Studies in social science fields have examined specific issues in (re)using archived records for qualitative research, though few have focused on the use of private archives in ethnographic research, especially when it comes to foregrounding participant perspectives. In this methodological dissertation I draw on two sets of archived records to demonstrate how an ethnographer can make visible insider knowledge and perspectives when conducting qualitative research with archived records. Utilizing an interactional ethnographic perspective, I construct a dataset for analysis, making my logic visible as I use mapping and transcription, domain and taxonomic analysis, and discourse analysis to foreground insider perspectives from the archived records using one insider as a tracer unit. The insider identified the people affected by her prep work as the technical mentors, the students on the InvenTeam, and herself. I uncovered her identification of the activities affected by prep work as mental preparation, working with the students, and problem solving. By following this insider as a tracer unit, and following a rich point through the archived records identified by the insider, I was able to identify how this rich point was important to the participant from her perspective. I also used ethnographic principles and multiple layers of analysis to (re)construct the context created by the participant in interviews. This methodological study demonstrates how an ethnographer can use archived records to make visible what insiders signal as important and how they communicate contextual information.

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The purpose of this research study is to examine the instructional practices of teachers who are currently teaching homeless students in their classroom. This study identified eight teachers in two suburban elementary schools that have students in their current classrooms that are experiencing homelessness. In addition, the research study explored the needs considered and strategies that teachers use to differentiate and accommodate their instructional practices to maximize achievement for these students. Qualitative data was collected by a study of teacher interviews through collective ethnographic case studies. Additionally, quantitative data was collected through evaluator observations of the selected classrooms to observe the differences between the identified students and the students not experiencing homelessness. Additional artifacts were submitted from teachers to support data collection. This study revealed key themes of successful pedagogical practices of elementary teachers with instructional strategies and non-instructional strategies. These themes included instructional strategies of planning, learning groups, and homework modifications. Non-instructional strategies included themes of relationships, supports, and needs.

Statement of the Problem The primary purpose of this study was to explore teacher guidance - does it help promote learning? The sub problems are to explore and assess the value of' academic training in nursery school versus a straight child development program, and to explore and assess the value of play as a teaching method. The Population This study included sixty, four year old children who were enrolled in nursery school for the first time. They were divided into six equal groups of ten each according to sex and I. Q. Control Groups I and II - pupils who participated in a five month child development theory nursery school program. Experimental Groups III and IV - pupils who participated in a five month child development theory nursery school program with added experiences in mathematical concepts under a self-directed learning program. 2 Experimental Groups V and VI - pupils who participated in a five month child development theory nursery school program with added experiences in mathematical concepts under a teacher guided learning program. Method of Conducting the Study Instruments used to gather basic data were: Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence and the CTB/ McGraw-Hill Test of Basic Experiences - Mathematics. The data was statistically described by an analysis of variance and the Scheffe Multiple Comparison Test. Findings Main Hypothesis: Children working under a teacher guided program learn more mathematical concepts than children working under a self-directed program in mathematical concepts. rrhe main hypothesis was accepted as those children involved in the teacher guided program had significantly higher scores than those obtained by the children under the self-directed program. Sub Hypothesis A: Play and the use of play materials are valuable as teaching methods. The sub-hypothesis that play and the use of play materials are valuable as teaching methods was accepted when their use included initial teacher guidance. Sub Hypothesis B; Children working under a program of planned instruction will learn more mathematical 3 concepts than children in a straight child development theory of education. The sub-hypothesis was accepted that children involved in a child development theory nursery school benefited from planned mathematical instruction provided the instruction is teacher guided. Conclusions This study revealed that children gain more mathematical concepts through guided experiences and training in nursery school if there is teacher guided learning. A formal program with preschool children can enhance acquisition of mathematical concepts. The program has different consequences for children of average or above average intelligence than for superior intelligent children. Nevertheless, each of these groups show gains particular to their knowledge and experientlal base. The value of play as a teaching method has been demonstrated in this study. Children in the experimental groups who were using the select mathematical materials in a play situation demonstrated an increased learning over the control groups involved in a straight child development program. Children involved in a program of planned instruction (the experimental groups) learned more mathematical concepts than those in the control groups. This would indicate that 4 planned instruction is more beneficial than the emergent pla.ruling advocated by the Child Development Theory of preschool education.

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The purpose of this thesis is to address the following research questions: 1) what is the current status of creativity research in a typical classroom, and 2) how does an instance of exemplary teaching serve to encourage creativity in a technology education setting? The first research question is focused on through a thorough review of published literature on creativity in order to frame the second research question. The second research question is addressed by understanding how Mr. Brad Thode, the technology teacher at Wood River Middle School in Hailey, Idaho, encourages his students to be creative. By investigating this one program, it will provide a greater understanding and deeper insight into how to promote creativity in students. Specifically, a phenomenological case study approach is used to investigate Mr. Thode and his nonlinear teaching style and to see how he fosters and promotes creativity in his classroom and among his students. Special attention is given to practices, methods, traits, etc. that have the potential to be replicated or modified for use in other classrooms. Findings are framed in the four generally accepted components of creativity: person, product, process, and press. Results indicate that creativity can be modeled and recommendations for promoting creativity in the classroom are outlined.

