Thesis (M.A.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 2005. / "May 2005." Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 28-29).

Thesis (M.A.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 2005. / "May 2005." Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 28-29).

The college graduation rates for African-Americans, as compared to other ethnic cohorts, remains at a continuous low level. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2014), 1,602,480 baccalaureate degrees were conferred nationwide to college students during 2009-2010. The purpose of this phenomenological research study is to understand how second-year African-American males attending a mid-sized, southwestern historically Black university and college (HBCU) perceived their ability to achieve academic success. For this study, I collected, thematically analyzed and correlated data from participant profile sheets, focus group meetings, follow-up interviews and observational field notes. The 11 research participants provide a descriptive account of their academic experiences as they have progressed towards their impending graduations. Data analysis rendered six emergent themes: family influence, cultural awareness and exposure, mentorship, networking, academic achievement, and campus climate. This study is significant for individuals who are interested in improving the academic advancements of African-American males in higher education. The findings may aid academic researchers, campus administrators, academically focused organizations, faculty, staff, and students in understanding what is needed to develop new programs and campus initiatives that foster African-American males’ achievement. The research findings also add to the body of limited research that is available on the achievement patterns of African-American males attending HBCUs.

Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master's Degree in Technology: Education (Management) at the Durban Institute of Technology, 2003. / This research investigates the induction of newly appointed educators at four selected rural secondary schools in the Port Shepstone Region KwaZulu-Natal during the period 2001 to 2003. This study explores the notion of induction as a means of allaying fear, insecurity and uncertainty and any sense of unfulfilled expectations that newly appointed educators experience. This study also intends to apprise education departments of the need to make induction a more effective professional experience for the benefit of newly appointed educators / M

The problem with which this dissertation is concerned is to determine whether the semester unit plan offers seventh grade students greater academic gain in the basic subject areas than does the quarter unit plan. Texas offers school districts a choice of the two plans. This study is unique in that the district of this study has both plans in operation at the secondary level.

New teachers begin the school year with optimism and enthusiasm, but their excitement quickly wanes as they encounter the realities of the everyday life of a teacher. When they do not experience the successes they predicted, many begin to doubt their capabilities, which results in a lowered sense of teaching efficacy. This descriptive study was designed to identify the contextual factors novice teachers perceive as influences on personal teaching efficacy and to examine the relationships between the factors. Two groups of novice teachers who were concurrently enrolled in a post-baccalaureate accelerated educator preparation program and working as first-year teachers were the participants in the study. Data were gathered for the study through focus group activities, twice weekly journal entries completed during the teaching year, and a culminating “lessons learned” paper written during the last month of the first year of teaching. Each of the two focus groups identified nine contextual factors they perceived to affect personal teaching efficacy. Six factors were identified by both groups: parental involvement, support from administrators and colleagues, classroom discipline, testing results, teaching strategies and outcomes, and relationships with administrators and colleagues. The groups, however, perceived the relationships between the contextual factors differently. The generalists perceived recursive relationships between the factors, while the content group perceived a linear relationship.

No description available.

It is the aim of this investigation to compare the use of normally recommended toys, ordinarily used in the play-therapy setting, with more sophisticated, "grown-up" toys, when working with twelve-year-old children.

The North Dakota Teacher Support System (NDTSS) mentoring program is available to 1st-year teachers employed in the state public schools. Because there has been limited research on the topic, the purpose of this study was to increase the understanding of how participation in the mentoring program affects the experiences and developing effectiveness of 1st-year teachers in rural schools, which is important because teacher retention and recruitment are a concern in rural schools. This study was set within a conceptual framework of andragogy and constructivism and guided by 2 research questions that inquired about the experiences of teaching in a rural school and working with an NDTSS mentor through the 1st year of teaching. This descriptive, embedded, single case study focused on 11 new teachers in rural schools who participated in the NDTSS program. Through constant comparison, 11 interviews, 6 sets of conference logs, and 5 performance rubrics were analyzed for the sample as well as NDTSS survey data completed by 154 new teachers. The results led to 11 themes that revealed each participant had unique experiences working with a mentor. Additionally, working with a mentor provided support to deal with challenges and develop teaching effectiveness, especially when there was a positive relationship between the mentor and new teacher. These findings guided the development of a professional development project for rural NDTSS participants, aimed at providing additional support to new teachers as they work with their mentors to develop their teaching identity and effectiveness. The results of this study contribute to positive social change by increasing the understanding, appreciation, and support of the experiences of 1st-year teachers, especially in rural schools, which holds the potential to strengthen teaching and learning in the state's rural schools.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The presented study contributes to growing and necessary research compilations that include the field of Deaf Education and First Year Composition. The central goal of this study is to better understand what d/Deaf students, American Sign Language interpreters, and writing instructors currently experience when working together in a mainstream writing classroom to conduct clear communication among all participants. To address the support of d/Deaf students in such environments, a review of current literature that intersects the fields of Deaf Education, Disability Studies, and Writing and Rhetoric was conducted. Then, an IRB approved general interview study was conducted with culturally Deaf students, mainstream writing educators, and a nationally certified interpreter of the Deaf. Although this research touches just the very edges of an entire situation of inquiry and discourse, it offers a starting point from which educators and researchers alike can continue to develop further analysis of communication techniques to support d/Deaf writers in the writing classroom at the college level.