This exploratory study offers a discussion of Piaget's and Kohlberg's theories of moral development, with a brief explication of each stage. It then applies this theory to moral judgment and its development. The approach was premised mainly on Kohlberg's stages of moral reasoning. The problem under investigation was to examine four real-life story dilemma discussions, and their effectiveness in the promotion of children's moral judgments at the primary level. The subjects consisted of fifty-four (54) students (twenty-seven (27) males and twenty-seven (27) females) from the southwestern part of Boston. They ranged in age from eight to nine. The design used in the study parallels the model described by "Campbell and Stanley" (1973), as the Non-Equivalent Control Group Design. The subjects were pretested and posttested, using a non-standardized test device. This instrument was designed to obtain both the qualitative and quantitative data needed to answer the five research questions which guided the study. The comparison of groups on the pretest and posttest substantiates the findings that there were no appreciable differences among the groups tested. However, the behavior of group participants differed substantially following the treatment. The results led to the conclusion that moral development can, in fact, increase the moral reasoning of primary school children. However, it was further concluded that real-life dilemma discussions are more effective in promoting children's moral judgments at the primary level, and are useful in teaching moral education as an integral part of the curriculum.

Schools are a critical site of socialization in which young people learn both formal curricular materials and informal lessons about social structure, agency, and inequality. This study examines the meaning making patterns of teachers and students in sex education classrooms and considers how these patterns reflect the structure and agency relationship between people and the institutions in which they are embedded. Through a series of interviews and using qualitative thematic analysis, I identify themes in how students and teachers discuss their experiences, how these themes relate to broader patterns of social hierarchy, and how sex education can act as a site for the reproduction (and sometimes disruption) of structural patterns of inequality.

This dissertation examines the nexus of complexity theory and peace education and its implications for developing educational praxis that engages with the demands of global complexity. In this thesis, I argue that as societies become more globalized and complex (global complexity) there is an onus upon education to adapt its methods so people can understand the workings of these processes better and further develop the ethical and creative resources needed for responding to system dynamics effectively. My central thesis is that the most appropriate way to do this is to use methods that are congruent with the subject matter of global complexity¿that is to align ones pedagogy with one¿s subject area. This dissertation therefore investigates the situated and contingent responses of peace educators working in the field to the challenges and opportunities that arise when attempting to adapt to local/global dynamics. It utilizes ethnography, narrative inquiry, and autoethnography and draws its data from interviews with over 50 educators in India, Japan, and the US. This research demonstrates that when engaging with global complexity, peace educators adapt both their ontological understanding and methodological orientation in ways congruent at times with the insights of complexity theory. While this understanding can be at odds with mass educational methodologies, this tension also is a touchstone for peace educator¿s creative formulation of novel praxis in response to the demands of global complexity. This dissertation thus examines some of the possibilities for learning within complex knowledge production systems and highlights the need for further research into the dynamics and processes at play within global educational ¿networks.¿

The purpose of this study was to describe, from their perspectives, the experiences of lesbian physical education teachers who work in the public schools and the meanings they made of their experiences. The participants were elementary and secondary school physical educators who identified themselves as lesbians. Twelve teachers were interviewed using an in-depth phenomenological approach. The teachers interviewed were women of various ages, races, and social class backgrounds who taught in rural, urban, and suburban schools. The interview materials were presented in two ways: individual profiles of eight participants and common themes. Several key points from the data emerged. First, the participants made two assumptions about being a lesbian physical educator: (a) as a lesbian, you will lose your job if you are open about your sexual orientation, and (b) female physical educators are stereotyped as being lesbians. Second, the participants actively attempted to separate their personal and professional lives. Third, the participants used a variety of strategies to manage their lesbian identities within school settings. These strategies were used both to conceal and reveal their sexual orientation. Living in two worlds was an accepted reality for the lesbian physical educators in this study. A conceptual model outlining the process by which the participants made decisions about managing their identities as lesbian physical educators was presented. Feminism and oppression theory were used to discuss the participants' experiences. The participants' descriptions revealed the prevalence of homophobia and heterosexism within physical education environments. The lesbian label was specifically used to intimidate or harass women in physical education. The homophobia and heterosexism the participants encountered in their worlds kept them silent, isolated, fearful of discovery, and powerless. Consequently, the participants in this study did not share a collective identity as a subordinate or oppressed group. Developing a collective identity was described as a critical next step in changing the conditions of their oppression as lesbian physical educators.

