Thesis (Ed.D.) - University of Queensland, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

Henrico County Public Schools (HCPS) deployed laptop computers to over 23,000 middle and high school students in the division. Access to the computer network was through a wireless system that provided convenient and unlimited classroom arrangements without the restrictions required with cabled computer systems. Because each student was assigned a computer and assisted in obtaining low cost Internet service at home, this initiative also provided 24-hour access to digital information. This program was called the Teaching and Learning Initiative (TLI). Division leaders were striving to utilize this initiative not only to provide its students and teachers with 21st-century technologies that included access to the latest digital information, but also to change pedagogical practices in HCPS to a student-centered model. The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of students about the influence that this initiative has had on their classroom experiences. Secondary purposes included student perceptions of pedagogical changes in instruction, information acquisition, and recommendations that students would have for improving the TLI. Literature on computer use in schools is reviewed as it related to the HCPS' laptop initiative, as well as the importance of giving students a voice in change processes. Through a qualitative analysis of interviews with student focus groups from six of the 11 middle schools in the division, middle school students' perceptions of their experiences in the TLI were obtained. Analysis of focus group interviews, classroom observations, and students' logs of classroom activities provided triangulation. Data were analyzed inductively and results emerged organized by subcategories, categories, and themes. Results were reported in narrative form and explanatory tables, with an emphasis on findings related to the research questions of this study focusing on students' experiences in the TLI. Conclusions derived from this study were: Middle school students were keenly aware of their educational experiences and clearly articulated their thoughts; students' educational experiences changed during the TLI; some elements of constructivist classrooms were supported by laptop use, but not collaborative work; students obtained information from the Internet and websites, using textbooks less; computer reliability was a concern; cost to students for repairs raised equity issues; and benefits of the TLI went beyond the classroom. / Ed. D.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina at Wilmington, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves: [72]-74)

Traditional teacher-centered methods of lectures and PowerPoint presentations are commonly used when teaching secondary social studies, yet these methods continually prove to be boring for most high school students and neglect to teach critical thinking skills. Student-centered methods are different than teacher-centered methods because these methods incorporate several learning styles, cooperative activities, and even technology in order to engage the student and promote critical thinking skills. Critical thinking is important for students to master because it gives them the skills to move past the obvious and make individual connections with the text. The intent of this thesis was to explore the effectiveness of integrating student-centered methods in high school social studies classrooms as a means of promoting critical thinking skills. All students were given the same pretest and posttests. Students were divided into three groups: one was taught using student-centered methods, one was taught using teacher-centered methods, and one was the control group and was not directly taught by anyone. Based on analyzing students' posttest scores compared to their pre-test scores, student-centered teaching produced a higher average score increase, though all methods had students who scored higher, and students whose scores remained constant. Evidence and student feedback showed that continued future research should be conducted to see if student-centered methods should be used throughout all secondary social studies classrooms to promote critical thinking.

In many instances, learners perceive Mathematics as "difficult" and either avoid the subject or drop it as soon as they are allowed to (Van Rooyen & De Beer, 2006: vii). Research studies conducted have shown that South African learners as compared to learners of other countries are not achieving in mathematics. In the past, examination tended to drive the curriculum. Teachers acted as transmitters of knowledge, transferring information into the heads of the learners. The traditional teaching approach tended to be theoretical , examination driven and content based. Competent and committed Mathematics teachers are a key factor in addressing these challenges. The National Curriculum Statement, which was introduced in South Africa in 1998, places an emphasis on producing learners who are critical thinkers , capable of solving problems and responsible for their own learning. The focus of the study is on teachers' views on learners' understanding of mathematics within the context of some of the above mentioned aspects. Through Outcome Based Education within National Curriculum Statement and other strategic interventions in mathematics. teachers are provided with skills and knowledge to address challenges associated with learners, understanding. Questionnaires were administered to thirty four (34) educators and interviews were conducted with thirteen (13) educators. Descriptive analysis was employed to further interrogate the data. Learners underachieve because of lack of prior knowledge and motivation. Learners admire good person qualities and teaching techniques as well as teachers who are patient and explain concept well. By respecting learners ideas and encouraging independent thinking, teachers help learners to reach their intellectual potential. Specific intervention which can be created in order to assist educators to change learners' stereotypical belief about mathematics were also addressed. It is recommended that educators need training in National Curriculum Statement and also in subject content. Teachers' qualities should be linked to good subject knowledge, teaching skills and classroom management. / Thesis (M.(Ed) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2010

Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study investigates the understanding of and experiences in the implementation of learner-centred education (LCE) and enquiry-based teaching of Grade 10 Geography teachers against the backdrop of curriculum reform in Namibia. The Namibian curriculum is premised on the view that there is a need for the holistic development and preparation of learners for a knowledge-based society. Globally, LCE, with its potential for broadening access to quality education, has been a recurring theme of national reform policies and has been promoted as an innovative way of teaching. The usefulness of the LCE approach and associated enquiry-based teaching is embedded in constructivism and is introduced with the promise that it will enable learners to develop investigative and critical thinking skills that will put them at the centre of learning. This interpretative study employed a case study approach that utilised qualitative methods to gather information on the experiences of the three Geography teachers at the sampled schools as they implement LCE and enquiry-based teaching. The main data-gathering techniques in phases 1 and 2 of the research respectively were semi-structured interviews and classroom observations. The findings revealed that the teachers have different understandings of what LCE and enquiry-based teaching approaches are, although their teaching employs some elements of it. The research also indicated that there is one big factor that impinges on their implementation of LCE and enquiry-based teaching approaches. The teachers admitted that, due to the pressure of learner success in the end-of-year Grade 10 examination, they rather teach to the test. This diverts their teaching from focusing on implementing approaches that actively involve learners in the learning process and nurture enquiry skills when these skills are not formally assessed in examinations. Consequently, teachers fail to implement the syllabus as intended by policy makers and curriculum developers. Even though the findings of this study may be specific to the sampled schools and the participating teachers, it can be assumed that similar situations exist in schools with comparable contexts. It is therefore important that education policy makers and relevant stakeholders strive to allocate sufficient support and resources for teachers to implement LCE and enquiry-based teaching effectively in schools. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek die verstaan van en ervarings met die implementering van leerder-gesentreerde en ondersoek-gebaseerde onderrig van Graad 10 Geografie-onderwysers teen die agtergrond van kurrikulumhervorming in Namibië. Die Namibiese leerplan berus op die siening dat daar „n behoefte is aan die holistiese ontwikkeling en voorbereiding van leerders vir „n kennis-gebaseerde samelewing. Leerder-gesentreerde onderrig met sy potensiaal om toegang tot gehalte onderwys te verbreed, is „n tema wat wêreldwyd herhaaldelik in nasionale hervormingsbeleid voorkom en as „n innoverende wyse van onderrig bevorder word. Die nut van die leerder-gesentreerde benadering en gepaardgaande ondersoek-gebaseerde onderrig is in konstruktivisme gebaseer en word voorgestel met die belofte dat dit leerders in staat sal stel om ondersoekende en kritiese denkvaardighede te ontwikkel, wat hulle sentraal in die leerproses sal plaas. Hierdie interpretatiewe studie het 'n gevallestudie-benadering gevolg en kwalitatiewe metodes gebruik om inligting in te samel oor die ervarings van drie Geografie-onderwysers se implementering van leerder-gesentreerde en ondersoek-gebaseerde onderrig by skole wat as steekproef gekies is. Die belangrikste onderskeidelike data-insamelingstegnieke in fases 1 en 2 van die navorsing was semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude en klaskamerwaarneming. Die bevindinge toon dat die onderwysers verskillende begrippe handhaaf van wat leerder-gesentreerde en ondersoek-gebaseerde onderrigbenaderings behels, hoewel hulle onderrig sommige elemente daarvan toon. Die navorsing het ook aangedui dat een belangrike faktor inbreuk doen op hul implementering van leerder-gesentreerde en ondersoek-gebaseerde onderrigbenaderings. Die onderwysers het erken dat die druk van leerdersukses in die graad 10-eksamen aan die einde van die jaar hulle eerder met die oog op die toets laat onderrig gee. Dit verplaas die fokus van hul onderrig weg van die implementering van benaderings wat leerders aktief by die leerproses betrek en die koestering van ondersoekvaardighede, veral ook omdat hierdie vaardighede nie formeel in eksamens beoordeel word nie. Onderwysers slaag gevolglik nie daarin om die leerplan soos beleidmakers en kurrikulum-ontwikkelaars dit bedoel, te implementeer nie. Selfs al sou die bevindinge van hierdie studie slegs spesifiek op die betrokke skole en die deelnemende onderwysers betrekking hê, kan aanvaar word dat soortgelyke situasies in skole in vergelykbare kontekste bestaan. Dit is dus belangrik dat onderwysbeleidmakers en relevante rolspelers daarna moet streef om voldoende ondersteuning en hulpbronne vir onderwysers beskikbaar te stel om leerder-gesentreerde en ondersoek-gebaseerde onderrig effektief in skole te implementeer.

This study investigated the effectiveness of a two-year faculty development program designed to assist faculty in making transition from a teacher-centered to a student-centered approach to instruction at a private university in China. One hundred full-time faculty participated in the program and ultimately 52 participants who attended entire two-year workshops were involved in the research. Seven point Likert Scale survey including open-ended questions as well as live classroom observation techniques were used to examine how the participants perceived the faculty program, whether they made improvement of their learning of knowledge, skills, and attitudes, and whether the participants used what they learned after the completion of the program. The findings from this study indicated that the most of majority participants (93%) had significant positive reactions to the faculty development program; they made great improvement in their learning of knowledge, skills, and attitudes (t statistic is -6.163; p value is far small than 0.05); participants started using student-centered behaviors they learned in their teaching practice after completion of the program. The unintended outcomes regarding program improvement were also found through open-ended questionnaire in this study. The results inferred that trainer's ability strongly contributed to the high degree of overall evaluation of the program. A follow-up and longitudinal research is needed to track the impact on the organization and the impact on students' learning achievement over time. More types of university contexts including both private and public universities need to be addressed for future research. / School of Education; / Instructional Technology (EdDIT) / EdD; / Dissertation;

