Matching Items (13)
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- All Subjects: Education
- Genre: Academic theses
- Creators: Nelson, Brian
- Member of: Theses and Dissertations
Description
The purpose of this survey study was to collect data from pre-K-12 educators in the U.S. regarding their perceptions of the purpose, conceptions, use, impact, and results of educational research. The survey tool was based on existing questionnaires and case studies in the literature, as well as newly developed items. 3,908 educators in a database developed over 10+ years at the world's largest education company were sent a recruiting email; 400 elementary and secondary teachers in the final sample completed the online survey containing 48 questions over a three-week deployment period in the spring of 2013. Results indicated that overall teachers believe educational research is important, that the most important purpose of research is to increase effectiveness of classroom practice, yet research is not frequently sought out during the course of practice. Teachers perceive results in research journals as the most trustworthy yet also perceive research journals the most difficult to access (relying second-most often for research via in-service trainings). These findings have implications for teachers, administrators, policy-makers, and researchers. Educational researchers should seek to address both the theoretical and the applied aspects of learning. Professional development must make explicit links between research findings and classroom strategies and tactics, and research must be made more readily available to those who are not currently seeking additional credentialing, and therefore do not individually have access to scholarly literature. Further research is needed to expand the survey sample and refine the survey instrument. Similar research with administrators in pre-K-20 settings as well as in-depth interviews would serve to investigate the "why" of many findings.
ContributorsMahoney, Shawn (Author) / Savenye, Wilhelmina (Thesis advisor) / Nelson, Brian (Committee member) / Atkinson, Robert (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
Teamwork and project management (TPM) tools are important components of sustainability science curricula designed using problem- and project-base learning (PPBL). Tools are additional materials, beyond lectures, readings, and assignments, that structure and facilitate students' learning; they can enhance student teams' ability to complete projects and achieve learning outcomes and, if instructors can find appropriate existing tools, can reduce time needed for class design and preparation. This research uses a case study approach to evaluate the effectiveness of five TPM tools in two Arizona State University (ASU) sustainability classes: an introductory (100-level) and a capstone (400-level) class. Data was collected from student evaluations and instructor observations in both classes during Spring 2013 and qualitatively analyzed to identify patterns in tool use and effectiveness. Results suggest how instructors might improve tool effectiveness in other sustainability classes. Work plans and meeting agendas were the most effective TPM tools in the 100-level class, while work plans and codes of collaboration were most effective at the 400 level. Common factors in tool effectiveness include active use and integration of tools into class activities. Suggestions for improving tool effectiveness at both levels include introducing tools earlier in the course, incorporating tools into activities, and helping students link a tool's value to sustainability problem-solving competence. Polling students on prior use and incorporating tool use into project assignments may increase 100 level tool effectiveness; and at the 400 level, improvements may be achieved by introducing tools earlier and coaching students to select, find, and develop relevant tools.
