Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 158-160).

Thesis (M.Med.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2004. / Also available in print.

This mixed-method study examined the effects of the use of the Vocabulary Think Chart in seventh-grade science students’ understanding of scientific vocabulary. Participants included 89 students who attended the only three regular Earth Science classes in the study site. Participants were assigned to the treatment and comparison group according to the teachers’ wish on how they wanted to participate in the study. The experimental group received one week long preparation on the use of the Vocabulary Think Chart, followed by five weeks of using the strategy independently. Results of the study did not show a significant change on students’ scientific vocabulary understanding and raised questions about vocabulary instruction in science classes. Discussion of the results revolves around the Treatment Teacher’s influence in the study, time of intervention, and number of participants.

No description available.

No description available.

The multi-case analysis utilized in this study describes how specially-designed instruction is being used to ensure that secondary students with disabilities have access to the general curriculum and are participating and progressing within it. Bronfenbrenner's (1976) systemic model that presents interacting sub-systems in a series of nested educational environments was used as a guide for exploration. Case study schools included two high schools that serve partially suburban and partially rural communities within one school district. Review of documents, observations, and interviews were used to triangulate the data. Evolving display matrices were used to analyze the data. The matrix displays evolved as authentic categories emerged from within each case and across the two cases, and from within each level and across the four levels of the educational environment. To note differences, the data from two case schools as well as from the four educational environments were compared and contrasted. The consistent patterns of practice found at all levels of the educational environment included: (a) identifying and implementing accommodations and modifications needed for students with disabilities, (b) initiating special education and regular education collaboration activities, (c) monitoring student learning, (d) examining placement, and (e) providing professional development training. The findings from this study also revealed that the origin of the patterns of practice began at the macro-system level, or at the state department of education. It was found that the state policy context addressing the federal mandate is built on the vision of enabling students with disabilities to access the general curriculum. In addition, it was determined that the strategies to meet this vision are designed around the provision and implementation of state regulations, state professional development training, and state accountability measures. The conclusions suggest that the patterns of practice throughout the total high school environment of District A are initiated through state regulations, state professional development training, and state accountability measures, and support the participation and progress within the general education curriculum of secondary students with disabilities. A pattern of concern related to cluster grouping of inclusion students in secondary classrooms and their opportunities for genuine access to the general curriculum was noted. / Ed. D.

This study examined the effects of a learning environment (embodying many of De Corte et al.’s, (2004) CLIA-model components) on secondary students’ mathematical beliefs. Such mathematical beliefs have been of interest to the research community due to their expected impact on students’ willingness to engage in mathematical problem-solving. This research adopted an action research methodology using a quasi-experimental sequential explanatory mixed methods design. Data was collected using the Mathematics Related Beliefs Questionnaire (MRBQ) and a number of focus groups and individual interviews were undertaken. The sample selected (age 13-14) was from a population of convenience. There was one treatment class (N=22) and three control classes (N=45). The classroom intervention was of six months duration and was carried out by the researcher teacher in a secondary community school. Findings revealed no significant positive effects on students’ beliefs from the new learning environment about the teacher’s role in the classroom, their personal competence and the relevance to their lives and mathematics as an inaccessible subject. A more negative outcome for the fourth factor of the MRBQ scale, ‘mathematics as an inaccessible subject’, resulted for all participants (experimental and control combined) with a moderate effect of eta2=0.09. Findings from the qualitative data indicated the experimental participants found mathematics to be a difficult but useful subject. Findings, overall, revealed no significant differences between the experimental and control classes, indicating the new learning environment had not had a positive impact on the beliefs examined. Possible factors identified were the length of the intervention, the ages of participants and the socio-economic status of the majority taking part in this study. Qualitative data also indicated participants in the treatment class had found some of the activities used in the intervention to be interesting and enjoyable. Responses to the use of group work indicated participants were both willing and able to enter into communities of learners. Other results showed that participants with the highest achievement scores appeared to be the most confident learners of mathematics. Participants appeared to accept the need to have patience and perseverance when solving difficult problems but this was not translated into action in the classroom. The importance of understanding mathematics appeared to be accepted by participants. Implications for methodology, research and practice are discussed in light of these findings.

