Use of unmodified starches and partial removal of serum to improve Granada medium stability

The use of 1% unmodified rice starch and 1% horse serum instead of 2% soluble starch and 5% serum in Granada medium is described. These components result in a medium of increased stability, preventing spoilage after a few days of storage at room temperature

A qualitative study of curriculum and instructional efforts in relation to high stakes federal and district policies in one low-performing elementary school

Les enjeux liés aux politiques éducatives ont considérablement changé au cours des dernières décennies. Ces changements sont liés, entre autres, à l’accroissement de l’imputabilité et de la reddition de compte qui est devenue une caractéristique importante des réformes curriculaires et pédagogiques. Les politiques à enjeux élevés exercent une pression énorme sur les districts et les écoles états-unienne afin qu’ils augmentent le rendement des élèves en utilisant des systèmes de conséquences (Hall & Ryan, 2011; Loeb & Strunk, 2007). Ces politiques envoient de puissants messages sur l'importance de certaines matières scolaires au détriment d'autres - circonscrivant les exigences en termes de compétences et de connaissances. La langue maternelle d’enseignement et les mathématiques sont devenues des mesures centrales sur lesquelles reposent l’évaluation et le degré de performance des districts et des écoles. Conséquemment, les administrateurs de districts et les directions d’écoles ont souvent recours à des réformes curriculaires et pédagogiques comme moyen d'augmenter le rendement des élèves dans les matières scolaires visées par ces politiques. Les politiques contraignent les acteurs scolaires de concentrer les ressources sur les programmes curriculaires et les évaluations, le développement professionnel, et la prise de décision pilotée par les données (Anagnostopoulos & Ruthledge, 2007; Honig & Hatch, 2004; Spillane, Diamond, et al., 2002; Weitz White & Rosenbaum, 2008). Cette thèse examine la manière dont les politiques à enjeux élevés opèrent quotidiennement dans les interactions et les pratiques au sein des écoles. Nous analysons plus particulièrement les différents messages provenant de la politique transmis aux acteurs scolaires sur les manières d'apporter des changements substantiels dans le curriculum et l'enseignement. Nous élargissons l’analyse en prenant en compte le rôle des administrateurs de district ainsi que des partenaires universitaires qui façonnent également la manière dont certains aspects des messages provenant des politiques sont transmis, négociés et/ou débattus et d’autres sont ignorés (Coburn & Woulfin, 2012). En utilisant l’analyse de discours, nous examinons le rôle du langage comme constituant et médiateur des interactions sociales entre les acteurs scolaires et d’autres parties prenantes. De telles analyses impliquent une investigation approfondie d’un nombre d’étude de cas limité. Les données utilisées dans cette thèse ont été colligées dans une école primaire états-unienne du mid-West. Cette étude de cas fait partie d’une étude longitudinale de quatre ans qui comprenait huit écoles dans les milieux urbains entre 1999 et 2003 (Distributed Leadership Studies, http://www.distributedleadership.org). La base de données analysée inclut des observations de réunions formelles et des entrevues auprès des administrateurs du district, des partenaires universitaires, de la direction d’école et des enseignants. En plus de l’introduction et de la problématique (chapitre 1) et de discussion et conclusion (chapitre 5), cette thèse comprend un ensemble de trois articles interdépendants. Dans le premier article (chapitre 2), nous effectuons une recension des écrits portant sur le domaine de l’implantation de politiques (policy implementation) et la complexité des relations locales, nationales et internationales dans les systèmes éducatifs. Pour démystifier cette complexité, nous portons une attention particulière à la construction de sens des acteurs scolaires comme étant une dimension clé du processus de mise en œuvre des réformes. Dans le deuxième article (chapitre 3), nous cherchons à comprendre les processus sociaux qui façonnent les réponses stratégiques des acteurs scolaires à l’égard des politiques du district et de l’état et en lien avec la mise en œuvre d’un curriculum prescrit en mathématiques. Plus particulièrement, nous explorons les différentes situations dans lesquelles les acteurs scolaires argumentent au sujet des changements curriculaires et pédagogiques proposés par les administrateurs de district et des partenaires universitaires afin d’augmenter les résultats scolaires en mathématiques dans une école à faible performance. Dans le troisième article (chapitre 4), nous cherchons à démystifier les complexités liées à l’amélioration de l’enseignement dans un environnement de politiques à enjeux élevés. Pour ce faire, nous utilisons l'interaction entre les notions d'agentivité et la structure afin d'analyser la manière dont les conceptions d’imputabilité et les idées qui découlent de l'environnement politique et les activités quotidiennes jouent dans les interactions entre les acteurs scolaires concernant sur l’enseignement de la langue maternelle. Nous explorons trois objectifs spécifiques : 1) la manière dont les politiques à enjeux élevés façonnent les éléments de l’enseignement qui sont reproduits et ceux qui sont transformés au fil du temps ; 2) la manière dont la compréhension des leaders de l’imputabilité façonne les aspects des messages politiques que les acteurs scolaires remarquent à travers les interactions et les conversations et 3) la manière les acteurs scolaires portent une attention particulière à certaines messages au détriment d’autres. Dans le dernier chapitre de cette thèse, nous discutons les forces et les limites de l’analyse secondaire de données qualitatives, les implications des résultats pour le domaine d’études de l’implantation de politiques et les pistes futures de recherches.

