College of Education Theses & Dissertations

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Browsing College of Education Theses & Dissertations by Content Type "Electronic Thesis or Dissertation"

Now showing 1 - 10 of 10
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    21st Century Skills Development: Learning in Digital Communities: Technology and Collaboration
    (University of Oregon, 2012) Short, Barbara; Short, Barbara; Scalise, Kathleen
    This study examines some aspects of student performance in the 21st century skills of Information and Communication (ICT) Literacy and collaboration. In this project, extant data from the Assessment and Teaching for 21st Century Skills project (ATC21S) will be examined. ATC21S is a collaborative effort among educational agencies in six countries, universities, educational research groups, high tech innovators and the multinational corporations Cisco, Intel and Microsoft. ATC21S demonstration tasks explore the use of digital literacy and collaborative problem solving constructs in educational assessment. My research investigates evidence from cognitive laboratories and pilots administered in one of the ATC21S demonstration scenarios, a collaborative mathematics/science task called "Global Collaboration Contest: Arctic Trek." Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, I analyze student work samples. Specifically, I (i) develop a rubric as a measurement tool to evaluate the student assessment artifact "Arctic Trek Notebook" for (a) generalized patterns and (b) trends that may indicate skill development in collaborative learning in a digital environment and (ii) conduct descriptive studies among the variables of student age and student notebook characteristics. Results are intended to inform instructional leaders on estimates of student ability in virtual collaboration and to make suggestions for instructional design and professional development for online collaborative learning assessment tasks in K-12 education.
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    Characteristics of Effective Implementation of School Wellness Policies
    (University of Oregon, 2012) Ehrlich, Virginia; Ehrlich, Virginia; Conley, David
    The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 requires that most public school districts implement student wellness efforts that promote physical activity and nutrition. Several studies have found that there were no significant changes to schools' nutrition and physical activity environments as a result of previous district wellness policy efforts, making the identification of strategies that will help facilitate actual health-promoting policy and program changes in schools a timely and important goal. This study investigates effective strategies for improving the implementation of school wellness policies with the goal of understanding factors that predict effective and quality policy implementation more clearly. Specifically, this study explores the results of a consultative technical assistance model aimed at implementing a school-based obesity prevention program as a mechanism for school wellness policy implementation in three cohorts over a 4-year period. Analyses suggest that schools in Urban District 1 and Urban District 2 made significantly more progress in implementing health-promoting policy and program changes than did the national schools cohort.
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    An Examination of the Impact of Successive and Non-Successive Geometry Classes on High School Student Achievement
    (University of Oregon, 2012) Sugg, Steven; Sugg, Steven; Tindal, Gerald
    This study examines the impact of successive versus non-successive scheduling of mathematics courses on the achievement of ninth-grade students in a suburban Oregon high school. The Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills and student performance on the geometry course final exam were employed to compare the achievement of intact groups of students who had geometry scheduled for two successive trimesters and students who had geometry in two non-successive trimesters. An ANCOVA provides a comparison of students on pre-test and post-test performance. The results show no differences in student mathematics achievement as a result of scheduling differences after the covariate pre-test is examined. The implications are that schools may choose schedules for reasons other than improving student achievement and that scheduling does not impact student achievement.
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    Examination of the Spanish Translation of a Developmental Screening Instrument
    (University of Oregon, 2012) Pomes, Maria; Pomes, Maria; Squires, Jane
    Immigrant populations are growing and permanently changing the demographic profile of the United States. Diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds are manifested in the families in each community, imposing demands and challenges to agencies that provide services to them. A large population of immigrant families, especially first and second generations, experiences a process of acculturation while they are adapting to a new country. Recognizing this reality is crucial when culturally sensitive screening services are offered. Culturally sensitive assessments are not always available to families with young children, and psychometric properties of these instruments are not always thoughtfully studied. As a consequence, families might not receive reliable information about their children's skills. Psychometric examination of properties of screening tools is required to be responsive to the needs of diverse families. This study is aimed at examining the item equivalence of the Ages and Stages Questionnaires 3rd Edition (ASQ-3) for the 9, 18 and 30 month intervals and the cultural appropriateness, readability and utility of the Spanish ASQ-3 translation. Quantitative and qualitative techniques were used to determine item characteristic invariance across the English and Spanish versions and cultural appropriateness. Findings show that most of the ASQ-3 items function invariantly across language versions, indicating that these items are productive for gathering information, present an adequate hierarchy difficulty for order of items, and are properly using the response categories included on the tool. In addition, most of the values and qualities selected by parents are congruent with the content of activities included on the ASQ-3 items. Parents identified questions as useful for helping them to think more about their children's development. Accessible and sensitive instruments may facilitate parent participation in assessment, increasing the number of children correctly identified as having developmental risk regardless of ethnicity or linguistic background. Implications for practice and research are discussed, supporting cross-cultural studies on parent-completed questionnaires as an effective strategy for conducting screening and monitoring of young children's development in a context of cultural and linguistic diversity.
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    Identification of Students in Late Elementary Grades With Reading Difficulties
    (University of Oregon, 2012) Lai, Cheng-Fei; Lai, Cheng-Fei; Kamata, Akihito
    Piecewise latent class growth analysis (LCGA) was used to examine growth patterns in reading comprehension and passage reading fluency on easyCBM, a popular formative assessment system. Unlike conventional growth modeling, LCGA takes into account the heterogeneity of growth and may provide reliable predictions for later development. Because current methods for classifying students are still questionable, this modeling technique could be a viable alternative classification method to identifying students at risk for reading difficulty. Results from this study suggested heterogeneity in reading development. The latent classes and growth trajectories from the LCGA models were found to align closely with easyCBM's risk rating system. However, results from one school district did not fully generalize across another. The implications for future research on examining growth in reading are discussed.
