This thesis has been written to emphasize the differences in two methods of teaching arithmetic - mechanical drill and meaningful drill - and attempts to present a psychologically and theoretically sound proposal for instruction in number skills in the primary grades of the elementary school.

This study involves the following divisions: To build a course of study in plane geometry consisting of six units developed. To suggest some ways of evaluating a course of study.

The assignment is the teacher's one best chance of stimulating children with a desire for the work that is to follow. For this reason it should be carefully and methodically given and should be definite and clear. Study increases in intelligence somewhat in the degree that the main or salient features of the material to be studied are emphasized in the assignments.

Two groups of Title I Math teachers, one representing school systems which reported second and third grade student achievement gains of one year or more on the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills for 1978-79, and one group which reported gains of less than eight months, were surveyed in an effort to identify which methods of presentation and types of materials apparently contributed to the most successful Title I Math programs, in terms of student achievement gains. A study of survey results indicated that a Title I Math pull-out program served by a teacher in groups of less than ten students was the most common method of presentation in both survey groups. Results suggested that small-group settings, contact with a teacher and an aide in a pull-out situation, and a low student-teacher ratio were among the factors which influenced the achievement of Title I Math students. In regard to program planning. school systems which reported higher CTBS test scores achieved a more even balance of time spent between teaching from commercial materials/programs and teaching from teacher-made units or packets of work. with a limited amount of time utilized for games and other approaches; school systems which reported lower test scores devoted over half their teaching time to the use of teacher-made materials. Teachers from both groups indicated that their students, who represented several age groups from more than one grade level, necessitated a wide range of Math materials; because of the ages and individual differences in students, no one program or approach to teaching Title I Math was preferred or felt to be more effective than any other. An approach to teaching Title I Math suggested paying heed to the abilities and needs of the students, utilizing resources from a variety of commercial materials, permitting the teacher flexibility in developing work packets as needed, and infusing any other methods in planning a Title I Math curriculum.

The purpose of this ethnography is to examine my journey through my first full year teaching. The main subjects of this work are myself, along with my 10th grade World History students from Monte Vista High School. Through an examination of my personal history, as well as interviews with students and their parents, I have traced my effectiveness as a first-year teacher, through my ability to meet each student’s needs, as well as the development of relationships with each of my three focus students. Through personal anecdotes and the examination of assessment data, I have tracked my student’s progress throughout the year, noting both the successes and failures of my teaching practices.

This thesis investigates the need for improvement in mathematics education at the college level in the US regarding equitable practices in instruction. In particular, it focuses on understanding the role self-regulation can play in the classroom dynamics, and how self-regulation can be a way to empower students. Also included is a case study in an introductory linear algebra class at a liberal arts college and is meant to provide a investigation into a way of incorporating self-regulation by using self-paced assessments. Results of this study suggest a possible question to consider in reforming mathematics education for a more equitable environment in postsecondary mathematics classrooms.

Socioeconomic status (SES) affects students’ academic achievement at different levels of an educational system. However, misspecified Hierarchical Linear Model (HLM) may bias school SES estimation. In this study, a partial simulation study was conducted to examine how misspecified HLM model bias school and student SES estimation. The result of this study can be summarized by four important points. First, based on partial simulation procedure, phantom effects of school SES and student SES are real. Second, characteristics of phantom effects are generalized. The stronger the correlation between prior science achievement measure and present science achievement measure, the greater the decrease in both student SES effects and school SES effects. Third, the procedure of partial simulation provides a new angle to conduct theoretical studies (full simulation), which is entirely based on ideal assumption. Finally, the procedure of partial simulation offers researchers a way to create prior student academic achievement measures when they are not available for data analysis.

Using methodologies of interviews and observation, this study focuses on three distinctive and successful kinds of experiential education: a summer arts program, an outdoor science program and a wilderness education program. The project applies insights from the programs to the central question of this thesis: How can experiential learning be utilized within the traditional classroom given the constraints of the No Child Left Behind Law and standardized teaching?

This thesis addresses adult education in a museum setting and measures adult learning during and after a museum visit. While a number of studies have investigated the impact of museum visits on children’s learning, there are few studies on adult learners. This thesis is an initial effort to fill that gap. Qualitative data were gathered through interviews with 24 adult visitors at the Victor Valley Museum in Apple Valley, California. The objective was to determine which exhibits were found to be of greatest interest to the visitor. Follow-up interviews were conducted four weeks later to measure retention. The qualitative data were grouped by responses and compared to the demographic data to reveal any relationships. The study found that while adult visitors may initially learn new information during their museum visit, the information is not retained; learning must be reinforced. The solutions offered to achieve this reinforcement are reflection, follow-up interviews, and additional museum visits.

Previously accepted and current research has been reviewed regarding the development of English proficiency for English Language Learners. The particular areas of concern deemed crucial for language development are the domains of reading, writing, listening and speaking. The critical components for effective English Language Development instruction as well as the strategies considered the most effective and efficient were also investigated. The review resulted in the creation of an English Language Development unit that includes the essential components and various strategies that are considered effective in developing English proficiency for English Language Learners.