In recent years, personalized learning has become a buzzword in the field of education and an approach that schools across the United States have adopted in their attempts to account for the diverse interests, aspirations, and needs of their students. Despite the growing interest in personalized learning, there is a dearth of empirical research on this educational approach, particularly as it relates to the student experience. Given the paucity of research in this area, little is known about the extent to which personalized learning can offer students a more beneficial quality of experience than traditional educational methods. This question is further complicated by the fact that personalized learning has been defined and put into practice in diverse ways. Given these conditions, the purpose of this study was to explore students' experiences with more humanistic forms of personalized learning at three high schools in Vermont. A pragmatic approach to qualitative research was used along with self-determination theory (SDT) as a framework to investigate students' perceptions of their autonomy, competence, relatedness, motivation, and well-being within the context of personalized learning. SDT was used as framework because it offers a lens for analyzing how social contexts affect people's experiences and proposes that individuals experience higher qualities of motivation, engagement, and performance when their basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness are met. Study findings, which are based on interviews with 28 students from three Vermont high schools, suggest participants generally felt autonomous, competent, and related in their personalized learning environments, which contributed to their intrinsic motivation, engagement, and well-being within these settings. Some features of personalized learning that supported multiple facets of students' basic psychological needs were the individualized nature of instruction, student-driven curriculum, and structures that enabled and supported community-based learning. Although many students suggested personalized learning supported their basic psychological needs, some struggled to direct and manage their own learning, which diminished their feelings of competence while others indicated that the individualized nature of their projects undermined their sense of relatedness to their peers. Overall, the findings indicate that humanistic approaches to personalized learning have the potential to contribute to a more beneficial quality of experience for high school students than traditional educational methods. The study has implications for educational policy and practice as it suggests personalization may be an effective approach for engaging a variety of students with their education and promoting the skills and dispositions for lifelong learning.

Much has been written concerning the kind of training a high-school teacher should have, but very little has been written concerning the training they have in relation to what they teach. Not very much is known concerning the actual facts of the condition existing at the present in the high schools in the state of Kentucky. The purpose of this study is to find these facts as they are and on this basis to determine the relationship that exists between the major and minor subjects and administrators from the Western Kentucky State Teachers College; and the subject they teach. Also, there is an attempt in this study to show the number of teachers and administrators in Kentucky from this college who are qualified to teach in the high schools. Another main purpose of this study is to show the need of the cooperation of the state department of education and the teachers’ training colleges with the administrators and other members of the educational system of the state influential in the selection of the high-school teachers of the state. The relationship between preparation and subjects taught is to be shown by (1) the number of semester hours the teachers have had in college in their major and minor subjects, and by (2) the number of hours they have in the field or subject in which they are teaching.

The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility of homogenous grouping for the freshman classes of Henderson county High School. We are aware of the wide range of abilities and achievements of our students and feel very strongly our responsibility to advance the slower students as fast as possible without their becoming blocks in the paths of the faster students. However, at the same time, we must not permit the faster to impede the progress of the slower. It is our belief that when students of wide abilities are grouped together that the slower students soon recognize the superiority of the faster. Consequently a “What is the use?” State of mind develops. As a result of this unwholesome attitude the mind is frequently shifted into neutral, so to speak, since the student feels that his contribution to the class is insignificant when equated with the achievements of the faster students. – “So, why worry?” This study will in some way verify or dispel this belief. We recognize the limitation of groupings because of the wide range of subjects chosen by the students; however, we were able to achieve some degree of homogeneous grouping in the basic subjects of English and mathematics which all freshmen are required to take. We feel that it would be impractical to attempt it in our elective subjects; yet we are able to advise and guide students into particular subjects, using their abilities as one of the factors for such recommendations. It is the belief of this writer that homogeneous grouping is a very close associate of proper guidance. To reinforce this concept, Dunsmoor and Miller are cited: Guidance is a means of helping individuals to understand and use wisely the educational, vocational and personal potentialities and opportunities which they have or can develop. It is a form of systematic assistance whereby pupils are aided in achieving satisfactory adjustment to self and to others in their school and life relationships. The assistance provided should also help pupils to make better adjustments to their home and play environments. The groupings that were made in the freshman class were not set up with thesis writing in mind. Therefore the reader may find some discrepancies in grouping according to rank. In some cases it was necessary to disregard rank in order to get the student into a particular class such as agriculture or home economics. A few students were allowed to wait until their sophomore year to take mathematics in order that they may take some courses which had special interest for them.

