Browsing by Subject "secondary education"
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Item Barriers to Distance Education: Perceptions of K-12 Educators(Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education, 2003-01) Berge, Zane; Muilenburg, Lin Y.Instructional-use computers are continuing to migrate into the classrooms, with public schools reporting over half the installed base now located in classrooms. Still, education struggles with the rapid expansion of technology. This article reports on findings from a survey (n=2504) of respondents working in elementary, middle, and secondary schools (n=159). The survey concerns barriers perceived in distance education and is based on prior research involving content analyses of the case studies along with an extensive review of the literature. Demographic data about the respondents is reported for job functions, delivery systems, individual expertise in distance education, and organizational capabilities regarding distance education. Perceptions of these respondents concerning barriers to distance education reported, along with comparisons to respondents not working in K-12.Item Building Carpentry into Nevada's Secondary Curriculum, One Nail at a Time(2014) Littlewood, Carolyn W.; MA in Historic PreservationIn order to practice historic preservation, one must possess the skills and the know-how to do so. This thesis research examines the possibility of implementing the building skill of carpentry into secondary education in the public school system at a time when there is a decline in the building trade professions. The focus is on vocational education in secondary education in Nevada and the surrounding states and examines why carpentry and the skilled building trades are important. Shifts to national standard-based curriculum and how this affects vocational education is also explored. The thesis research includes a survey of educators, state-licensed building contractors, and students to gain their opinions and perceptionson six areas pertinent to the issues related to the need for the skilled building trades, specifically carpentry. The hypothesis for this research centers on three areas: 1. If carpentry were added to secondary education, would it provide a student with a life skill? 2. Would carpentry help reduce the high school drop-out rate? 3. Would carpentry contribute to the state’s work force? The findings from this research demonstrate the need and the desire for the education in the building skill of carpentry to be added to the curriculum in secondary education in Nevada’s public school system.Item DETERMINING THE EFFECTS OF COOPERATIVE PROBLEM-SOLVING IN A HIGH SCHOOL PHYSICS SETTING ON THE STUDENTS’ CONFIDENCE, ACHIEVEMENT, AND PARTICIPATION(THE JOURNAL OF TEACHER ACTION RESEARCH) Gagermeier, Sarah M.The aim of this study was to establish if the Cooperative Learning method of problem-solving had any effect on high school physics students’ achievement, participation in class, or confidence levels. A quasiexperimental research design that utilized both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection was developed and applied to Honors and grade-level Physics classes comprised of upperclassmen in a high school on the eastern shore of the United States. Research data was collected using pre and posttests, surveys, student worksheets, and observations. During this study, both intervention groups received instruction on, and completed, multiple iterations of, the Cooperative Learning problem-solving activity during the two-dimensional force’s unit. Control groups for both ability levels received conventional instruction and were given the same pre and posttests as the intervention groups. The honors intervention group was found to have an increased average post test score when compared to their control group; however, the grade-level group showed a slight decrease in achievement that was likely a result of minimal scaffolding. Both honors and grade-level students demonstrated improvements in participation and confidence as a result of the intervention. According to the data, the cooperative problemsolving activity was beneficial and superior to conventional teaching tactics for Honors students in terms of achievement, confidence, and participation. However, this activity would require further scaffolding and a higher degree of modeling for grade-level classes to be as successful for those students.Item A Human-Centered Evaluation of an ICT-Integrated College and Career Navigation Platform(2023-05) Janka, Bethany N.; Summers, Kathryn; Walsh, Greg; University of Baltimore. Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences; University of Baltimore. Master of Science in Interaction Design and Information ArchitectureIn light of the rising costs of postsecondary education, the overall economic disparity between college graduates and non-college graduates, and a rapidly evolving labor landscape, it is more important than ever that students receive the college and career guidance they need to make the best choices for their futures. Several factors have contributed to the growing need for and proliferation of information and communication technology-integrated career counseling. Yet, research remains limited on best practices for designing these digital tools. This project was conducted using a human-centered design framework to evaluate the user experience and efficacy of the college and career preparation platform BigFuture by College Board. I performed user experience research to evaluate how user friendly and effective the website was in helping high school students feel more “career ready.” The research entailed user interviews and usability testing sessions with 11 high school students ranging from freshmen to seniors and a subsequent qualitative and quantitative analysis.