Thesis (M.Ed.)--Regis University, Denver, Colo., 2007. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Oct. 30, 2007). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 102-115).

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 102-115). Also available in print.

No description available.

This case study examined the problem of below-grade-level reading scores among kindergarten students despite the use of literacy centers in a large Title 1 public elementary school in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether application of the literacy center model might be connected to student performance. Specifically, the research question concerned whether implementation of literacy centers was consistent with principles of mastery learning based on differentiation by ability. This study was guided by Bloom's theory of mastery learning, which suggests that higher levels of learning may be achieved if each child is allowed to work at his or her own pace and academic level. The study documented literacy center activities over a 5-month period. Data sources included classroom observations within 11 kindergarten classrooms, interviews with 11 kindergarten teachers, and reviews of student assessments. Descriptive coding, category construction, and the constant comparison method were used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that although many components of mastery learning were evident, the frequent dependence upon subjective assessments and inappropriate task assignment for low-achieving students were not aligned. To improve classroom practices and achieve greater alignment, an in-service professional development project based on a training model by Sparks and Loucks-Horsley was developed, with attention to incorporating research-based classroom activities for low-achieving kindergarten students into the literacy center organization. Combating reading difficulties in the early school years offers educational and social advantages, such as later reading achievement, improved school completion rates, lower incarceration rates, and less dependence upon low-paying jobs.

In der Didaktik ist zwar die Klassengemeinschaft als pädagogischer Wirkungsfaktor anerkannt und wird sogar als positive Einflußgröße geschätzt, doch wird die durch die Einrichtung stablier Klassen entstehende Sozialdynamik recht selten auf ihre Auswirkungen für das Lernen hin untersucht. Das einst von Carroll entworfene Modell schulischen Lernens, das in seiner Abwandlung zum Konzept des Mastery Learnings einige Prominenz in der Didaktik gewinnen konnte, wird in diesem Beitrag zum Ausgangspunkt für ein Modellierungsansatz gewählt. Ziel der hier zunächst nur in Ansätzen entworfenen Modellierung kann etwa sein, die Dynamik der Klasse daraufhin zu untersuchen, welche Menge individueller Lernfortschritte in Bezug auf bestimmte Zeitintervalle und unter der Annahme variierender Bedingungen im Aggregat der Klasse (und dieses ist für die Lehrkraft allgemein die entscheidende Aggregationsebene didaktischer Entscheidungen) zustande kommen.

Students' poor performance in the quantity surveying course at the Durban Institute of Technology appeared to be due to the lack of basic key competence in certain key areas such as mathematics and arithmetic. The students' weaknesses in key competencies were validated in the pre-tests with both the 2003 and 2004 cohorts where few students, only two out of sixteen and one out of eight respectively, displayed mastery in these key areas. Mastery learning was identified as a methodology to use for helping students because it benefited slow and fast learners alike. This study investigates the use of an e-mastery learning system to help students improve their competence in some of the key areas identified. An experiment was conducted, using the 2003 fourth-year quantity surveying students as a control group and the 2004 fourth-year quantity surveying students as the experimental group. The control group took a pre-test, were subjected to a face-to-face intervention and then they took a post-test. The experimental group took the same pre-test, were exposed to a mastery learning system, which was then followed by the same post-test. The results of this experiment showed that the mastery learning intervention helped the students, but not to the extent expected by the author. The experiment indicated that the e-based system was only marginally more helpful than the face-to-face intervention which the control group received. This quantitative aspect of the experiment was hampered by small sample sizes and was further constrained by difficulties in accessing the e-mastery system. Following this outcome, a qualitative study was undertaken, in the form of semi-structured interviews, to ascertain why the e-based system was not as successful as expected. Although the quantitative analysis indicated that the e-based system was more helpful, the interviews revealed the underlying problems were related to access to the e-based system and students' limited computer literacy skills. The conclusion drawn from these findings is that an e-based mastery learning system would help students improve their key competencies provided the computer literacy problems and access problems were solved, the mastery learning system was more comprehensively developed, and that the students were motivated enough to devote themselves to using the system on a regular basis. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed June 11, 2007). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 187-195).

Many students are entering colleges and universities in the United States underprepared in mathematics. National statistics indicate that only approximately one-third of students in developmental mathematics courses pass. When underprepared students repeatedly enroll in courses that do not count toward their degree, it costs them money and delays graduation. This study investigated a possible solution to this problem: Whether using a particular computer assisted learning strategy combined with using mastery learning techniques improved the overall performance of students in a developmental mathematics course. Participants received one of three teaching strategies: (a) group A was taught using traditional instruction with mastery learning supplemented with computer assisted instruction, (b) group B was taught using traditional instruction supplemented with computer assisted instruction in the absence of mastery learning and, (c) group C was taught using traditional instruction without mastery learning or computer assisted instruction. Participants were students in MAT1033, a developmental mathematics course at a large public 4-year college. An analysis of covariance using participants’ pretest scores as the covariate tested the null hypothesis that there was no significant difference in the adjusted mean final examination scores among the three groups. Group A participants had significantly higher adjusted mean posttest score than did group C participants. A chi-square test tested the null hypothesis that there were no significant differences in the proportions of students who passed MAT1033 among the treatment groups. It was found that there was a significant difference in the proportion of students who passed among all three groups, with those in group A having the highest pass rate and those in group C the lowest. A discriminant factor analysis revealed that time on task correctly predicted the passing status of 89% of the participants. It was concluded that the most efficacious strategy for teaching developmental mathematics was through the use of mastery learning supplemented by computer-assisted instruction. In addition, it was noted that time on task was a strong predictor of academic success over and above the predictive ability of a measure of previous knowledge of mathematics.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education