of school in a kindergarten classroom situated in a suburban district in the Midwest. The ongoing analysis of data across the study surfaced several discursive patterns suggesting that both the teacher and children were influenced by the larger discourse of accountability and compliance circulating in schools today. With an increased emphasis on early literacy standards and the ensuing accountability attached to such, this analysis has the potential to open up possibilities that may extend how writing might come to be seen and taught in classrooms, therefore influencing the kinds of writing and acts that might be seen as permissible.

This research project investigates secondary schooling Visual Arts programmes and the extent pedagogical approaches encourage critical and closely integrated learning. The research involves a case study between two secondary schools in Johannesburg - a comparison of two grade ten Visual Arts learning programmes - by investigating the content taught and the pedagogical approaches employed. By evaluating the content of the learning programmes and pedagogical approaches, I investigate whether, or to what extent, the learning programmes challenge hegemonic ideologies and encourage a learning approach that does not perpetuate biased and stereotyped views of culture but learning that critically integrates diversity and difference in the classroom in a manner that is relevant and meaningful to the learner.

This naturalistic study examined the kinds of decisions prospective teachers and their instructor made in constructing and using reflective portfolios in a 13-week multicultural education course. In addition, I also examined the role reflective portfolio construction and discourse played in relation to classroom interaction with peers, instructor, pedagogy and self. The reflective portfolio model, adapted from the literacy portfolio model (Hansen, 1992), was a tool that asked students to develop a portrait of themselves as reader/writer/learner/teacher, in the context of a multicultural education course. Participants in this study included three prospective teachers and one instructor purposefully sampled from a class of eight. Data were constructed from nine data sources. The theoretical framework of this study drew from related research in the domains of portfolios, narrative and autobiography, and pedagogy. / Through reflective portfolio discourse, prospective teachers examined personal experience as it related to their emerging beliefs about teaching and learning. The primary focus of the study was to examine the process of prospective teachers and their instructor and using reflective portfolios in a 13-week course. In doing so, I explored the decisions prospective teachers and their instructor made throughout the process and the role the portfolio played in relation to classroom interaction, pedagogy, self, and the multicultural course curriculum. A secondary focus emerged during data collection. This secondary purpose examined the function/role of the reflective portfolio as a tool for examining intrapersonal context, the way in which prospective teachers view themselves, and personal experiences as they relate to multicultural course content. Seven research assertions emerged. These research assertions were presented in three categories: (a) managing portfolio pedagogy; (b) portfolio construction; and (c) curricular dimensions. These findings contribute to a new dimension in portfolio research by examining the possibilities of portfolios as reflective and discourse tools in teacher education to explore how personal experience relates to practical knowledge. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-09, Section: A, page: 2798. / Major Professor: Kathryn Scott. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.

No description available.

The National Coalition for the Homeless (1985) reported an estimate of over 220,000 school-aged children who are considered homeless on any given night. For homeless children, the additional loss of a stable environment and friends, coupled with a lack of basic necessities, increases their stress to exorbitant amounts. However, there have been few empirical studies that have examined both psychosocial stress and the effects of stress management on homeless children. The present study proposed, based on Maslow's hierarchy of needs model, that severe stress must be addressed among homeless children in order to help them thrive in an ever increasing stress-filled society. Fifty-two homeless children, living with their families in two family shelters in Central Florida participated in the study. / A quasi-experimental pre-post control group design was utilized to examine the effectiveness of a four session stress management training package on elementary school-age children. It was hypothesized that such training would reduce stress and improve the children's self-esteem, social competencies and behavior. It was also hypothesized that homeless children's pretest scores on the four dependent variables: Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (1981), Coddington's Life-Events Scale (1981), Stress Response Scale (1983), and Achenbach's Child Behavior Checklist (1983) would be significantly different than the general population. The relationship between psychosocial stress and length of homelessness was also examined. / Homeless children's mean scores, when compared to normative group data score, were statistically higher demonstrating clinically significant levels of stress. Treatment group children's mean scores displayed noticeable gains, indicating improvement in self-esteem, social competencies and behavior. Repeated measures ANOVA analysis found no statistically significant differences on the dependent variables between children in the treatment and control groups. T-tests conducted on the length of homelessness and psychosocial stress, (as indicated by pretest mean scores), showed no statistically significant relationship. Possible explanations of the findings, along with implications for practice and research are given. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-01, Section: A, page: 0356. / Major Professor: Dianne H. Montgomery. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1995.

The purpose of this study was to examine the initiation and implementation of microcomputer technology in the educational environment of N. H. Jones Elementary School and to assess its impact on teachers. Microcomputer technology was configured as a teacher workstation. / A conceptual framework was developed to promote microcomputer technology and to monitor and interpret the phenomenon. Elements of the framework were five guidelines of the Innovation-Focused strategy (Fullan, 1985), interventions of the Change Facilitator strategy (Hall & Hord, 1984) and the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) (Hord, Rutherford, Huling-Austin & Hall, 1987). / Five research questions provided direction for the inquiry. The questions were: (1) What concerns did teachers have about microcomputer technology? (2) Were there factors in the school environment that promoted the diffusion and use of microcomputer technology by teachers? (3) Were there perceived barriers that impeded acceptance and use of microcomputer technology by teachers? (4) What levels of use did teachers attain using the innovation microcomputer technology? (5) What teacher-related outcomes are attributed to using microcomputer technology? / Teachers' concerns were identified with the Stages of Concern instrument of the CBAM. Results showed that teachers had Self and Task concerns at the beginning of the study. As teachers increased their involvement with microcomputer technology their concerns shifted toward the Impact concerns, Consequences, Collaboration and Refocusing. Teachers' levels of use of microcomputer technology was assessed with the Level of Use instrument. Results revealed that teachers clustered in Mechanical and Routine user levels. By the end of the study 80% of teachers had reached the Routine Level of Use. / Study Conclusions were: (1) Fear of technology can be alleviated with an implementation strategy that empowers teachers and accepts and works within their point of view, (2) Complexity of an innovation affected the rate at which teachers mastered and used the innovation, and (3) Configuring the innovation into its component parts facilitated successful implementation and alerted the change facilitator to technical assistance needs. / Recommendations for future research include configuring microcomputer technology beyond a teacher workstation, replication of the study using the change model presented and identifying long term impact of microcomputer technology on teachers. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-03, Section: A, page: 0779. / Adviser: Robert G. Stakenas. / Thesis (Ed.D.)--The Florida State University, 1995.

Parents of kindergarten and third grade children were surveyed using the Parent Involvement Questionnaire (PIQ) to determine the kinds of child involvement activities in which parents are engaged and the amounts of time parents are spending in child involvement activities. Teachers were asked to rate classroom behaviors and academic achievement of the children using the Classroom Behavior Inventory (CBI). Analyses of variance and Pearsons' correlations were utilized to determine: (1) a relationship existed between the kinds of child involvement activities of parents and the academic achievement of the children; children of parents participating in more overall child involvement activities were rated higher on academic achievement than children of parents participating in fewer overall child involvement activities; (2) the kinds of child involvement activities of parents differed by grade level of the child; parents of third graders participated in more school, community and overall child involvement activities than parents of kindergarten children; (3) the amounts of time spent in child involvement activities differed by family form; stepfamilies spent more time in community and school child involvement activities than other families. There were significant relationships between the CBI subscales of creativity, verbal intelligence, dependence, and distractibility and the variable of kinds of child involvement activities obtained from the PIQ. The results of the study have implications for parent educators in curriculum planning, teachers in designing parent involvement programs, and family professionals in working with diverse family forms. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 50-04, Section: A, page: 0870. / Major Professor: Eileen M. Earhart. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1989.

