Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to confirm and extend previous findings on the direct instruction of expository text structure using social studies content for second-grade students. A total of 16 classrooms (N = 258) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: Text Structure (TS) Program, Content-Only (CO) Program, or No Treatment (Control) group. The TS Program consisted of five units, with each unit focusing on one text structure (sequence, compare-contrast, cause-effect, description, and problem-solution) and on one historical community (Native Americans, Colonists, Pioneers, Immigrants, modern urban residents). Students in TS learned strategies for reading and closely analyzing well-structured text: clue words, strategy questions, and graphic organizers. Other activities included trade book reading and summary writing. Students in the CO Program studied the same five historical communities, read the same trade books, closely read the same well-structured texts, and also wrote summaries, but did not explicitly learn about the text structure or its related strategies. Results from two-level hierarchical linear modeling analyses indicated that students in TS significantly outperformed the other two groups in Comprehension Written Summary measures (main idea, structure statements) in both the end-of-unit tests given immediately after each unit and in the posttest given at the very end of the year-long program. Students in TS also significantly outperformed the other two groups in some Comprehension Transfer measures (sentence completion, main idea questions and paragraph structure identification questions). Students in TS also showed some transfer to comprehending authentic text. TS outperformed the control group in structure-related comprehension questions, but did not outperform the CO group, although the overall pattern of results across the three conditions was the same as that of the other measures. Additional analyses showed some potential benefits of the program for students with initially low reading comprehension skills. Results also suggest that text structure lessons can be simultaneously taught within social studies without reducing acquisition of content knowledge, since there were no significant differences between TS and CO on content outcome measures, and both groups outperformed the control group.

The problem of this study was to investigate the problems listed as bothersome and their frequency as identified by selected elementary teachers. Another objective was to analyze differences between teacher problems and selected social demographic variables. The background research was limited to a review of the literature related to the subject. It was determined that the relevance of professional problem solving as a competency could provide formative information to guide changes in undergraduate, graduate, preservice, and in-service education. A descriptive research design was followed by surveying a selected sample of teachers of grades 1-7 in the nine counties and two cities with independent school districts in Southwest Virginia. Three hundred fifteen teachers were randomly selected to participate in the study. Two hundred forty-six teachers responded, and the findings reflect their responses. The statistical analysis of the collected data indicated significant differences in 12 of the 21 hypotheses developed for the study. A significant relationship existed between the frequency and bothersomeness of problems and the following clusters of problems: affiliation, control, parent relationships and home conditions, student success, and time. The predominately mentioned problems of teachers were problems dealing with time--having enough time to plan and implement good teaching and to complete related responsibilities. The second most frequently mentioned problems were problems dealing with student success. Conclusions of the study emphasized the fact that teachers can and will identify and share their school-related problems. Older and more experienced teachers were less bothered by problems than were the younger and less experienced teachers. Teachers in grades 3, 4, and 6 were more bothered by problems. No difference existed between the frequency and bothersomeness of problems and the sex of the teachers. There was also no relationship between the frequency and bothersomeness of problems and class size or the degree earned by the teacher. Teachers who indicated that they were less than very satisfied with teaching experienced more frequent problems and were much more bothered by those problems than were teachers who said that they were very satisfied with teaching. Seventy percent of the respondents were less than very satisfied with their undergraduate preparation program for teaching, and 60% of the respondents indicated that they were less than very satisfied with teaching.

The problem of this study was to investigate the problems listed as bothersome and their frequency as identified by selected elementary teachers. Another objective was to analyze differences between teacher problems and selected social demographic variables. The background research was limited to a review of the literature related to the subject. It was determined that the relevance of professional problem solving as a competency could provide formative information to guide changes in undergraduate, graduate, preservice, and in-service education. A descriptive research design was followed by surveying a selected sample of teachers of grades 1-7 in the nine counties and two cities with independent school districts in Southwest Virginia. Three hundred fifteen teachers were randomly selected to participate in the study. Two hundred forty-six teachers responded, and the findings reflect their responses. The statistical analysis of the collected data indicated significant differences in 12 of the 21 hypotheses developed for the study. A significant relationship existed between the frequency and bothersomeness of problems and the following clusters of problems: affiliation, control, parent relationships and home conditions, student success, and time. The predominately mentioned problems of teachers were problems dealing with time--having enough time to plan and implement good teaching and to complete related responsibilities. The second most frequently mentioned problems were problems dealing with student success. Conclusions of the study emphasized the fact that teachers can and will identify and share their school-related problems. Older and more experienced teachers were less bothered by problems than were the younger and less experienced teachers. Teachers in grades 3, 4, and 6 were more bothered by problems. No difference existed between the frequency and bothersomeness of problems and the sex of the teachers. There was also no relationship between the frequency and bothersomeness of problems and class size or the degree earned by the teacher. Teachers who indicated that they were less than very satisfied with teaching experienced more frequent problems and were much more bothered by those problems than were teachers who said that they were very satisfied with teaching. Seventy percent of the respondents were less than very satisfied with their undergraduate preparation program for teaching, and 60% of the respondents indicated that they were less than very satisfied with teaching.

