This study examined how teachers' perceptions and attitudes and students' perceptions impacted the learning outcomes students received from their participation in service-learning. Service-learning is a form of experiential learning that endeavors to enhance students' academic and civic education through participation in community service. Two learning outcomes of service-learning were investigated: student problem solving and leadership skills. The data consisted of survey responses from 443 middle and high school students and their respective teachers that participated in evaluation research conducted by the Texas Center for Service-Learning and Texas A&M University during the 2007-2008 academic year. The survey items used from the teacher surveys focused on whether teachers felt that administrators took their opinions and ideas into account when making decisions regarding the service-learning program, as well as items that focused on teachers' general attitude towards the program. Survey items used from the student surveys focused on whether students felt their teacher enjoyed service-learning projects, as well as survey items that focused on students' selfefficacy in terms of problem solving and leadership skills. The basic hypotheses were: (1) the more institutionalized the service-learning program is in the students' school, the more positive benefits they receive from their program involvement, (2) when students perceive that they have more ownership of the service-learning program, they receive more benefits from their participation, and (3) the more positively students perceive the teacher's perception of the service-learning program, the more positive benefits students receive for their program involvement. Path analysis and multiple regression are used to test the hypotheses. Contrary to what was expected, the data indicated that institutionalization was significantly, negatively related to student problem solving (-.3007, p less than or equal to .001) and leadership skills (-.4020, p less than or equal to .001). As expected, the data showed that student perception of student ownership of the service-learning program was significantly, positively related to student problem solving (1.0845, p less than or equal to .05) and leadership skills (2.4721, p less than or equal to .001). The data also showed that teacher attitude was very important in regard to student perception of the teacher's attitude and student perception of student ownership of the program, as well as student problem solving and leadership skills. The data suggested that the teacher's attitude was more important in terms of student learning outcomes than the student's perception of the teacher's attitude.

The main aim of this study is to examine participants&rsquo / satisfaction with online Information Technologies Certificate Program (ITCP) which is based on synchronous and asynchronous communication methods over Internet offered by cooperation of Computer Engineering Department and Continuing Education Center at Middle East Technical University. There are three main purposes under the main aim. These purposes are to describe the strength and direction of relationship between participants&rsquo / perceptions of online technologies self-efficacy, online learning readiness, locus of control, prior knowledge, and participants&rsquo / satisfaction / to analyze contributing factors of participants&rsquo / satisfaction based on semester 1, 2, 3 and 4 in the online ITCP / and to investigate instructors&rsquo / and participants&rsquo / views about satisfaction in online ITCP. The sample includes 62 participants who enrolled and 8 instructors who offered courses in this online program in 2004-2005. A combination of quantitative and qualitative data collection methods are used in this study. The results of the study demonstrate that participants&rsquo / initial perception of online learning readiness is only a variable that correlate statistically significant with participants&rsquo / satisfaction. Although participants&rsquo / overall satisfaction is generally positive, it decreases over the semesters of the program. Participants are satisfied with learner-instructor interaction and institutional support in the program. However, participants&rsquo / satisfaction level is low for interaction among participants. Also, participants&rsquo / satisfaction about course structure and flexibility decrease over the semesters in the program. Moreover, the findings of semi-structured interviews with participants and instructors and chat session and discussion list transcripts reveal complementary results to the statistical analyses.

