Matching Items (53)
Description
This thesis investigates the environment of support for reclassified English Language Learners (RCELLs) in Arizona schools. Arizona English Language Learner (ELL) policy and pedagogy have been the subjects of research nationwide; many studies demonstrate that ELLs struggle before, during and after participating in Arizona ELL programs (Lillie et al. 2012; Roa 2012; Garcia, Lawton & de Figuieredo 2012; Office of Civil Rights 2012). Despite evidence that the achievement gap between RCELLs and mainstream students is not closing, little information is available about additional language support that RCELLs might receive in mainstream classrooms. This thesis addresses that void of information through: 1) A literature review of the framework of RCELL support, as outlined by the Arizona Department of Education and relevant studies, and 2) a study of teacher and principal opinion about support components for RCELLs and whether such support is adequate. Study findings present that teachers and principals generally believe RCELLs are well-supported, in terms of both the availability and quality of study-defined support components. Yet there is only weak consensus among teachers that support components are adequate. Additionally, teachers' knowledgeability related to important RCELL support components is low, undermining the reliability of teacher responses. The disconnect between participants' optimistic perceptions of support and the external evidence of low RCELL achievement is rationalized by two conjectures. The first is that teachers are not knowledgeable about RCELL support components and cannot accurately gauge the quality of such support. The second is that existing support components are effective at assisting RCELLs with English learning but are not sufficient to close RCELL academic content achievement gaps.
ContributorsKelly, Cary Shepherd (Author) / Garcia, David (Thesis director) / Garcia, Eugene (Committee member) / Seleznow, Steven (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor)
Created2014-12
Description
This century has brought about incredible advancements in technology and academia, changing the workforce and the future leaders that will drive it: students. However, the integration of digital literacy and digital tools in many United States K\u201412 schools is often overlooked. Through "Exploring the Digital World," students, parents, and teachers can follow the creatures of this story-driven program as they learn the importance of digital literacy in the 21st century.
ContributorsRaiton, Joseph Michael (Author) / Fehler, Michelle (Thesis director) / Heywood, William (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / The Design School (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
This project examined the relationship of science teachers' knowledge about the laws relating to the teaching of creationism/evolution in public schools using multiple demographic factors. Overall, teachers correctly identified only 7 out of 10 "yes" or "no" answers about the laws, this score is only slightly better than the expected 5 out of 10 that would be obtained from guessing. Statistically significant results in differences in the overall score on the survey were found for three major variables. Teachers who say creationism should be taught in the classroom have a lower score than those who say it should not be taught in the classroom, with a large effect size. Teachers who teach biology or a life science had significantly higher scores than those who do not, with a small/medium effect size. Older teachers had significantly higher scores than younger teachers, with a small effect size. Identifying the demographic variables that effect teacher knowledge about the laws is the first step to determining how to educate teachers on the legality teaching of creationism/evolution in public school classrooms to avoid violations of the First Amendment.
