An achievement gap between ethnic minorities and White Americans continues to exist within the U.S., as well as between the U.S. and varying countries. Research has identified several factors that contribute to this gap, such as differences in curricula across countries, teacher quality, and school funding. In addition to these factors, teachers’ implicit theories of intelligence may also contribute to the achievement gap. Whether teachers view intelligence as fixed (entity theory) or malleable (incremental theory) can impact instructional practices, specifically the use of performance and learning goals. Performance goals focus on evaluation, ability, and performance rather than mastery of material, growth, and overall learning as seen in learning goals. Research is limited regarding the development of implicit theories of intelligence; however, there is evidence culture may be involved. Identifying specific cultural practices that influence the development of implicit theories of intelligence may provide a unique perspective on pedagogy and how teachers interact with students. One cultural practice that may be related to the development of implicit theories of intelligence is standardized achievement testing. The current study used survey methodology to evaluate the relation between implicit theories of intelligence, perceived pressure from standardized achievement testing, and classroom goal structures and the differences between these variables amongst full-time teachers (N = 45). Results indicated significant differences in perceived pressure from standardized achievement testing amongst teachers with classrooms containing lower percentages of reading and math proficient students as well as significant differences in classroom goal structures amongst teachers with classrooms containing fewer ethnic minority and ELL students. Implications of these findings and areas of future research are discussed.

This study was undertaken to investigate changes in classroom environment as students move between upper primary and lower secondary school in selected schools in South Australia. A new instrument, the Middle School Classroom Environment Indicator (MSCEI), was devised to measure students' perceptions of particular aspects of classroom environment that were considered important in this transitional phase along the educational continuum. Actual and preferred versions of the instrument were used longitudinally with students in Grade 7 and again in Grade 8 in order to determine whether students perceived an improvement or deterioration in salient aspects of their classroom climate. Also, student satisfaction was assessed before and after transition. Quantitative data from the questionnaire were supported by qualitative data gathered through discussions with teachers, students and administrators, as well as classroom visits before and after transition into secondary school.Research questions were answered through numerous statistical analyses of questionnaire data: item analysis, factor analysis and analysis of variance for establishing the reliability and validity of the MSCEI; simple correlation and multiple regression analyses for investigating associations between student satisfaction and classroom environment scales; and paired t tests to compare and contrast perceptions of classroom environments in Grade 7 and Grade 8.The sample consisted of 311 students in six schools in Grade 7 and 575 students in six schools in Grade 8. The schools represented different enrolment profiles and 'distinctive settings. The schools involved were two single-sex boys' schools, one single-sex girls' school, and three co-educational schools. Five of the six schools in the sample had both primary and secondary classes in the school, while one school terminated enrolment as a primary school ++ / in Grade 7 and students moved to a new secondary setting in Grade 8.Classroom environments in secondary settings were generally perceived less favourably, given rapid lesson turnover, multiple specialist teachers and larger school sizes, which were associated with a perceived increase in alienation. These findings seem generally consistent across the sample of schools involved in the study, although variations were evident in different schools with differing enrolment profiles and internal arrangements for catering for students moving from primary to secondary schooling. Satisfaction was closely associated with the classroom environment dimensions of affiliation and autonomy in Grade 7, and with affiliation, autonomy and teacher support in Grade 8.Given the extensive work undertaken by researchers and scholars in the area of middle schooling, this study holds significance for teachers and administrators who wish to promote effective and manageable classroom experiences for students as they move from upper primary to lower secondary schooling.

