The technology principle in the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM, 2000) states that technology plays an important role in how teachers teach mathematics and in how students learn mathematics. The purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed-methods study was to examine the impact of interactive applets on students’ understanding of parameter changes to parent functions. Students in the treatment classes were found to have statistically significantly higher posttest scores than students in the control classes. Although the data analysis showed a statistically significant difference between classes on procedural understanding, no statistically significant difference was found with regard to conceptual understanding. Student and teacher interviews provided insight on how and why the use of applets helped or hindered students’ understanding of parameter changes to parent functions.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether Socratic questioning, an approach that builds critical thinking skills and fosters learning by constructing new knowledge, was an effective tool for improving student perceptions of the writing process. The main research question that was examined in this study was: How can Socratic questioning improve students' perceptions of writing and the writing process? Qualitative research methods were used as a framework for the design of this study as well as purposeful student sampling, triangulation of three data sources, and an extensive coding process. Findings from the study support that Socratic questioning can positively impact students: the first major finding was that student perceptions of the writing process improved, and the second major finding was that student perceptions of their own identities as writers improved as well. After the study, students found that being an effective writer was possible and that evaluation of one's writing was a vital part of becoming a better writer. Most importantly, after participating in this study, students believed themselves to be writers.

The purpose of this study was to create and test two series of predictive models aimed at projecting high school graduation status. Secondary data were obtained in partnership with an urban school district. All of the predictor variables included in the models tested in this study were academic and nonacademic variables that were found to be significant predictors of high school graduation in previous empirical work. In the first series of models tested, individual academic and nonacademic variables were tested together along with school-level variables. Eighth and ninth grade variables were tested separately to avoid multicollinearity issues. The second series of models tested included similar individual-level academic and nonacademic variables, along with community-level predictors to analyze their ability to predict high school graduation status. Logistic regression and multilevel logistic regression analyses were conducted to analyze the data. The model including community-level predictors yielded a pseudo R-squared value of .40, approximating that 40% of the variance was explained by the predictors in the model. Most of the individual predictors included in the models yielded findings similar to those found in previous literature on high school graduation status projection; however, this was not true for all of the predictor variables included. These differences highlight the tension that can exist between generalizability and local specificity. Significant findings from studies utilizing large nationally-representative longitudinal datasets and other large data sources do not always generalize to settings with samples that differ demographically. This study represents a first step in a line of research aimed at developing a better understanding of high school graduation status, particularly in challenging school contexts.

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors that motivate third grade students to perform well academically and to learn how those factors impact student achievement. Additionally, the researcher wanted to gain an understanding of teachers’ perspectives regarding student motivation, observe strategies teachers use to motivate students, and observe motivated students’ behaviors. To do this, the researcher surveyed 37 third grade students, interviewed two third grade teachers, and observed two different third grade teachers. The results of the study indicated that student academic motivation is significantly impacted by two factors: parent involvement and home environment. The results also showed that reading achievement is closely linked to school environment. Having this information is helpful because it will enable school administrators and teachers to develop strategies to target the factors that have been found to have the most significant impact on student academic motivation. The qualitative research indicated that teachers tend to rely on extrinsic rewards and use strategies such as verbal praise, visual aids, and touch to motivate students. The behaviors that motivated students display include paying attention to the lesson, working diligently, and asking questions. If schools combine the strategies used by teachers and focus on increasing parental involvement, helping parents to create home environments that foster academic success, and making sure the school environment enables students to feel safe, it is likely that administrators would see increases in student academic motivation across the district.

The reading achievement of two groups of ninth grade students with learning disabilities was compared using the standard scores on the Reading subtest of the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT) as the pre- and posttest measurement to determine gain in reading achievement. The experimental group used only curriculum materials written in the Initial Teaching Alphabet (ITA). The control group used curriculum materials written in traditional orthography provided for students with learning disabilities by a rural Kentucky School District. At the end of an 80-day period, the standard scores on the Reading subtest of the WRAT were compared using a t-test, multiple regression equation, Mann-Whitney U Test, and a sign test. The statistical analyses of the convergent findings of these tests indicated that the experimental group made significant gains in reading achievement while the reading achievement of the control group regressed. In addition to gains indicated by statistical analysis, observations indicated the experimental group had also made gains in self-confidence and motivation. The members of the control group appeared to become lackadaisical in their attitude and motivation by the end of the investigation.

A compelling argument has been made which claims that institutions of higher education focus disproportionately on transmitting basic skills to their students at the expense of supporting issues of central importance to the development of emerging adults, including clarifying values and identity and defining individual purpose and meaning (Palmer & Zajonc, 2010). As a result, an increasing number of postsecondary teachers are considering how they can refashion education by using contemplative inquiry to deepen student learning and personal growth. This movement to reframe the teaching-learning paradigm has led to the development of teaching methods that seek to cultivate emotional, psychological and intellectual competencies including creativity, self-understanding, awareness and mental flexibility (Lief, 2007). Contemplative pedagogy, which can include mindfulness practices and contemplative or imaginative inquiry, provides such a framework for teaching and learning. Faculties at institutions of higher education across the U.S. are increasingly adapting this educational model for use in their classrooms. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand ways in which faculty members in higher education are developing mindfulness-based contemplative pedagogies and to identify critical variables that have informed how they have conceptualized and implemented this educational model. I employed a collective case study methodology to explore the experiences of faculty members who have embedded contemplative inquiry within the broader context of a traditional liberal arts curriculum. The study focused on why and how these instructors have developed contemplative teaching practices, their experiences integrating these practices into the classroom, and the potential outcomes they identified for themselves and their students. The findings suggest that, for these teachers, contemplative pedagogy provides a mechanism to deepen learning through a process of embodied inquiry in which both student and teacher are actively engaged. Through their teaching practices participants demonstrated a common goal: to foster in students qualities of mind that might help them engage more directly with learning as an experiential process of personal inquiry. This study informs the evolving landscape of contemplative education by exploring how teachers are developing and implementing contemplative models for learning in order to address issues of personal meaning and purpose in higher education.