ContributorsSorge, Aidan Bennet (Author) / Parker, John (Thesis director) / Lynch, John (Committee member) / School for the Future of Innovation in Society (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
This comprehensive literature review synthesized 18 studies, from 15 search engines about the conceptualization of inclusive education within Arizona's borderlands from the viewpoints of educators, researchers, policy makers and family members. Although there is research that states along international borders are complex and diverse educational spaces, the information found regarding special education along the U.S-Mexico border mostly centers on the issue of over-representation of Mexican-American, Yaqui and Navajo students. There is validity and need to present these specific issues and groups of individuals, however there is little empirical data that involves the attitudes, perspectives and experiences of other stakeholders, such as parents, educators, and administrators who participate in special education processes, in a way that reflects education in borderlands as an asset-based setting and that engages in dialogue about across all of the disabilities categories protected under IDEA and 504 plans. Key Words: special education, parents, teachers, literature review, borderlands
ContributorsSiulok, Carolina Maria (Author) / Boveda, Mildred (Thesis director) / Morris, Katherine (Committee member) / Division of Teacher Preparation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
There is value in audio recording for teachers, whether one is a music teacher recording their students and ensembles or a classroom teacher recording oneself or their students. Music and classroom teachers have various reasons for wanting to record their students, such as hearing what is being produced in rehearsals and having students reflect on their own performance and musical progress. Teachers may desire to record their students, but they may not know how to do so. Simple recording tools such as cell phones do not produce quality recordings, and unless they have specialized training, teachers may not be familiar with other kinds of recording equipment or how they can set up equipment in order to obtain a good quality recording. I searched for resources on recording equipment and techniques, but I could not find a single source that teachers could consult to learn about the basics of recording equipment and techniques. Teachers have limited time and may also have limited financial resources. The purpose of my project was to create a free and easy-to-use resource for teachers to answer their questions on recording and give them the tools that they need in order to get started with making basic, high quality recordings. The research process included research about different kinds of recording hardware and software, documenting recording techniques for different settings and instruments, and interviewing teachers about their needs. The product that that resulted from this project is a website, Recording For Teachers (https://sites.google.com/view/recordingforteachers/). This website features information about recording equipment, the recording process, how to produce shareable files, and an interactive means of posting questions.
ContributorsHenderson, Andrea Celleste (Author) / Stauffer, Sandra (Thesis director) / Biczo, Russell (Committee member) / School of Music (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-12
Description
This study explores the significant roles and responsibilities of Arizona physics teachers as well as the effect that these teachers have on students and thus their futures. In a two-fold survey administered to all 194 public comprehensive high school physics teachers with 60% participation, questions regarding the perception and expectations that physics teachers hold for themselves, students, and school counselors are addressed as well as the corresponding practices. This survey reveals that generally, teachers feel that students have preconceptions about what physics is and what the course requires, and yet approximately half of the teachers do not make significant recruitment efforts. It is pertinent to ask why physics has one of the lowest enrollment statuses out of all the sciences in high school. Even more so, it is crucial to ask why there is a teacher shortage in the subject of physics. In exploring these questions, results to the previously mentioned genres of questions will speak to the issues at hand and are intended to give a robust explanation as to why physics is fading away in Arizona.
ContributorsGagliardi, Toni (Author) / Jackson, Jane (Thesis director) / Culbertson, Robert (Committee member) / Department of Physics (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Though National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) in Arizona have been identified as leaders on a national level, they do not have comparable opportunities to lead within their local contexts or engage in leadership and collaboration activities that align with Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) Standard 10. The purpose of this sequential, mixed-methods study was to explore how the development of a teacher leadership community of practice for NBCTs might influence their perceptions of themselves as leaders. Social constructionism, action research, and communities of practice guided the innovation and a mixed-methods approach was used for data collection and analysis. Data illustrated NBCTs’ dichotomous feelings about leadership on local and national levels. Findings revealed that NBCTs need continued professional learning opportunities, beyond National Board Certification, to resolve feelings of isolation and fully meet all of the leadership and collaboration indicators for InTASC Standard 10. Participating in a teacher leadership community of practice (a) provided a professional learning opportunity for NBCTs, (b) improved NBCTs’ perceptions of teacher leadership and helped them define it as an active process of learning, reflection, and action, and (c) increased NBCTs’ readiness to take action as teacher leaders within their local contexts to evoke positive change.
