This study explores the way a group of chemistry teachers in Costa Rica construct themselves as professionals. This is a preliminary study on the issue of teachers' professionalism in Costa Rica from a perspective other than salary. The intention was to explore how a group of eight chemistry teachers set up situations to interact among themselves as well as with other teachers and professionals in the school system as the basis to generate collaboration and autonomy. Two chemistry teachers participated in an in-depth analysis of their life histories as professionals. The teachers set up situations for interaction with others. These include students, colleagues, parents and members of the community. Content programs and regulations for evaluation were explored as part of the aspects that influence teachers' actions in the school culture. / As an interpretive study, data were constructed from school setting observations, personal life histories as told by chemistry teachers, interviews with school system participants and documents from which teachers defined their roles in school. The findings of the study are categorized as they relate to the following: (1) chemistry teachers, (2) teacher unions, (3) policy mediators, (4) principals, (5) colleagues, (6) students, (7) teacher educators, and (8) content programs and evaluative regulations. / From this study it is inferred that the professional actions of teachers are not strongly supported in the school system. Thus, the construction of professional identity is a lifelong process for which teachers need to interact with others on a permanent basis. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-07, Section: A, page: 2439. / Co-Major Professors: Kenneth Tobin; Alejandro J. Gallard. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate whether there are differences between the prior expectations of retired military personnel who chose teaching as a second career and the realities they encountered on the job in the field of teaching. The population used in this study consisted of all retired military personnel employed full time as teachers in elementary (N = 8), secondary (N = 51), and vocational/technical (N = 9) public schools in the three Florida counties of Escambia, Okaloosa, and Santa Rosa. / The data gathering methods used in this research were a survey questionnaire and personal interviews. The results indicated a significant difference between the overall expectation and reality ratings for 8 of the 18 items extracted from the literature as reasons retired military personnel should choose teaching as a new career. However, analysis of the data by subgroup shows that elementary teachers and vocational teachers indicated no significant difference between overall expectation and reality ratings. Also, the data indicate that for two-thirds of the items, half or more of the subjects experienced on the job exactly what they expected. / The findings also indicate that the subjects had more realistic expectations for the factors having to do with the job itself, such as self-satisfaction and achievement, than they did with the environmental factors, such as salary and benefits. Also, they were more satisfied with the job-related factors than with the environmental factors. / Perhaps the most significant conclusion that can be drawn from this study is that the problems retired military personnel experienced as beginning teachers approximated those experienced by other beginning teachers. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-07, Section: A, page: 2393. / Major Professor: Hollie Thomas. / Thesis (Ed.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.

The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether an instructional materials formative evaluation model that incorporated both payoff and intrinsic criteria resulted in more effective training materials in an instructor-led environment than a model relying on intrinsic criteria alone. Two revised versions of materials were developed and delivered in a classroom setting. Version X$\sb1$ was revised using intrinsic criteria only, and Version X$\sb2$ on the basis of both intrinsic criteria and student data. / The study focused on the effects of these two versions in both a highly and less-controlled environment. The dependent measures were learner performance and attitude, trainer attitude, trainer effectiveness, and trainee intent to use the skills on the job. / Due to low test reliability in both environments, the posttest results were not interpretable. Participant intent to use course skills was not interpretable due to a ceiling effect. / Trainers' attitudes toward the course were more positive for Version X$\sb2$. The results for trainer effectiveness were mixed. In the highly controlled environment, the ratings for this indicator were higher for Version X$\sb2$ for one trainer, but not the other. In the less-controlled environment, the trainers for Version X$\sb2$ were rated slightly higher in most categories for both modules. A comparison of trainer delivery revealed that better trainers performed equally well delivering bother versions. Some of the weaker trainers were rated significantly higher in their delivery of Version X$\sb2$ for some categories. / Learner attitudes were more positive for Version X$\sb2$ in the highly controlled setting. In the less-controlled environment, the ratings for Version X$\sb2$ were mixed. These results indicate that the use of payoff data as a basis for revision decisions is likely to result in instruction that is better received by trainers and learners. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-02, Section: A, page: 0416. / Major Professor: Robert A. Reiser. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.

