xiii, 126 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / The nexus of educational reforms and rapid technological changes poses challenges for teachers in deciding why, when, and to what extent they should integrate technology into the curriculum. This exploratory study analyzed 165 middle school mathematics teachers' responses to an online survey examining their pedagogical beliefs, training, and access to technology and the use of technology by students in the classroom. Multiple linear regression was used to test three different models to predict the frequency and type of technology use by students. In addition, responses to constructed-response questions on the survey provided qualitative data to further explore this topic. Findings indicate that the best model to predict frequency of students' technology use is one that includes access to computers in the classroom and the lab, and teacher training. This model accounted for 17% of the variance in frequency of use by students, with computer lab availability being the strongest predictor. The best model of how many types of technologies teachers reported their students using was a combination of teachers' training in technology and access to computers in the lab. Together, these two variables accounted for 9% of the variance in the number of different types of technologies teachers reported using with their students. Pedagogical beliefs were a non significant variable, but teachers reported changes in their teaching due to students' use of technology, which included instructional practices that are associated with both didactic and constructivist pedagogies. Implications of this study are that technology resources need to be more accessible, and teacher training in technology should be timely and appropriate to available resources and curricular objectives. In addition, if mandated computerized testing limits students' access to computer labs, resource planning should consider alternatives so that students can meet technology literacy goals. Limitations of the study are presented and suggestions for future research are included. / Committee in charge: Gerald Tindal, Chairperson, Educational Methodology, Policy, and Leadership; Kathleen Scalise, Member, Educational Methodology, Policy, and Leadership; Joanna Goode, Member, Teacher Education; Patricia Curtin, Outside Member, Journalism and Communication

abstract: ABSTRACT While attempting to provide real world experiences in STEM, educators face numerous challenges including adhering to curriculum requirements and working with potentially limited resources. The purpose of this action research study was to examine how the addition of authentic learning modules to the existing University of Arizona Middle School Engineering 101 (UA MS engineering 101) unit on energy efficiency can provide students with real world experiences as active participants. During an instructional workshop, participating teachers were introduced to strategies they use in their classroom so students could engage with individuals from both inside and outside of the school to create solutions for energy issues the students have identified within their own schools. This study used a series of observations, interviews, and focus groups with the teacher participants to gather data in determining how and in what ways students were able to obtain real world experiences as active participants through the authentic learning modules. Because there are numerous teachers within the UA MS engineering 101 group, a future goal was to assist these additional teachers in providing this innovation to their students. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Leadership and Innovation 2016

abstract: This action research, mixed methods, case study examined middle school student perceptions of the effectiveness of Club Aspire. Club Aspire is an after-school program created to support the lowest achieving seventh and eighth graders in an Arizona K-8 school. The framework of this study comes from the theory of self-regulation, social learning theory and co-regulation. The primary focus of Club Aspire is to teach low achieving middle school students, self-regulation skills and learning strategies through goal setting, self-regulation learning strategy lessons and co-regulation activities. The study took place over 13 weeks and included 11 participants and answered the following research questions. How do middle school Elevate students perceive the impact of Club Aspire on their self-regulation and themselves as a learner? How does Club Aspire affect middle school Elevate students’ academic success? What do middle school Elevate students perceive as the most influential elements of Club Aspire? Data collection tools consisted of interviews, class work, referral data, pre- and post-questionnaire and benchmark assessment data. The study revealed that students made gains in self-regulation learning strategy usage, however, their academic achievement was not influenced. Students identified goal setting, learning self-regulation strategies and co-regulation activities with their peer partner as the most beneficial elements of Club Aspire. The study also revealed that student self-efficacy was increased throughout the semester. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Leadership and Innovation 2017

abstract: This study investigated the current state of the U.S. and Chinese urban middle school math teachers' pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for the topic of functions. A comparative, descriptive case study was employed to capture the PCK of 23 teachers in Arizona and of 28 teachers in Beijing, regarding their instructional knowledge, understanding of student thinking and curricular knowledge--three key components based on Shulman's conceptualization of PCK--related to functions. Cross-case comparisons were used to analyze the PCK of teacher groups across countries and socio-economic statuses (SES), based on the questionnaire, lesson plan, and interview data. This study finds that despite cultural differences, teachers are likely to share some commonalities with respect to their instructional decisions, understanding of student thinking and curricular knowledge. These similarities may reflect the convergence in teaching practice in the U.S. and China and the dedication the two countries make in improving math education. This study also finds the cross-country differences and cross-SES differences regarding teachers' PCK. On the one hand, the U.S. and Chinese math teachers of this study tend to diverge in valuing different forms of representations, explaining student misconceptions, and relating functions to other math topics. Teachers' own understanding of functions (and mathematics), standards, and high-stakes testing in each country significantly influence their PCK. On the other hand, teachers from the higher SES schools are more likely to show higher expectations for and stronger confidence in their students' mathematical skills compared to their counterparts from the lower SES schools. Teachers' differential beliefs in students' ability levels significantly contribute to their differences between socio-economic statuses. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2014

