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PROBLEM: In the planning phase of developing quality educational research there are several critical decision points. Some of these decisions are made to en sure that the research will have adequate statistical power, that is, the capability to detect meaningful differences, if they do exist. In an unpublished article, K. D. Hopkins from the Laboratory of Educational Research, University of Colorado and B. R. Hopkins from the University of the Pacific commented that all theoretical and empirical options for increasing statistical power had been investigated except for the reliability of the dependent variable. In this article, they derived a method for estimating the statistical power of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) which factored out the influence of the reliability of the dependent variable. This method involved modifying the non-centrality parameters used in estimating the power of the ANOVA and ANCOVA tests. This modification required some untested mathematical assumptions and therefore needed to be empirically verified.

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to investigate an instrument, the Cross-cultural Understandings in Multicultural Education (CUME) Assessment, which was devised to measure third grade students' understandings of selected crosscultural/ multicultural concepts. These concepts were derived from a cultural anthropological perspective of human similarities and differences. Procedures. The study examined the reliability and validity of the CUME Assessment, a multiple-choice, domain referenced test consisting of twenty-one items based on seven instructional objectives. Third grade students, whose teachers indicated on a Teacher Questionnaire having taught these objectives as a part of the formal curriculum, were assessed. Three instruments were administered to this group (N = 100): the CUME Assessment, the Student Interview, and People Pictures, an instrument devised to measure attitudes toward foreign peoples. The CUME Assessment was examined and evaluated by a group of educational experts. Additionally, a quasi-experimental design was used to compare the CUME scores of the treatment group with those of a control group selected on the basis of the Teacher Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using both descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. Findings. Analysis of the data established adequate reliability for the CUME Assessment. Expert evaluation of the item-objective congruence of the CUME yielded moderate to high mean scores for all subtests. The total scores of the Student Interview and the CUME Assessment were moderately correlated and significant (p Conclusions. A moderately high degree of content validity of the CUME Assessment was established. The investigation indicated adequate support for the reliability, construct validity and the concurrent validity of the assessment. Recommendations. The CUME Assessment may be justifiably, but cautiously, utilized by educators to assess third grade students. It is an efficiently administered instrument which evaluates the quality of curriculum and instruction.

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Cognitive engineering, by identifying behavior-shaping constraints, provides methods for design and evaluation of complex socio-technical systems. However, traditional methods examine only one type of constraint, either cognitive or environmental. In learning service systems such as education, both cognitive and environmental constraints must be examined together. Improved methods of planning and formative evaluation are needed for engineering education and other learning service systems. Therefore, this dissertation develops a new cognitive engineering method, Work Action Analysis (WAA), that is able to capture cognitive and environmental constraints in a single model. The WAA model represents a learning service system on three dimensions: means-end decomposition, parts-whole decomposition, and roles of cognitive agents. WAA also provides methods for developing and using this model in planning and formative evaluation. The WAA method for planning evaluation explicitly represents the evaluators mental model of a learning service system and examines its alignment to guide its design. The WAA method for formative evaluation then takes the WAA model and interprets evaluation measures in the context of the model. As a demonstration, the methods for planning and formative evaluation are applied to a portion of an undergraduate engineering course. To provide measures for formative evaluation of a course, a centralized evaluation component that collects performance, perception, and process measures was added to an Internet-based course management system. The WAA methods provide insights to the design and operation of this learning service system, including recommendations that could be implemented during instruction. The theoretical implications of the WAA model of learning service systems, and further extensions of WAA, are also discussed.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Cleveland State University, 2007. / Abstract. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on May 8, 2008). Includes bibliographical references (p. 268-297). Available online via the OhioLINK ETD Center. Also available in print.

<p> This qualitative case study explored how the classroom management practices of sampled teachers in a private school in central Oregon influenced classroom disruptions. Through the study, the researcher was able to provide insight on the differences in specific classroom management processes between teachers who had a high number of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS) classroom discipline referrals versus those who had a low number. The phenomenon studied was how the classroom management practices and culture that the teachers developed in their classroom influenced the effectiveness of management of their students. Triangulation of data involved using teacher interviews, classroom observations, and classroom artifacts. Four research questions framed this study. Two models providing the theoretical foundation included Sugai and Horner positive behavioral support (PBS) and Edgar Schein&rsquo;s model of culture. Two of the themes emerged as significant in advancing knowledge of teachers&rsquo; classroom management. First, in the area of teachers&rsquo; perception of classroom management, the teachers with high level of classroom referrals and those with low level of classroom referrals perceived that they had effective classroom management practices. Second, teachers with a low number of referrals appeared to take a more holistic approach to classroom management, while teachers with a high number of referrals used a more traditional approach to classroom management. Additional qualitative and quantitative research should further explore the effectiveness of a holistic classroom management model versus a more traditional classroom management model.</p>

<p> Over the past two decades public schools have faced an unrelenting demand for reform. In response to this call for change, researchers have identified two strategies that hold great promise &ndash; organizational mindfulness and teacher collaboration. Despite the volume of work that has focused on these areas, little has been done to investigate their overlap. This study discusses development of the Teacher Instructional Practice and Sentiments (TIPS), an 18-item survey to measure teacher practices and beliefs that reflect mindful collaboration for improving instruction. Teacher responses to the TIPS were gathered and analyzed from a representative statewide sample of elementary school teachers in Washington State. Findings examined survey items which were aligned to the five cognitive processes of HRO theory: preoccupation with failure, reluctance to simplify, sensitivity to operations, commitment to resilience, and deference to expertise. An exploratory factor analysis was complete using Principal Components Analysis with varimax rotation which revealed three factors underlying mindfulness in schools. The first factor, Mindful Focus on Students, includes items such as understanding a student&rsquo;s home situation, as well as making accommodations for struggling learners. The second factor, Mindful Focus on Relationships, deals with interactions between teachers, students, parents, and the community. Finally, Mindful Focus on Instruction includes &ldquo;checks for understanding&rdquo; and brainstorming with colleagues on strategies to get students to standard. As an alternative to forcing the current labels of HRO theory on education, consideration should be given to application of these school-specific categories. They simplify the process of evaluating mindfulness in schools, and simplify the variables requiring investigation. Use of the TIPS survey to understand the extent to which mindfulness and teacher collaboration are evident in schools is recommended.</p>