This study examined the policy implementation of the Teach for Florida Project, which was conducted as a grant program in 2003. The project was designed to help alleviate a critical shortage of teachers brought about in part by the passage in the fall of 2002 of Florida Constitutional Amendment 9, a referendum setting specific limits on the number of students who could be taught by one teacher. The project was created and run on a tight timeline, allowing only 6 months from initiation of the request for proposals to placement of new alternatively prepared teachers in their classrooms. Despite the short notice, 23 institutions submitted proposals, of which 19 were considered worthy of funding and 7 were selected. Of the institutions selected, three represented the State University System, three the State Community College System, and one was a consortium of independent private colleges and universities in Florida. Although each institution created its own plan, the programs demonstrated two divergent paradigms. The schools all proposed some form of classroom education methodology, while the consortium created an online training system. The potential to examine in detail the outcomes of the two approaches was lost because, as the literature review points out, there was no requirement in the request for proposals to maintain the data necessary to conduct such an investigation. The Teach for Florida Project was effective in creating alternative programs for teacher certification but could have provided greater insight into the alternative preparation process had evaluation planning been part of the implementation.

A study conducted on patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty indicated that participants who were offered preadmission education for their procedure had statistically better outcomes than patients who had not attended an educational class. The study further focused on patients’ confidence in their ability to take control of their health situations as well as the effect of encouragement and motivation to provide active involvement. Two surveys, the Krantz Health Opinion Survey and the Multi Dimensional Health Locus of Control, were used to assess patients’ innate desires to be involved in their care and if they felt they could render any control themselves on their health. The study showed a statistically significant better outcome when patients received education prior to their procedure. When patients were encouraged and motivated to participate and take control of their rehabilitation after knee surgery, the outcomes were better than with education alone. It is a worthy endeavor therefore for education to be provided before total knee arthroplasty and to identify those patients who need additional encouragement to gain confidence in their abilities in order to positively affect their outcomes. Providing healthcare professionals information about patients’ innate traits regarding their desire or self-confidence to engage in their care could also be useful to allow caretakers to work with patients in the most advantageous manner to achieve better outcomes.

This research was designed to explore the learning experiences of state college students using mobile e-book readers. The purpose of the study was to build a rich description of how students used electronic textbooks delivered on mobile computing devices for college-level, introductory sociology courses. This research employed a multiple case study design that thoroughly investigated and documented student experiences with this instructional technology. The bounding frame was comprised of the literature on mobile technology, mobile learning theories, and e-books. Situated within the mobile learning framework was a theoretical lens of learning theories commonly found in the literature on mobile learning (constructivism, social cognitive theory, self-efficacy theory, expectancy x value theory, self-determination theory, and situated cognition). This lens was used to provide insight into the student’s learning experiences. This study was comprised of data from a variety of sources that were chosen for their ability to produce insight into the learning experiences of mobile e-book students taking introduction to sociology courses at a Southeastern public state college. The data analysis was comprised of three levels of increasing stages of granular examination. These included level one: descriptive summaries of student cases, level two: student and instructor interview data and excerpts from audio recording transcriptions organized by topical categories, and level three: cross-case synthesis relating to the theoretical framework and research questions. Students were found to be competent with the e-books, confident, metacognitive, and desirous of more social learning opportunities within their e-books. By addressing the primary research question and the subquestions, six major conclusions were reached. These were: (a) students expressed competence in their use of the mobile e-books, (b) students expressed feelings of high self-efficacy when using the mobile e-books, (c) students overall valued the use of the e-book for their learning, (d) students were individualized and metacognitive in their learning with the mobile e-books, (e) students enhanced their learning socially and within situated learning opportunities, and (f) the students and the instructor had divergent views on the value and utility of social, interactive textbooks. Increasing understanding of the use of electronic and mobile instructional technologies such as e-books may better assist educational leaders with preparing students for today’s global knowledge economy. Based on the conclusions of this study, recommendations for future research and educational leadership were addressed.

