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<p> This study looked at (1) motivation, (2) anxiety, (3) perception of the learning community, and (4) oral proficiency of beginner learners of French in two online sections: one on-campus section with 15 students located on campus or in the same state who could participate in synchronous class zoom, and one distance section with 13 students located all over the world who could only participate in small-group zoom meetings. At the end of the semester, participants filled surveys evaluating their motivation, level of anxiety, and connection with other students in the section. Qualitative and quantitative data from the surveys were collected and analyzed in terms of motivation, anxiety, and perception of the learning community. Participants also completed oral production assignments (individual speech and group conversation on a given topic) throughout the semester, which were collected, and analyzed in terms of complexity, accuracy, and fluency. Results showed that both sections were successful in creating a learning community and allow a progression in oral proficiency. A qualitative and statistical comparison between the sections’ results showed that the distance section had a lower sense of self confidence, enjoyment, motivation, as well as a higher course-related anxiety, whereas the on-campus online section had a higher level of language anxiety. In terms of learning communities, the on-campus section had a higher sense of community, but the distance section had a stronger connection with their groupmates. Finally, the on-campus section had a lower accuracy rate than the distance section in both the individual and group productions, which was due to a higher pronunciation errors rate.   </p>

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to better understand the ways that adult learners studying Catholic theology become present to one another, strengthen bonds of community, and contemplate the face of Christ in computer-mediated, text-based distance education. Ten geographically dispersed learners seeking undergraduate or graduate degrees in Catholic theology participated in the study. There was no face-to-face interaction. Through a password protected site specifically designed for the research, participants engaged in eight weeks of text-based, online conversation. They reflected on emergent themes about technology and the ways that it alters time, place, presentation of self, and relationships. Text as sacred, relational, presentational, communal, and transformational was explored, as was the nature and meaning of community, especially the spiritual quest to contemplate the face of Christ in an online community. The study offers a deep understanding of the meaning of presence and the development of community in the context of faith. Serving as the philosophical methodological foundation were the writings of Martin Heidegger (1927/1993), Hans-Georg Gadamer (1960/1999), Gabriel Marcel (1937/1967), John Paul II as Cardinal Carol Wojtyla (1976), and Robert Sokolowski (1993). The phenomenological method of Max van Manen (2003) guided data collection and analysis through the dynamic interplay of six research activities: (a) turning to the phenomenon which seriously interests us and commits us to the world; (b) investigating experience as we live it rather than as we conceptualize it; (c) reflecting on the essential themes which characterize the phenomenon; (d) describing the phenomenon through the art of writing and rewriting; (e) maintaining a strong and oriented pedagogical relation to the phenomenon; (f) balancing the research context by considering parts and whole. Recommendations for practitioners of computer-mediated education are explored; suggestions for future research include longitudinal studies of theology students in fully online programs, ways of introducing transcendent presence in online learning communities, how language bears on learning and presence, and the role of non-text based media and virtual environments on presence and the spiritual quest. / Ph. D.

"This case study examined the implementation of the Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) at a high school that was labeled as a turnaround school (overall academic achievement proficiency below 55%) in 2006-2007. The foundation of PLCs is built on a shared vision and mission. The PLC principles of learning for all students, a collaborative culture, and a focus on results were the components most identified in the literature review, which helped shape the design of the methodology. Under the leadership of a new principal and with the implementation and focus on PLCs, Ocean Breeze High School's (OBHS) academic achievement proficiency grew from 48.6% to 87.5% within a three-year period. Based on this phenomenal progress, this case study investigated the relationship between PLC characteristics and instructional practices at this school. The data sources included fourteen interviews with eleven teachers and three administrators, observations of two PLC meetings, fourteen classroom observations, and a document review. The data from the interviews were transcribed and themes were matched to reflect common perceptions from teachers and administrators on PLC practices. PLC meetings were observed to identify collaborative interactions between team members. A document review included any documents or artifacts that the school has used to implement PLC principles or similar practices. Classroom observations were conducted to compare if instructional practices correlate with interview responses, PLC meetings, and the documents reviewed. This study found that there is a relationship between PLCs and instructional practices. The findings included: (a) teachers ensure that all students learn by developing common instructional guides that support the state curriculum; (b) teachers meet to discuss the curriculum, pedagogical strategies, and assessments in PLC meetings; and (c) teachers and administrators analyze data to make instructional decisions to enhance teaching and learning. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine which dimensions, as represented by the Professional Learning Community Assessment – Revised dimensions, are present in the environment of North Texas elementary schools and their impact on student growth. A survey design was utilized in which elementary principals and teachers in a selected school district completed the Professional Learning Community – Revised survey developed by Hipp and Huffman (2009), to gather perceptions of PLC implementation within their school environments as well as reflect strengths and needs regarding each dimension. The results of the survey were analyzed and one-to-one interviews were completed to clarify and support survey results. Bivariate and multiple regression analysis were used to determine correlations between dimensions present in a school’s environment and their impact on student growth. The study found a statistically significant relationship between the dimensions of shared values and vision and shared personal practice and math growth. Although PLCA-R dimensions were not found to be statistically significant in predicting reading and math growth, the effect sizes were notable at 22.4% for reading growth and 15.8% for math growth. This study’s findings provide important information which educators can use to implement practical application of Professional Learning Communities within their schools and districts. By understanding which dimensions are present within a school’s environment as well as their impact on student growth, educators can continue to increase knowledge and develop a focused plan for implementing strategies which are effective in strengthening teaching and learning in order to increase student achievement.

