Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2008. / Title from title screen (site viewed Sept. 18, 2008). PDF text: ix, 175 p. ; 782 K. UMI publication number: AAT 3303507. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

Thesis (M.A.(Ed.))--University of Hong Kong, 1968. / Also available in print.

Thesis--Wisconsin. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 295-304).

Fundamentally, the goals of education are not unlike the goals of medical therapy; that is, to facilitate a desired change in an individual. In medicine, the prerequisite to the selection of any therapeutic regime is the diagnostic process — the identification of the antecedent states of an individual which must be taken into account in the attainment of the intended state. The educational analogue to the medical diagnostic process is the process of identifying the antecedent knowledge, skills, values or attitudes possessed by students entering a course which may influence the process of attaining, or the attainment of, the course goals. The educational analogue of the therapeutic regime are the instructional strategies which take the antecedent conditions into account and which are directed at the fulfillment of course goals. In education however, feasible methods have hot been identified for taking these antecedent conditions into account. In selecting teaching strategies in most classroom situations, it is not practical to take these conditions into consideration on an individual basis. Nor is it useful to consider class averages on these variables, since students vary so widely in terms of them. This study, working in the context of science education, and dealing with affective variables, developed a procedure for providing knowledge of antecedent affective variables in a form permitting their effective utilization in the process of selecting instructional strategies. More specifically, the purpose of this study was to develop a theoretically based and methodologically sound systematic procedure (generically "the Procedure") for (1) identifying, describing, and reporting the degree of pro-ness or con-ness of affective antecedents deemed to be important to science instruction and (2) identifying teaching strategies which take these antecedent conditions into account and which are directed toward science teaching outcomes in the affective domain. The general approach taken by the Procedure is to identify and describe subgroups of students within a class in terms of similar sets of antecedent affective responses to objects which reflect pro-ness or con-ness toward the affective ratings inherent in the affective goals of a course. Instructional strategies for these subgroups can then be selected or provide a rational basis for changing those antecedent ratings which are most incongruent with the desired affective ratings reflected in the affective goals. The affective goals are identified within a clear and accurate statement of the rationale for a course. Measurements of the degree of students' pro-ness or con-ness on the affective responses of concern are obtained through the use of the Semantic Differential technique. The Q-analysis technique, a technique for categorizing people, is employed to identify the subgroups of students. The educational value of the Procedure rests upon its ability to meet an important educational need in a practical way — specifically its ability to provide a clear description of affective antecedents in a form permitting their effective utilization in the process of identifying teaching strategies directed toward the fulfillment of affective goals. In this study, the results of the application of the Procedure to an introductory university physics course supported the general effectiveness of the contribution of each component of the Procedure in meeting this need. There is concern however (1) that additional data need to be gathered supporting the validity of the Procedure, and (2) that the time and monetary demands associated with the Q-analysis and Semantic Differential techniques might limit the feasibility of the Procedure in some educational settings. Recommendations and guidelines regarding future applications of the Procedure are provided, including recommendations regarding validity studies and the use of less costly alternatives to the SD and Q-analysis components. / Education, Faculty of / Graduate

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This study used a mixed methods approach to examine student access and achievement differences based on the students’ 7th-grade mathematics class placement. Additionally, this study investigated the difference between teachers’ perceptions and pedagogical decisions based on their students’ placement levels. Finally, this study asked for teacher recommendations on developing an equitable mathematics placement policy. Findings revealed that students placed in 7th-grade honors courses are achieving at higher levels than their non-honors peers. The study also found that teachers hold their honors students to higher standards than their non-honors students and limit their non-honors students’ access to higher-level mathematics. The study concluded with a call to equity in the mathematics class with a short-term recommendation to implement a blind placement policy that only considers longitudinal standardized test scores and a long-term recommendation to detrack the mathematics class and train teachers to teach heterogeneous courses effectively.

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This research aims to explore the attempted implementation of mixed ability grouping in junior high schools in Taiwan and the challenges generated by individuals and groups to this policy. The mixed-ability grouping policy in Taiwan has been disputed for nearly thirty years, but the disputes have never been examined from a wider perspective that considers the evolution of the policy and the contexts the policy process resides in. This study thus attempts to understand the process of the mixed-ability grouping policy from a contextualised, politicised, long-term perspective within which not only the ideological and practical debates, but the contexts that shape the conflicts over time, are taken into consideration. The study is grounded in an analytical framework that allows for the exploration of the politically-driven mainstream educational ideologies, the power relationships between policy actors, and the cyclical policy process. The research methods adopted consider the timeframe, the contexts, the multiple policy actors and the interactions among policy actors and between contexts and policy actors within the policy. Documentary analysis is adopted to trace the policy process, the conflicts within, and the political, cultural, economic and societal contexts of the policy from its inception to today whilst a questionnaire survey and in-depth interviews are utilized to understand the attitudes and actions of educational authorities and school educators. Case studies are conducted in two junior high schools in order to learn about the dynamics, the conflicts, and the considerations of grouping practice within individual schools. The key findings of this thesis are as follows. First, the mixed-ability grouping policy in Taiwan has existed through two different political regimes, within which the different mainstream educational ideologies and power distribution among policy actors contribute to the distinctive policy process, interpretations of disputes and patterns of conflicts. Second, although the first-line educators recognise the advantages of mixed-ability grouping regarding discipline and resource distribution, their perceptions of pupils’ ability and teaching are in line with the assumptions of streaming, which contribute to educators’ conflicting attitudes and actions towards the mixed-ability grouping policy. Third, the senior high school entry system and the actions of parents and junior high schools together shape a hidden educational market within which the ‘disguised forms’ of streaming, such as the establishment of special classes, are valued by market players. The senior high school entry examination also profoundly influences educators who internalise the values embodied in the examination and perceive pupils’ ability and their own teaching mainly in terms of examination results.