The purpose of this study was to examine whether student motivation increased through participation in a technological enterprise that involved a decision making process. In addition, student empowerment was explored. The setting of the study was a fifth grade class of twenty-four students in an urban school in the southwest. Throughout the school there was a video and data distribution network. Data collection consisted of student sign-up, teacher observation, student surveys, teacher journal, and a case study. The sign-up sheet and student surveys were analyzed to yield a frequency count. The case study and journal were reported as a narrative of student response and teacher-researcher observation. In this study, students with motivational difficulty that led to academic problems seemed to be positively affected by the factors of choice and challenge in the enterprise. Students with social difficulties or a combination of academic and social difficulties were less likely to continue work on the enterprise. There was a difference in the effect of the enterprise on female and male students.

The study reviewed the importance of English language in Nigeria. As the country's official language, the language of formal education, of politics, of commerce, and of inter-ethnic and international communication, English has become a language required for full participation in Nigerian affairs. This is the reason for the investigator's concern about students' poor performance in English every year on the West African School Certificate Examination (WASCE). / Several possible causes were examined, but the paucity of qualified teachers of English and absence of good English language textbooks were considered to be the most threatening. Since teacher training normally requires a long time to accomplish, it was resolved that textbooks should provide the immediate remedy by presenting instructional materials in such quantity and of such quality as will ensure students' general competence in English language and success in the WASCE. / Consequently, there were two parts to the study. The first part examined the types and amount of composition tasks set in each of the three coursebooks which subdivide into fifteen textbooks. The composition tasks in the fifteen textbooks and WASCE English composition papers from 1969-1979 were compiled by the investigator and handed out to a panel of three independent raters. The raters categorized each composition task according to the working definitions provided by the investigator. Frequency counts were later computed and expressed as percentages for the purpose of comparison. / It was found that students were more frequently expected to write in the transactional-report category than in any of the six other categories used in the study. The textbooks' failure to include a fair proportion of composition tasks for each category was regarded as a fault since composition tasks were set in all the categories in the WASCE at one time or another. / The second part of the study assessed the quality of instruction in each coursebook and the accompanying Teachers' Notes. Two of the three coursebooks were found to be average while the third was rated inferior. It was concluded that a coursebook would be satisfactory in the Nigerian situation examined in the study only if it provided superior quality instruction. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-09, Section: A, page: 3852. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

The segment of the United States population categorized as Limited English Proficiency (LEP) is characterized by a high unemployment rate and a large number of secondary school dropouts. The United States Congress has provided funding for special programs including the 1976 Vocational Education Amendments (VEA) to the 1963 Vocational Education Act which earmarked funds for the LEP population in the form of Bilingual Vocational programs. This amendment also mandated the evaluation of all funded areas. / The survey conducted during this study identified the lack of state models for the evaluation of Bilingual Vocational Education Programs (BVPs). The state of Florida, in order to comply with the 1976 VEA, authorized the development of the Bilingual Vocational Instructional Program Review (BVEIPR). / This study addressed: (a) the identification of the standards and criteria necessary for quality BVPs and (b) the development of the BVIPRC. / The rationale for this study was developed from the theory that evaluation is a process that can lead to development, improvement, and rational decision making for educational programs. / Data were obtained in three phases from personnel involved in the instruction of LEP students in the state of Florida. A result of this study was the development of the BVIRPC. This component included the standards and criteria needed for quality BVPs as well as those required for vocational education, as identified for the state of Florida. / The Florida Bureau of Vocational Research, Dissemination and Evaluation staff provided the funding that developed this first state model that has incorporated the special needs of the LEP students enrolled in vocational programs. This model provides the standards and criteria, which, when met, will provide quality BVPs. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-10, Section: A, page: 4278. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the cognitive questioning preference levels of both teachers and students and student achievement in critical thinking. Based on the scores of the Cognitive Questioning Preference Inventory for Teachers (CQPIT), one teacher who preferred lower-level cognitive questions and one teacher who preferred higher-level cognitive questions were identified. These two teachers' students, in grades five and six, were classified into a higher-level cognitive questioning preference group (n = 30) and a lower-level cognitive questioning preference group (n = 53) based on scores on the Cognitive Questioning Preference Inventory for Students (CQPIS). A critical thinking test, Test of Inquiry Social Studies, was administered to the subjects near the end of the school year. To test the research hypotheses, the resulting scores were analyzed using the Chi-square test. The result of the statistical analysis revealed that students' and teachers' cognitive questioning preference levels were not related to the variable of students' achievement in critical thinking ability. However, a match of cognitive questioning preference between teachers and students was significantly related to the students' achievement levels in critical thinking. The relationship was particularly strong in the match of cognitive questioning preference between the higher-level cognitive questioning preferenced teacher and the higher-level cognitive questioning preferenced students. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-03, Section: A, page: 0656. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

