Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston University

Southwest University, a pseudonym for a Tier One 4-year public institution in the Southwest United States, introduced major curricular reforms in 2005. The most prominent of these reforms was a course required of all first-year students with the goal of transforming them from high-school students to college students. Research for this dissertation asked a group of first-year students about their experience in all of their courses but focused on the perceptions of this new first-year course. Currently, universities are devoting a great deal of resources and energy to curricular reform, but students are not often asked how they experience those curricular changes. First-year students discussed the role this course played in their first-year college experience. In order to assess student perceptions and reactions to the course, first-year students were interviewed twice. Additional qualitative data in the form of surveys and journals were also analyzed with an inductive analytic approach to provide supportive evidence for the themes that emerged in the interviews. The findings suggest that student perceptions of the course were positive and that the course had helped them achieve their first-year goals. However, the findings also suggest that additional research or a cost-benefit analysis of the program needs to be conducted to determine if the high cost of the program is worth the outcomes it is achieving. / text

This study analyzes the changes in disability-specific curriculum that took place in one specialized school for the blind driven by academic priorities from 1995 to 2005. The framework used in this case study approach analyzed the school's past and present (1) Artifacts - visible organizational structures and materials, (2) Expressed Values- explicitly written or stated beliefs and policies, and (3) Underlying Assumptions- unspoken attitudes and beliefs. Variables for change among the areas of teacher training, team teaching, evaluation systems, IEP's, state standards, the school improvement plan, short term and summer programming, as well as the residential program were all targeted to balance academics with an Expanded Core curriculum. The results indicate a balanced curriculum for some of the variables while other areas continue to reflect the struggle of mandates.

This study deals with the problem of evaluating curriculum documents which prescribe or make recommendations for curricular change. In 1980 a number of state and national education authorities in Australia released documents which contained proposals for reformulating the curriculum. Several of these proposals took the form of prescribing or recommending a core curriculum while others opted for a whole curriculum approach to the problem of the selection and transmission of educational knowledge. Although these are presented as practical documents - as proposals for action - they also contain theoretical and ideological components which are usually understated. It is the contention of this study that the evaluation of such proposals should not be based solely on their pragmatic or technical aspects but that their theoretical adequacy and links with ideology should also be taken into consideration. To this end, four of these documents have been selected, two of each type of proposals, and are used to provide material to develop criteria for making evaluative decisions about the theoretical and ideological aspects of curriculum proposals. Internal criteria, based on an analysis of the coherence and consistency of curriculum proposals, are derived by relating the proposals to one of two general theories of education. External criteria derive from a meta-critique where an attempt is made to formulate broader propositions which recognise the existence of opposition among various assumptions and are inclusive of those in conflict.

The publication of the Curriculum Development Centre's discussion paper 'Core Curriculum for Australian Schools' in June 1980 stimulated discussion of the concept of core curriculum in Australia. The driving force came from the Foundation Director of the CDC, Dr Malcolm Skilbeck. This study discusses the themes and directions to which Skilbeck was committed through a study of his work prior to his return to Australia in 1975 and his subsequent writings. The study considers Skilbeck's work against general thinking on educational matters in Australia and overseas. The initial discussion centres on Skilbeck's work in the United Kingdom prior to 1975. This concludes that his views were moulded by his own research on the American progressive educator John Dewey and that Dewey's ideals of a democratic society moulded and sustained by a democratic core curriculum have been dominant in all Skilbeck's subsequent thinking. The study reviews the establishment, working and conclusions of the CDC Core Curriculum and Values Education Working Party. In two subsequent chapters, the study looks at Skilbeck's approach to cultural mapping and school-based curriculum development as the two fundamental Planks of his approach to the development and implementation of a core curriculum for Australian schools. The study shows that Skilbeck's concept of cultural mapping is helpful but does not succeed in providing an effective basis for the articulation of national guidelines. In consequence, the CDC did not succeed in providing a framework sufficient to hold together the infinite range of possibilities opened UP by school-based action. The study considers the limited published reactions to the CDC Paper. It notes that the termination of the CDC by the Committee for Review of Commonwealth Functions in early 1931 prevented the fuller dissemination and debate of the topic during 19S1 and subsequently. The study notes that responses were disaapointingly few and in many cases failed to address the central questions raised by the CDC paper, in particular the idea of national curriculum guidelines and their application through school-based curriculum development. The major responses came in the State of Victoria where local circumstances encouraged discussion of the issues raised by the CDC. The study concludes that the CDC discussion paper was a valuable stimulus to discussion of curricular foundations at the time it was released but represented a point of view that was not fully understood or appreciated at the time. It laid the foundation for the renaissance of the general concept as 'democratic curriculum' in 1986 and provides important indications of the potential for the development of the Participation and Equity Program.

