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open access

Students As Historians: The Historical Narrative Inquiry Model's Impact on Historical Thinking and Historical Empathy

Description: The dissertation explores middle-school students' abilities to engage in historical thinking. I dispute the Hallam-Piaget model, which discourages analytical thinking through the assumption that children lack skills to think critically about history. My historical narrative inquiry model (1) teaches procedural knowledge (the process of "doing" history); (2) enhances interpretative skills; (3) cultivates historical perspectives based upon evidentiary history; and (4) encourages student authorshi… more
Date: December 2007
Creator: Colby, Sherri Rae
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

A Chronological Study of Experiential Education in the American History Museum

Description: This study traced the evolution of experiential education in American history museums from 1787 to 2007. Because of a decline in attendance, museum educators need to identify best practices to draw and retain audiences. I used 16 museology and history journals, books, and archives of museums prominent for using the method. I also interviewed 15 museum educators who employ experiential learning, one master interpreter of the National Park Service, and an independent museum exhibit developer. Exp… more
Date: December 2007
Creator: Cook, Bettye Alexander
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

Perceptions of preparedness and practices: A survey of teachers of English language learners.

Description: Mainstream teachers who obtained their English as a second language (ESL) certification by exam only are faced with increasing numbers of English language learners (ELLs) in their classrooms. Decreasing standards for teacher ESL certification and increasing accountability for ELLs has made teachers' role in effectively increasing the language and academic skills of ELLs an area of major concern. This study used a survey and focus group interviews to obtain information regarding ESL-certified fo… more
Date: December 2007
Creator: Matson, Jill Lynn
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

The Impact of Language Planning and Policy on High School Long-term English Language Learners in a Selected North Texas Urban District

Description: Language policy reform movements have increased accountability in order for schools to improve student achievement and measure the progress of English language learners. The number of English language learners (ELLs) has grown significantly in the school population, yet the level of academic achievement for this population continues to lag. Language planning and policy provide critical decisions about how to measure what students know in all subjects. In 1999, the 76th Texas Legislature approve… more
Date: December 2007
Creator: Piña-Hinojosa, Isabella
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

Social skills use of adolescents with learning disabilities: An application of Bandura's theory of reciprocal interaction.

Description: This was a mixed methods study designed to investigate the social skills use of adolescents with learning disabilities through an application of Albert Bandura's theory of reciprocal interaction. Data were collected through ranking surveys, observations, interviews, and school records. Three questions were investigated. The first question was to determine whether the language deficits of LD students contributed to their general decreased social competency. Through data from the Social Skills… more
Date: May 2006
Creator: Clore, Christine W.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

Beating the High Stakes Testing Game: A Three-Year Study of Improvement Rates on the TAKS Social Studies Exit Exam.

Description: The Texas high school class of 2005 faced a defining test that had no precedent in Texas and little nationally. Social studies testing is a relatively new addition to the world of high stakes testing currently impacting United States high schools. Although other diploma dependent areas of mandated testing have some testing history and, therefore, related paradigms for curriculum and instructional assistance, the area of social studies largely lacks that perspective. Texas Education agency provi… more
Date: May 2006
Creator: Evans, Barbara Anne
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

The Effects of an Inquiry-based American History Program on the Achievement of Middle School and High School Students.

Description: Implicit in the call for educational reform in the teaching of social studies has been the suggestion that pursuing inquiry-based principles will lead to improvement in student achievement. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of two types of pedagogy: traditional and inquiry-based upon student achievement as measured by a standards-based, state administered examination. Second, this study examined the relationship between the treatment teachers' level of implementation … more
Date: May 2006
Creator: Harmon, Larry G.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

Teacher certification content area tests: Predictors of teacher knowledge for post-baccalaureate secondary candidates.

