The intent of this study was to explore the impact of secondary educational contexts on college student formation and development. Semi-structured interviews were employed in order to elicit information from participants that revealed their personal perspectives regarding their approaches to acquiring, maintaining, and implementing knowledge. Students from three secondary educational contexts were included in this study: homeschool, private school, and public school. William G. Perry’s Scheme of Intellectual and Ethical Development and John David Trentham’s 10 Epistemological Priorities and Competencies were used as a theoretical lens. Additionally, semi-structured interviews were also employed in order to elicit information from parents, teachers, and administrators from each of the secondary educational contexts. A review of the precedent literature for this research presented theological, epistemological, theoretical, and educational foundations that defined the context of this research study. Overall, this research observed that epistemological positioning was generally consistent among evangelical undergraduates from differing pre-college learning environments, with homeschooler trailing slightly behind public and private school students, which reflected a range of positions within the Dualism stage to the mid stage of Multiplicity from the Perry Scheme. Additionally, this research observed that most entering freshmen have “emerging” epistemological competencies and priorities according to Trentham’s taxonomy. In addition, numerous prominent themes emerged from analysis of interviewees’ articulations that were identified as bearing relevance to how participants describe the impact of secondary educational contexts on students’ epistemological maturation and Christian formation. KEYWORDS: homeschool, private school, public school, college student, biblical wisdom, biblical worldview, knowledge of God, imago Dei, intellectual virtues, intellectual disciplines, sources of knowledge, Center for the Study of Intellectual Development (CSID), Christian formation, cognitive development, college student development, critical thinking, educational philosophy, dualism, epistemological development, epistemological maturity, faith and rationality, faith and reason, pre-college learning environment, secondary education, intellectual development, inverse consistency, multiplicity, Perry Scheme, Perry Scheme of Intellectual and Ethical Development, evangelical undergraduates, William G. Perry, Jr., John David Trentha

M.Ed. / Peoples' daily actions is a display window of their values. In the same way are the creations of people, whether it is art, cultural or technology creations, a reflection of what people (creators) regard as beautiful, meaningful and useful - that which they value. The presence of dualism in the values of educators appears to create confusion in relation to the value orientation of young people. Continuous, rapid changes in all walks of life could be seen as a possible reason for the confusion in relation to values that young people in South Africa are currently experiencing. Economic improvement, the result of technological development, resulted in secularisation as well. Secularisation is responsible for the superficialisation in the value-orientation of people. This superficialisation persists and although the "right things" are said in the education process, it appears from the actions of the very same educators, that other things are right and acceptable. The problem statement of the research is that it is not determined yet that through the integration of values to the learning content of school curricula, the value orientation of the learners could be established and enhanced. In lieu thereof the aim of the study was to determine whether the ethical value orientation of learners can be enhanced by an integrated learning programme. A case study consisting of action research was done. A qualitative research approach was followed and focus group interviews were conducted as a data collecting method. Empathy, an ethical value, was integrated to the learning content of Afrikaans Seconds Language and were taught through following an interdisciplinary approach between Technology and Language, Literacy and Communication. The results of the study shown that as a result of the close interwoveness within valueorientations, not only was empathy intensified, but other values were sensitise too. Although only two learning areas were involved in the case study, it is recommended that values be integrated to the learning content of all learning areas at school level.

