Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Idaho, 2006. / Abstract. "August 2006." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 222-227). Also available online in PDF format.

<p> This dissertation examines how critical thinking skills are addressed in university-level intensive language programs for international students in the United States. The theoretical framework for this study was built upon Vygotsky&rsquo;s sociocultural theory. Three research questions inquired about language instructors&rsquo; ability to conceptualize critical thinking, integration of critical thinking into intensive language programs curricula and assessment tools, and obstacles in implementation of critical thinking in language instruction. Twenty-one instructors from intensive language programs for international students at six research universities in the Northeast part of the United States participated in this study. The data collection instruments were a questionnaire and follow-up interviews. A qualitative data analysis using a coding scheme revealed that the majority of the participants did not have a strong conceptualization of critical thinking and had difficulty in articulating critical thinking as a cultural construct. The analysis also revealed that the instructors from intensive language programs with re-designed curricula that included critical thinking as learning and instructional objectives reported a high success rate in preparing international students for academic challenges unlike the instructors from language programs that follow a traditional structure-oriented approach to language teaching. Some instructors from structure-oriented language programs reported that they developed their own critical thinking materials to infuse language instruction with critical thinking instruction. Other than their programs&rsquo; focus on language assessment, obstacles in implementing critical thinking into language curricula listed by the instructors included a lack of textbooks encouraging critical thinking, resistance from administrators and other instructors to re-design language curricula, students&rsquo; lack of motivation to learn critical thinking, and difficulty of teaching and evaluating critical thinking. With no other studies existing on teaching critical thinking in intensive language programs in universities in the U.S., this study offers pioneering evidence and implications for (a) stronger implementation of critical thinking skills in language support programs for international students planning to pursue academic degrees, (b) reconceptualization of the notion of academic literacy to include critical thinking, (c) development of critical thinking instructional materials and textbooks for language instruction, and (d) training in critical thinking instruction in teacher education programs and professional development initiatives.</p><p>

Sustainability is a ubiquitous topic debated across the globe. The potential of the construction industry to alleviate the effects of environmental damage whilst contributing to the social and economic dimension of sustainability are great. Despite many efforts by both Government and Higher Education Institutions, the adoption of sustainable construction practices is well below where it needs to be. Much work needs to be done in reprogramming the minds of those in an economically facing industry to ensure a sustainable future. This research looks at the efficacy of an educational intervention for such change and the use of psychological variables in assisting the process. This thesis contributes to original knowledge through the development of a validated measurement tool designed to measure attitudes towards sustainable development in a construction context. The tool was used to investigate associations between attitudes and psychological constructs. The research makes a further contribution through the development of an educational intervention which supports the use of alternative pedagogies for sustainability education. The research was conducted in four phases, with phases one and three making the contribution to knowledge. A concurrent mixed methodology approach was adopted utilising an embedded design. Quantitative data was collected in phase one with this phase running concurrently alongside the other phases throughout the project. Qualitative data was collected in phases two and four with phase three adopting a mixed model approach. The conclusions drawn from phase one were that there are associations between emotional self-efficacy and positive attitudes towards sustainability but not with optimism. Phase two highlighted that changes in attitudes towards sustainability would need to be driven through, legislation, education and leadership. This resulted in the development of an intervention with students at LJMU based on principles of student-centred learning. Analysis of the student feedback indicated that the intervention had a positive impact on students with perceptions changing as to how important sustainability is and how important the construction industry is for this to be achieved. The intervention tool developed within this research has the potential to be adapted for use with a wide variety of audiences, in particular those in positions of high level decision making. A top-down and a bottom-up approach is recommended if we are to achieve the aspiration of a sustainable future.

We live in an era characterised by the explosion of information. As societies are becaning more and more dependent on information, not only for the generation of knowledge but also for the generation of revenues, it is imperative that each society develops its own information infrastructure. Such development depends to a great extent on the availability of qualified library and information staff. These should be well trained and equipped with the proper knowledge, skills and attitudes to engage in library and information development programmes. Good training requires, among other facilities, an efficient library education system and a relevant curriculum. The intention of this study is to provide a framework for approaching curriculum development in Algerian library schools. Included is an overview of the process of curriculum development as seen through a review of the literature, and a look at different approaches to curriculum development and how curriculum design and planning has changed over the years. In surveying library education programmes in Algeria it was found that arrong other findings there is strong evidence of the lack of qualified teachers and poor teaching/learning facilities to attempt innovations in the curriculum. These issues are examined in the light of accepted standards in order to establish contrasting features, and measure the adequacy of library education in Algeria. The study reviews curriculum developnent activity in the Algerian general education system with emphasis on library education. It brings to attention the essential facts necessary for understanding the environmental factors which led to the current problems and tensions in the Algerian library and information scene. [... continued].

