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Reader’s Theater: A Quasi-Experimental Study for Secondary Students
No full textA quasi-experimental quantitative study using a pretest-posttest design examined the effects of Reader’s Theater to eighth graders fluency and comprehension development. The study used 50 eighth grade students with 25 students making up the control group and 25 students making up the experimental group. Reader’s Theater was used as an intervention with the experimental group for 30 minutes a day for 6 weeks while the control group used regular instructional methods including summarizing, questioning, and text-dependent questions. Data were gathered using a fluency passage from Easy CBM and a 20-question comprehension passage from Easy CBM. Most students showed improvement in their fluency and comprehension scores after the study. Data suggested that Reader’s Theater is effective in increasing both variables among students within the intervention group. The gains between the experimental group and the control group based on posttest data showed a significant difference. Results from this study indicated the effectiveness of using Reader’s Theater at the secondary grade level to increase both fluency and comprehension scores. This study was unique in that it uses a primary grade level intervention such as Reader’s Theater with eighth grade students to suggest a way to bridge reading gaps in secondary students
Exploring Teachers’ Perspectives of the PBIS Program in Fourth and Fifth Grade Classrooms
No full textThe Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program is an evidenced-based framework with over 20 years of research and 25 years in addressing student misbehavior in U.S. public schools. The program utilizes a systems-based approach where schools can proactively document data in helping to make decisions toward promoting positive student behavior. As the need for effective resources for classroom behavioral management increases, teachers need support to ensure there is an alternative recourse that can be employed to assist with managing student behavior. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore elementary teachers’ perspectives and experiences regarding the PBIS approach in fourth and fifth grade classrooms. The primary research question that guided this study was: What are teachers’ perspectives and experiences regarding the PBIS program in fourth and fifth grade classrooms? The data collection instruments from 10 teacher participants were initial semistructured interviews, secondary semistructured interviews, and documents (artifacts). The inductive analysis model was used to analyze the collected data from the initial and secondary semistructured interviews. Typological analysis was used to analyze the documents collected in the study. The key findings revealed that teacher participants experienced limited, inconsistent, or no teacher training in the PBIS approach. The teacher participants understood the importance of using the PBIS approach or other educational resources to teach positive student behavior and to assist them in learning pedagogical approaches in behavior management
The Role of Personal Adaptive Capacity in Women Navigating Disruption in Their Life Spaces
No full textAdaptive capacity (AC) is needed to successfully contend with and overcome the risk factors associated with disruption and uncertainty that characterize continuous change and challenge. AC is a latent construct that is activated in response to crisis or opportunity. AC reduces vulnerability and enables a successful response to disruption and complexity by supplying its holder with the capacity to adjust to change, manage risks, take advantage of opportunities, devise effective strategies, and adopt novel solutions. AC in individuals is directly related to the quality of and satisfaction with life spaces, to professional resilience, and to endurance in challenging contextual environmental circumstances. Personal adaptive capacity (PAC) describes AC at the individual level. This study used a quantitative correlational design to investigate two dimensions of PAC in women. A two-way ANOVA was conducted to determine which factor level combinations of the dimensions of PAC produced the highest scores in perceived resilience. The results of the study showed a strong main effect of pragmatic prospection on perceived resilience F (1, 94) = 67.23, p \u3c .001, partial n2 = .417, at an alpha of .05. A Pearson’s product-moment correlation was run to determine whether any correlation existed between variables. The results of the study showed statistically significant, strong positive correlation between pragmatic prospection and perceived resilience, r (96) = .834, p \u3c .001, with pragmatic prospection explaining 70% of the variability in perceived resilience. Further work is needed to investigate PAC in other populations, with other research designs, or with other instruments
Effective Introvert Teachers: A Phenomenological Study of Their Lived Experiences
Full text linkIn this qualitative, phenomenological study, effective K–12 introvert teachers were interviewed to determine how they achieve effectiveness within Danielson’s (2011) four domains of planning and preparation, classroom environment, instruction, and professional responsibilities. The participants discussed the strategies they use to overcome the challenges they face as teachers, as well as how they leverage their introvert personality strengths. The 10 study participants frequently experienced exhaustion related to their job responsibilities and expressed the need to find ways to recharge in order to have the energy needed to be effective. Participants avoided extrovert behaviors when possible, but they also realized that sometimes they must use these types of behaviors in their profession in order to be effective. The relationships they developed with their students were important to them, and they described often engaging in actions that were contrary to their introverted nature in order to develop these relationships. Participants also described their strong need to feel prepared for instruction as well as other professional responsibilities. Finally, the participants shared how they have experienced an extrovert ideal in their profession and how they navigate this by coming to terms with their own needs and strengths as introverts. The findings of the study provide insight into the unique challenges and needs of introvert teachers, as well as the strategies they use to achieve effectiveness
The Use of Digital Applications and Websites in Completing Math Assignments
Full text linkThere is a large assortment of digital applications and websites available for students to use in completing their math assignments. The problem is how and why they are using these applications. This study looked at the different applications and websites used by students, including Slader, Wolfram Alpha, Symbolab, Desmos, and Photomath. The study then explored why students used these applications and websites. The idea of plagiarism in mathematics was presented to the students in this study. The review of the literature included the concepts of plagiarism and cheating and illustrated that students have a history of using tools for accomplishing tasks. Nine students participanted in the research. These students were found through surveys and then were interviewed by implementing a phenomenological approach. The data was then analyzed using a Modified Van Kaam method. This method required the construction of textural and structural descriptions for each individual and composite descriptions for the group. The themes that developed from these interviews included confidence building, learning, and easy access. The results showed that most students justified their use of the digital applications and websites because they were learning from them. Students felt that these items were tools available for their learning. Each each case, the student did not feel that they were committing plagairism. Students stated that they planned to continue using digital applications and websites to complete their math assignments
Balancing Religious Liberty and Anti-Discrimination Interests in the Public Employment Context: The Impact of Masterpiece Cakeshop and American Legion
No full textAt the heart of national debate in recent years is the balance between religious liberty and anti-discrimination interests. The Supreme Court’s recent Free Speech and Establishment Clause decisions in Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, 138 S. Ct. 1719 (2018) and American Legion v. American Humanist Association, 139 S. Ct. 2067 (2019) push the pendulum in this debate towards greater protection of religious liberties, and signal the Court’s preference for context-specific tests for how the Establishment Clause will interact with the broader range of interests protected by the Free Exercise Clause. These cases are especially significant in the public employment context, where government employers must consider whether requested accommodations violate the Establishment Clause. This Article explores and analyzes the dichotomy of paradigms that has led Supreme Court jurisprudence to its current path, including the Court signaling its preference for context-specific Establishment Clause tests. This Article then proposes a context-specific test for public employment law that balances the magnitude and likelihood of third-party harm, substantiality of burden to religious liberty, and availability or prevalence of secular accommodations. This test seeks to establish an equitable balance between protection of religious liberties and anti-discrimination interests. It does so by providing room for factual inquiry and context-specific value judgments, while still allowing for a workable framework and sufficiently predictable results