<p>Under min sista termin på lärarprogrammet har fokus bland annat legat på betyg. Vanligtvis är det politikers syn på betyg som framkommer i betygsdebatten. Syftet med min undersökning är att lyfta fram elevperspektivet i betygsdebatten. Detta ledde fram till min huvudfråga om vilken syn gymnasieelever har på betyg. För att få reda på detta ställde jag delfrågor om betygens rättvisa, betygens existens och upplevelsen av betyg. Metoden jag använde för att besvara frågorna var intervjuer med gymnasieelever på Karlbergsgymnasiet i Åmål. Resultatet av intervjuerna sammanställdes genom ad hoc-metoden, vilket innebar att jag försökte finna mönster i elevernas svar.</p><p>Det jag kom fram till i min undersökning är att majoriteten av gymnasieeleverna tycker att betygen inte är rättvisa. Men de anser att betyg behövs eftersom de fungerar som urvalsinstrument till högre studier och jobb och ger information om hur eleven ligger till. Flera elever vill ha fler betygssteg, för att betygen ska bli mer rättvisa. Vissa elever tycker betyg är dåligt för att de jämför sig med andra och får dåligt självförtroende av det. De negativa känslorna som ett dåligt betyg kan frambringa gör att vissa elever ger upp skolarbetet. Men andra elever motiveras av betyg och studerar mer på grund av dem. Detta visar på komplexiteten i fenomenet betyg. Gymnasieeleverna har både en positiv och negativ syn på betyg.</p> / <p>During my last term of teacher training the syllaby content, among other subjects, have been focused on school grades. Commonly the debate concerning school grades reflect the opinions of party politicians. The purpose of my research is to enhance the perspective of pupils´ opinions in this same debate. This very purpose brought on my main issue concerning the idea about grades among upper secondary school pupils. In order to investigate this issue I have formulated questions, put to upper secondary pupils, about the apprehension of fairness or justice in school grades, their opinion about the presence of school grades and their personal experience of them. The research method choosen to answer my questions was interview. Upper secondary pupils in a community of southern Sweden were interviewed.</p><p>The answers were analysed and structured according to the ad-hoc method, indicating that I tried to reveal patterns among the expressions given by the pupils.</p><p>The findings from my study imply that a majority of the students interviewed do consider grades to be unfair. They do think though that grades are needed as a means of selection for higher education as well as employment and that grades do inform about the level of achievement of the pupils. Several pupils in my study advocate an increased number of grade levels to promote more justice in the use of school grades. Some pupils think that grades are bad because they use to compare themselves to other schoolmates, a behaviour that tends to lower their ego. The negative feelings that may be accomplished by low grades tend to make some pupils give up school. Other students find grades motivating and grades make them study more earnestly. These answers do reveal the complexity in the issue of school grades. Upper secondary pupils do hold positive as well as negative attitudes towards school grades.</p>

Students’ perceptions of feedback can impact other writing constructs, such as motivation, self-efficacy, self-regulation, and achievement (Ekholm, Zumbrunn, & Conklin, 2015; Magno & Amarles, 2011; Zumbrunn, Marrs, & Mewborn, 2016; Zumbrunn, 2013). The goal of this study was to develop a valid and reliable instrument for measuring students’ perceptions of writing feedback. Evidence for validity and reliability were gathered throughout the development of the Student Perceptions of Writing Feedback (PoWF) Scale, a self-report questionnaire that asks students how they perceive feedback they get on their writing from their teachers. Items on the PoWF reflected the extant literature on students’ feedback perceptions. The PoWF was administered to 275 secondary students attending a suburban, mid-Atlantic high school. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) yielded a four-factor structure of students’ feedback perceptions that accounted for 55 percent of the variance. Given the important role feedback may have in improving student writing, it is important to understand students’ perceptions of writing feedback, which is a relatively new construct. This measurement study was a critical first step toward a better understanding of students’ writing feedback perceptions as well as related theoretical implications.

A researched and standards-based approach for secondary students practicing reading and writing skills Product Features: Prompts students to write grade-aligned opinion paragraphs for nonfiction and fiction Improves reading comprehension and vocabulary development Use as a complement to Teaching to Standards: English Language Arts or a stand-alone program Also available as the Access Language Arts: WRITE iPad App