544 research outputs found
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Perceptions of Adult Education: Two Case Studies From A Community Corrections Program
No full textA form of alternative sentencing, community corrections programs require adults to check in with a supervisor and participate in employment, counseling and/or educational programming. This qualitative research project focused on two women sentenced to Somerset County Community Corrections Program (SCCCP) and sought to understand their perspective on personal educational needs, goals and individual efficacy in furthering their education. Administrators involved in SCCCP and the local adult education program were also surveyed about their perspective on educational programming within SCCCP and whether access to educational information and opportunities was appropriate. Findings indicate that for participants, education is perceived as a highly desired opportunity and presents specific challenges each individual must address. Stakeholders also value educational opportunity within this program particularly its impact on increasing employability
The Role of Storytelling and Story Reading in Preschool Classrooms: An Investigation
No full textThis study focused on teachers’ perceptions of the use of storytelling and story reading in pre-kindergarten classrooms in order to address current national education goals for literacy skills in young children. A mixed method approach was used to obtain data. Twelve teachers were surveyed regarding intentional use of storytelling and story reading as well as child-initiated storytelling and story reading in various areas of the classroom. Follow-up in depth interviews were conducted with two teachers and sample lesson plans were obtained. Results indicate that implementing both storytelling and story reading components into multiple areas of the pre-kindergarten classroom would be beneficial to children’s development of literacy skills. Recommendations for practice included providing teachers with training and educational opportunities around literacy techniques such as storytelling and story reading in order to increase their ability to be successful in achieving national literacy goals
Dropping Like Flies: The High School Dropout’s Perspective
No full textDetermining factors that lead to at risk students dropping out was investigated by interviewing volunteer participants who attended Mt. Blue High School and exited early, not receiving a high school diploma. The results of the study indicated that the majority of participants attributed their failure to graduate in four years to personal or family related factors
Testing the Longevity of Pedometer Interest in Physical Education for Second Grade
No full textThe purpose of this study was to determine the length of time that a pedometer will motivate a second grader to be more active. Data were collected and analyzed using the System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time (SOFIT) which is based on the activity levels of the students. The results show that pedometers had no impact on a second graders activity level
Aquatic Therapy: An Alternate Therapy for a Child with Autism
No full textThis mixed-methods case study of a pre-school child with autism examined the use of aquatic therapy as an alternate therapy for young children with autistic disorder. Observations and interviews were used to research whether aquatic therapy sessions altered the level of stereotypy the participant typically participated in. Activities on a day without a swim session and a day with the swim session were observed and the levels of physical and verbal stereotypy were recorded to compare. Two therapeutic recreation specialists were interviewed for additional insight on the therapy. Results indicated there was a decrease in the average percentage of both physical and verbal stereotypy during the swim sessions and during the activities post swim session
Differences in Achievement when Dynamic Geometry Software is compared to Traditional Instruction in an 8th Grade Math Classroom
No full textThe purpose of this study is to examine the use of dynamic geometry software as a platform for learning spatial relationships. Data were gathered from 8th grade math classrooms over the winter of 2012-13. Data from the control and experimental groups showed a difference in the initial achievement scores, students in the control groups scoring higher. Data also showed that there was no difference in student retention once scores were adjusted for initial differences. The results of the study cannot be generalized due to limiting factors. There is a need for further research with adjustments in methods and sampling
Finding Kluskap : a journey into Mi\u27kmaw myth
No full textThe Mi’kmaq of eastern Canada were among the first indigenous North Americans to encounter colonial Europeans. As early as the mid-sixteenth century, they were trading with French fishers, and by the mid-seventeenth century, large numbers of Mi’kmaq had converted to Catholicism. Mi’kmaw Catholicism is perhaps best exemplified by the community’s regard for the figure of Saint Anne, the grandmother of Jesus. Every year for a week, coinciding with the saint’s feast day of July 26, Mi’kmaw peoples from communities throughout Quebec and eastern Canada gather on the small island of Potlotek, off the coast of Nova Scotia. It is, however, far from a conventional Catholic celebration. In fact, it expresses a complex relationship between the Mi’kmaq, Saint Anne, a series of eighteenth-century treaties, and a cultural hero named Kluskap.
Finding Kluskap brings together years of historical research and learning among Mi’kmaw peoples on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. The author’s long-term relationship with Mi’kmaw friends and colleagues provides a unique vantage point for scholarship, one shaped not only by personal relationships but also by the cultural, intellectual, and historical situations that inform postcolonial peoples. The picture that emerges when Saint Anne, Kluskap, and the mission are considered in concert with one another is one of the sacred life as a site of adjudication for both the meaning and efficacy of religion—and the impact of modern history on contemporary indigenous religion.https://scholarworks.umf.maine.edu/publications/1061/thumbnail.jp
Emergent Authors Writing Center: An Innovative Teaching Approach in a Pre-Kindergarten Classroom
No full textThe qualitative, exploratory study focused on emergent writing skills in a pre-kindergarten classroom. Through an innovative teacher-created writing approach called emergent authors writing center, students were introduced to writing in a developmentally appropriate manner in order to gain insight into students’ interest in and functional use of writing. Through observations of children’s writing, teacher reflection journal, student writing samples, and student interviews, early writing practices were examined. The implications for this study suggest that given the opportunity, students will embrace writing and will use these newly acquired skills to express themselves and practice important early literacy skills
The Relationship Between Current ELL Programs and the High School Completion Rate
No full textThe purpose of this research was to locate an existing high school ELL program that increased the likelihood of ELL students completing high school. This study focused on the non-completion rates that occurred over the past six years at Atlantic City High School in New Jersey. The data collected supports the idea that their program increases completion rates among ELL students. Portions of the program could be implemented at Lewiston High School
An Attendance Intervention: Using Technology to Involve Teachers and Parents
No full textAn attendance intervention was performed at a school district in Maine, which also tested the effectiveness of using technology for implementation. Computer technologies track student attendance rates, and efficiently communicate issues to stakeholders with minimal administrative overhead. All students at the Oxford Hills School District received the intervention during the FY2013 school year and attendance rates were compared against prior years. Results were somewhat inconclusive, but suggest that attendance gains might be achieved with further refinement of the intervention