La presente tesis se centra en el análisis de la efectividad del aprendizaje incidental a través de vídeos auténticos con especial atención a la variable de repetición. Además de la revisión bibliográfica y el estudio crítico de las obras anteriores, la novedad de esta tesis reside en los estudios que la componen: una encuesta y tres estudios experimentales. La encuesta proporciona información sobre las actitudes de los estudiantes de inglés como lengua extranjera (LE) sobre el uso de vídeos auténticos para el aprendizaje de inglés, en general, y su vocabulario, en particular. El objetivo principal de la parte experimental de la tesis consiste en examinar el posible aprendizaje incidental de distintos aspectos de nuevo vocabulario (forma, significado, uso en frases y acento léxico) a través de vídeos auténticos. Se presta una atención especial al posible efecto del aumento de repeticiones de nuevas palabras en vídeos auténticos para el aprendizaje incidental de nuevo léxico. Mientras que los resultados de la encuesta revelan que los estudiantes de inglés asumen la utilidad de ver vídeos auténticos para el aprendizaje de distintas destrezas del inglés, la parte experimental no proporciona una evidencia clara sobre su efectividad. En relación a la variable de repetición, con el aumento de palabras nuevas en vídeos auténticos, los resultados de los estudios demuestran que solo se observa una correlación positiva entre el aprendizaje de la forma de nuevas palabras y el aumento de repeticiones. Sin embargo, para los aspectos de significado y acento léxico, no se constata una relación positiva.

State and national standards, including the Common Core State Standards, state that students should be expected to learn to discuss and analyze texts, comprehend ideas in increasingly complex texts, and justify their thinking. Literature circles are an instructional practice suggested by many educational writers as an instructional practice that can help students meet these standards; however, research examining the impact literature circles have on students and their teacher in the classroom is needed. The purpose of this study was to investigate the implementation of literature circles in a classroom by examining how students engage in the literature circle process and the instructional practices that contribute to the level of engagement that is experienced by the students during literature. Vygotsky’s socio-cultural learning theory provides a context to understand the impact that literature circles and learning with and through others have on students. The data revealed that students engaged in the literature circle process by participating in discussions, through purposeful collaboration, and by thinking critically. The data also revealed that the level of student engagement was influenced by several practices the teacher had in place. These included (a) purposeful tasks and learning; (b) choice, (c) questioning; (d) argumentative reading and writing; and (e) role sheets. This research demonstrates the ways that using literature circles supported authentic literacy in a 5th grade classroom. Implications include instructional practices that supported engagement including purposeful tasks and learning, choice, and questioning. These instructional practices helped students learn to think critically, have evidence-based discussions, and justify their thoughts and ideas about texts. Additionally, this research has specific implications for the use of role sheets. Role sheets are frequently recommended as a practice for scaffolding student engagement, although little empirical research supports their use. Data from this study suggest that using role sheets as a conversation scaffold and as a means to train students to participate in discussion can support engagement but that discontinuing their use once students are comfortable having text-based conversations and tracking their thinking may be beneficial.

Sound research and effective teaching are both essential to the progress of science. This thesis encompasses two studies to address the two needs: a multi-scale soil study designed to validate a novel soil biological characterization method; and a pilot pedagogical study designed to test the efficacy of authentic science inquiry into gas chromatography. The soil study relies on a comparison of six soils taken from the Bahamas and Michigan. The novel method, using soil-derived VOCs analyzed via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), proved effective for resolving soils, as hypothesized, and may prove useful for analyzing soil biology rapidly and non-destructively in future studies. The pilot pedagogical study compares traditional recipe-style instruction with authentic science inquiry in an undergraduate chemistry laboratory class. Pre- and post-assessments of students’ conceptual understanding, retention of terms, and attitude revealed the hypothesized superior efficacy of authentic science inquiry over traditional recipe-style instruction.