The purpose of this study was to examine how school reform design, English speakers of other languages (ESOL) instruction, and socioeconomic status (SES) impact the academic achievement of ESOL students in Grade 2. Gains in lexile scores on the Scholastic Reading Inventory were used to measure one aspect of academic achievement, namely, general reading ability. The primary research question was: To what extent can gains in lexile scores on the Scholastic Reading Inventory be explained by the independent variable set of school reform design (America's Choice/Direct Instruction), ESOL instruction (ESOL instruction/no ESOL instruction), and SES (free and reduced lunch/no free lunch). Participants were 204 ESOL students enrolled in Grade 2 in Duval County Public Schools during the 2003-2004 academic year, including 53 in Direct Instruction and 151 in America's Choice school reform designs; 151 receiving free and reduced lunch and 53 paying full fee for lunch; 139 receiving ESOL instruction and 65 receiving no ESOL instruction. Findings indicated that students in the Direct Instruction school reform design had greater gains in lexile scores on the SRI than students in the America's Choice design. SES and ESOL instruction were not statistically significant predictors of academic achievement. Further, there were no statistically significant interactions among any of the predictor variables (between school reform design and ESOL instruction; between school reform design and SES; between SES and ESOL instruction; or among school reform design, SES, and ESOL instruction).

Patient safety (i.e., the degree to which patients are free from accidental injury) has received a great deal of media coverage during the past few years. Professional and regulatory agencies have indicated that patient safety education should be provided to healthcare workers to improve health outcomes. The primary purpose of this exploratory study was to gain a better understanding of the current status of patient safety awareness among pre-licensure nursing students. To this end, six research questions guided the study: 1. Will interpretable item constructs be identified when responses to the Healthcare Professional Patient Safety Assessment Curriculum Survey (HPPSACS) are intercorrelated and factor analyzed using R-technique exploratory factor analysis? 2. Will responses to items on the HPPSACS yield scores that are intemally consistent as indicated by alpha reliability coefficients? 3. What are the perceptions of nursing students about their awareness, skills, and attitudes regarding patient safety? 4. (a) To what extent is there a relationship between the demographic variables of age and gender and nursing students' perceptions of their patient safety awareness, skills, and attitudes? (b) To what extent is there a relationship between the demographic variable of race/ethnicity and nursing students' perceptions of their patient safety awareness, skills, and attitudes? 5. To what extent is there a relationship between the type of collegiate nursing program and nursing students' perceptions of their patient safety awareness, skills, and attitudes? 6. To what extent are there discernable program curriculum and instructional methodologies that have been traditionally associated with more positive nursing student perceptions of awareness, skills, and attitudes regarding patient safety? Phase I was a pilot test for reliability and construct validity for the HPPSACS. Data were factor analyzed to determine factor constructs for the purpose of identifying the key themes accounting for the variation in response across 23 survey items. Three factors with themes that were found to relate to perceptions of patient safety among a scholarly professional group of nurses were identified as comfort, error reporting, and denial. Findings in Phase II of the study indicated that there were four identifiable constructs with the study data: the themes of comfort, error reporting, denial, and culture. Older male participants had higher comfort subscale scores and lower culture subscales scores than did younger female participants. The Asian American participants were clearly distinguished from the combined set of African American and Hispanic participants on the denial and culture scores. The "other" ethnic identity was clearly distinguished from the combined set of Caucasian and Hispanic participants on the comfort and error reporting scores. The associate nursing degree programs were clearly distinguished from the combined set of the accelerated and traditional nursing degree programs. Findings in Phase III of the study indicated that all seven of the participating nursing schools included at least three of the Institute of Medicine's six core competencies, with one school exhibiting all of the core competencies.

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / This is an exploratory study that aims to find out how computer-based tutorials can be conducted effectively for large first year Statistics classes. The study focuses on the student's perceptions, advantages of being able to access tutorials anywhere, anytime and lastly the challenges of implementing the system. More specifically for the University of the Western Cape (UWC) environment, without sufficient staff, the effectiveness of learning in this initial stage is focused on the experience whereby students can do extensive problem-solving anytime and anywhere. Data were collected at UWC using first-year introductory Statistics students, during the first and the second semester. Structured questionnaires (self-completed) were used to measure student's perceptions and learning experiences. The results pointed to a positive overall perception towards computers and feelings about computers amongst all groups of first year students. The major advantage with these randomly generated computer-based tutorials is the fact that one could access the questions anytime, anywhere. The challenge now remains with educators to provide an environment where new methods of learning and delivering information can be accessed effectively.