The primary purpose of this study is to compare the six models (cross-sectional, two-wave, and multiwave, with and without controls) and determine which of the models most appropriately estimates school effects. For a fair and adequate evaluation of school effects, this study considers the following requirements of an appropriate analytical model. First, a model should have controls for students' background characteristics. Without controlling for the initial differences of students, one may not analyze the between-school differences appropriately, as students are not randomly assigned to schools. Second, a model should explicitly address individual change and growth rather than status, because students' learning and growth is the primary goal of schooling. In other words, studies should be longitudinal rather than cross-sectional. Most researches, however, have employed cross-sectional models because empirical methods of measuring change have been considered inappropriate and invalid. This study argues that the discussions about measuring change have been unjustifiably restricted to the two-wave model. It supports the idea of a more recent longitudinal approach to the measurement of change. That is, one can estimate the individual growth more accurately using multiwave data. Third, a model should accommodate the hierarchical characteristics of school data because schooling is a multilevel process. This study employs an Hierarchical Linear Model (HLM) as a basic methodological tool to analyze the data. The subjects of the study were 648 elementary students in 26 schools. The scores on three subtests of Canadian Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS) were collected for this grade cohort across three years (grades 5, 6 and 7). The between-school differences were analyzed using the six models previously mentioned. Students' general cognitive ability (CCAT) and gender were employed as the controls for background characteristics. Schools differed significantly in their average levels of academic achievement at grade 7 across the three subtests of CTBS. Schools also differed significantly in their average rates of growth in mathematics and reading between grades 5 and 7. One interesting finding was that the bias of the unadjusted model against adjusted model for the multiwave design was not as large as that for the cross-sectional design. Because the multiwave model deals with student growth explicitly and growth can be reliably estimated for some subject areas, even without controls for student intake, this study concluded that the multiwave models are a better design to estimate school effects. This study also discusses some practical implications and makes suggestions for further studies of school effects. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

"In organization and administration the educational system of England and Wales differs in three main respects from that of many other countries. These characteristic features are: the decentralization of administration, the prominent part played by voluntary agencies, and the fact that teachers are not subject to official control on questions relating to curricula, syllabi of instruction, and methods of teaching"--Introduction. / "August, 1947." / Typescript. / "Presented to the Graduate Committee of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts under Plan II." / Advisor: M. R. Hinson, Major Professor. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 50-51).

"This study is a report of the Exceptional Children's Unit in Lake Placid, Florida. The purposes of this report are as follows: 1. To clarify the thoughts of the writer on what the Exceptional Children's Unit has accomplished. 2. To arrive at conclusions on the contributions the Lake Placid Exceptional Children's Unit has made to children and to teachers of other grades. 3. To clarify the values and techniques of case histories in teaching exceptional children. 4. To compare the curricula and program which have been used in the exceptional unit with that reported in well-known schools. This study will attempt to trace the development of the mental pattern of two mentally defective children and a borderline subnormal boy over a period of three years in a public school"--Introduction. / "August, 1954." / Typescript. / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science." / Advisor: R. L. Witherspoon, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 53).

Purpose: To describe the process of designing a new progressive nurse practitioner student clinical evaluation tool based on competencies. Data sources: Selected research articles and professional organization published guidelines. Conclusions: Evaluation of nurse practitioner students' clinical performance is an important and often complex responsibility of faculty. The clinical evaluation tool should reflect the changing expectations associated with particular courses across the curriculum and be based on the competencies identified by the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties. Collaboration by faculty is the key to development of an accurate and useful clinical evaluation tool. Implications for practice: The progressive nurse practitioner clinical evaluation tool presented here is the result of integrating specific clinical course outcomes and competencies recognized by key nurse practitioner associations.

In 1978, Suffolk Public Schools and Planters Peanuts entered into an agreement to provide an on-site basic skills instruction program for the Planters' employees called Planters Employee Training (PET). The purpose of this study was to evaluate PET in two areas: (1) worth; the value the employees, management, union, and school system, placed on the program, and (2) merit; the extent to which PET met established standards for work place adult basic education programs. This study evaluated PET using a naturalistic methodology that involved the collection and analysis of qualitative data from three sources: (1) document review; (2) interviews with employee/students, employee/nonstudents, former student/employees, PET administrative and instructional staff, union representation, industry management, first line supervisors in the industry, and school system administrative staff including the superintendent; and (3) observations. The conclusions of this study included a positive worth response by all stakeholder groups with the most dramatic response from the first line supervisors who reported improved employee/student job performance and, more importantly to them, improved attitude toward work as a result of participation in PET. The conclusions regarding merit data included the need for attention to a number of management issues regarding the acquisition of data and involvement of stakeholder groups as assets to planning an instructional program that is responsive to the needs of the employees and the industry. Recommendations include (1) the development of a Policy Committee composed of the key union, management, and school division personnel to focus PET's efforts, and (2) the utilization of the existing advisory committee to assist the PET administrator in planning a responsive instructional program and to involve the union in supporting PET's activities. / Ed. D.

