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(1 - 12 of 12)
- Title
- TEACHER ATTRITION AND RETENTION IN EXCEPTIONAL STUDENT EDUCATION: AN EVALUATION OF THE SKILLS, TIPS, AND ROUTINES FOR TEACHER SUCCESS (STARTS) INITIATIVE OF VOLUSIA COUNTY, FLORIDA SCHOOLS.
- Creator
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Speidel, Mary, Magann, Douglas, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Teacher attrition affects the quality of services for students in K-12 education and poses an ongoing challenge for educational leaders, especially in the area of special education. Special educators leave the profession at higher rates than general educators. As a growing state, Florida has identified special education as a critical teacher shortage area. This study evaluated the Skills, Tips, and Routines for Teacher Success (STARTS) initiative of Volusia County Schools, a large district in...
Show moreTeacher attrition affects the quality of services for students in K-12 education and poses an ongoing challenge for educational leaders, especially in the area of special education. Special educators leave the profession at higher rates than general educators. As a growing state, Florida has identified special education as a critical teacher shortage area. This study evaluated the Skills, Tips, and Routines for Teacher Success (STARTS) initiative of Volusia County Schools, a large district in east central Florida. Implemented in 2001 for new ESE teachers, STARTS offered four days of training in policies and procedures, curriculum, and classroom management. Research questions addressed whether STARTS influenced retention of new ESE teachers. Because the literature cited age, ethnicity, special education program area, and grade level assignment as factors in attrition, these were assessed as well. Incorporating employment histories from school year (SY) 1998-1999 through SY 2003-2004, the study evaluated 771 new ESE teachers. Of these, 422 teachers did not participate in STARTS; 349 teachers participated in STARTS. The study reported whether they returned the following year to an ESE position, a general education position, or exited the school system. Contingency table analysis with crosstabulation was used to evaluate statistical relationships among variables. Effect size was assessed with Cramer's V and the contingency coefficient. All analyses were conducted with an alpha of .05. A significant difference existed between the retention rates of new ESE teachers hired before STARTS and during STARTS. In 2000-2001, the school year preceding STARTS, 54.3% of new ESE teachers returned to an ESE position whereas in the first year of STARTS, 71.1% of new ESE teachers returned to an ESE position, an increase of 51%. By SY 2003-2004, 89.7% of new ESE teachers returned to an ESE position, an increase of 65% from the SY 2000-2001 baseline.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2005
- Identifier
- CFE0000412, ucf:46409
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000412
- Title
- MY PEACE I GIVE UNTO YOU: CHRISTIANITY'S CRITIQUE OF ROMAN AND AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM.
- Creator
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Tindall, Ryan, Tindall, Ryan, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Throughout the history of the United States, its inhabitants have looked upon their nation as a special place. In some cases, this has exceeded the natural and simple love of home and country and taken a more extreme form. Important to this bent is the tendency to see the nation, its beliefs, and its actions around the world as divinely sanctioned and inspired in some regard. This is a generally necessary component to the idea of American Exceptionalism, which views the United States as a...
Show moreThroughout the history of the United States, its inhabitants have looked upon their nation as a special place. In some cases, this has exceeded the natural and simple love of home and country and taken a more extreme form. Important to this bent is the tendency to see the nation, its beliefs, and its actions around the world as divinely sanctioned and inspired in some regard. This is a generally necessary component to the idea of American Exceptionalism, which views the United States as a nation with a divinely imposed mission to spread civilization, freedom, and democracy to the ends of the earth. In many ways, the Roman Empire shared these pretentions of being the bearers of civilization to the rest of the world and of being a divinely chosen nation with that vocation. Voices within Christianity, as it developed, provided a potent antithesis to this aspect of Roman imperial ideology, critiquing Roman ideas of their own exceptionalism. By comparing the ideological basis of Roman and American concepts of exceptionalism, this thesis will attempt to apply the critique made by people like Jesus, Paul and Augustine to the United States today.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFH0004283, ucf:44894
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004283
- Title
- THE IMPORTANCE OF SELF-ESTEEM IN LEARNING AND BEHAVIOR IN CHILDREN WITH EXCEPTIONALITIES AND THE ROLE MAGIC TRICKS MAY PLAY IN IMPROVING SELF-ESTEEM AND IN MOTIVATING LEARNING.