Abstract This qualitative case study examined teachers' perceptions that contributed to a lack of technology integration in their K-8 classrooms. The purpose of the study was to determine why teachers of a K-8 and K-5 school underused or failed to integrate technology to support learning. The theoretical framework for this study was provided by Dewey's constructivist theory, Lave and Wenger's situated learning theory and communities of practice, and Kolb's experiential learning theory principles of teaching and learning. The research questions addressed teachers' perceptions of technology integration as a curriculum strategy and teachers' perceptions of how technology affected professional practices to improve student performance in Grades 3 through 8. A purposeful sample of 8 certified teachers who used technology in their classrooms was selected to participate in the study. The participants represented a range of grades in 2 schools located in an economically disadvantaged sector of an urban school district. Qualitative data were collected through one-on-one interviews, classroom observations, and use of technology questionnaires. Data were transcribed, coded, and grouped into categories and themes focused on: (a) progressive technology usage, (b) competency in technology education, and (c) assertiveness towards computer techniques. Participants articulated the need for technical acuity, collaboration, and continuous professional growth activities to integrate technology as a curriculum element. Findings from this study were used to establish a 3 day professional development plan to provide training on technology integration to local K-8 teachers. Social change can be achieved by increasing the level of technology integration to enhance K-8 instruction.

The ability to perform local anesthesia on dental patients is an important clinical skill for a dental hygienist. When learning this procedure in an academic situation, students often practice on their peers to build their skills. There are multiple reasons why the peer practice is not ideal; consequently, educators have sought the means to simulate the practice of local anesthetic procedures without endangering others. Mixed-reality technologies offer a potential solution to the simulated procedure problem. The purpose of this research was to determine if students could learn the techniques for providing local anesthesia using a mixed-reality system that allows them to manipulate 3D objects in virtual space. Guiding research questions were: In what ways do using 3D objects allow for a greater understanding of anatomical, spatial, and dimensional acuity? Will students develop conceptual understandings regarding the application of anatomical and technical concepts through iteration? Will students demonstrate the proper technique and verbalize a level of confidence for administering local anesthesia after using the mixed-reality system? Design-based research methods allowed for multiple iterations of design, enactment, analysis, and redesign. The first iteration focused on building a knowledge base for designing and developing virtual reality technologies for use in dental hygiene education. The second phase of research increased in technical sophistication and involved a virtual system that allowed for student interaction and manipulation of 3D objects. The interactions supported students' learning through the association of anatomical, spatial, and dimensional acuity. Built-in learner prompts promoted the understanding and identification of anatomical landmarks for performing an injection for the lower jaw. Further, the system promoted self-controlled practice and iterative learning processes. Redesign and development in the final iteration focused on design improvements of the system that included an output metric for assessing student performance, a data glove, and a marker to assist in following student interactions. Results support that students learned "while doing" in a specific immersive environment designed for dental hygiene education and they increased their level of confidence for performing a specific procedure.

In an earlier era of instructional technology, researchers proposed a set of criteria to help practitioners understand what assumptions about their work could help them develop well-designed instruction, as well as what assumptions could lead them to develop rigid instruction that did not characterize the goals they had for their practice. They named these criteria Technology I, II, and III. Technology I presupposed that using physical hardware improved instruction. Technology II presupposed that using formulas or strategies improved instruction. Technology III was the belief that good instruction could consist of many different product or process technologies, but that technology use alone did not define good instruction. Rather, good instruction was the realization of improved systems in which learning could take place. I used a historical case study method to analyze the major themes of Technology I, II, and III, as well as reasons why some practitioners might limit themselves to only Technology I or II. My purpose was to discover how to help instructional technologists better accomplish more of the goals they want to achieve. I compared the original goals of two instructional technologies (programmed instruction and problem-based learning), along with twelve case study reports of actual practice of these technologies, against the criteria for Technology I, II, and III. I found that Technology I, II, and III can describe the goals and practices of instructional technologists. Additionally, I discovered four reasons why instructional technologists may limit themselves to Technology I or II, and therefore might not achieve all the important goals for their practice: (a) distracted focus (or compromised integrity); (b) status quo adherence; (c) solidification; and (d) deliberately chosen Technology I or II. I also discovered three methods to help instructional technologists to avoid limiting themselves and more consistently practice Technology III: (a) legitimate evaluation; (b) adopting guiding principles for practice; and (c) using opinion leaders to disseminate the value of Technology III. This study also provides recommendations to help instructional technologists use Technology III to help them better develop flexible instructional technology that better characterizes their goals for their practice.

Online courses are complex, human-driven contexts for formal learning. Little has been said about the environment emerging from the interaction of instructor(s), learners, and other resources in such courses. Theories that focus on instructional settings and methods that are designed to accommodate inquiry into complex phenomena are essential to the systematic study of online courses. Such a line of research is necessary as the basis for a common language with which we can begin to speak holistically about online courses. In this dissertation, I attempt to generate better questions about the nature of online instructional environments. By combining prior works related to educational criticism and qualitative research case study with original innovations, I develop a model for studying the instructional experiences of online courses. I then apply this approach in the study of one specific online course at the University of Central Florida (UCF).