Public education is a cornerstone of our democracy and social advancement. However, current Vermont graduation rates would indicate that public education at the high school level does not address the needs of all twenty-first century learners. Research has revealed that personalization and creating a connected environment are promising innovations for improving education for all students. One structure that supports personalization, high school advisory, provides each student with an adult advisor that knows them well through their high school years. This research on high school advisory in Vermont was divided in two phases: 1) an assessment of the current state of advisory in all Vermont public high schools, and 2) a qualitative study that focused on the perceptions of students, advisors and administrators in 4 Vermont high schools with established advisory programs. In the second phase, a phenomenological framework was used to examine the perceptions of how advisory impacted academics, connectedness and the personalization of the high school experience. Document review, focus forum groups and interviews with the sixteen students, eight advisors and four administrators were conducted over a six-month period. Findings demonstrated that 53 out of 62 high schools in Vermont had some form of advisory program. In the study of four schools, over two-thirds of the students perceived that their high school advisory positively impacted their academic achievement. Advisors and administrators were less clear about the impact, however. Furthermore student-to-student connectedness was described positively by three-quarters of the students. The connection between advisory and personalization of education was the least clear both among students and advisors. All administrators and three-quarters of the advisors felt that in the future, personalization would become an integral part of the advisory program with the advent of Vermont Act 77, the 2013 legislation that mandates personalized learning plans and multiple pathways to graduation. Finally, there was considerable agreement in three schools that a significant roadblock to implementing effective advisories was a lack of support for advisory in the following areas: purpose, time, training and materials.

The integration of digital technologies in K-12 education is ubiquitous. Web 2.0 technologies enable students who were once passive consumers to become active participants in, and even creators of, dynamic digital experiences. Social media, in particular, can connect disparate populations, minimizing traditional barriers such as time, space and geography. Similarly, science communication has also been influenced by an expanding array of media through which scientists can now connect directly with the public. #Scistuchat, the focus of this study, uses the social media platform Twitter to bring together scientists, secondary science students and teachers outside of school in monthly, science-focused Twitter chats. Using a multiple-case (embedded) design, this study sought to answer the question "How do #scistuchat participants perceive Twitter as a tool for learning and communicating science?" Thematic, cross-case analysis of four #scistuchats revealed themes specific to the #scistuchat experience, as well as the broader use of Twitter for science learning and communication. In addition to real-time observations of each chat and later analysis of the archived tweets, videoconferencing technology was used to conduct individual interviews with participating scientists (n=16) and teachers (n=6), as well as focus groups with students (n=17). Notable #scistuchat-specific findings include a recognition of the experience as dynamic and student-focused. Regarding student outcomes, although gains in science content knowledge were limited, an evolving understanding of scientists and the nature of their work was prominent. Findings regarding the broader use of Twitter for science purposes highlighted its multidimensional, professional utility and its unique contributions when leveraged in classroom settings.

School districts continue to integrate emerging technologies and expectations for 21st century teaching and learning. This movement began with release of Goals 2000 (1994) and has continued through National Education Technology Plan (2010) that noted the “challenge for our education system is to leverage technology to create relevant learning experiences that mirror students’ daily lives and the reality of their futures.” In order to meet that challenge, schools must enlist teachers who are prepared to teach 21st century skills in the technology-rich classroom. Teacher education programs also need to align their preparation models to prepare teachers for that challenge. There are a variety of models – stand-alone instructional technology courses, online courses, content methods courses, practicum and student teaching experiences – used to achieve this. Several grant programs provided financial support in the early 21st century to help institutions implement new models of instruction for preservice teachers. Also, several frameworks emerged to guide classroom instruction as teachers implemented 21st century skills into technology-rich classrooms. The purpose of the current study was to understand teachers’ perceptions of their preparedness to teach 21st century skills in the technology-rich classroom. The study was driven by research questions which sought to understand (a) teacher preparation models in the areas of technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge, (b) teachers’ perceptions of their teacher education programs effectiveness for teaching 21st century skills in the technology-rich classroom, (c) teachers’ feelings of efficacy and self-confidence for first-year implementation, and (d) if relationships exist between particular teacher preparation models and teachers’ perceptions of effectiveness and adequacy. A mixed method design was used to explore the research questions. Twenty-nine first-year high school teachers in a technology-rich school district with a framework for 21st century skills integration participated in a survey. Six teachers participated in follow-up focus groups at the end of their first-year of teaching. The researcher used quantitative analysis for the survey and qualitative coding for the focus group interviews. The two analyses were reported together to develop findings in response to the research questions.

