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Browsing by Subject "Instruction"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Comparing the effectiveness of three instructional approaches in a problem-centered, multimedia-based learning environment.
    (2011-06) Wojtanowski, Scott Thomas
    Throughout the history of the American public education system, many people have predicted that technology would significantly improve the way students learn and the way teachers provide instruction. Unfortunately, each technological innovation has failed on its promise to dramatically improve education. This has led some researchers to suggest that more research is needed to examine the influence that teacher's pedagogy has on technology integration. This study examines three different instructional approaches used within a multimedia-based learning environment and the impact they have on student knowledge. A total of 225 students of varied academic achievement levels and three middle school geography teachers participated in the study. An online multimedia-based learning environment, GeoThentic, required students to use data and information provided in the learning environment to identify the best location in which to build a hospital in San Francisco. Each teacher used a different instructional approach for each of the three classes he or she taught. These instructional approaches were defined by and based on the literature on directed instruction, structured problem solving, and minimally guided instruction. A written response exam and selected response exam measured the ability of a group of students to process information and analyze data provided in the GeoThentic environment. When comparing the results of these two different tests, the analyses found that students receiving minimally guided instruction performed significantly different than those students receiving directed instruction or structured problem solving instruction. Taken together, these results suggest that minimally guided instructional approaches are less effective than directed or structured problem solving instructional approaches for this particular type of learning environment. This study also suggests that teachers must provide a certain amount of guidance to students, however, more research is needed to identify the appropriate amount of guidance needed and when less direction can be provided to students.
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    A comparison of academically-successful struggling adult readers' and academically-successful non-struggling adult readers' fluency skills: Implications for college reading instruction
    (2008-09) Willcutt, Jennifer Ruth
    Students who are struggling readers manage to succeed in college despite their difficulties. How do they manage to overcome their reading difficulties? This study addressed this research question both quantitatively and qualitatively. The quantitative analysis of reading skill was necessary to measure and compare the fluency achievement of adult struggling readers who have succeeded in obtaining some postsecondary education with their typical adult reader peers. How fluent are these successful struggling readers, as measured by their grade level of word recognition, their reading rate and comprehension, and their performance on a lexical decision task? The qualitative survey and interviews were used to learn the reading, study, and social strategies that successful struggling readers have used to overcome their reading difficulties in college. Twenty-two self-identified adult struggling readers with some postsecondary education were compared to twenty-three typical adults readers enrolled in 4-year undergraduate and graduate school courses. One-way analysis of variance was used to test differences between the groups in reading fluency. Results indicate that there are no significant differences in word-recognition accuracy between typical and struggling readers on high-frequency real word identification; however, there are significant differences between typical and struggling groups on the recognition accuracy of non-words of 4, 5, and 6 letters in length. There are also significant differences between struggling and typical readers on 3, 4, and 5-letter, high-frequency word recognition latency, and 3, 4, 5, and 6-letter non-word recognition latency. Successful struggling readers report that they don't do a lot of reading, but when they do read, it takes them longer, they must take copious notes, and their reading is likely to be nonfiction that is related to their career goals. Academically-successful struggling readers also develop relationships with people who can help them succeed. College reading instructors can use these findings to help students choose appropriate materials and develop their reading fluency skills.
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    Content Area Vocabulary Instruction: Teachers’ Beliefs, Knowledge, And Practices
    (2019-05) Bergeland, John
    In an effort to improve an understanding of content area vocabulary instruction and how to support teacher-educators, in this study I sought to determine which vocabulary instructional practices were selected from the corpus and applied in instruction. I examined the knowledge and beliefs held by the participants about vocabulary instruction in their respective disciplines. In addition, I worked to determine the sources from which teachers acquire information to professionally proceed with the vocabulary instruction that does occur. Using a mixed methods design, I studied grades 6-12 science, social studies, and technical studies teachers’ beliefs about, and conceptions of, vocabulary instruction. While there has been increased attention to teaching vocabulary (Baumann, 2009; Blachowicz & Fisher, 2010; Fisher & Frey, 2014; Graves, 2006; Manyak et al., 2014; McKeown et al., 2018; Nagy & Townsend, 2012), little is known about how content area teachers conceptualize teaching their respective discipline-specific terminology. Therefore, the goal is to add to the existing knowledge base in academic disciplines via an examination of how teachers’ beliefs and conceptualization and enactment of the specific instructional practices in vocabulary.
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    Instructional Strategies for Supporting Oral Language Development in a Navajo Immersion Classroom: A Case Study.