“Facebook Style”: The use of non-standard features in virtual speech conditioned by the medium Facebook

Facebook is a medium of social interaction producing its own style. I study how users from Malaga create this style through phonic features of the local variety and how they reflect on the use of these features. I then analyse the use of non-standard features by users from Malaga and compare them to an oral corpus. Results demonstrate that social factors work differently in real and virtual speech. Facebook communication is seen as a style serving to create social meaning and to express linguistic identity.

Facebook style: The use of non-standard features in virtual speech conditioned by the medium Facebook

Over the last few years Facebook has become a widespread and continuously expanding medium of communication. Being a new medium of social interaction, Facebook produces its own communication style. My focus of analysis is how Facebook users from the city of Malaga create this style by means of phonic features typical of the Andalusian variety and how the users reflect on the use of these phonic features. This project is based on a theoretical framework which combines variationist sociolinguistics with CMC to study the emergence of a style peculiar of the online social networks. In a corpus of Facebook users from three zones of Malaga, I have analysed the use of non-standard phonic features and then compared them with the same features in a reference corpus collected on three beaches of Malaga. From this comparison it can be deduced that the analysed social and linguistic factors work differently in real and virtual speech. Due to these different uses we can consider the peculiar electronic communication of Facebook as a style constrained by the electronic medium. It is a style which serves the users to create social meaning and to express their linguistic identities.

The Effect of Direct Instruction versus Discovery Learning on the Understanding of Science Lessons by Second Grade Students

This study examined the effectiveness of discovery learning and direct instruction in a diverse second grade classroom. An assessment test and transfer task were given to students to examine which method of instruction enabled the students to grasp the content of a science lesson to a greater extent. Results demonstrated that students in the direct instruction group scored higher on the assessment test and completed the transfer task at a faster pace; however, this was not statistically significant. Results also suggest that a mixture of instructional styles would serve to effectively disseminate information, as well as motivate students to learn.

Teaching College Writing in a High School Setting: The Impact of Concurrent Enrollment on Teacher Learning and Practice

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-06

Instruction to support mental computation development in young children of diverse ability

Fostering young children's mental computation capacity is essential to support their numeracy development. Debate continues as to whether young children should be explicitly taught strategies for mental computation, or be afforded the freedom to develop their own. This paper reports on teaching experiments with two groups of students in their first year of schooling: those considered 'at-risk', and those deemed mathematically advanced. Both groups made considerable learning gains as a result of instruction. Importantly, the gains of the at-risk group are likely to renew both their own, and their teacher's confidence in their ability to learn. In this paper, the instructional programs are documented, highlighting the influence of instruction upon the children's development.