Nurse educators are faced with the issues of cost containment and documenting the results of continuing professional education (CPE). The results of successful CPE are behavior changes observed in the nursing staff upon returning to the work environment. Continuing professional education requires valid evaluation of instruments to determine its effectiveness, quality, and documentation of behavior changes. The purpose of this study was to establish the validity of four instruments measuring variables of behavior change in nurses after attendance at a CPE program. Cervero's (1985) evaluation model applied to CPE and behavior change was used to guide the study.Data was collected from three different convenience samples and merged for a total of 114 subjects. The four instruments that participants were asked to complete at the CPE programs were: (a) "New Ideas and You" (Brigham et al., 1995); (b) "Social System of the Organization"analysis. "New Ideas and You" (Brigham et al., 1995) (Ryan et al, 1995); (c) "CPE Program and Change" (Ryan et al., 1995); and (d) "The Continuing Professional Education Offering" (Elkins et al., 1995).Findings in this study were revealed through factor outcome to improve the quality of patient care. This end revealed two factors. "Social System of the Organization" (Ryan et al., 1995) resulted in a three factor solution. "CPE Program and Change" (Ryan et al., 1995) resulted in a three factor solution and "Continuing Professional Education Offering" (Elkins et al., 1995) resulted in a three factor solution.Conclusions from this study was that the four instruments have some degree of validity and reliability. The highest obtained factor scores confirmed the concepts identified as subscales in the four instruments.Nurse educators need a valid and reliable method of evaluating CPE to assess the effectiveness and extent of behavior changes in nurses after attendance at workshops, seminars, and other CPE programs. These behavior changes are a result of an increased knowledge base with an ultimateresult has a positive impact on the nursing profession, nursing education, and health care. / School of Nursing

How should we understand the lived experiences of students in an English language program at a community college? This study seeks to explore and discuss the experiences of international students as they discover and constitute cultural identities in places between languages and cultures. It suggests a link between the vibrancy of these lived experiences and an English language education program which understands the value of the lived curriculum. The text includes the narratives of three international students and the interpreting of those conversations by the researcher. Also participating in the study are the voices of teachers and the voices of writers of theory, with the researcher working in the middle, experiencing at the same time a discovering and constituting of his own cultural identity. Building on the work of postcolonial scholars of cultural theory and anthropology, the study suggests a different kind of inter-national classroom and community, one which has implications for teachers as inter-national educators. In doing so, the thesis attempts to respond to "calls for attention to international dimensions of curriculum study" (Pinar 1995) and suggests an approach to creating a different kind of theoretical and conceptual frame for language education. It is hoped that the research will open doors to new questions and avenues of study and will help in furthering our understanding of curriculum.

How should we understand the lived experiences of students in an English language program at a community college? This study seeks to explore and discuss the experiences of international students as they discover and constitute cultural identities in places between languages and cultures. It suggests a link between the vibrancy of these lived experiences and an English language education program which understands the value of the lived curriculum. The text includes the narratives of three international students and the interpreting of those conversations by the researcher. Also participating in the study are the voices of teachers and the voices of writers of theory, with the researcher working in the middle, experiencing at the same time a discovering and constituting of his own cultural identity. Building on the work of postcolonial scholars of cultural theory and anthropology, the study suggests a different kind of inter-national classroom and community, one which has implications for teachers as inter-national educators. In doing so, the thesis attempts to respond to "calls for attention to international dimensions of curriculum study" (Pinar 1995) and suggests an approach to creating a different kind of theoretical and conceptual frame for language education. It is hoped that the research will open doors to new questions and avenues of study and will help in furthering our understanding of curriculum. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate