Book Summary: For Child Development courses in Psychology, Education, Human Development, Child and Family Studies, and Early Childhood Education. Research Made Relevant Written by a well-known and respected researcher in the field of child development, this TOPICALLY organized text uses unique and effective pedagogy as the framework of the entire text. Designed to demonstrate how research translates into practice with accessible writing, a modular format, and application-based features such as: Focus on Research, Cultural Influences, Spotlight on Theories, Improving Children’s Lives, and Child and Development and Family Policy.

Book Summary: Children and Their Development, 6e demonstrates how research translates into practice.

The purpose of this study was to understand the lived experiences of skydiving instructors who have shaped the instructional practices of experienced and active accelerated freefall instructors (AFFIs) in Central and Southern Florida. By contributing to the training curriculum, this research attempted to close the experiential gap between novice and senior instructors in a more efficient manner. Due to the complex nature of teaching skydiving and an absence of an opportunity for a skydiving instructor in training to work in freefall with non-certified skydivers, understanding the lived experiences of active AFFIs is of critical importance. This study aimed to answer the following research questions: (a) How do active accelerated freefall training instructors personalize the lessons learned in the AFFI instructor training course, forming their own best practices and instructional style? and (b) What roles do lived skydiving experiences, both significant and critical, play in the development of an active AFFI’s current instructional style and best practices? Sites selected included five dropzones located in Central and Southern Florida, with three of those sites yielding a total of 10 participants. Data were collected regarding basic demographic information as well as about the lived experiences of the active AFFIs through both structured and semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Interviews were conducted either in-person or over the phone based on the preference of the participants. Data analysis took place in three phases: separation of qualitative and quantitative data, open coding, and axial coding following Merriam’s (2009) process of coding. Findings revealed an understanding that accelerated freefall (AFF) instruction has become rooted within the culture and experiences of the skydiving community through the stance “license to learn.” This stance has led to the emergence of an educational model outlining the roles culture and experience play not only in the development of the active AFFIs, but also how those lessons are passed on to the next generation of AFFIs. Findings in this research will play a significant role in the development of future curricular adjustments, highlighting the importance of this stance while also providing a solid foundation for future inquiry. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2019. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

This study was designed to explore the relationship between maternal attitudes about math, mothers' attitudes about their prekindergarten child's math abilities, mother-child math interactions, and prekindergarten children's math achievement. Using a Vygotskian framework, an intervention was developed. An intervention group of 18 mother-child dyads from Hyrum, Utah, area and a comparison group of 17 mother-child dyads from the Weston, Idaho, area were invited to participate in this research project. Measures included the Early Mathematics Concepts (EMC) assessment, the School Readiness Composite (SRC) of the Bracken Basic Concepts Scale-Revised (BBCS-R), My Attitudes Scale (MAS), and My Attitudes About My Child's Abilities Scale (MAAMCAS). Research hypotheses predicted that the intervention group would score higher on the EMC and each of the EMC's four focus areas at the posttest. Results did not support these hypotheses. Research hypotheses also predicted that the intervention group would have a larger difference in MAS and MAAMCAS scores from pretest to posttest and .that MAS and MAAMCAS scores would predict EMC scores. Neither of these hypotheses was supported. The final research hypothesis predicted a relationship between EMC focus area scores and mathrelated subscales of the BBCS- R. The strongest relationship appeared to be between the EMC number focus and the BBCS-R number subscale. The results were interpreted in accordance with current research and possible limitations of the present study.

This study is to investigate the factors for successful training programs in the life insurance industry. From the aspects of curriculum design, instructors¡¦ arrangements, and trainers¡¦ self-evaluation on their efforts in the training program, this study analyzed the trained and on-schedule promoted trainers to understand how much the trainers identify with the program arrangements. This study further pointed out that, on the premise of the same instructors and curriculum, the trainees¡¦ quality and how their supervisors do the mentoring determine if the training program will succeed. This study used the survey and randomly chose 180 trainees to be the research participants, with 143 valid responses. This study concludes some trainees¡¦ and their supervisors¡¦ qualities that tend to generate the training success. The qualities will be used as some referential indicators for recruitment and adjusting curriculum in the future.

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

This study explores the complexities associated with graduate language instructors’ identities and teaching practices, specifically with regard to the teaching of culture in the FL classroom. These areas are important to study because negotiating various identities has been shown to impact language learning and teaching (Dippold, 2006; Kumaravadivelu, 2003; Menard-Warwick, 2008). In addition, instructors’ identities and the influence on their teaching practices may impact pedagogy (Menard-Warwick, 2008). The study investigates the identities and experiences of eight graduate instructors of German – four (two male and two female) native and four (three male and one female) non-native speakers of German – in the spring semester of 2009 at the University of Texas at Austin. The participants included novice and advanced German instructors at different levels in their graduate studies. Three questionnaires, three self-reflective journal entries, three observations, one focus group interview, and individual interviews with each participant provided the data for this study. These data were analyzed using qualitative methods, specifically grounded theory and discursive psychology. The themes and categories, as well as interpretive repertoires and subject positions which are based on Edley’s (2001) analytical framework, offered an in-depth understanding of teacher identities and the impact of identities on teaching practices in regard to culture. Findings illustrate that the participants negotiated their identities in interaction and dialogue with others (Bakhtin, 1981) and in different communities of practice (Wenger, 1998). In discussing their identities, instructors also used various interpretive repertoires, underscoring their individuality and their experiences. The study’s findings suggest, furthermore, that the issue of teacher identities needs to be included in teacher training and must play a significant role in FL education, in order to support language teaching and learning. / text

Our nation’s first Chief Technology Officer, Aneesh Chopra, has said that “technology in education is less about hardware and software and more about what we teach, the method in which we teach it, and professional development and support for educators” (Fletcher, 2009). While technology reform continues to provide schools and colleges with hardware and software (Kern & Warschauer, 2000; Kessler, 2006), the amount of technology teachers use remains low (Barron et al., 2003; Cuban et al., 2001). If our efforts are to reform, as Chopra suggests, what we teach and how we teach it, our instructional technology research must incorporate the voices of teachers who determine what happens inside the classroom. One theory regarding limited technology use has been that teachers’ beliefs and their relationship to practice might provide us with insight that will allow us to aid teachers in their craft (Becker & Riel, 1999; Ertmer, 2005). This qualitative case study examines three Spanish teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and how those beliefs relate to their instructional technology use. Data include interviews, observations, field notes and documents analyzed using a constant comparative approach (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). Findings show that beliefs about the classroom environment most influence their choices regarding instructional technology. / text

This study examined the experiences of Aboriginal students at a university in Manitoba in terms of what supports kept them registered and what institutional factors contributed to their success. The aim of this research was to inform educators, administrators, and students of the needs of Aboriginal learners at the post-secondary level and what supports and experiences fostered these learners’ success. This research included the gathering of data from eight Aboriginal students who were registered in undergraduate university programs in Manitoba. The findings suggest that Aboriginal students who are assisted with setting clear academic and career goals prior to post-secondary enrollment, are provided with adequate academic preparation before entering post-secondary studies, are able to access the specialized approaches and supports currently available, and are able to form meaningful and reciprocal relationships with faculty and peers at university or college are more likely to succeed. The conclusions of the study are two: (1) that advisement dialogue prior to enrollment and upon registration needs to be expanded; and (2) that Aboriginal students must be provided with increased opportunities to develop self-esteem, confidence, and a sense of belonging.

This study examined the experiences of Aboriginal students at a university in Manitoba in terms of what supports kept them registered and what institutional factors contributed to their success. The aim of this research was to inform educators, administrators, and students of the needs of Aboriginal learners at the post-secondary level and what supports and experiences fostered these learners’ success. This research included the gathering of data from eight Aboriginal students who were registered in undergraduate university programs in Manitoba. The findings suggest that Aboriginal students who are assisted with setting clear academic and career goals prior to post-secondary enrollment, are provided with adequate academic preparation before entering post-secondary studies, are able to access the specialized approaches and supports currently available, and are able to form meaningful and reciprocal relationships with faculty and peers at university or college are more likely to succeed. The conclusions of the study are two: (1) that advisement dialogue prior to enrollment and upon registration needs to be expanded; and (2) that Aboriginal students must be provided with increased opportunities to develop self-esteem, confidence, and a sense of belonging.