This study focused on a historic, descriptive analysis of the process by which properly designed and implemented staff development programs can lead teachers to seek empowerment in school settings, and also subsequently provide a supportive environment for continuing empowerment efforts. Teacher empowerment embodies the belief that teachers are professionals in the full sense of the word, and that as professionals, they deserve to share responsibly in decisions which affect their daily work lives and their careers as educators. The literature suggests that although most teacher inservice programs are designed specifically to develop new teaching skills or curricula, other positive outcomes involving changes in teachers' attitudes, beliefs, and in the school climate may also grow from participation in such programs. It also suggests that such changes in teachers' attitudes, beliefs, self-esteem, perceptions, and work environments are crucial ingredients of successful teacher empowerment efforts. Twelve participants in the Westport, MA inservice offerings during the years from 1982-1989 were studied using Qualitative Research methodology, including in-depth, semi-structured interviews, an open-ended questionnaire, field observations, and analysis of related documents. The major purpose of the study was to identify positive outcomes of the evolving professional development program and its role in creating the environmental conditions conducive to participation in the Carnegie School Program for teacher empowerment. Data gathered in this study indicated that positive attitudinal changes occurred with many participants in the areas of self-image and motivation. Teachers reported that sharing decisions about the content and delivery of inservice training led them toward increased participation in other teacher empowerment initiatives. The results of the study demonstrate a congruence between carefully designed staff development programs and subsequent teacher empowerment efforts. The underlying evidence that a school which uses staff development programming to foster an environment conducive to teacher empowerment has strong potential for success in educational reform and restructuring efforts was confirmed.

This study documents the origins of community service learning (CSL) and describes educational literature that relates to how CSL can become a learning experience in the educational process in middle schools. The case study examines how one interdisciplinary team of teachers in an urban middle school integrated CSL as an instructional strategy or culminating activity into curriculum, or used CSL as an extra-curricular experience for students. Four methods of data gathering were used: interviews, observation, a student questionnaire and review of documents. During 1990-1991 school year, the researcher observed the teachers and community partners planning and working with the students to implement the various service experiences. At the end of the school year, the principal, four teachers and three community partners participated in individual and group interviews. The researcher also conducted a group interview with students as a follow-up to the student questionnaire completed by some forty students. The questionnaire was designed with open-ended questions for the students to provide explanations for their answers. The organization of the data provided information to shape the case study and show the history and development of CSL, the delivery and design, and the student reaction to the experiences. The following conclusions were drawn: (1) The principal's vision and leadership affected the way the service experiences evolved. (2) Teachers found the service experiences to be useful as a pedagogy throughout the curriculum disciplines. (3) Service experiences enhanced the understanding of CSL as a process and an instructional strategy with teachers allowing for flexibility and the serendipitous to occur. (4) The integration of service experiences affected how teaching takes place and as an instructional strategy to enhance educational reform. (5) Teacher and students found that service experiences affected their relationships in a positive way which enhanced teaching and learning. (6) Service experiences gave students an opportunity to develop a sense of community by experiencing community within their classrooms, school, neighborhood and city-wide community. (7) Service experiences affected how students learned academically, socially and personally. (8) The process for successful implementation of service experiences needs to be better understood by both teachers and community partners. The principal of Chestnut Middle School and the Gold House teachers and students demonstrated how CSL can be designed and delivered in middle school education. By involving all curriculum areas, they built a model and process for implementation which can be adapted throughout a school district to demonstrate how to build learning experiences for students around a common purpose. The analysis and description of their work has implications beyond Chestnut and can help others understand how to build community, create change and integrate service experiences into education.

To discover possible root causes of teen pregnancy and understand why school is often uncomfortable for girls were the goals of this study, which examines questions derived from poststructural theory through case studies of five young women who became mothers during their teens. Three had dropped out of school before, two during, pregnancy; four later earned G.E.D.'s and one a high school diploma. Data were gathered by participant observation and interviews over a three-year period during which the women were enrolled for one or two sessions in a college-based summer program which emphasized development of mutual support and academic confidence among participants. Both the program and the research process, which actively involved the study subjects, urged critical examination of the heterosexual imperative which appears central in young women's lives. Findings of the study include: (1) Study participants perceive self as multiple subjectivities formed through response to people around them, particularly their parents. (2) All participants assumed that their commonly reported sense of isolation, felt particularly in school, had its only solution in finding a man to be constantly present in their lives; the study suggests this desire for "Mr. Right" is constructed by social discourses which regulate choice for women. (3) Alternative discourses which open broader options for women are accessible through learning about other women's lives and through group exploration of relational issues. (4) Personal writing is a particularly effective site for trying out discourse positions which realign relational power dynamics in women's lives. The study suggests that the root cause of teen pregnancy is a sexist agenda designed to keep women isolated from each other and powerless. Implications for the schooling of girls and preventing teen pregnancy include emphasis on classroom community, redefinition of self to acknowledge desire for connection to others, and opportunity to explore relational issues in school through shared personal writing and discussion in a single-sex environment. The study argues a view of self as process and suggests that writing to rehearse new subject positions may play a significant role in the evolution of that process.

General Chemistry II is a common chemistry course that is required for professional school such as, medical, dental, optometry schooling. Considering that it historically has a high drop, fail, withdrawal rate, it is surprising that less than 10% of students in chemistry II attend tutoring at the Student Academic Resource Center (SARC). In this tutoring center, sessions are led by students who have excelled previously in that specific course. The objective of this research is to investigate the relationship between student motivation and attendance in SARC peer tutoring sessions for chemistry II. More precisely, to better understand the connection between those who have a motivation of getting a good grade and learning the material and those who attend tutoring. In order to gain insight on a student’s motivation to attend sessions in SARC, a survey was distributed to those taking the class currently. Two modes were used including paper survey and online. Findings from this investigation will lead to suggestions to increase SARC chemistry tutoring attendance which could positively impact the success of STEM students on UCF's campus.

No description available.

No description available.