M.Ed. (Education Management) / The purpose of the study is to investigate the origin and function of informal personnel groups in the school and the identification of the opinion leaders. During the investigation special attention has been given to the role of the opinion leader in the informal group as well as how the opinion leader may be guided by the school principal towards meaningful involvement. Information has been obtained mainly through the study of literature and such information has been interpreted, evaluated and explained. This study led to conclusions and recommendations. Much of a principal's time is taken up by his involvement with a group of people the school personnel. The school personnel as a group consists of two other groups - formal groups and informal groups. Formal groups are formed consciously or intentionally to realise the objectives of the school, while informal groups are created spontaneously. Informal groups institution, as positive, that manner. have an important influence on the school or such groups may act towards Goal-realisation in a is supportive, or negative, that is non-supportive It is apparent that the principal determines to a great extent whether the informal groups of the school personnel are to be positive factors with regard to formal objectives. Informal groups may be a great advantage provided the principal understands how such groups originate and function.

This quasi-experimental, concurrent mixed methods study investigated whether less-proficient readers in seventh-grade language arts classes using the Reading VITALS supplemental curricular intervention exhibited improved reading comprehension. VITALS is an acronym for Visualizing, Interacting, and Thinking while Applying Literacy Strategies. VITALS used a balanced approach of explicit reading instruction and collaborative classroom discussions in which the teacher shifted to the role of facilitator and students became the constructors of knowledge. Participants included students of varying achievement levels, including a large percentage of minority students as well as those labeled economically disadvantaged. Tested in two seventh-grade language arts classes taught by the same teacher, the full intervention consisted of nine, forty-five minute lessons that introduced students to five levels of comprehension and stressed three key reading strategies: visualizing, questioning, and summarizing. The Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) protocol acted as a tool to engage students in discussions of scaffolded texts. Because VITALS had two major components, reading strategy instruction and class discussions of scaffolded texts, two additional intervention strands, focusing on only one of the components, were tested, as well as a Comparison group. Ten of eleven quantitative outcome measures focused on differences in change scores for different reading measures across the intervention and comparison groups. The first four quantitative outcome measurements were classroom measures assessing students' reading of an image and students' reading of a poem for the entire sample of students and specifically, the less-proficient readers. This allowed for analyses of the overall effects of the interventions as well as disaggregated results focusing on the lower readers. The next six quantitative outcome measurements were Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) - Reading Sunshine State Standard (SSS) measures. Using the same strategy of overall effect of entire sample and then disaggregated effects for less-proficient readers, students' reading comprehension was assessed on three different FCAT Content Cluster measures: main idea and author's purpose, comparisons and cause/effect, and reference and research. The last quantitative outcome measurement focused on differences in learning gains for less-proficient readers' on the FCAT SSS across intervention and comparison groups. An additional question, using the qualitative phenomenological approach, complemented the test of the VITALS intervention by exploring students' perspectives of participating in the intervention. Using a maximum variation sampling, six key informants were identified and their perspectives analyzed across data sources, especially student reflections and transcripts from the focus group interview. Descriptive analyses, Repeated Measures MANCOVA, One-way ANOVA, post hoc analyses, and Chi Square tests revealed three important findings. First, the students participating in the full Reading VITALS curriculum evidenced significant growth (p < 0.05) on both classroom measures: reading an image and reading a poem when compared to students in the comparison group. Second, this significant difference on both classroom measures was true for less-proficient readers as well as proficient readers when compared to students of similar proficiency in the comparison group. Results suggested that Reading VITALS might be an effective curricular intervention in classrooms where less-proficient students are homogeneously grouped as well as in classrooms where students are heterogeneously grouped, as the proficient readers' performance was not negatively impacted by the intervention. Third, regardless of their proficiency level, students in the Reading VITALS curriculum did not perform significantly better on any of the FCAT Reading SSS measures. In terms of students' perceptions of the value of participating in the Reading VITALS curriculum, three findings emerged. The first was less-proficient students viewed learning as a process whereas proficient readers viewed learning as a product. A second finding that emerged was less-proficient readers situated learning in the social context whereas proficient readers situated learning in within the personal realm. A third finding was less-proficient readers were willing to take risks in responding throughout the lesson whereas proficient readers demonstrated a resistance acknowledging the fear of being incorrect. Implications included the impact educational policy structures have on students' literacy identities, ability tracking, and remedial curricula; the need for curricular reform, which calls for paradigmatic shifts in focus from individuals to contexts and from deficit to enrichment; and the support necessary to make such philosophical and pedagogical shifts. / A Dissertation submitted to the School of Teacher Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2010. / February 23, 2010. / Visual Literacy, Middle Grades, Reading Comprehension, Literacy Instruction, Reading Instruction / Includes bibliographical references. / Susan Nelson-Wood, Professor Directing Dissertation; Judith L. Irvin, University Representative; Pamela Sissi Carroll, Committee Member; Diana C. Rice, Committee Member; Stacey Rutledge, Committee Member; Kathleen Blake Yancey, Committee Member.