The problem was to determine whether selected psycholinguistic instructional aids were effective in remediating learning deficiencies among early elementary children (grades 1-3). Literature was reviewed to substantiate a need for the use of psycholinguistic instructional aids for remediation of learning deficiencies among early elementary children. Research surveyed included auditory perception skills, language skills, motor skills, and visual perception skills. Data were collected from test groups of students in grade levels one, two, and three. A stratified random sampling technique yielded a sample of thirty-six students, eighteen males and eighteen females. Each of the three grade level groups in the sample was divided randomly into two groups containing an equal number of males and females. These groups were labeled the experimental groups and the control groups. The Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities (ITPA) was administered as a pretest to the sample. A series of reading lessons was taught for an instructional period of twenty-one sessions to both experimental and control groups. The experimental groups were provided thirty-minute sessions of prescribed psycholinguistic instructional aids following the presentation of each reading lesson. The control groups received "pseudo" treatment designed to control for the Hawthorne effect. The ITPA was re-administered as the posttest. No significant difference was found between the scores achieved on the ITPA for the experimental groups and the control groups for grade levels one, two, or three. There was no significant difference found between the scores for the composite experimental group and the composite control group. The 0.05 level of significance was applied in all cases using the statistical technique of analysis of covariance with the pretest as the covariate. The comparison of experimental groups and control groups found that: (1)The experimental groups for all grade levels showed higher increases than the control groups. (2)The composite experimental group showed an increase over the composite control group. The comparison of male and female control and experimental groups found that: (1)The male experimental groups showed an increase over the male control groups with the exception of the second grade level where the control group was slightly favored. (2)The female experimental groups showed an increase over the female control groups in all grade levels. (3)The female experimental groups, including the composite experimental group, showed a gain over the male experimental groups. The recommendations made as a result of the study were: (1)Additional studies should be conducted using larger samples and/or longer durations of time to determine whether selected psycholinguistic instructional aids were effective in remediating learning deficiencies. (2)Replication of the study should be made in other geographical areas using different research designs and methodologies in order to increase the ability to generalize the results. (3)Studies should be conducted with middle and upper elementary school children to determine whether psycholinguistic instructional aids were effective for the remediation of learning deficiencies at those grade levels. (4)Schools should use evaluation instruments such as the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities to assess students' psycholinguistic abilities and incorporate the findings into staff development programs and professional growth activities. (5)Studies should be conducted on the impact of psycholinguistic instruction on students' self-concepts. (6)Studies should be conducted to determine if paraprofessionals could enhance students' psycholinguistic performance.

The use of dogs in a reading program is not a new concept. However, this study addresses the gap in the literature by exploring the connection between reading to dogs, reading self-efficacy, and reading standardized test scores. Using an experimental control group design, this study will look at below-average readers in the fifth grade with half randomly assigned to read once a week to a certified therapy dog and volunteer and the other half randomly assigned to read to just an adult volunteer with no dog. This study will use a reading self-efficacy questionnaire (Carroll & Fox, 2017) and the existing reading standardized test used in the school district. The study should find that reading to dogs has a significant effect on reading self-efficacy and reading standardized test scores. Self-efficacy should mediate the effect of the presence of dogs in the reading group on test scores. This study will contribute to the existing literature on canine-assisted reading programs as well as academic self-efficacy. Though the results are based on local fifth grade students, the study can be replicated in other grades and school districts.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1992. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 107-112). Also available in print.

It was the purpose of this investigation to examine the effects of sex, race, intelligence, and socioeconomic status upon the reading and arithmetic achievement test scores of sixth grade pupils in one school district. This was accomplished by combining these factors to establish 32 pupil performance categories. Norms, based upon these 32 categories, were established for both the level of performance at the end of sixth grade and gain in performance based upon the increment in reading and arithmetic between fifth and sixth grades.

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 125-135).