This study attempted to answer seven questions regarding how department heads in selected Florida high schools (9-12) approach the teaching of composition. The questions dealt with: (1) objectives of writing, (2) concepts of writing, (3) types of textbooks used, (4) supplementary materials used, (5) writing programs available, (6) successful writing programs, and (7) unsuccessful writing programs. The investigator was interested in determining if such characteristics as state expenditure in the school district, degrees held, and years of experience affect the way department heads teach composition. / In order to acquire the necessary data, the investigator used two questionnaires which were sent to 71 department heads in 71 high schools located in 19 counties selected by the stratified method. When the questionnaires were returned, they were analyzed according to mean, median, or percentages. / Findings. The investigator was able to detect a trend in the responses from the more experienced department heads who tended to be more divergent and more successful in their efforts to teach writing. Other findings include: (1) Clear communication was top priority for teaching writing; (2) The majority of the department heads reported extensive use of Warriner's English Grammar and Composition; (3) Audio-visuals were used widely; (4) Although writing was widely reported as an integrated part of the total language arts programs, several schools in the surveys cited specific writing programs such as creative writing, journalism, writing laboratory, composition, and college preparatory. Successful Writing methods. (5) Use of students' personal experiences; (6) Careful teacher evaluation; (7) Frequency of writing; (8) Pre-writing; Unsuccessful Writing Methods. (9) The holistic approach; (10) Increasing syntactic growth; (11) Teaching grammar. / Conclusions. Based on available data, state expenditure did not play a significant role regarding how writing is taught. Department heads with masters' degrees and more than 10 years' experience tended to be more divergent in their approaches to teaching writing than did the less experienced ones. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-02, Section: A, page: 0357. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

This study examined the effects of instructional treatment on reducing intersentence interference in connected discourse. Intersentence interference occurs when the learner is confronted with similar stimuli that are associated with different responses. Two levels of instructional treatment (post adjunct questions and rote repetition) and two levels of syntax (active voice and passive voice) were hypothesized to have differential effects on the reduction of learning interference. / The 101 third and fourth grade students were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups. The students read pairs of target and variation sentences. Two groups were assigned pairs of sentences which were all in the active voice. The other two groups were given the same target sentences in the active voice and the variation sentences in the passive voice. These comprised the constructional treatments. For the instructional treatments, two groups were instructed to use a rote repetition practice strategy, and two groups were given a post adjunct question practice strategy. Thus, each of the four groups received one constructional treatment and one instructional treatment. All students were administered the same multiple-choice word recognition test which probed for the object of the target sentences. / Using a 2 x 2 factorial analysis of covariance to compare student posttest scores, it was found that there were no significant differences between the four treatment groups, and there was no interaction effect. Analysis of student errors showed that students who erred were likely to choose previously encountered items from the variation sentences rather than unencountered items. These results support previous research on frequency theory. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-02, Section: A, page: 0357. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

An emphasis on multicultural education (MCE) permeated the 1977 revision of the NCATE standards, yet regional teacher education institutions in Missouri and its eight bordering states are predominantly unicultural in demography. Therefore, a Delphi survey in three rounds tested opinions of selected issues related to cultural pluralism, multicultural teacher education, accreditation, and related institution-specific practices. The study determined the perceptions of the program leaders and whether consensus exists on these issues. / Respondents expressed strongest support for ideological issues related to multicultural teacher education, while expressing clear, but less strong, support for accreditation and topics within cultural pluralism. While institution-specific practices showed least agreement overall, respondents indicated that they believe they have implemented multicultural teacher education programs in relatively unicultural settings, at least to NCATE's satisfaction. / Strongest consensus was determined for some 11 of the 47 items, centering on ideological issues concerning MCE within teacher education programs. Least consensus was conveyed on nine items touching on all sections of the survey. Consensus for the remaining items was reserved, qualified either by the comparative strength of dissent expressed for an item whose mean response indicated agreement (or disagreement), or by the lack of dissent for an item whose mean response suggested "no opinion." / Results for institution-specific practices were not as strong as those for related philosophical ideals, suggesting that while respondents believe NCATE may be satisfied with their MCE efforts, NCATE may not be. / The study uncovered promising possibilities for additional similar research. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-06, Section: A, page: 1810. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

This descriptive study investigated the essential elements for the operation of gifted education programs in the state of Florida. Eighteen elements most frequently recommended by the experts were selected from a search of the literature. A mailed questionnaire elicited perceptions of importance of these elements, and the extent to which they existed, from the entire population of Florida's administrators of exceptional education and administrators of gifted programs. / No practical difference was found between the two groups in their respective perceptions of the relative position of importance of the elements. Administrators of exceptional education rated all of the elements significantly lower in importance than the administrators of gifted programs. A high degree of association was present between the administrators' perceptions of importance of an element and the extent to which that element existed in the gifted education programs of Florida's local school districts. Public relations/awareness programs were not present to the extent expected from their perceived importance. Unidentified intervening variables cause gifted programs to decrease progressively from elementary school to secondary school. Gifted programs tend to contain the elements which are considered important. The most important elements were identified to be screening and evaluation, budget, curriculum, administrative responsibilities, and a written philosophy. Elements considered least important were financial aid, flexible acceleration, and the use of outside consultants. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-07, Section: A, page: 2226. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of three types of review procedures: re-reading, recall exercise, and recall exercise plus re-reading, on the delayed retention of a meaningful prose text that had been read once. / A sample of 909 fourth and fifth grade students from the Fairfax County Public School System, in the state of Virginia, participated in the study. / A 1 x 4 posttest-only control group design was used. The prose text used in the study was a revised version of a section from a children's text entitled: Paws, Hoofs and Flippers, by Olive Earle (1954). The measurement instrument used was a short-answer essay test. The test was judged to have content validity, and the reliability was .70 according to the Spearman-Brown formula. / The study was conducted in three sessions. In the first session of the study, all of the students read the same text. During the second session, students worked with individual booklets that contained different review procedures: (1) a re-reading of the text, or (2) a recall exercise based on the text, or (3) a combination of the recall exercise plus a re-reading, or (4) a placebo activity. / During the third session, one week after the initial session, all of the students answered an identical cued-recall test. / An analysis of covariance was used to test the null hypothesis of no difference among the treatment groups at an alpha of .05. The students' reading levels were used as a covariate. The results showed a significant difference among the treatment groups (p .05). / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 45-04, Section: A, page: 1020. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1984.

In the past ten years, interest in developing an empirically-based technology for designing and organizing information has received renewed attention. An outgrowth of this interest has been the development of a comprehensive technique for designing and organizing instructional content called the Organized Content Technique (OCT). While used in several major training programs, OCT has not been tested to ascertain its utility for improving learning outcomes or saving training time. / This study sought to determine whether presenting content in an instructional sequence developed by OCT made any difference in learner achievement or in time on task when compared to presenting the learner with a prose rendition of the same content. / The study employed a factorial research design with randomization to equate experimental groups. Two categories of ability, high and low, and two instructional treatments having identical instructional designs except for content treatment were used. Content was developed using Organized Content Technique for one treatment and was presented in prose for the other treatment. / Forty-seven junior- and senior-level students enrolled at The University of West Florida in Pensacola, Florida, during the Fall of 1983, served as subjects (Ss) for the study. They were randomly assigned to treatments, yielding approximately 12 data points for each of the four cells. Since Ss were randomly assigned, the individual served as the unit for data analysis. Individual scores on a post-achievement test on learning and time on task served as the dependent variables. / The data analysis revealed the following facts that were significant at the .05 level of probability: (1) Ss receiving the OCT treatment had higher achievement levels than Ss receiving the prose treatment. (2) High-ability Ss had higher achievement scores irrespective of the treatment. (3) High-ability Ss receiving the OCT treatment spent less time on task than high-ability Ss receiving the prose treatment. (4) Low-ability Ss receiving the prose treatment spent less time on task than low-ability Ss receiving the OCT treatment. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 45-09, Section: A, page: 2751. / Thesis (Educat.D.)--The Florida State University, 1984.