- Creator
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Bauman, Shannon, Ezell, Dan, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This paper was written using various research based sources to determine the effects of self-esteem on learning and behaviors and whether or not the use of magic tricks can play a role in raising self-esteem and in motivating learning for children with exceptionalities. There have been multiple studies that show self-esteem has a significant effect on a child's ability to learn as well as studies that show self-esteem plays a role in a child's behavior. There are opposing studies showing that...
Show moreThis paper was written using various research based sources to determine the effects of self-esteem on learning and behaviors and whether or not the use of magic tricks can play a role in raising self-esteem and in motivating learning for children with exceptionalities. There have been multiple studies that show self-esteem has a significant effect on a child's ability to learn as well as studies that show self-esteem plays a role in a child's behavior. There are opposing studies showing that self-esteem has no effect on learning and behavior in children with and without exceptionalities. There was no information found that state high self-esteem has a negative effect on learning or motivation in children with exceptionalities or without exceptionalities. Regardless of whether or not one agrees that self-esteem affects learning and behavior in children with exceptionalities, it is important that educators find ways to help all children with exceptionalities, as well as without exceptionalities, improve their self-esteem thereby possibly helping improve learning, behavior, and motivation. One possible way to help raise self-esteem in children with exceptionalities is the use of magic tricks inside and outside the classroom. Incorporating the use of magic tricks in lessons seems to motivate learning. The information on the use of using magic tricks to raise self-esteem is limited to few articles and only one study. While the information on using magic to improve self-esteem in children with exceptionalities is limited, the information collected to date all state positive results using magic tricks to not only raise self-esteem but to also to motivate learning in children with exceptionalities.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFH0004293, ucf:44914
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004293
- Title
- THE EFFECT OF PREWRITING STRATEGY INSTRUCTION ON THE WRITTEN PRODUCTS OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES.
- Creator
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Sundeen, Todd, Wienke, Wilfred, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
ABSTRACT We know that many students with learning disabilities struggle throughout their school years with the writing process. High school is no exception. Writing is a life skill that can directly impact the quality of life for older students preparing to graduate and progress to college, a career, or simply the world of work. A need in society exists to improve the writing of all students including those who are on the threshold of high school graduation. Students with learning...
Show moreABSTRACT We know that many students with learning disabilities struggle throughout their school years with the writing process. High school is no exception. Writing is a life skill that can directly impact the quality of life for older students preparing to graduate and progress to college, a career, or simply the world of work. A need in society exists to improve the writing of all students including those who are on the threshold of high school graduation. Students with learning disabilities enter their ninth year of school with a performance gap of 4 to 5 years placing their equivalent learning in the late elementary years. Few studies however have investigated the impact of explicit written expression strategy instruction for students with mild disabilities in high school. Thus, expanding the knowledge base for this group of students becomes especially critical. The present study examines the effects of explicitly teaching a writing strategy to high school students with learning disabilities. A multiple baseline design across subjects was used to observe changes in student writing. A total of 11 students in three subject groups participated in the study. Eleventh grade students in three learning strategies classes were pretested to determine the level of their organizational skills for written products. Scoring criteria were described to students using a written expression rubric to provide them with the specific expectations for their daily writing. Mind-mapping, an organizational strategy for writing, was explicitly taught to each of three classes during their daily learning strategy period. Data were collected relative to the students' rubric scores and visually inspected for changes in writing performance before, during, and following the strategy instruction. Pre- and post-tests were administered to the student groups. Following data collection and the post-test, interviews were conducted with the teacher and each of the participants. Findings indicate that the mind-mapping intervention had limited success in improving students' written products when measured by the multiple baseline across subjects design. Pre- and post-test data, however, show that writing quality certainly did improve. The participants' teacher specifically noted during her interview that, in her perception, improvements in student writing as a result of using the mind-mapping strategy did occur. The teacher also felt strongly enough about the efficacy of the mind-mapping intervention that she plans to teach the strategy to her future students. Most of the students reported during their interviews that they felt that learning mind-mapping helped them to become better writers. The vast majority of students also stated that they planned to use the strategy for tests and writing assignments.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2007
- Identifier
- CFE0001788, ucf:47263
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001788
- Title
- Non-Hermitian Optics.