    (2020-10) McKenzie, James
    This descriptive case study identifies instructional strategies for supporting oral language development in a Grade 1 Indigenous (Navajo) immersion classroom. While immersion education is seen as one way to help reverse language shift, immersion students sometimes exhibit lower-than-expected speaking abilities (Cummins, 2014, Tedick & Lyster, 2020). To contribute to understating what instructional strategies may affect language development in Indigenous immersion contexts, this study uses classroom observation, video and audio recordings, field notes, pictures and interviews to examine pedagogical strategies used by a teacher. Findings reveal that an Indigenous (Navajo) teacher uses strategies common to world language and immersion education, as well as strategies related to distinctly Indigenous ways of being, to support oral language development. The study addresses implications for Indigenous immersion education, teacher education, and future research, and calls for more attention to strategies that promote oral language development in ways that align with Indigenous concepts of language.
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    Leadership practices and pathways that matter to 21st century faith-based principlas
    (2008-11) Klindworth, Robert F.
    The purpose of this survey research study was to examine the perceptions of Christian faith-based school principals in Minnesota and Wisconsin relative to leadership practices of principals serving in K-12 Christian faith-based schools. Leadership practices considered important by currently practicing faith-based principals were identified, along with the feasibility of such practices. Demographic data about the principals, their schools and communities were collected. Participants also were asked to describe their pathways to their current positions as principals and also to offer their views about design and curricular priorities for faith-based principal preparation programs. A web-based survey was used to collect data. A total of 850 faith-based principals were sent surveys with 288 responding. This response rate resulted in a study confidence level of +/- 5%. Key findings indicated: 1) religious beliefs were significant considerations in decision making involving student discipline, enrollment and budgeting policies; 2) faith-based school culture was unique because religious beliefs permeated curriculum/instruction/assessment, faculty relationships and community interactions; 3) principals in urban settings appeared to value faculty development more highly when compared to principals in rural settings; 4) principals of larger faith-based schools rated the value of personal relationships more highly as compared to principals of smaller schools; 5) faith-based principals with master's degrees or higher rated knowledge of curriculum, instruction, and assessment more highly than principals with only baccalaureate levels of education; 6) an emphasis on the centrality of faith in the principalship was viewed as important for future faith-based principal preparation programs, as was an emphasis on clinical experience; and 7) tension existed between maintaining denominational identity/integrity and a perceived need for marketing/recruiting efforts to maintain or increase enrollments. Implications for policy, principal preparation and continuous learning are offered.
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    Scaffolding learning from informational texts in the intervention setting
    (2016-05) Bergeson, Kristi
    The act of creating meaning with texts is complex, and this complexity creates unclear views of instruction in schools and even greater perplexity in knowing how to instruct students who may be struggling in this area of their schoolwork. Comprehension is often measured in schools as a product and an outcome, making it difficult to understand why a student may be experiencing challenges (Duke & Carlisle, 2011). Recently, the emphasis of developing reading skills in isolation in schools is being replaced by the importance of gaining knowledge and building cognition while reading (Cervetti & Hiebert, 2014); yet, handing a difficult non-fiction text to students to read, without considering complex and interrelated factors that influence comprehension does not put students on the path to create meaning with informational texts (Duke, 2014). This study examined that pathway by implementing a reading intervention for fourth and fifth grade students in collaboration with six reading specialists within one mid-western school district. Using design-based research (McKenney & Reeves, 2012), this project aimed to create educational solutions to problems in schools while at the same time developing theoretical understanding of learning. Five conjecture maps guided the embodiment, mediating processes, and intended outcomes for the designed intervention (Sandoval, 2014). This intervention was embodied by content grouped texts that gradually increased in difficulty, mystery texts, reading for authentic purposes, and the use of verbal protocols as a formative assessment tool. The Landscape Model (van den Broek, Rapp & Kendeou, 2005) provided a theoretical framework for this study by describing the dynamic interaction of cognitive processes involved with comprehension. Reading specialists drew on this model to better understand students’ processing of texts as they listened to individual students think out loud while reading. Findings indicated that grouping texts by content area influenced students’ cognitive processes in their reading, was valuable for comprehension development, and impacted the comprehension product. In addition, the implementation of verbal protocols as a formative assessment tool enabled reading specialists to identify students’ unique challenges while reading and to coach students while processing texts. The act of creating meaning with texts is complex, but understanding students’ use of cognitive processes, and not just comprehension outcomes, provides valuable support for scaffolding learning from informational texts for students in the intervention setting.