<p>Students with disabilities are spending significantly more time in the general education setting than they have historically. General education teachers are in need of strategies to enable them to work with these students more successfully. Additionally, research shows that all students could benefit from activities geared toward developing self-determination skills. </p><p> The purpose of this descriptive study was to see if the use of cooperative learning activities could improve the self-determination abilities of general education students and students with an Individualized Education Program in a social studies classroom. Students were given the American Institutes for Research Self-Determination Scale as a pretest and posttest. </p><p> Scores were compared between control and intervention group as well as the subgroups of students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and general education students. Data from this study supports the use of cooperative learning activities in the social studies classroom in order to promote self-determination for all students. Recommendations for teachers as well as further research are made as well. </p>

<p> Gang intervention is crucial to improving the lives of Latino males in Los Angeles. The effectiveness of these programs is dependent on society&rsquo;s perspective of gang members, and its ability to support the work of gang intervention programs. As documented in this research, Latinos face unique obstacles and situations, in education and in life. This qualitative research study aimed to provide insight as to the perceived impact of a Gang Intervention Program, Homeboy Industries, on Latino males. This study also provided insight as to the methods, behaviors, strategies, and situated learning perceived to positively affect former gang members at Homeboy Industries. The protocol included open-ended, in-depth interviews with former gang members now affiliated with Homeboys that met specific criteria. The data from the interviews provided insight about the impact of the past, the struggles of the present, and the aspirations of the future for former gang members in the Homeboys intervention program. Homeboy Industries utilizes a holistic approach to define clear expectations, and enable a collaborative decision making process to develop a shared vision that cultivates trust among former gang members to improve their lives. This shared vision was rooted in the Ignatian paradigm, espoused by Homeboys Industries founder, Father Greg Boyle, S.J. This study validated the need for gang intervention programs similar to the Homeboys Industries model, and a reconstruction of society&rsquo;s understanding of the former gang member, and his ability to contribute to society.</p>

<p> <b>Introduction:</b> Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) cause significant distress to millions of Americans and considerable impact to society at large. Stigmatization of mental illness has been identified as the number-one barrier to seeking healthcare and it is unclear to what degree Mental Health Professionals (MHPs) share this negative bias. Education in SUDs for MHPs may play a role in reducing stigma in the treatment of SUD patients. The effect of education in SUDs on implicit and explicit attitude change is investigated longitudinally in a Substance Abuse Counseling MA Degree Program in Psychology. Academic outcomes and student demographic characteristics are assessed. <b>Hypotheses: </b> Implicit and explicit attitudes will change over the study period and will be related at follow-up. Knowledge acquired of SUDs will predict attitude change. <b>Methods:</b> This study was longitudinal, following 20 students over one year of study via assessment at baseline and follow-up. The drop-out rate was 20%, with 16 students remaining at follow-up. Implicit attitudes were assessed included the SC-IAT, explicit attitudes were assessed with the SAAS (general attitudes), DDQ (discrimination), and SDS (social distance). Academic progress was assessed via an Addictions Knowledge Test and the DDPPQ (confidence treating SUDs). <b>Results:</b> No significant change was found for implicit attitudes. Significant change in the positive direction was found for the SAAS. SAAS scores were positively correlated with DDQ scores at baseline and DDQ and SDS scores at follow-up. Both Addictions Knowledge Test Scores and DDPPQ scores and increased significantly over the study period, but they were not significantly related. DDPPQ scores were positively correlated with all explicit attitude measures. <b>Conclusion:</b> The CMHSAC Program was effective in increasing positive explicit attitudes toward SUDs, but it is unclear if personal attitudes actually shifted or if awareness was brought to the problematic nature of stigma instead. Students&rsquo; self-perception of their confidence and competence to work clinically strongly predicted explicit attitude change. Actual knowledge and confidence may not be directly related. Further research is needed to clarify the facets of education that are most effective in stigma reduction. Larger studies should be conducted to further investigate the effect of education on implicit attitudes.</p>

<p> The secularization of the academy thesis refers to the phenomenon of Protestant colleges and universities starting out as identifiable religious institutions of education now being places hostile, not only to Christianity, but religion in general. This has raised much discussion among leaders, faculty members, and students of religious educational institutions as to what is and what constitutes the identity of their respective institutions. It is in this context that we witness the rise in the establishment of Islamic schools in the North America. This context has generated many questions from the various stakeholders on the question of what the term &lsquo;Islamic&rsquo; denotes in Islamic education and Islamic schools. There have been two general approaches to answering this question: a universalist approach, which seeks to identify the most basic element of what &lsquo;Islamic&rsquo; denotes in concepts such as sacredness and God&rsquo;s oneness, and a particularist approach, for which &lsquo;Islamic&rsquo; denotes whatever a particular school holds it to be. </p><p> This dissertation argues that both of these approaches do not adequately prevent that trajectory of secularization as evidenced in the increasing sociological emphasis in Islamic schools&rsquo; mission and vision statement. It is argued that education should be viewed as the practice self-cultivation. It is in the self an educational institution seeks to cultivate where its identity resides. The dissertation seeks to answer the question of what the term &lsquo;Islamic&rsquo; denotes by looking at the self Islamic education seeks to cultivate. To this end, the highest good of Islamic education is developed by examining the work <i> Tadhkirat al-s&amacr;mi&lsquo; wa-l-mutakallim f&imacr; &amacr;d&amacr;b l-&lsquo;&amacr;lim wa-l-muta&lsquo;&amacr;llim</i> (A Monograph for the Auditor and the Lecturer on the &amacr;d&amacr;b of the Teacher and the Student) by the Mamluk era educationalist, Badr al-D&imacr;n Ibn Jam&amacr;&lsquo;ah (d. 733/1333). It will be argued that according to Ibn Jam&amacr;&lsquo;ah, the highest good of Islamic education is to cultivate a soul that possesses adab.</p><p> Through identifying the self Ibn Jam&amacr;&lsquo;ah sees as the highest good of Islamic education, this study seeks to contribute to and extend the conversation of the identity of Islamic educational institutions in North America by retrieving the work of educationalist in the Islamic tradition. </p><p>

