Thesis advisor: Laura M. O'Dwyer / The purpose of this study was to inform future policy regarding school leadership practices through examining the relationship between reported decision making at the school level and student achievement. The study utilized a mixed methods design, and examined three main components. The first component involved a qualitative analysis of 14 countries' school leadership polices, as described in country background reports submitted to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The second component used hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) to examine the relationship between principal reported school decision making and student achievement in mathematics and reading on the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) in the same 14 countries. The final component of this study connected the results from the policy analysis to the results of the HLM analysis to determine if there were patterns between a country's policies and the relationship between school-level decision making and student achievement. The study found that out of 14 countries included in the analysis, six countries were identified as having polices that were highly decentralized, three countries had policies that were highly centralized and five countries had policies that were somewhere in between the two extremes. The quantitative results showed that school-level decision making variables were limited in their utility as predictors of student achievement. Finally, an examination of the combined qualitative and quantitative results did not reveal any obvious patterns. However, the findings did highlight the importance of context in examining countries' policies and the relationship between leadership practices in the form of school decision making and student achievement. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation.

The purpose of this study was to establish an action research plan for teachers to improve student outcomes by assessing, describing, and changing their classroom environments. This study relied on student perceptions, using survey responses, to assess and describe the classroom environment. Teachers used this information to develop intervention strategies designed to change the students' perceptions of their actual classroom environment to more closely mirror their preferred classroom environment perceptions.More than forty years of classroom environment research has proven the importance of the classroom environment in developing positive student outcomes. Additional research has established the reliability of student perceptions of their learning environment. Previous research has developed several dependable student survey instruments to measure student perceptions of their classroom environment.This study was conducted in a Title I elementary school in the United States over a seven month period. Two intermediate level mathematics teachers participated in the project. Both quantitative data, using the My Classroom Inventory (MCI) and the School Level Environment Questionnaire (SLEQ), and qualitative data, teachers' case studies, were collected and analyzed.The study established that an action research plan for teachers to assess, describe, and change their classroom environments could be developed. However, even though teachers realized the benefits, for their students and themselves, in changing their classroom environments, school level environment demands negatively influenced their willingness to implement changes to their classroom environments.

This study emanates from a concern about social injustice. I believe that a number of people in our society, by virtue of their race, gender or class, are disadvantaged in the distribution of wealth and privilege. Some people have suggested that schools contribute to the maintenance and reproduction of this situation because, in various ways, they replicate inequitable social, political and economic arrangements. I accept this claim and argue that any attempt to improve schooling must focus on the social, economic and political outcomes of education, as well as on curricular, pedagogical and administrative concerns. In this study one recent attempt to improve Australian education, the move to school-level curriculum evaluation, is examined to ascertain if it represents a challenge to existing school practices and the beliefs and assumptions which underpin these. Dominant ideological orientations to improvement are examined and their key features and assumptions delineated. Because I believe that these exclude any consideration of the relationship between school knowledge and the distribution of power and privilege within society, an attempt is made to reconceptualize school-level curriculum evaluation in a way that will permit teachers to unpack what schools do socially, politically and economically. Theories of cultural and economic reproduction and the work of Freire are drawn on to help with this task. Evaluation policy statements and guidelines and examples of evaluation practice are then analysed in terms of dominant and reconceptualized notions of evaluation. What emerges is that although many of these are engulfed by dominant and limiting ideologies, school-level curriculum may be reconceptualized in a way that will permit the penetration and contestation of dominant practices and beliefs and thereby will offer educators a possible means of addressing problems of social injustice.

The researcher used self-constructed problem-solving and problem-posing activity sheets to ask students to do solving and posing by themselves, then discuss together afterwards. When teaching was completed each time, the researcher asked students to write learning diaries. The researcher referred to the students¡¦ records on problem-solving and on problem-posing and analyzed the categories of students¡¦ work and the contents of posing problems that students created as well as problem-solving strategies. He also referred to students¡¦ learning diaries to investigate into students¡¦ reflections on their problem-posing, and to make a record of self reflections during his problem-posing activities implementation. The results of this research showed that most of the students given problems included sufficient data for problem solving. Students virtually were able to make feasible problems but only few students can change the structures of the original given problems. Most of these problems are ¡¥Exchange problem¡¦ which be solved correctly by themselves. Most students solved problems by using the strategy relating to Multiples. The most important factor for accuracy and solving strategy is number type on the proportion problems. Moreover, students expressed that they were able to acquire study methods and have great enjoyment from problem-posing. Also, the teacher found that during problem-posing, students will advance in thinking and creativity.

<p>The findings of the study indicate that knowledge of logic does help to improve the ability of students to make logical connections (deductions) between and from<br /> statements. The results of the study, however, do not indicate that knowledge and understanding of logic translates into improved proving ability of mathematical<br /> statements by students.</p>

<p>The findings of the study indicate that knowledge of logic does help to improve the ability of students to make logical connections (deductions) between and from<br /> statements. The results of the study, however, do not indicate that knowledge and understanding of logic translates into improved proving ability of mathematical<br /> statements by students.</p>

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Magister Scientiae - MSc / The findings of the study indicate that knowledge of logic does help to improve the ability of students to make logical connections (deductions) between and from statements.The results of the study, however, do not indicate that knowledge and understanding of logic translates into improved proving ability of mathematical statements by students. / South Africa