This exploratory study offers a discussion of Piaget's and Kohlberg's theories of moral development, with a brief explication of each stage. It then applies this theory to moral judgment and its development. The approach was premised mainly on Kohlberg's stages of moral reasoning. The problem under investigation was to examine four real-life story dilemma discussions, and their effectiveness in the promotion of children's moral judgments at the primary level. The subjects consisted of fifty-four (54) students (twenty-seven (27) males and twenty-seven (27) females) from the southwestern part of Boston. They ranged in age from eight to nine. The design used in the study parallels the model described by "Campbell and Stanley" (1973), as the Non-Equivalent Control Group Design. The subjects were pretested and posttested, using a non-standardized test device. This instrument was designed to obtain both the qualitative and quantitative data needed to answer the five research questions which guided the study. The comparison of groups on the pretest and posttest substantiates the findings that there were no appreciable differences among the groups tested. However, the behavior of group participants differed substantially following the treatment. The results led to the conclusion that moral development can, in fact, increase the moral reasoning of primary school children. However, it was further concluded that real-life dilemma discussions are more effective in promoting children's moral judgments at the primary level, and are useful in teaching moral education as an integral part of the curriculum.

The purpose of this study is to describe the multicultural curricula that are currently being offered to prospective elementary teachers for promoting learning for diverse students. First, multicultural courses that exist in selected elementary teacher preparation programs are identified and described. Second, perceptions of teacher educators toward the importance of the role of multicultural education in the preparation of elementary school teachers is reported. Specifically, the following research questions guide the nature of the study: (1) What courses in multicultural education are part of the teacher education curriculum for elementary teacher certification in selected institutions of higher education? (2) What do teacher educators consider as the main reasons for including or excluding multicultural education in the elementary teacher preparation program? (3) What recommendations do teacher educators suggest for improving the multicultural education of their elementary teacher preparation program? This study is significant because it brings into sharp focus the multicultural curricula that are currently being offered to prospective elementary teachers. Additionally, the study reports the perceptions of teacher educators toward the importance of multicultural education in the preparation of elementary school teachers. Seven diverse colleges and universities provided the data on multicultural courses. Twenty-one teacher educators from these participating institutions reported their perceptions toward the importance of multicultural education to the preparation of elementary teachers. The analysis of data on multicultural courses and perceptions of teacher educators revealed that there was significant difference between the way teacher educators perceived the importance of multicultural education and the way multicultural courses were actually offered to prospective elementary teachers. In six of the participating institutions of higher education, multicultural education was offered as topics or units within already existing Foundations courses. Only one university offered a separate multicultural education course as a part of its elementary teacher education program. It is reasonable to conclude from this study that whenever a new issue in student learning and curriculum emerges, too often the curriculum to prepare prospective teachers responds by adapting existing courses rather than by considering a curriculum reform that may include new courses. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

The dissertation is based on the exploration of resources and materials for the instruction of low achieving mathematics students in an urban school district of Western Massachusetts. Mathematics is one of the four most important subjects in the educational curriculum at the junior high school level. Due to the educational revolution of the 1950s and 1960s, new and better mathematics are being taught in the schools of today. However, only the more able students have been able to glean from the curriculum. The low achiever in mathematics finds little that meets his or her needs. Due to repeated failure in the attempt to learn mathematics, the low achiever formulates a low self-esteem and experiences a psychological dropout. The purpose of this research study was to explore methods and materials with the hope of finding resources and materials to teach mathematics to low achieving mathematics students. The researcher contends that if low achieving mathematics students were taught mathematics by using concrete objects and manipulative devices, instead of conventional textbook and lecture methods, low achievers tend to learn faster, retain more, and achieve higher as a result. To test this theory, the researcher taught a small group of low achievers in mathematics for six weeks using concrete objects and manipulative devices to teach and demonstrate various mathematical concepts. He also had the students use calculators as computational aids. He found that the students demonstrated greater interest in mathematics, increased attention span, and better performance. A teachers' handbook was developed.

