The purpose of the research was to study graphing calculator technology access issues for high school mathematics students. The level of graphing calculator access at a school was studied in relation to the percent of students deemed eligible for free and reduced lunch (FRL), the percent of minority students, and the school enrollment. To address the research questions, two questionnaires were designed by the researcher: the Mathematics Department Chair Questionnaire and the Teacher Questionnaire. The population consisted of public school mathematics department chairs and mathematics teachers that instruct with graphing calculator technology in an 11 county region in North Florida. Out of 27 schools in the region, 17 participated for a 63% school response rate. Statistical analysis did not reveal any correlation between the ratio of students to graphing calculators at a school and the percent of students eligible for FRL, percent of minority students or school enrollment. Furthermore no correlation was evident between the three aforementioned demographic characteristics and the percent of full-time math teachers that used graphing calculators for instruction, or the percent of courses offered in which graphing calculator instruction is used. The majority of teachers, regardless of the demographics of their student population, used the graphing calculator for instruction between 0-10 times per school year. Differences in graphing calculator instructional activities by math course based on demographic characteristics of the student body were not noted. However, the data also suggested that teachers at schools serving a high minority or high FRL population may not be making use of graphing calculator technology because of lack of access to classroom sets and lack of training. Additionally, 100% of mathematics department chairs serving high minority student populations rated graphing calculator technology implementation as a low priority or not a priority at all. Moreover, no teacher from a school with a high percentage of students eligible for FRL had participated in graphing calculator training within the last five years. Future research is needed to determine whether or not there are differences in graphing calculator access for students of varying demographics within individual schools. / 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 24, 2004. / School Enrollment, Free and Reduced Lunch, Minorities, Demographics, Digital Divide, Training / Includes bibliographical references. / Elizabeth Jakubowski, Professor Directing Thesis; Alysia Roehrig, Committee Member; Maria L. Fernández, Committee Member.

This study used contemporary children's literature as a vehicle for exploring students' understanding of sensitive issues as reflected in interactions during book discussions and written work. Research has shown that ". . . children's literature can be a promising avenue for introducing important social issues in the elementary and middle school classrooms" and with authentic literature ". . . it becomes possible for children to make personal connections to characters that are different from themselves and events that are different from those in their lives" (Lewison, Leland, Flint, & Moller, 2002, pp. 216-217). The daily classroom read aloud provided the backdrop for this study. The purposes of this study were (a) to examine the nature of the interaction between teachers and students on topics of contemporary social issues during book discussions, and (b) to investigate changes in the content of students' writing concerning their views on contemporary social issues on general and personal levels. The study also examined students' views of the quality of the book discussions and determined whether students recognized the relationship between literature and their lives. Finally, this exploration took into account how teachers enabled students to identify the issues, what perspectives were heard and sustained during the book discussions, and if opportunities were established that gave all students the option to contribute to the discussions. The study took place in the natural setting of two third-grade classrooms in a school in the southeast section of the Florida Panhandle. The study team consisted of the researcher, and two graduate assistants, who were trained in the collection and coding of the data. In the course of the study, several different forms of data were collected to gain a deeper insight into study, and to give the researcher a more complete picture of the interactions between the students and the teachers, monitor the students' perceptions of the social issues, and to ascertain any changes in the content of the students' writing. The data included observations, fieldnotes, audiotapes that documented the read-aloud sessions and book discussions, and a form that coded the interactions between the teachers and students. The study used quality children's literature, A Taste of Blackberries and crossing jordan for the read alouds and follow-up book discussions. Third-grade students wrote a pre-and post-discussion essay for the two texts before the read aloud was initiated and at the completion of each book. During the read aloud, two chapters from each book were chosen as critical chapters. Students and teachers were asked to complete a reflection form immediately following that day's read aloud and book discussion. At the conclusion of the study, the students participated in a focus group, and the teachers did a self-report and interview. All of the findings along with a content analysis of the students' statements on the contemporary social issues are discussed in the qualitative data analysis section. Study results provided teachers with additional information and strategies to strengthen the read aloud, improve the quality of students' discussions, and enable students to become more effective writers. / A Dissertation Submitted to the School of Teacher Education in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester, 2008. / October 31, 2008. / Race, Reading/Writing Connections, Death, Reading, Controversial Topics, Literature Discussions, Sensitive Issues / Includes bibliographical references. / Carolyn L. Piazza, Professor Directing Dissertation; Susan C. Losh, Outside Committee Member; Barbara C. Palmer, Committee Member; Debbie Floyd, Committee Member.