- Creator
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Ulhassan, Absar, Christodoulides, Demetrios, Khajavikhan, Mercedeh, Likamwa, Patrick, Kaup, David, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
From the viewpoint of quantum mechanics, a system must always be Hermitian since all its corresponding eigenvalues must be real. In contrast, the eigenvalues of open systems-unrestrained because of either decay or amplification-can be in general complex. Not so long ago, a certain class of non-Hermitian Hamiltonians was discovered that could have a completely real eigenvalue spectrum. This special class of Hamiltonians was found to respect the property of commutation with the parity-time (PT)...
Show moreFrom the viewpoint of quantum mechanics, a system must always be Hermitian since all its corresponding eigenvalues must be real. In contrast, the eigenvalues of open systems-unrestrained because of either decay or amplification-can be in general complex. Not so long ago, a certain class of non-Hermitian Hamiltonians was discovered that could have a completely real eigenvalue spectrum. This special class of Hamiltonians was found to respect the property of commutation with the parity-time (PT) operator. Translated into optics, this implies a balance between regions exhibiting gain and loss. Traditionally, loss has been perceived as a foe in optics and something that needs to be avoided at all costs. As we will show, when used in conjunction with gain, the presence of loss can lead to a host of counterintuitive outcomes in such non-Hermitian configurations that would have been otherwise unattainable in standard arrangements. We will study PT symmetric phase transitions in various optical settings that include semiconductor microrings and coupled fiber cavities, and show how they can allow mode-selectivity in lasers. One of the key outcomes of this effort was the realization of higher order degeneracies in a three-cavity laser configuration that can exhibit orders-of-magnitude larger sensitivity to external perturbations. We will also consider systems that display nonlinear effects such as gain saturation, thus allowing novel phase transitions. Some interesting properties associated with degeneracies in non-Hermitian settings will be investigated as well. Such degeneracies, called exceptional points (EPs), are much more drastic compared to standard degeneracies of eigenvalues because the corresponding eigenvectors also coalesce, which in turn reduces the dimensionality of the phase space. We will show that dynamic parameter contours enclosing or close to EPs can lead to a robust chiral mode conversion process (-) something that can be potentially used to realize omni-polarizing optical devices.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFE0007259, ucf:52182
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007259
- Title
- Perceptions of Secondary Education Teachers Working in an Inclusive Setting.
- Creator
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Pacha, Destiny, Hopp, Carolyn, Reyes, Maria, Vitale, Thomas, Pratt Marrett, Caroline, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This dissertation in practice addresses the continuous underperformance of students with disabilities (SWD) on standardized assessments when compared to their non-disabled peers. This dissertation on the complex problem of practice investigates secondary education teachers' perceptions of students with disabilities and their ability to be included in the general education classroom. The purpose of this research is to develop a professional development framework to enhance inclusive practices....
Show moreThis dissertation in practice addresses the continuous underperformance of students with disabilities (SWD) on standardized assessments when compared to their non-disabled peers. This dissertation on the complex problem of practice investigates secondary education teachers' perceptions of students with disabilities and their ability to be included in the general education classroom. The purpose of this research is to develop a professional development framework to enhance inclusive practices. Students with disabilities nationwide are increasingly taught in the general education classroom in order to provide them access to their least restrictive environment and instruction of the general education curriculum. The beliefs held by teachers about students with disabilities and their inclusion in the general education classroom is one key variable to the successful inclusion as measured by student outcomes. To provide necessary support, it is imperative to understand teachers' attitude towards students with disabilities and their inclusion in the general education classroom. Based on the survey results and relevant research, the professional development framework to enhance inclusive practices was developed and will focus on three elements: (a) school culture and understanding of inclusion, (b) effective inclusive teaching strategies, and (c) collaboration models and techniques. The goal of the professional development framework is for administrators and other school leaders to provide appropriate learning opportunities for teachers to enhance their understanding of inclusion and to provide them strategies and techniques to improve student outcomes in an effort to close the achievement gap between students with and without disabilities.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- CFE0006368, ucf:51495
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006368
- Title
- A Study of the Effectiveness of the Equals Mathematics Curriculum and Teacher Perceptions Of and Attitudes About the Curriculum.
