Doctor Of Philosophy / Department of Secondary Education / Diane McGrath / How does collaborative software help in the formation of a learning community? This study looks at the experiences of students in a first level Computer Science class as they use Manhattan Virtual Classroom (MVC). Although this case study began with the assumption that a learning community would form, it quickly became obvious that student participation in the MVC was a larger issue. The course chosen for this study was CSC-150 - Foundations of Computer Science, as taught in the Spring 2004 semester at a Midwestern university. Two traditional (face-to- face) course sections were given access to Manhattan Virtual Classroom for the purpose of discussions, comments, questions, and virtual office hours. Many students did not take advantage of this collaborative tool. Several reasons are considered, the reluctance of freshmen to participate (Goldberg, 1997; Carlson et al., 1996), professor teaching style, and student perceptions of their own contributions to the class. Several conclusions are drawn from this study how to increase student participation. These include better training in the use of the software, use of smaller groups within the Manhattan Virtual Classroom environment, clearly stated professor expectations, and a general adoption of this technology for other classes.

Master of Arts / Department of Curriculum and Instruction / Thomas Vontz / The Honor Flight Network is a national non-profit organization based out of Springfield, Ohio, with the mission to “transport our heroes to Washington D.C. to visit and reflect at their memorials.” Kansas Honor Flight – Wamego High School pairs high school students from the local chapter of the National Honor Society with area veterans. This experiential service-learning project provides America’s next generation the opportunity to connect with and learn from America’s “G.I. Generations.” Veterans of World War II, the Korean War, and the Viet Nam War are accompanied by student-guardians who serve as their assistants and guides. The avowed mission is accomplished with students first and foremost providing service for their veteran through the duration of the trip. Yet, the promise of the journey is realized when the student-guardians are able to witness the memorials through the eyes of those who exemplified courage, fortitude, patriotism, service, and sacrifice – flesh and blood representatives of civic virtue. Similarly, the veterans behold the beneficiaries of their sacrifice providing respectful service; virtuous acts voluntary, not obligatory. Different generations of constitutional stakeholders – those who actively preserved the republican experiment, others preparing to be engaged participants therein – experiencing hope for the future as well as gratitude for those who came before. This report includes a narrative of the inaugural mission of Kansas Honor Flight – Wamego High School. Using said narrative as exemplar of following flights, the report chronicles the creation of bridging social capital through implicit reciprocity and the emergence of intergenerational trust-building. The spanning of generations is discussed through the sharing of enduring republican principles. Heroes are democratized as witness is bore by the soldier who lived to tell the tale.

Doctor of Education / Department of Educational Leadership / Trudy A. Salsberry / The purpose of this study was to research and create a comprehensive handbook for planning and developing advisory programs for the personalization of education. This is known as personalized learning. Personalized learning refers to the structures, policies, and practices that promote relationships based on mutual respect, trust, collaboration, and support (Breunlin, Mann, Kelly, Cimmarusti, Dunne, & Lieber, 2005). Planning and Developing Advisory Programs for the Personalization of Education: A Handbook to Guide School Leaders of Large High Schools in Kansas was developed using the research and development methodology (R & D) developed by Gall and Borg (Gall, Borg, & Gall, 2007). A prototype of the handbook was developed and then evaluated by experts in the area of the personalization of education. A Preliminary Field Test was electronically sent to all building principals of high schools in Kansas with student populations of 1000 students or more. Revisions were made to the handbook based on feedback received. The revised handbook was then distributed to three professionals, nominated by their peers, for the main field test. Feedback from the main field test was used to create the final product. The conclusions from the research project indicated: (1) there is a strong need for administrators and educators to personalize the learning environment through advisory programs; (2) large high schools were in need of a resource that was relevant in their respective schools; (3) the need for a handbook such as this to address key components such as transition, support interventions, and academic counseling; and (4) that a comprehensive handbook that included a step-by-step process, discussing critical components for administrators on how to personalize education utilizing advisory programs could address numerous concerns in large high school.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Curriculum and Instruction / Jeong-Hee Kim / Precollege science education in the United States has virtually always been influenced by university scientists to one degree or another. Partnership models for university scientist – school district collaborations are being advocated to replace outreach models. Although the challenges for such partnerships are well documented, the means of fostering successful and sustainable science education partnerships are not well studied. This study addresses this need by empirically researching a unique scientist-educator partnership between a university and a school district utilizing case study methods. The development of the partnership, emerging issues, and multiple perspectives of participants were examined in order to understand the culture of the partnership and identify means of fostering successful science education partnerships. The findings show the partnership was based on a strong network of face-to-face relationships that fostered understanding, mutual learning and synergy. Specific processes instituted ensured equity and respect, and created a climate of trust so that an evolving common vision was maintained. The partnership provided synergy and resilience during the recent economic crisis, indicating the value of partnerships when public education institutions must do more with less. High staff turnover, however, especially of a key leader, threatened the partnership, pointing to the importance of maintaining multiple-level integration between institutions. The instrumental roles of a scientist-educator coordinator in bridging cultures and nurturing the collaborative environment are elucidated. Intense and productive collaborations between teams of scientists and educators helped transform leading edge disciplinary science content into school science learning. The innovative programs that resulted not only suggest important roles science education partnerships can play in twenty-first century learning, but they also shed light on the processes of educational innovation itself. Further, the program and curriculum development revealed insights into areas of teaching and learning. Multiple perspectives of participants were considered in this study, with student perspectives demonstrating the critical importance of investigating student views in future studies. When educational institutions increasingly need to address a diverse population, and scientists increasingly want to recruit diverse students into the fields of science, partnerships show promise in creating a seamless K-20+ continuum of science education.