<p>To address the U.S. labor shortage in the fields of agriculture and STEM, higher education needs to recruit, retain, and prepare more underrepresented minority students into agricultural and STEM disciplines. Teachers play important roles in student learning, which can lead to student academic and professional success. With university classrooms becoming more diverse, faculty need to adopt inclusive teaching methods in order to accommodate the needs and expectations of diverse students. Culturally responsive teaching embraces and integrates students’ culture into the teaching and learning process. As a result, culturally responsive teaching can offer a more engaging learning experience for all students; however, in the context of higher education, there is a lack of understanding and application of culturally responsive teaching by faculty. This study examined students’ perceptions of culturally responsive teaching practices in their first college mathematics course through a developed and modified instrument for higher education. Further, this study used a structural equation model to predict the relationships among students’ perceptions of culturally responsive teaching, sense of belonging and academic self-efficacy. Data were collected through the anonymous questionnaire administrated through Qualtrics. Participants of this study were undergraduate students enrolled in the college of agriculture, college of science and college of liberal arts at a predominately white institution (PWI) and an Historically Black College and University (HBCU). Five conclusions were generated from the study. First, the scale developed to measure students’ perceptions of culturally responsive teaching in higher education was a valid instrument. Second, college students observed and sensed different types of culturally responsive teaching differently. Third, students’ perceptions of culturally responsive teaching predicted students’ academic self-efficacy and sense of belonging. Fourth, students who had a higher sense of belonging were more confident as college students. Finally, African American students at an HBCU had higher perceptions of culturally responsive teaching. Implications for practice were provided to help promote the application of culturally responsive teaching in higher education. Recommendations for future research were also discussed to inform future studies regarding culturally responsive teaching in university settings.</p>

Thesis advisor: Marilyn Cochran-Smith / The purpose of this study was to understand beginning teachers’ experiences with learning to teach in an educational system that puts intense pressure on teachers to prepare students for standardized tests. The situation is common in many developed and developing countries whose educational systems are run by policies grounded in neoliberal and human capital ideologies. Using a phenomenological research design, I explored teachers’ experiences in two very different educational systems, the United States and South Korea, and focused on the commonalities and differences of their experiences of learning to teach. I recruited four secondary-school teachers (two English and two mathematics) who had been teaching fewer than three years from each country. I conducted a series of three phenomenological interviews with each teacher in his or her native language, following the guidelines set out by Irving Seidman (2012). My analysis suggested that, although there were many differences between US and Korean teachers’ lived experiences in the context of test-based accountability, the groups were primarily similar. Both novice teachers in the United States and Korea faced significant conflicts between their prior beliefs about good teaching and the educational system that demanded them to teach to tests. All teachers in this study described experiencing various levels of frustration with having to teach to the tests, which was not their preferred approach to teaching. While struggling to meet the demands of their test-based accountability systems, the beginning teachers in this study established firm student-centered beliefs and strived to integrate practices that were consistent with their beliefs. The findings suggest that support in the form of policies and teacher education is necessary to promote teachers’ constant learning and growth in the challenging context of test-based accountability. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2016. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

Instructional practices in mathematics courses at two-year colleges include lecture as the predominant instructional form in 78% of two-year colleges, with class sizes averaging about 26 students (AACC, 2005). The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) indicates that there is a need for change in the practices of mathematics teachers because students are not being served well by the traditional pedagogical approaches (Burrill & Hollweg, 2003). The standards-based reform movement has had a positive impact on pedagogy but there are ongoing issues of alignment of teaching strategies to more student-centered practices (Barrington, 2004). This study examined the standards-based teaching practices of college mathematics faculty in the first two years to answer the research questions: What alignment exists between two-year college mathematics instructor’s knowledge and the instructional standards published by the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges in Beyond Crossroads? What are the components that characterize the instructional practices of two-year college instructors? What relationship exists between the alignment of Two-Year College mathematics faculty instructional practices with Beyond Crossroads? An interpretative qualitative methodology with an embedded survey was applied to examine how the American Mathematical Association of Two Year Colleges standards are currently being aligned with instruction in the first two years of college. An analysis of the data revealed that standards-based teaching strengthens instructor delivery and accommodates diverse learning styles. Mathematics faculty use technology as a teaching tool and use a variety of student-centered activities to engage students to help them make meaningful connections. Findings from the study suggest there exist a strong relationship between the American Mathematical Association of Two Year College standards and instructor practice in the first two years. The findings indicate that mathematics faculty struggled in changing their instructional practice to meet the needs of their students. Furthermore, findings suggest that those invested in the mathematics education in the first two years constantly adjust their teaching through professional development opportunities. Additionally, mathematics faculty modified the curriculum to customize their instruction to align with standards-based teaching practices as their knowledge and awareness of standards develops as a professional.