Film has been found to be an effective tool for enhancing social studies curriculum when used effectively. Studying how social studies teachers use film in the classroom will help determine if teachers are using film to enhance instruction and learning in a lesson, if the proper rules and regulations are being followed, and/or if film is being used as a reward or time-filler. The purpose of this study is to examine social studies teachers' practices for using film in the classroom. This study investigated three separate issues: 1) If graduating from a teacher preparation program affects how teachers use film in the social studies classroom, 2) If having tenure or continuing contract affects how teachers use film in the social studies classroom, & 3) If years of teaching experience affects how teachers use film in the social studies classroom. Using a survey design, seventy social studies teachers participated in this study. The data were examined using an analysis of variance (ANOVA). The data collected, conclude that there is a significant difference (P-Value = .000250) between graduates and non-graduates of a teacher preparation program and how they use film in the social studies classroom. Furthermore, the data collected conclude that there is a significant difference (P-Value = .027) between teachers with more experience than teachers with less experience with how they use film in the social studies classroom. There was no significant difference among teachers with/without tenure/continuing contract. Based on the results of the data, graduating from a teacher preparation program and years of teaching experience does affect how social studies teachers use film. / A Dissertation Submitted to the Department of Middle and Secondary Education in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2006. / January 30, 2006. / Teaching With Film / Includes bibliographical references. / Robert Gutierrez, Professor Directing Dissertation; James Jones, Outside Committee Member; John Lunstrum, Committee Member; Caroline Picart, Committee Member.

The purpose of this attitudinal study is to investigate the role that social studies methods courses in Florida play in examining controversial issues with their pre-service teachers'. Five research questions established the parameters for the investigation of pre-service teachers' attitudes toward the use of controversial issues through the utilization of a survey instrument, the Florida Pre-Service Teachers' Controversial Issues Questionnaire (FPTCIQ). The FPTCIQ was mailed to 435 pre-service teachers enrolled in social studies methods courses at the Florida State University, the University of North Florida, and the University of South Florida. Of the 435 pre-service teachers' in social studies methods courses, 203 respondents returned the FPTCIQ with a 47% response rate. The FPTCIQ is comprised of questions that asked respondents to rank the controversiality of thirty issues. The FPTCIQ also measured pre-service teachers' awareness of issues taught in their social studies methods courses, pre-service teachers' willingness to discuss issues in their future classrooms, pre-service teachers' reasons for not discussing issues, and pre-service teachers' belief in traditional socio-political values. Pre-Service teachers' were asked questions about how much time they spent examining controversial issues in their social studies methods course, and should pre-service teachers' participate in the discussion of controversial issues in these courses. Demographic characteristics of respondents' included gender, religious affiliation, ethnicity, and region/locale of the university attending were also recorded. Respondents rank gay/lesbian rights as the most controversial issue. In addition, pre-service teachers' were less willing to teach about creationism than other issues and listed external pressures as the primary reason. Only 32% of the respondents discussed controversial issues in their social studies methods course. After the findings were statistically analyzed and cross-sectioned with the research questions, the demographic characteristics comprising all participants in this study was correlated and analyzed. / A Dissertation Submitted to the the School of Teacher Education in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophyin Partial Fulfillment of the Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2011. / Spring Semester, 2011. / January 31, 2011. / Social Studies Methods Classes, Controversial Issues, Florida Preservice Teachers / Includes bibliographical references. / John P. Lunstrum, Professor Directing Dissertation; Edward Wynot, Committee Member; Helge Swanson, Committee Member.

In a mixed methods design, I sought to explore teacher and administrator views of technology integration and change in schools. Specifically, I examined a small staff's perspectives towards the integration of Web 2.0 tools and mobile devices into student-centered classroom instruction at a small non-traditional charter school in Southern Georgia. Online surveys and face-to-face interviews were conducted to gather data on the educators' value of technology, the role and integration of technology in the classroom, and their current levels of technology usage. The converged mixed methods results illustrate the following: (a) educators are willing to integrate technologies they value; (b) educators are open to incorporating emerging technologies into the classroom with proper support; (c) educators do not instinctively integrate technology in student-centered ways; (d) educators are open to learning about emerging technologies from their students; (e) teachers and administrators are not equally open to integrating Web 2.0 tools and mobile devices into classrooms. I conclude that teachers and administrators need to critically examine how to apply Web 2.0 technologies and mobile devices to enhance learning in order to remain relevant and meet the needs of their students in the twenty-first century. / A Thesis Submitted to the School of Teacher Education in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science. / Summer Semester, 2011. / June 29, 2011. / Student-centered, Teacher and Administrator Beliefs, Mixed Methods, Digital Age, Mobile Devices, Web 2.0 Integration / Includes bibliographical references. / Nancy T. Davis, Professor Directing Thesis; Alejandro J. Gallard Martinez, Committee Member; Lawrence C. Scharmann, Committee Member.