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction / David S. Allen / This study addresses how the flipped method of classroom instruction differs from traditional classroom instruction when comparing student achievement measures in middle and high school mathematics classrooms. The flipped classroom is defined by the Flipped Learning Network (2014) as an instructional method that moves direct instruction outside of the classroom in order to make room in the classroom for a more interactive learning environment where students can actively engage in the content. The flipped classroom strategy theoretically allows teachers the time to develop mathematical ideas and the ability to facilitate that development. For the Common Core State Standards initiative to be effective, teachers need to engage students in new learning experiences that support college and career readiness. By implementing a technology based instructional approach, like the flipped classroom strategy, teachers are able to blend twenty-first century skills with the development of the essential habits of mind of mathematically proficient students (Brunsell & Horejsi, 2013). This study seeks to understand how the flipped method of classroom instruction can lead to improved student achievement in mathematics courses and improve student perceptions about math in order to encourage course consumption in the future (Zollman, 2011). A modified explanatory sequential mixed methods design was used, and it involved collecting quantitative data and then explaining the quantitative results with in-depth qualitative data. In the quantitative phases of the study, NWEA Mathematics MAP Assessment data were collected from middle school students and course common final assessment scores were collected from middle school and high school students in a large Midwestern suburban school district to determine how student math achievement was impacted for students in a flipped classroom as compared to a traditionally instructed classroom. The frequency of active learning incidents was also collected during classroom observations. The qualitative phase was conducted as a follow up to the quantitative results to help explain the quantitative results. In this exploratory follow-up, student and teacher perceptions of mathematics achievement as a result of the flipped classroom approach to instruction with middle and high school math students and how those perceptions might be different than those of students and teachers in traditionally taught classrooms along with descriptions of observable active learning incidents in the school district were explored.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Special Education, Counseling and Student Affairs / Linda P. Thurston / This qualitative case study with multiple participants explored how the perception of campus climate and gender role expectations contributes to Latinas’ persistence at a two-year Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in the Midwest. Guided by the work of Hurtado and Carter (1997) and social support theory (Sarason & Sarason, 1985), various aspects of the college experience both inside and outside the classroom were examined. In-depth interviews were conducted in order to gain insight into those viewpoints that influenced the desire to enroll and persist in college and how these perspectives shaped commitment and sense of belonging to the institution. Prominent themes that emerged were: the significance of family support and the need to stay close, the impact of student identity and the importance of positive faculty-student interaction. The results indicated that immigration status, the desire to make family proud, and support from family and instructors that offered words of encouragement served to motivate students to persist and graduate. Additional prominent findings revealed that the perception regarding academic environment including the need for positive academic advising experiences, involvement in organizational memberships, particularly with the Hispanic American Leadership Organization (HALO) and activities that embrace the diverse student population and incorporate varying perspectives affect perceptions of campus climate and commitment to the institution. Participants identified those programs and services on campus that best serve the needs of Latinas and have the most impact on a positive college experience. The results contribute to the research addressing campus climate and sense of belonging for Latino/a students overall, and offers unique insights from the perspective of Latinas attending a two-year HSI that is lacking in the body of literature. Implications for practice and future research are identified.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Curriculum and Instruction / M. Gail Shroyer / This study was designed to examine one component of impact within a High School Professional Development School (PDS) partnership. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceived impact of pre-service teachers on the students they teach and the cooperating teachers who mentor them. More specifically, this study was designed to explore the impact on the learning environment of high school students who were taught by pre-service teachers and the cooperating teachers who mentored them from the perspective of 8 pre-service teachers, 130 high school students, and 8 cooperating teachers. The theoretical framework for this study was based on the concept of an Optimal Learning Environment (National Research Council, 1999). The overarching question for this study was: In what ways do pre-service teachers impact the learning environment of the PDS in which they complete their final clinical experience? Survey and interview data were gathered from participants to explore the perceived impact of the pre-service teachers on the (a) learner centered learning environment, (b) assessment centered learning environment, and (c) knowledge centered learning environment of the high school students and cooperating mentor teachers. The data collected were focused on what the high school students, pre-service teachers and cooperating mentor teachers perceived based on their personal experiences and understanding. The results of this study indicated a perceived positive impact on the learner centered, assessment centered, and knowledge centered learning environments of the high school students and the cooperating mentor teachers from the perspectives of the high school students, pre-service teachers and cooperating mentor teachers. The researcher thus concluded that the pre-service teachers positively impacted the perceived Optimal Learning Environment of the PDS in which they completed their final clinical experience.