The principal and teachers of a small independent South African school noticed a significant gap in the implementation of an effective Intermediate Phase (IP) reading curriculum. The principal decided to establish a Community of Inquiry (CoI) at the school to focus on this problem, and to research the process. The main purpose of this research was to investigate the affordances and constraints of the establishment of a CoI for the professional development of teachers as an instructional leadership intervention by the principal. The sub-questions that emerged from the main research question were: what would be the affordances and constraints of the principal establishing, facilitating and researching the CoI; what would be to the benefit of the teachers (and their learners) of establishing such a community for professional development and reading instruction in the IP; and, what processes are entailed in establishing an in-school CoI? To what degree, if any, would the CoI be a generating space to answer the research questions and aims? The literature review for the study explored the means of professional development available to educators and principals, especially Professional Learning Communities and their more focused interventions – Communities of Inquiry, and that professional development needs to target four levels – the teacher, their teaching, the community and collegiality at the school, and the principal as a developmental leader, in order for there to be an improvement in students’ learning. The concerning South African context with regard to reading in the IP was outlined, as well as that in the school. The South African curriculum IP learning outcomes and assessment standards for reading were critically explored against the backdrop of international curricula. The process of learning to read was traced. Hindrances to effective reading were also explored. The qualitative research design was an applied case study. Grounded Theory methods were used to reduce the data from the transcripts of CoI sessions. The findings of the research were that there are many affordances to establishing an in-school CoI, and that these benefits far outweigh the constraints. The CoI provided a germinating locus in which participants could begin to address the problems related to reading and reading instruction in the IP. It enabled the principal to develop as an instructional leader, and the teachers to develop as professionals and reading instructors. In hindsight, this project was a vital one, but considerably ambitious, difficult to implement, and perhaps even constrained in the sense of the principal establishing, facilitating and researching this process herself. However, without the principal driving, facilitating and researching the CoI, the question emerges whether such an intervention would have been established. Sometimes external insistences from authority can provide valuable impetus for change at schools, as long as these are sensitively handled and one has the support and trust of participants. The actual acceleration in learning that the participants experienced was extensive, and, sometimes it is only the principal that can play this role – especially in newly established communities. Much more research and support for principals in becoming instructional leaders and in establishing CoIs at their schools is required in the South African context.

Thousands of students drop out of high school every day in the United States and the repercussions affect more than just the individual. Research on smaller learning communities (SLC) reveals increased student achievement, as well as improved teacher perception of student engagement. Student attendance, grade point average, and standardized test scores have been seen to improve within the SLC. In addition, graduation rates for students enrolled in a SLC have revealed increases, but this research focuses on the SLC as an intervention for any student. The current research targets at-risk students in an educational climate of sparse resources, and an increasing need for clever use of capital. The current research fills this gap by evaluating a SLC developed for and populated solely with students identified as at-risk by collecting data from students enrolled in a SLC and comparing them to a population of similar at-risk students not enrolled in the SLC. A Chi-square analysis was conducted comparing graduation rates, a 1-factor analysis of variance compared state test scores, and a 2-factor mixed analysis of variance was conducted to compare GPA, attendance, and discipline between and within the 2 groups. The alpha level was adjusted per the Bonferroni method to correct for multiple data points on the same sample and resulting in a sample size of 106. Findings from this research found a one year SLC intervention made a difference in school attendance, and revealed an overall trend of difference between SLC and control at-risk students in all other areas. These findings contribute to positive social change understanding a one year SLC intervention is capable of improving attendance as well as producing an overall positive trend for at-risk high school students in the areas of graduation, standardized assessment, discipline, and standardized assessments.