Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2009. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 234-248).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, School of Education, 2009. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Jul 19, 2010). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-12, Section: A, page: 4643. Adviser: David J. Flinders.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of Delaware, 2005. / Principal faculty advisor: Douglas A. Archbald, School of Education. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Michigan State University, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 92-98).

<p> Latino English learners (ELs), among the largest student population in the United States K-12 school system, continue to lag behind their English-proficient peers. They also tend to attend segregated schools, have less-qualified teachers, and lack access to rigorous curriculum, including the arts. Museum education departments have increasingly sought to fill the gap in arts education for underserved populations. This mixed methods study explored the degree to which teaching artists (TAs) from a large metropolitan museum are effectively addressing the art education needs of Latino ELs. The dissertation study occured in two phases. Phase 1 included quantitative analysis of observations of the TAs using the numeric components and ancedotal evidence of the Observation Protocol for Academic Literacies. Phase 2 consisted of semi-structured interviews with the participants. Findings of the study indicate that while TAs can improve instruction in terms of providing materials of students&rsquo; native langauge and providing opportunities to transfer skills between their primary and the target language, they nevertheless use numerous strategies for effective English language instruction. This can inform museum education departments on effective teaching practices of ELs, an area of study that has almost no scholarship.</p><p>

<p> This quasi-experimental study compared academic learning in project-centered instruction with group projects, project-centered instruction with individual projects, and teacher-led instruction. A repeated measures pre and posttest design was used to measure the change in Social Studies content learning in sixth grade students for three different instructional units taught with each of the three teaching approaches. ANOVA was used to compare pre and posttest scores. All three teaching approaches were compared, and the two project-centered conditions were compared to identify possible learning differences related to cooperative learning. Students in the group project condition demonstrated the greatest gains in content learning. Students in the individual project condition demonstrated the smallest gains from pre to posttest. The results of this study suggest that for most students the opportunity to engage in discourse about content through group work, or via teacher talk and class discussion enhances academic learning to a greater degree than individual study and research for middle school students.</p><p>

<p> Harmony Christian School in Rustenburg, South Africa is a missionary outreach program of Bethel Gospel Assembly, Inc., New York. The school was founded in 2006 to educate learners and develop in them a close attachment with God even as they attained high academic standard in their school work. However, while there were established measures of academic progress from grade to grade, there was no comparable measure of the spiritual growth of the students in terms of how closely they were attached to God in their relationship as a result of their exposure to consistent Bible Study. The Researcher thus created an intervention study using the Attachment to God Inventory to measure the level of attachment of the adolescent learners to God in the school. The study did show that there was an attachment relationship between the learners and God. The study also showed that as a result of their consistent exposure to Bible study, there was a shift to a closer attachment to God. The level of the shift was minimal but statistically significant at a low level of confidence. The study then offered ministry recommendations. </p><p>

abstract: This dissertation explores youth community involvement in a geographically defined urban community in the United States. The research approach was qualitative, naturalistic, and ethnographic, and utilized grounded theory analysis. The study included fifty-six participants. In focus groups and interviews with youth and adults as well as with a group of youth and adults working on events in the community (hereby called the “Active Youth Group” or AYG), the characteristics of the community were discussed. Furthermore, the study inquired about the nature of youth adult-interactions. In this context, the categories “family” and “leadership” emerged. The study highlights the importance of family in the lives of residents of the community. Furthermore, the study contributes to the literature about youth adult-partnerships (Camino, 2000; Camino & Zeldin, 2002a; Jones, 2004; Lofquist, 1989) by exploring the dynamics between youth-led and adult-led community work. It discusses some of the factors that may influence whether the youth or the adults are in charge of various components of a youth development program. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Community Resources and Development 2016

abstract: ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to investigate several factors associated with cyberbullying and its victims; gender, age, and the time spent using various forms of computer-mediated communication (CMC). Because cross-national studies are so important to understanding the similarities and differences found in this global problem, the current study explored the connection between traditional bullying and cyberbullying in middle school students in both the United States (N = 111) and Germany (N = 279). Participants ranged in age from 12 to 15 years and were administered self-report questionnaires during the regular school day. It was predicted that German students would have higher mean rates of CMC use; Americans would have higher mean rates of participation in and being victims of cyberbullying; there would be no mean differences in American and German student outcomes as either victims or perpetrators of traditional bullying. Results indicated that German students did use CMC more often than American students did, but Americans used certain forms of CMC more often, such as texting, IM and email. Contrary to expectations, Germans were more likely to participate in cyber and traditional bullying behavior. Americans did have a greater number of victims compared to perpetrators for both traditional and cyberbullying behavior. Additional results found that the American sample had a pattern of decreasing then increasing behavior as student age increased, across participation in all forms of bullying behavior, and participation rates often depended on the age of the students involved. Future research suggestions might focus on the importance of distinguishing the varying thought processes that define cyberbullying within a culture, specifically within our own culture. Additional research might also address how online communities and their inherent social norms and interactions, may inadvertently contribute to increasing cyberbullying and victimization of others outside of those groups and communities. Finally, due to the constant updating and improvement of social media, a follow- up study utilizing updated online applications would add considerably to the current knowledge base. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Psychology 2017

<p>The students in the US are positioned in the middle among the nations on the international tests of academic achievement. This moderate achievement is a matter of great concern as it reflects the output of the US education system, as well as the input, in terms of human resource, available to the market. One way of probing this moderate achievement is its comparison with the achievement of students from the top-performing countries. Much of this comparative research lacks a fully-developed, systematic, and theoretical explanation of causes, notably ignoring the influence of culture on achievement. It is within this context that the present study was conducted. Taking a relativist position, I compared the middle school students in the US with those in the top-performing countries in East Asia by engaging a theoretical framework comprising motivation, self-concept, and culture. I used Eccles and Wigfield?s model of expectancy-value theory of achievement motivation (Eccles, 1983, Eccles & Wigfield, 2002), Marsh?s internal/external frame of reference for self-concept (1986), and Triandis? (1995) individualism/collectivism constructs of culture to find an explanation of the identified achievement gap. I used a subset of TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) 2015 data of 36,115 middle school students in Chinese Taipei (Taiwan), Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and the US. One-Way ANOVA test and structural equation modeling were used to look into peer achievement, science achievement, math self-concept, intrinsic value and utility value of math and their influence on math achievement of students from two cultural groups. The results inform that in the US, peer achievement links differently to self-concept and intrinsic value; self-concept and utility value have high mean values; and they associate to achievement weakly or negatively. Thus, middle school students in the US do not believe in competition with peers; their perceptions about themselves and about the usefulness of the domain are inflated; and who value math more, score low on math achievement test. These student characteristics contribute to the moderate math achievement of students in the US.