Students at the college level need good instruction and active learning has been shown to improve student retention and learning. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Faculty Institution (STEMFI) aims to assist faculty in implementing active learning in the classroom. This qualitative case study sought to understand faculty perspectives two years after completion of STEMFI in the areas of active learning implementation, methodology and student attitudes and impact. Data collected reported that the faculty participants still use active learning strategies in their classrooms two years after exiting the STEMFI program. The faculty also felt the need for a refresher course and felt that overall students respond well to active learning techniques. Faculty suggested a few improvements to STEMFI involving scheduling and the relevance of workshops and seminars. Overall, faculty were pleased with STEMFI and it was encouraging that faculty still use certain techniques taught during the program which can engage students as well as improve student retention and learning. With the suggestion from the faculty to have a refresher course, it would be advantageous to narrow down where the STEMFI program has been the most effective so that refresher courses could be designed as well as similar programs instituted in other departments, colleges, or at other universities. Although this professional learning program is focused on STEM faculty, it would be important for a university to consider how the main tenants of this program could also be used with faculty in other disciplines. This could provide needed and important knowledge for faculty in humanities, arts, education, and business to make changes in their classroom practice as well as additional avenues of research.

Schools face the problem of recruiting and retaining students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) degrees. One reason that students leave STEM fields is because their introductory classes are too hard or not engaging. These introductory classes are typically taught using a lecture-heavy, instructor-centered approach, contrary to current evidence based pedagogy. Many who call for teacher reform put the blame on the way teachers are educated, which is often not student-centered, citing that because ‘teachers teach the way they were taught,’ current education is also not student-centered. The idea that ‘teachers teach the way they were taught’ is commonly used to promote an agenda for improved teaching training and accepted as fact in the scientific literature. However, little empirical data has been collected to support this conclusion. We aimed first to determine empirically if teachers teach the way they were taught, and second to determine the influences behind teaching practices. We observed, surveyed, and interviewed a sample of 44 instructors at seven colleges and universities throughout the state of Utah who taught select STEM introductory courses. Instruments used included observational, survey, and interview protocols developed specifically for this study during preliminary trials, and inspired by the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP). A paired t-test was used to compare the professors’ teaching practices with their own educational experiences. Interview responses were then grouped into common categories and used to determine the influences behind teaching practices. We discovered that there is a significant difference between how teachers teach and how they were taught during their own educational experience. This finding does not support our hypothesis that teachers teach the way they were taught. Qualitative data from interviews introduces a new hypothesis that teachers teach the way they themselves preferred to be taught, or the way they think students learn best, demonstrating that teachers are taking a much more metacognitive approach to teaching than is suggested by that famous quote, ‘teachers teach the way they were taught.’ Our results suggest that reform classes and workshops develop a more metacognitive approach to exposing future teachers to current, evidence based pedagogy, allowing teachers to reflect on their own learning and experience for themselves the benefits of student-centered learning. These future teachers will then apply what they learn if they are convinced it is a better way to teach students. They will teach the way they were taught because they experienced a positive experience when leaning.

This dissertation argues for the importance of prioritizing the student experience in music theory discourse, both in teaching practice and content. To achieve this, a student centered curriculum and methodology are proposed, using learning objectives that align with student experiences. The concept of music literacy is defined as the sum of undergraduate music theory experience. Bloom's Taxonomy is proposed as a means of delivery to ensure a student centered experience. The methodology and curriculum are based on the principles of student centered learning with an emphasis on personalized instruction and collaborative learning. The use of Bloom's Taxonomy as a framework for instruction and assessment ensures that learning objectives are aligned with student experiences. This approach aims to promote student success, enhance the relevancy of undergraduate music theory for contemporary students, and facilitate interdisciplinary learning from cognate disciplines. The dissertation concludes by highlighting the importance of prioritizing the student experience in music theory discourse and suggests further research to explore the potential of student centered learning in music theory education. / Music Theory

This qualitative study followed the classroom practices of a second grade teacher across the course of a school year. Data collection methods used included interviews, fieldnotes, observations, various site artifacts and photographs. Informants were the classroom teacher, thirteen second grade students, the building principal, and several colleagues, family members and friends identified by the teacher. The study used literature in the fields of critical pedagogy and democratic educational practice to interpret the teacher's work. Analysis suggested that the second grade class group evolved toward a sense of democratic community as the teacher: 1) provided the foundations of relationship, high expectations and belief in her students; 2) created classroom structures that supported the growth of moral intelligence amongst class members; and 3) extended opportunities for students to regularly contribute to and actively participate in class experiences. Findings suggest that a sense of democratic community can not be quickly or easily realized. As this teacher sought to foster its development through building foundations, creating support structures and extending opportunities to her students, she experienced unpredictability, risk and struggle. Significantly, however, she perceived her daily struggles as opportunities to reflectively reconsider her teaching practices. As she continually assessed and refined her practices, she and her students grew as a mutually supportive community. / Ph. D.

