Strands of Dreams is book about my personal experiences of teaching and learning. It represents a nexus of my life, my experiences, my knowledge, my beliefs, and my passions. Through reflections I attempt to better understand who I am as a teacher leader and what frames my decision-making. With stories, poems, music, movies, life experiences, and literature themes emerge in each chapter and broader themes present themselves in the book holistically. Works from a great variety of sources are used to demonstrate those things that have had a profound effect on my beliefs. These sources include scholars, business writers, popular songs, children's literature, poems, Biblical scripture, and movies. Regardless of the academic nature of the source, they have all had an impact on me as a school leader; therefore they are meaningful to me personally and influence my daily decisions in my work as a school leader. The book highlights the challenges and ambiguities inherent in learning, leadership, teaching, and life. The work is deeply personal and multifaceted. Each chapter has a theme, but it does not attempt to categorize my life chronologically or into finite compartments. But rather, I communicate a holistic expression of who I am. What may appear random actually represents the inner-connected pieces of our life. My experiences and responses are not meant to communicate best practices. I do not think I have the answers, but rather I delve into the deeper questions which many of us face. I desire that a reader completes the book with more questions than answers.

This investigation originally intended to uncover teacher behaviors that encourage students to persist in AP Chemistry in a typical urban Texas high school. As the investigation progressed, however, alternative reasons were sought for the persistence of some students when it became apparent that teacher behaviors might not be a factor in the decision to select AP Chemistry at the school under observation. In response to this, Branding, a business theory which suggests certain attractive aspects of a product are promoted as a way to improve sales, is introduced as an alternative way of thinking about persistence in chemistry. Branding can explain why some students continue to select chemistry in the face of disappointing teaching. It is also argued here that Branding can encourage more students to take chemistry in the future.

This research is a case study of the faculty and student experiences using learning management systems, specifically focusing on the use of Schoology. The study will reveal ways in which faculty used learning management systems to create new transformative teaching and learning experiences. The various cases in this study will warrant a critical analysis of teaching and learning assumptions incorporated with using learning management systems (LMS) and integration of LMS with face-to-face course design. Additionally, there will be a critical analysis of the unique student perspectives and the distinctive perceptions of faculty illuminating experiences of using Schoology verses the university supported system eCollege, challenges and achievements in using a formal method of social media, preferred method of instruction (face-to-face, online technology, blended learning).

This study looks at the effect a phonics based iPad application has on three students' oral reading fluency scores. The results of this study are varied and do not show a functional relationship between the iPad application and correct words per minute (CWPM). Some of the data is promising, and CWPM increased in the desired direction. The iPad application used in this study could be beneficial to some students. More research needs to be conducted in order to prove a functional relationship between iPad applications teaching phonics and reading fluency.

What kinds of experiences, interventions, or programs within the college context appear to foster or enhance moral growth beyond what one would expect developmentally from any 18-22 year old student? This quasi-experimental study is directed toward the effects of a particular aspect of the college environment on the moral judgment development of a particular group of students; specifically, first-year college men. The study investigates whether a certain cohort of men, Alpha Alpha (AA), who participate in a non-traditional, intentional, character-driven approach to fraternity membership demonstrated a rate of growth in moral judgment and reasoning that was greater than that of a similar cohort of men, Beta Beta (BB), who participated in a traditional approach to fraternity membership. The Defining Issues Test, Version 2 (DIT2), a neo-Kohlbergian instrument used to measure moral judgment and reasoning, was used to assess change/growth in moral development over time. Differences in the pre-test moral judgment scores of AA and BB were found, though the differences did not reach significance (.075, p<.05). Strong statistically-significant differences in mean moral judgment scores were found in post-test test scores for AA and BB (.008, p<.05), though both groups saw decreases in group moral judgment scores from pre- to post-test. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) revealed that there were significant differences in the change/growth rates of AA and BB (.048, p<.05). An examination of the moral judgment and reasoning scores of AA and BB alongside normative national DIT2 data for males concluded that the post-test scores of BB were significantly lower than that of the mean for first-year undergraduate men. In discussing findings, the researcher notes the mitigating effect of AA's intervention; that is, rather than fostering growth in moral judgment and reasoning, it only appears to slow what might otherwise be a significant regression in moral judgment as a result of a powerful male group effect found in fraternities. The nature of this group effect is explored, and implications for practice and research are offered.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to develop an accurate reading development profile of a 10-year-old boy diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia including his reading strengths and challenges. The profile was used to provide his teachers in the following grades with suggestions for meeting his needs in reading and content area subjects. The Filtering, Analyzing, and Diagnosing (FAD) reading difficulties model developed by Mokhtari, Niederhauser, Beschroner, and Edwards (2011) was used for collecting and analyzing data to identify and understand reading patterns. Data were collected from three sources: Home, School and Child and analyzed in three phases: Filtering, Analyzing, and Diagnosing. Results indicated the student's greatest challenge was in reading fluency and decoding words within passage context. Strengths included vocabulary and a desire to read fluently.

