UNT Theses and Dissertations - 90 Matching Results

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Foundations of the Spanish Language Self-Efficacy of Bilingual Education Pre-Service Teachers

Description: The study of self-efficacy in pre-service bilingual education teachers is not a thoroughly researched topic. This dissertation provides qualitative research about the inception of Spanish language self-efficacy of pre-service bilingual education teachers from a large university in Texas. By juxtaposing the experiences of two students with high levels of Spanish self-efficacy with two students who have low levels of Spanish self-efficacy, data gives insight to what influenced varying perceptio… more
Date: August 2019
Creator: Szwed, Amanda Rose
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Partner: UNT Libraries
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Framing the DREAM Act: An Analysis of Congressional Speeches

Description: Initially proposed in 2001, the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act) continues to be relevant after nearly 20 years of debate. The year 2010 was significant because there seemed to be some possibility of passage. This study investigated the ways in which the DREAM Act discourse was framed that year by supporters and opponents. Selected Congressional speeches of three supporters and three opponents were analyzed using the approach to frame analysis developed by Sch… more
Date: May 2018
Creator: Koo, Yilmin
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
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Funding and Effectiveness of Staff Development Programs in Three North Texas School Districts

Description: This dissertation study focused on three aspects of staff development in North Texas: 1) funding sources, 2) types of professional learning programs, and 3) teachers' views of the effectiveness of the funded programs. Qualitative data came from interviews with nine district administrators concerning funding sources and how those resources enhanced teacher skills. Quantitative data came from 1,277 responses from teachers regarding their background and perceptions about staff development. Data fr… more
Date: August 2010
Creator: Ivey, Shannon Kay
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Funds of Knowledge and Early Literacy: A Case Study

Description: When teachers are charged with educating students that are racially, culturally, or economically different from them, they may have little information on the culture and type of family involvement of their students. This lack of information contributes to perceptions of working-class families as socially disorganized and intellectually deficient. However, research embodying the theoretical framework funds of knowledge (FoK) attempts to counter deficient models through its assertion that all fam… more
Date: May 2015
Creator: Butler, Ami R.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
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Funds of Knowledge in a Hispanic Household: a Case Study of Family Experiences, Values, and Connections to Education

Description: Traditionally, the field of education has often adopted a negative perspective in their views of minority families’ contributions to the educational progress of their children. However, research embodying the theoretical framework of ‘funds of knowledge’ attempts to counter that model through its assertion that all families possess extensive bodies of knowledge that have developed through social, historical, and cultural contexts. Teachers carry out studies of familial funds of knowledge in o… more
Date: December 2013
Creator: Feild, Kelly A.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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GIS in AP Human Geography: a Means of Developing Students’ Spatial Thinking?

Description: Geography education is undergoing change in K-12 education due in part to the introduction of geospatial technologies, including geographic information systems (GIS). Although active engagement in GIS mapping would seem to enhance students’ spatial thinking, little is known about the mapping strategies that students employ or about changes in their geographic knowledge that would result. This study, set in a high school Advanced Placement human geography class, sought to contribute to these are… more
Date: May 2015
Creator: Webster, Megan L.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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The Impact of Collegial-Teaming on High-School and University Instructors: A Descriptive Multi-Case Study

Description: This descriptive multi-case study systematically explored the team teaching relationship between a secondary teacher and a university faculty member. Multiple interviews, classroom observations, and analysis of available data provided insights into the interactions of these particular collegial-teams, drawn together for the purpose of providing rigorous STEM curriculum to high-ability students during a three-week residential program. Data revealed that successful collaboration can be described … more
Date: December 2011
Creator: Dearman, Christina T.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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In-service Teacher Perception of Feedback From Formative Evaluation Within the Teacher Appraisal Process and Its Relationship to Teacher Self-efficacy

Description: The purpose of the study is to describe the current status of and the relationships between teacher self-efficacy and in-service teachers’ perceptions and/or attitudes of (a) the quantity and quality of feedback from formative evaluation, (b) toward feedback from formative evaluation, and (c) the impact of feedback from formative evaluation on teacher self-efficacy. In addition to calculating correlation coefficients, 6 teachers were interviewed – 2 each from high, medium, and low efficacy scho… more
Date: December 2014
Creator: Curran, Chaney L.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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International Distance Learning in Special Education: A Program Evaluation of a US-Ecuador Collaboration

