Matching Items (17)
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- All Subjects: Education
- All Subjects: Educational evaluation
- Creators: Puckett, Kathleen
- Status: Published
Description
Effectively educating students with autism is a necessary element in providing all students with a free and appropriate public education, and as the number of students diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder continues to increase in both public and private educational settings, providing successful and satisfactory professional development opportunities in the area of autism is becoming increasingly essential. This study explored the experiences of twenty-three educators in a suburban southwest K-12 public school district, as they participated in a fifteen-hour professional development course in an online or face-to-face format, and collaboratively problem-solved their challenges in educating students with autism. Qualitative data was collected from participants' weekly written reflections and comments from a pre- and post-survey on attitudes, to determine quality of and satisfaction with collaboration in relation to course format. Results indicated that the online format produced higher-quality collaboration when it came to presenting one's own situation(s) to the group, finding group discussions helpful, having enough time to collaborate, providing feedback/suggestions to group members, and perceiving suggestions for one's own situation as helpful (as evidenced by the number of suggestions that participants said they would likely implement). The face-to-face format produced higher-quality collaboration when it came to in-depth problem-solving regarding a situation, implementing suggestions for one's own situation, and relating course content to collaborative activities. Participants' attitudes about using technology as a means of collaboration showed little change overall from pre- to post-survey. Though slight increases in positive attitudes concerning technology were found in various areas, many participants still thought highly of a face-to-face format for collaborative purposes, even after participating in the online professional development course. Findings may be of use to educational institutions developing online or face-to-face professional development opportunities in the area of autism.
ContributorsWozniak, Renee M (Author) / McCoy, Kathleen M. (Thesis advisor) / Puckett, Kathleen (Committee member) / Gehrke, Rebecca (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
The rise in the number of students found to have autism has been staggering over the past ten years. Accommodating these students effectively and appropriately in a public school is a challenge many teachers are deemed with, sometimes without adequate training. This study was aimed at affecting the underlying social misunderstandings inherent to students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and an at-risk general education peer through a comprehensive intervention consisting of peer mentoring, interactive social stories and video modeling strategies. Observations, student interviews, vignettes and student and researcher journals served as data sources. Three fourth grade boys, including a student with autism, a peer with behavioral concerns and a model peer, participated in an intervention designed using a multiple baseline across behaviors. The target students, including the student with autism and the peer with behavioral concerns increased their ability to demonstrate three distinctive skills, attending to task, raising hand and academic responding. Analysis of the data also showed an overall increase in levels of engagement and motivation. Strong friendships developed among all three participants. Implications suggest that a comprehensive approach is effective in reducing unwanted social behaviors and promoting positive social skills and gives further insight into the target students' motivation.
ContributorsZamora, Roxanne N (Author) / Puckett, Kathleen (Thesis advisor) / Warren, Gina M (Committee member) / Mathur, Sarup (Committee member) / Hart, Juliet (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
Growing popularity of alternatively certifying teachers has created challenges for teacher preparation programs. Many non-traditional routes into classroom include no full-time mentor teacher. Absence of a mentor teacher in the classroom leaves teachers with a deficit. This study follows ten teachers on the intern certificate enrolled in both an alternative certification teacher preparation program and the Teach for America organization as they pursue a master's degree in education and state teaching certification from a large southwestern university. The five randomly chosen for the treatment group and the control group contained 1 male and 4 female teachers, some of whom teach at public schools and others at charter schools. All were secondary education language arts teachers ranging in age from 22- 29. The treatment used in this study is a job-embedded, professional development, software tool designed to help teachers track their classroom practices called MyiLOGS. The purpose of this action research project was to study the effect using MyiLOGS had on six of the nine areas evaluated by a modified version of the Teacher Advancement Program evaluation rubric, alignment with Opportunity To Learn constructs, and the tool's influence on the efficacy of these first year teachers. The data generated from this study indicate that the MyiLOGS tool did have a positive effect on the teachers' TAP evaluation performances. Also, the MyiLOGS tool had a large impact on the teachers' instruction as measured by the constructs of Opportunity to Learn and their teaching self-efficacy. Implications suggested the tool was an asset to these teachers because they tracked their data, became more reflective, and self-sufficient.