The dissertation is based on an ethnographic study of a college instructor, Dr. Smith, involved in the process of developing the curriculum of a new physics course for prospective K-6 school teachers. It adopts a model of curriculum that assumed different levels of participation, and different players in the curriculum development process (Goodson, 1990). Using this model, the instructor who participates at all levels (the planning, the translation, and the implementation) of the restructuring process provides the unifying thread that connects the various levels of the process together. / The study attempts to answer one fundamental question: What was the role of the instructor in the process of developing the curriculum of this restructured physics course? In the process of inquiry other questions emerged and also assumed importance. One such question was: what were the students' perceptions of the classroom learning environment created by the new physics course and how did that compare to what the students would have preferred? The dissertation discusses the findings related to these questions, and their implications for college science curriculum reform. / The findings of the study suggest that when students feel ownership of a science course, learning or personal sense making, instead of grades, become their primary focus. Hence, the role of the instructor in the process of developing a restructured science curriculum for prospective teachers is to ensure that the students become involved in the mediation of the curriculum at all levels. This includes the mediation of the curriculum at the level of activities and themes, and to ensure that the students have a voice in creating a vision of the course, particularly, at the level of curricular planning and the setting of course goals. The instructor is also the person to bring students, colleagues, educators, and planners together in a way that would provide a context for the education, and learning of each other to support cultural change. Most importantly, the science instructor must make a special effort on behalf of the prospective teachers to connect the science content and processes covered in the college course, to the science that the prospective teachers will be required to teach in K-6 classrooms, since college science instructors have a significant impact of how prospective teachers will teach science in elementary schools. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-02, Section: A, page: 0474. / Major Professor: Kenneth G. Tobin. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.

This study's purpose was to investigate the dimensionality of a test containing multiple-choice (MC) and student-produced-response (SPR) item formats. Parallel tests (SPR and MC) were developed to assess skills for Florida's 1994 High School Competency Test (HSCT). Each test contained nine items selected or prepared parallel to those in the contrasting test and corresponding to a HSCT skill. Both SPR and MC tests were administered to 556 tenth graders enrolled in Florida high schools. / Five analyses attempted to determine the dimensionality of the test. Exploring the test's unidimensionality, confirmatory factor analyses were performed, followed by higher order factor analyses, and a modified parallel analysis. To explore potential content factors, principal component analyses of the total item set and for each section of the test (SPR and MC) were conducted, as well as a multi-dimensional scaling analysis. / Analyses indicate, to varying degrees, that the test is sufficiently unidimensional for measurement purposes. Results of the second order analysis and the modified parallel analysis offer a qualified yes to whether this test could be considered unidimensional enough to be analyzed using IRT procedures. No format factors were present in the study. The question regarding similarity of content for the two item formats resulted in unexpected process factors for both item formats, however, findings were tentative. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-03, Section: A, page: 0799. / Major Professor: Jacob G. Beard. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.

A shortage of teachers in scientific disciplines, shrinking educational budgets, and larger numbers of students per classroom instructor--all point to the need for increased emphasis on computers in education. Given the power of neural networks and the potential effectiveness of computer-based instructional systems, this research has focused on combining these systems. The results of this dissertation demonstrate the promise of synthesizing neural networks and intelligent tutoring systems (ITS's). / This dissertation discusses two different neural networks: the consistency network and the neural tutor. The consistency network provides an efficient means of dynamically maintaining the consistency of information in ITS's containing a student record. The inferencing process of neural networks furnishes a convenient and natural method of propagating information throughout the student record. / The consistency network assimilates the skill assessment of knowledge components in its inferencing process. This assessment includes the incorporation of historical data and allows for the fuzziness inherent in determining the performance level of students. / The research also investigates the use of neural networks to assist in the difficult and critical task of knowledge acquisition for intelligent systems. Using synthetic data, the network shows promise in learning the weights employed in the consistency network. By starting with a priori information and using a neural network to expand this knowledge, the task of developing intelligent systems can be reduced. / The neural tutor helps determine the appropriate tutoring technique to be used in the presence of student errors. This network demonstrates that neural networks can be used to learn the appropriate class of response to be given the student based on training samples. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-11, Section: B, page: 5828. / Major Professor: Lois Hawkes. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1992.

The curriculum integration between algebra II and chemistry was investigated during a unit on gas laws. High school students enrolled in both algebra II and chemistry and their teachers participated in the qualitative study. Data were analyzed using a scheme developed from the findings of Lemke and Lampert. Important to the study were linguistic register findings, integration barriers and perceptions held by students. / The study examined three areas of analyses of linguistic registers including cognitive (personal and within each course), interactive (personal between courses) and negotiation (interactive between students) as questions of how students constructed meaning using their registers were explored. / Eleven assertions were constructed that identified areas of problem solving approaches, perceptions of course applications, possibilities of and barriers to course integration, linguistic register findings and student perceptions of curriculum. The assertions were used to enhance understanding of student difficulty in relating knowledge constructed in algebra II for use in construction of knowledge in chemistry. / The assertions were used to identify applications and implications for the results of this study that may be applied to teaching and learning algebra II and chemistry. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-12, Section: A, page: 4402. / Major Professor: Kenneth G. Tobin. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.

This exploratory, multiple case study examined the teaching behaviors of three effective community college teachers from an Instructional Systems Design perspective. The purpose of the study was to: (a) Identify those effective teacher behaviors reflective of ISD principles, (b) determine how the identified ISD behaviors are employed by effective teachers, and (c) identify those ISD principles omitted by effective teachers. / Key ISD behaviors studied included: (a) developing specific goals and/or objectives, (b) developing objectives-based instruction, (c) developing objectives- based assessments, and (d) revising instruction based upon collected student data. Secondary attention was given to other ISD planning skills and the delivery of instruction in accordance with ISD principles. / The three teachers were selected from a pool of teachers who had been recognized for their outstanding teaching. The subject matter taught by the teachers included: humanities, occupational therapy, psychology, and writing. / The evidence used to answer the case study questions was gathered from teacher planning documents, teacher and student interviews, student surveys and classroom observations. / The number of ISD behaviors employed by the effective community college teachers varied greatly. Whereas one teacher employed all fourteen behaviors, the other teachers employed only a few of the planning behaviors and most of the delivery behaviors. Detailed descriptions of the instructional behaviors performed by the teachers are described. / Four factors that may influence the use of ISD principles are discussed. Implications related to the community college setting and the literature on effective teaching are also discussed. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-11, Section: A, page: 3980. / Major Professor: Robert Reiser. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects on achievement of: (1) instructional control strategies, (2) prior knowledge, and (3) cognitive style in computer-based instruction. Also, this study attempts to find an optimal type of instructional control strategy based upon students' achievement and learning time. The contents of the nine lessons selected for this study are the multiplication facts. This type of computer-based instruction is basically composed of drill and practice programs. These computer-based instruction drill and practice lesson programs are developed for IBM compatible computers. To assess field independence and field dependence, the Children's Embedded Figures Test (CEFT) is employed. This CEFT developed as an instrument to identify the field independent and field dependent 7 to 12 year old students. The student population involved in this investigation comes from the Dong-Sung Private Elementary School located in Pusan, Korea. One hundred sixty-six second and third grade students were selected for this study during the second semester of the 1993 school year. The basic experimental design is 3 (program control, learner control, and learner control with advisement) x 2 (high and low prior knowledge) x 2 (field independence and field dependence). The dependent variable are the achievement score on the posttest and the time that students actually spend completing the computer-based lesson. The results show types of instructional control strategies interact with levels of prior knowledge and types of cognitive styles. This study suggests that instructional control strategies would be used differently based on students' aptitudes; also, instructional design should be considered with time on task. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-11, Section: A, page: 4069. / Major Professor: Robert M. Morgan. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of two methods of academic library instruction on research process orientation (a construct developed by Kuhlthau), library anxiety (a construct developed by Mellon), student performance on the complex problem-solving task of researching and compiling a research paper bibliography, research paper topic and title development, perceptions of the immediate usefulness of the library instructional sessions, and attitudes about library instruction in general. / Two instructional treatments, traditional approach and a cognitive strategies approach, were designed for use in the library skills component of a undergraduate English composition class. One hundred ninety students were assigned, in intact groups, to one of the two treatment groups. The researcher, an experienced library instructor, taught all sections using a lecture and discussion format. / The traditional instruction was resource-oriented and emphasized standardized procedures for student interaction with the library environment. The cognitive strategies instruction was process-oriented and emphasized integration of cognitive skills for problem-solving, metacognitive skills for self-monitoring, and affective skills for self-motivation. / A series of t-tests were conducted to determine pretest, posttest and gain score differences between treatment groups on the research process orientation, library anxiety, and general attitudes measures. Group differences in expert ratings of student performance on the research paper bibliographies and in student perceptions of the usefulness of instruction were also analyzed using a t-test. The categorical data produced by measures of research topic and title development were compared using a chi-square analysis. / Overall, the cognitive strategies instruction was successful in improving research process orientation, reducing library anxiety, and improving general attitudes. Evidence for the effectiveness of this instruction was also shown in evaluator judgements of more focused research paper topics and titles among the cognitive strategies group, and especially, in the strong performance of the cognitive strategies group on the research paper bibliographies. The measure of perceptions of immediate usefulness of library instruction did not detect any significant group differences, with both groups indicating strongly positive perceptions. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-10, Section: A, page: 3401. / Major Professor: Robert A. Reiser. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1992.