<p> Poor mathematics and science skills are one of the leading challenges for advanced STEM career preparedness. There is currently a national deficit in prepared STEM career interest and readiness. A national decline prompted plans for the development of more rigorous standards. Changes in K-12 education were developed through Common Core and New Generation Science Standards. These changes were expected to better prepare students for post secondary educational opportunities such as college or technical school. This research studied effects of perceptions of the impact of high school STEM classes on career choices in two Tennessee schools that are actively participating in the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network and have actively implemented a STEM program since 2012. There is no evidence of research regarding student perceptions of STEM classes regarding STEM implementation in the state of Tennessee since 2012. According to the results of this study, students&rsquo; perceptions between subgroups showed no statistical significance regarding readiness or interest in STEM regarding college and career. The subgroups studied included race/culture, gender, classification by grade, and school attended.</p><p>

This thesis makes the first sustained attempt to locate post-war British art school pedagogy in relation to systems-inspired cultural practice after World War II. I explore how in the post-war era in Britain, system, cybernetic and network theories had an instrumental presence in visual arts pedagogy and practice which marked a fundamental shift in the values of cultural production. This was informed both by General System Theory, which had emerged in biology before the war (GST) and its part in the new systemic presence across culture and economy in the wake of the war. I draw out this cultural trend through the examination of student work of the period, pedagogical documents and new interview material with teachers and students. The immediate post-war years form one of the most vital periods of technological development of all time, in which the physical and biological sciences played an ever-more prominent – and integrated - part. The pedagogies of 1945-1970 incorporated a range of systemic and mechanical approaches into creative practice, which had a clear link to contemporaneous technological developments. That mechanisms, networks and systemic approaches were a fundamental aspect of visual arts pedagogies of the period is a phenomenon which has never been analysed and this is the task of this thesis. This was manifested both in the subject matter of classes and courses and in the teaching structures and models that this thesis will examine. These consist of the Basic Design movement, Groundcourse and the Hornsey protest of 1968. The presence of mechanics as process, pedagogy, practice and symbol within British art education demonstrates the evolving importance of technology within culture. With this in mind, each case study within this thesis investigates systems characteristics of British art school pedagogies during the period. The underlying aim is not to create a narrative account of each pedagogical moment, but rather to pursue the material and cultural influences which shaped their development.

<p> Institutions of higher education have faced many challenges over the last few decades. Though many large institutions have the resources needed to respond to these challenges, small institutions have had to be innovative in the ways in which they are adapting. There are similarities between the external challenges that institutions face today and the challenges they faced in the 1960s and 70s, and it is worth examining whether or not the predictions and suggestions made by scholars in this time period offer insight in regards to the innovation found in small institutions today. This dissertation explored Erich Jantsch's 1969 report in the context of innovation in higher education today. This qualitative, multicase study found that Erich Jantsch's five crucial innovations can be found to some extent in the innovations of four small institutions of higher education.</p><p> Keywords: Erich Jantsch, higher education, disruptive forces, innovation, self-renewal, integrative planning</p><p>

This thesis effects a (dis)ordered look as a disordered construct. A Thesis by Publication format has been employed, where instead of a traditional linear argument: A + B = Conclusion, this work follows a cartographical route - instead of traditional thesis chapters, there are scholarly journal articles. Whilst related, these papers each concentrate on different threads of the problem that we currently call &quotAttention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder". Connected by short linking summaries, they constitute a cartographic survey utilising Foucault's (1977; 2003b) notion of a discursive/technological grid to examine &quotADHD" as a discursive formation and schooling as a system of formation of &quotdisorderly" objects.

Title General chemistry at high schools in experimental tasks Abstract This work explores the subject of chemical equilibrium in the curriculum of general chemistry in chemical education at secondary schools. The main source is basically analysis of educational systems and mentioned curriculum topic in selected European countries (Great Britain, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Slovenia) and Czech Republic. The main objective is to prepare instructional chemical equilibrium documents at the level of secondary education in the form of worksheets, that include teaching exercises and chemical experiments. The experiments are designed mainly for home laboratory work, some experiments are useful for elementary school pupils.

