Abundant research exists examining what occurs in Hispanic homes regarding educational beliefs and literacy and language practices before and after children enter the school system. What is not known is whether or not teachers are aware of these practices and beliefs. The research questions of this study focus first on what perceptions K-12 teachers have about Hispanic educational beliefs and practices, and second, on determining if those perceptions correlate with teacher training in English as a second language (ESL). To answer these questions, a questionnaire was written based on an extensive review of literature regarding three aspects: Hispanic educational beliefs, literacy practices, and language practices. This questionnaire was then administered to 214 K-12 public school teachers from three school districts in Utah. The results were analyzed first using descriptive statistics to learn which perceptions teachers felt strongly about, and second, with a blocked analysis of variance to find correlation between perceptions and ESL training. The results suggest that teachers are uncertain about what is occurring in Hispanic homes. Of the 25 questions analyzed in the descriptive statistics, 68% had response means falling between 3.90 and 5.10 (a score of 4.0 indicating neither agreement nor disagreement). However, results showed that teachers had the strongest views regarding Hispanic literacy practices and the family focus on authority. The analysis of variance showed that ESL training does not correlate with teacher perception. Suggestions for further research and implications of the results of this study are discussed.

The 12 Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE) are funded by the National Science Foundation and are designed to promote creative ways of disseminating marine science research and its importance to the public. The focus of this study is the COSEE Central Gulf of Mexico program which encourages active partnerships between research scientists and teachers. In these collaborative partnerships, teachers and scientists work together to create educational products and disseminate best practices in ocean sciences education. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the lesson plans and curricula created through the Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence: Central Gulf of Mexico program (COSEE:CGOM), which are the products of this collaboration, were being used effectively in the classroom. The study addressed issues such as teacher perceptions of collaboration with scientists,effectiveness of COSEE:CGOM curriculum implementation in producing more ocean literate students, and teachers’ varying views concerning how to successfully implement new COSEE:CGOM knowledge and concepts into their classrooms in order to improve student scientific understanding. In addition, the study examined frequency of use of COSEE:CGOM lesson plans and identified predictor variables that can produce a model for understanding factors hindering or enhancing lesson plan use. Further, participant perceptions of using peer-teaching as a method for disseminating COSEE:CGOM information in their districts were addressed.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

The purpose of this study is to compare the ways high school instrumental teachers and high school vocal teachers teach musicianship skills. The study also compares secondary music teachers' perceptions of the effectiveness of their teaching of musicianship skills with college students' perceptions of how effectively they were taught these skills. I examined how instructional time, teaching methodology, and availability of small-group and private lessons factor into (1) teacher perception of student understanding of musicianship, and; (2) college students' perception of remembered musicianship education experienced while in high school. I distributed a survey designed to examine the pedagogy of specific musicianship skills. This survey was sent to 75 vocal teachers and 75 instrumental teachers who teach ensemble music classes (band, orchestra, and choir) in urban and suburban areas in Pennsylvania. A similar measure designed to examine college students' remembered perception of the effectiveness of their high school musicianship education was sent to 150 vocal college music majors and 150 instrumental college music majors in Pennsylvania and Delaware. The survey was designed for students and instructors to rate musicianship training using a five point Likert-type scale and a six point Likert-type scale. The skills assessed included: reading notation from treble and bass clefs; sight-reading and sight-singing; recognizing and interpreting music symbols; identifying key signatures and time signatures; working independently on a musical task; and recognizing and performing dynamics, articulations, and common tempo markings. Data were analyzed using a Chi-square test to determine what, if any, significant results negating the null hypothesis are present. / Music Education

This study examined the influence of behaviors exhibited in the classroom on reading and math achievement in the first, third and eighth grades; and the influence of teacher perceptions on reading and math achievement of African-Americans versus White students and male versus female students. Lastly, the study examined teacher ratings of student behavior and standardized measures of intelligence in predicting reading and math achievement. The Classroom Behavior Inventory (CBI) was used to measure student classroom behavior. The CBI contains 10 subscales of classroom behaviors: extroversion, introversion, independence, dependence, creativity/curiosity, task orientation, verbal intelligence, hostility, distractibility, and considerateness. Reading and math achievement were measured using reading and math subtests from the Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery. The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) in first grade, and the Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) in third grade, were used as standardized measures of intelligence.Results revealed that overall, teacher ratings, as measured by the CBI, were better predictors of reading and math achievement than standardized measures of intelligence in first, third and eighth grades. Students who were rated higher on positive behaviors had overall higher achievement scores than students who were rated higher on negative behaviors. Minor differences in teacher ratings of classroom behavior based on race and gender were observed. Teachers rated White students higher on consideration and independence, while African American students were rated as more dependent and hostile. Males were rated as more hostile, introverted and distracted, while females were rated higher on consideration. / Ph. D.