The purpose of this study is to explore teacher perceptions, concerns, and integration of a Learning Management System (LMS) in a K-12 public school. With more educational institutions adopting LMSs, it is imperative to examine teachers' concerns regarding the tool as teachers have an important role in how effectively an innovation—such as an LMS—is implemented (Lochner, Conrad, & Graham, 2015). Ultimately, adoption of an innovation can be successful if teachers have an understanding of the components leading to the innovation's success, such as the innovation's value in enhancing both the curriculum and the students' learning experiences (Lochner et al., 2015). This study used the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) as a main framework to not only measure implementation of the LMS, but to also increase the likelihood of the LMS effecting positive change in schools (George, Hall, & Stiegelbauer, 2006). The framework's Stages of Concern Questionnaire (SoCQ) was used with participants to determine teachers' concerns. The sample population for this study consisted of secondary teachers at a public high school in central Florida in 2017. Out of the 125 teachers employed at the school, a total of 36 (n = 36) participated in the online survey. Three of the teachers surveyed then participated in interviews to provide additional insight. Data was analyzed and organized into five main topics: (a) Stages of Concern Profile; (b) teacher concerns; (c) benefits of the LMS; (d) barriers to the LMS; and (e) teacher needs. An analysis of the survey data revealed that the study's survey participants, on average, had the highest concerns at Stage 0 (Unconcerned), Stage 1 (Informational) and Stage 2 (Personal), thus indicating the group conformed to a non-user profile when it comes to LMS use. An analysis of the interview data revealed an overall positive disposition toward the LMS with the self-awareness that participants have more to learn about its capabilities. Results suggested that LMS implementation should be refined in order to allow participants to advance to higher stages of concern (George et al., 2006). Further research should be conducted on other areas of LMS implementation, including the students' perceptions and concerns when it comes to using the LMS.

This study examined the impact of video feedback (VF) as a teaching tool for responding to writing activities and assignments across disciplines and whether or not VF can help instructors facilitate dialogic exchanges between students and teachers. I conducted three case studies with three different instructors from three different disciplines: psychology, history, and nanoscience. To determine the potential of video feedback to facilitate dialogic pedagogies, this dissertation examined the presence of transformational leadership theory (Parkin, 2017), the voices of teaching and learning (Collison et al., 2001), and gesture theory (Bavelas et al., 2014; Peräkylä & Ruusuvuori, 2008) for the paralinguistic activity in the VF content to determine if the presence of these theories position students as what Buber (1965) referred to as a "Thou" and dismantle the authoritative discourses (Bakhtin, 1994) in higher education that hinder learning. This dissertation found that teachers experienced meta-reflection and self-dialogue from making videos, which is dialogic. This study also found that instructors can facilitate dialogic exchanges that undermine authoritative discourses if they can utilize their paralinguistic activity that video affords them. This study also revealed that using VF requires overcoming a significant learning curve, and that Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) can help teachers improve how they negotiate feedback variables like the assignment, discipline, pedagogy, and learning outcome that can lead to dialogic feedback.

Abstract Parenting Nutrition Skills Workshops: An Evaluation of Facilitated Group Discussions to Enhance Parenting Nutrition Self-Efficacy By: Lisa Dawes, RD, CDE This research study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of using facilitated group discussion (FGD), a less traditional method of nutrition education, for increasing parents’ feelings of self-efficacy in their ability to make nutrition-related decisions, and to set and enforce nutrition-related boundaries with their children. Childhood obesity is on the rise; poor food choices, portion control, and inactivity are identified as contributing causes. Parents play a major role in creating healthy habits and providing a well-balanced diet for their children. Caregivers who act as the nutrition and behavior gatekeepers were targeted in this intervention. The objective of the current study was to enhance parenting nutrition education and identify barriers to healthy feeding practices in order to optimize nutrition and eating behavior. Twenty-one parents and three grandparents (n = 24) of preschool and school-aged children participated in one-hour FGD parenting nutrition skills workshops. Parent volunteers participated in one of four workshops in a Central California community. Prior to the workshop, topics for discussion were chosen from common feeding issues determined in the literature such as food-related decisions at various locations (home, school, dining out, on the road); feeding jags; and dealing with a picky eater. Parents completed validated questionnaires both before and immediately following the workshops. Two weeks after the workshops, parents were interviewed by telephone to measure longer-term impact of the FGD. Pre- and post-workshop questionnaires demonstrated that mean self-confidence levels significantly increased for the ability to set and enforce nutrition-related boundaries for their children directly after, and two weeks after participating in the FGD. Parents also demonstrated an increase in mean self-confidence levels in their ability to purchase nutritious foods and offer those foods to their children two weeks after participating in the FGD. Behaviors associated with an authoritative parenting style—such as modeling healthy eating; encouraging healthy food intake; and offering healthy foods without forcing the child to eat—were significantly higher two weeks after participating in the FGD. Significance may be attributed to the method of information delivery (FGD), the curriculum Feeding the Kids (FtK), or authoritative parents being more receptive to receiving new information, or a combination of all three. Overall, research results suggest that the use of FGD, coupled with a visual tool such as the Chat Mat created for this project, increased parents’ feelings of self-efficacy and elicited positive nutrition-related behaviors in adopting healthy feeding strategies for their children. Keywords: Nutrition education, facilitated group discussion, self-efficacy, parenting styles, feeding strategies, parenting nutrition skills

The Montessori method is an educational system that was designed to help children to become active, enthusiastic, independent learners. It involves multi-age classrooms, student-centered curriculum, uninterrupted work-cycles, and portfolio assessment. The first Montessori school was opened in 1907, and the method still flourishes today all over the world. In recent years, the Montessori philosophy has become a part of many public schools, through the use of manipulatives and, in some cases, through the curriculum itself. This thesis discusses the origin and philosophy of the Montessori method, how it is applied in a classroom setting, and how the method can be adapted into a public elementary school curriculum. It draws on the methods of already-established Montessori public schools for guidance, and proposes ways that public schools could implement Montessori methods on different levels.