The purpose of this study was to investigate and analyze how college level Elementary Education majors made meaning, or came to know about elementary teaching and learning, while engaged in the use of the case study method. This research was an attempt to understand how prospective teachers make sense of the problematic situations described in the cases. The research questions included: How do prospective teachers make meaning, or come to know about elementary teaching and learning, while engaged in the case study approach? What meaning emerges from the prospective teachers' dialogue both with peers and the instructor? Is critical thinking exhibited in their reflections on the cases? / The methods employed in this interpretive study involved the collection of qualitative data through participant observation, interviewing, document analysis, and personal journals. A constructivist epistemology was embodied into collection and interpretation of data. / The immersion approach to teaching critical thinking was employed in that specific critical thinking processes were not made explicit but an in-depth understanding and analysis of the content of the cases was promoted. Kurfiss' model was used to assess the prospective teachers' thinking while engaged in the case study approach. / Assertions constituting grounded theory (Strauss, 1989) were generated from this study and subsumed in three emergent themes. (1) Constructing multiple perspectives: the prospective teachers constructed complex ways of viewing their own and others' schools and new ways of viewing problems that occur in teaching. (2) Considering contextual factors in decision-making: the prospective teachers identified and applied contextual information to frame problems and make decisions. (3) Acknowledging and examining beliefs about teaching and learning: the prospective teachers conveyed awareness and reflected on how their beliefs affected the way they taught. / The results of this study suggest that the case study approach used in an environment with small cooperative learning groups, large group discussions, contextually rich cases, and a skilled instructor facilitates prospective teachers' critical thinking and social construction of knowledge about teaching and learning. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-09, Section: A, page: 3176. / Major Professor: Kathryn Scott. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1992.

The purpose of this study was to examine the success indicators that are used by five counseling consumer groups, i.e., counselors, teachers, administrators, students, and parents to judge the success of school counseling programs. A Counseling Success Indicator Inventory (CSII) consisting of 59 indicators in seven functional domains was used in the study. The functional areas or domains are: (a) Effective Communication; (b) Relationship with Students; (c) Relationship with Administrators, Staff, and Parents; (d) Management Skills; (e) Results/Outcomes of Successful Counseling; (f) Counseling Environment; and (g) Skills and Competencies. / Fifteen of Leon County's 20 elementary schools were randomly selected to participate in the study. Questionnaires were obtained from 562 participants. / Four hypotheses were tested, two using Spearman Rho Rank-Order Coefficient Correlation and Discriminant Analysis with a pre-set.05 alpha. The remaining two hypotheses were tested using criteria set by the researcher. / Results indicated that there was a core of common as well as unique success indicators among the five groups. There were high consensus as well as high disagreement indicators. There were also indicators for which there was a high level of agreement among the groups relative to the importance of the indicators. The highest level of agreement was between the adult groups and the lowest level of agreement was between the student and adult group. Also, group membership could be predicted from responses to the indicators for four of five groups. / The groups were similar in their perceptions of core indicators, ranking of the top 15 indicators, ranking of all 59 indicators, as well as perceptions of the role of the counselor. / The groups were unique in how they viewed specific indicators, the seven functional domains of the top 15 indicators as well as how they perceived certain counselor roles. / It does appear, however, that the groups are similar while yet being different. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-02, Section: A, page: 0413. / Major Professor: Gary Peterson. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1989.

The purpose of this treatise is to examine antithetical viewpoints relating to the formal approach to training the child voice, as expressed in selected American contributions to vocal pedagogy literature and related research. The treatise is primarily intended to give the reader a clear understanding of the major points of contention regarding the formal approach to training the child voice and the associated implications of using that approach. / In order to provide a complete analysis of the formal approach to training the child voice, the treatise discusses the characteristics and implications of both formal training and nonformal training. The treatise discusses the representative methods which employ specific, formal vocal training techniques but does not analyze these specific techniques in depth. Instead, these various methods are treated and discussed collectively as they relate to the overall issue of vocal training for the child voice. The treatise refers to them as the formal approach. / The nonformal training of the child voice has been generally referred to as the "song approach" or the "song method." As with the formal approach, the treatise examines the song approach in general terms, rather than in specific terms (i.e., the specific techniques within the song approach are not analyzed in depth), and presents the song approach as the alternative to the formal approach. / The treatise also presents a summary of the American history of training the child voice. / The treatise concludes that both the history of training the child voice and the weight of literature and research concerning that topic support the general success and effectiveness of the formal approach in producing good singing habits and skills in children over that achieved by the song approach. Accordingly, the treatise recommends that instruction of the child voice be predominantly conducted using formal teaching techniques. However, the treatise also suggests the addition of certain characteristics of the song approach so that formal drills and exercises do not become overemphasized to the detriment of the child's enjoyment of singing and development of song repertoire. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-11, Section: A, page: 4310. / Major Professor: Yvonne Ciannella. / Thesis (D.M.A.)--The Florida State University, 1995.

The purpose of this study was to determine how Gagne's learning theory, as represented in his events of instruction, accounted for and supported learning within a Cooperative Learning environment. / The investigator carried out the study in a fourth-grade classroom with 27 students where the instructor used a Cooperative Learning model of instruction. Data were gathered over a five-month period using naturalistic methods. / Findings supported the study's initial propositions: the events of instruction do occur within a Cooperative Learning environment; the events of instructions may be instantiated differently depending on the learning and the instructional environment; different individuals, groups, or instructional materials may provide the events of instruction; and the events of instruction contribute positively to effective learning in the classroom. / The main conclusion of the study was that Gagne's instructional theory, as reflected in the events of instruction, supports and is compatible with Cooperative Learning's process-oriented, social learning theory. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-02, Section: A, page: 0423. / Major Professor: Marcy Perkins Driscoll. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1991.

The Jamaican Grade 6 Achievement Test (JGSAT) was developed to have multiple roles, the fourth is contemplated to replace the Common Entrance Examination (CEE). Validity of the JGSAT, as a selection device, is complicated by its multiple and diverse roles. Two questions guided this study: To what extent does the available evidence support interpreting and using the JGSAT for selection? What are the anticipated consequences of using the JGSAT for selection? / The JGSAT's validation is based on Messick's (1989a, 1989b) approach in which validity is a unitary concept based on an evaluative judgement. This requires evidence of appropriate interpretation and use, and consideration of resulting consequences of using the JGSAT for selection. The literature review examined psychometric characteristics of two prominent tests and identified specific consequences of seven tests. The specific consequences were classified into seven broad categories of consequences. The psychometric characteristics and the broad categories were then used for examining the JGSAT's validity. / The investigation of psychometric characteristics of the JGSAT involved assessing reliability and predictive validity. Demonstrations were done using item response theory and multiple regression. Anticipated consequences were also examined. / Three findings were based on evidence. (i) JGSAT is reliable and may be used for selection if predictive validity is improved. (ii) Additional investigative and developmental work are required. (iii) Multiple regression and IRT are useful for improving precision and predictive validity respectively. / Discussions on consequences suggested three findings. (i) The CEE has negative characteristics and has devastating consequences. (ii) The JGSAT has positive characteristics that may promote improved student performance and educational quality and may change public perception of schools. (iii) Anticipated consequences of the JGSAT would be realized only if primary and secondary education are overhauled. / The study concluded the educational context of selection must be overhauled as a corollary for using the JGSAT. Implementing the JGSAT within the present context would result in those consequences observed for the CEE. The imperative is to change the educational context, within which selection occurs, contemporaneously with implementing the JGSAT and for it to be used first as a selection, and then as a placement, test. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 57-04, Section: A, page: 1585. / Major Professor: Albert Oosterhof. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1996.

I tested the effects of contingent auditory feedback on the elimination of stereotypy in a delayed non-concurrent multiple probe design with multiple treatment reversals, counterbalanced across 2 male elementary school students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in Experiment I. My findings supported evidence for the effectiveness of contingent addition or removal of auditory stimuli (Hugh-Pennie, 2006) in reducing the frequency levels of stereotypy and increasing self-awareness of one's own stereotypic behaviors. In addition, generalization effects were demonstrated as a result of the shift of the discriminative stimulus (SD) from the presentation of the auditory feedback device to the presence of the experimenter. Thus, the stimulus control of a verbal audience in one setting (with a direct intervention) transferred to another setting (i.e., the instructional periods) without a direct auditory feedback intervention. However, during the 3-month follow-up probes, both participants' frequency levels of stereotypy returned to the initial levels. As an extended test of auditory feedback, Experiment II used a within-subjects delayed non-concurrent multiple probe design with multiple treatments across 4 participants, who had audience control, to test the effects of contingent auditory feedback on the elimination of stereotypy and the emission of socially appropriate verbal exchanges (i.e., conversational units) during academic, lunch, and recess periods in the mainstream general education settings in the presence of typically developing peers. All participants were diagnosed with ASD and attended a combined 3rd to 5th grade self-contained special education classroom in a public elementary school. The results of Experiment II showed a functional relation between the implementation of auditory feedback procedure in mainstream general education settings and the increased emission and initiation of socially appropriate verbal exchanges by both the typically developing peers and the participants as the participants' emission of stereotypy decreased. In addition, generalization effects were demonstrated in the self-contained special education settings in the absence of typically developing peers without a direct intervention (i.e., all participants' emission of stereotypy decreased while their initiation of conversational units with peers increased).

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The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of cooperative CBI (C-CBI) and individual CBI (I-CBI) on concept learning. The study also examined interaction effects of instructional modes and learning styles on achievement and attitude. A special attempt was made to analyze the effects of different pairings of students on learning. / Fifth- and sixth-grade subjects (N = 119) were designated as one of three types based on their learning styles. Ninety-eight subjects classified as either extrovert or introvert were included in the experiment. Twenty-one subjects classified as undetermined were excluded from the experiment. Subjects were stratified by learning styles and randomly assigned to one of two CBI instructional modes. In the C-CBI condition, students were further randomly assigned to one of three types of pairs. / The two independent variables in this study were learning style and instructional mode. Both learning style and instructional mode had two levels. The dependent variables included achievement and attitude. The achievement measures were obtained through the 20-item posttest. Attitude scores were assessed using a 10-item Likert-type attitude survey. The study employed a 2 x 2 randomized block design. Both posttest scores and attitude data were analyzed through ANOVA procedures. / The results of the study showed that C-CBI neither facilitated nor decreased student achievement. However, the expected superiority of C-CBI over I-CBI was borne out by the attitude data. While an interaction effect on achievement between instructional mode and learning style was not observed, an expected interactive relationship on attitude between both variables was observed from the study. The manner in which individuals were paired made no significant difference in both dependent measures. / Specific factors that may have caused a particular finding were discussed in relation to existing literature and supporting ideas. Several additional limitations relative to problems with the entire study were also discussed. Finally, conclusions and recommendations drawn from the study were presented both for future research and for instructional practice. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-04, Section: A, page: 1232. / Major Professor: Robert M. Morgan. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1995.

State educational agencies are charged with following provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), and when components such as adequate yearly progress (AYP) are not met, consequences follow such as lack of school choice and loss of federal funding. A school district in the southeastern United States was found unable to meet the AYP reading requirement for 4 consecutive years. Research suggests that exposure to various forms of informational text is needed in order for students to develop into successful readers, achieve state requirements, and be successful on standardized tests. This qualitative phenomenological study was based on the premises of constructivism and theories of learning motivation that encourage interactive learning, exposure to a variety of reading forms, and opportunities for creating meanings and reflecting. The purpose of this study was to address the research question that involved understanding teachers' perceptions of what information and components of informational texts are needed to improve students' reading abilities. Interviews were conducted with 10 third-grade teachers at one particular school within the district. Emerging themes were identified through open coding of interview data. Results suggested that informational texts could be beneficial for increasing student achievement if student ability level, instructional content, and educational standards were taken into account. Based on past research and on the findings of the current study, a professional development plan and manual for utilizing informational texts in the classroom was developed. Implications for positive social change include improvements in professional development on informational texts for teachers in order to enhance student achievement and reading success.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2002. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xii, 224 p. : ill. (some col.). Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 169-176).