UNT Theses and Dissertations - 77 Matching Results

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Cross-Pollinating Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies and Systemic Functional Linguistics in English as a Second Language (ESL) Classrooms

Description: This exploratory case study research was conducted with a view to exploring how teachers teaching emergent bilingual students in ESL programs can enact the principles of culturally sustaining systematic functional linguistics (CS SFL), such as critical centering, historicizing, curricularizing, teaching and learning cycle (TLC), and semantic waving in their classrooms. Two middle school teachers participated in the study and used CS SFL principles to teach their emergent bilingual students. I g… more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Rana, Lal Bahadur
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Audacity of Authenticity: Personal and Professional Identity Negotiation in Queer Preservice Teachers

Description: The purpose of this study was to examine the intersection of preservice teachers' personal identities as queer individuals with their emerging professional identities as educators. Political and social environments contribute to a separation of these identities, which can further the marginalization of these individuals to the detriment of both their identities as people as well as their professional practice. Guided by a theoretical framework of figured worlds, interviews with students in teac… more
Date: December 2022
Creator: Moore, Kevin Michael
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Bilingual Educators' Practices for Supporting Hispanic Bilingual Students' Success in School

Description: This narrative inquiry study sought the voices of bilingual teachers through their lived experiences in relation to the success of Hispanic emergent bilinguals in schools. Two research questions guided the study: (1) What practices do bilingual educators consider important in helping Hispanic emergent bilingual students succeed in schools? and (2) How do bilingual teachers negotiate the curriculum and school structures to support Hispanic bilingual students' success in their classrooms? Two the… more
Date: December 2022
Creator: Marcum Lerwick, Ana Patricia
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Pre-Service Elementary Teachers' Core Science Teaching Practices to Develop Scientific Literacy: A Disciplinary Literacy Framework Analysis

Description: Every citizen has the right to be equipped with scientific literacy to understand and make informed decisions within the discipline of science. Educators can utilize core science teaching practices (CSTPs) to develop scientific literacy. In response, this study identified the CSTPs utilized by preservice elementary teachers (PSETs) to develop scientific literacy during their spring 2022 student teaching semester. Furthermore, this study identified contextual constructs that led to the utilizati… more
Date: December 2022
Creator: Ham, Chris D.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Examination of Black and Latino/a/x Students' and Responsive STEM Teachers' Perceptions of Teacher Cultural Consciousness and Culturally Responsive Instructional Practices

Description: School cultures, curriculum, and instruction are too often created through a monocultural lens, which excludes Black and Latino/a/x students both socially and academically, and perpetuates the false notion that these students are inherently less capable of achieving academic success when compared to their White counterparts. This is visible across all content areas, but especially in secondary science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) classes, which means that our Black and Latin… more
Date: December 2021
Creator: Norris, Margaret Louise
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

English Learner Instructional Programs in Texas Charter Schools: Perspectives of Instructional Leaders in Their Selection of Bilingual/ESL Programs

Description: There are 184 active charter school districts in Texas, which use public tax dollars like traditional school districts, providing educational opportunities to over 350,000 Texas students. Charter schools accept state and federal funds and often operate with less oversight than their neighboring local public schools, yet they have the autonomy to accomplish the mission(s) set forth by the charter school operator. Although there have been numerous studies looking at the effectiveness of charter s… more
Date: December 2021
Creator: Navarrete, Jesús Leopoldo
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Perceptions of Charter School Administrators and Teachers about Factors Accounting for Academic Effectiveness

Description: This qualitative case study examines academic performance effectiveness (or lack of effectiveness) of a charter school based on the perceptions of the administrator and teachers. This study explores what they perceived to be effective/ineffective, the reasons for this effectiveness/ineffectiveness, and the solutions to any identified challenges/problems at their charter school as they relate to students' academic performance. The participants in the study were from one charter school in a chart… more
Date: December 2021
Creator: Hunter, Adrienne M
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries

Immigrant Children's Perspectives of Books that Share Stories of Early School Experiences