The main aim of this study is to examine participants&rsquo / satisfaction with online Information Technologies Certificate Program (ITCP) which is based on synchronous and asynchronous communication methods over Internet offered by cooperation of Computer Engineering Department and Continuing Education Center at Middle East Technical University. There are three main purposes under the main aim. These purposes are to describe the strength and direction of relationship between participants&rsquo / perceptions of online technologies self-efficacy, online learning readiness, locus of control, prior knowledge, and participants&rsquo / satisfaction / to analyze contributing factors of participants&rsquo / satisfaction based on semester 1, 2, 3 and 4 in the online ITCP / and to investigate instructors&rsquo / and participants&rsquo / views about satisfaction in online ITCP. The sample includes 62 participants who enrolled and 8 instructors who offered courses in this online program in 2004-2005. A combination of quantitative and qualitative data collection methods are used in this study. The results of the study demonstrate that participants&rsquo / initial perception of online learning readiness is only a variable that correlate statistically significant with participants&rsquo / satisfaction. Although participants&rsquo / overall satisfaction is generally positive, it decreases over the semesters of the program. Participants are satisfied with learner-instructor interaction and institutional support in the program. However, participants&rsquo / satisfaction level is low for interaction among participants. Also, participants&rsquo / satisfaction about course structure and flexibility decrease over the semesters in the program. Moreover, the findings of semi-structured interviews with participants and instructors and chat session and discussion list transcripts reveal complementary results to the statistical analyses.

abstract: As scrutiny of teacher effectiveness increases, there is a greater call for multiple instruments to measure teacher effectiveness and provide robust feedback to support teacher growth and development. Student perception surveys, questionnaires completed by K-12 students about their teachers, have increasingly been used to evaluate teachers and provide feedback. Situated in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College (MLFTC) at Arizona State University, this action research study used Attribution Theory, Sensemaking Theory, and research on teacher emotion to 1) document the experiences of pre-service teachers as they related to the administration and subsequent results from a student perception survey (SPS), and 2) examine the influence of two online professional development modules created to prepare teachers for the SPS process and make sense of the results. Teacher candidates participated in the SPS process in their final, year-long residency. Results from the mixed-methods study provided evidence that pre-service teachers had both positive and negative experiences that were influenced by the SPS results they received from their students. Also, depending on the results they received, teacher candidates either attributed the cause of the results to themselves or to characteristics of their students. Results from the study also indicate that teacher candidates use few strategies to make sense of the results and used those strategies to varying degrees. Pre-service teachers indicated that they regarded the modules as helpful in the sense-making process. Furthermore, evidence indicates that pre-service teachers value their students’ feedback. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2017

abstract: The purpose of this study was to answer the following question, How does one's conceptualizations of misbehavior account for the way classroom misbehavior is constructed, interpreted, and negotiated between teachers and students? The literature on school disciplinary inequities from 2000 to 2010 was systematically reviewed. Utilizing qualitative research methods, this study drew insights from sociocultural theory and symbolic interactionism to investigate discipline inequities in moment-to-moment interactions between students and teachers during classroom conflicts. Fieldwork lasted approximately one school year and involved five male students and their two respective teachers. Data collection procedures included surveys, face to face and stimulated recall interviews, and direct and video observations. Findings revealed misbehavior is a ubiquitous notion in classroom everyday life; it is also malleable and dependent on contextual factors. In addition, classroom disciplinary moments between teachers and students are greatly influenced by intra and interpersonal factors. The situated intricacies and sophistication of teachers' and students' interpretations of negotiated classroom disciplinary moments are also reported. This study also sheds new insights into the situated nature of misbehavior as it arises from teachers' and students' sense making of classroom disciplinary moments and the findings have implications for teachers, school administrators, policy makers, students, and parents/guardians. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Curriculum and Instruction 2014

Syfte  Denna studie undersöker hur elever i årskurs 9 ser på lärandet i ämnet idrott och hälsa i relation till ämnets rum för lärande.   Frågeställningar Vad anser elever i årskurs 9 påverkar deras lärande i idrott och hälsa?  Vad anser elever i årskurs 9 att man ska lära sig i idrott och hälsa i förhållande till kunskapskraven? Hur anser elever i årskurs 9 att klassrummen inom idrott och hälsa påverkar deras lärande?  Metod  Studien har en kvalitativ forskningsansats där semistrukturerade intervjuer har varit datainsamlingsmetoden. Urvalet består av fem elever som går årskurs nio inom Stockholmsområdet. Data har analyserats systematiskt via en innehållsanalys. Läroplansteori och Engströms logiker har utgjort teoretiska utgångspunkten i studien.    Resultat Flera faktorer kan påverka lärandet i form av både inre och yttre faktorer. De påverkar antingen positivt eller negativt och läraren ses som den faktorn som kan påverka mest. Elever kan vissa av kunskapskraven i idrott och hälsa men kunde endast framföra de kunskapskraven som är kopplade till rörelse. Ur ett elevperspektiv ses idrott och hälsa som ett praktiskt ämne. Variationen av rum för lärande inom idrott och hälsa kan underlätta och öka lärandet enligt eleverna. / Aim The aim of this project is to examine how pupils in the ninth grade perceive learning in Physical Education and Health (PEH) and in relation to the subject’s space for learning. Research questions What do pupils in the ninth grade believe affect their learning in Physical Education and Health? What do pupils in the ninth grade believe that they are supposed to learn in Physical Education and Health in relation to the curriculum?  How do pupils in the ninth grade perceive the subjects’ space for learning affects their learning? Method This project has a qualitative approach. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data. The sample consists of five students from the Stockholm area and are in year nine. The data has been analyzed systematically through content analysis. Curriculum theory and Engström's logics are the theoretical frameworks used throughout the project.  Result  Several factors can affect learning in the form of both internal and external factors. They affect learning either positively or negatively and the teacher is seen as the factor that can affect learning the most. Pupils know some of the knowledge requirements for Physical Education and Health but could only present the knowledge requirements that are associated with movement. From the pupil’s perspective, Physical Education and Health is only seen as a subject associated with movement. The variety of spaces for learning in Physical Education and Health can facilitate and increase learning according to the pupils.

This study investigated the perceptions of quality held by undergraduate students enrolled in an online degree program, and examined the connections between these perceptions and retention in an online learning environment. Three main research questions guided this study: (1) What are the characteristics of quality that are desirable for academic success in online distance education? (2) How well does the university manage selection and retention of students and control dropout rates in online learning environment? and; (3) How well does the university foster learning based on information about (a) student engagement, (b) the time and effort students devote to educationally sound activities (within and outside the classroom), (c) policies and practices the institution uses to induce students to take part in those activities, and (d) policies and practices at their institution, even if unintended, that hinder students' full participation? What are the connections between student perception of quality and retention in an online learning environment? A group of students at a medium-sized state university in central California composed of sophomores, juniors and seniors enrolled in a psychology course participated in interviews. The study employed a qualitative method to collect opinions and data from students who chose to learn in an online environment, examined students' experiences, determined those efforts that promote or hinder learning and higher student retention as perceived by the students, and presented from three main domains; (a) administration, (b) faculty, and (c) students. The findings of the study indicate that some of the characteristics of quality perceived by students as desirable include individual discipline and instructors that are more understanding and encourage students to learn. Administrative and technical support was also rated high on the list. Overall, students desired programs that were convenient and provided sufficient flexibility to accommodate other of life's challenges. The study confirmed expert opinions that when a student has positive personal experiences, possesses positive individual motivation, in an environment with positive attrition factors, it is predictable that the student could attain completion of course or program. The connections between the student's perception of quality and retention then are those personal experiences, individual motivation and positive attrition factors within the distance education learning culture. The quality of these connection variables determines a student's commitment to complete online education and commitment to the university.

Yes / Adolescent sexual and reproductive health (SRH) remains a challenge globally. High school youths without comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) are more likely to engage in high risk sexual behaviors than their peers in schools with CSE. Fiji continues to have very poor adolescents SRH indicators. This study aimed to gauge the perceptions of students towards the delivery of SRH education in schools in Fiji. A qualitative study design was used to collect data from students in year 11-13 in public secondary schools in Suva, Fiji in 2018. Schools with equal ethnic mix were selected. A semi-structured open-ended questionnaire was used to guide Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). A male research facilitator conducted FGD with males while a female research facilitator facilitated that amongst the females. Data collected was analyzed thematically. Seven FGDs were conducted. A total of 46 students (29 males) participated with the age range from 17-19 years old. Eight themes emerged: current SRH education; students' knowledge on adverse consequences of SRH; sources of SRH information; need for sex education; provision of SRH education in schools; characteristics of teachers of SRH education; age-appropriate incremental sex education; and ideal version of SRH. The study shows that Fijian students desired a lot more from sex education than what is currently offered for sexual decision-making. There is a need for mandatory and comprehensive sex education for young people.

