Matching Items (29)
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- All Subjects: Education
- Genre: Academic theses
- Creators: Blasingame, James
- Creators: Mathur, Sarup
Description
This qualitative case study of 12, eighteen to twenty-four-year-olds from seven countries provided insight into the learning practices on an art-centered, social media platform. The study addressed two guiding questions; (a) what art related skills, knowledge, and dispositions do community members acquire using a social media platform? (b), What new literacy practices, e.g., the use of new technologies and an ethos of participation, collective intelligence, collaboration, dispersion of abundant resources, and sharing (Knobel & Lankshear, 2007), do members use in acquiring of art-related skills, concepts, knowledge, and dispositions? Data included interviews, online documents, artwork, screen capture of online content, threaded online discussions, and a questionnaire. Drawing on theory and research from both new literacies and art education, the study identified five practices related to learning in the visual arts: (a) practicing as professional artists; (b) engaging in discovery based search strategies for viewing and collecting member produced content; (c) learning by observational strategies; (d) giving constructive criticism and feedback; (e) making learning resources. The study presents suggestions for teachers interested in empowering instruction with new social media technologies.
ContributorsJones, Brian (Author) / Stokrocki, Mary (Thesis advisor) / Young, Bernard (Committee member) / Guzzetti, Barbara (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
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
ABSTRACT This study describes student interactions in the academic social network site Edmodo versus student interactions in Facebook. This qualitative case study relies upon four high school juniors enrolled in Advanced Placement Language and Composition who use Edmodo to complete assignments for their English class. Their experiences were gathered in an attempt to describe specific experiences in a complex system. Students were selected using an Internet Connectedness Index survey. Using a Virtual Community of Practice framework, students were asked about their experiences in Edmodo. This study concludes that Edmodo and Facebook can be compared in three categories: accessibility, functionality, and environment. Unlike Facebook, which students access regularly, students access Edmodo only to fulfill the teacher's participation expectations for the specific grade they wish to receive. Additionally, students appreciated the convenience of using Edmodo to complete assignments. The functionality of Edmodo is quite similar in layout and appearance to Facebook, yet students were unaware of the media sharing capability, wished for private messaging options, and desired the ability to tag peers for direct comment using the @ sign, all options that are available in Facebook. Students felt the environment in Edmodo could best be characterized as intellectual and academic, which some mentioned might best be used with honors or AP students. A surprising benefit of Edmodo is the lack of social cues enable students to feel free of judgment when composing writing. Some felt this allowed students to know their classmates better and share their true personae free from judgment of classmates. As a result of the case studies of four students, this study seeks to illustrate how students interact in Edmodo versus Facebook to provide a robust image of the academic social network site for teachers seeking to implement educational technology in their classes.
ContributorsCurran-Sejkora, Elizabeth (Author) / Blasingame, James (Thesis advisor) / Nilsen, Alleen (Committee member) / Rodrigo, Rochelle (Committee member) / Turchi, Laura (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
The right to write: novice English teachers write to explore their identities in a writing community
Description
ABSTRACT This research studies the effects of a writing community on three novice, middle school, Title I language arts teachers' perceptions of themselves as educators and as writers. The participants wrote on topics of their selection, on a bi-monthly basis, for one semester, to explore their teaching and learning. The teachers are in their first five years of instruction and work in Title I, urban schools with ethnically diverse students. All participants are National Writing Project fellows. The researcher analyzed teachers' journals, narratives, conversations, interviews and pre-surveys to collapse and code the research into themes. Findings suggest that teachers need time and support to write during the school day if they are going to write. They also need a supportive, honest, and friendly audience, the writing community, to feel like writers. Findings generated have implications for teacher preparation programs. The participant, who was not an education major, in her undergraduate program, is the only teacher who feels confident in her writing abilities which she connects to her experience in writing and presenting her work as an English and women's studies major. More teacher education programs should offer more writing courses so that preservice teachers become comfortable with the art of composition. Universities and colleges must foster the identities of both instructor and writer in preservice language arts teachers so that they become more confident in their writing and, in turn, their writing instruction. It may be implausible for novice teachers to be effective writing instructors, and educate their students on effective writing strategies, if they do not feel confident in their writing abilities. Although writing researchers may posit that English teachers act as gatekeepers by withholding writing practices from their students (Early and DeCosta-Smith, 2011), this study suggests that English teachers may not have these writing skills because they do not write and or participate in a writing community. When preservice English teachers are not afforded authentic writing opportunities, they graduate from their teacher education programs without confidence as writers. Once ELA teachers transition into their careers they are, again, not afforded the opportunity to write. In turn, it is difficult for them to teach writing to their students, particularly low-income, minority students who may need additional support from their teachers with composition. K-12 teachers need the time and space to write for themselves, on topics of their selection, during the school day, and then, must be trained on how to use their writing as a model to coach their students.
