<p> The introduction of technological tools has created a paradigm shift in the field of education. As such, online learning has become a popular method for students to access educational courses. Due to the increased demand by learners for online classes, administrators at American institutions of higher learning are faced with the challenge of moving faculty members to an online environment. However, transitioning to an online environment requires a role change for faculty members. Specifically faculty members must shift their instructional methods from on-ground lecturer to online mentor, which can be challenging. Indeed many faculty members transition to online instruction without the necessary training, support, or skills needed to be successful. The purpose of this qualitative, multiple case study was to develop a better understanding of how higher education faculty members transition from a face-to-face (i.e., on-ground) teaching format to an online teaching format. Participants included nine faculty members, representing different colleges and universities, who teach at post-secondary institutions within the United States. Participants had taught face-to-face classes for one year or more, and had taught at least three classes using an online format. An in-depth, open-ended, semi-structured interview format was used to gather data. The data provided by the participating faculty members were collected, coded using a line-by-line format, and the codes were compared to one another with the goal of finding a pattern. The development of conceptual categories and data analysis continued until saturation was achieved. Based on the data analysis, <i>transforming</i> was the conceptual theme for how higher education faculty members transition from a face-to-face (i.e., on-ground) teaching format to an online teaching format. Three transitioning skills were also identified as integral components for faculty members transitioning from face-to-face to online instruction. Future areas of research include: 1) how foreign language instructors develop asynchronous communicative collaborative activities and 2) how administrators could add specific subject area needs into their training programs or workshops.</p>

<p> Research has generally demonstrated that students enrolled in developmental mathematics courses are leaving these courses without achieving conceptual understanding and transferrable knowledge and skills. Such outcomes have challenged educators to incorporate instructional strategies that have the most significant effect on the success of students in developmental education courses, in particular reform-based practices for the teaching of developmental mathematics courses based on constructivism. However, there is little or no empirical information on which of these instructional strategies and designs are being used (and by whom), as well as on the frequency of use, perceived value or importance to learning, and instructors' beliefs in their ability to use these best practices. </p><p> This cross-sectional study was intended to fill this gap by examining the role of personal teaching efficacy and perceived usefulness in determining the use of reform-based practices by instructors teaching developmental mathematics at the postsecondary level. Data was collected from 160 developmental or remedial mathematics instructors at two- and four-year regionally accredited postsecondary institutions in the United States who responded to a Web-based survey. Multiple statistical methods were applied to analyze the data, including correlation and multiple regression analyses. </p><p> Findings indicated that personal teaching efficacy and perceived usefulness each has a significant positive correlation with the use of reform-based practices, with personal teaching efficacy having the stronger correlation. In addition, only personal teaching efficacy was statistically significant for the regression model. These findings suggest that activities to support the use of reform-based practices include ways to increase instructors' beliefs in their ability to use reform-based practices. Directions for future research should continue to focus on instructors' beliefs and attitudes toward the use of reform-based practices as a means for improving developmental mathematics instruction. </p>

<p> Online courses can be a source of isolation for both students and instructors. Social presence as a human connection in the online learning environment has been researched, yet the findings have not been easily implemented to support a sense of community. This study examined doctoral students&rsquo; perception of social presence and results indicated that it correlates to their sense of community in online courses (<i>r</i> = .82, <i>p</i> &lt;.01). The participants were primarily female doctoral students over the age of 40. Responses to the open-ended questions provided support for the various social presence definitions identified by researchers. Additional level of analysis included thematic review. Themes of <i>satisfaction, frustration,</i> and <i>peers mattered</i> were evaluated by raters with confirmed inter-rater reliability. Participant responses were found to express the theme of satisfaction over 50% of the time when perception of community was present in the course. They expressed almost 80% of the time that their peers&rsquo; sharing of knowledge mattered. Although textual analysis word count did not support the importance of the facilitator or instructor, content evaluation of participant responses indicated there was value of instructor course design allowing peer-to-peer discussion, learning, and emotional support. This study confirms that instructor facilitation of social presence is essential for students to experience their own social presence and sense of community in an online course. The results of this study can be used to help guide instructors intending to use collaborative constructivism design techniques to improve student engagement and retention in doctoral online courses.</p>