Description: The internationalization of distance learning in special education is at a pivotal point in expansion. Even with concerted efforts through traditional means to increase the supply of special educators, shortages persist; therefore, teacher preparation programs are turning to online education. This dissertation study was a formative program evaluation of a bilingual, two-course sequence within a web-based special education master's program offered at the University of North Texas (UNT), in Dento… more
Date: August 2010
Creator: McPherson, Rebekah
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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The International Teacher to Teacher Exchange: A Context for Educator Transformation

Description: This study examined how in-service teachers transformed professionally and personally as a result of participation in the International Teacher to Teacher Exchange Program (ITTTE). Six teachers, 3 from the U.S. and 3 from Guatemala, were paired. Each pair spent a total of 8 weeks together, in each other's countries, over the course of 2 years. The pairs reciprocated home stays, school engagement, and cultural learning in three cohorts; 2012-2014, 2014-2016, 2016-2018. In 2018, each participant … more
Date: August 2019
Creator: Anderson, Amy A.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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An Investigation Into the Relationships Between the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge of University Teacher Education Faculty and Their Age, Rank, and Gender

Description: The purpose of this study was to determine what relationships exist between the age, rank, and gender of university faculty in teacher education and their technological pedagogical content knowledge. The survey instrument used was the Survey of Teacher Educators’ Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) which is an adaptation of the Survey of Preservice Teachers’ Knowledge of Teaching and Technology developed by Schmidt. A total of 347 public Texas university teacher education facult… more
Date: August 2013
Creator: Hamilton, Christina
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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An Investigation of Preservice Teachers' Understanding of Buoyancy

Description: The purpose of this study was to examine the conceptual understandings of 55 elementary preservice teachers for the concept of buoyancy. This study used Ausubel’s Assimilation Theory (Ausubel, 1963) as a framework for a 15-week intervention that used pre/post concept maps (Cmaps), pre/post face-to-face semi-structured interviews, and drawings as evidences for change of formation of cognitive structures. Using a convergent parallel design and mixed methods approach, preservice teachers’ concepti… more
Date: May 2016
Creator: Kirby, Benjamin S.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Teachers on the Use of Technology Applications with Children: A Survey of PK-5 Teachers in a South Texas Region

Description: This quantitative methods study explored the knowledge, attitudes and practices of PK-5 teachers on the use of technology applications in the classroom. The Texas State Board of Education has set in place standards for technology applications that require the use of technology applications across all grades. Likewise, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published new guidelines on the use of technology by children. However, it is the responsibility of teachers to implement and embed these… more
Date: August 2018
Creator: Prishker, Nydia
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Leaving the Classroom: A Multiple Case Study on the Experiences of Black Women who Transitioned from Teaching to a Non-Teaching Role

Description: This qualitative multiple case study aims to describe the experiences of two Black women who chose to leave the classroom and transition to other roles within the field of education. Using metaphorical analysis, this study employed the four-capital theoretical framework. This framework connects human capital, structural capital, social capital, and positive psychological capital as factors related to teacher attrition and retention. This study illustrates how the participants' experiences fi… more
Date: May 2018
Creator: Booker, Standra Nicole
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Levanten La Mano Si Me Entienden: Receptive Bilinguals’ Linguistic and Cultural Perceptions in Secondary Spanish Classes

Description: Receptive bilinguals have been in a dilemma of knowing just enough Spanish to write and aurally comprehend the curriculum at the beginning-intermediate levels of a Spanish language course. This dichotomy in classrooms with mixed-ability learners has created a need to reconsider placement and pedagogical structures tailored for these students in foreign language courses. Thus, this descriptive study examined the perceptions of receptive bilinguals, drawn from two secondary Spanish courses regard… more
Date: May 2015
Creator: Baker, Adelita Gonzales
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Mathematics Teacher Motivation in the Context of Lesson Study with Open Approach

Description: Providing professional development to in-service teachers remains a high priority when attempting to meet state and federal school accountability requirements, yet principals may neglect teacher motivation and the teacher change process when facilitating teacher learning. Drawing on self-determination theory, this research examined social and environmental factors shaping teacher motivation in the context of lesson study with open approach. This descriptive case study included the perceptions o… more
Date: August 2019
Creator: Petty, Clinton Scott
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Measuring Teaching Effectiveness Using Value-Added and Observation Rubric Scores