ContributorsTrippel, Dorothy (Author) / Redman, Charles L. (Thesis advisor) / Pijawka, K. David (Committee member) / Walters, Molina (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
The gameplay experience can be understood as an interaction between player and game design characteristics. A greater understanding of these characteristics can be gained through empirical means. Subsequently, an enhanced knowledge of these characteristics should enable the creation of games that effectively generate desirable experiences for players. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between gameplay enjoyment and the individual characteristics of gaming goal orientations, game usage, and gender. A total of 301 participants were surveyed and the data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). This led to an expanded Gameplay Enjoyment Model (GEM) with 41 game features, an overarching Enjoyment factor, and 9 specific components, including Challenge, Companionship, Discovery, Fantasy, Fidelity, Identity, Multiplayer, Recognition, and Strategy. Furthermore, the 3x2 educational goal orientation framework was successfully applied to a gaming context. The resulting 3x2 Gaming Goal Orientations (GGO) model consists of 18 statements that describe players' motivations for gaming, which are distributed across the six dimensions of Task-Approach, Task-Avoidance, Self-Approach, Self-Avoidance, Other-Approach, and Other-Avoidance. Lastly, players' individual characteristics were used to predict gameplay enjoyment, which resulted in the formation of the GEM-Individual Characteristics (GEM-IC) model. In GEM-IC, the six GGO dimensions were the strongest predictors. Meanwhile, game usage variables like multiplayer, genre, and platform preference, were minimal to moderate predictors. Although commonly appearing in games research, gender and game time commitment variables failed to predict enjoyment. The results of this study enable important work to be conducted involving game experiences and player characteristics. After several empirical iterations, GEM is considered suitable to employ as a research and design tool. In addition, GGO should be useful to researchers interested in how player motivations relate to gameplay experiences. Moreover, GEM-IC points to several variables that may prove useful in future research. Accordingly, it is posited that researchers will derive more meaningful insights on games and players by investigating detailed, context-specific characteristics as compared to general, demographic ones. Ultimately, it is believed that GEM, GGO, and GEM-IC will be useful tools for researchers and designers who seek to create effective gameplay experiences that meet the needs of players.
ContributorsQuick, John (Author) / Atkinson, Robert (Thesis advisor) / McNamara, Danielle (Committee member) / Nelson, Brian (Committee member) / Savenye, Wilhelmina (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
The goal of this research was to understand the different kinds of learning that take place in Mod The Sims (MTS), an online Sims gaming community. The study aimed to explore users' experiences and to understand learning practices that are not commonly observed in formal educational settings. To achieve this goal, the researcher conducted a four-year virtual ethnographic study that followed guidelines set forth in Hine (2000). After Hine, the study focused on understanding the complexity of the relationships between technology and social interactions among people, with a particular emphasis on investigating how participants shaped both the culture and structure of the affinity space. The format for the dissertation consists of an introduction, three core chapters that present different sets of findings, and a concluding chapter. Each of the core chapters, which can stand alone as separate studies, applies different theoretical lenses and analytic methods and uses a separate data set. The data corpus includes hundreds of thread posts, member profiles, online interview data obtained through email and personal messaging (PM), numerous screenshots, field notes, and additional artifacts, such as college coursework shared by a participant. Chapter 2 examines thread posts to understand the social support system in MTS and the language learning practices of one member who was a non-English speaker. Chapter 3 analyzes thread posts from administrative staff and users in MTS to identify patterns of interactions, with the goal of ascertaining how users contribute to the ongoing design and redesign of the site. Chapter 4 investigates user-generated tutorials to understand the nature of these instructional texts and how they are adapted to an online context. The final chapter (Chapter 5) presents conclusions about how the analyses overall represent examples of participatory learning practices that expand our understanding of 21st century learning. Finally, the chapter offers theoretical and practical implications, reflections on lessons learned, and suggestions for future research.
ContributorsLee, Yoonhee Naseef (Author) / Hayes, Elisabeth (Thesis advisor) / Gee, James (Committee member) / Nelson, Brian (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
Museums have long been known as an exciting, educational field trip for teachers and students, however, they have the potential to be more. Aside from field trips, some museums offer a range of resources for teachers including professional development sessions. This study followed a sample of classroom teachers as they completed a three-part workshop on Project Based Learning in order to determine in what ways does museum-based professional development change (a) Teacher perceptions of museum resources and (b) Teacher utilization of museum resources within their classroom, as well as what aspects of the museum-designed professional development experience did teachers find most effective in impacting their own teaching. The Experiential Learning Theory and an Awareness, Interest, Desire, Action (AIDA) effect model were used to evaluate how perceptions changed before and after the museum-designed experience. Overall, the trustworthiness of the informal educators and their resources increased, as well as teacher utilization of the resources since participation. Some of the aspects that teachers reported as most effective included their willingness to engage because of their overall enjoyment of the experience. Teachers also emphasized that these workshop sessions enhanced their current teaching practices, and did not simply replace them.