<p> In the city selected for this study, only 29% of inner-city students scored proficiently on standardized tests, whereas 71% of their peers at nearby suburban and affluent schools achieved the proficiency level. To address the gap, the local district implemented ability grouping in one charter school. The purpose of this ex post facto quasi-experimental study was to examine the effect of ability grouping among inner-city students in mathematics as an instructional intervention for improving student achievement. Ability grouping theory as an instructional strategy was used as the theoretical framework for this study. The criterion measure of mathematics improvement was provided by the test results from the Northwest Evaluation Association&rsquo;s Measure of Academic Progress (NWEA-MAP), a computer-adaptive assessment of mathematics. Using population data for 2012&ndash;2014 inner-city 8th graders who took the pretest and posttest NWEA-MAP (<i>N</i> = 234), two 1-way analyses of variances were used to test for mean differences in the NWEA-MAP improvement scores between ability-grouped (<i>n</i> = 115) and non-ability-grouped (<i>n</i> = 115) students, then specifically between students who were grouped as high ability (<i>n</i> = 55) and low ability (<i> n</i> = 55). The ability-grouped students had significantly higher improvement scores than did the nongrouped students. For those students who were ability grouped, no statistically significant difference existed in improvement between the high and low ability groups. A position paper was developed recommending student grouping to improve academic performance of inner-city school students. Positive social change will occur as the achievement gap is closed for students who attend inner-city schools.</p>

<p> This research utilized an interpretive, multiple-case design to explore how fourth- and fifth-grade charter school students with high-incidence disabilities experienced instruction to participate in their annual IEP meetings and how they described their experiences of their meetings. Using student interviews, observations of the instruction and IEP meetings, review of instructional materials, and researcher-developed tools for students to self-record data, the study focused on <i>students'</i> perceptions of their experiences. Specifically, this research examined factors that motivated students to participate in their IEP meetings and factors that supported and impeded their participation. </p><p> A review of the literature revealed a wide gap around research on preparation of elementary students to participate in their IEP meetings. Much of the research on how best to involve students with disabilities in their educational programming has focused on student development and training in the context of transition planning, specifically with regards to self-determination skills (e.g., problem-solving, goal-setting, self-regulation). However, researchers have suggested that students in elementary grades may require adult support and monitoring, as well as contextual practice opportunities, in order to build self-efficacy in using these skills. </p><p> Results from the research are presented separately for each student and finally compared and contrasted across students. Findings were (a) students were primarily motivated to participate in their meetings out of a need to develop competence and mastery in their academic pursuits and (b) they perceived their teachers and mothers as critical supports in their efforts. Factors found to support and impede students' participation related to: accessibility of language and content, teachers' expectations for the students' participation, level of autonomy support students received, the extent to which students perceived their voices were validated, and the extent to which students' participation focused on strengths versus deficits. </p><p> The discussion provides an analysis of motivational, support, and impediment factors through a theoretical lens that integrates self-determination theory and self-efficacy theory. The discourse highlights the importance of autonomy support to enhanced student competence and ultimately to students' more active participation in their IEP meetings. Recommendations for future research, policy, and practice are provided.</p>

<p> Time can be examined from several viewpoints in the early childhood classroom: wasted wait time; instruction which is undifferentiated or not on the child's cognitive level, missing the child's target learning needs; the source and control of the classroom schedule; children's perceptions of time; and the current trend to maintain a rigid time schedule because of accountability demands. This study investigated Head Start preschool programs in a large midwestern urban area using an analysis of teacher beliefs and the classroom schedule. The instruments used to measure predictor variables were the Teacher Beliefs Scale (TBS) and Evaluation of the Early Childhood Classroom Schedule (EECCS); and the outcome variables were measured by observation with the Classroom Assessment Scoring System &ndash; PreK (CLASS) and the Individualized Classroom Assessment Scoring System (InCLASS). Thirty four teachers and 89 children participated. Correlation and hierarchical multiple regression were computed to assess the strength of the relationships between the predictor and criterion variables. Research question 1 asked how teacher's learner-centered use of time in the early childhood classroom, (EECCS), was related to Head Start classroom interactions and child engagement, (CLASS and inCLASS). Results indicated that EECCS was not a statistically significant predictor of CLASS scores or inCLASS scores. Research question 2 asked how teacher beliefs, (TBS), were related to Head Start classroom teacher-child interactions (CLASS), and Head Start classroom teacher-child, peer-peer, and child-material interactions, (inCLASS). No statistically significant results were found. Research question 3 asked how the early childhood classroom schedule moderated the relationship between developmentally appropriate teacher beliefs and Head Start Classroom interactions. No statistically significant results were found. Supplementary analyses were performed with activity settings and yielded several significant findings. Statistically significant changes were found for all instruments from fall to spring. Teacher beliefs and the classroom schedule were statistically significantly correlated. This study will also add to the body of literature a connection between teacher child interactions (CLASS) and child engagement with teachers, peers and tasks (inCLASS).</p>

