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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008. / Committee Chair: Foley, James; Committee Member: Abowd, Gregory; Committee Member: Anderson, Richard; Committee Member: Catrambone, Richard; Committee Member: Guzdial, Mark.

This thesis explored the potential of engaging gifted and talented learners in an online community of inquiry promoted by the use of asynchronous discussion forums. It employed a mixed-method, case-study approach where non-participant observation of online interactions and focus group meetings with the tutors contributed to the qualitative analysis of how the members realised participation in the forums. Quantitative analysis of membership data and online questionnaire responses revealed member characteristics of the sample members and patterns of active (vocal and silent) participation. Analysis was inductive and interpretive, informed by an original synthesis of the theoretical perspectives of two theories: the online learning theory suggested by Garrison, Anderson and Archer (2000); and the cognitive and affective domains for learning skills, proposed by Bloom et al. (1956) and Krathwohl et al. (1964). Content analysis of over 3000 messages posted or read by approximately 4500 members revealed community-based and ability-based characteristics that enabled the group to deal with social stigma, co-construct knowledge and promote meta- learning skills. The study concluded that participation in online discussion forums held the potential to address several of the needs identified by research for gifted learners: The need for the company of like-minded and similar ability peers; the need to develop higher order thinking skills; and the need to become independent learners. In this online network, the gifted learners could receive communal support from other members and tutors who acted as 'mentors' and role models for honing interpersonal and thinking skills such that they were motivated to pursue their interests to their full potential.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of using learner self-assessment and multifaceted instructional strategies on student achievement and retention in online mathematics classes. The study used a quasi-experimental design. The study sample consisted of 35 students who were enrolled during the fall term 2010 in online Precalculus or Trigonometry classes at Palm Beach State College. Both treatment and comparison groups were taught by the researcher. Since the subjects in the study were not randomly assigned, the design was one of nonequivalent groups where the treatment group was compared to a similar group from the previous year. To limit researcher bias, the course exams were the same for both treatment and comparison groups. Five hypotheses were developed to examine the relationships between preferred learning strategies, the use of online tools, and achievement and retention. The five hypotheses were investigated with the following procedures respectively: ANOVA, linear regression, Pearson correlations, t-test and chi-square, and linear regression analysis with dichotomously coded variables. The findings indicated that the ATLAS groups did not show a preference for online tools, except for ebook. In addition, the use of most tools predicts achievement. The ebook is the only tool that is not significantly related to all the other tools. Achievement was not significantly different among treatment and comparison groups, but retention was. Retention for the treatment group surpassed retention for the comparison group by 15%. Results also pointed out that the ATLAS groups moderate the relationship between some of the online tools predicting achievement. / by Ana M. Porro. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2011. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

This qualitative study examined seven preservice teachers' perceptions of their science content knowledge, teaching practices, and reflective processes through the use of the metacognitive strategy of concept maps. Included in the paper is a review of literature in the areas of preservice teachers' perceptions of teaching, concept development, concept mapping, science content understanding, and reflective process as a part of metacognition. The key questions addressed include the use of concept maps to indicate organization and understanding of science content, mapping strategies to indicate perceptions of teaching practices, and the influence of concept maps on reflective process. There is also a comparison of preservice teachers' perceptions of concept map usage with the purposes and practices of maps as described by experienced teachers. Data were collected primarily through interviews, observations, a pre- and post-concept mapping activity, and an analysis of those concept maps using a rubric developed for this study. Findings showed that concept map usage clarified students' understanding of the organization and relationships within content area and that the process of creating the concept maps increased participants' understanding of the selected content. / The participants felt that the visual element of concept mapping was an important factor in improving content understanding. These participants saw benefit in using concept maps as planning tools and as instructional tools. They did not recognize the use of concept maps as assessment tools. When the participants were able to find personal relevance in and through their concept maps they were better able to be reflective about the process. The experienced teachers discussed student understanding and skill development as the primary purpose of concept map usage, while they were able to use concept maps to accomplish multiple purposes in practice. / by Judy L. Somers. / Thesis (Ed.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