The purpose of this study was to identify and promote successful teaching strategies that incorporate classroom pets in order to influence student engagement, achievement, and perceptions of animals. This was a small action research study conducted in a fourth grade science classroom. Both quantitative and qualitative data were obtained including, pre- and post-assessments, student interviews, researcher field notes, researcher journal, and student work. The results of this study revealed an increased academic achievement from the pre- to post-assessment, increased student observations and descriptions when discussing the animals, and increased student empathy toward the animals. The results also revealed that the teacher's incorporation of the animals within the science curriculum grew in ease over time, and that the animals provided the educator with opportunities to teach non-content related lessons and also a concrete experience for the teacher to apply and extend the science content.

Knowledge of scientific models and their uses is a concept that has become a key benchmark in many of the science standards of the past 30 years, including the proposed Next Generation Science Standards. Knowledge of models is linked to other important nature of science concepts such as theory change which are also rising in prominence in newer standards. Effective methods of instruction will need to be developed to enable students to achieve these standards. The literature reveals an inconsistent history of success with modeling education. These same studies point to a possible cognitive development component which might explain why some students succeeded and others failed. An environmental science course, rich in modeling experiences, was used to test both the extent to which knowledge of models and modeling could be improved over the course of one semester, and more importantly, to identify if cognitive ability was related to this improvement. In addition, nature of science knowledge, particularly related to theories and theory change, was also examined. Pretest and posttest results on modeling (SUMS) and nature of science (SUSSI), as well as data from the modeling activities themselves, was collected. Cognitive ability was measured (CTSR) as a covariate. Students' gain in six of seven categories of modeling knowledge was at least medium (Cohen's <italic>d</italic> >.5) and moderately correlated to CTSR for two of seven categories. Nature of science gains were smaller, although more strongly correlated with CTSR. Student success at creating a model was related to CTSR, significantly in three of five sub-categories. These results suggest that explicit, reflective experience with models can increase student knowledge of models and modeling (although higher cognitive ability students may have more success), but successfully creating models may depend more heavily on cognitive ability. This finding in particular has implications in the grade placement of modeling standards and curriculum chosen to help these students, particularly those with low cognitive ability, to meet the standards.

Abstract LEARNING AN ONTOGENETIC SKILL: A CONSTRAINTS APPROACH By Josephine Ferrandino, M.S., 2013 Department of Kinesiology Texas Christian University Thesis Advisor: Dan Southard, Ph.D. This study examined the effects of goal constraints (accuracy, velocity, or both) on the performance and learning of an ontogenetic skill. Participants were undergraduate female college students (N=16), with no prior golf experience. Participants were randomly placed into one of 4 groups - Control, Accuracy, Velocity, or Accuracy and Velocity. Participants in all groups practiced a golf swing for 6 sessions and returned one-week following practice for a retention session. All participants were told that the goal of the golf swing was to hit the ball with both velocity and accuracy. There was no instruction concerning the swing given to participants in any of the four conditions. Participants in the Control group received no augmented information during practice or retention. The participants in the Accuracy condition were reminded to emphasize accuracy during practice sessions. The participants in the Velocity condition were encouraged to increase their velocity of swing during practice sessions. The participants in the Accuracy and Velocity condition were encouraged to focus on increasing both velocity of swing and accuracy during practice sessions. Analysis of motor pattern change indicated that participants in the velocity conditions improved their swing with practice and retained their swing better than those in the Accuracy alone condition and Control condition. It was concluded that scaling up on the constraint of velocity will improve the use of the order parameter (open kinetic chain). Results indicate that complex skills such as a golf swing can be learned without the aid of instruction by scaling up on a constraint that becomes a control parameter.

This study evaluated predictors of outcome in counseling with Canadian Aboriginal peoples. Participants in the study included 373 Canadian Aboriginal clients receiving outpatient counseling at Calgary Counselling Centre in Alberta, Canada between October 2004 and November 2011. Outcome in this study was measured using the Outcome Questionnaire 45 (OQ-45) and predictor variables consisted of client demographics, counselor training level, and client ratings of the therapeutic alliance. The alliance was measured using the Session Rating Scale (SRS). Outcome variables, as measured by the OQ-45, were most often analyzed categorically and consisted of four different possible categories of change as measured from first to last session. Client OQ-45 scores were also analyzed as a continuous variable to examine the relationship between therapeutic change and therapeutic alliance. The researcher found significant results in the following areas: 1) primary presenting problem predicted client level of distress at intake; 2) education level of the client was predictive of number of sessions attended; 3) client ratings of the alliance at the second and third sessions were predictive of therapeutic change. As hypothesized, there was no significant difference in outcome based on counselor training level. The results are discussed in the context of improving clinical practice in real-world clinical settings, considerations in working with Native peoples, and the need for ongoing outcome monitoring. Limitations of the study, implications of the findings, and recommendations for future research are discussed.