ContributorsPowell, Mary G (Author) / Roen, Duane (Thesis advisor) / Blasingame, James (Committee member) / Turchi, Laura (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
This study gathers the expertise of three reputable art teachers, through analysis of qualitative data collected during in-person interviews and classroom observations, as they share their experiences and insights regarding successful methods of motivating and engaging students in their beginning-level art classes. Various works of literature regarding educational motivation are reviewed, and this study begins to address the need for additional research involving this issue, as it applies to teachers of art. Commonalities between the motivational tactics of the participating teachers are discussed, as well as comparison of findings to existing literature. This may be useful to art teachers who are new to the field or who are seeking information regarding successful methods of encouraging motivation and engagement in their beginning -level art classes.
ContributorsClark, Erica (Author) / Young, Bernard (Thesis advisor) / Erickson, Mary (Committee member) / Stokrocki, Mary (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
Bullying impacts as many as one in three children (or more in some studies). The impact of bullying on children is similar to other forms of abuse like sexual abuse or physical abuse, far-reaching and potentially long term. The impact isn't solely on the child who is being bullied, it also impacts the child who is doing the bullying. It may have short and long term consequences as well. Martial arts has often been suggested to reduce bullying behaviors (and sometimes suggested as increasing bullying behaviors) but there has been limited research on this level of violence between kids and martial arts as an intervention. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of martial arts (in particular the Karate for KidsTM program) on bullying behaviors. 223 children were given a standardized questionnaire (the Olweus Bullying Questionnaire) and their parents/guardians were given a short parent survey to measure bullying behaviors in beginner, intermediate and advanced martial arts students. Results showed significant differences between the groups and indicated a reduction in the incidence of children being bullied and a strong indication in a reduction in the child's tendency to bully others after extended martial arts training. These findings suggest that parents, guardians or other child professionals who are interested in reducing bullying behaviors should consider martial arts classes for children.
ContributorsMoody, Gregory Harold (Author) / Digangi, Sam (Thesis advisor) / Zucker, Stan (Committee member) / Mathur, Sarup (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
No Child Left Behind (NCLB) (2001) was a tipping point for the requirement of academic and English language proficiency standards. Yet, there continue to be variations among English language proficiency standards linked and aligned to academic content standards across states, districts, and schools (Golden, 2011). The purpose of this research was to examine how the requirement of only linking language proficiency standards to academic content standards has impacted the quality of Arizona English Language Proficiency Standards with the Common Core English Language Arts State Standards and WIDA Standards at grades 2, 7, and 9. A modified version of Cook's (2007) method was used to determine the standards alignment as well as common and uncommon knowledge between the sets of standard. Results indicate no alignment and limited linkage. Findings also showed absence of grade-level academic content and academic language.
ContributorsNguyen, Tracy Robin (Author) / Arias, M. Beatriz (Thesis advisor) / Blasingame, James (Committee member) / Garcia, Eugene (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
ABSTRACT The purpose of this research is to provide insight into immigrant Latino parents' perspectives on parental involvement in elementary school settings as influenced by the Title I Family Literacy Program (TFLP). A comparison is made of Latino parents who have been participating in the TFLP for more than one year, participants new to the program and Latino parents who chose not to participate in the TFLP. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected via a survey and individual interviews of randomly selected members of each comparison group. All research participants were immigrant Latino parents with children at one of ten Title I elementary schools operating a TFLP. The schools are part of a large, urban school district in the Southwest. Findings indicate the TFLP has a positive effect on parental involvement practices of immigrant Latino parents. Participating parents showed increased confidence in their ability to support their children's education and program participants are more engaged in school activities. The results of this study imply participation in the program for one year or more has the most impact on families. Parents who participated for more than one year communicated a high sense of responsibility toward their influence on their child's education and upbringing and an understanding of strategies needed to effectively support their children. This research also identifies barriers parents face to participation in the TFLP and parental involvement in general. Implementation of family literacy programs in other districts would need to follow guidelines similar to this TFLP to achieve comparable results. More research is needed on the effects of this program on parents, children, and school staff.
ContributorsNiven, Christine (Author) / McCoy, Kathleen (Thesis advisor) / Ventura, Mário (Committee member) / Mathur, Sarup (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
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