TITLE: Psychological and Epistemological Aspects of Curriculum Design AUTHOR: Dominik Dvořák DEPARTMENT: Department of Primary Education, Charles University in Prague SUPERVISOR: Prof. PhDr. Vladimíra Spilková, CSc. ABSTRACT: The alarming trends in Czech pupils' achievement in reading, mathematics and science raised the question of quality of the Czech primary and lower secondary school curricula. A conceptual framework for analysis of the intended curriculum as a multi-level document has been devised. A review of available methods for curricular analysis is presented. The mixed method research design has been used to study the actual Czech curricular framework. Preliminary exploration of quantitative data on Czech pupils' success rates in individual items of TIMSS and PISA studies identified the "suspect" curriculum areas for the subsequent qualitative analysis. These areas (e.g. fractions in mathematics, reading literacy in language arts) were compared in past and present Czech curricula/syllabi. The international benchmarking method was used to compare Czech, English, Finnish, and U. S. curricula. The results revealed the idiosyncrasies that remain relatively stable feature of the Czech curricula. The neo-institutionalism may provide the theoretical explanation of the results of the analysis. KEYWORDS:...

Using the multilevel framework, this multi-institutional study took different approaches to study undergraduate students’ retention in engineering programs. The study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, using Multiple-Institution Database for Investigating Engineering Longitudinal Development, the aim was to control for macro-level factors which may create a selection bias in student admission into engineering programs. The outcome fed the second phase, which aimed to analyze student’s retention for different populations.

The current study investigated the impact of an integrated STEM collaborative approach embedded in a science methods course on early childhood and elementary preservice teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and curricular role identity for teaching science, as well as the potential relationship between these two constructs. Participants were recruited from a group of preservice early childhood and elementary teacher candidates (N = 65) completing an undergraduate teacher education program at a university in the southeastern United States. Using a mixed-methods design, the preservice teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge and curricular role identity were assessed using concept maps and a curricular role identity for teaching science survey (Forbes & Davis, 2008) at the beginning and end of the semester. Semi-structured interviews were conducted after the semester to collect qualitative data to clarify and explain the quantitative results. Findings suggested that the integrated STEM collaborative approach led to a significant increase in preservice teachers’ PCK and curricular role identity for teaching science over the semester. The significant increase was found in both early childhood and elementary education preservice teachers, with little to no departmental difference. There was no statistically significant relationship between the preservice teachers’ PCK and curricular role identity. Preservice teachers in this study found that examining science standards, unit planning, microteaching, and connecting with other teachers were beneficial for their development of PCK and curricular role identity for teaching science. This study affirms the collaboration among university faculty and preservice and in-service teachers. Implications and suggestions for future research are included.

Teachers' instructional decisions are important for students' mathematics learning as they determine the learning opportunities for all students. This study examines teachers' decisions about the activities and tasks they choose for students' mathematics learning, the ordering and connecting of mathematics topics, and the mathematics within curricula not to cover. These decisions are referred to as curricular decisions. I also identify teachers' mathematical schemes, referred to as mathematical meanings, in relation to geometric reflections and orientation of figures and examine teachers' reasoning with their mathematical meanings as they make these curricular decisions. Additionally, based on the results of this study I identify several productive and unproductive mathematical meanings in relation to geometric reflections and orientation of figures. Describing productive mathematical meanings as providing coherence to student mathematical understanding and preparing students for future mathematics learning (Thompson, 2016). These findings can be used to better understand why teachers make the curricular decisions they do as well as help teachers identify whether or not their mathematical meanings are productive in an effort to foster productive mathematical meanings for students.

Experiential learning in adult education is on the rise. A small private college in the southeast United States initiated a program that required 3 experiential learning projects to be completed in addition to coursework. The problem was that less than 8% of students had independently developed their first project. Instead, they completed a project proposed by faculty. This situation resulted in student dependency on faculty rather than promoting self-directed learning. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding about how to help students develop independent projects for the self-directed learning program. Experiential and self-directed learning theories formed the conceptual framework. The guiding question focused on how a select group of students described their ability to conduct a self-directed learning project. For this case study, individual interviews and documents were collected from 7 participants in the self-directed learning program. Analysis of the data by coding individual units of meaning revealed these 5 themes, which formed the basis of the findings: characteristics, self-motivation, lack of assistance received, personal gain, and advice for others. The commonly held major theme was personal gain. The second theme, goal setting, was discrepant. These were the major findings, which formed the basis for a proposed professional development training program for faculty facilitating the self-directed learning program. The implication for social change include emphasizing the importance of self-directed learning, supporting faculty for self-directed learning, and promoting lifelong learning. As a result of participating in this training, faculty will be better able to mentor students in the self-directed learning program.