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    Mental Health Screening Within a Tiered Model: Investigation of a Strength-Based Approach
    (University of Oregon, 2012) Romer, Natalie; Romer, Natalie; Anderson, Cynthia
    This study examined the utility of a brief, strength-based approach to mental health screening. A strength-based based approach to mental health screening focuses on the social and emotional competencies taught and supported by the school context. As such, a strength-based approach to mental health screening is aligned with a three-tiered response to intervention model aimed at maximizing the effectiveness of universal supports and early detection of students who may benefit from additional intervention.
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    Relative Effects of Delayed Versus Immediate Reinforcement Within an Interdependent Group-Oriented Contingency System
    (University of Oregon, 2012) Coughlin, Cristy; Coughlin, Cristy; Anderson, Cindy
    The current study sought to add to the literature on applying interdependent group-oriented contingency systems with randomized components to academic performance. This study expanded previous work, which has only examined effects on elementary classrooms and students with disabilities, by implementing a similar intervention within a general education, secondary classroom. Given the restricted time that teachers have to learn and implement interventions, while simultaneously carrying out all their additional responsibilities in the classroom, it is necessary for school psychologists to consider these limitations when recommending interventions. In previous work involving interdependent group-oriented contingencies, the delivery of reinforcement has been relatively immediate. While this is an ideal arrangement, it may be infeasible for middle and high school teachers to ensure reinforcement of academic performance occurs immediately within the class period. This study examined whether the delivery of reinforcement can be delayed within an interdependent group-oriented contingency system and still improve the academic performance of students in the classroom, which will allow the teacher more time for evaluating the quality of student work and, in turn, impact the acceptability of the intervention. One middle school, general education classroom served as the setting for this study. Academic performance data, including in-class work completion and accuracy rates, were collected class-wide and data on social behavior variables were gathered for 3 students exhibiting moderate to high levels of off-task behavior, based on teacher perception. An alternating treatments design was employed with two intervention conditions: one condition included immediate reinforcement and the other involved delivering reinforcement to students a day later. The interdependent group-oriented contingency intervention implemented included procedures for randomly selecting target behaviors, criteria, and reinforcers.
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    Teaching for Conceptual Change in a Density Unit Taught to 7th Graders: Comparing Two Teaching Methodologies - Scientific Inquiry and a Traditional Approach
    (University of Oregon, 2012) Holveck, Susan; Holveck, Susan; Zvoch, Keith
    This mixed methods study was designed to compare the effect of using an inquiry teaching methodology and a more traditional teaching methodology on the learning gains of students who were taught a five-week conceptual change unit on density.
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    Using Concurrent Verbalization to Measure Math Comprehension
    (University of Oregon, 2012) Lambeth, Cathryn; Lambeth, Cathryn; Tindal, Gerald
    The current study investigated variability in student performance on a concurrent verbalization measure based on a grade-level sample math word problem and sought to determine to what extent the variability in verbalization scores is related to scores on a reliable measure of reading (DIBELS Next) and math (easyCBM) and to student factors (e.g. sex, grade, economic status). In light of the 2014 implementation of the Common Core State Standards and related measures of student performance, both of which contain components of language in mathematics curriculum and assessment, it was the intent of this study to identify factors associated with verbalization on sample math word problems that could be correlated with student performance on reliable, commonly used assessments of reading and math. The sample for analysis included 105 intermediate-grade students from one elementary school in the Pacific Northwest. Results support a relation between students' verbalizations about math word problems and benchmark assessments in reading and math. Limitations of the study, considerations for future research, and implications for practice are discussed.
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    Using Curriculum-Based Measurement to Predict Eighth-Grade Student Performance on a Statewide Reading Assessment
    (University of Oregon, 2012) LeRoux, Mindy; LeRoux, Mindy; Zvoch, Keith
    The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between oral reading fluency (ORF) and Maze, two common Curriculum-Based Measures (CBMs), and the statewide large-scale assessment of reading in Oregon, the Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills- Reading (OAKS-R). A sample of three cohorts of eighth-grade students in an Oregon school district was used to examine concurrent validity, predictive validity, and the relation between demographic characteristics, disability status, and socio-economic status and the ability to predict performance on the OAKS-R. Findings of the concurrent validity analysis revealed a moderately strong positive correlation between the OAKS-R and both ORF and Maze measures, with ORF demonstrating a slightly stronger correlation with the OAKS-R. Multiple regression analyses were used to analyze the predictive relationship between ORF and Maze and scores on the eighth-grade OAKS-R. Both ORF and Maze were statistically significant predictors of OAKS-R, demonstrating moderately positive relationships with scores on the state reading test. Although no interaction effect was found between disability classification or eligibility for free or reduced-price meals and the different CBMs, in relation to the OAKS-R, student disability status was negatively related to performance on the OAKS-R. The relationship between OAKS-R performance and low socio-economic status, as measured by eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch status, was not consistent across the cohorts. This finding is promising, as it indicates that there may be factors that schools can take advantage of to ameliorate the relationship between poverty and reading outcome measures for eighth-grade students. In light of study results, suggestions for future research, as well as implications for the field, are discussed. This study adds to the research literature documenting that ORF and Maze assessments provide schools with valuable information to predict student performance on statewide large-scale assessments of reading. With CBM data available early in the school year, schools can provide additional intervention as needed, potentially leading to improved end-of-year student performance on the OAKS-R.