Adapting an apprenticeship model to the needs of English-medium education at the tertiary level in Turkey

Despite the difficulties that we have regarding the use of English in tertiary education in Turkey, we argue that it is necessary for those involved to study in the medium of English. Furthermore, significant advances have been made on this front. These efforts have been for the most part language-oriented, but also include research into needs analysis and the pedagogy of team-teaching. Considering the current situation at this level of education, however, there still seems to be more to do. And the question is, what more can we do? What further contribution can we make? Or, how can we take this process further? The purpose of the study reported here is to respond to this last question. We test the proposition that it is possible to take this process further by investigating the efficient management of transition from Turkish-medium to English-medium at the tertiary level of education in Turkey. Beyond what is achieved by only the language orientation of the EAP approach, and moving conceptually deeper than what has been achieved by the team-teaching approach, the research undertaken for the purpose of this study focuses on the idea of the discourse community that people want to belong to. It then pursues an adaptation of the essentially psycho-social approach of apprenticeship, as people become aspirants and apprentices to that discourse community. In this thesis, the researcher recognises that she cannot follow all the way through to the full implementation of her ideas in a fully-taught course. She is not in a position to change the education system. What she does here is to introduce a concept and sample its effects in terms of motivation, and thereby of integration and of success, for individuals and groups of learners. Evaluation is provided by acquiring both qualitative and quantitative data concerning mature members' perceptions of apprenticed-neophytes functioning as members in the new community, apprenticed-neophytes' perceptions of their own membership and of the preparation process undertaken, and the comparison of these neophytes' performance with that of other neophytes in the community. The data obtained provide strong evidence in support of the potential usefulness of this apprenticeship model towards the declared purpose of improving the English-medium tertiary education of Turkish students in their chosen fields of study.

The effect of multimedia instruction on achievement of college history students

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of multimedia instruction on achievement of college students in AMR 2010 from exploration and discovery to 1865. A non-equivalent control group design was used. The dependent variable was achievement. The independent variables were learning styles, method of instruction, and visual clarifiers (notes). The study was conducted using two history sections from Palm Beach Community College, in Boca Raton, Florida, between August and December, 1998. Data were obtained by means of placement scores, posttests, the Productivity Environmental Preference Survey (PEPS), and a researcher-developed student survey. Statistical analysis of the data was done using SPSS statistical software. Demographic variables were compared using Chi square. T tests were run on the posttests to determine the equality of variances. The posttest scores of the groups were compared using the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) at the .05 level of significance. The first hypothesis there is a significant difference in students' learning of U.S. History when students receive multimedia instruction was supported, F (1, 52) = 16.88, p < .0005, and F = (1, 53) = 8.52, p < .005 for Tests 2 and 3, respectively. The second hypothesis there is a significant difference on the effectiveness of multimedia instruction based on students' various learning preferences was not supported. The last hypotheses there is a significant difference on students' learning of U.S. History when students whose first language is other than English and students who need remediation receive visual clarifiers were not supported. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) indicated no difference between the groups on Test 1, Test 2, or Test 3: F (1, 45) = .01, p < .940, F (1, 52) = .77, p < .385, and F (1, 53) =.17, p < .678, respectively, for language. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) indicated no significant difference on Test 1, Test 2, or Test 3, between the groups on the variable remediation: F (1, 45) = .31, p < .580, F (1, 52) = 1.44, p < .236, and F (1, 53) = .21, p < .645, respectively. ^

An investigation of mathematics and science instruction in English and Spanish for English language learners

The contextual demands of language in content area are difficult for ELLS. Content in the native language furthers students' academic development and native language skills, while they are learning English. Content in English integrates pedagogical strategies for English acquisition with subject area instruction. The following models of curriculum content are provided in most Miami Dade County Public Schools: (a) mathematics instruction in the native language with science instruction in English or (b) science instruction in the native language with mathematics instruction in English. The purpose of this study was to investigate which model of instruction is more contextually supportive for mathematics and science achievement. ^ A pretest and posttest, nonequivalent group design was used with 94 fifth grade ELLs who received instruction in curriculum model (a) or (b). This allowed for statistical analysis that detected a difference in the means of .5 standard deviations with a power of .80 at the .05 level of significance. Pretreatment and post-treatment assessments of mathematics, reading, and science achievement were obtained through the administration of Aprenda-Segunda Edición and the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test. ^ The results indicated that students receiving mathematics in English and Science in Spanish scored higher on achievement tests in both Mathematics and Science than the students who received Mathematics in Spanish and Science in English. In addition, the mean score of students on the FCAT mathematics examination was higher than their mean score on the FCAT science examination regardless of the language of instruction. ^