This qualitative study looked for barriers to curricular change in general education mathematics at a large public university (LPU) in the Western United States. The literature showed that a number of national organizations dealing in math education have recommended alternatives to the traditional algebra-intensive curriculum. LPU still relies predominantly on traditional College Algebra as its quantitative literacy (QL) course. With such an algebra-heavy emphasis, students may be missing more relevant and useful mathematics. In addition, the College Algebra course has a low success rate, which becomes a barrier to student retention and graduation. Interviews were conducted with 14 participants who included faculty, staff, and administrators. Analysis of the data showed 12 barriers that were grouped into four clusters: goals, control, quality, and communications. Finally, recommendations in each of the four clusters are offered for removing barriers, considering alternative curricula, and designing an intentional curriculum around QL learning outcomes.

Nationwide, mathematical scores have been a topic of concern among elementary and secondary educators for many years. Decreasing math skills are also trickling into post-secondary education, requiring universities to provide additional remedial math instruction in colleges and universities. Studies have been conducted to discover the most effective pedagogical methods of teaching math. Teaching contextualized math has been found to be effective and includes providing a direct application to real-life scenarios rather than teaching linear equations and algebraic principles outside of their application. A study was conducted measuring the effects of integrating mathematical skills in an animal science curriculum. Eight Utah schools participated in the research study. Students received a pretest measuring their existing mathematical skills and self-efficacy in math. All students were taught a unit of instruction about animal nutrition and feeding. The control group received a typical nutrition unit and the treatment group received the same unit of instruction with the addition of mathematical skill integration. Students were taught to use the Pearson Square to calculate feed rations as well as solve basic equations to balance rations. Following the unit of instruction, students completed a posttest survey, which included a math attitudinal scale, posttreatment self-efficacy scale, and posttreatment math skills quiz. There was no statistically significant difference in math self-efficacy or math skills between the control group receiving a typical nutrition unit and the treatment group which received the math-enhanced unit of instruction. Correlational statistics were gathered and showed a strong positive relationship between students' self-efficacy and math skills. Gender, grade level, highest completed math class, and grade received in highest-level math class were not found to be statistically significant predictions of math skills. Highest level of math completed and overall grade point average were statistically significant factors in predicting math self-efficacy.

Advances in communication technology have allowed for new ways for high school teachers to incorporate these technologies into their classroom practice. However, most teachers are uninformed about media literacy pedagogy. This study investigated how using a collaborative professional development group influenced teachers' understanding and use of media literacy concepts in their current practice. A professional development group with teachers from different content areas met for five months to study the theory and methodology of media literacy. This collaborative group provided opportunities for teachers to develop and share analytical and productions skills in media literacy, as well as design lessons utilizing media literacy principles appropriate to each teacher's field of study in order to facilitate better student understanding and application of media literacy as well as discipline-specific knowledge and skills. Results indicate positive development for the participants in using media literacy in their current instruction if adequate time and technology resources are available and that professional development groups for teachers of various content areas are an effective way to introduce them to media literacy.

This project investigates the benefits and practicality of applying Zimmerman's (1994) dimensions of self-regulated learning to co-curricular activities so as to increase students' willingness and opportunities to communicate in English in the hallways of intensive English programs. Three of these dimensions (social environment, motivation, and physical environment) work together to create a semi-structured liaison between in and out of class communicative environments and give students an occasion, location, and motivation to speak English with one another. To evaluate the effectiveness of such activities and conceptualize a means in which to assist intensive English programs effectively incorporate co-curricular activities in their curricula, the principal researcher designed and conducted a co-curricular activity based self-regulated learning. She obtained student feedback using surveys and interviews and found that the majority of students spoke mostly English, made new friends, practiced listening and speaking skills, and enjoyed themselves at this activity. As a result of this data, the principal researcher created a booklet to assist in the planning of future co-curricular activities. While only a preliminary study, this data and resulting booklet have great potential to fill the hallways of intensive English programs with English and thus create a holistic learning environment.

For decades curriculum materials have been used as a means to reform the manner in which mathematics is taught. In an attempt to better understand what impact curriculum materials have on the teaching and learning of mathematics, researchers have begun to analyze the process in which teachers transform curriculum materials into instruction. Given that many of these studies have been broad in nature, I sought to study the specific decisions that three teachers made when planning lesson on geometric transformation and their reasoning for those decisions. In this study I found that while the participants in this study ignored the curriculum material I gave them as well as their district adopted materials in planning instruction, they made a wide variety of decisions with regards to other curriculum. In an attempt to describe this variety of decisions I expanded the previous methods of describing curriculum use decisions adding a self-create category as well as differentiating between the different types of adaptations teachers make. I also found that although teachers used different curriculum materials, they made similar decisions in how they planned the mathematics content of geometric transformations that seem problematic.