Evolutionary theory is considered by many to be an important cornerstone to the entire discipline to biology. Despite its recognized importance by biologists, public understanding of evolution is considered to be woefully lacking. There is a robust and diverse research literature that addresses teaching and learning issues in evolution education. This research has been reviewed and summarized several times highlighting important insights gained from existing work (see for example Alters & Nelson, 2002; Demastes-Southerland, Trowbridge, & Cummins, 1992; Rowe, 1998; Smith, Siegel, & McInerney, 1995). Despite the volume of research on evolution education and the progress that has been made in describing some of the barriers to effectively teaching and learning it, evolutionary biology remains a problematic area for science education (Hammer & Polnick, 2007; Wenglinsky & Silverstein, 2007). This quasi-experimental, mixed-methods study assessed the influence of the nature of science (NOS) instruction on college students' learning of biological evolution. In this research, conducted in two introductory biology courses, in each course the same instruction was employed, with one important exception: in the experimental section students were involved in an explicit, reflective treatment of the nature of science (Explicit, reflective NOS), in the traditional treatment section, NOS was implicitly addressed (traditional treatment). In both sections, NOS aspects of science addressed included is tentative, empirically based, subjective, inferential, and based on relationship between scientific theories and laws. Students understanding of evolution, acceptance of evolution, and understanding of the nature of science were assessed before, during and after instruction. Data collection entailed qualitative and quantitative methods including Concept Inventory for Natural Selection (CINS), Measure of Acceptance of the Theory of Evolution (MATE) survey, Views of nature of Science (VNOS-B survey), as well as interviews, classroom observations, and journal writing to address understand students' views of science and understanding and acceptance of evolution. The quantitative data were analyzed via inferential statistics and the qualitative data were analyzed using grounded theory. The data analysis allowed for the construction and support for four assertions: Assertion 1: Students engaged in explicit and reflective NOS specific instruction significantly improved their understanding of the nature of science concepts. Alternatively, students engaged in instruction using an implicit approach to the nature of science did not improve their understanding of the nature of science to the same degree. The VNOS-B results indicated that students in the explicit, reflective NOS class showed the better understanding of the NOS after the course than students in the implicit NOS class. The increased understanding of NOS demonstrated by students in the explicit, reflective NOS class compared to students in the implicit NOS class can be attributed to the students' engagement in explicit and reflective NOS instruction that was absent in the implicit NOS class. Post VNOS results from students in the explicit, reflective NOS class showed marked improvement in the targeted aspects of NOS (empirical nature of scientific knowledge, inferential nature of scientific knowledge, subjective nature of scientific knowledge, the distinction between scientific law and theory, and the tentative nature of scientific knowledge) compared to the result of the pretest while the scores of students in the implicit NOS class demonstrated little change. Assertion 2: Students in the explicit, reflective NOS class section made greater gains in their understanding of evolution than students in the traditional class. The explicit, reflective NOS class demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in their understanding of biological evolution after the course, while the changes observed in the implicit NOS group were not found to be statistically significant--this despite that the manner in which evolution was taught was held constant across the two sections. Thus, the explicit, reflective NOS approach to the teaching of biological evolution seems to be more effective than many discussed in the literature in supporting student learning about evolution. Assertion 3: The conceptual gains by students in the explicit, reflective NOS course section were allowed by the affective "room" that a sophisticated understanding of the nature of the nature of science provides in a classroom. The data collected from this study collectively indicate that a sophisticated understanding of NOS allows students to recognize the boundaries of science. We argue that an explicit and reflective engagement of the NOS aspects helps the students understand the defining aspects of science better. Assertion #4: A change in students' understanding of evolution does not necessitate a change in students' acceptance of evolution. The results showed that students engaged in explicit and reflective NOS specific instruction significantly improved their understanding of NOS concepts and the understanding of evolution. However, there was not a significant change in acceptance of evolution related to the change in understanding These results demonstrate that the nature of science instruction plays an important role in the teaching and learning of biological evolution. Nevertheless, this NOS instruction must be explicit and reflective in nature. Students that engage explicitly and reflectively on specific tenets of NOS not only developed a better understanding of the NOS aspects but also a better understanding of biological evolution. Therefore, science teachers in elementary, middle, secondary and post-secondary education should consider implementing an explicit, reflective approach to the nature of science into their science curriculum not only for teaching evolution but for other controversial topics as well. / A Dissertation Submitted to the School of Teacher Education in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2009. / December 4, 2008. / Evolution, Nature of Science, Understanding of Evolution, Evolution Education, Theory, Evolutionary Theory, Biological Evolution, Acceptance of Evolution, Explicit NOS, Reflective NOS, Understanding Nature of Science, Conceptual Gains / Includes bibliographical references. / Sherry Southerland, Professor Directing Dissertation; Frederick Davis, Outside Committee Member; Alejandro Gallard, Committee Member; Jon Stallins, Committee Member.

