Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1960. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [209]-221).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1960. / Typescript. Vita. Title from title screen (viewed May 9, 2006). Includes bibliographical references (leaves [209]-221). Online version of the print original.

The aim of this study is to explore the relationship between connected learning environments and rural learners' development of 21st century skills. The driving question for the research is, "what is the impact of introducing a technology supported connected learning environment on rural learners' development of 21st century skills?" The need arises out of the undesirable state of education in South African public schools, particularly in poor, rural and marginalised areas. The literature shows that the learning environments in these contexts are stuck with an old education system that needs radical reinvention for the 21st century. The connected learning framework is used as a model for learning and a reference for design of the intervention that is employed. The study uses a qualitative and experimental approach for data collection, using semi-structured interviews, focus groups and data collected through a social media platform. The results show that connected learning is a possible approach to education in rural contexts, with learners showing evidence of 21st century skills development over the period of the study. Theoretical insights generated include the mechanisms with which connected learning environments promote 21st century skills development. The study also generated helpful insights for organisations and practitioners wanting to introduce modern learning environments in rural schools in South Africa.

No description available.

In response to the national desegregation of schools from 1954-1976, white communities across the country formed segregationist academies to provide a privatized education to white children. In this study, I examined why parents in the rural South continue to choose these schools, as well as what this schooling environment means for the ‘comprehensive racial learning’ processes of its white, class-privileged student body. Drawing on 20 semi-structured interviews with parents who chose a segregationist academy in Mississippi as well as 20 interviews with children who attend this school, I found that parents justified their decision using racialized understandings of what constitutes a ‘good’ schooling environment. Additionally, this context of childhood directly influenced the kids’ perceptions of themselves as racial subjects, including the ways in which they justified their position in the reproduction of racial inequality. Overall, this study contributes to understandings of the ways that class privilege, rurality, and Christianity inform white identity formation and racial learning processes.

The opportunity to learn science by doing authentic science in a rural community is not a common occurrence, yet for over thirty years, a group of dedicated educators have provided the experience of learning field biology and ecology to students in a geographically isolated area of the Appalachian Mountains. The over-arching research question in this study is: how does a Field School program in Appalachia use a place-based environmental education approach to teach students about their local community and environmental issues, while also extending their understanding of global environmental issues? Foundational literature includes work in place-based education, critical pedagogy, critical pedagogy of place, and Appalachian studies. This qualitative, ethnographic case-study examines the experiences and reflections of three instructors and four students throughout the program. As a high school student, I was a participant in this program, and my own experiences and perspectives are included as an ethnographic chapter in the data analysis as well. The teachers in the program share a deep commitment to environmental education and ecojustice, and the students gain valuable insight into what it means to be a scientist, how local environmental issues relate to global environmental and economic issues and move towards becoming advocates for the environment. / Doctor of Philosophy / Environmental education is often overlooked and under-researched, particularly in rural areas. The purpose of this study was to examine a long-running summer educational program in Appalachia that teaches students about local environmental issues through hands-on scientific field research. This study examined the long history of the program, how the curriculum has changed throughout the years, what teachers believe is important about the curriculum they teach, and ultimately what students learn from the program. In this rural community, the opportunity to learn science by doing science is an important aspect of this program, as is the opportunity to learn about local environmental issues that ultimately have global consequences.

This qualitative study examined online teaching and learning in a rural community college setting from the instructors' points-of-view. The research questions focused upon what the instructors viewed as the benefits and detriments of online teaching and learning, both for them and their students, their views of the effects of online learning on their students, the nature of teaching online in a rural community college, and the interaction between instructors and students, and among students, in online classes. Constructivist learning theory served as the theoretical framework of this study. The findings are based on an analysis of the data collected from two rounds of in-depth interviews with nine participants, observations of the participants' online courses, and the review of related documents.The key findings related to the rural setting dealt with the lack of sophisticated Internet infrastructure in rural service areas and a lack of student readiness for online instruction. A gap in theory and practice also exists; with one exception, online instruction was not grounded in any theoretical framework. The interaction in online classes varied from class to class, with e-mail correspondence and discussion threads constituting the bulk of the interaction. The lack of face-to-face contact emerged as a troublesome issue, with no instructor believing that the online course was superior to the traditional, seated course. Several instructors cited practical and learning benefits specific to online courses, and all recognized the need to offer courses online.The benefits of online teaching and learning included both practical and learning benefits. Flexibility and convenience were cited as key practical benefits, and learning benefits included additional opportunities to reflect and interact online, to draw from personal experiences, and learn at one's own pace. The acquisition of time-management, reading, writing, research, technological, and problem-solving skills on the parts of the students were also viewed as learning benefits. The negative aspects included feelings of isolation, a lack of academic preparedness to learn online on the part of the students, the problems related to dial-up Internet access in rural areas, and the increased amount of preparation required to teach an online course.The study discusses patterns in the data as well as contradictions to these patterns. Limitations of the study and recommendations for the community college and for future studies are also addressed.