The effect of active student responding in computer -assisted instruction on social -studies learning by students with learning disabilities

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of three student response conditions during computer-assisted instruction on the acquisition and maintenance of social-studies facts. Two of the conditions required active student responding (ASR), whereas the other required an on-task (OT) response. Participants were five fifth-grade students, with learning disabilities enrolled in a private school. An alternating treatments design with a best treatments phase was used to compare the effects of the response procedures on three major dependent measures: same-day tests, next-day tests, and maintenance tests. ^ Each week for six weeks, participants were provided daily one-to-one instruction on sets of 21 unknown social-studies facts using a hypermedia computer program, with a new set of facts being practiced each week. Each set of 21 facts was divided randomly into three conditions: Clicking-ASR, Repeating-ASR, and Listening-OT. Hypermedia lesson began weekly with the concept introduction lesson, followed by practice and testing. Practice and testing occurred four days per week, per set. During Clicking-ASR, student practice involved the selection of a social-studies response by clicking on an item with the mouse on the hypermedia card. Repeating-ASR instruction required students to orally repeat the social-studies facts when prompted by the computer. During Listening-OT, students listened to the social-studies facts being read by the computer. During weeks seven and eight, instruction occurred with seven unknown facts using only the best treatment. ^ Test results show that all for all 5 students, the Repeating-ASR practice procedure resulted in more social-studies facts stated correctly on same-day tests, next-day tests, and one-and two-week maintenance tests. Clicking-ASR was the next most effective procedure. During the seventh and eighth week of instruction when only the best practice condition was implemented, Repeating-ASR produced higher scores than all conditions (including Repeating-ASR) during the first six weeks of the study. ^ The results lend further support to the growing body of literature that demonstrates the positive relation between ASR and student achievement. Much of the ASR literature has focused on the effects of increased ASR during teacher-led or peer-mediated instruction. This study adds a dimension to that research in that it demonstrated the importance of ASR during computer-assisted instruction and further suggests that the type of ASR used during computer-assisted instruction may influence learning. Future research is needed to investigate the effectiveness of other types of ASR during computer-assisted instruction and to identify other fundamental characteristics of an effective computer-assisted instruction. ^

The relationship of culturally responsive instruction and the reading comprehension and attitude of struggling urban adolescent readers

Culturally responsive instruction refers to the identification of relevant cultural aspects of students' lives and infusion of these into the curriculum. This instructional approach assumes that a culturally appropriate curriculum can potentially motivate, engage, and lead students to higher rates of achievement. This quasi-experimental study (N=44) investigated the relationship of culturally responsive instruction and the reading comprehension and attitude of struggling urban adolescent readers. The study incorporated the use of culturally responsive instruction using culturally relevant literature (CRL), the Bluford Series Novels, as authentic texts of instruction. Participants were seventh grade reading students at a Title I middle school in South Florida. After a baseline period, two different classes were taught for 8 weeks using different methods. One class formed the experimental group ( n=22) and the other class formed the comparison group (n =22). The CRI curriculum for the experimental group embraced the socio-cultural perspective through the use of small discussion groups in which students read and constructed meaning with peers through interaction with the Bluford Series Novels; gave written responses to multiple strategies according to SCRAP - Summarize, Connect, Reflect, Ask Questions, Predict; responded to literal and inferential questions, while at the same time validating their responses through evidence from the text. The Read XL (basal reader) curriculum of the comparison group utilized a traditional form of instruction which incorporated the reading of passages followed by responses to comprehension questions, and teacher-led whole group discussion. The main sources of data were collected from the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests, the Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading (FAIR), and the Rhody Secondary Reading Attitude Assessment. Statistical analyses were performed using Repeated Measures ANOVAs. Findings from the study revealed that the experimental participants' reading attitudes and FAIR comprehension scores increased when compared to the comparison group. Overall, the results from the study revealed that culturally responsive instruction can potentially foster reading comprehension and a more positive attitude towards reading. However, a replication of this study in other settings with a larger, more randomized sample size and a greater ethnic variation is needed in order to make full generalizations.

