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South Carolina Teacher Attrition, Mobility, and Retention Report for 2023–24
Get PDFThis report takes a comprehensive look at South Carolina’s public school teacher workforce through the lenses of attrition (when teachers leave the profession or the state), mobility (when teachers move between districts or schools), recruitment (when new and returning teachers enter the workforce), and retention (when teachers continue working in the state). By analyzing these data at the state, district, and school levels across 6 academic years, this research provides actionable insights into where, how, and why teachers are entering, leaving, and moving within our state education system. As such, findings can help guide data-informed strategies to improve teacher retention, enhance recruitment efforts, and strengthen the overall teacher pipeline in South Carolina
Understanding the Relationship between Executive Function and Language During the Preschool Period
Get PDFExecutive functions (EFs) are abilities that help us to control our actions, pay attention, and go against automatic responses. EF skills include working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility, all of which develop rapidly during early childhood alongside other developmental abilities like language. In fact, previous research has found a relationship between EFs and language abilities. Therefore, the current study investigated the correlation between EFs and language in the preschool period, a pivotal moment in their development. Specifically, the current study examined the relationship between working memory and inhibition and expressive vocabulary and morphosyntax measures in 7 children 4-6 years old. Working memory was significantly correlated with morphosyntax. In contrast, while the correlation between working memory and vocabulary was numerically positive, it was not significant. Inhibition was significantly correlated with expressive vocabulary. The correlation between inhibition and expressive vocabulary was also numerically positive but not significant. The primary limitation of the present study is its small sample size, which limited our power to detect significant effects. However, this preliminary evidence provides a basis for future research to investigate whether there are differential relationships between different components of EFs and language
Employment Experiences of MLIS of Disabled and Neurodiverse MLIS Graduates: The Summary Report
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To Post or Not to Post, That Is the Discussion: An Exploration of Students’ Perceptions and Experiences with Using Online Collaboration Tools in Threaded Discussion Board Postings
Get PDFThe purpose of this mixed methods action research study was to explore how instructor presence, cognitive presence, and social presence impact students\u27 perceptions and experiences when interacting, communicating, and collaborating in asynchronous discussions and collaborative activities during an introductory-level English literature course at a Southern career college. Online courses can create a sense of isolation due to a lack of student-to-student or student-to-instructor interaction. Discussion forums are a key communication tool to foster interaction in online courses. This action research focused on three questions: (1) How does the use of selected collaboration tools impact students’ perceptions of instructor presence in asynchronous discussion board forums? (2) How does the use of selected collaboration tools impact students’ perceptions and experiences of cognitive presence in asynchronous discussion board forums? (3) How does the use of selected collaboration tools impact students’ perceptions and experiences of social presence in asynchronous discussion board forums? Although online discussion forums are commonplace in asynchronous courses, exploring how instructor, cognitive, and social presences impact students’ perceptions and experiences with various online collaboration tools in a career industry course is a new approach to improving students’ participation in asynchronous threaded discussion board forums. This 11-week action research intervention had 24 participants. Students participated in weekly discussions using text (Moodle Discussion Board), audio (Padlet), and video-based (Flipgrid) online collaboration tools. A questionnaire survey adopted from the Community of Inquiry Scales and semi-structured individual interviews were used to collect qualitative and quantitative data. The findings were viewed through the theoretical lenses of social constructivism and the community of inquiry frameworks. Quantitative data revealed that many students preferred online collaboration tools that included video support despite lacking experience with online courses and feeling uncomfortable and unfamiliar with the technology. Qualitative data analysis revealed three themes: (1) learning experiences using online collaboration tools in discussion board forums, (2) building a collaborative and supportive community in discussion board forums, and (3) psychological factors in discussion board forum interaction. Recommendations for future research and limitations of the study are discussed
Generation and Dimension for Derived Categories
Get PDFThis work focuses on problems regarding derived categories arising in algebraic geometry and commutative algebra. There are six chapters regarding generation in the bounded derived category of coherent sheaves over a Noetherian scheme. The targeted topics involve explicitly identifying generators, proving existence results thereof, and producing estimates on Rouquier dimension
The Benefits of Authentic Learning in English Language Arts Classes
Get PDFIn education, it is important that teaching and learning evolve alongside an ever-changing world. Educators must teach 21st century skills such as inquiry, independence, flexible and persistent thinking, and student motivation and engagement to help students prepare for the real world after graduation. It is imperative that educators begin to challenge students to learn within class settings that offer opportunities for real-world learning, even if confined to the physical classroom setting. The purpose of this action research study was to examine the benefits of authentic learning opportunities in English Language Arts classrooms while exploring the need for teaching life-long skills. Most of the students involved in the study acknowledged their interest in being stakeholders in the learning process and felt compelled to engage more when choices appealed to them. The study served as a platform for future authentic learning opportunities and the benefits related to creating real-world scenarios with the potential for cross-curricular collaboration
The Effects of Implementing a Project Based Learning Framework Into a 5th Grade Science Unit on Force and Motion in a Population of Disadvantaged Students
Get PDFProviding quality education that meets the needs of diverse populations and economically disadvantaged students is imperative in today’s educational environments. This research study investigates the effects of implementing a project-based learning (PBL) teaching approach as part of a fifth-grade science unit on force and motion. The implications on engagement, motivation, and student achievement on standardized tests were analyzed through a mixed-methods research approach. This study is grounded in the theoretical approaches of Constructivism and Social Interdependence Theory. Both concepts support PBL and explain the positive impacts noted by the research. The participants included 56 fifth-grade students, that were primarily African Americans from low-income families. Data collection instruments included classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, student questionnaires, along with a pre- and post-test. Although the results are not generalizable, the study\u27s results indicate that there is a link between PBL and increased student engagement. The students reported being more motivated to complete tasks when working in groups to solve relevant challenges. Active learning helped the students to create meaning and make personal connections to the curriculum. The students were successful in transferring the knowledge gained through PBL to standardized tests
Image-Based Sexual Abuse Victimization: Causes, Consequences, and Seeking Justice
No full textAs technological advances and innovative communication methods are integrated into everyday life, concerns over the misuse and abuse of such technologies has warranted further interrogation. The particular act of image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) or nonconsensual pornography, has garnered much media and academic attention. IBSA is understood as the creation, dissemination, and/or threatening to create or disseminate illicit sexual images or videos of someone without their explicit consent. This three-article dissertation employs a three-fold approach in exploring the phenomenon of IBSA.
First, it applies a cyber theory of victimization, routine activity theory (RAT), in order to assess the risk of and protective factors from experiencing IBSA. Such an endeavor has not been initiated and the current project will contribute to this body of knowledge within online interpersonal victimization scholarship, as well as criminological theory development. Second, this dissertation aims to better understand the experiences and potential consequences of IBSA victimization. Finally, this dissertation assesses what factors shape the ways in which IBSA victims seek (or do not seek) justice and help after victimization through a qualitative examination of open-ended survey responses. By taking a multiple methods approach in offering both quantitative and qualitative prompts, the current project aims to capture a holistic and comprehensive overview of individual experiences of IBSA. Such an approach takes into account the personal voices of victim-survivors and offers the space wherein these experiences are observed and evaluated