Supervision is interpreted in various ways by teacher principals as a result of the differences in their background training, and experience. Some realize that good supervisory activities involve the stimulation of professional growth; others give a sigh of relief at the end of their teaching day and have little time for supervisory activities; and still, other teacher-principals look upon the goal of supervision as a perpetuation of their personal teaching blueprints. This diversity of interpretation is in itself evidence of need for a better understanding of the true supervisory obligations of the teacher-principal. It is the function of good supervision to be concerned with the efforts of all persons who help children to grow in educational stature. It is further the obligation of the teacher-principal to provide good supervision in addition to his classroom teaching. Accordingly, it is desirable to isolate, examine and evaluate common supervisory activities of the teacher-principal.

The aspect of supervision that is particularly challenging to me is the problem of the present day. Our curricula have been so constructed, interpreted and planned that a high degree of integration and correlation should result, both vertically and horizontally. To realize these aims, teachers must have a great many conferences, both in groups and individually with the supervisor, who is usually the principle of the school The conferences are needed not only to discuss the possibilities of integration and correlation, but to teach many of the teachers methods, objectives, devices, and projects for teaching the modern courses of studies most effectively. No conscientious, wide awake principles, who is forced back into the classroom routine, is willing to fold his hands and try to shun the responsibilities of helping his teachers with their ever increasing teaching load and problems. It is, therefore, very evident that there is an increasing need for a supervisor to help his teachers, and, since the time of many principles is taken up in part or entirely with classroom teaching, there is only one way to solve the problem. Certainly the answer is a new technique of supervision, which can be administered without class visitations by the principal; and which will require the minimum of the teachers' and principal's time. Certainly the answer is a new technique of supervision, which can be administered without class visitations by the principal; and which will require the minimum of the teachers' and principal's time. This problem is of such paramount importance to public education I have prepared the following thesis concerning it and I have endeavored to show how supervision can be carried on by the conference method, as is the practice in the school of which I am principal and three-fourths' time teacher. This thesis is a relatively personal report, it is based on actual experiences in most cases. Naturally, marks of identification have been substituted to make the thesis as impersonal as possible. The purpose of the author is to give the reader definite principles, ideas and constructive examples of how supervision can be conducted to a creditable degree of success, by the conference method. Real or likely discussions have been used to make the thesis ring true and be practical. The ideas should be of greater use to the reader, because of their purely theoretical nature.

Understanding science teachers' beliefs is important for science teacher educators, because such understanding is a prerequisite for promoting change within the framework of educational reform. The worldview model developed by Graves (1981) and Beck and Cowan (1996) provides a holistic approach to understanding teachers' beliefs and values and it also provides a framework for understanding how people's worldviews change. In this study, worldviews of four science teachers were investigated within the framework of Beck and Cowan's model. Two of these teachers were high school science teachers, while the other two were middle school science teachers. One of the teachers held National Board of Professional Teaching Certification and she had18 years of teaching experience. Another teacher was a relatively new teacher with three years of teaching experience. The third teacher had nine years of teaching experience, but when this study was conducted, it was her first year of teaching science. The other teacher had 26 years of experience with certification in all science areas. During this study, interpretative qualitative methods of data collection and analysis were used which included interviews, observations, and the use of a survey developed by Beck and Cowan (2000) called the Values Test. The results show that differing values and experiences among science teachers leads to different strategies for making sense of science teaching. The assertion that the worldview perspective provided by Beck and Cowan is a useful tool in understanding teachers' beliefs and values is made in the conclusions. Teacher educators can utilize this tool in research about teacher beliefs, in promoting change for reform, or in developing curriculum for teacher education programs. Teachers can utilize it in self-reflective practices to better understand their own beliefs, their context, and their students and ultimately improve the teaching and learning process they engage in. / A Dissertation Submitted to the Department of Middle and Secondary Education in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2004. / April 27, 2004. / Teacher Education, Teacher Beliefs, Worldview, Science Education, Interperative Qualitative, Educational Reform / Includes bibliographical references. / Nancy T. Davis, Professor Directing Dissertation; Kenneth A. Goldsby, Outside Committee Member; Penny J. Gilmer, Committee Member; Karen Monkman, Committee Member.