This primarily theoretical-philosophical study is aimed at identifying the main principles according to which a globally relevant core curriculum for teacher education could be devised at a critical juncture in human history. In order to do that, a Weberian ideal type of the globally good teacher is outlined. The notion of the globally good teacher refers to a teacher role, with the salient associated principles and action capabilities that, by rational criteria, would be relevant to the developmental challenges and possibilities of humanity as an entity, would be acceptable in any societal context across the globe, and would draw on wisdom and knowledge from a broad range of cultures. Teachers as world makers, implying a teacher role which is based on the most salient task of a teacher being the promotion of societal transformation towards a new cosmopolitan culture, is suggested as the essence of the globally good teacher. Such a role is enacted in three main aspects of an inspiring driving force, a responsive explorer, and a synergizing harmonizer, each manifested in a set of guiding principles and an action repertoire. Though a theoretical construct, the ideal type of the globally good teacher is shown to have been instantiated in the educational practices of teachers and teacher educators, as well as in national and international policy documents. Based on the characterization of the globally good teacher, the main elements for developing a globally relevant core curriculum for teacher education are concluded to be transformativity, normativity, and potentiality. The study closes with a discussion of the strategic possibilities for bringing the ideal type of the globally good teacher to bear upon the discourses and practices of teacher education.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:31:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2012-04-27Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T21:03:05Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 peralta_da_dr_bauru.pdf: 1494677 bytes, checksum: b146004637b45cd6f81c23b032662b88 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Esta pesquisa analisou, segundo os princípios habermasianos da Teoria da Ação Comunicativa, as políticas públicas de reformas currículares, de 1930 a 2010, e a proposição de um modelo de interação com professor pautado nos conceitos de Discurso, Entendimento e Consenso visando o desenvolvimento de um profissional capaz de emancipart-se na perspectiva da interação entre os mundos vivido, cultural e sistêmico. O estudo contou com um levantamento bibliográfico que apontou como a racionalidade instrumental, pautada numa comunicação meramente estratégica, tem fundamentado as ações da SEE/SP em contexto de implantação de diretrizes curriculares, e com um levantamento de campo que demonstrou como o formato das diretrizes empregadas pelas Matrizes de Referência para Avalição do SARESP falha ao orientar e, principalmente, ao validar a posição dos docentes em relação a parâmetros/orientações oficiais. Participaram do levantamento de campo duas professoras de matemática da rede pública do interior do estado de São Paulo que foram envolvidas em entrevistas, que caracterizavam seus discursos sobre formação de professores, concepções acerca da implantação do Currículo do Estado de São Paulo, prática de ensino e de avaliação antes e após o processo de intervenção; e em filmagens de suas aulas, também antes e após a intervenção. A intervenção (ou aplicação do modelo de interação proposto) foi composta por discussões entre cada uma das professoras e a pesquisadora sobre características de interpretação da linguagem empregadaq em documentosn de diretrizes oficiais e das práticas docentes empregadas por elas nas aulas filmadas. O valor do modelo de interação pautado numa perspectiva habermasiana de Agir Comunicativo oportunizou um recurso da própria prática a... / This research analyzed the public politics in curriculum reforms from 1930 to 2010, according to the priciples of Haberma's Theory of Communicative Action, and the formulation a model of teacher's interaction in agreement to the concepts of Discourse, Understanding and Consensus for the professional development in order to emancipate themselves from the perspective of the interaction between the worlds real, cultural and systemic. This study included a literature review which identified as instrumental rationality, based on a purely strategic communications the motivations of the actions of SEE/SP in the context of implementation of curriculum guidelines, and a field survey which showed that the guidelines format used by Reference Arrays for SARESP Evalution failed to guide and mainly to validate the teachers position in relation to parameters/official guidance. Two teachers from the public school in São Paulo state were interviewed to characterize his opinions on teacher education, conceptions about the São Paulo State Curriculum implementation, teaching practice and evalution. These opinions and the practice in class were noted and recorded before and after the intervention process. The intervention (application of the proposed interaction model) consisted of discussions between teachers and the researcher about the characteristics and possibilities of the language interpretation used in official guidelines and teachers practices in the classroom recorded. The quality of the interaction model guided by a perspective of Haberma's Theory of Communicative Action provided an analysis feature of the practice from the Free Speed, helping the teachers to face the colonization of the World of Life represented in the imposed forms and givind didactic guidance to teachers change their practices according to their goals and the... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