ContributorsAdams, Alaina (Author) / Marley, Scott C. (Thesis advisor) / Koro-Ljungberg, Mirka (Committee member) / Allen, Althe (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
This study examines the skills, strategies, and routines used by National Board Certified Teachers in order to teach vocabulary to kindergarten students. The research focused, specifically, on the strategies teachers used during shared reading activities to help children gain a better understanding of vocabulary, while also ensuring that students were meeting the academic standards. All of the participants were National Board Certified and taught in kindergarten classrooms around the Phoenix, AZ area and three of the teachers taught in Title I schools. They participated in two formal interviews that were voice recorded, as well as one week of classroom observations. During the interviews the teachers shared their experiences related to National Board Certification, their beliefs about teaching and more specifically about teaching vocabulary, and the best methods for teaching students vocabulary. They also discussed ways they use the academic standards from Common Core in their classroom, and shared if they think the standards are aligned with the National Board Professional Teaching Standards. Upon examination of the interviews and observation field notes, several themes emerged. 1) The process of National Board Certification impacted their teaching practice and increased self-reflection. 2) Vocabulary is taught throughout the school day, across all content areas, using both direct and indirect instruction. 3) All of the teachers use shared reading activities as one method of teaching vocabulary words to their students. 4) Teachers find value in academic standards and National Board Professional Teaching Standards; however, they do not all agree that the two types of standards support one another.
ContributorsNichols, Laura Cary (Author) / Nakagawa, Kathryn (Thesis advisor) / Enz, Billie (Committee member) / Surbeck, Elaine (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
Teacher mobility is a policy issue that affects students and school across the country. Despite a long-standing body of research related to teacher mobility, relatively little is known about how teacher-school pairings affect teachers’ decisions to stay at or leave their schools. Therefore, this study tested a model of teacher-school fit with a focus on the value that teachers and principals place on standardized test scores. Survey responses were collected from 382 K-8th grade public school teachers from 22 schools in two school districts. The results show that teachers who placed higher values on standardized test scores reported slightly higher levels of teacher-school fit and were slightly less likely to leave their schools within five years. Additionally, teachers’ self-assessed teacher-school fit showed a strong, positive relationship with teacher retention. These findings suggest that a better understanding of the factors that affect teachers’ sense of teacher-school fit may help reduce teacher mobility.
ContributorsVagi, Robert (Author) / Garcia, David (Thesis advisor) / Hermanns, Carl (Committee member) / Ida, Masumi (Committee member) / West, Stephen (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017
Description
Employing narrative ways of inquiry, this study interrogated how a reform action--legal banning corporal punishment in schools, which was intentionally introduced into Taiwanese society by advocates as a social movement strategy at a time when the incidence rate of school corporal punishment was high--could contribute to ending educators' use of corporal punishment. From the narratives of the teachers who believed in corporal punishment, we see how the school system itself contributed to passing, mostly without educators' consciousness of doing so, from one generation to another, a punitive mind that deems punishment a necessity and humans to be incapable of self-regulation without extrinsic force. It is this punitive way of thinking, deeply rooted in Taiwanese culture that was challenged by the legal ban. The transformation of the punitive mind requires a psychological subject-object perspective move that allows the mind to break the identification with a previously built teacher identity submitting to coercive authority. Alternative values, beliefs, and ideas--particularly the caring, trusting, respectful and persuasive approaches to interpersonal relationship--must be brought into personal experiences in order to transform the punitive mind. However, the availability of alternatives does not guarantee transformation, nor does a pure logical reasoning of the alternatives make true transformation to happen. Transformation was discovered to happen in those moments, either in narrative critical reflection or in action, when the mind sees those stories of others or themselves that were once familiar but can be realized, interpreted, retold, or recreated if using a new set of assumptions and perspectives. The effects of the legal ban were mixed. It contributed to the decline of the most well-recognized form of corporal punishment--hitting students by sticks--and offered teachers who disbelieve corporal punishment, previously questioned and crowed out by their colleagues who hit, a strong backup to justify their opposition to sticks. And the ban created opportunities for teacher to learn alternatives. Nevertheless, because the wrongdoing-punishment disciplinary framework still dominates school campuses, the ban also led to the increase or creation of new forms of coercive and humiliating measures that could not be constrained by this legal ban.
ContributorsChung, Wen-Ting (Author) / Brem, Sarah K. (Thesis advisor) / Husman, Jenefer (Committee member) / Swadener, Beth B (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013