- Creator
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Hughes, Jennifer, Murray, Kenneth, Kennedy, Mary, Doherty, Walter, Bai, Haiyan, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The purpose of this study was to determine if the use of the Equals mathematics curriculum had any statistically significant impact on the 2012 Florida Alternate Assessment mathematics scores of students with disabilities in six Florida school districts when comparing the scores of those who received mathematics instruction via the curriculum to the scores of students with disabilities in six other Florida school districts who did not receive mathematics instruction via the curriculum. This...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to determine if the use of the Equals mathematics curriculum had any statistically significant impact on the 2012 Florida Alternate Assessment mathematics scores of students with disabilities in six Florida school districts when comparing the scores of those who received mathematics instruction via the curriculum to the scores of students with disabilities in six other Florida school districts who did not receive mathematics instruction via the curriculum. This study further examined the perceptions of and attitudes about the Equals mathematics curriculum that exist among Exceptional Student Education (ESE) teachers who teach mathematics to students with disabilities participating in the Florida Alternate Assessment (FAA).The study utilized a mixed methods approach to research that included both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. The quantitative portion of the study was conducted using archival data obtained from the 2012 Florida Alternate Assessment Data Book. A Mann-Whitney U Test was conducted through SPSS at a significance level of ? = .05 to test for relative differences in performance between the treatment (Equals) and control (non-Equals) groups. Based on the results, the Equals mathematics curriculum did not have any statistically significant impact on the 2012 FAA mathematics scores for students with disabilities in the treatment school districts at any of the tested grade groupings (elementary, middle, high, and overall).The qualitative method of data collection utilized an online teacher survey. The results were analyzed using the researcher-coded results and assisted through summary tables provided by Survey-Monkey. Differences and similarities among the survey question responses were explored. Common terms and themes were noted and compared. Data triangulation was used by surveying teachers from five of the six treatment counties. This promoted generalizability for study replication since the treatment counties train teachers and utilize the curriculum in different manners. The results of the qualitative analysis indicated that many teachers were not satisfied with the training they received and felt overwhelmed by the curriculum itself, specifically in the areas of lesson planning and delivery. Based on the quantitative and qualitative results, it was concluded that further research needs to be completed to determine the effectiveness of the Equals mathematics curriculum when used with true fidelity.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFE0004866, ucf:49651
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004866
- Title
- PREPARING ELEMENTARY TEACHERS TO TEACH STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: A COMPARISON OF PROGRAM STRUCTURES & ELEMENTS ACROSS TEACHER PREPARATION INSTITUTIONS.
- Creator
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Close, Jessica, Williams, Karri, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Students with disabilities have the right to the least restrictive environment (IDEA, 2004). Elementary teachers are teaching more of these students in the inclusive classroom because of this right. Elementary teachers are willing to take on this responsibility, but most feel they are not prepared to do so. In order to address this concern, elementary teacher preparation at the institution level must be addressed. This is a descriptive thesis which identifies and compares methods that...
Show moreStudents with disabilities have the right to the least restrictive environment (IDEA, 2004). Elementary teachers are teaching more of these students in the inclusive classroom because of this right. Elementary teachers are willing to take on this responsibility, but most feel they are not prepared to do so. In order to address this concern, elementary teacher preparation at the institution level must be addressed. This is a descriptive thesis which identifies and compares methods that different institutions across the country use to prepare teachers to teach students with disabilities. Institutions chosen for this thesis were recognized by either the U.S. News and World Report (2010) or the Report of the Blue Ribbon Panel (2010) for effective preparation of preservice elementary teachers. This thesis addresses the University of Central Florida with the aforementioned institutions. A continuum with three main types of structures was used to identify programs ranging from "discrete" meeting minimum requirements, to completely "merged" programs between special education and elementary education. While "merged" results in dual certification and the most effective preparation according to Blanton and Pugach (2007), it is most often offered as a choice and not as a requirement. Through analysis of program requirements of elementary education and special education programs, course descriptions, and syllabi, this investigator concluded that there were inconsistencies across teacher preparation programs. Institutions are distributed widely across the continuum. If elementary teachers are required to teach to all students, then teacher preparation programs should address all students thoroughly. The investigator's hope is that the evidence presented and the suggestions made in this thesis will incite changes in institutions that are preparing elementary teachers to teach students with disabilities.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2011
- Identifier
- CFH0004072, ucf:44781
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004072
- Title
- AN ANALYSIS OF FACTORS THAT INFLUENCED BREVARD STUDENTS TO DROP OUT AND WHY THEY RETURNED TO EARN THEIR GENERAL EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT (GED) DIPLOMA.
- Creator
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Spadaccini, Becky, Murray, Barbara, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Dropping out of high school almost guarantees a life of hardship. The absence of a diploma contributes to poverty, increased crime rates and weakens the economy. To that end, school districts have a moral and ethical responsibility to bring an end to the dropout epidemic. This study was based on an analysis of more than 26,000 Brevard public school students. The researcher used 2006-2007, 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 student data to determine the relationship between race, grade level, ESE status,...