<p>There is a large variation in the quantity and quality of ethics that U.S. engineering students learn. Why is there so much room for improving the state of engineering ethics education in the United States? Recognizing the interplay between individual agency, structural factors, and historical contingency, this dissertation is a three-part approach to answering that question – I present three distinct, mutually informative threads for studying engineering ethics education from different angles. The first thread is an historical approach. The second thread is an empirical study of the mental models that faculty members have regarding engineering ethics education. The third thread applies theoretical constructs from political science and economics to analyze structural factors impinging on engineering ethics education.</p><p><br></p> <p>From the studies, first we see that trailblazers of engineering ethics developed the new knowledge required of this emerging field through interpersonal relationships; they leveraged existing organizations and built new institutional mechanisms for sharing knowledge and creating a community of scholars and an engineering ethics curriculum; they utilized resources from supportive colleagues and administrators to corporate, governmental, and nongovernmental funding that legitimated their work. Their efforts ultimately created pedagogical materials, prevalent ideas, publication outlets, meetings, and foundations that not only contributed to the current state of U.S. engineering ethics education but also the launching point for future generations to build upon and continue developing that state. Second, mapping the mental models of engineering ethics education among engineering faculty members provided a typology for analyzing the state of engineering ethics education and places where one can expect to find variation, deepening our understanding of the state of engineering ethics education. Third, outlining a theory of the political economy of engineering education highlighted factors that could be influencing curricular and pedagogical decisions in engineering departments. Furthermore, I supplemented the outlined theoretical phenomena with data from the mental models interviews in order to provide a proof of concept and relevant grounding for the phenomena.</p><p><br></p> <p>In sum, faculty members make decisions based on their mental models. Structural factors shape the broader environment and institutions in which those faculty members operate. Those structures and institutions change over time, leading to the current state of engineering ethics education. Having all three pieces has provided a more complete understanding of the state of U.S. engineering ethics education.</p><p><br></p> <p>Ultimately, my dissertation accomplishes multiple goals. First, I have provided additional evidence for understanding and explaining the qualitative and quantitative discrepancies of engineering ethics coverage in U.S. undergraduate engineering education at multiple levels of analysis. Second, I have amassed evidence that can inform future research efforts. Third, I have demonstrated the use of certain theories and methods infrequently employed in engineering education research. Finally, I have outlined potential new avenues for interdisciplinary research, especially at the nexus of political economy, education, engineering, and society. </p>

Hoy and Miskel (2008) and Weick (1976) conceptualize schools as organizational systems of which parents comprise part of the organization. Specifically, parent involvement includes such behaviors as assisting students with homework, participating in policy decisions, and providing feedback (Barge & Loges, 2003). Parent involvement is largely championed in K12 education and particularly in middle schools (e.g., Coalition of Essential Schools, 1993; Texas Education Agency, 1991). In fact, both parents and teachers value building positive parent-teacher relationships (Kalin & Steh, 2010) and may communicate regarding a variety of topics including student academic performance, classroom behavior, preparation, hostile peer interactions, and health (Thompson & Mazer, 2012). However, while parents and teachers report valuing positive parent-teacher interactions, Lasky (2000) found that “teachers and parents sometimes felt confused, powerless, and misunderstood as a result of their interactions” (p. 857). One specific type of parent-teacher communication that may lead to dissatisfying interactions is parent expressed educational dissent (PED). Similar to organizations and workplaces that do not value dissent as a feedback process increasing democratic discourse in the system, schools may actively attempt to avoid potentially negative or conflict-inducing communication such as dissent (Ehman, 1995). Scholars (e.g., Davies, 1987; Fine, 1993; Sarason, 1995) note the importance of dissent and parent involvement in education systems, and case studies espouse positive changes within education systems as a result of parental dissent (e.g., Ehman, 1997). In order to better understand PED, this dissertation project seeks to (a) examine why parents express dissent in educational systems, (b) identify how parents express dissent in educational systems, and (c) measure how PED affects members of the educational system. To accomplish these goals, the author conducted a series of focus groups with teachers and parents, developed a measure of PED, and disseminated a survey to both parents and teachers assessing the antecedents and possible outcomes affected by PED. The findings of this research aim to improve organizational communication within middle school education systems such that schools may develop prosocial strategies for (re)framing and addressing PED.

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