This study compares the achievement in three multimedia instructed World Geography classes between two groups of community college students: those students who were U.S. educated (from primary to secondary schools) and those students who were educated outside of the U.S. (from primary to secondary schools). The research was conducted using three World Geography (GEA 2000) classes at a community college in South Florida, between August 2007 and December 2007. The selected students were divided into two groups: one of U.S. educated students and one of non-U.S. educated students, all of whom volunteered their participation at the beginning of the course. The two groups were mixed males and females. The non-U.S. educated students were educated in 17 different countries. Data were obtained by means of test scores. Statistical analysis of the data was done using SPSS statistical software. The data generated were analyzed statistically by running four t-tests. The .05 level of significance was selected for analysis of data related to the hypotheses. Overall the statistical difference between the achievement of U.S. educated and non-U.S. educated students in their achievement in multimedia instructed geography classes was non-significant as indicated by the results shown in the statistical analysis in the study. / by Edmar Bernardes Da-Silva. / Vita. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2008. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, FL : 2008 Mode of access: World Wide Web.

This phenomenological, mixed-method study compared and contrasted virtual K- 12 school leadership with traditional face-to-face leadership. All 106 participants served for a minimum of two years in each setting. The study was conducted in two phases in order to reveal consensus and dissensus points of view. Conceptually, a postmodern framework was used to deliberately create spaces for new leadership ideas to emerge through surveys and interviews. The data included teachers and leaders from charter, district, and state virtual K-12 schools. Phase one of the study used a modified Delphi methodology, consisting of an Internet-based survey and semantic differential survey. The second phase was a round of interviews, seeking similarities and differences between leadership in the two domains. Using the lens of postmodernism, the nuances of difference arising from contextual factors were examined, along with the often-unheard voices of dissensus within the ranks of virtual K-12 leaders and teachers. Among the major findings, the study revealed no significant differences in leadership between traditional and virtual K-12 leaders. A new paradigm of “leadership by design” was uncovered as one possible means of innovating through virtual K-12 leadership. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

The purpose of this three-article dissertation is to explore the intersection of educational leadership, instructional technology, and culturally responsive education in pursuit of a new leadership framework called technology leadership for social justice. This dissertation employs three emerging methodologies, namely three-step latent class analysis (LCA), multilevel latent class analysis (MLCA), and meta-narrative review, to examine typologies of teachers and their perceptions of technology use and technology leadership with large-scale, quantitative data and to offer a conceptual framework of school and district technology leadership through a culturally responsive lens. The first study utilized latent class analysis (LCA) with the NCES Fast Response Survey System Teachers’ Use of Educational Technology in U.S. Public Schools, 2009 (FRSS 95) dataset (n=2,764) to identify four different types of technology-using teachers: Dexterous, Presenters, Assessors, and Evaders. I also found that teachers in low-income schools are more likely to be in the teacher subgroups that use technology in less impactful ways in the classroom. The second study used multilevel latent class analysis (MLCA) with the 2011-12 Texas School Technology and Readiness (STaR) Charts (n=6,935 schools in n=910 districts) to find three subgroups of teacher perceptions of technology leadership at the school level, High STaR Schools, Moderate STaR Schools, and Low STaR Schools, and four subgroups of teacher perceptions of technology leadership at the district level, Model STaR Districts, High STaR Districts, Moderate STaR Districts, and Low STaR Districts. I found that the Texas teachers in the school and district level subgroups with the lowest perceptions of technology leadership had the lowest student achievement outcomes and were more likely to serve students from historically minoritized backgrounds. The third study employed a systematic, meta-narrative review of the research literature exploring the intersection of technology, leadership, and culturally responsive education, integrating the findings from sixty studies into a conceptual framework of technology leadership for social justice. Each of the three dissertation articles explores the implications for the development of a more evidence-based, sociocultural conception of school and district technology leadership in research, policy, and practice.