Master of Arts / Department of Modern Languages / Douglas Benson / The purpose of this report is to demonstrate mastery of content in the Spanish MA program in Second Language Acquisition at Kansas State University. After graduation from this program, I plan to pursue a career as a high school Spanish teacher. As evidence of content mastery, this report contains my philosophy of education, which emphasizes communicative competence in the Spanish classroom. I discuss best teaching practices in presenting and practicing Spanish vocabulary and grammar with students. The use of the target language and the integration of culture and the four language skills is designed to further my students’ development through the progression of the lesson plan, from warm-up, to input, to the activity sequence, to closure. This report also contains a rationale, or how my philosophy of education directly and specifically applies to my teaching, for a unit plan including daily lessons and related appendices on the subject of the Spanish Civil War, and outlines student learning outcomes for this unit, such as the ability to compare their home culture to the culture of the second language as well as the ability to relate art and literature to the events of the war. The topic of my unit plan is of particular interest to my students and me as wars and violence are a present reality in our world. The secondary focus of my unit plan involves the significant detrimental effects of the Spanish Civil War and well as its specific consequences in the lives of women and children.

Doctor of Education / Department of Educational Leadership / Trudy A. Salsberry / Educational leadership is challenged with meeting the requirements of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) of 2001 and Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) of 2004. The focus on accessibility and accountability is resulting in an increase in the number of students with disabilities receiving specialized instruction within the least restrictive environment (LRE) of the general education classroom. To support students in the LRE, many schools are implementing the service delivery model of co-teaching, or pairing a special educator with a general educator, to provide core instruction with appropriate special education services to students with special needs. The purpose of this case study was to investigate what practices of principals are deemed most supportive to teachers engaged in a co-teaching service delivery model. The qualitative, multi-case study was designed to analyze perceptions of district level general education administrators, district level special education administrators, building principals, co-teaching coaches, and co-teaching partners who participated in the Kansas Co-Teaching Initiative. Data were obtained primarily through interviews of the participants. Demographic surveys, building schedules and field notes served as additional information for analysis and the interpretation of the data. The over-arching research question for this study was: “What practices of principals provide the most meaningful support to collaborative co-teaching in the context of the least restrictive environment?” Sheard and Kakabadse’s nine Key Elements of Effective Teams (2002, 2004) formed the framework for the study. These key elements also guided the research sub-questions. Data collected through the study revealed sixty patterns across the key elements of effective teams. When analyzed, the patterns yielded three themes: 1) principals arranged and protected time during the daily schedule for collaboration between co-teaching partners, 2) principals paired co-teachers together with careful consideration for compatibility, and 3) principals established and maintained a culture of professional growth.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction / F. Todd Goodson / In the past, literacy was viewed solely as the basic, functional skills of reading and writing. However, with the New London Group’s (1996) proposal of multiliteracies and the more recent push for a plurality of literacies (NCTE, 2011), teachers have been urged to expand their definitions of literacy. This qualitative study explores how secondary-level social studies and science teachers perceive literacies and identifies their instructional literacies practices. Data were collected through a pre- and post-questionnaire, three focus group sessions, classroom observations, field notes, and artifacts. This study solicited nearly one hundred secondary social studies and science teachers from three Midwestern school districts. Eight educators (four social studies and four science) participated in the study that took place in the spring of 2015. Furthermore, a generous grant from a local chapter of Phi Delta Kappa partially funded this research. After applying initial and holistic codes to the data, nine themes emerged: conventional, progressive, hesitant/emerging, collaborate, calibrate, perform, practice, interdisciplinary, and intradisciplinary. The nine themes were further classified by how they appeared in the data: dispositional themes, behavioral themes, and bridge themes. Throughout the data analysis, contemporary genre theory guided the study (Devitt, 2004). Descriptive codes, derived from contemporary genre theory, further revealed that the situational, social, historical, and individual aspects of genre influence teachers’ pedagogical practices related to multiple literacies across disciplines. Therefore, the ways in which teachers perceived multiple literacies and implemented them into classroom instruction are multifaceted and vary depending on grade level, content area, and teaching location. However, teachers’ dispositions regarding literacy move beyond a traditional mindset of functional reading and writing as they engage in professional learning opportunities and collaborate within and across disciplines and grade levels. This study provides secondary educators insight into the prominence of multiple literacies present across content areas while also revealing the teaching methods and instructional strategies that foster multiple literacies.