Contrary to the norm in developed countries where teachers pursue undergraduate degrees and professional certification before they are employed, many teachers in Belize are employed as high school or junior college graduates and they often teach for several years before entering formal teacher preparation programs. Although there are no formal structures that provide professional support to these teachers in those early years, they undoubtedly develop a repertoire of knowledge, skills and beliefs about teaching and learning from on-the-job-experience and from resources available in their schools. While some of the knowledge they hold may be grounded in educational theories and practices, these teachers are not always aware of that fact. On the other hand, lack of professional training and support may lead to the development and use of inappropriate teaching and classroom management strategies and preconceptions and misconceptions about teaching and learning. This study examines the role that these teachers' early teaching experiences play in the development of a knowledge-base for teaching and their identities as teachers. The study also investigates whether instructors value and use students' prior knowledge in the development and delivery of their courses. I use constructivism as a learning theory (Fosnot, 2005), Beach's (1999) notion of consequential transitions, and Wenger's (1998) theory of identity development as a framework for conducting the investigation. Data were gathered over three months between November 2006 and March 2007 from two one-hour interviews with 14 pre- and in-service student-teachers and four instructors, and from three to four classroom observations in nine courses. Findings are presented following four major themes: early teaching experience and its influences on modality of learning; context as a frame of reference for learning; early learning and its influence on confidence, competence and identity; and instructors' use of students' early experience in the program. / A Dissertation Submitted to the the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2008. / May 21, 2008. / Identity Formation, Prior Beliefs, Prior Learning, Teacher Preparation, Early Experience / Includes bibliographical references. / Patrice Iatarola, Professor Directing Dissertation; Betsy J. Becker, Outside Committee Member; King Beach, Committee Member; Gary Crow, Committee Member; Douglas Harris, Committee Member.

This action-research study was designed to determine the impact of the interactive electronic whiteboard in middle school mathematics. The researcher taught two seventh grade mathematics classes during a unit on transformations. The control class had access to the use of the interactive electronic whiteboard while the experimental class was taught without the use of the board. The sole independent variable was the use of the interactive electronic whiteboard (and lack of its use) in each class. Pre and post tests were given to measure the students' change in visualization skills and content knowledge over the course of the instruction. Interviews with students were conducted to investigate the nature of the interactive whiteboard and its impact on student attitudes towards technology and student attitudes towards the teaching and learning of mathematics. The research showed no statistically significant difference in content learning or visualization gains, while student motivation and interest in their mathematics class increased. / A Thesis Submitted to the Department of Middle and Secondary Education in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science. / Summer Semester, 2004. / June 21, 2004. / Interactive Electronic Whiteboard, Smartboard / Includes bibliographical references. / Elizabeth Jakubowski, Professor Directing Thesis; Leslie Aspinwall, Committee Member; Matthew Clark, Committee Member.

After the publication of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS) results, where Singapore has consistently placed number one, educators began asking why American students were not performing as well as their counterparts. This qualitative case study consisted of four secondary students, two American and two Singaporean, living in Singapore. The usage of qualitative study allowed an in depth investigation as to what the students are actually doing while completing mathematical tasks. The research investigated the strategies and thought processes of students while performing mathematics problem solving tasks, as one way to measure the differences in the student's performance. During the task-based interviews students completed twelve problem solving tasks while thinking aloud. After completion of the problem solving tasks the students completed a metacognition survey and participated in a short interview conducted by the researcher. The study was completed in order to answer the following research questions: What strategies do 12th grade American and Singaporean students use when working on mathematics problem solving tasks? and What mediates success on mathematics problem solving tasks? Using the frameworks of Polya (1957) and Schoenfeld (1985) the researcher was able to conclude that strategies alone will not mediate success when completing problem solving tasks, there are other mediating factors. The American and Singaporean students both demonstrated two similar factors when completing the problems solving tasks. The American students had three separate factors which also contributed to them not gaining completely correct results. This study demonstrated that students are most successful when they use Polya's (1957) four stages of problem solving and Schoenfeld's (1985) six characteristics of being a good problem solver. / A Dissertation Submitted to the Department of Middle and Secondary Education in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2006. / June 13, 2006. / Problem Solving, Singapore Mathematics, Secondary Mathematics, Metacognition / Includes bibliographical references. / Leslie Aspinwall, Professor Directing Dissertation; Alec Kercheval, Outside Committee Member; Maria Fernandez, Committee Member; Stacey Rutledge, Committee Member.

The purpose of this study was to provide a better understanding of the effect of cultural dislocation on adult learning and to throw new light on the ways in which self-directed learning behaviors vary cross-culturally. The topic was investigated through a mixed-method research design that entailed, in a first and principally quantitative phase of study, developing and administering a survey of learning behaviors with a sample of wives of international students at Florida State University–and, in a second qualitative phase, conducting in-depth focus group discussions with a subset of the same subjects on topics arising from the results of the questionnaire. Member checks with focus-group discussion members enabled the researcher to further validate and deepen the insights derived from the qualitative phase of the study. Analysis of the two types of data made it possible to triangulate on a first set of answers to the research questions of the study. The wives surveyed came from twelve different countries ranging from East Asia to the Middle East and the former Soviet Union. Analysis of the quantitative data revealed that intensity of learning behaviors and type of learning activity undertaken varied considerably within the sample of international student wives, though–as the existing literature on adult learning would suggest–they were most pronounced among the younger and better educated women and among those with greatest English proficiency. Religious and cultural differences also accounted for a good deal of the variability. Results of the focus group discussions and follow-up interviews confirmed that many of those not officially pursuing formal schooling were nonetheless concerned with their own education and had found ingenious ways to continue learning. Meeting in friends' houses in connection with religious and cultural events provided one prominent venue for learning. Women in general and those from non-Western cultures in particular seem to place strong emphasis on learning through relationships with others both within and without their cultural communities. The study concludes with some recommendations for further study and for more effective support of the learning ambitions of international students' wives. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2005. / November 23, 2004. / Adult Learning, International Students, Self-Directed Learning, Adult Education, Wives Of Foreign Students, Wives Of International Students, Tallahassee, Foreign Students, Florida State University, International, Wife / Includes bibliographical references. / Peter B. Easton, Professor Directing Dissertation; Barbara C. Palmer, Outside Committee Member; Emanuel Israel Shargel, 1936-, Committee Member; John A. Sample, Committee Member.

William G. Brown was one of few black state education superintendents nationwide during Reconstruction, and the first in Louisiana. The study examines the significance of William G. Brown and his administration in relation to the educational development of Louisiana and relevant social and political issues of the day. The manuscript initially addresses the pre-Civil War educational development of Louisiana and early, available information on Brown. The profound social, political, and economic changes precipitated by the Civil War and Reconstruction also had educational corollaries. Mixed (integrated) schooling, one of the most controversial measures in post-Civil War Louisiana transcended education to become one of the defining issues of Reconstruction. During his tenure, Superintendent Brown's integrity, leadership, and skill in navigating such matters earned him the respect of many. In an effort to gain greater insight into Brown's personality, this study follows the course of Brown's career immediately before and after the superintendency. Important factors such as Brown's philosophy of education and administrative style are also considered in assessing the overall effectiveness of Brown's educational leadership. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester, 2006. / October 20, 2006. / Reconstruction--Educational Development in LA., African-American Educational History, History and Politics of Education--Louisiana / Includes bibliographical references. / Joe M. Richardson, Professor Directing Dissertation; Patrick L. Mason, Outside Committee Member; Maxine D. Jones, Committee Member; Neil B. Betten, Committee Member; Peter P. Garretson, Committee Member.