Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2000. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 115-120). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2001. / Bibliography: leaves 120-130.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2000. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 162-165). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2000. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 115-120). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

This study examined the meaning of effective teaching and instructional flexibility at the post secondary level to see where instructional flexibility fits into the frame of effective teaching. Five hundred college students and fifteen instructors participated in this study. Student participants shared their perceptions of instructional flexibility and effective teaching through open-ended questions using an online survey. Instructor participants shared their concepts of both constructs through one-on-one interviews. Given that the focus of this study was on the perceptions of college instructors and students of what effective teaching and flexibility in teaching encompass, all collected data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach (Strauss & Corbin, 1998). The emergent model of effective teaching and instructional flexibility comprised four themes: (a) teaching for the progress of learning; (b) a teacher’s role as the “human” persona; (c) teaching to bridge the gap from facts to understanding; (d) a teacher’s role as content expert. These four themes could be seen as representing the concept of instructional flexibility (Themes 1 and 2), and the concept of effective teaching (Themes 3 and 4) at the postsecondary level. Results indicated that a flexible teacher was portrayed as someone who was responsive and attentive to the needs of individual students whereas an effective teacher was described as someone who was successful in helping students understand important course concepts. Further, results showed that instructional flexibility was considered to be an important component of effective teaching both by college students and instructors. Regarding the association between teaching effectiveness and instructional flexibility, metacognitive teaching played an important role as an overlapping component of both constructs. / text

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine the comparative effects of multimedia anchored instruction (MAI) to analog video instruction (AVI) and to teacher-directed, lecture- and text-based instruction (TDI) on the knowledge, beliefs, and skills of preservice teachers. Previous teacher education research had raised important questions about the paucity of existing studies investigating whether video-based technologies such as MAI were more effective or efficient than other instructional practices, the lack of a theoretical foundation or supporting empirical evidence for most technology practices, and insufficient information identifying which instructional features of technology-based practices impact learning and in what ways. In this study, 6 university instructors who taught introductory coursework in behavior management from 5 schools across the country volunteered to participate and were randomly assigned to 1 of the 3 instructional conditions. Their preservice teacher students received MAI, AVI, or TDI instruction on the Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) process. Measures included a knowledge test, a beliefs survey, a performance test of skills, and a satisfaction survey. Results of the study confirmed previous findings that participants exposed to MAI learned more than with other methods, with students in the MAI group performing significantly better than students in the TDI group on a test of content knowledge. The MAI group also outperformed the AVI group, although results were not significant. Students in all groups significantly increased their self-efficacy, ableness, and willingness to manage challenging behavior. There were no significant differences between groups on the skills measure, although mean differences suggested the MAI group was better able to perform the FBA process. Instructor and student satisfaction surveys reported technical difficulties in the MAI module and video case study. Instructors found the content to be aligned with evidence-based practices and their own beliefs about managing challenging behavior. Students in the MAI condition reported finding the instruction most interesting and felt best prepared to conduct the case study. Overall, study findings suggest that MAI is an effective approach for increasing knowledge, developing beliefs, and promoting skills for preservice teachers. / text

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Today, education is arguably one of the most important facets used to prepare and train students for the future. Society expects that students will acquire the requisite knowledge and competence in their respective fields to prepare them to successfully navigate the demands of today's competitive markets. This expectation has consequences on teachers at all levels of education across many domains. Teachers have a significant role: to prepare students for the future. Competent teachers spend a great deal of time reflecting on their own practices and beliefs, reviewing their teaching goals and evaluating if students have met these goals effectively. The process of reflection in teaching is vital in the preparation and training of students. / The purpose of this dissertation therefore was to investigate how statistics professors reflect on their practice. The research questions were designed to access what statistics teachers thought about before giving their courses and before giving two of their classes (hypothesis testing, t-tests). Post class evaluation interviews were conducted to determine where professors thought they were effective and whether they considered a need for change based on student understanding. More specifically, the questions asked: 1) What are the main themes in teacher reflection? 2) How is the content of reflection similar or different between statistics teachers? 3) How is the content of teacher reflection defined in statistics? / The design was based on a grounded theory approach whereby data collection consisted solely of interviews conducted throughout the semester: one pre-course interview and two sets of pre-class and post-class interviews. There were 13 participants in total. Participants were either statistics teachers from Quebec Cegeps or university professors. Participants were from the following departments: anthropology, economics, psychology, sociology, education, math, and biology. The analyses dealt with three data sources: pre class reflection, in class reflection, and post class reflection. / Data analysis focused on defining the main themes of teacher reflection that emerged from the data, identifying the content of reflection between and within participants in terms of similarities or differences. The pre course interview revealed five main themes: the course (logistics), the teacher as 'self, teaching approaches (what do they say they do in the classroom?), teaching and learning influences, and evaluation of teaching. / The pre and post class interviews addressed class planning. What did the professors foresee as any issues students might have in understanding hypothesis testing and t-tests? What changes would they make the next time they taught these concepts? Results showed that the focus of professor reflection centered around three main categories: the class, the student, and the teacher. For the main category, class, some professors reviewed lecture notes, added examples that emphasized authentic statistical problems, and others did no preparation. Student related themes addressed issues students had with understanding statistical content, learning associated difficulties, and student affect. The last category, the teacher, looked at self evaluation, their in-class strategies, methods of promoting and gauging student understanding, and decisions made in class and for future classes. Recommendations for future research include examining the role of experience in professor's level of reflection as well as defining the process of decision making and its role in reflection.

Adult patient education is a major responsibility of registered dietitians. It is essential for registered dietitians to be effective adult educators as they teach adults in various employment settings. Review of the literature revealed that one important factor in being an effective adult educator is developing a teaching style which facilitates learning, known as learner-centered teaching style.The purpose of this descriptive study was to identify the teaching style preference and identify factors that have influenced registered dietitians' teaching style preference.The study sample of six hundred registered dietitians residing in the Midwest (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin) were sent two tools to complete, the "Principles of Adult Learning Scale (PALS)". Two hundred and fifty-two respondents completed the questionnaire and PALS, designed by Conti to determine teaching style preference.The overall PALS scores were computer generated. Frequency distributions and populations percentages were calculated for demographic and descriptive data. The mean, median, and standard deviation of PALS scores were calculated. Analysis of various factors and the PALS scores.The findings suggest that registered dietitians' teaching style preference is teacher-centered. The years of employment positively affected teaching style toward learnercentered until the dietitian had been employed more than 16 years, then the years of employment negatively affected teaching style preference. The number of formal educational sessions relating to adult education had the most positive effect on teaching style preference. The number of continuing education session related to adult education proved to be the factor that most affected teaching style preferences.The study has implications for registered dietitians regarding dietetic education and curriculum development, continuing professional education and adult educators utilizing the PALS instrument. Further study is recommended using PALS with only entry-level dietitians and comparing PALS scores with actual classroom teaching behavior. / Department of Educational Leadership