Game-based learning, or the process of adapting an educational concept into a game-based structure, has been studied by researchers for nearly a century. Over the last several decades, new technologies have allowed digital media to create a multibillion- dollar entertainment industry commonly known as video games. Video games have become a tool for many educators who have the potential to engage and motivate students to learn in various subjects and disciplines. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of digital game-based learning in comparison to other teaching methods as related to music education and to explore the perspectives of young students regarding video games both in school and in their personal lives. Ninety-two (n = 92) fifth and sixth grade students in a northeastern U.S. elementary school completed a mixed-method experimental study consisting of a pretest/posttest control group, surveys, and in-depth interviews. Results showed that students who had access to educational video games combined with the assistance of an instructor achieved higher mean scores compared with students who had access to either video games without instruction or instruction without video games. Survey and interview data suggested that students enjoyed playing video games on a regular basis for reasons such as enjoyment, socialization, and distraction. The majority of respondents believed that video games can and should be used in educational practices, including music education, but current educational games are inadequate because they do not possess the qualities of entertainment that are inherent in commercially designed games. These findings suggested that educational video games may be potentially used as an effective tool in the music classroom to teach musical concepts and skills. In addition, benefits may also include increased student motivation, engagement, and a hands-on approach to learning that is based on the students’ individual needs. However, it may be necessary for video games to be used in combination with a qualified teacher to prevent confusion, distraction, and possible frustration. Pairing quality instruction with engaging technology that is relevant in children’s lives may be highly beneficial for the continued development of music education.

Thesis (DTech (Information Technology))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2018. / Although the use of mobile technology features prominently in all walks of life, learning and teaching supported by its ad hoc use in higher education contexts is an under-researched topic. Moreover, elements constituting best practices for quality improvement and aimed at informing decision-making stakeholders, are spread across disparate frameworks, reported in literature. The study aimed to meet the following objectives: • O1: To identify the elements that inform strategic decisions for ad hoc mobile technology-enhanced learning. • O2: To inform the structure of the framework, defined by its constituent components. These objectives were associated with two main research questions, addressed via five secondary research questions that guided the exploration of elements associated with the ad hoc use of mobile technology-enhanced learning in a specific higher education environment. The study consequently proposed a consolidated and synthesised set of theoretically based and empirically determined elements, leading to a framework of interrelated guidelines. A moderate constructionist approach adapted from Järvensivu and Törnroos (2010) underpins the dual-purpose research design. At first, a systematic literature review explored existing frameworks applicable to e-learning, m-learning, technology-enhanced learning and blended-learning modalities. The review was subsequently expanded to include additional sources that addressed diverse aspects of mobile technology-enhanced learning. I undertook an extensive qualitative data analysis of the 55 articles resulting from the systematic literature review. Analysis techniques incorporated open, axial and selective coding, memoing, thematic analysis and the construction of network maps using ATLAS.ti V8.0, a CAQDAS tool. Outcomes of the analysis established an initial set of theoretically grounded elements, comprising a hierarchy of 11 constructs, five categories, 16 sub-categories and 60 items. Network maps demonstrated the interlinking of elements for each of the five categories titled: A. Enablement, B. Environment, C. Interactivity, D. Dynamics and E. Mobility. A final network map consolidated these individual maps, presenting the foundations for a framework for the ad hoc use of mobile technology-enhanced learning in higher education contexts. The theoretically based elements established foundations for the empirical portion of the study – a single exploratory case study defined by an architectural technology domain. The case study supported the inclusion of multiple perspectives and complex, natural contexts where mobile technology usage by stakeholders was the focus of the study. Empirical data was collected during six studies from purposively selected faculty respondents. Qualitative data analysis of collected data yielded additional empirically determined elements namely: eight constructs, eight sub-categories and 35 items. These empirically determined elements augmented findings of the systematic literature review. Additional categories did not emerge; however support for theoretically based elements was demonstrated via network maps.