Description: In response to a growing teacher shortage, increasing numbers of secondary teachers are prepared through streamlined certification programs. For this reason, assessing candidates' content area knowledge gained from institutions of higher education across the United States is an important program admission factor as candidates must demonstrate content area knowledge by passing a Texas content area certification test (TExES). This study examines content knowledge for candidates enrolled in an o… more
Date: May 2006
Creator: Jackson, Jennifer K.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

A Comparison of the Self-Efficacy Scores of Preservice Teachers Based on Initial College Experience

Description: The purpose of this study was to determine if any statistically significant difference exists between the self-efficacy scores of student teachers who began their college experience at the community college level and student teachers who began their education at the university level. The study was used to determine whether or not the type of initial college experience impacted the first two years of college study, in relation to the development of a sense of self-efficacy at the end of the prog… more
Date: May 2006
Creator: Ritchie, Kelly Renea
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation

Photographic metaphors: A multiple case study of second language teachers' experiences using the acquisition model.

Description: The purpose of this study was to examine and document second language teachers' perceptions of their implementation of a meaning-making approach, known as the Acquisition Model, to second language instruction. Of particular focus were the concerns and strategies the second language teachers experienced when changing their pedagogical practice from mechanical to meaning making. The main research question, which guided this study, was: "What is the 'lived experience' of L2 teachers as they imp… more
Access: Restricted to UNT Community Members. Login required if off-campus.
Date: May 2006
Creator: DeLaCruz-Raub, Jeanne Marie
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

An exploration of the relationships among teacher efficacy, collective teacher efficacy, and teacher demographic characteristics in conservative Christian schools.

Description: The purpose of this study was to determine whether teachers' perceptions of self-efficacy and collective teacher efficacy are interrelated and how these two constructs may be impacted by teacher demographic characteristics, such as educational level, grade level taught, and number of years of teaching experience. This study focused entirely on the interrelationships of teacher efficacy and collective teacher efficacy in three suburban, conservative Christian schools in north Texas. Specifically… more
Date: August 2006
Creator: Egger, Karen J.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

Factors related to technology implementation of K-12 principals and teachers.

Description: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between principals' leadership styles and principals'/teachers' implementation of technology. The Leadership Effectiveness and Adaptability Description (LEAD) Self was used to identify the primary and secondary leadership styles of principals. The Level of Technology Implementation (LoTi) Questionnaire was used to identify the level of technology implementation (LoTi), personal computer use (PCU) and current instructional practice (C… more
Date: August 2006
Creator: Moses, Rhonda René
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

The Effects of Using Children's Literature with Adolescents in the English As a Foreign Language Classroom.

Description: This study provides quantitative and qualitative data about the effects of using children's literature with adolescents in a language classroom and the role of children's literature in students' second/foreign language development, including listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. The study presents qualitative data about the role of children's literature in developing more positive attitudes toward reading in the second/foreign language and toward reading in general. With literatur… more
Date: December 2006
Creator: Belsky, Stella
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

Theatre teachers' attitudes toward the University Interscholastic League One-Act Play contest.

Description: The focus of aesthetic education is reflected in an arts curriculum designed for students to learn skills that make it possible for them to experience the world in a satisfying and meaningful manner. Incorporating aesthetics into school curriculum can be approached through the use of coordinated programs. In the state of Texas, over 1100 schools participate annually in the One-Act Play contest (OAP). The contest is governed by the University Interscholastic League (UIL), which has designed and … more
Date: December 2006
Creator: Gotuaco, Jennifer E.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

A multi-state political process analysis of the anti-testing movement.

Description: I applied McAdam's political process model for social movement analysis to examine the level of collective resistance to high stakes testing in California, Massachusetts, New York, South Carolina, and Texas from 1985 to 2005. Data on protest occurrences in those states were gathered from online news reports, anti-testing organization websites, and electronic interviews from individuals associated with the anti-testing movement. Variables used in the analysis included each state's key educationa… more
Date: December 2006
Creator: DeMerle, Carol
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation

Elementary Teacher Attrition and Factors of Organizational Climate

Description: As the United States faces a critical teacher shortage, it is important to examine all factors that may contribute to the revolving door of teacher attrition. This study explored the climate of elementary schools to determine if there was a correlation between teacher attrition and school organizational climate. Three basic research questions were addressed: 1) Is there a relationship between school organizational climate and teacher attrition? 2) Is a change in campus leadership related to sch… more
Access: Restricted to the UNT Community Members at a UNT Libraries Location.
Date: May 2003
Creator: Cotten, Virginia E.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

Teenager's doing history out-of-school: An intrinsic case study of situated learning in history.