MathWorlds is a piece of educational software that allows students to explore a variety of topics related to the mathematics of change and proportionality, utilizing dynamic graphs and animated "worlds". SimCalc is the package of MathWorlds software plus curriculum and teacher professional development, and has a history of significant success in single classroom studies. According to Simonsen and Kensing (1998), "users will not change the way they work to adapt to a computer system if the benefits are not significant and obvious." While researchers know SimCalc has a significant impact on student outcomes, is this obvious to the teachers? One powerful source of information about this question is the corpus of extensive phone interviews that my colleagues and I conducted with teachers after they completed the SimCalc curriculum. Many of our teachers recognized SimCalc as something that could be beneficial for their students. Besides raising test scores, teachers using SimCalc introduce more complex mathematical ideas to their students, which have ordinarily been considered outside a normal 7th grade math lesson. This was reflected in the phone interviews when treatment teachers mentioned more complex mathematical ideas than the control teachers. However, some treatment teachers struggled with using SimCalc because it was so different from their current teaching methods. In this case, SimCalc was not compatible with their current teaching methods. Also, for some teachers, using technology such as MathWorlds is a complex process with many hurdles to overcome. Future research must investigate ways to bridge the gaps in teaching methods and encourage more support for teachers using technology. By doing this researchers can make SimCalc more compatible for teachers with different teaching methods and reduce the number of obstacles teachers face when using technology in the classroom. With continued effort, research and support, we can look forward to the diffusion of more educational innovations such as SimCalc. / Master of Science

This study was designed to address teachers' difficulties implementing Response-to-Intervention (RtI) program strategies at a low-performing school in south Texas in response to students failing to meet statewide assessment standards in reading. This exploratory case study investigated the perceptions of Grades 3 and 4 teachers to assist in understanding a pathway to increase higher fidelity of RtI implementation and improve student academic performance. Knowles' theory of andragogy and Lewin's change theory provided the framework for the study. The study included interview data from 6 purposefully selected Grades 3 and 4 teachers supplemented by document reviews of professional development (PD) presentations and RtI implementation policies. All data were analyzed using comparative and inductive analysis and coded into 7 emergent themes. The findings included the need for administrative supervision, a lack of RtI fidelity of implementation, and a need for PD focusing on interventions and organizational tools. The project, which was developed based on the findings and literature review, includes opportunities for learning and participating in campus RtI planning to gain support for the program, attending district-approved PD sessions to assist teachers' techniques to improve student performance in reading, and training in specific RtI progress monitor reporting to document use of the various interventions for individuals in the classroom. By ensuring that students receive RtI instruction that is designed to meet their individual academic needs, the project may help the school district decrease referrals to special education and improve students' reading abilities.

Abstract AN EXAMINATION OF WHAT PRINCIPALS DO TO CREATE A POSITIVE SCHOOL CLIMATE FOR TEACHERS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND HOW TEACHERS PERCEIVE THOSE EFFORTS By Carol Anne H. Ziolkowski, Ph.D. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2015 Director: Whitney Sherman Newcomb, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Educational Leadership School of Education This qualitative study of elementary school climate explored the actions principals take to create or maintain a positive school climate for their teachers and teachers’ perceptions of those efforts. The study included individual interviews of four elementary school principals to determine what they intentionally did to create or maintain a positive school climate. Next, focus group interviews of general education teachers from within the four participating schools were conducted to determine how teachers perceived the efforts of the principals. The findings in three of the four schools indicated several discrepancies between perceptions of the participating principals and teachers. While teachers acknowledged and appreciated some of the efforts of the principals, the teachers did not recognize those efforts as contributing to the climate of the school. The participants of the fourth school shared perceptions that the efforts of the principal had created a positive school climate. The principal maintained an open-door policy and built strong relationships with faculty members. The teachers perceived those efforts as contributing to the positive climate of the school.