This thesis examines silence as attributed to and performed by Japanese students in Australian university classrooms. It aims to elucidate processes in which silence can be used and created in intercultural communication in the classroom. The phenomenon of silence is approached from multiple perspectives. The data include interviews, a questionnaire and survey data, classroom observation and video-recorded classroom interactions. The data was collected in Australia and Japan. The Japanese data was included as part of sociocultural contexts where the Japanese students studying in Australia bring with them. The analysis draws on the frameworks of the ethnography of communication and conversation analysis. Micro- and macro- perspectives are combined to investigate how perceptions and performances interact to construct silence in the cross-cultural encounters in these classrooms. The thesis consists of four parts. The first part, Chapters 1-3, sets the theoretical background to the research. Chapter 1 describes how the research was conceived, and states the aims of the research. Chapter 2 reviews literature on silence, with specific attention to silence in Japanese communication and in classroom contexts. In Chapter 3 the methodological framework and design of this research is described. The second part, Chapter 4, examines how Japanese students� silence is perceived, both by themselves and their Australian teachers. The chapter is based on interviews with Japanese students in Australia, as well as findings from a questionnaire distributed to their lecturers. Japanese classroom practices as an aspect of the sociocultural background of Japanese students are also described. Finally, the third part, Chapters 5, 6, 7, compares actual silence and performance in the classroom with perceived silence. There are three case studies which make up a substantial part of the thesis and provide detailed analyses of classroom interactions, based on video-recordings, observations, and follow-up interviews with key participants. Chapter 8 synthesises the findings discussed in Chapters 4-7, and concludes with implications for teaching and learning in the multicultural university classroom.

The experience of 'being with difference' is becoming an increasingly important worldwide phenomenon. The transnational movements of people across the globe, as well as tensions arising from religious and political differences, are highlighting the urgent need for people to learn to recognize and negotiate their being with difference. In recent years the Australian media has reflected growing interest on issues concerning identity and national values. These issues are invariably translated into the educational system and then into the classroom. In this context there arises the tension between recognizing and responding to individual difference yet, on the other hand, a push for sameness under the rubric of social equality. Diversity as an objective phenomenon has received much attention in the educational literature however the experience of a teacher being with difference in the classroom and what a teacher experiences as 'being different' has been assumed and the meanings they make of their experiences largely ignored. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to reveal and interpret the lived experiences of teachers being with difference, as they construct the phenomenon, in the context of the primary classroom. Data sources predominantly included extended face-to-face multiple interviews with thirteen teachers from primary schools situated in Melbourne, Australia. Personal experiences, as well as perspectives derived from a range of literature, were also employed. The collated texts revealed six dominant themes: [1] Disrupted by difference [2] Stimulated by difference [3] Engineering for difference [4] Labelling for difference [5] Awakened by difference; and [6] Sensitized by difference. Each theme was explicated using a variety of textual approaches to better understand the structures of meanings. Essentially, the phenomenon, as revealed by the participating teachers, suggests that difference in the classroom is constructed through teachers' own cultural and experiential lenses and interpreted according ly. Two particular implications arising from the study are discussed. The first concerns teachers 'growing children to be like me' and the second, the magnetism of difference and its implication for children perceived as 'ordinary'. The implication of these findings suggests that 'being with difference' presents fundamental challenges for teachers who must not only accommodate novel experiences within their own teaching and personal lifeworlds and address those challenges within the procedural expectations of an educational system, but are also in a position to facilitate a literacy of being with difference.

Curriculum integration, while a commonly used educational term, remains a challenging concept to define and examine both in research and in classroom practice. Numerous types and definitions of curriculum integration exist in educational research, while, in comparison, teachers tend to focus on curriculum integration simply as a mixing of subject areas. To better understand curriculum integration in practice, this thesis details a case study that examines both teacher and student perspectives regarding a grade nine integrated unit on energy. Set in a public secondary school in Ontario, Canada, I comprehensively describe and analyze teacher understandings of, and challenges with, the implementation of an integrated unit, while also examining student perspectives and academic learning. My participants consisted of two high school teachers, a geography teacher and a science teacher, and their twenty-three students. Using data gathered from interviews before, during, and after the implementation of a 16-lesson unit, as well as observations throughout, I completed a case description and thematic analysis. My results illustrate the importance of examining why teachers choose to implement an integrated unit and the planning and scheduling challenges that exist. In addition, while the students in this study were academically successful, clarification is needed regarding whether student success can be linked to the integration of these two subjects or the types of activities these two teachers utilized.