<p> Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) commonly show deficits in social and communication skills, as well as in interpreting metaphorical meaning of language. These deficits often make reading comprehension more difficult for students with ASD. Past research has primarily focused on decoding rather than on comprehension skill interventions; only recently has there been an upswing in research to support reading comprehension skill deficits. The purpose of this study was to examine instructional strategies that are used for students with ASD, specifically students who exhibit Hyperlexia&mdash;a significant discrepancy in reading identified by high decoding skills and low comprehension abilities. Using the Special Educational Elementary Longitudinal Study database (SEELS), this study was able to analyze information on over 1,000 students with ASD. The study found that students with ASD are included in the language arts general education classroom 39.5% of the time, have goals that are working toward reading on grade level, and use instructional strategies such as peer tutoring, questioning strategies, classroom discussions and participation in presentations and projects on a regular basis. Looking further at this population, the study examined the relationship between reading comprehension and decoding skills according to their inclusion on the Simple View of Reading framework. Sixty-four students were identified as having Hyperlexia in the first wave of data collection gathered during the 2000-2001 school year, referred to as wave one. There were 92 students in wave three, gathered 3 years later during the 2003-2004 school year that were identified as having Hyperlexia. Through regression models and ANOVAs, the study concluded that three of the four instructional strategies (peer tutoring, presenting to the class, and questioning strategies) were not significant predictors of academic growth for students with ASD and with Hyperlexia. Only one instructional strategy (participation in class discussions) was found to have a significant impact on reading growth. This study does bring to light that there are large numbers of students with ASD who would benefit from more research on ways to teach reading comprehension.</p>

<p>Public education practitioners are currently experiencing difficult and trying times in Illinois. Schools are asked to meet high standards established by political forces and to accomplish these tasks with less money. Schools located in affluent school districts are capable of meeting these standards while schools from poorer districts are falling behind. This study was conceived to find out why Blair High School, which has more than 50% of its student body living in poverty, is capable of meeting high standards. </p><p> The results of this study yielded four main themes: 1) Students attributed their success to teachers that cared about them. 2) Students were motivated by a desire to have a better future than their parents. 3) Focusing on student learning rather than state test scores contribute to the success of the school. 4) The school environment contributes to student success. </p><p> The implications for schools located in high poverty school districts are clear. Students living in poverty need caring relationships with their teachers as well as positive human interaction. In addition, students living in poverty may be the most motivated students in the building by their desire to have a better future and not live in poverty any more. Therefore, schools should provide people, places and programs that deliver an education that helps them succeed. This can be accomplished by implementing strategies found in Invitational Theory. Also, schools would be wise to implement tutoring and mentoring programs in order to provide strong foundational skills for students living in poverty, as this develops confidence in the student and confidence leads to success. </p>

<p>The worked-example effect, an application of cognitive load theory, is a well-supported method of instruction for well-structured problems (Chandler and Sweller, 1991; Cooper and Sweller, 1987; Sweller and Cooper, 1985; Tuovinen &amp; Sweller, 1999; Ward and Sweller, 1990). One limitation is expertise-reversal effect, where advanced students perform less well when exposed to worked examples than when exposed to traditional problem solving (Kalyuga, Ayres, Chandler, &amp; Sweller, 2003; Kalyuga, Chandler, &amp; Sweller, 1998; Kalyuga, Chandler, Tuovinen, &amp; Sweller, 2001). A possible alternative to the worked-example approach is the fading example, designed to transition intermediate students to solving well-structured problems without assistance (Renkl, Atkinson &amp; Grobe, 2004). This study showed that studying worked examples was more effect than solving problems or completing fading examples when learning to form search queries for library databases, an ill-structured problem-solving environment. In addition, participants within the worked-example group with low, intermediate and high levels of domain-specific knowledge achieved parity. Within the traditional problem-solving group, those with low domain-specific knowledge performed less well than those with high domain-specific knowledge. </p><p> Keywords: cognitive load theory, worked-example effect, fading examples, expertise-reversal effect, information literacy. </p>

<p> This qualitative multi-case study explored the perceptions and beliefs of teachers of students in Grade 9 and 10, at a high school in south-central New Jersey, who taught traditional classroom courses that incorporated technology, regarding their lived experiences delivering homebound instruction for the same curriculum. Technology used in the classroom was compared to the use or lack of use of technology in the homebound setting. Similarities and differences were identified in instructional design, as well as teacher perceptions of efficiency and effectiveness for the student. The study revealed a disparity between the classroom instruction using technology and the homebound instructional setting. Five specific insights for leadership emerged from this study. The insights include (a) providing technology for the homebound instructor; (b) increase parental involvement in homebound instruction; (c) increase the amount of time for homebound instruction; (d) educate instructors in instructional technologies; and (e) to provide the homebound student with time management and organizational skills. These insights are helpful for recommending steps organizational leaders can take to increase the effectiveness of homebound instruction.</p>