Description: Guided by the importance of children's voices and perspectives, this study aims at finding the immigrant children's perspectives of books that share stories of early school experiences of immigrant children. Before working with children, there was a careful selection process and analyzing of the three picture books chosen for the study using critical content analysis and childism lenses. The participants are three Arab immigrant children at the age of 6 who are bilingual and attended school in … more
Date: December 2020
Creator: Alharbi, Sara Abdullah
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries

Unlocking Digital Literacy: A Multiple Case Study of Digital Literacy Instruction and the Interactive Decision Making of Teachers in a Texas Charter School

Description: The rapid expansion of computers and digital technology requires citizens to be digitally literate. Teachers must prepare students for a digital world despite the lack of consensus on a definition or its components. This multiple case study explored the digital literacy instruction and interactive decision making of teachers with varied levels of expertise. Each participant completed a survey and the General Decision Making Style Questionnaire prior to a series of interviews and classroom obser… more
Date: December 2020
Creator: Stone, Barbara K.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries

My Jabez Journey: The Examination of Patriarchy, Power, and Privilege from the Lived Experiences of a Black Female Expatriate Christian Mathematics Teacher

Description: Living and working abroad is one of the best ways to grow and learn about who you are and who you can become. The purpose of the project is to develop and articulate a radical reflexive praxis within the paradigm of the lived experiences of a Black female expatriate Christian mathematics educator. Grounded in the epistemological tradition of Black feminist thought, this study defines the intersectionality of my identity as a Black woman mathematics educator and explores ways it informs my inte… more
Date: December 2020
Creator: Payne, Ruth Evangeline
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Preservice Teachers' Images of Female Scientists, Male Scientists, and Teacher as Scientists: An Analysis of Stereotypical Indicators

Description: The role of depicting and analysing scientist images to reveal gender-science stereotypes among students in K-12 classrooms is an ongoing research trend in science education literature. The study reported here carries on this research trend but focuses on preservice elementary teachers' images of scientists. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between preservice elementary teachers' gender and ethnicity and their drawn images of a female scientist, male scientist, and … more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Rendon, Netassha M
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

An Exploration of Elementary L2 Learners' Use of Metacognitive Strategies

Description: This multiple case study examined the experiences of elementary L2 learners who received instruction in either reciprocal teaching or the think aloud strategy (TAS), and identified patterns of use that emerged from participants' employment of the strategies. The three L2 participants took a pre- test and a posttest, were recorded using the strategies, and responded to interview questions about the strategies. Using qualitative data analysis techniques, four themes emerged from analysis of the … more
Date: December 2018
Creator: McNeel, Michele E.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

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
open access

Elementary Students' Perceptions of Their Authentic Engagement when Using iPads in the Classroom

Description: The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a 1:1 iPad initiative on student engagement in the classroom, as perceived by students. The design of this case study consisted of a purposeful sample of six, 5th grade students from a suburban elementary school in North Central Texas who participated in surveys, individual interviews, and focus group discussions. Two research questions guided this study: (1) How do elementary school students perceive they are authentically engaged when usi… more
Date: December 2018
Creator: Hayunga, Kelly Lynn
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Critique, Hope, and Action: A Critical Content Analysis of Teacher-Selected Literature for the Elementary Classroom

Description: The purpose of this study was to analyze teacher-selected children's literature for its potential use with critical pedagogy in the elementary classroom. This multi-analytical study uses tenets from critical multicultural analysis (CMA) and components from visual analysis (VA) to guide a critical content analysis of teacher-selected children's literature. Since it is the only nationally-recognized book list solely selected by educators, the texts for this study were selected from the Teachers… more
Date: December 2018
Creator: Edwards, Jessica Lee Lavina
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

African-American Achievement in Charter Schools and the Impact of Connectedness, Alignment, Rigor, and Engagement (C.A.R.E.) on School Effectiveness: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review

Description: The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of charter schools on African-American students, this study sought to determine if the practice of connectedness, alignment, rigor, and engagement (C.A.R.E.) influenced academic outcomes. The research methodology employed a meta-analysis in conjunction with a systematic review as a cross-reference and to address variables not covered in the meta-analysis. Utilizing a meta-analysis allowed for a synthesis of the existing quantitative publishe… more
Date: December 2018
Creator: McCloud, Margie J
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Construction of Identity through Early Childhood Curriculum: Examining Picturebooks from a Critical Feminist Lens