This interpretive case study took place in an urban middle school where content area—math, science, social studies and English language arts—teachers engaged in school-wide initiatives designed to promote students' reading development in their content area classes. Participants were twenty teachers across grade levels six, seven and eight. Teachers participated in an online survey designed to capture key variables related to their experiences, literacy beliefs and literacy practices; focus group interviews designed to investigate their perceptions related to key themes in the literature on content area reading instruction; structured one-on-one interviews to validate researcher interpretations of early data analysis and to collect individual teacher data on key themes generated in focus group interviews; and finally, an anonymous online survey designed to verify key findings. Key findings indicate that teachers in this school held content area reading support as a goal for their students but felt a tension between their responsibility to students' academic literacy learning and their own responsibility to teach content area standards. Students' vocabulary knowledge emerged as a major theme in terms of its perceived impact on student's ability to learn from content area texts and content area vocabulary strategies were the most often used and deemed most efficacious by teachers. Factors that teachers perceived as most helpful in promoting their teaching of content area reading included instructional factors (student motivation, using diverse texts, relevant/engaging reading materials, and teaching reading strategies) and infrastructural factors (school-wide focus on literacy, access to leveled text resources, support from instructional coach/media specialist, collaboration with peers, and help supporting individual students). Teacher-perceived obstacles to providing effective reading instruction included infrastructural factors (lack of sufficient instructional and planning time and pressure to "cover" content) and instructional factors (student ability, differentiating for student needs, and student motivation). Implications for schools and districts as well as possibilities for future research are discussed. / A Dissertation submitted to the School of Teacher Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester, 2010. / August 23, 2010. / Content Area Reading, Reading Strategies, Literacy / Includes bibliographical references. / Susan Nelson Wood, Professor Co-Directing Dissertation; Pamela "Sissi" Carroll, Professor Co-Directing Dissertation; Alysia Roehrig, University Representative; Judith Irvin, Committee Member; Shelbie Witte, Committee Member.

This thesis presents a critical discourse analysis of the February 19, 2008 meeting of Florida's State Board of Education in which Florida's Next Generation Sunshine State Standards for Science were adopted. The role of various discourses that were evidenced in the discussion of the topic of biological evolution was evaluated and the impact of these discourses on the adoption process was assessed to determine which discourses were relevant in the board's final decision. / A Thesis submitted to the School of Teacher Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Summer Semester, 2009. / April 30, 2009. / Discourses, Science, Education, Policy, Discourse, Analysis, Biological, Evolution, Florida, Science, Standards / Includes bibliographical references. / Sherry A. Southerland, Professor Directing Thesis; Paul Cottle, Committee Member; Victor Sampson, Committee Member.

Learning to read has been a critically important topic in scholastic, academic, and governmental discussion for many decades. Literacy, considered to be the backbone of successful nations, has demonstrated an imperative role in the development of citizens who can contribute to the growth and betterment of society. Numerous studies have focused on the typical and struggling student, how language and literacy skills are acquired, and what factors are responsible for difficulties in this process. Far less is known about the nature of highly proficient reading skills and the development thereof. Recent concerns expressed by educational, business, and scientific communities reveal a deficit in highly proficient high school and college graduates, suggesting that US status as a leading world power may be jeopardized if more highly able students do not emerge to compete in the global marketplace. Three perspectives on highly proficient reading from the extant literature are discussed herein: (1) the inherency perspective where highly proficient reading is characterized as an innate trait; (2) the expertise perspective where highly proficient reading is developed over time; and (3) the inherency with a focus on development of skills perspective, where both innate abilities and development and other sources of influence are thought to contribute to highly proficient reading; a bridge between the two. Consequently, this study aims to uncover the nature and development of language and literacy skills and early predictors of highly proficient reading achievement. Utilizing a longitudinal data sample of nearly 1,000 students, developmental trajectories and skill constellations of readers were examined. Latent profile analysis, latent growth curves, and multinomial logistic regression were used to elucidate the nature of skills highly proficient readers possess, their paths to such levels of achievement, and whether preschool status in reading and/or growth across time predicted students' later reading achievement, understanding that the stronger predictor may vary with the constellation of fifth grade literacy skills observed. Results suggest that heterogeneous and homogeneous profiles of language and literacy skills characterize student achievement in elementary school. These constellations of skills are characterized by growth trajectories which vary significantly between profiles, suggesting that both preschool status and growth are unique characteristics of each. Predictions of latent profile membership also varied by predictor as well as by profile membership. Overall, preschool reading skills were associated with greater odds of being highly proficient at fifth grade, followed closely by reading skill growth. Early vocabulary skills and growth were also associated with increased odds of attaining proficient and highly proficient reading skills by fifth grade, as well as distinguishing odds of membership in profiles with heterogeneous constellations of skills (strong decoding and/or reading comprehension and relatively weaker vocabulary) from those characterized by consistently high language and literacy skills. Overall, the perspective of inherency with an emphasis on development of skills seems to best describe the profiles, paths of literacy growth, and predicted achievement associated with highly proficient reading. / A Dissertation submitted to the School of Teacher Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2009. / December 8, 2008. / Latent Class Analysis, Latent Profile Analysis, Literacy, Langauge, Profiles, Growth Curve Modeling / Includes bibliographical references. / Carol McDonald Connor, Professor Directing Dissertation; Steven Pfeiffer, Outside Committee Member; Laura Hassler Lang, Committee Member; Young Suk Kim, Committee Member.

This study fulfils one cycle of design research that seeks to build a didactical model for the instruction of prime numbers and related mathematical ideas in accordance with the theoretical principles of Realistic Mathematics Education. Taking the context of online information security as a realistic starting point, the Primes in Context using Technology (PiC-T) instructional sequence was developed that supports learning trajectories connecting a series of fundamental mathematical ideas with the support of technological tools. In a two-week classroom teaching experiment, a PiC-T hypothetical learning trajectory was implemented using a mobile computer station with a class of 17 high-achieving middle school students in their classroom. Data sources include interviews, student-generated artifacts, field notes, video-taped classroom sessions, student online activities, and daily debriefings. Data analysis under the emergent perspective on classroom research led to five themes that ran across the teaching experiment. First, students reported that they were experiencing meaningful mathematics that was useful, connected, and centered around problem solving. Second, students felt that they were well supported by contextual models, technology, and whole class interactions. Third, students felt that they were constantly distracted by a variety of factors in the learning environment, including the problem contexts, the computers, and fellow students. Fourth, students' experience along the PiC-T trajectory was deeply intertwined with their personal beliefs about the use of technology, the context, mathematics, and learning mathematics. Lastly, students' experience was under the constant influence of the social structure of the classroom community. While meaningful mathematics learning remained a recurring theme throughout the data set, other themes coexisted with the emergence of taken-as-shared mathematical conceptions. Mathematically speaking, the teaching experiment led to the initial establishment of four major mathematical practices among the participants. First, factoring was recognized as a complex mathematical procedure beyond routine number manipulations. Second, relatively prime numbers were gradually established as numbers that do not share common factors. Third, modular arithmetic was approached from the perspective of remainders. Fourth, the unit group, which integrates prime numbers, relatively prime numbers, and modular arithmetic, was investigated as a mathematical structure full of puzzling and interesting patterns. Taking this study as a paradigmatic case, future research efforts should explore the value of the PiC-T sequence with other student populations, including preservice and inservice mathematics teachers, and further consider its theoretical implication for instructional design involving other fundamental ideas of mathematics within the theory of Realistic Mathematics Education, especially when technology is an integral part of instruction. Throughout the text, all participants' names are pseudonyms that are intentionally chosen to reflect their ethnic backgrounds. / A Dissertation submitted to the School of Teacher Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2008. / June 26, 2008. / Number Theory, Prime Number, Didactical Model, Realistic Mathematics Education, Learning Trajectory, Design Research, Technology / Includes bibliographical references. / Maria L. Fernández, Professor Co-Directing Dissertation; Kenneth L. Shaw, Professor Co-Directing Dissertation; Monica K. Hurdal, Outside Committee Member; Leslie N. Aspinwall, Committee Member; J. Michael Spector, Committee Member.