Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Delaware, 2007. / Principal faculty advisor: Sharon Walpole, School of Education. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wyoming, 2006. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Dec. 18, 2007). Includes bibliographical references (p. 126-140).

This thesis describes an analysis of science textbooks, eight years after the implementation of the Years 1-10 Queensland Science Syllabus, which suggested a move towards constructivist teaching in Queensland schools (QSSC 1999). The textbooks have been analysed for evidence of constructivism, and this has led to recommendations for writing better textbooks. This thesis has been written in five chapters. In Chapter 1, a review of literature develops a conceptual framework, which is the basis of this research. Chapter 2 describes the process used to develop its methodology, and Chapter 3 presents the results of this analysis. Chapters 4 and 5 discuss the findings of this research and its implications for textbook content and design. In the literature review the themes of constructivism and the nature of science and the use of textbooks by teachers are explored. It suggests that textbooks continue to be central to developing curriculum, that they are used as a reference and as an independent learning tool, rather than as a guide to enacting curriculum. It also shows constructivist teaching closely aligns with authentic science, that it moves school science closer to that practised by scientists, and that it can engender improvements in teaching practice and in student interest. The data from this research has been collected using an analytical grid developed from three successive trials, after the literature review showed no previously developed analytical grid was suitable. In this final version of the grid, Likert scales are used to observe four dimensions of constructivism in textbook activities: coherence (use knowledge and concepts in a range of contexts), student-centredness of inquiries, language used and analysis questions to practice making new knowledge claims. The unit of analysis was ecology chapters of four middle school science textbooks. The research questions asked in this study are as follows: • Is a constructivist approach discernable in the textbooks reviewed in terms of the four dimensions of constructivism identified in the literature review? • What elements of constructivism are readily identifiable, and therefore are easily included in textbooks? • What elements of constructivism are not discernable? The results of this research have been synthesised and show no textbook could be considered constructivist, although one textbook had inquiries that could be considered exemplary. Two of the textbooks had no claim to be constructivist because they lacked inquiries, and this is where students experience the methods of scientists and practise making knowledge claims.   Other conclusions of this research include the following: •All textbooks reviewed were deficient in at least one dimension of constructivism, and those with one inquiry cannot be constructivist; •Activities and contexts made textbooks more coherent; •Technical terms were reduced compared to what has been traditionally covered by textbooks, however technical terms are also essential to scientific literacy and need to be used appropriately; •Most methods of inquiries are prescribed, so they do not allow students to solve problems in their own relevant contexts; even in those textbooks with more inquiries; •There was little evidence of hypothetico-deductive reasoning in inquiries rather data collection and simple analysis were usually suggested. Guidelines for writing better textbooks have become apparent from this research. Coherent textbooks are inherently constructivist because they apply concepts across contexts, and have more inquiries. Inquiries with a rigorous, authentic hypothetico-deductive approach arise naturally when the methods, concepts and language of science are applied in contexts that students are likely to find relevant and interesting, and where real-life problems need to be solved. Adopting these recommendations could lead to textbooks being more centrally positioned in enacting curriculum than now, because they are more likely to be constructivist (and represent the best thinking in the field).

<p>This study describes how verbal abuse is used in schools and how it affects students. As a  result of the study is a questionnaire which was distributed to 153 students at two schools in a small town in southern Sweden. Students who participated in the study were in grades 3-6 and were between 9 and 13 years old. I asked students 13 questions, which dealt with verbal abuse, some of them were check questions and some were issues that required a longer response.</p><p>The results of the survey show that 108 students of 153 have ever felt verbally abused at school, slightly more girls than boys. Usually they say they have been verbally abused by their own sex and then with words like boys are more frequently offended by words of a sexual nature, whereas girls more often are offended by words that violate their appearance.</p><p>The students who feel aggrieved are shown to be those students who violate others. Students believe they have the right to give back. A relatively large number of students believe that those who want to violate the do it because it's fun. The so called joke-discourse, in which verbal abuse is dismissed with that it´s only jokes or just something that "slipped out" by mistake, have got a place even in middle school. It turns out that about one third of the surveyed students carry a fear of being called something offensive when they are in school. It appears that verbal abuse is a problem very much exists in schools and used in equal proportion of both boys and girls to create a kind of power structure between the sexes but also within their own sex.</p>

