UNT Theses and Dissertations - 41 Matching Results

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Alexander Campbell and the Power of Education

Description: This educational biography is a study of Alexander Campbell's (1788-1866) educational activities and educational thinking. These activities included the following: his creation of Buffalo Seminary; advocacy for common schools at the Virginia State Constitutional Convention of 1829-1830; participation in the Western Literary Institute and College of Professional Teachers of Cincinnati, Ohio (an organization for educators); speeches on education and common schools; founding Bethany College in pr… more
Date: August 2020
Creator: Colvin, Randall Arthur
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

Continuing the Work of Our Ancestors: Black Radical Leadership and Disruptive Pedagogies in Affirming the Well-being of Black Students

Description: Using Black feminist thought and BlackCrit/critical race theory frameworks, this qualitative study examined Black educators' practices in addressing the behavior of their students in an urban school district. It utilized counternarratives and storytelling to explore the cultural dynamics at play between Black educators and their Black students. The Black educators in this study operated under several behavior systems, including positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS), socio-emot… more
Date: May 2021
Creator: Foster, Marquita Delorse
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

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

English and Reading Teachers' Pedagogical Successes and Challenges during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Description: This qualitative descriptive case study examines the pedagogical teaching and instructional practices of fifth, sixth and eighth grade Texas public school English/reading teachers. This study shares the description of each teachers' English and Reading pedagogy, instructional practices, and their successes and/or challenges prior to and during the pandemic. The participants of the study were from two different school districts in Texas. The study utilized surveys and semi-structured interviews … more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Goodwin, LaTasha Lynee Brown
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

Equitable Early Childhood Education for Young Bilingual Learners in North Texas: Examining Kindergarten Entry Assessments for Bilingual Children

Description: A considerable amount of research has been done surrounding education in classrooms from kindergarten to Grade 12, but little research has been done surrounding early childhood education (ECE) beginning with birth to age 4. As a result, research is needed that examines interventions aimed to improve the quality of early childhood education for young bilingual learners at the earliest stages of schooling. The present study examines current efforts to serve the specific population of young biling… more
Date: May 2020
Creator: McEntire, Celina Angelica
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

An Examination of the Multicultural Representation in Children's Books from Approved Literature Lists in North Texas Public Schools: A Critical Content Analysis

Description: Current events and social movements aimed at bringing awareness to oppressed groups have reminded us that the United States has still not achieved justice and equality for all. Social and political tensions have become inescapable in our increasingly connected world. Therefore, students need to learn about diverse ways of knowing and being in a pluralistic society. Since publishing and education companies compete for business, the amount of digital and print resources available to teachers can … more
Date: May 2022
Creator: Edge, Andrea Felice
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries

Exemplary Teaching and Disciplinary Literacy in History and Social Studies

Description: Disciplinary literacy is an approach to literacy in the content areas that helps students develop thinking and literacy skills that mimic experts in the field. The goal of this study was to explore the instructional practices of history teachers who have been nominated as exemplary and the role of disciplinary literacy in their instructional practices. Exemplary teachers were defined as those with strong content knowledge, experience teaching, and recognition for their teaching. This study used… more
Date: May 2020
Creator: Walker, April M
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries

Exploring Enactments of Agency in Children's Literature from School Libraries

Description: The purpose of this study was to analyze student-selected library books for how, if at all, agency is enacted by the characters. This study uses tenets from critical multicultural analysis (CMA) and elements of visual analysis (VA) to guide a critical content analysis of enactments of agency in the most circulated books from three school libraries during the 2019-2020 school year. This study builds on and extends the existing research on agency development in children and demonstrations of agen… more
Date: August 2021
Creator: Loomis, Kathryn Barkley
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
open access

Impact of Increased High School Mathematics Requirements on College Entrance Exam-Taking and Scores

Description: Research shows that students who take advanced mathematics courses perform better on measures of college readiness than students who take less rigorous courses. However, no clear effect has been shown on requiring all students to take more advanced courses. This study examined whether increases in the number and level of mathematics courses required for high school graduation have resulted in increased levels of college aspirations and preparedness. Specifically, twenty years of data from a rur… more
Date: May 2020
Creator: Richardson, Connie J.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries

Impact of Instructional Technology on Student Motivation and Vocabulary Knowledge

Description: This study examined the influence of instructional technology on Spanish as a Foreign Language (SFL) vocabulary acquisition and the intrinsic motivation language learners present while learning vocabulary in a second language. A quasi-experimental design helped determine the impact of the instructional technology intervention using Quia and Quizlet to learn vocabulary over direct instruction. A nonrandom convenience sample of (N = 47) participants was divided into the experimental group (n = 25… more
Date: August 2021
Creator: Perez, Araceli
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Impact of Standards-Based Grading for Algebra I Students

Description: In seeking to maximize student learning, educators must implement grading practices that assess well-defined course standards and clearly articulate student proficiency. Standards-based grading (SBG) practices enhance student learning by linking well-defined course standards and effective feedback. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) testing sought to determine if the use of standards-based grading in Algebra I resulted in higher achievement on standardized tests, specifically the Algebra I the State… more
Date: August 2020
Creator: Edmondson, Corrie Ellen
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Influences of External Literacy Assessment on Curricular Decisions: A Systems-Based Study of a Local School District

Description: National and state-based assessments have been a common practice for the past several decades. These assessments often come with high-stake consequences for students and schools, which tends towards the creation of a test-centric environment where educators prioritize test-based instruction to prepare students to be successful on those assessments. The over-arching purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how mandated high-stakes testing influences educators specifically within a compl… more
Date: August 2021
Creator: Larson, Tiffany R
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Influences on Teachers' Decision-Making when Working with Students who have Difficulty Learning to Read

Description: Research shows that having an excellent reading teacher in the classroom is key to preventing reading difficulties. However, teachers often feel unprepared to work with students experiencing reading difficulties. This can be problematic in a school that uses a multi-tiered system of support for students in which the classroom teacher is responsible for core instruction and early reading interventions. This qualitative study examined the influences on elementary teachers' instructional and ass… more
Date: August 2021
Creator: Pettet, Traci H
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

An Investigation into the Use of a Facebook Group by Secondary English Teachers During a Pandemic

Description: This study focuses on a Facebook group utilized by secondary English teachers during the initial crisis period of COVID 19, defined as March 2020-June 2020. During this period, teacher participants used this Facebook group as a community of practice to re-envision pedagogy, using social media as a third space in which to have discussions with other teachers, either to seek help or to share resources. After a qualitative content analysis of 630 initial posts, 14,500 comments, and 13,539 reacti… more
Date: May 2022
Creator: Flagg, Joy Evaline
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Motivating Adolescent Students to Read for Pleasure: Influences on Rural Teachers' Practice

Description: The purpose of this descriptive case study was to explore the self-perception of three rural, intermediate, ELA teachers to motivate their students to read for pleasure. The methods utilized in this study included one-on-one interviews, and a focus group discussion, including all three participants and the researcher. The subjects shared teaching strategies from their childhoods that succeeded and failed in motivating them to read. The biographical perspective proposed by Kelchtermans and Vande… more
Date: May 2021
Creator: McDaniel, Lisa G
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

New Teacher PBL Planning and Implementation

Description: This study investigated novice science and mathematics teachers' beliefs about planning and implementation of project-based instruction. Data for this qualitative study included two focus groups and a questionnaire. Items in the questionnaire were designed using preliminary findings from the analysis of the two focus groups, and from predefined items from the National Survey of Project Based Learning and High School Reform. The questionnaire was administered to 138 novice secondary mathematics … more
Date: August 2021
Creator: Harris, Marlon Karel
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Participatory Research with Adolescent Emergent Bilinguals: Creating a Third Space to Support Students' Language and Literacy Learning

Description: Teachers face pressures to meet the needs of an ever-changing diverse population of learners while simultaneously attempting to assist students in meeting state standards. There is a body of research that supports emergent bilinguals' growth in reading and writing. However, those practices do not necessarily reflect classroom instruction nor the needs of the students. The purpose of this study was to examine adolescent emergent bilinguals' perceptions about their learning from research-based li… more
Date: May 2021
Creator: Garcia, Kimberly
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
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