Show moreDropping out of high school almost guarantees a life of hardship. The absence of a diploma contributes to poverty, increased crime rates and weakens the economy. To that end, school districts have a moral and ethical responsibility to bring an end to the dropout epidemic. This study was based on an analysis of more than 26,000 Brevard public school students. The researcher used 2006-2007, 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 student data to determine the relationship between race, grade level, ESE status, ELL status, SES, type of promotion and dropping out of school. In addition, the researcher reviewed Student Exit Survey data and face-to-face interview data to determine why students dropped out and identified strategies students felt would have kept them in school. Finally, individual interview data were analyzed to understand the circumstances that encouraged participants to return to earn their diplomas. The researcher recommended use of data management and tracking systems for early identification of potential dropouts so intervention could be delivered at the onset of failure, assignment of trained adult leaders to monitor and intervene for students; enforcement of compulsory school attendance; creation of mechanisms to reduce absenteeism that do not lead to school failure; required intervention for students who are truant; identification and assignment of highly effective teachers to at-risk youth; intervention in classrooms that have high rates of student failure; use of relevant curriculum and employment of instructional practices proven to increase engagement; alignment of intervention strategies with researched practices; gathering of input and feedback from students to determine program effectiveness; creation of meaningful exit interview processes; utilization of survey data to identify and remove school-related barriers and collaboration with community agencies to find meaningful and genuine solutions for students in crisis.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2011
- Identifier
- CFE0003578, ucf:48898
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003578
- Title
- THE IMPACT OF MEDITATION AND MINDFULNESS IN THE ELEMENTARY CLASSROOM: A REVIEW OF RESEARCH LITERATURE ACROSS FIVE DISCIPLINES.
- Creator
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Routhier-Martin, Kayli, Killingsworth Roberts, Sherron, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Mindfulness meditation programs, benefits, and outcomes were examined through research previously conducted and published by professionals within five differing disciplines: health and wellness, psychology, elementary education, exceptional education, and medicine. The goal was to find common themes within the differing disciplines in order to gather information about the effectiveness of a mindfulness meditation program to be used in an elementary classroom. In this thesis, the chapter of...
Show moreMindfulness meditation programs, benefits, and outcomes were examined through research previously conducted and published by professionals within five differing disciplines: health and wellness, psychology, elementary education, exceptional education, and medicine. The goal was to find common themes within the differing disciplines in order to gather information about the effectiveness of a mindfulness meditation program to be used in an elementary classroom. In this thesis, the chapter of Health and Wellness is a review of literature that tells the benefits found within meditators, which are not found within non-meditators. The chapter of Psychology explains the social-emotional needs of students, the causes of stress and anxieties amongst students, and the benefits that meditation provides in order to counter the negative effects of stress, anxiety, poverty, etc. The chapter of Elementary Education reviews research literature on the existing mindfulness meditation programs within the United States. This chapter also describes the implementation of such a program in an elementary school, as well as the documented data of the outcomes of the programs. The chapter of Exceptional Education is a review of the research literature on the benefits mindfulness meditation has on students with exceptionalities, such as specific learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism spectrum disorder. The chapter of Medicine is a retelling of previously published scholarly articles that list the neurological benefits of meditation, and also references the negative side effects to the currently prescribed medications that are being used in the treatment of ADHD.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- CFH0004877, ucf:45424
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004877
- Title
- A Comparison of Sixth Grade Student Achievement in Reading and Mathematics at School Transition Year.
- Creator
-
Roseboom, Julie, Taylor, Rosemarye, Doherty, Walter, Bai, Haiyan, Beattie, Karen, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This study contributed information for consideration as school districts determine grade span configuration as part of school design. The problem addressed was the extent to which student achievement may be impacted by the transition from one school to another from fifth to sixth grade in Florida public schools in order to provide data to school policy makers and school district administrators and add to the body of knowledge on the grade level configuration that contributed the most to...