ContributorsRoggeman, Pamela (Author) / Puckett, Kathleen (Thesis advisor) / Kurz, Alexander (Committee member) / Mathur, Sarup (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
This research looks at a group of students from Tumaini Children's Home in Nyeri, Kenya. The purpose of this paper is to explore why this particular group of students is so academically successful. Quantitative research was taken from the average 2013 test scores of Tumaini students who took the Kenyan Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam in comparison to the scores of students who are not residing in the orphanage. Qualitative research involves interviews from those students who live in Tumaini and interviews from adults who are closely connected to the orphanage. The purpose is to understand why the students are performing so well academically and what support they have created for themselves that allows them to do so.
ContributorsTooker, Amy Elizabeth (Author) / Puckett, Kathleen (Thesis director) / Cocchiarella, Martha (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Division of Teacher Preparation (Contributor)
Created2014-12
Description
The purpose of this project was to research the effects of a professional development intervention designed to build local capacity for technology integration among teachers at the school level. This was done by providing focused face-to face and online training to twelve teachers referred to as the Technology Core Teacher (TCT) group. This project utilized the theoretical framework of social learning and communities of practice to provide an environment of ongoing support for technology integration. The findings addressed four areas: the TCT teachers' practice, their technology skill levels, the use of the online collaboration tools utilized for collaboration and virtual synchronous meetings, and whether the TCT teachers demonstrated signs of being a self sustainable community of practice. The findings demonstrate that the intervention had an influence on the participating teachers' practice and influenced the practice of other teachers as well. TCT teachers increased their skills when applying new learning with their students. TCT teachers used online collaboration tools minimally for communication, and synchronous meeting tools presented some difficulties. TCT teachers showed signs that they may be a sustainable Community of Practice. Although teachers reported that their technology skills increased, a pre-post survey of skills based on the ISTE NETS-T Assessment yielded lower confidence scores after the intervention. A follow up survey designed to explain these results indicated that teachers rated their skill set lower in light of more knowledge, indicating a possible paradox in self reporting of skills prior to awareness of technology based learning possibilities.
ContributorsMorgenthal, Mary Julia (Author) / Puckett, Kathleen (Thesis advisor) / Foulger, Teresa (Committee member) / Bengochea, Taime (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
Despite the increasing number of elementary and secondary school students with language and learning disabilities and federal laws mandating ongoing collaboration among diverse school professionals, the implementation and maintenance of Interprofessional Collaborative Practices (ICP) and classroom-based therapy services among teachers and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) is low. Teachers and SLPs need training to implement and maintain ICP and classroom-based therapy services. An interprofessional community of practice (ICoP) framework was developed to operationalize ICP competencies into measurable knowledge, skills, attitudes, and practice behaviors. These were incorporated into designing, implementing, and assessing the ICoP framework’s activities and outputs. Thus, the purpose of this mixed methods action research study was to examine the impact of the ICoP framework on teacher and SLP participants’ knowledge and self-efficacy of ICP competencies. The study also sought to build participants’ capacity to implement and maintain classroom-based therapy services for students with language and literacy impairments in an inclusive classroom setting. Participants included four general education teachers, five special education teachers, and three SLPs in a K-8 public school district in the southwest region of Arizona. Inferential statistics and thematic analysis were used to analyze participants’ responses to surveys, semi-structured interviews, and logbook entries before and after the eight-week innovation. Results from the data analysis showed that teachers and SLPs demonstrated a significant increase in knowledge and self-efficacy of ICP.
ContributorsMiller, Rebecca (Author) / Puckett, Kathleen (Thesis advisor) / Lilly, Kristen (Committee member) / Mathur, Sarup (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
Given the increasing number of students with dis/abilities entering higher education institutions (HEI), it is imperative higher education faculty have the knowledge, skills, and disposition to effectively support students with dis/abilities. Therefore, this study engaged higher education faculty at Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College (MLFTC) at Arizona State University (ASU). ASU is an institution that prides itself on being inclusive. Accordingly, MLFTC enrolls many students with a dis/ability. In spring of 2022, more than 350 MLFTC students had disclosed their dis/ability and registered for accommodations. However, there were likely many more students attending MLFTC who had chosen not to disclose their dis/ability status. Consequently, faculty members need a proactive approach to meeting the needs of students with a wide range of knowledge, skills, and experiences including students with dis/abilities.Universal Design for Learning (UDL) offers an effective framework to proactively support students with dis/abilities, even if they choose not to disclose their dis/ability status. Faculty need professional development and collaboration opportunities to develop to integrate inclusive instructional strategies aligned to UDL. This study was designed to provide higher education faculty members opportunities to develop their skills to integrate UDL in their classrooms. The participants completed three asynchronous online modules about the principles of UDL and three Innovation Configuration (IC) map design sessions. During the IC map design sessions, they co-developed an IC map articulating how they would like to see UDL operationalized in their courses. Data was collected throughout the project through a pre/post inventory, transcripts of the IC map design sessions, interviews, a classroom observation, and the co-developed IC map. The results show that faculty collaboration likely has a positive impact on faculty integrating instructional strategies aligned to UDL. However, collaboration may have a limited impact on the underlying belief system faculty have about the use of inclusive practices, especially for students who do not have a dis/ability or have chosen not to disclose their dis/ability through official university channels.