ContributorsGallagher Schromm, Lisa (Author) / Rotheram-Fuller, Erin (Thesis advisor) / Toon, Richard (Committee member) / Walters, Molina (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
Research suggests there is no significant difference in outcomes for online learners and on-campus learners. Several decades of online learning have also consistently demonstrated online students are less likely to persist than those students attending on campus. The Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework describes social presence, teaching presence, and cognitive presence as components of a quality online learning experience, and research links these three constructs to student retention. Using the lens of the CoI framework, this mixed methods action research study sought to increase social presence and teaching presence in asynchronous online courses at Davenport University using embedded video feedback mechanisms, in support of student persistence and retention. The Community of Inquiry survey instrument was used to quantitatively measure the changes in social presence and teaching presence between courses with and without the video feedback mechanisms. Qualitative research interviews were conducted to probe for meaning and a greater understanding of both student and instructor experiences in the courses. Results of the study indicated small but significant gains in teaching presence, but other quantitative measures showed no changes with the introduction of the videos. Qualitative analysis suggests that students who watched the instructor videos reported higher levels of teaching presence for several subconstructs of teaching presence and social presence. However, the qualitative analysis also suggested that many students did not watch the instructor videos, and thus did not benefit from any increased presence. Student discussion response videos yielded similar results qualitatively, with benefits demonstrated by those students who watched the videos but none by those who abstained.
ContributorsMiller, Brian John-Suydam (Author) / Salik, Steve (Thesis advisor) / Nelson, Brian (Committee member) / Nyambane, Gerald (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
Honors programs in the United States offer high-quality educational experiences for exceptional students at the undergraduate level. These experiences generally take place in a face-to-face format. In recent years, higher education embraced online learning as a strategy to increase flexibility and access for students with diverse needs. Research has clearly established online learning as an effective model for high-quality education, yet, honors programs have been resistant to this shift in learning modalities. The community of inquiry theoretical framework provided a method for the assessment of online discussions and courses using a validated survey and coding instrument. Using a critical digital pedagogical lens to guide this mixed-methods participatory action research (PAR) study, an online honors seminar course was implemented in the fall of 2021. Honors students worked alongside the researcher as they developed an assessment tool based on the community of inquiry survey, selected different online discussion tools, and provided ongoing feedback throughout the course. Two research questions guided the study. First, what were student perceptions of different online discussion tools and their utility in facilitating social and cognitive presence in an online honors seminar course? And, second, how did engaging in a critical PAR research study impact an honors student’s experience in an online honors seminar course? Data were collected from students’ open-ended reflections, transcripts of online discussions, and responses to the revised community of inquiry survey.
The results from this PAR study showed that students spoke favorably about all online discussion tools implemented in the online honors seminar course and each discussion tool was found to be effective in nurturing social and cognitive presence. Students also spoke favorably about their experiences engaging in the PAR study. The most important finding was that by authentically engaging students in the design, implementation, and assessment of an online honors seminar course high-quality learning outcomes could be achieved in an online environment. Within the honors community, future research and practice regarding the intersection of honors curriculum and online learning are essential to maintain the relevancy of honors programs.