This qualitative and quantitative study examines the potential improvement in aggressive student behaviors when a block schedule is implemented in a rural, low socio-economic and multi-cultural middle school. The number of incidents of physical aggression and harassment were obtained from official school records for the years 1992-1996. Interviews were also conducted with staff members who had long term tenure in the school and who had a clear vision of student behaviors both pre and post-block schedule implementation. The face value of the school record data suggest a dramatic improvement in student behaviors. These data corroborate very closely with interview information. Teachers believe behaviors have substantially improved. In 1992-1993 there were 30 assaults in the school. In 1993-1994 there were 15, in 1994-1995 there were 0, in and in 1995-1996 there were 4. The substantive conclusion is the development and implementation of a block schedule in this particular middle school was highly successful in helping alter the aggressive behaviors of students. / Graduation date: 1997

This study examined the values, competencies, and goals of educators related to preventing drug abuse. Its purpose was to develop a new theory to define the crisis moral community among the educators: a theory which linked the primary variables (values, competencies, and goals) in such a way as to reveal their relationships. Twenty rural educators who had participated in a drug education training program, were surveyed using two instruments: one which examined their perceived competencies to conduct drug education and one which examined their values related to four imagined conflict situations. The relationship between the two assessments linked the teachers' values to their perceived level of competency and the goal of their drug education program. The face value of the data permitted the development of a finer description of the three linked variables. Not only do the variables covary; they also transform as they move from simple to complex (values), random to purposeful (competencies), and information-only to enfranchisement (goals). The primary result supports a crisis among the educators surveyed. The substantive conclusion is the development of enfranchisement theory as a higher order method for preventing drug abuse. Enfranchisement theory establishes a critical horizon that explains the failure of many drug education programs (DARE, for example) and proposes a values set, level of educator competency, and program goals for effective drug education. / Graduation date: 1995

The importance of parental involvement in schools has been the focus of numerous studies (Cotton & Mann, 1994; Hoover-Dempsey & Sadler, 1997; McDermott & Rothenberg, 2000; Trotman, 2001; Epstein & Sanders, 2009). Many of these same studies correlate student achievement with parental involvement and suggest that student achievement is improved when parents are involved in their children's schools. In spite of this positive effect, school involvement continues to be low in many inner-city schools where a large number of parents are ethnic minorities whose socio-economic status is low (Cotton, 2000). Included in this group are the parents of inner-city gifted middle school students. / The purpose of this study was to investigate, evaluate, and determine, from the perspective of a group of inner-city parents of gifted middle school students, factors that foster, or deter, their involvement in their children's schools. Of the plethora of studies that have been conducted on parental involvement, few have focused specifically on school involvement by inner-city parents of gifted adolescents. A survey was used to collect quantitative and qualitative data. / Findings revealed that among the major factors that fostered school involvement was a school atmosphere that was inviting, friendly, and caring. A major deterrent to the participants' involvement was the school's failure to communicate with them.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Baylor University, 2005. / Includes bibliographic notes (p. 210-220).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 144-152).

This study describes how verbal abuse is used in schools and how it affects students. As a  result of the study is a questionnaire which was distributed to 153 students at two schools in a small town in southern Sweden. Students who participated in the study were in grades 3-6 and were between 9 and 13 years old. I asked students 13 questions, which dealt with verbal abuse, some of them were check questions and some were issues that required a longer response. The results of the survey show that 108 students of 153 have ever felt verbally abused at school, slightly more girls than boys. Usually they say they have been verbally abused by their own sex and then with words like boys are more frequently offended by words of a sexual nature, whereas girls more often are offended by words that violate their appearance. The students who feel aggrieved are shown to be those students who violate others. Students believe they have the right to give back. A relatively large number of students believe that those who want to violate the do it because it's fun. The so called joke-discourse, in which verbal abuse is dismissed with that it´s only jokes or just something that "slipped out" by mistake, have got a place even in middle school. It turns out that about one third of the surveyed students carry a fear of being called something offensive when they are in school. It appears that verbal abuse is a problem very much exists in schools and used in equal proportion of both boys and girls to create a kind of power structure between the sexes but also within their own sex.