The effect of multimedia instruction on achievement of college history students

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of multimedia instruction on achievement of college students in AMH 2010 from exploration and discovery to1865. A non-equivalent control group design was used. The dependent variable was achievement. The independent variables were learning styles method of instruction, and visual clarifiers (notes). The study was conducted using two history sections from Palm Beach Community College, in Boca Raton, Florida, between August and December, 1998. Data were obtained by means of placement scores, posttests, the Productivity Environmental Preference Survey (PEPS), and a researcher-developed student survey. Statistical analysis of the data was done using SPSS statistical software. Demographic variables were compared using Chi square. T tests were run on the posttests to determine the equality of variances. The posttest scores of the groups were compared using the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) at the .05 level of significance. The first hypothesis there is a significant difference in students' learning of U.S. History when students receive multimedia instruction was supported, F = (1, 52)= 688, p < .0005, and F = (1, 53) = 8.52, p < .005for Tests 2 and 3, respectively. The second hypothesis there is a significant difference on the effectiveness of multimedia instruction based on students' various learning preferences was not supported. The last hypotheses there is a significant difference on students' learning of U.S. History when students whose first language is other than English and students who need remediation receive visual clarifiers were not supported. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) indicated no difference between the groups on Test 1, Test 2, or Test 3: F (1, 4 5)= .01, p < .940, F (l, 52) = .77, p < .385, and F (1,53) =.17, p > .678, respectively, for language. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) indicated no significant difference on Test 1, Test 2, or Test 3, between the groups on the variable remediation: F (1, 45) = .31, p < .580, F (1, 52) = 1.44, p < .236, and F (1, 53) = .21, p < .645, respectively.

Understanding Teacher and Student Learning Situated in a School-wide Implementation of Fractions Instruction

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-06

The Relationship of Culturally Responsive Instruction and the Reading Comprehension and Attitude of Struggling Urban Adolescent Readers

Culturally responsive instruction refers to the identification of relevant cultural aspects of students’ lives and infusion of these into the curriculum. This instructional approach assumes that a culturally appropriate curriculum can potentially motivate, engage, and lead students to higher rates of achievement. This quasi-experimental study (N=44) investigated the relationship of culturally responsive instruction and the reading comprehension and attitude of struggling urban adolescent readers. The study incorporated the use of culturally responsive instruction using culturally relevant literature (CRL), the Bluford Series Novels, as authentic texts of instruction. Participants were seventh grade reading students at a Title I middle school in South Florida. After a baseline period, two different classes were taught for 8 weeks using different methods. One class formed the experimental group (n=22) and the other class formed the comparison group (n=22). The CRI curriculum for the experimental group embraced the socio-cultural perspective through the use of small discussion groups in which students read and constructed meaning with peers through interaction with the Bluford Series Novels; gave written responses to multiple strategies according to SCRAP – Summarize, Connect, Reflect, Ask Questions, Predict; responded to literal and inferential questions, while at the same time validating their responses through evidence from the text. The Read XL (basal reader) curriculum of the comparison group utilized a traditional form of instruction which incorporated the reading of passages followed by responses to comprehension questions, and teacher-led whole group discussion. The main sources of data were collected from the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests, the Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading (FAIR), and the Rhody Secondary Reading Attitude Assessment. Statistical analyses were performed using Repeated Measures ANOVAs. Findings from the study revealed that the experimental participants’ reading attitudes and FAIR comprehension scores increased when compared to the comparison group. Overall, the results from the study revealed that culturally responsive instruction can potentially foster reading comprehension and a more positive attitude towards reading. However, a replication of this study in other settings with a larger, more randomized sample size and a greater ethnic variation is needed in order to make full generalizations.