ContributorsHacker, Jayci (Author) / Kurz, Terri (Thesis advisor) / Graves Wolf, Leigh (Committee member) / Rodari Meisner, John (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
Integrating agent-based models (ABMs) has been a popular approach for teaching emergent science concepts. However, students continue to find it difficult to explain the emergent process of natural selection. This study adopted an ontological framework–the Pattern, Agents, Interactions, Relations, and Causality (PAIR-C)–to guide the design of learning modules. This pre-posttest experimental study examines the effects of the PAIR-C module versus the Regular module on fostering students’ deep understanding of natural selection. Results show that students in the PAIR-C intervention group performed better in answering deep questions assessing the understanding of inter-level causal relationships than those in the Regular control group. Although students in both groups did not show significantly improved abilities in explaining the natural selection process for other contexts or significant differences in their abilities to explain other emergent phenomena, students in the intervention group demonstrated system-thinking perspectives and fewer misconceptions in their expressions compared to the control group. A close analysis of student misconceptions consolidates that the intervention group demonstrated drastically fewer categories and numbers of misconceptions while those in the control group did not show such drastic changes before and after the study. To precisely address misconceptions and further improve students’ learning outcomes, Epistemic Network Analysis was adopted to capture students’ misconception characteristics by examining the co-occurrences of different misconception categories as well as the relationship between misconceptions and PAIR-C features. The results of student learning outcomes and misconception characteristics collectively provide directions for improving the instructional design of the PAIR-C module. Furthermore, findings on student engagement levels during learning can also inform future design efforts. Overall, this project sheds light on applying an innovative framework to designing effective learning modules to teach emergent science concepts.
ContributorsSu, Man (Author) / Chi, Michelene (Thesis advisor) / Nelson, Brian (Committee member) / Zheng, Yi (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
Mentoring programs are not uncommon. In fact, they are more common than we think. Most mentoring programs and/or mentorship opportunities are informal and happen daily. While mentorship programs are common, some programs, specifically Pre-Pharmacy related, are overlooked. The lack of formalized opportunities impacts prospective students’ understanding of the profession and connection-building and limits accessibility to resources. This study explored the role of participation in the Mentoring Aspiring Pre-Pharmacy Mentorship Programs (MAPPS) on the mentees' self-efficacy, belonging, and decision to pursue pharmacy. I conducted this four-week study at UC San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (SSPPS) in collaboration with the undergraduate campus. To support self-efficacy, belonging, and the decision to pursue pharmacy, MAPPS incorporated didactic and non-didactic activities, group conversations, reflections, and much more. To foster belonging, mentees were provided opportunities to participate in Pharmacy and Faculty meet and greet events, choose their mentor groups, and engage with one another. To develop self-efficacy, mentees were encouraged weekly to step outside their comfort zone by completing reflection activities that challenged them to learn more about the profession and engage with their mentors. The theoretical perspectives that guided this research project were the identity theory, self-efficacy theory, and sense of belonging. Furthermore, I used the parallel mixed design approach, which allowed me to use a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods simultaneously or with some time-lapse. The data collected in this study showed that participation in the MAPPS mentorship program heightened the mentees' sense of belonging, developed a deeper understanding of the profession, and resulted in the mentee feeling empowered to pursue the profession.
ContributorsAdibi, Sahar (Author) / Nelson, Brian (Thesis advisor) / Smith, Stephanie (Committee member) / Patel, Nimish (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
Second Language Learners face a unique set of challenges when it comes to the learning process. This dissertation study specifically focuses on those challenges and how to train teachers working within a co-teaching model in an international school in Bangkok, Thailand. Using the ideology proposed by Stephen Krashen as a part of his Input Hypothesis Theory and framing the results through the lens of Albert Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory, I studied the effects of a professional development model that focused on phonemic awareness, comprehensible input, and a collaborative teaching approach. Using this as my methodological framework, I found that teachers were able to improve their teaching skills and become more confident in their approach when provided with training that gave them specific responsibilities to address within the process of teaching. Through the use of pre-post surveys, interviews, and observations, I was able to examine how resource sharing and collaborative lesson planning allowed teachers to be more confident in their approach to teaching and their abilities to support students that were attending an international school that was a part of one of the most successful and academically rigorous networks of schools in the United States of America. It was through an intentional designation of tasks and a collaborative training approach that teachers were not only able to better understand the needs of their students but also find ways to work with and learn from one another in the training process. Ultimately, I discovered that allowing teachers to share resources and best practices allowed them to build quality and far more engaging lessons for their students.
ContributorsThies, Elizabeth Ellen (Author) / Nelson, Brian (Thesis advisor) / Wolf, Leigh (Committee member) / Leyba, Ashley (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023