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Description
Concerted efforts have been made within teacher preparation programs to integrate teaching with technology into the curriculum. Unfortunately, these efforts continue to fall short as teachers' application of educational technology is unsophisticated and not well integrated. The most prevalent approaches to integrating technology tend to ignore pedagogy and content and assume that the technology integration knowledge for all contexts is the same. One theoretical framework that does acknowledge content, pedagogy, and context in conjunction with technology is Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) and was the lens through which teacher development was measured and interpreted in this study. The purpose of this study was to investigate graduate teacher education students' knowledge and practice of teaching with technology as well as how that knowledge and practice changes after participation in an educational technology course. This study used a mixed-methods sequential explanatory research design in which both quantitative and qualitative data were gathered from 82 participants. TPACK pre- and postcourse surveys were administered to a treatment group enrolled in an educational technology course and to a nonequivalent control group enrolled in a learning theories course. Additionally, pre- and postcourse lesson plans were collected from the treatment group. Select treatment group participants also participated in phone interviews. Analyses compared pre- and post-course survey response differences within and between the treatment and control groups. Pre- and postlesson plan rubric score differences were compared within the treatment group. Quantitative text analyses were performed on the collected lesson plans. Open and axial coding procedures were followed to analyze interview transcripts. The results of the study revealed five significant findings: 1) graduate students entering an educational technology course reported lower ability in constructs related to teaching with technology than in constructs related to teaching in a traditional setting; 2) TPACK was malleable and TPACK instruments were sensitive to that malleability; 3) significant gains in reported and demonstrated TPACK constructs were found after participating in an educational technology course; 4) TPACK construct ability levels vary significantly by participant characteristics; and 5) influences on teaching knowledge and practice range from internet resources, to mentor teachers, and to standardized curriculum packages.
ContributorsSabo, Kent (Author) / Atkinson, Robert (Thesis advisor) / Archambault, Leanna (Committee member) / Savenye, Wilhelmina (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
There has been a growing emphasis on the education of future generations of engineers who will have to tackle complex, global issues that are sociotechnical in nature. The National Science Foundation invests millions of dollars in interdisciplinary engineering education research (EER) to create an innovative and inclusive culture aimed at radical change in the engineering education system. This exploratory research sought to better understand ways of thinking to address complex educational challenges, specifically, in the context of engineering-social sciences collaborations. The mixed methods inquiry drew on the ways of thinking perspectives from sustainability education to adapt futures, values, systems, and strategic thinking to the context of EER. Using the adapted framework, nine engineer-social scientist dyads were interviewed to empirically understand conceptualizations and applications of futures, values, systems, and strategic thinking. The qualitative results informed an original survey instrument, which was distributed to a sample of 310 researchers nationwide. Valid responses (n = 111) were analyzed to uncover the number and nature of factors underlying the scales of futures, values, systems, and strategic thinking. Findings illustrate the correlated, multidimensional nature of ways of thinking. Results from the qualitative and quantitative phases were also analyzed together to make recommendations for policy, teaching, research, and future collaborations. The current research suggested that ways of thinking, while perceived as a concept in theory, can and should be used in practice. Futures, values, systems, and strategic thinking, when used in conjunction could be an important tool for researchers to frame decisions regarding engineering education problem/solution constellations.
ContributorsDalal, Medha (Author) / Archambault, Leanna M (Thesis advisor) / Carberry, Adam (Committee member) / Savenye, Wilhelmina (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
ABSTRACT
Community colleges are open access institutions, striving to meet the needs of all students regardless of level of academic preparation or achievement. Community college student enrollment continues to rise; however, the success of community college students has not increased accordingly. A significant number of students begin at community colleges academically underprepared, placing into developmental level courses in English, reading, and math. Success rates for students in developmental level courses, however, lag behind success rates of students enrolled in college-level courses.
To improve course success rates and the overall success of students in developmental level courses, I designed a professional development experience to strengthen developmental education faculty members’ social capital, connecting faculty with peers who also teach developmental level courses. Twelve full-time faculty members participated in an interdisciplinary Professional Learning Network (PLN), where they engaged in shared critical dialogue and conducted and received a peer observation.
I designed a mixed methods action research study where participants completed a pre- and post-survey measuring the influence of this professional development experience on their social capital and their use of effective teaching practices. Additionally, participants completed reflective journal responses, and I interviewed six participants to determine if participation in the PLN and conducting and receiving an interdisciplinary peer observation would transform their teaching practice.
Quantitative results indicated that participation in the PLN had little influence on developing participants’ social capital and little influence on transforming teaching practice. The qualitative data indicated that participants’ confidence in their teaching practice increased. Participants’ social capital was strengthened as they developed an informal support network that grew from a sense of trust and common purpose. Furthermore, interacting with instructors from a different discipline expanded their ideas about effective teaching practices. Ultimately, participation in the PLN and conducting and receiving a peer observation led some participants to consider a transformation of individual teaching practices and in a few instances, modifications to teaching philosophy.
Community colleges are open access institutions, striving to meet the needs of all students regardless of level of academic preparation or achievement. Community college student enrollment continues to rise; however, the success of community college students has not increased accordingly. A significant number of students begin at community colleges academically underprepared, placing into developmental level courses in English, reading, and math. Success rates for students in developmental level courses, however, lag behind success rates of students enrolled in college-level courses.
To improve course success rates and the overall success of students in developmental level courses, I designed a professional development experience to strengthen developmental education faculty members’ social capital, connecting faculty with peers who also teach developmental level courses. Twelve full-time faculty members participated in an interdisciplinary Professional Learning Network (PLN), where they engaged in shared critical dialogue and conducted and received a peer observation.
I designed a mixed methods action research study where participants completed a pre- and post-survey measuring the influence of this professional development experience on their social capital and their use of effective teaching practices. Additionally, participants completed reflective journal responses, and I interviewed six participants to determine if participation in the PLN and conducting and receiving an interdisciplinary peer observation would transform their teaching practice.
Quantitative results indicated that participation in the PLN had little influence on developing participants’ social capital and little influence on transforming teaching practice. The qualitative data indicated that participants’ confidence in their teaching practice increased. Participants’ social capital was strengthened as they developed an informal support network that grew from a sense of trust and common purpose. Furthermore, interacting with instructors from a different discipline expanded their ideas about effective teaching practices. Ultimately, participation in the PLN and conducting and receiving a peer observation led some participants to consider a transformation of individual teaching practices and in a few instances, modifications to teaching philosophy.
ContributorsLeshinskie, Eric C (Author) / Jordan, Michelle E. (Thesis advisor) / Savenye, Wilhelmina (Committee member) / Wise, Maria (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017