Thesis advisor: Stephen Pfohl / Recent work on Hispanic immigrants has consistently shown a decline in educational attainment over generations-since-immigration despite the fact that advanced education is currently presented in the public arena as the foundation for economic mobility (Telles and Ortiz). This study investigates the seeming contradiction of Hispanic youth's disengagement from the system that is presented as the pathway to increased economic achievement. The dissertation is based on findings from a qualitative study consisting of in-depth interviews, focus groups, and ethnographic data collected during an 18 month stay in a small, semi-rural, largely Hispanic, community in New Mexico, where the local high school has a graduation rate of 55%. Refuting claims that school disengagement emerges from either low ability or "leveled aspirations," the findings of this study indicate that young people's decisions are based largely on the advice that they are given regarding the economic utility of post-secondary schooling. Lacking this advice these young people determined it was not worth the risk of time out of the labor market, money, and effort that advanced schooling required. The findings of this study argue that one of the key reasons these young people disengage from school stems from the failure of any institution or individual to make it clear to students how educational credentials connect to occupational opportunities. Thus, a number of young people who have had some success at school still choose to leave because they are unconvinced that educational credentials are actually economically useful. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2015. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Sociology.

[pt] Esta tese discute algumas questões relacionadas à educação rural de Minas Gerais, tomando como eixo principal a escola e o professor rural do Campo das Vertentes. As questões centrais são: qual a construção histórica da educação rural em Minas Gerais? E qual o quadro atual da educação oferecida a crianças e jovens que vivem nas zonas rurais do Estado? (Re)construir a história e mapear o quadro atual da educação rural de Minas Gerais constituiu o objetivo central deste trabalho. É preciso conhecer o passado para compreender o presente. Para tanto, elegem-se como eixos privilegiados: 1) a pesquisa bibliográfica visando a apresentar a história da educação rural do Brasil e de Minas Gerais; 2) a pesquisa e o levantamento dos dados oficiais e documentais, para tentar mapear o quadro atual da educação rural de Minas Gerais, oferecida pelos organismos oficiais; e 3) a análise do material coletado nas visitas às escolas e em entrevistas realizadas com os professores. Quanto à escola, a precariedade de funcionamento, as dificuldades de deslocamentos dos alunos, o distanciamento dos conteúdos e dos livros didáticos da realidade do campo e a dificuldade de acesso às séries finais do ensino fundamental e médio aparecem como alguns dos principais problemas e dificuldades históricas. Quanto ao professor, a questão nuclear a ser apontada neste estudo diz respeito à qualidade e à adequação da formação desse profissional, especialmente no que diz respeito à educação de homens e mulheres do campo e à relação destes com a terra e o saber. / [en] This thesis discusses aspects of rural education in the state of Minas Gerais, focussing on teachers and schools in the town of Campo das Vertentes. The guiding questions for the study were: What is the history of rural education in Minas Gerais?; What is the current situation with respect to the education offered to children and young adults who live in rural areas? Consequently, the main purpose of the study was to (re)build and map the current picture of rural education in Minas Gerais, based on the pressuposition that we need to know the past in order to understand the present. The following procedures were chosen: 1) a review of the literature on the history of rural education in Brazil, in general, and Minas Gerais in particular; 2) a survey of official data and documents, offered by official organizations, with a view to mapping the real picture of rural education in Minas Gerais; and 3) analysis of data collected on visits to the schools and interviews with teachers. The precarious structure of the institutions, the difficulties students have in getting to school, the lack of relationship between the content of the text books used and the rural reality of the students, together with the difficulty students have in accessing the final stages of elementary and high school education, are indicated as the principal historical problems with respect to students. With respect to teachers, the main aspect discussed in this study is the quality and appropriateness of their professional training, especially in relation to the education of men and women from rural communities, their relationship with the land and their knowledge.

The ubiquity of Web 2.0 technologies has led to a seismic shift in the way educational services are delivered. It comes as no surprise then that e-tutoring—otherwise known as electronic or online tutoring—is quickly supplanting face-to-face tuition for reasons of both cost and convenience. While e-tutoring is an effective form of academic support for many students, its efficacy remains tenuous for those confronted with a digital divide that figures predominantly around geographic barriers, socio-economic status, and educational levels. Premised on diffusion research, this master's dissertation explores the implementation of an e-tutoring service known as Homework Help that has effected relatively low adoption rates. It uses a concurrent mixed-methods approach—including surveys, interviews, and focus groups—to examine the factors that have led to this low adoption rate. The results are presented via two journal articles situated within a larger meta-talk: The first article contrasts the adoption patterns apparent between rural and urban students, while the second article looks at the utility of diffusion research in examining educational technologies, as it explores the use of e-tutoring for applied stream students. The findings of this study suggest that rural and urban, as well as applied and academic student subgroups, differ in terms of their perception and adoption of e-tutoring. Implications for educational policy, especially in regards to rural education, are discussed.