Description: Picturebooks are an important part of the classroom environment in early childhood education. They open doors to new experiences, nurture students' cultural identities, and invite students to explore connections across cultures. In the United States today, many of the picturebooks that are available to teachers and students in preschool classrooms come from the state curriculum that the school district has implemented. Shifting demographic trends have led many educators to recognize a need for… more
Date: December 2018
Creator: Medellin, Kelly
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Double Down: The Autoethnography of Navigating as Black American Male Instructing Preservice Teachers Methods of Teaching Social Studies

Description: This inquiry is an autoethnography of my experiences as a Black American male serving as a methods of social studies instructor to preservice teachers. Although some may deem this study as subjective, I have embraced that designation to provide insider information to others that face intersectionality and to inform institutional practices in teacher education programs.
Date: December 2018
Creator: Levingston, Earl Ray
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Understanding the Perceptions and Indications of the Goals and Unique Aspects of the Foundations for Success (FFS) Curriculum Model: A Case Study in a North Texas Private Preschool

Description: This quantitative and qualitative case study examined the educators' perceptions of both the goals and unique aspects of the foundations for success (FFS) curriculum model. Specifically, this study was designed to explain the experiences of 55 early childhood educators and administrators who all had similar exposure to the FFS curriculum model. This study sought to understand the educators' perceptions of the specific goals of using pertinent curriculum and instruction terminology and the paral… more
Date: December 2017
Creator: Jackey, Lisa
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Stories about Culture, Education, and Literacy of Immigrant Graduate Students and Their Familes

Description: Every year many immigrant families become members of United States communities. Among these are international graduate students whose lives and identities, as well as those of their families, are changed as they negotiate between cultures and experiences. In this study, three Saudi graduate students share their stories about culture, education and literacy. This research employs narrative inquiry to answer the following question: What stories do Saudi immigrant students tell regarding their ed… more
Date: December 2017
Creator: Mirza, Hala
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

These Walls Can Talk: An Ethnographic Study of the Interior Schoolscape of Three High Schools

Description: The schoolhouse is a place in which messages for student consumption are typically found with classroom lectures, text, and activities. As with any social setting, however, the communication is not confined to one space but extends, in this case, to hallways, common spaces, and exterior of the building. One of the most common practices for the delivery of messages to students within the schoolhouse is through visual signage. Visual signage can traverse disciplines encompassing concepts from … more
Date: December 2017
Creator: Hamilton, Joshua
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Preservice Teachers' Beliefs about Writing and Their Plans to Teach Writing: The Apprenticeship of Observation

Description: Preservice teachers (PSTs) bring a plethora of knowledge and experiences to their educator preparation courses. The PSTs have also formed ideas about how to teach based on their observations during the thousands of hours they spent as students in the classroom from kindergarten through high school graduation. This phenomenon, coined by Lortie, is called the apprenticeship of observation. Past research has focused on the apprenticeship of observation in general while neglecting to specifically e… more
Date: December 2017
Creator: Thompson, Emily Kyle
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Exploring the Dual-natured Impact of Digital Technology on Student-classroom Engagement in a Texas Public High School

Description: The past decade has become rife with an eagerness to integrate new digital technology into teaching. While there have been decades of research done on the importance of curriculum and pedagogy on student engagement, findings of actual technology integration are scarce. Moreover, what does it take to engage students in classroom activities and lessons when technology is introduced? The purpose of this study was to explore how digital technology, when integrated into classroom teaching and activi… more
Date: December 2015
Creator: Ayers, Joseph J.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

A Descriptive Analysis of the Critical Thinking Model in Texas Elementary Education

Description: Contributions from elementary education to the practice and reality of critical thinking are rare, largely because attempts in basic education to elucidate a concept of critical thinking have a hard time breaking through the elusiveness and indeterminacy that characterize the history and reality of the concept. This situation is due to, and a consequence of, the difficulty of delimiting critical thinking from related fields, such as metacognition, higher-order-thinking, problem solving, informa… more
Date: December 2013
Creator: Quijano, Oswaldo Jorge
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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