The role of teacher immediacy and its impact upon student learning within the traditional classroom has been established within the instructional communication discipline in the past 30 years. In recent years, with the advent of computer-mediated distance education (i.e. online courses), some researchers have attempted to apply the same theories and measures of concepts without making the distinction between actual teacher behavioral indicants of immediacy and student perceptions of immediacy, nor recognizing that there may be a different number of variables involved between a single lesson presented online and an entire course presented over a period of time. Building upon previous models, the Short-Term Motivational Model of Learning was proposed and tested, using survey results from 229 undergraduate students who completed an online lesson presented in six different formats, and who were tested for learning outcomes. In comparison to a direct measure of learning outcomes (number of correct test answers), it was found that the Perceived Cognitive Learning Scale correlated highly with the direct measure, while the Learning Loss Scale did not. Three of the three study hypotheses were supported. Hypothesis one proposed that higher student perception of immediacy would correlate with higher student state motivation and was supported. Hypothesis two proposed that higher student trait motivation would correlate with higher student state motivation and was supported. Hypothesis three proposed that higher student state motivation would correlate with higher student cognitive learning. Student cognitive learning determined through three measures: the Perceived Cognitive Learning Scale, pretest-posttest scores differences, and the Learning Loss Scale. Using the Perceived Cognitive Learning Scale, hypothesis three was supported. Using the pretest-posttest scores differences, hypothesis three was supported weakly. Using the Learning Loss Scale, hypothesis three was also supported weakly. In testing whether teacher behavioral indicants of immediacy, student perception of immediacy and student trait motivation would explain significant variance in student state motivation in a single lesson presented online, trait motivation failed to be a predictor. Subsequently, in testing whether all of these variables would explain significant variance in student cognitive learning (and using each of the three measures of student cognitive learning), trait motivation again failed to be a predictor. In general the results support the idea that perceived learning is affected by the degree of motivation as affected by immediacy. While an attempt to vary degrees of immediacy was not fully successful, results also suggest that adding audio to online lessons may not produce significant gains in learning when compared to text-only presentations.

This study evaluated Department of Foreign Language Education students&amp / #65533 / perceptions on technology competence in regard to National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) developed by International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), in Middle East Technical University, in Ankara, Turkey. The NETS-T&amp / #65533 / s six sub standards -technology operations and concepts / planning and designing learning environments and experiences / teaching, learning, and the curriculum / assessment and evaluation / productivity and professional practice / social, ethical, legal, and human issues- were investigated in the study. 383 students participated in the study. 103 of them were freshmen, 98 of them were sophomores, 96 of them were juniors, and 86 of them were seniors. Besides, 96 of them were males, while 287 of them were females. This study was designed as a cross-sectional survey study. In order to collect the data, a survey, consisted of 44 Likert type, five point scale items, was developed by the researcher. The study results show that except for &amp / #65533 / technology operations and concepts&amp / #65533 / for which male students&amp / #65533 / perceptions were higher than female students&amp / #65533 / perceptions there was no significant difference between male and female students. There was no significant difference in &amp / #65533 / technology operations and concepts&amp / #65533 / across grade levels. There were no significant differences between freshmen&amp / #65533 / s and sophomores&amp / #65533 / perceptions for all of the sub-standards. In general, juniors&amp / #65533 / perceptions on the competence of NETS-T were higher than freshmen&amp / #65533 / s and sophomores&amp / #65533 / perceptions, and seniors&amp / #65533 / perceptions were higher than all of the other grade levels&amp / #65533 / perceptions. As a result, the findings of the study indicated that students&amp / #65533 / perceptions related with their competencies in the NETS_T needs to be increased.