<p> This study addressed CPA perceptions about the need for human skill competencies as professional development. The problem was identified as the undetermined assessment of state level CPA perceptions about human skill competencies as developmental needs. CPAs and education providers may be impacted by this problem. The purpose of this study was to produce an assessment of training needs from local CPAs using a non-experimental, quantitative research method. The theoretical framework was derived from a thematic funnel of industry, university, and the CPA profession. The conceptual framework focused on an organization of Rhode Island CPAs as the population. Data analysis was used with question one to determine a ranked order of perceived developmental need for nine human skill competencies. Data analysis was used for questions two and three to determine whether age anfnd gender groups differed among CPA perceptions regarding these competencies. The research design included nonparametric descriptive statistical and causal-comparative analysis applied to the nine human skill competencies for local CPAs. An online survey was used to gather data. Ranked results indicated low to moderate developmental need, and causal-comparative results indicated gaps in human skills of communication and change management for gender and age groups respectively. Recommendations were made to repeat this study using other CPA populations to compare results, to add qualitative components, and to test actual human skills compared to self-perceived competency levels.</p>

<p> Traditional research often excludes the voices of marginalized populations such as African Americans, who are usually written about instead of being allowed to tell their own stories (King, 2005). This research gives African Americans the opportunity to &ldquo;tell their stories&rdquo; of segregation and integration. Leaving the telling of our stories to others may have already had severe consequences, such as the perpetuation of stereotypes of African Americans, their communities and their academic abilities (Brown, 2009). This research hopes to shine a different light on the cohesiveness of the Black community and the Black academic experiences these participants had during the 1950s-1970s. There were 20 participants identified from yearbooks, social media and snowball sampling; from the 20, nine were selected to be interviewed. All participants were African American, male or female, and were selected based on other criteria such as age and where they attended school between the years 1950 and 1970. The researcher included a personal narrative which orients the reader to the context for events recollected by the participants in this phenomenology utilizing historical narratives based on the researcher&rsquo;s personal experience and oral histories from other African American individuals from the community. Critical Race Theory was used to guide the research to answer how African Americans who attended Black neighborhood schools in a Southeastern Pennsylvania town during the 1950-1970 eras describe the influence of forced integration on their community and the Black academic experience. The findings from this study are that racial and cultural identity and the Black academic experience were important to student connectedness to the participants&rsquo; schools and neighborhood; and the teachers, extracurricular activities and relationships were critical characteristics influencing these participants&rsquo; perceptions of their segregated schools. </p>

<p>Sociological and cultural analysts have noted the reticence of public secondary schooling to recognize and build academic activities around the participatory culture in which adolescents are so readily involved (Jenkins, Purushotma, Weigel, Clinton & Robison, 2009). Despite the Common Core State Standards having required students to demonstrate they can maximize technology to perform a range of skills involving targeted specialized research, organized writing, and visually intentional presentation (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices [NGA], Council of Chief State School Officers [CCSSO], 2010), very few classrooms have followed through. The avoidance and or failure of these educational technology integrations in secondary subject content classes raised questions. A survey of the literature showcases the many ways in which technologies were not fully matched to the tasks, expectations, or teacher skills. The mystery of epic technological classroom can be resolved if we apply the lens of Technology, Pedagogy, and Content Knowledge (Shulman, 1986; Mishra & Koehler, 2006) which speaks about the interactions and alignment tensions among these three areas. When one has applied this TPACK lens we can best understand a range of surveyed literature that speaks to disconnect among technology affordances, teacher pedagogies, and requirements of content knowledge. Among a range of TPACK research emerges a sub-set that advocates for the value of cognitive scaffolding through hard scaffolds and soft scaffolds (Saye & Brush, 2002). Previous research has suggested the hard scaffolds can offer a built pedagogy filled with student project expectations and that soft scaffolds can provide specific practices support that is customized and relevant for participants. This research study engages in design-based research to refine hard and soft scaffolds to support high school social studies students through a multi-phase oral history project. Engaging 2 sections of students at a progressive public high school, the researcher engaged in a two-iteration cycle of design activities between November 2014 and March 2015. A student work digital portfolio was turned in after students used the first iteration scaffolds. After a teacher-provided analysis of student work using the researchers provided rubric, tweaks were made to the scaffolds. A post-interview with participant teachers provided further refinement.