Show moreThis study contributed information for consideration as school districts determine grade span configuration as part of school design. The problem addressed was the extent to which student achievement may be impacted by the transition from one school to another from fifth to sixth grade in Florida public schools in order to provide data to school policy makers and school district administrators and add to the body of knowledge on the grade level configuration that contributed the most to student achievement in sixth grade. This was a causal-comparative study using quantitative data to analyze student scores at the school level for reading and mathematics on the 2014 Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test (FCAT) 2.0 assessment to explore the difference in achievement for sixth grade students with no school transition compared to those who had school transitions during middle school. A multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was used to examine if a difference existed in the dependent variables of sixth-grade reading and mathematics achievement as measured by school mean developmental scale scores and the school percentage of students making learning gains on the FCAT 2.0 between schools with sixth grade as the transition year and without sixth grade as the transition year. The analyses were controlled for the covariates of the school percentages of socio-economic status as determined by free and reduced lunch rate, English Learner status, and exceptional student education status. Findings signified that schools with no school transition between fifth and sixth grade in Florida public schools had higher sixth-grade mean scores in reading and mathematics as measured by school mean developmental scale scores and in reading as measured by the percentage of school learning gains. This study offers insight into what grade configuration is more likely to positively impact student achievement during the middle grades and supports students remaining in an elementary setting with fewer transitions during the middle grades to most benefit reading and mathematics achievement. Findings are useful to school boards, superintendents, and school district administrators interested in educational policy development and research on transition especially when restructuring school grade configurations and building new school sites.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- CFE0006545, ucf:51347
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006545
- Title
- Evaluating Improvisation as a Technique for Training Pre-Service Teachers for Inclusive Classrooms.
- Creator
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Becker, Theresa, Hines, Rebecca, Beverly, Monifa, Hopp, Carolyn, Hamed, Kastro, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Improvisation is a construct that uses a set of minimal heuristic guidelines to create a highly flexible scaffold that fosters extemporaneous communication. Scholars from diverse domains: such as psychology, business, negotiation, and education have suggested its use as a method for preparing professionals to manage complexity and think on their feet. A review of the literature revealed that while there is substantial theoretical scholarship on using improvisation in diverse domains, little...
Show moreImprovisation is a construct that uses a set of minimal heuristic guidelines to create a highly flexible scaffold that fosters extemporaneous communication. Scholars from diverse domains: such as psychology, business, negotiation, and education have suggested its use as a method for preparing professionals to manage complexity and think on their feet. A review of the literature revealed that while there is substantial theoretical scholarship on using improvisation in diverse domains, little research has verified these assertions. This dissertation evaluated whether improvisation, a specific type of dramatic technique, was effective for training pre-service teachers in specific characteristics of teacher-child classroom interaction, communication and affective skills development. It measured the strength and direction of any potential changes such training might effect on pre-service teacher's self-efficacy for teaching and for implementing the communication skills common to improvisation and teaching while interacting with student in an inclusive classroom setting. A review of the literature on teacher self-efficacy and improvisation clarified and defined key terms, and illustrated relevant studies. This study utilized a mixed-method research design based on instructional design and development research. Matched pairs t-tests were used to analyze the self-efficacy and training skills survey data and pre-service teacher reflections and interview transcripts were used to triangulate the qualitative data. Results of the t-tests showed a significant difference in participants' self-efficacy for teaching measured before and after the improvisation training. A significant difference in means was also measured in participants' aptitude for improvisation strategies and for self-efficacy for their implementation pre-/post- training. Qualitative results from pre-service teacher class artifacts and interviews showed participants reported beneficial personal outcomes as well as confirmed using skills from the training while interacting with students. Many of the qualitative themes parallel individual question items on the teacher self-efficacy TSES scale as well as the improvisation self-efficacy scale CSAI. The self-reported changes in affective behavior such as increased self-confidence and ability to foster positive interaction with students are illustrative of changes in teacher agency. Self-reports of being able to better understand student perspectives demonstrate a change in participant ability to empathize with students. Participants who worked with both typically developing students as well as with students with disabilities reported utilizing improvisation strategies such as Yes, and..., mirroring emotions and body language, vocal prosody and establishing a narrative relationship to put the students at ease, establish a positive learning environment, encourage student contributions and foster teachable moments. The improvisation strategies showed specific benefit for participants working with nonverbal students or who had commutation difficulties, by providing the pre-service teachers with strategies for using body language, emotional mirroring, vocal prosody and acceptance to foster interaction and communication with the student.Results from this investigation appear to substantiate the benefit of using improvisation training as part of a pre-service teacher methods course for preparing teachers for inclusive elementary classrooms. Replication of the study is encouraged with teachers of differing populations to confirm and extend results.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004516, ucf:49273
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004516