The purpose of this study was to test the alternative hypothesis that subjects who use Aesthetically Illustrated Language Materials (AILM) will have significantly greater mean comprehension scores than subjects who use non-Aesthetically Illustrated Language Materials (non-AILM). / More specifically, five original stories (AILM and non-AILM) with 166 illustrations were developed and used as part of this experiment for the population of interest. A sample of 255 fourth grade students enrolled in the New York City public schools were part of this experiment. / The results of a Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) supported the alternative hypothesis that there was a significant difference in subjects' mean comprehension scores when using the AILM materials as compared with the control group. / The treatment descriptive means, standard deviations, and the MANOVA Sum of Squares were shown to be highly significant (at p value =.00001) in all five AILM treatments. / Thus, it is concluded that the AILM method was significantly more effective as compared with the control group. / It therefore follows that since AILM helps the student achieve better reading comprehension, its future use would be a valuable contribution to the field of education. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-07, Section: A, page: 1693. / Major Professor: Ernest A. Frechette. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1988.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to observe, identify, and describe literary experiences and activities provided for students during the elementary school years. This study sought to describe literary information presented to students, along with how and why teachers use children's literature in the overall elementary curriculum. / In order to fulfill these purposes the researcher became an observer within the context of one elementary school for a period of five months. During this time the researcher observed extensively in all grade levels and the school library media center. The researcher also utilized a variety of other qualitative research strategies, such as interviewing, examining instructional materials, and inspecting students' work related to literature. Triangulation involved follow-up interviews with teachers, school administrators, and district supervisors, examination of lesson plans, and repeated classroom and library media observations in order to confirm findings. Two broad perspectives were used to present the overall use of literature at one elementary school. The perspectives were: children's literature as a separate subject area and children's literature as an instructional tool. / Based on the qualitative data gathered the following conclusions were derived: (1) no consistent, well-coordinated curriculum in children's literature was currently in use, (2) no system for ensuring coverage of certain literary concepts across grade levels and for preventing excessive rereading of stories was provided, (3) an implicit curriculum in children's literature existed in which teachers drew upon personal craft knowledge and creativity to bring literature into their classrooms, and this curriculum varied greatly from teacher to teacher and grade to grade, (4) most students preferred having literature read aloud to them, rather than reading independently, (5) school library media specialist played a supplemental role to the implicit literature curriculum, but in this school the resident literature experts who served as resources to other teachers were two classroom teachers, (6) reading aloud to students was the most routinely implemented literature activity, with other literature activities typically occurring spasmodically, (7) there was no consistent pattern for purchasing literature for individual classrooms, (8) teachers typically used whole class grouping for reading instruction, rather than providing varied grouping patterns. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-10, Section: A, page: 3525. / Major Professor: Carol Lynch-Brown. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1991.

<p> The purpose of this study is to chronicle the experiences of an elementary music educator incorporating composition and improvisation activities into her elementary general music curriculum. I interviewed a primary music specialist with the purpose of discovering her background in teaching music. The questions focused on the teacher&rsquo;s experience with music composition. After this interview, I observed the teacher in a third-grade general music composition lesson. I documented how the teacher approached the lesson and any steps she took to adapt the lesson to the needs of their students and her teaching style. </p><p> After the observation, I interviewed the teacher again to record her reactions to teaching the lesson. After coding the transcripts of the interviews and observation, four themes developed from the data: Personal Initiative, Teacher Reassurance, Student Engagement, and Teacher Improvement. The participant involved in this study received training in improvisation and reported that it had a positive effect on not only how she taught composition and improvisation, but also how comfortable she felt while teaching. As the training this teacher received was not through her teacher training program, her case may be unusual among experienced music teachers. Although this teacher was successful in teaching composition, her positive reactions to professional development indicate a desire for more training among in-service music education specialists. This study supports the idea that there is a need for more pre-service and in-service teacher training in how to teach younger students to compose. </p><p>