Abstract According to McAuliffe and Lovell (2006), regardless of the training received in skills classes, master’s level counseling students continue to be rote in their approach to clients and their use of counseling skills as opposed to understanding how skills fit into the helping process. Students also experience confusion manifested by fear, anxiety, self-doubt, and questioning of abilities to perform the required skills (Skovholt & Jennings, 2005). The purpose of this research study was to explore the lived experiences of master’s level counseling students in a beginning counseling skills class. I used Perry’s (1970) scheme of cognitive and intellectual development as a framework for my study. Participants were nine students from three counseling programs in the southern part of the United States, selected by criterion sampling. I used a psychological phenomenological design to gain insights into the nine counseling students’ skills-learning experiences. Data collection methods included student interviews, weekly journals, and course syllabi. To analyze the data, I used a modified version of Moustakas’ (1994) six-step method of data analysis. Four themes resulted from my data analysis: (1) developmental progression, (2) instructional methodology, (3) personal reactions, and (4) pre-defined structures. These themes were used to answer my three research sub-questions and the central research question. Based on the results of my study, students believed that class format, teaching interventions, personality traits, experiences outside of class, peers, time and class schedules influenced their learning of beginning counseling skills. Keywords: Counseling Students, Developmental Model, Pedagogy, Perry’s Scheme

With increasing concern over the state of the education system in the United States, more and more emphasis is being placed on teaching methods. Internet related infrastructure has become cheaper and more powerful, and online learning environments are taking a stronger presence in most higher education institutions with more video content being sought for these environments. However, the effectiveness of using video as a teaching tool is still uncertain. Without additional research, video remains an expensive gamble for an already struggling system. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact on student learning outcomes of video content as a primary teaching method compared to more traditional lecture based classes.

Generally in today’s classrooms educators have the responsibility to develop teaching practices that are best suited for a particular group of learners. Since the early days of 1-room schools, various teaching styles have been developed to accommodate a changing world. As the curriculum has broadened through the years, individual student needs have remained the focus as teachers have become more and more accountable for student learning. The purpose of this qualitative study is to investigate or identify how successful teachers manage their classrooms. It defines key student behavior issues that most teachers experience daily. The study further investigates the hypothesis that lesson planning and productive teaching with overall good student behavior is not a product of good luck or chance; it results from efforts made by caring teachers who aid learning for their student. I attempt to determine what the typical teacher does in efforts to reach the goal of effectively educating students and managing various issues that arise within the classroom setting simultaneously. The study was conducted in a rural community within middle school grade levels. All teachers were interviewed and asked open-ended questions during the 2013-14 school year. Also, the teachers were observed in their actual classrooms. I examined the practices that enable them to teach. The teacher responses offered valuable information about perceptions pertaining to excellent teaching, classroom management, and the relevance of teaching factors that enhance student learning. Exerting extra effort toward minimizing classroom disruptions, while consistently providing a learning environment, requires an assertive approach in planning before the students enter the classroom. This research can provide all educators insight to such of an educational environment that has proven to be productive in today’s complex world. These teaching attributes would better assure students upon their arrival to the classroom each day, a routinely excited, enthused, and caring educator.

The purpose of this study was to analyze factors that may contribute to student perceptions of courses using Open Educational Resources (OER). Specifically, the 6 independent variables tested were the course discipline, age, gender, course delivery mode, enrollment status, and number of credit hours taken. The dependent variables were measured as mean scores of 6 OER perception dimensions: motivation to learn, quality of learning experience, value of OER, cognitive learning, affective learning, and course quality. A 27-item online survey was administered to gather data from students enrolled in a course that used OER in the fall semester, 2014. There was a 23% response rate with 80 completed surveys. Independent-samples t tests were used to determine if significant differences existed between 5 of the 6 independent variables (the number of credit hours taken was tested using a different method) and each OER perception dimension mean. A Pearson product-moment correlation was used to determine whether there were significant relationships among the 6 dependent OER perception dimension means and the number of credit hours taken. The level of significance used was < .05. The findings of the independent-samples t tests revealed that there were no significant differences between the independent variables and the 6 OER perception dimension means. The motivation to learn perception mean was highest at 3.97 on a 5-point Likert-type scale; the value of OER had the lowest perception dimension mean of 3.37. The Pearson product-moment correlation determined that there was a significant weak negative relationship between the number of credit hours taken and the level of perceived cognitive learning dimension. All other correlations were found to have no significant relationships. It can be concluded from the findings of the study that students are highly motivated to learn. From the perception rating of 3.37 for the value of OER, it can be concluded that student perceptions of the value of OER are slightly positive. It can also be concluded that as the number of credit hours in which a student is enrolled increases they have a lower perception of their level of cognitive learning.