The integration of student-centered learning (SCL) practices in higher education, particularly in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields, is essential for addressing persistent challenges such as high failure rates among underrepresented groups. Institutions of Higher Education are increasingly emphasizing evidence-based, student-centered instruction, leading to the development of PD programs aimed at promoting instructors' adoption and integration of SCL practices, particularly in STEM. However, faculty resistance remains a challenge. Traditional PD approaches often focus on short-term outcomes without considering long-term instructor persistence or the contextual complexities of SCL integration. This dissertation research addresses these gaps by examining STEM instructors' role identities before, during, and after participating in SCL PD programs, using the Dynamic Systems Model of Role Identity (DSMRI) (Kaplan and Garner, 2017) to analyze development in identity formation. The study highlights the diverse ways participants integrate SCL into their role identities and the complex interplay between role identities, situational and contextual pressures, and instructional practices. The findings highlighted two emergent theoretical dimensions that characterized the different STEM instructors’ incorporation of SCL into their role identities: Scope of Identity and Degree of Identity Integration. Differences in Scope of Identity and Degree of Identity Integration framed the different long term implementations of SCL by the different participants and provided an initial theoretical framework to conceptualize and evaluate long-term instructor change processes post-PD. A thematic analysis also highlighted how contextual/situational factors framed participant negotiation of departmental and institutional pressures and included institutional policies and procedures, coordinated courses and student achievement gaps. Emergent role identity elements of self-perceived fallibility and sense of community building were central to the successful identity negotiation of situational pressures around implementing SCL. Implications for theory, PD practice, and university policy are discussed, emphasizing the need for continued support, collaboration, PD design that promotes identity exploration, and understanding of the systemic influences shaping SCL integration in STEM. Future research should further explore the role of institutional and departmental culture in SCL integration, leveraging frameworks like the DSMRI to deepen our understanding of identity formation and SCL integration among instructors across disciplines and institutions. Additionally, collaborative efforts between university administration, course structuring, and instructional goals are essential to aligning institutional priorities with SCL implementation strategies, ensuring better student engagement, increased student success, and enhanced retention particularly for underrepresented students in STEM. / Educational Psychology