Curriculum integration, while a commonly used educational term, remains a challenging concept to define and examine both in research and in classroom practice. Numerous types and definitions of curriculum integration exist in educational research, while, in comparison, teachers tend to focus on curriculum integration simply as a mixing of subject areas. To better understand curriculum integration in practice, this thesis details a case study that examines both teacher and student perspectives regarding a grade nine integrated unit on energy. Set in a public secondary school in Ontario, Canada, I comprehensively describe and analyze teacher understandings of, and challenges with, the implementation of an integrated unit, while also examining student perspectives and academic learning. My participants consisted of two high school teachers, a geography teacher and a science teacher, and their twenty-three students. Using data gathered from interviews before, during, and after the implementation of a 16-lesson unit, as well as observations throughout, I completed a case description and thematic analysis. My results illustrate the importance of examining why teachers choose to implement an integrated unit and the planning and scheduling challenges that exist. In addition, while the students in this study were academically successful, clarification is needed regarding whether student success can be linked to the integration of these two subjects or the types of activities these two teachers utilized.

Abstract Corporate managers are constantly looking for more cost-effective ways to deliver training to their employees. E-learning is less expensive than traditional classroom instruction. In addition, many expenses-booking training facilities, travel costs for employees, plus employee time away from the job- are greatly reduced. Distance learning has existed for a long time. When computers became available, educators were tempted by this new means to deliver education at a distance. Today, what was once an obscure sidebar to education has become big business. This is what people now are talking about e-learning. The value of the computer may seem to be its ability to deliver information anytime and anywhere, but its value in education is potentially much more important. E-learning is fueling efforts to integrate distributed learning systems in organization. The purpose of this study is to examine the some factors that determine intention to adopt e-learning in Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corporation. The studied system enables online or web-based learning, which has grown in popularity in the new millennium as an innovative and useful enterprising training tool. This paper takes a social, organizational, and technical approach in its investigation to identify the factors that affect intention to adopt e-learning. Regression Analysis was used to assess the relationships in the constructs. The paper presents some findings on e-learning adoption intention determinants in order to giving some suggestions to KRTC for future implementing e-learning training system.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI Company.

Thesis (MS)--University of Montana, 2009. / Contents viewed on December 18, 2009. Title from author supplied metadata. Includes bibliographical references.

In this embedded case study, I examined and documented discussions of literature across two literacy contexts within one multiage classroom. Further, I explored the experiences of four focal students within and across the two contexts, highlighting the affordances of each space and considering the implications of tacit rules of participation for individual students. I employed ethnographic data collection methods including field notes, audio and video recordings, semi-structured interviews, and student and teacher created artifacts. Data analysis drew on constant comparative methods as well as traditions of interactive sociolinguistics. Drawing on sociocultural theories of learning and transactional theories of reading response, the study demonstrates the ways in which talk is used as a tool for meaning-making tasks including comprehension, argumentation, and identity construction. The study highlights the purposeful and strategic instructional moves made by the classroom teachers in discussion that facilitated more complete and complex interpretations of texts. The cases of the focal students illustrate the affordances of each context as well as demonstrating the ways in which responses to literature might be leveraged to claim identity positions within the classroom. The study cultivates deeper understanding about the importance of individual contributions within discussion contexts, as well as demonstrating the ways in which children and teachers mediate meaning making in collaborative contexts. The findings suggest implications for the ways in which educators might support and draw on individual approaches to response to facilitate divergent meaning making and expansion of repertoires of response for students. In addition, the study suggests implications for the careful design and development of contexts in which children are granted interpretive authority and encouraged to engage in collaborative meaning-making. / text