Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Educational theory'

Purpose: The purpose of this Delphi study was to identify and describe the perceptions of open educational resources (OER) higher education experts regarding the activities needed at colleges and universities in the United States in order to advance faculty adoption of OER over the next 10 years. Also, this study examined those activities that were most important and had the greatest likelihood of being implemented.

Methodology: The researcher utilized a mixed-methods Delphi study technique to identify and describe activities to advance faculty adoption of OER. The target population for the study consisted of a group of OER higher education faculty experts from postsecondary institutions within the United States. This study utilized a purposive criterion sampling method to identify 16 experts. The Delphi method employed questionnaires over 3 successive rounds to gather data from and build consensus among the expert panel. In Round 1, the researcher asked the expert panel for activities to support faculty adoption of OER. In Round 2, the expert panel rated the 35 activities for degree of importance and likelihood of implementation. In Round 3, the panel had an opportunity to revise their score, if desired, in order to move toward consensus.

Findings: Analysis of the quantitative data from the study revealed 17 OER activities that received consensus for importance and 11 OER activities that indicated consensus concerning likelihood for implementation. Finally, there were 6 OER research findings on which the expert panel came to consensus concerning equally importance and likelihood of implementation.

Conclusions: Based on the data and research findings, 6 conclusions were drawn related to faculty adoption of OER within colleges and universities over the next decade.

Recommendations: There were 8 recommendations for further research covering these topic areas: (a) replication of the study within different higher education arenas and across other stakeholder groups; and (b) examination of faculty receptivity and resistance to adopting OER, utilizing a change theoretical framework; (c) a model for open pedagogy; and (d) an examination of K-12 educators’ OER adoption practices.

This dissertation presents a multidimensional learning theory called Interactive Spatial Learning (ISL). Using constructivist grounded theory methodology, ISL was abductively derived from a qualitative investigation into the forms of learning that emerged through the practices found at the Builder’s Brewery school in the 3D virtual world of Second Life. ISL was developed in response to the divergence that exists between two theoretical perspectives in online learning research; studies from a cognitive perspective define learning as changes in individual cognition while studies from a sociocultural perspective define learning as participation. The exclusive adoption of either learning perspective may lead to oversights in four important aspects of learning: (a) the temporal sequencing of independent and social regulatory learning processes, (b) contextual learning cues embedded within the virtual learning environment, (c) individual learner attributes, and (d) the development of socioemotional connections between learners. To address these oversights, this study utilized data collected from interviews, participant observations, chat logs, survey responses, and digital artifacts to extend our understandings of the learning that emerges from the coordinating mechanisms between the individual, social, and technological aspects of a virtual learning environment. Data collection and analysis incorporated the use of data sensitizing principles to develop the theoretical constructs of knowledge places, community-based Discourses, and technology mediation found in ISL. ISL posits that learning is the recontextualization of information to different modalities through interactions that occur in interactive spaces. Interactive spaces are where information and knowledge are generated and transformed. At a systemic level, ISL explains information flow across spaces and semi-permeable boundaries mediated by technology. At a mechanistic level, a sub-theory of ISL, called autonomous learning, looks at the emergent learning process and how people learn—the nature of which is spontaneous, self-directed, and independent. Autonomous learning trajectories describe the processes that individuals construct in order to learn. These trajectories consist of four different but interchangeable and repeatable components: learning cues/Cues, learning goals, resourcing, and recontextualization. This dissertation concludes by exploring the implications and connections that ISL has to instructional design, pedagogy, and theorizing in online spaces.

Purpose: The purpose of this Delphi study was to identify the competencies that early care and education systems leaders should possess as perceived by a panel of early childhood systems leadership experts. This study also identified which leadership competencies experts perceive will have the most impact on transformation of the field into an organized system of practice.

Methodology: This study used a mixed-methods Delphi approach consisting of three electronic surveys to identify competencies needed by early care and education systems leaders as perceived by a panel of national experts. Round 1 consisted of open-ended questions. Round 2 asked the panelists to rate each competency’s importance using a 6-point Likert scale. In Round 3 panelists were requested to choose which competencies were most important for systems leaders to impact the transformation of the field into an organized system of practice.

Major Findings: A quantitative analysis of Round 2 found that the expert panelists agreed on 65 competencies as important or very important for systems leaders to acquire. Some of the most highly rated competencies identified were developing relationships and partnerships, valuing diversity, collaborative leadership skills, and commitment to equity. In Round 3, 14 competencies were selected as necessary for systems leaders to impact transformation of the field, including systems thinking, big picture perspective, commitment to equity, and knowledge of policy and legislation. Through a qualitative literature analysis, the themes systems thinking, and collaborative and inclusive leadership were found to be most aligned with the research literature. A surprising finding was that the expert panelists did not rate knowledge of child development as important for systems leaders, which contrasted with the research literature.