Description: This mixed-methods study examined the extent to which teacher performance and student performance measures correlated, and to understand which specific practices of mathematics teachers in Grades 3-5 related to student performance. Research was conducted at five elementary schools in a large, urban north Texas school district. Data sources included component scores and recorded evidence from observation rubrics, interviews with campus administrators, and value-added modeling (VAM) student growt… more
Date: December 2014
Creator: McKenzie, Andrew
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Turkey's Technology Integration Initiative on Teachers' Attitudes

Description: The purpose of this study was to determine the overall effectiveness of Turkey's technology integration initiative on teachers' attitudes and examine the moderating effects of related study characteristics. The 22 studies in this meta-analysis, carried out between the years 2010 and 2017, investigated the effects of Turkey's technology integration initiative on teachers' attitudes and met the inclusion criteria. This study followed a traditional meta-analysis research approach utilizing Hedge's… more
Date: December 2018
Creator: Gorunmek, Fatih
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Multimodal Design for Secondary English Language Arts: A Portraiture Study

Description: Employing the research approach known as portraiture, this study investigated the varying ways in which three secondary English language arts teachers at a visual and performing arts high school conceptualized and designed multimodal literacy learning. Also studied were the ways in which their students responded to these designs; and in keeping with portraiture, attention went to the changes in the researcher's own understandings. This multi-case study and cross-case analysis built on prior mul… more
Date: May 2017
Creator: Price, Cecelia Joyce
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Multimodal Literacy Portfolios: Expressive and Receptive Opportunities for Children Labeled "At-Risk"

Description: Current literacy assessments are focused on a single mode of meaning-making (reading and writing, whether oral or written) and assume that literacy and language are "fixed systems"-- comprised of discrete skills that can be taught and measured in isolation. This validation and privileging of a single mode of assessment has resulted in children labeled "At-risk" falling significantly behind those without this label. This study investigates what a teacher can learn from a diverse range of asses… more
Date: May 2017
Creator: Young, Whitney
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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A Multiple Case Study of Two African American Female Administrators in High Achieving Elementary Schools

Description: African American female principals typically lead low socioeconomic elementary schools. Administrators in predominately urban schools are familiar with the needs of minority students. Although Title I funds are provided from the national government via local educational agencies (LEAs), this money is normally not enough to keep up with technology integration and programs of more affluent schools. Therefore, African American female administrators rely on culture to develop meaningful relationsh… more
Date: August 2014
Creator: Taylor, LaBotta
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Novice Generalist and Content teachers’ Perceptions of Contextual Factors Affecting Personal Teaching Efficacy

Description: New teachers begin the school year with optimism and enthusiasm, but their excitement quickly wanes as they encounter the realities of the everyday life of a teacher. When they do not experience the successes they predicted, many begin to doubt their capabilities, which results in a lowered sense of teaching efficacy. This descriptive study was designed to identify the contextual factors novice teachers perceive as influences on personal teaching efficacy and to examine the relationships betwee… more
Date: August 2011
Creator: Hooten, Dorleen Billman
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Operationalizing Listening-to-Question and Questioning-to-Listen in Mathematics Teaching

Description: This study focused on the evaluative listening practices of four teachers who participated in an algebra professional development involving lesson study. This instrumental case study operationalizes the enactment of teacher listening followed by teacher questions and responses to define listening-to-question. Also, questioning-to-listen is operationalized as the enactment of purposefully posing questions to posture oneself to listen to students' mathematical thinking. Because of the tacit aspec… more
Date: August 2018
Creator: Kuehnert, Eloise Aniag
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Parallels Between the Gaming Experience and Rosenblatt's Reader Response Theory

Description: The world of literacy has expanded alongside technology, and new literacies are being used as an alternative or an addition to traditional text. By including video gaming as literacy, the connection can be made between students' multimodal world outside of school with the world of literacy they encounter in school. This study took two approaches of a content study and a case study. A collective case study was used to examine the gaming experience of participants with three commercial video ga… more
Date: May 2013
Creator: Sanders, April
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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