This research study examined the course and effects of romantic relationships on the psychology and development of adolescents between the age of 15 and 18. Because existing literature demonstrates a high level of developmental significance to the relationships between adolescents and platonic peers, the introduction of the romantic element to teens’ social lives carries additional importance to their maturation process. There are also certain individuals and relationships that have greater likelihood of resulting in negative outcomes such as dating abuse and depression. Of eight participants, four were male and four were female, and all participants were currently 18-19 years of age and asked to reflect on relationship experiences they had between the ages of 15 and 18. The results did support the hypothesis of certain traits indicating higher likelihood of negative outcomes. Though the study lacked the empirical data to draw definitive conclusions, the trends found may provide insight into capability for greater understanding of the developmental significance of adolescent dating, thereby potentially leading to the development of more effective interventions by educators for individuals who need them.

In this study the writer is trying to show that by organizing the entire year’s work before the school term begins and adding to it throughout the year, speed and accuracy in typewriting may be achieved much more thoroughly and effectively.

The purpose of this study was to compare the priority ratings given to evaluative criteria of four groups within the education profession--superintendents, secondary supervisors, secondary principals, and secondary teachers. The research sought to determine whether or not factors of agreement existed among the four groups of people regarding their attitudes toward important teacher characteristics. A total of fifty-two subjects from four occupational roles was used: thirteen superintendents, thirteen supervisors, thirteen principals, and thirteen teachers. The subjects were administered the Teacher Characteristics Q Sort, a ninety-item sort of adjectives. The results were factor analyzed, and four significant factors emerged. Factor A was the major factor of agreement and received significant loadings from subjects in each of the four occupational roles. This factor was characterized by such attributes as understanding, friendly, responsive, stimulating and enthusiastic. The factor corresponded significantly to Kerlinger's description of the "progressive" notion of a good teacher. The four occupational roles were also represented in Factor B. Respondents who loaded on this factor indicated concern for administrative interests. Factor B emphasized such attributes as dependability, punctuality, efficiency and cooperation. Factor C was a mixed factor combining interpersonal relations attributes with administrative concerns. Each occupational role was represented on this factor. The respondents who loaded on Factor D also indicated a mixed factor pattern. Interpersonal relations were again combined with administrative interests, although the majority of items expressed concern for interpersonal relations. Respondents who loaded on this factor also represented the four occupational roles. The fact that subjects from each occupational role clustered on the same factors suggests that there was significant agreement among the groups concerning important teacher characteristics. The conclusion drawn from the correlational analayses was that occupational role was not a differentiating factor in the determination of important teacher characteristics.

The Georgia Department of Education requires students to earn 4 course credits in the area of mathematics in order to graduate from high school. Academic success for mathematics students in a school district in southern Georgia has been encumbered because teachers lack cultural competency in mathematics instruction, which has hindered minority students from developing reasoning, critical analysis, and problem-solving skills needed to earn these required math credits. The purpose of this project study was to examine teachers' perceptions of using culturally relevant teaching strategies to influence the academic performance of minority students in the mathematics classroom. The conceptual framework was Dewey's progressive education theory. Six high school math teachers were purposefully selected for face-to-face interviews. Interview transcripts were coded using the Coding Analysis Toolkit and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings showed that culturally competent mathematics instruction is important when teaching minority students; however, math teachers were not adequately prepared to teach minority students. Based on the findings, a professional development program was developed for secondary math teachers. Implications for positive social change include increasing math teachers' cultural awareness during instruction to help minority students increase academic proficiency in mathematics.