Recommendations for Future Research: Include (a) replication of this study with representation from additional systems leaders throughout the country; (b) perceptions of stakeholders throughout the ECE workforce regarding leadership competencies, including diverse and marginalized populations and those in a variety of leadership roles; (c) tasks and objectives of systems leaders and a clear definition of their roles; and (d) impact of the absence or presence of knowledge of child development on the decisions of ECE systems leaders.

African American children’s public school education outcomes differ from those of their White, non-Hispanic peers. This dissertation used the data from The Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey for the Kindergarten Class of 2011 (ECLS-K: 2011) to explore the question: What factors during a child’s kindergarten through third-grade years contribute to disparate test scores, opportunities, and outcomes? There is a large body of research citing a gap between African American students and their White, non- Hispanic peers in later years of schooling. This study utilized data collected from students, parents, teachers, and administrators from a child’s entry to kindergarten through the completion of third grade. The results were interpreted through the lens of Critical Race Theory (CRT). Most CRT work has been qualitative. This study aimed to identify areas in which follow-up qualitative work could enrich the findings of the quantitative work and offer insight beyond the deficit models that are routinely provided to explain the gap.

Findings suggest that there is a slight gap between African American students and their White, non-Hispanic peers in reading and math scores on kindergarten entry. Those differences increased over a 4-year period. The data also suggest poverty played a factor in this disparity. The beliefs about kindergarten readiness between teachers and parents were aligned, and African American parents’ beliefs were more aligned than were those of the parent population as a whole. Teachers reported closer relationships with White, non-Hispanic students and higher levels of conflict with African American students, although this did not seem to correlate directly with reading and math test scores.

The research results indicate that there needs to be an increase in culturally relevant pedagogical training for preservice and inservice teachers. Early education programs need to be closely examined for practices that exclude or disadvantage children who are not from White, middle class backgrounds. The curriculum needs to build on the skills the students possess, rather than considering those without the desired skills deficient. Finally, intervention programs need to be evaluated as the data in the study indicate that reading gaps were less than math.

In the context of a rapidly changing world, higher order thinking skills are necessary for sustainability of U.S. society. Beginning with the premise that U.S. public schools are charged with the constitutional duty of growing children into informed and educated citizens, prepared to thrive in the world of work and to participate in democratic processes; and, that higher order thinking is a core part of that mission, this study examined children’s perspectives on school climate and the environment for the teaching and learning of higher order thinking in twenty five public elementary schools in an urban Connecticut school district. This integrated program of research used an exploratory sequential/concurrent mixed methods design to construct a pair of new psychometric instruments to measure student attitudes toward school climate and the environment for teaching and learning higher order thinking in a public elementary school. The intended uses and interpretations of the scores reported by the Climate4Creativity Elementary (C4C/SPE) and Middle School (C4C/SPM) Student Perspectives measurement instruments, were validated to professional standards. The study concluded that these instruments have utility for public elementary schools, particularly in identifying areas of focus and in the management of strategic and tactical school improvement work as part of a wider program of transformation in a school. Cronbach’s Alpha reliability scores in excess of 0.90 were reported for all measures. This study supported the core idea that safer schools with stronger, more caring communities provide individual students with better learning environments, and that general learning and the learning of creativity are intrinsically linked in the minds of students in public elementary schools, even though these students may not always name these components as such. The environment for learning higher order thinking measure tends to deteriorate from the early grades to middle school grades, implying both raised expectations, and an increase in variability in the data due to more and more variety in classroom settings and teacher practices. Examination of reported bullying experience shows bullying victimization to be a powerful, pervasive determinant of school climate and feelings of safety and community in all grades, but, bullying victimization tends not to penetrate into perceptions of the classroom learning environment to the same degree. By exploring school safety, community, and the structure of the learning environment required for the teaching and learning of higher order thinking in a public elementary school, this work begins the creation of a framework to enable school leaders to make significant, transformational, strategic change in their schools.

This qualitative grounded theory study investigated the value of iPads in K-12 schools when used in one-to-one ratios. The purpose of the study was to understand the perspectives of teachers using iPads in one-to-one ratios for teaching and learning in the classroom and administrators responsible for the implementation of these devices. The problem was that little was known about the value iPads bring to teaching and learning when used in one-to-one configurations. Two research questions guided this study: From the viewpoint of a teacher, what is the perceived value of iPads when used in one-to-one settings for learning and instruction? and: From the viewpoint of an administrator, what is the perceived value of iPads when used in one-to-one settings for learning and instruction? In one phase, phenomenological interviews captured the lived experiences of 16 teachers using iPads to implement instruction. In a separate phase, a focus group with five administrators discussed their perceptions of the educational value of iPads. The findings of this study were uncovered through the analysis of transcripts of the interviews with teachers and two focus group sessions. The data were analyzed and coded to better understand the phenomenon. Through this analysis, six themes and related subthemes were discovered. These themes were (1) ease of use, (2) district support, (3) teacher mindset, (4) student-centered learning, and (5) evidence of the SAMR model of technology use. These findings may be useful for teachers who use the devices and administrators in school districts considering the adoption of the devices.