Description: This intrinsic case study documents a community-based history expedition implemented as a project-based, voluntary, out-of-school history activity. The expedition's development was informed by the National Education Association's concept of the intensive study of history, its structure by the history seminary, and its spirit by Webb's account of seminar as history expedition. Specific study objectives included documentation of the planning, implementation, operation, and outcomes of the expedit… more
Date: May 2008
Creator: Johnston, Glenn T.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

The relationship of teacher efficacy to teacher concerns and job-embedded professional development.

Description: As educators search for ways of improving student achievement, it is imperative that focus be placed on teacher learning and development. Currently, the trend in public schools throughout the country is to look directly at students and the deficits they bring to the learning environment when responding to those who find fault with the educational system. The current study directed attention to teachers' beliefs about their ability to affect change in student learning. The study centered on seve… more
Date: August 2008
Creator: Doughney, John F.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

The Effects of Individualized Test Coaching on Teacher Certification Test Scores.

Description: While student populations are growing, the gatekeeping devices of teacher certification examinations prevent many who want and are trained to teach from entering the profession. If failing these exams predicted failure to teach well, blocking students who do not pass certification exams from entering the profession might be a well-reasoned policy. However, many studies indicate that there is little correlation between certification test scores and quality of teaching. The present study investi… more
Date: August 2008
Creator: Hall, Kathryn Cowart
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

Success Factors among Early College Entrants

Description: This study explored how various intrapersonal, familial, and life-goal characteristics related to the academic and personal success of first semester early college entrants attending the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science (TAMS) at the University of North Texas. The study sought to identify which intrapersonal factors and external factors affected grades, behavioral markers, and life satisfaction during the students' first semester at TAMS. Baseline data from TAMS entrance material such a… more
Date: August 2008
Creator: Hoggan, Barbara
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

Characteristics of Preservice Teachers Learning Parent Involvement Practices.

Description: Numerous models of IS success and technology acceptance their extensions have been proposed and applied in empirical. This study continues this tradition and extends the body of knowledge on the topic of IS success by developing a more comprehensive model for measuring IS success and technology acceptance within a government organization. The proposed model builds upon three established IS success and technology acceptance frameworks namely the DeLone and McLean (2003), Venkatesh et al.'s (2003… more
Date: August 2008
Creator: Trotti, Judy
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

A value-added approach to determine the relationships of mentoring to novice teacher classroom effectiveness.

Description: The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between scores of the new teachers' classroom effectiveness with numerical indexes of mentor support, mentor infrastructure, and workplace ecology. In addition, this study sought to determine the effect of various demographics (i.e., gender, age, race, degree, teaching level, and certification route) on the Classroom Effectiveness Index (CEI) scores of first-year teachers, and to determine the differences, if any, between the Classroom … more
Date: December 2008
Creator: Harris, Shelley B.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

The role of federal district courts on desegregation: A logistic regression analysis of the factors that influence prodesegregation outcomes.

Description: In this study I analyzed the 1089 desegregation outcomes in federal district courts that occurred between 1994 and 2004 in order to identify a) the legal and non-legal factors in the litigation process that predict pro-desegregation outcomes and b) the judicial patterns that impact the future of desegregation policy. Twenty-one legal and non-legal variables were analyzed via logistic regression analysis to identify factors that predict pro-desegregation outcomes. Only three predictor variable… more
Date: December 2008
Creator: Lane, Ginny G.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

A Phenomenological Inquiry of Media Literacy of Middle School Students Enrolled in a North Texas Middle School.

Description: This dissertation investigated the media literacy experiences of middle school students enrolled in a Texas school. The literature review suggested that middle school students may be overlooked as a distinct population in media literacy research. The primary guiding questions for this inquiry were (1) How is media literacy exhibited by middle school students within a formal school context? (2) How does an elective film and media class impact middle school students' media literacy? And (3) How d… more
Date: December 2008
Creator: Payne, Sara M.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
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