Doctorat en sciences psychologiques / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Despite significant growth in research examining the effects of mindfulness interventions on teachers (Roeser, 2014), studies have mainly relied on self-reports of teacher mindfulness and have not examined observable behavioral manifestations of teacher mindfulness in the classroom. Due to possible biases in self-report measures (Dotterer & Lowe, 2011), as well as the need for a greater range of assessments of the effects of mindfulness trainings on teachers, the current study sought to create a new measure of teacher mindfulness in the classroom from three sources of information: teacher self-reports of their own behavior in the classroom, student perceptions of their teachers' behavior, and third-person observations of teacher behavior in the classroom. Another aim of this study was to demonstrate the concurrent validity of these new measures with teacher dispositional mindfulness and job stress. It was hypothesized that the newly created measures of teacher mindfulness in the classroom would be internally reliable, share modest inter-correlations across data sources, and would significantly correlate with hypothesized antecedents such as teachers' dispositional mindfulness and ratings of job stress. CFA, correlation, and regression analyses found good internal consistencies for each informant source of teacher calmness, clarity, and kindness; partial support for the convergent validity of each informant source; and partial concurrent validity only for teacher reports of mindfulness in the classroom with teachers' dispositional mindfulness and job stress. Evidence of method effects was suggested from these analyses. The future use, re-configuration, and implications of this suite of measures are discussed.

In this qualitative case study, I investigated eighth-grade honors students’ and their language arts teacher’s perceptions of the support provided in writing groups, the climate in writing groups, and student and teacher support that enhanced students’ motivation to write in writing groups. Eleven study participants engaged in the inquiry, 10 middle school students and one language arts teacher. I collected data during the fall semester of 2014. Data were individual interviews, classroom observations of participants in writing groups, and program-related documents. The main aim in this investigation is to discover middle school students’ and their teacher’s perceptions of the support, climate, and motivation to write in writing groups. Five domains emerged from the data: peers working together on writing, teacher facilitation with writing, student perceptions of climate, teacher perceptions of climate, and creating a community of learners. Peers working together on writing and teacher facilitation with writing correspond to research question one: In what ways do 10 language arts middle school students and their language arts teacher support students’ writing efforts in writing groups over the course of a semester? Student perceptions of climate and teacher perceptions of climate correspond to research question two: In what ways do the language arts middle school students describe the writing climate in their writing groups over the course of a semester? Creating a community of learners corresponds to research question three: What type of teacher and student support do the language arts middle school students and their teacher think may enhance students’ motivation to write in writing groups? Discoveries show student participants believed working together on writing supported their personal writing and their teacher perceived teacher facilitation supported students’ writing efforts. Perceptions of climate in writing groups were mixed, with the majority of students describing the climate as supportive, although two students did not agreed. The teacher perceived a supportive climate in writing groups. Perceptions were also mixed regarding the support students and their teacher provided that enhanced students’ motivation to write in writing groups. Eight out of 10 students and the teacher perceived collaborative writing enhanced student motivation to write, while two students did not perceive collaboration had any effect on their writing motivation. The student participants believed peer assistance helped to enhance their motivation to write in writing groups while the teacher believed student choice in group mates might enhance student motivation to write. Writing groups may affect students’ and their teacher’s perceptions of students’ writing efforts, as working together on writing led to more positive perceptions. A lack of choice in groups and working with peers with established friendships may have implications for students’ perceptions of the group climate and motivation to write, especially when some students are allowed to choose their group and others are not. Students’ perceptions of the writing group climate play a role in their writing efforts, as students who held positive perceptions of their writing group climate had positive perceptions of the support in writing groups. Working with peers as a community is important to student motivation, as the collaborative aspect can serve as a motivator for many adolescents. This study is significant because it fills gaps in the literature about research on writing and group social environments, as well as middle level research on writing groups, and motivation, and the inclusion of student and teacher voice. This inquiry also provides teacher and student insights on the ways affective climates are created in a middle school language arts setting.

<p> Many Canadian school districts use standardized reading achievement data to support reading instruction. Over 30% of 9th-grade students in the Anglophone School District-South (ASD-S) have not met targets for the English Language Proficiency Assessment (ELPA), a graduation requirement in New Brunswick, Canada. This study compared archival reading scores of 6th-grade students from 2009-2012 with the same students&rsquo; scores in 9th-grade from 2012-2015, to determine if 6th-grade scores were a predictor of 9th-grade results. Rendering the impact illiteracy plays on society, this study applied the theoretical framework of social theory from Bourdieu&rsquo;s (1977, 1984, 1986) view of social mobility and Turner&rsquo;s (1960) view of contest mobility. A quantitative design employed a regression analysis to determine how standardized reading scores for three cohorts of students in 6th-grade between 2009-2012 compared with the reading achievement test scores as 9th-grade students in 2012-2015. A sample of 1,200 students was selected. A paired samples <i>t</i> test determined which level(s) of reading comprehension (literal, inferential, or critical) presented the most difficulties for students between 2009-2015. Results of the study concluded that 6th-grade overall reading scores were a predictor of 9th-grade overall scores and that inferential and critical levels of reading comprehension were areas of concern. These findings are intended for administrators and District leadership in ASD-S to support the implementation of an intervention year in Grades 7 and 8 to address this problem. This research promotes positive social change by identifying potential pathways for improving adolescent reading skills for New Brunswick youth.</p>

Planning of educational and guidance programs is conducted without providing a way for parents and students to express their expectations of that program and without discovering how well the parents and students understand the program which is proposed. Historically, education in Iran has been organized to allow for no involvement of the community in educational planning and change. Students and parents have had to accept the programs without expressing their attitudes toward these programs or raising questions as to their validity. A great number of students and their parents have not been satisfied with the services of the schools, and the result has been that they have lost interest in educational affairs. Consequently, they have tried to ignore all problems having to do with schools and education. The Fourth Plan Program, while introducing counseling and guidance into the school program, nevertheless does not provide for an increased amount of parent and student involvement in the decisions which directly affect them. In order to gain information about the concerns and attitudes of people at all socio-economic levels during the process of the current reforms, direct inquiry from students and parents at the middle and lower socio-economic level is needed. Therefore, it seemed appropriate to survey the extent of the knot/ledge and the attitudes of Iranian school students and their parents toward the new educational system. In addition, it appeared important to gain information about their perceptions and expectations of the role of guidance counselors in the schools.

abstract: Since the 1980s, interest in the cognitive and affective influences on teaching has initiated studies on teacher beliefs and practices. Studies of teacher beliefs in academic areas such as reading, math, social studies, and science are prolific. However, studies about the teacher beliefs and practices of music teachers are scarce. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to explore the teacher beliefs of middle school orchestra teachers and to examine how their self-reported and observed teaching practices reflect these beliefs. Based on the work of foreign language education researcher Simon Borg (2003) a conceptual framework was developed that shows the various sources of teacher beliefs and practices, including formative preservice musical experiences, inservice contextual factors, and inservice professional development. Employing a qualitative multiple case study method, six purposely-selected middle school orchestra teachers, representing a variety of experience levels and program characteristics, shared their teacher beliefs and practices. Data generation included observations, interviews, stimulated recall (think aloud teacher commentary of videotaped teaching episodes), and written reflection surveys. During analysis, six core teacher beliefs about middle school string students and how they learn were identified. These beliefs guided the teachers’ observed practices. Findings from this study illustrated that preservice formative musical experiences influenced the middle school orchestra teachers’ beliefs about the value and importance of music teaching as a career. Data from the participants revealed a wide variety of instructional practices emanating from largely similar core pedagogical beliefs. Analysis suggested that experienced teachers held more developed teacher beliefs, and they selected instructional practices carefully, where inexperienced teachers were still formulating their own beliefs and experimenting with instructional practices. Data from the study point out that contextual constraints sometimes prevent teachers from enacting their closely held beliefs. This incongruence influenced three of the six participants to change teaching positions or retire early from the education profession. The study of music teacher beliefs and practices may be of interest to preservice and inservice music teachers and music teacher educators. Future studies may explore the relationship between teacher beliefs and practices and student achievement, and contribute to string music education research. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Music Education 2019