Thesis (M.Ed.)--Regis University, Denver, Colo., 2006. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Aug. 29, 2006). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--Rowan University, 2009. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2007. / Title from PDF title page screen. Advisor: Judith A. Niemeyer; submitted to the School of Education. Includes bibliographical references (p. 196-206).

M.A. / The Department of Education encourages parents to become involved in their children’s education by joining the school governing bodies. However, serving on a governing body is not the ultimate form of parental involvement. Governing bodies are involved at the macro level of planning which involves the holistic planning and management of the school, they are not involved at the micro level which deals with the day to day issues that arise within the classroom. Teachers at the Geluksdal Primary School say that they cannot give children with learning difficulties the individual attention with an average of forty-five pupils per class. They have found that more than fifty percent of the children they teach do not understand the lessons. Teachers feel that the school day is short and the number of children struggling too great for them to intervene effectively. They welcome parental involvement and think that parents should assist their children individually at home. This qualitative action research study is a partnership between the researcher, parents (with children who have learning difficulties) and teachers for the co-creation of community in the best interest of children's educational development. The co-creation of community between parents and teachers requires of them to meet with each other to discuss children's needs and difficulties and to attend to these needs and difficulties. The co-creation of community refers to the joint effort of parents and teachers to better the education of children with learning problems. The focus group consisted of five parents who committed themselves and three parents who moved in an out of the group. Seven teachers participated in this study but failed to commit themselves to the forming of community. These teachers seemed de-motivated from disappointing past experiences to get parents involved in children's education, but to little avail. It appeared as if they did not believe that meeting with parents after school to build a relationship in the best interest of children would make a difference, and did not think it to be important. Another important factor that could be related to the teachers’ reactions, was that they held an ‘out-there’ philosophy which suggested that the problems experienced by children with learning difficulties was caused by the home. The research was continued with the hope to raise the teachers’ consciousness of their involvement in the educational progress of children with learning difficulties. Three teachers were interviewed individually on their views of parental involvement in education. Results showed that the co-creation of community between parents and teachers do have an impact on children’s educational development. Those parents who were committed to become involved in their children's education found that their children’s progress at school improved considerably.

This study explored one classroom teacher's attempt to bridge young learners' access to the academic content of Social Studies in an elementary, multilingual, multicultural, mainstream classroom. To this end, it examined both the planning and enacting of a Grade Five/Six Social Studies unit: Immigration In Canada. The unit was designed to draw on the teacher's and learners' social and cultural identities as a resource and afford students multiple ways to access and demonstrate understandings. In the complex, and dynamic environment of the mainstream classroom, the subject of Social Studies presents a linguistically demanding academic discipline for native English speakers and often an even more formidable challenge for students who are in the process of acquiring English as a second or an additional language Simultaneously, the subject matter of Social Studies can provide a useful venue to share experiences related to language, culture and personal histories. This study provided a rich and holistic account of the everyday classroom life of students' and their teacher's experiences over a three month time span during Social Studies lessons. Through qualitative research methods, data were drawn from reflective notes of planning sessions, field notes of classroom observations, audio-recorded interviews of the students, and an audio-recorded interview of the teacher, a survey and student work samples. Two, one hour after school planning sessions and seventeen (usually forty-five minute) classroom lessons were observed over a three-month period. The data was analyzed and systematized around my research questions in order to explore how the Social Studies unit was enacted in a mainstream setting. The qualitative analysis of the data suggested that there were positive connection between the curriculum as planned and the curriculum as experienced in the classroom. The study demonstrated that a Social Studies unit that encompassed a multiliterate pedagogy where particular attention was paid to drawing on students' social and cultural identities had very positive outcomes. The study also highlighted that the teacher's own professional identity played a key factor in affirming student identity and promoting student engagement. There was a strong link between investment of the learner and the relationship between the teacher and the students. The students were more deeply invested in the lessons than they might otherwise have been because the learning environment that the teacher constructed, valued students as members of a learning community, each with a personal history that was respected. The findings also suggest that the narrative genre of storytelling was a preferred activity for students and bridged a connection between both home and school environments. Within the Social Studies lessons the teacher continually emphasized and fore-grounded the role of relationship between student and teacher and student to student as means to an effective learning environment. The study also highlighted the need for further research in diverse, elementary mainstream, classroom settings and the need to further examine literacy practices that encompass a more linguistically and culturally responsive pedagogy. / Education, Faculty of / Language and Literacy Education (LLED), Department of / Graduate

My study examined whether and how the relationship between parent and teacher corresponds to the socioeconomic status (SES) of the family or to the achievement level of their child in reading and writing. Relationship was defined in terms of communication, perceptions of mutual support and reported levels of satisfaction. The constructs were assessed through questionnaires and interviews with seven parent-teacher dyads. Each dyad represented a unique profile of student achievement (high or low), SES of the family (high or low), and parental involvement (high or minimal). Successful relationships were characterized as having clear communication, perceptions of helpful mutual support, and high levels of success. No clear patterns in the success of the relationships emerged from examination of the SES or achievement of the children; however, successful relationships were aligned with the teachers' ratings of parental involvement. Teachers included newsletters and log book messages in their methods of communicating with parents, while parents considered only two-way interactions as communicating with their child's teacher. Teachers in higher SES schools reported giving suggestions to parents to assist their children but the parents did not report hearing the suggestions; however, teachers in lower SES schools did not report giving suggestions to parents but parents reported hearing the suggestions. Home literacy activities varied across families in high versus low SES schools. Parents in higher SES schools reported a broader range of activities in their home that supported their children's literacy acquisition than their lower SES counterparts. Activities reported by low SES families were more task oriented while activities reported by higher SES families were more entertainment oriented and corresponded better with school activities. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

"Here is a guide for the parents of the Zephyrhills school area. Under one cover, and with concise discussion, it presents the information which parents need to know in order to get a complete view of the young child. Admittedly, it is a broad subject which has been covered by many well known authorities. Nevertheless, in over two decades of teaching the young child, and in dealing with the parents of these children for that same period, the writer has observed that too few parents read the many helpful volumes which are easily available. Many parents shun books weighted with details and written in terminology largely beyond the range of ready comprehension of the average parent. Pamphlets and bulletins which briefly cover the high spots are much more widely read. After having surveyed much authoritative literature in this field, and having taken from it the important aspects, the writer believes that her brief paper of the child as a whole, meets this definite need for parental guidance in her local situation. This guide differs from the average pamphlet or bulletin which usually deals only in parts, in that it presents an overall condensation of the continuous growth of the child from conception to adulthood. It is intended that this guide be placed on the local Parent Teacher Association's shelf in the school library for free reading, and that it be made available in local study courses for parents of preschool children. It is hoped that by using this parental guide as an introductory source, a better understanding of the child as a whole will be developed and that more effective rearing of children will result"--Introduction. / "August 1951." / Typescript. / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science." / Advisor: Elizabeth Hamlin, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 46).

The selection of this topic grew out of a sincere desire to improve home-school relationships. My experience in dealing with children clearly indicated that those children whose parents worked most closely with the schools were happier and better adjusted within the classroom. My belief is that the home-school relationships in such instances were far above average. What, then, are the factors that make for good home-school relationships and how are others solving this problem? / Typescript. / "February, 1952." / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education." / Advisor: Robert Moon, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 32-34).

No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 309-325). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.