The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the possible role of alternative learning materials in the subject of English through an action research project in year nine, secondary school. The aim is to investigate the participating students’ engagement and comprehension of the texts used in the project. Some of the goals of the syllabus for English presuppose that pupils should be able to use various types of materials and sources of information in their learning. The goals also require a way of working characterised by variation and the use of different types of learning materials in English. In this particular study, data were collected continually during the process through questionnaires, observation notes and individual interviews with four pupils. A majority of the participants found working with the materials both engaging and enjoyable. Significant factors were mainly the varied nature of the texts, the presence of unfamiliar vocabulary and the texts’ relevance for the pupils. Regarding language development, the primary outcomes of the project were improvement of vocabulary as well as increased knowledge about various types of texts.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / This research project evaluated four reading projects and their authentic materials. The projects were used in a U.S. university ESP program for post-bachelor Afghan students. By utilizing field-related American biographies, online academic articles, various news articles, field-specific article databases, and short fiction for in-depth reading and writing projects, the Afghan students’ reading performances proved and disproved the relevance and importance of these authentic materials as ways to improve their IBT TOEFL reading scores and academic reading proficiencies related to their future work at a U.S. graduate school. Data were collected and evaluated from three TOEFL scores and an in-depth, post program survey.

No description available.

No description available.

In seeking to create a richer learning environment in a junior high art classroom, the author develops a theory of presence. Closely connected to object-centered learning, a theory of presence in the art classroom places value on students being in the presence of, interacting with, and responding to artworks, artists, and other individuals and objects from the visual arts community. The author then describes how curricular plans are influenced by this theory of presence. Using an action research methodology, the author engages in the spiral process of planning, acting, observing, and reflecting on curriculum that explores the possibilities of connecting students with objects, artifacts, and people that privilege physical interaction and presence. Guest artist visits, utilizing a local art museum, and other methods are explored as possibilities for this to be achieved.

Flow theory explains the conditions for optimal engagement (enjoyment, interest, and concentration). There are three types of engagement: cognitive, emotional, and behavioral. When these are combined and present at their peak, flow takes place. In the era of information, media, and technology, current concerns in education include an increasing student disengagement and disaffection. Recently, educational organizations have focused on 21st century skills and the importance of developing these in order to better engage with society. This mixed study explores the relationship between the inclusion of 21st century skills in an L2 task and the level of engagement of students, and whether it reaches flow. Participants came from two sections of intermediate-low Spanish FL classrooms. Findings show there is a positive relationship between 21st century skills and all three types of engagement. 21st century skills are also related to authentic work. Sense of control, clear goals, high challenges matched with high skills in a contextualized setting lead to increased engagement. Flow did not take place, but different levels and intensity of engagement in all areas did.

In the last two decades, ignoring the bulk of educational research findings, policymakers shaped educational policy into a standardized testing movement that now dominates education. Now, to comply with No Child Left Behind, teachers and administrators shape curriculum in a way that maximizes student achievement measured by these tests. Recently, business and educational leaders initiated a reform movement to broaden curriculum, narrowed by this inadequate standardized testing movement, so that necessary 21st century learning skills can be practiced through project-based learning. The Federal Government’s enforcement of power over education created the climate that defined the current educational policy that gave birth to the standardized testing movement. In this climate, this reform to boost 21st century learning skills does not gain practical traction that results in changed policy, because it is impossible for standardized testing to assess most of these skills and this type of learning due to the limitations of bubbled-multiple choice questions. Instead of shaping policy to foster these 21st century learning skills, policymakers push another reform, through TAP (The System for Teacher and Student Advancement) and Value-Added Assessment. This reform attempts to improve instruction through teacher merit pay--a device that has failed many times in educational reform history. Unfortunately, most TAP systems use standardized tests as the only student achievement measurement, so almost all student achievement gains involving 21st century learning skills and project-based learning are not officially measured. Efforts to use portfolios and authentic assessment, the measurement tools that should be used to measure these higherlevel skills, are not supported by policymakers, because the lack of standardization requires more trust in the assessment ability of local school districts and communities. Consequently, a massive disconnect exists where standardized testing is being reinvigorated instead of de-emphasized, and this comes with the potential price of many teachers and administrators not embracing 21st century learning skills and project-based learning as much as they could if they were not bound by standardized test results. Ultimately, these two reforms that contradict each other involve larger issues of jurisdictional power over education at federal, state, and local levels, and ideological challenges to teacher job security and teacher representation.