This descriptive study examined the perceptions of teachers toward grouping and evaluation of pupil learning progress in reading. Instructional grouping decisions by teachers were viewed as part of the evaluation function of teaching. Teacher practices in grouping and evaluation were assumed to represent significant classroom level indicators of equity and excellence in the education provided for children. A major priority for the inquiry was to discover whether the evaluation information collected about students lead teachers to change the practice of ability grouping. Three major research questions guided the study: (1) What criteria do teachers report they use to group pupils for instruction in reading? (2) What are teachers' perceptions of the similarities and differences in ways that they evaluate pupil learning progress across instructional groups for reading? (3) What are teachers' perceptions of ways they use data from their evaluation of pupil learning progress in reading? The study adapts assumptions from interpretive and critical theoretical perspectives complemented by a qualitative research design to describe the perceptions of teachers for grouping and evaluating students in reading. Data are drawn from interviews with 23 experienced teachers representing grades 5 and 6 in ten schools in western Massachusetts. Findings indicate that teachers tend to rely on previous teacher recommendations and the results of their own informal assessments as criteria for grouping students by ability within the classroom. Teachers assign students to within-class ability groups during the first few weeks of school. Students tend to remain in the reading groups to which they were initially assigned. Teachers' evaluation methods and performance criteria vary depending on whether they are in a basal or non-basal reading curriculum. Teachers reported that they expect students placed in higher ability groups to proceed at a faster pace through the reading curriculum and to produce written work that was more detailed and of higher quality than students placed in lower ability groups. Teachers report numerous uses of data from pupil evaluation. The primary uses are for communicating with parents and students and for improving instruction. The study concludes that despite the diverse ways that teachers evaluate student learning progress in Reading, little student mobility occurs across the instructional groups, nor does the evaluation data collected by teachers suggest to them a need to change the practice of ability grouping.

The major purpose of the study was to describe the perceptions of teachers toward a teacher evaluation process used in the Silver Lake Regional Schools. Specific topics investigated were the importance of pre and post conferences, the effectiveness of teacher evaluation in improving instruction and the difference of opinion concerning teacher evaluation between teachers with more than ten years experience and those with less than ten years experience. Respondents were the thirty-one (31) English and Reading teachers employed by the Silver Lake Regional Schools during the 1989-1990 school year. Two survey questionnaires containing a total of eighty-one (81) statements were completed by each teacher. A statistical analysis of the survey questionnaires was completed. Frequency distributions were calculated to describe the responses of the teachers toward each statement. The chi-square test was used to determine if there was a significant difference in response between the two groups of teachers. The study also included two in-depth private interviews with nine teachers. The results of the interviews were used to complement and supplement data obtained from the survey questionnaires. The findings revealed that teachers are in favor of teacher evaluation and believe that it can help to improve instruction. They have positive feelings regarding the importance of pre and post conferences and are receptive to specific suggestions from the evaluator to improve instruction. The majority of teachers feel that the new method of teacher evaluation used at Silver Lake is far superior to the previous checklist approach and that it is an effective approach to teacher evaluation. The findings also revealed that, on the major issues concerning teacher evaluation, there was no significant difference of opinion between the veteran and the newer teachers. Teachers feel that evaluation is a necessary process which provides for teacher growth, improvement and accountability. They are of the opinion that teaching can be improved by effective evaluation and regard the evaluator's skill and attitude as critical to the process. The new process and instrument for teacher evaluation at Silver Lake has had a positive effect on the attitude and on the instructional effectiveness of teachers.

This dissertation presents a unified framework to teach critical thinking and problem solving in a sixth grade computer classroom. In the context of this framework, problem solving is viewed as a critical thinking skill that also incorporates application of other critical thinking skills. Through a review of literature of critical thinking, problem solving, writing, Logo, simulations, and other related areas of study, we derive instructional principles important to consider when formulating a pedagogy to teach critical thinking/problem solving in a 6th grade computer classroom. We then present a rationale for a unified framework to teach critical thinking/problem solving and describe the said framework, titled, TACTICS (Tools ((to)) Assimilate Critical Thinking in Classroom Subjects). A process approach is advocated that includes an emphasis on the development of metacognition and an inquisitive spirit, the application of a general problem solving approach, and the use of specific heuristics. Through conscious use of critical thinking skills when applying problem solving strategies, students can learn to strengthen critical thinking and problem solving skills and come to see how the same general skills are used in a variety of circumstances. Eight instructional principles are suggested to teach critical thinking skills and to promote their generalization to other subject areas. These are supported by four problem solving tools designed to aid students in connecting their problem solving experiences in one area to their work in other subject areas. These tools are: Polya Four-Step General Problem Solving Approach, The Heuristic Bank, Student and Teacher-Made Reference Manuals and Students' Journals. A curriculum resource book is included that demonstrates how the use of the TACTICS model can build critical thinking and problem solving skills when studying Logo, when writing or when using a simulation. Included are examples of curriculum unit and instructions for teachers to design their own curriculum units in their subject areas.