La grammaire - longtemps considérée comme routinière, ennuyeuse et formaliste - est un objet de réflexions au centre de nouvelles préoccupations en matière d'enseignement. En témoignent les programmes mettant en avant l'importa,ce de notions relatives à l'énonciation, à la cohésion textuelle, à côté des études relatives à la grammaire de phrase. Ce travail vise à contribuer aux réflexions sur l'acquisition de cette discipline. Il se matérialise autour de la phrase et de la ponctuation. Qu'est-ce que la phrase ? La ponctuation ? Une connaissance spontanée ? Un savoir appris à l'école ? Comment donner du sens à cet enseignement ? Comment le penser ? L'organiser ? C'est autour de ces questions que s'organise ce travail : une première partie regroupe les principaux courants grammaticaux "classiques" et "contemporains" qui ont eu un impact durable sur l'enseignement de la phrase et de la ponctuation ; une deuxième porte sur une synthèse des fondements de l'enseignement et de l'apprentissage de la grammaire, mis en lumière par les recherches récentes dans les domaines de la psychologie cognitive et de la didactique ; une troisième s'attache à analyser les manuels d'enseignement et autres documents didactiques utilisés dans les salles de classe ; une quatrième enfin livre les conclusions auxquelles nous sommes parvenus au terme de plusieurs expériences menées dans des classes de CP et de CE1 : l'une sur l'approche de la phrase en contexte, l'autre sur l'approche du système de ponctuation. De ce travail, nous retenons que nos propositions didactiques peuvent réconcilier les élèves avec la grammaire, et plus particulièrement avec la ponctuation, bête noire de la production écrite.

Le scaphandre autonome donnant de l'air à la demande naît en France dans l'Aveyronau début des années 1860. L'invention est efficace mais moyennement satisfaisante du pointde vue du travail sous-marin. L'apnée et la plongée en scaphandre lourd relié à la surface parun tuyau amenant de l'air, sont utilisées pour s'immerger à des fins utilitaires : la pêche deséponges et des coquillages. Les scientifiques comme Paul Bert et J.S. Haldane posent lesbases de la décompression mais il faut attendre les années 1930 pour voir naître un loisir sousmarin: la pêche à la nage sur les côtes méditerranéennes puis les premiers scaphandresautonomes de Yves Le Prieur qui crée le premier club de plongée loisir en 1935. A la fin de laguerre, les militaires s'approprient et perfectionnent l'invention autour de Jacques-YvesCousteau et Philippe Tailliez. La plongée autonome de loisir poursuit son développementautour de la jeune fédération française nationale d'études et de sports sous-marins (1948) etdu Club Méditerranée. Les premières entreprises de travaux sous-marins utilisent lescaphandre autonome de Cousteau et Gagnan et la plongée entre au cinéma en obtenant unepalme d'or à Cannes en 1956 (Le monde du Silence de Cousteau et Louis Malle). Unenouvelle presse spécialisée se construit et, vers 1960, la plongée s'émancipe du modèlemilitaire pour devenir une pratique de loisir avec ses brevets et contenus spécifiques. Laconstruction de modèle technique de référence, le développement d'une offre commerciale etla professionnalisation de l'encadrement transforment les imaginaires de l'immersion etinstallent l'activité comme une pratique, certes aventureuse mais possible. La plongée enscaphandre autonome devient un bien de consommation avec ses équipements, ses voyagesthématiques et ses centres de plongées. La profession de moniteur est à peine envisageable àplein temps mais les premiers syndicats de défense des professionnels de l'enseignementvoient le jour. Au milieu des années 1980, la plongée de loisir professionnelle existe, elleparticipe à la mise en place d'une pratique d'aventure raisonnée où l'immersion devient unenjeu de concurrence. Les innovations technologiques comme l'ordinateur de plongée ou legilet stabilisateur au début des années 1980 participent à une transformation des pratiques,féminisées (30% de pratiquantes) et plus hédonistes. La plongée en associant technologie etimaginaire de l'aventure devient une pratique légitime sans être tout à fait sportive niexclusivement contemplative.

L'adoption d'Internet par les habitants des pays développés est pour ce qui me concerne, une certitude. Les réfractaires, dont le droit à la résistance devra être affirmé et reconnu ne représenteront à terme, sous 5 ans ? sous 10 ans ? qu'une mince frange de la population : que l'on pourra comparer culturellement aux personnes qui aujourd'hui refusent, ou ne peuvent pas accéder à la télévision. En janvier 2000, 12% de la population française1 a utilisé Internet au moins une fois durant le dernier mois. Cette proportion, bien qu'inférieure à celle des utilisateurs de Minitel 20%, est à l'évidence en croissance rapide et explosera lorsque la téléphonie mobile offrira pour un faible coût une connexion directe. Les enseignants seraient selon ces sondages, l'utilisation du conditionnel semble nécessaire, la première catégorie professionnelle (dans l'absolu et<br />en proportion) connectée à Internet en France. [...]