Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2000. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 190-201). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2000. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 190-201). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1980.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to ascertain to what extent English teachers at the upper secondary level in Sweden use postcolonial literature in their teaching and in that case if it is used in order to teach intercultural competence. The reason for this was the claim that there is a strong connection between postcolonial literature and intercultural competence as well as between postcolonial literature and the curriculum for the upper secondary school, and specifically the English courses. The primary material used was gathered through interviews involving teachers working at an upper secondary school in the southern part of Kronobergs Län. Three out of five interviewees did use postcolonial literature and the main reason was that it provides a platform for students to learn about different cultures and societies in areas in the world where English is used. It also turned out that certain authors were used more frequently than others, namely J.M. Coetzee, Chinua Achebe and Doris Lessing. The theoretical basis for this essay has been the notion of intercultural competence, especially linked with language teaching. Developing intercultural competence provides students with the possibility of gaining increased understanding of different cultures, something that seems to be immensely important in a Swedish school system where the classrooms are becoming more and more multicultural. It is argued here that postcolonial literature lends itself particularly well when it comes to the combination of language- and culture didactics and teachers’ responses in the interviews have given reason to believe that this is in fact so.

This four-month-long qualitative case study looks closely at how one kindergarten teacher tried to help young children have more mathematical discussions. To discover and more deeply understand a kindergarten teacher’s ways of thinking about and facilitating mathematical discussion as part of everyday mathematical instruction, data was collected through classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and various forms of documentation. Through data analysis in the constant-comparative method, this study found that intensive-discussion mathematics lessons could be accomplished through two pedagogical roles of the teacher. The first was creating a respectful learning environment to motivate children’s participation in mathematical discussion. The second was scaffolding student discussions to construct their own knowledge in the path of their mathematics learning. The analysis detailed here also revealed that successes and failures of discussion-intensive mathematics lessons depend on the teacher’s ability to overcome challenges she encounters while integrating mathematical discussion into her everyday lessons. The presented examples and descriptions in this study offer significant implications for early childhood teachers. This is particularly true for those who care about their young students’ mathematical development, yet either struggle to develop trusting classroom communities or do not know how to facilitate mathematical discussion. This study also provides insights into how teacher educators can help preservice teachers develop a profound understanding of mathematics teaching and learning. This highly influences their moment-by-moment decision-making to appropriately scaffold young children’s talk and learning. It offers implications for administrators about how to support early childhood teachers’ growth, learning, and their practices in teaching mathematics. / text

General Education Teachers' Perceptions of Inclusion of Students with Disabilities in the Regular Classroom Sharon Ruth Stidham-Smith, Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin, 2013 Supervisor: James L. Schaller This exploratory descriptive study was conducted to examine the perceptions of general public school teachers regarding inclusion of students with disabilities in their classroom. Instruments used to measure the concepts studied include an Inclusion Inventory followed by additional open-ended questions. A sample of general education public school teachers, who have had a child with a disability in their classroom, was recruited from a Texas regional school district. The research questions asked about the teachers' educational teams, their grade level assignment, and the number of years taught; followed by open ended questions that included the participants' definition of inclusion, their experiences and challenges, training in inclusion, and the concept of the general education teacher having sole responsibility for all the students in the class. Inclusion teams were found to be an important aspect of this study. The participants reported the success (or lack of success) of their inclusive classroom often depended on their inclusion team. In particular, special education coordination with vii administration support in finding solutions for unacceptable classroom behavior, time management, and class size. Many respondents felt further preservice and inservice training on how this support can be accomplished that includes administration as well as general and special education teachers was one avenue that could help realize an inclusive classroom that was beneficial to all. What exactly would be emphasized in this inclusion training was not stated. The inclusive practices and strategies discussed in this study require further research in order to determine what could be called a 'best practice' in the inclusive classroom. / text

Professional development is key to improved student and school success, however research in this field is relatively new and teacher learning is often lackluster. Additionally, alternative strategies are needed to address the unique professional development needs of experienced teachers. One possible strategy is classroom-embedded reciprocal coaching, such as that used in the National Science Foundation's GK-12 program, between experienced classroom teachers and graduate student scientists. Teachers were surveyed to determine if their participation in GK-12 provided a positive professional development experience. It was found that teachers benefited from this type of professional development with a perceived increase in their science content knowledge and an overall high level of satisfaction with the program. Interviews revealed common themes such as the teacher's viewpoint of whether this was professional development, the teachers' areas of learning, the reciprocal nature of the coaching relationship, and the prospect of sustainability. / text

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This study was undertaken to determine if there is a correlation between teachers' and administrators' perceptions of educational setting and student reading achievement as measured by standardized achievement tests. A questionnaire, based on the Likert scale, was used to collect the data. Respondents indicated their degree of agreement or disagreement on a four-point scale with 30 statements designed to measure acceptance of the concept of open setting as opposed to a more traditional setting. A mean of each school's responses was calculated in order to facilitate comparison between school setting and student reading achievement. The school means were then arranged from the lowest number, or most traditional setting, to the higher number, or most open setting. The mean of these means was calculated to determine the dividing line between traditional and open settings. Those schools above the mean are considered to have a more open setting, those below the mean are considered to have a more traditional setting. Each school submitted its standardized achievement test scores for total reading for the past five years, 1975-1979. An extrapolation of the Anchor Test Study was used to convert the various reading test scores. This extrapolation involved the calculation of the average differences between grades four, five, and six for each of the tests covered by the Anchor Test Study. (The Anchor Test Study allows only for comparisons through the sixth grade.) This average difference was used in this study to reflect the average differences between grades six, seven, and eight on the reading tests submitted by the study schools. Next, a comparison was made between the converted reading test scores and the schools' setting. This comparison revealed no correlation between setting and reading achievement. A second analysis involved the calculation of a correlation coefficient between the schools' instrument mean and average percentile rank (converted to Z scores) on the reading achievement test used by the school. These percentiles were derived from the actual test given by the school and did not involve the Anchor Test Study extrapolation. A moderate positive correlation was found (r .2937) between open school setting and higher student reading achievement. Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended that educators help determine the factors that influence cognitive development. A review of the literature discussed both negative and positive effects of open setting relative to cognitive and affective learning. As this study has shown, there is at least a moderate positive correlation between a more open educational setting and better student reading achievement. Therefore, it is recommended that the affective aspects of the educational setting be enhanced.