The foci of this qualitative study were twofold. First, the researcher wanted to know what instruments and methods of data collection are being used to assess core general education intended student-learning outcomes at 62 urban and metropolitan universities (members of the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities). Second, the researcher was interested in knowing the extent to which these approaches to measurement are producing data that can be used for improvement purposes. A review of the literature revealed that only 15% of institutions that indicated in a previous study that they were initiating change in the curriculum of general education programs were assessing student outcomes. Essentially, these institutions were depriving themselves of valuable data and information that might have made their organizational changes more meaningful. The present qualitative study, using a researcher-developed instrument, surveyed 62 universities as how they were assessing their general education programs. The grounded theory model of Strauss and Corbin was used to analyze the data. The study indicated that 23 of the 27 institutions that responded to the survey were conducting assessment of the core curriculum. They were using direct and indirect approaches to measurement of knowledge, skills, behaviors, and beliefs and values. The 27 institutions fell within five stages of assessment. Sixteen of the 19 institutions that were conducting assessment reported that they were having some success in identifying weaknesses in the pedagogy, the curriculum, and the assessment process. They reported changes such as adopting new pedagogical strategies, revising and adding courses, opening a new writing and mathematical center, having an increased awareness regarding the value of assessment, and generating heightened involvement among faculty members in the assessment process. Sixteen institutions reported that assessment methods such as standardized tests, essays, portfolios, and the senior assignment made it possible to identify weaknesses and make changes in their core curricula. Eleven institutions reported that they did not have any changes to report as a result of conducting assessment. Four of the eleven were in the early stages of assessment, three were in the planning stages, and one had not begun a formal assessment process. The grounded theory analysis led to this conclusion: If the leadership of institutions of higher learning realize the stage of assessment that they are in, they will be better positioned to respond to assessment training needs, assessment resource needs, stakeholders' expectations, and accrediting bodies' mandates.

Occupational therapy has been recognized as an essential profession in the area of low vision (American Academy of Ophthalmology, 2017). With the increasing number of older individuals developing visual impairments, focus has been placed on educating occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) about adult and geriatric clients. However, the same emphasis has not been placed on best practices for pediatric clients with low vision. Wittich, et al. (2016) reports that entry-level occupational therapy programs do not consistently provide adequate instruction to create competence treating a sensory loss such as vision or hearing. Additionally, over 90% of school-based OTPs report having students with low vision, but only half of those therapists report having sufficient confidence to complete assessments (Workman, et al., 2016). Therefore, pediatric specific continuing education is needed for school-based OTPs to improve confidence and competence in low vision. To address this need, Expanding Horizons in Pediatric Low Vision Education (Expanding Horizons) will be created to address the educational needs of school-based OTPs. Expanding Horizons is a professional education and networking program. It will provide information and collaboration opportunities regarding the expanded core curriculum (ECC), which is required for students with visual impairment and should be vii provided simultaneously to their academic instruction (Chase, 2022; Sapp & Hatlen 2010). As part of Expanding Horizons, OTPs will have access to continuing education in each area of the ECC, a resource library, practice chats, and one on one consultation with a pediatric low vision expert. This program will allow OTPs to develop a framework for assessment strategies and opportunities for collaboration and consultation with a focus on school-based occupational therapy provision.

The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) standards specifically require school counselors to be competent in the use of effective classroom management strategies, differentiated instruction, and in designing school counseling core curriculum. While the existing inquiries have contributed significantly to the school counseling knowledge base regarding classroom management, our field lacks adequate research specific to the classroom management self-efficacy of elementary school counselors. This quantitative study utilized the School Counselor Self Efficacy Scale, the Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale, and a demographic questionnaire to collect data from a cross-section of elementary school counselors working in Virginia public schools. Differences in elementary school counselors' self-efficacy in classroom management were examined across the following variables: (a) working in schools with a recognized ASCA model program (RAMP) designation, (b) working in a setting that uses school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (SWPBIS), (c) prior teaching experience, and (d) years of counseling experience. Analysis showed that elementary school counselors working in schools that participated in SWPBIS had significantly higher classroom management self-efficacy than did school counselors working in schools that did not implement SWPBIS. Surprisingly, elementary school counselors in schools designated as RAMP had significantly lower classroom management self-efficacy than those working in schools without RAMP status. No significant differences in classroom management self-efficacy by years of counseling experience or prior K–12 teaching experience were evident. Implications of these findings are discussed. / Doctor of Philosophy / Well-managed classrooms make it easier for school counselors to effectively deliver school counseling core curriculum (SCCC) to address the social, personal, academic, and career-related needs of a large number of students at a time. Questions have been raised regarding factors that influence the performance of school counselor roles, and a number of researchers have reported counselor self-efficacy, a person's belief in their ability to execute behaviors necessary to produce specific performance, as critical for effectively carrying out school counseling tasks. While existing inquiries have contributed significantly to the school counseling knowledge base regarding classroom management, little is known about the classroom management self-efficacy of elementary school counselors. The purpose of this quantitative research study was to explore the classroom management self-efficacy of elementary school counselors delivering SCCC lessons in Virginia schools. Data were collected using the School Counselor Self-Efficacy scale, the Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale, and a demographic questionnaire. Findings showed that classroom management self-efficacy scores differed among elementary school counselors working in schools that implement school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (SWPBIS) compared to those working in non-SWPBIS schools. Similarly, classroom management self-efficacy levels differed among counselors working in schools with recognized ASCA model program (RAMP) designation and counselors working in non-RAMP designated schools. Elementary school counselors who received training in classroom management had higher classroom management self-efficacy scores compared to those who did not receive training in classroom management. No significant differences were found in classroom management self-efficacy by years of counseling experience or prior K–12 teaching experience.