ContributorsPinkerton, Tanya (Author) / Mathur, Sarup (Thesis advisor) / Puckett, Kathleen (Committee member) / Weinberg, Andrea (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
For decades, there has been a concerted effort to support the transition of first-generation students from high school into higher education, yet there is a continued troubling gap in the number of first-generation students attending college who attain success once enrolled. This disparity is particularly pronounced among low-income students of color. This study illustrates how action research can be used to analyze a program that aims to assist students and their parents in navigating the American higher education system. Participants included (N=20) twelfth grade, first-generation, Latino, students and their parents (N=20) in rural Yuma County, Arizona, a geographically isolated area which is a three-hour drive from the nearest metropolitan city. Mixed methods were utilized to examine the impact of the American Dream Academy on self-efficacy in cultivating a college-going culture among first-generation, Latino students. Since parents play a significant role in the academic success of students, this program also sought to bolster the self-efficacy of the parents of the twelfth-grade student participants. A concerted effort was made to bring the American Dream Academy to the San Luis High School, Arizona Western College, and Arizona State University. The Academy’s curriculum included eight sessions that covered college-going topics that were collectively facilitated by university, college and high school faculty. Outcomes of this study indicate the need to support first-generation Latino students and their parents to foster college readiness and increase college access. Additionally, this study highlights how increasing the self-efficacy of students and parents can positively shift self-perceptions and sense of belonging among first-generation college students.
ContributorsCorr, Laura (Author) / Puckett, Kathleen (Thesis advisor) / Mathur, Sarup (Committee member) / Carrasco-Jaquez, Diane (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
The Model Classroom Initiative (MCI) was conceptualized to improve learning and IEP goal attainment while decreasing maladaptive behaviors in specialized instructional program classrooms. The MCI Coaching Model was utilized to assist teachers with the implementation of MCI components in three specialized instructional program classrooms, all of which served students with autism and developmental delays. Data were collected using Innovations Configuration Maps, observations, coaching, surveys, classroom data, and interviews and were analyzed using a mixed methods approach. Results indicate that the MCI coaching sessions increased participant teachers’ feelings of support and being heard and slightly decreased stress, increased the implementation of the chosen components for two of the three teachers, increased the knowledge of and confidence in the MCI components, and increased the teachers’ perception that the coaching helped to increase the students’ academic, behavioral, and Individual Education Plan (IEP) goal progress.
ContributorsBrown, Dorianne (Author) / Puckett, Kathleen (Thesis advisor) / Mathur, Sarup (Committee member) / Rotheram-Fuller, Erin (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
Nursing school can be challenging for undergraduate students, largely because they do not know what to expect in terms of the demands of the rigorous academic program. Students who enter the program with unrealistic expectations of the demands, such as underestimated time needed for studying for exams or preparing for clinical and class time, as well as the emotional toll of time away from family and friends are often challenged with being adequately prepared for the day-to-day experience of nursing school. Once students have been in the program a few semesters, they begin to get the flow of the expectation as well as an understanding of how to manage their time. Unfortunately, if their adjustment period is not quick enough, they can academically or voluntarily withdraw due to the pressures of the demanding curriculum. In order to combat this phenomenon and give students a perspective that can assist them in their adjustment period, a Student Navigator Program (SNP) was implemented at a local community college. Data was collected from experimental and control groups using a mixed methods research design - comparing final grade percentage, performance on a standardized exam, and use of support services. The quantitative data suggest there is no statistical significance in participation in the SNP with the exception of a few select cohorts. The qualitative data suggest the SNP program is helpful at the beginning of the first semester of nursing school. Taken together, the data suggest the SNP can be helpful in the beginning of the semester for willing participants to assist with managing the unknown. Data from this study guides nursing programs as they aim to retain current nursing students through the first semester and progress through the program.
ContributorsBednarek, Salina (Author) / Puckett, Kathleen (Thesis advisor) / Albert, Louis (Committee member) / Hosley, Brenda (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019