The Boyer Commission report (1998) argued that normative educational approaches to higher education deprive undergraduates of opportunities for substantial intellectual engagement and rely too heavily on ‘knowledge transfer’ as the principal mode of teaching. In response, they advocated for the use of inquiry-based methods to foster intellectual stimulation and excitement for learning and discovery, and remove barriers to interdisciplinarity (1998). A central challenge in the development of interdisciplinary educational enterprises, such as the adoption of an inquiry-based approach, is the cultivation of a shared vision across disciplines with different norms of discourse, epistemology, and pedagogy (Mahony, 2003). Using semi-structured interviews and qualitative thematic analysis, we examined how inquiry-based pedagogy is understood by faculty members from established undergraduate programs at McMaster University as well as those involved in the development of a new interdisciplinary program employing inquiry-based approaches. The key questions addressed in this study are: How do faculty members from different disciplines understand inquiry-based pedagogy, and what factors are associated with long-term sustainability of inquiry-based curricula in higher education? Four key themes were identified in this analysis including 1) guiding tenets of inquiry-based learning, 2) inquiry environment, 3) inquiry as a programmatic ethos, and 4) inquiry as subversion/resistance. From this analysis, this research was able to articulate instructors’ understanding of inquiry-based pedagogy, discussing common themes and challenges, highlighting the connections to critical pedagogy, and identifying factors such as curricular design, collaboration among staff and support from administration that have contributed to the sustainability of this approach at McMaster University / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Increasing underrepresented minority youth (URMY) engagement in STEM education remains at the forefront of our Nation's educational battle. The aim of this study was to create, implement, and evaluate the impact of innovative food science and technology (FST) lesson plans on URMY engagement in, and attitudes towards science, and their awareness of the field of FST. The 2011 United States census recalls that URMY make up only 13.3% of the STEM workforce. This study identifies URMY as individuals representing one or more of the following demographics: Low income, African American, Latino(a) American, and Indian American. Eight 5th-6th grade youth participated in a seven-week program, The Enliven Program (TEP), which is a STEM education program created for the purpose of this. The Enliven Program focuses on youth engagement in science learning through the implementation of a FST curriculum. The lessons delivered in TEP utilized the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) 5E instructional model as its foundation. This model focuses on five phases of student centered learning: engagement, exploration, explanation, elaboration, and evaluation. Data was collected using a fixed-mixed methods design. A qual-quan approach was employed to measure youths' positive behavioral and cognitive engagement in science learning. Measures of positive behavioral and cognitive engagement demonstrated that youth were positively behaviorally and cognitively engaged in the science learning activities. Furthermore, relationship building played an instrumental role in maintaining youth participants' positive attitudes towards and engagement in TEP activities. The results display an overall increase in youth's desire to do science and self-concept in science. / Master of Science in Life Sciences / The aim of this interdisciplinary study was to create innovative teaching methods, based on existing food science and technology (FST) curricula, with a broader goal of increasing engagement in science among underrepresented minority youth (URMY). In this study, the sample of URMY were individuals, in the 5^th-6^th grade, representing one or more of the following demographics: Low income, African American, Latino(a) American, American Indian. Eight youth participated in a seven-week program, The Enliven Program (TEP), a STEM education program, which focused on implementing engaging science activities, with the purpose being to examine engagement of youth in science learning. This program utilized the Biological Science Curriculum Study (BSCS) 5E educational model as its foundation, forming each lesson using a 5E lesson plan template. This model focuses on five phases of student centered learning: engagement, exploration, explanation, elaboration, and evaluation. Each lesson focused on the implementation of FST curriculum through the use of food and culinary arts techniques. In TEP, youth also had the opportunity to interact with professionals in the field of food science and technology. Measures of positive behavioral and cognitive engagement demonstrated that youth were positively behaviorally and cognitively engaged in the science learning activities. Furthermore, building rapport and a relationship with youth as a group, and on an individual level, was essential in maintaining youth participants’ positive attitudes towards and engagement in TEP activities. Results reveal an overall increase in youth’s desire to do science and self-concept in science.

This project investigated the problem of how to enable a student-centered environment in reading instruction through effectively incorporating meaningful web-based technology into the community college reading curriculum. Three multimedia strategies were tested to promote individual and collaborative meaning making: ePortfolios, eJournals, and the Class Know-It-All. The success of these strategies was measured against that of a previous course with identical materials and resources with the exception of multimedia integration.

As past research has found benefits of outdoor education and the current global society is facing a decline in access to beneficial natural spaces due to urbanization (Keniger, Gaston, Irvine & Fuller 2013), the aim of this master thesis research project was to explore the idea of an Outdoor Primary School, a way to provide children the access to beneficial natural spaces. In order to explore this idea, Professional Outdoor Educators (n= 61) were interviewed and asked to fill out a survey about the following aspects: outdoor and indoor spaces, learning activities, curriculum and challenges related to an Outdoor Primary School. There was a wide range of results showing that an Outdoor Primary School is a way to incorporate beneficial ways of learning, such as project-based learning, experience-based and practical learning, social learning, play and student-centered learning in formal schooling. Including learning content and activities that can aid children’s development such as food, animals and sustainability is also possible in an Outdoor Primary School as shown below. Furthermore, an Outdoor Primary School is an institution that can be equipped with beneficial learning environments, such as natural environments, a vast space, spaces for cooking, growing food and keeping animals, quiet zones, play zones and opportunities for creating, building and crafts. These results go in line with previous research about Outdoor Education and related fields, suggesting that an Outdoor Primary School both holds challenges but also is a possible model to bring together many beneficial ways of learning that are already being practiced today.

The purpose of the current outcome study was to determine the impact of Student Success Skills (SSS) classroom guidance lessons on the Academic Behaviors (motivation, social engagement, self-regulation) and Key Learning Skills and Techniques associated with college-career readiness (CCR) indicators for Grade 5 students (ACT, 2008a; Brigman & Webb, 2012; Conley, 2010; Robbins, Allen, Casillas, Peterson, & Le, 2006). School counselors in the treatment schools were trained in the implementation of the SSS classroom program and subsequently taught the material to Grade 5 students. Comparison school counselors conducted business as usual. The study applied a quasi-experimental pre/post1/post2 design utilizing student self-report instruments (Student Engagement in School Success Skills Survey [SESSS], Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire [MSLQ]), and a teacher survey instrument (Student Participation Questionnaire [SPQ]). / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015 / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection