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- Title
- LEARNING THE CHINESE LANGUAGE USING A PERFORMED CULTURE PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH: A CASE STUDY OF MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS.
- Author
- Henderson, Jing Chen, Nichols, Joyce C., Jans-Thomas, Susan, Thompson, Carla J., University of West Florida
- Abstract/Description
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This is a multiple case study analysis of a select group of middle school students learning the Chinese language and Chinese culture through the inquiring, performing, reflecting, and producing (IPRP) model, a performed culture pedagogical approach. With the purpose of deepening the understanding and perspectives of students' Chinese language and cultural learning processes, this researcher examined nine participants' Chinese language and cultural learning experience in a classroom setting...
Show moreThis is a multiple case study analysis of a select group of middle school students learning the Chinese language and Chinese culture through the inquiring, performing, reflecting, and producing (IPRP) model, a performed culture pedagogical approach. With the purpose of deepening the understanding and perspectives of students' Chinese language and cultural learning processes, this researcher examined nine participants' Chinese language and cultural learning experience in a classroom setting for 18 weeks. Within the perspectives of Vygotsky's (1978a, 1978b) sociocultural theory, the researcher used the constant comparison method and the categorical aggregation method to collect and analyze three data sources: field notes of class observations, semistructured participants' interviews, and video-recorded performance sessions. The findings of this study revealed that IPRP, as a new and practical performed culture pedagogical approach, links Vygotsky's (1978a, 1978b) sociocultural theory with the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, 2015). The current study's findings suggest the IPRP model could be used to provide a solution to improve the integration of Chinese language and culture learning at the practical level.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- Identifier
- WFE0000559, uwf:61210
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- LEISURE-TIME ACTIVITIES OF LICENSED NUCLEAR REACTOR OPERATORS.
- Author
- Belford, Kodi Dee, Jans-Thomas, Susan, Bagwell, Diane P., Nichols, Joyce C., University of West Florida
- Abstract/Description
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The intent of this narrative inquiry was to explore leisure-time activities of licensed reactor operators of nuclear power plants. This exploration was accomplished using qualitative research methods such as interviewing and participant observation. This study attempted to increase the general understanding of leisure-time activities of licensed reactor operators for nuclear power plants.
- Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- WFE0000511, uwf:61259
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- RESUME REVIEWS AND PERCEIVED QUALIFICATIONS OF JOB CANDIDATES: REGISTERED NURSES, RACE, AND INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY INTERVENTIONS.
- Author
- Kaloydis, Michael Evangelos, Jans-Thomas, Susan, Thompson, Carla J., Havard, Byron C., University of West Florida
- Abstract/Description
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Half a century after the enactment of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, disparities in employment and hiring practices still exist (Bertrand & Mullainathan, 2003; Bradstreet & Kleiner, 2003; Ritenhouse, 2013). Evidence of such disparities in employment within the field of nursing is supported by the fact that 73% of nursing students are Caucasian and 13% are African American, while the entire nursing workforce is comprised of 83.2% Caucasians and 5.4% African Americans (National...
Show moreHalf a century after the enactment of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, disparities in employment and hiring practices still exist (Bertrand & Mullainathan, 2003; Bradstreet & Kleiner, 2003; Ritenhouse, 2013). Evidence of such disparities in employment within the field of nursing is supported by the fact that 73% of nursing students are Caucasian and 13% are African American, while the entire nursing workforce is comprised of 83.2% Caucasians and 5.4% African Americans (National League for Nursing (NLN), 2013). This 9.6% under-representation of African American RNs in the workforce along with the potential for disparities in nursing employment to propagate, as a result of phenomena attributed to the underlying theory of relational demography (Bertrand & Mullainathan, 2003; Buckley, Jackson, Bolino, Veres, & Feild, 2007; Stoll, Raphael, & Holzer, 2004), both serve as the impetus for the current study. Employment studies have found inadvertent discrimination against minority group members as a function of minority sounding names as appearing on résumés (Bertrand & Mullainathan, 2003). Prior to the current study, this phenomenon remained unclear, underlying theories associated with such phenomena were not explained, and methodologies to reduce the occurrence of such phenomena were not published. Given the dearth of literature addressing employment disparities in the field of nursing, underlying theories to explain employment disparities in the field of nursing, and potential methodologies to reduce the occurrence of employment disparities in the field of nursing, the current study sought to begin to fill the void of knowledge. To address the issues of employment disparities among Registered Nurses (RNs) in the United States (US), the current study utilized volunteer student participants enrolled in a RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program to explore the implication of stereotypically Caucasian and African American female names on mock employment decisions and the use of web-based Frame of Reference (FOR) training to mitigate any occurrence of name-based employment disparities. Two research questions were posed and the theoretical and practical implications of the findings of the current study are discussed.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- Identifier
- WFE0000542, uwf:61230
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- STUDENT PERCEPTIONS OF SECONDARY SCIENCE: A PERFORMANCE TECHNOLOGY APPLICATION.
- Author
- Small, Belinda Rusnak, Rasmussen, Karen L., Hastings, Nancy B., Jans-Thomas, Susan, University of West Florida
- Abstract/Description
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The primary purpose of this study was to identify influences blocking or promoting science performance from the lived K-12 classroom experience. Human Performance Technology protocols were used to understand factors promoting or hindering science performance. The goal was to gain information from the individual students' perspective to enhance opportunities for stakeholders to improve the current state of performance in science education. Individual perspectives of 10 secondary science...
Show moreThe primary purpose of this study was to identify influences blocking or promoting science performance from the lived K-12 classroom experience. Human Performance Technology protocols were used to understand factors promoting or hindering science performance. The goal was to gain information from the individual students' perspective to enhance opportunities for stakeholders to improve the current state of performance in science education. Individual perspectives of 10 secondary science students were examined using grounded theory protocols. Findings include students' science learning behaviors are influenced by two major themes, environmental supports and individual learning behaviors. The three environmental support factors identified include the methods students receive instruction, students' opportunities to access informal help apart from formal instruction, and students' feelings of teacher likability. Additionally, findings include three major factors causing individual learners to generate knowledge in science. Factors reported include personalizing information to transform data into knowledge, customizing learning opportunities to maximize peak performance, and tapping motivational opportunities to persevere through complex concepts. The emergent theory postulated is that if a performance problem exists in an educational setting, then integrating student perspectives into the cause analysis opens opportunity to align interventions for influencing student performance outcomes. An adapted version of Gilbert's Behavioral Engineering Model is presented as an organizational tool to display the findings. The boundaries of this Performance Technology application do not extend to the identification, selection, design, or implementation of solutions to improved science performance. However, as stakeholders begin to understand learner perspectives, then aligned decisions may be created to support learners of science in a direct, cost effective manner.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- WFE0000377, uwf:61030
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- THE ROLE OF SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS AND PSYCHOMETRISTS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION DELIVERY: AN ETHNOGRAPHY.
- Author
- Milner, Ashley Layne Copeland, Jans-Thomas, Susan, Thompson, Carla, Kramer, Thomas, McBride, Rebecca, University of West Florida
- Abstract/Description
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The purpose of this study was to conduct ethnographic research on school psychologists and psychometrists, those who evaluate and assist in determining special education services for students suspected of having a disability. Ethnography was chosen as the method of research for this study as the researcher attempted to gain a deep understanding of the people and processes involved in special education delivery. This ethnography examined, described, and interpreted the culture of school...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to conduct ethnographic research on school psychologists and psychometrists, those who evaluate and assist in determining special education services for students suspected of having a disability. Ethnography was chosen as the method of research for this study as the researcher attempted to gain a deep understanding of the people and processes involved in special education delivery. This ethnography examined, described, and interpreted the culture of school psychologists and psychometrists within the Department of Psychological Services in a public school system in an urban area in the Southeastern region of the United States. As a participant observer, the researcher examined school psychologists and psychometrists in their natural environment to gain an understanding of the participants and their lived experiences within their profession.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- WFE0000487, uwf:61119
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- THREE FEMINIST PERSPECTIVES ON VISUAL MEDIA: INFLUENCES OF THE SECOND WAVE FEMINIST MOVEMENT ON WOMEN'S ART EDUCATION AND THEIR LIVES AS ARTISTS.
- Author
- Waters, Deoritha Ann, Jans-Thomas, Susan, Nichols, Joyce C., Thompson, Carla J., University of West Florida
- Abstract/Description
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During the 1960s and 1970s, feminists catapulted the idea of women into the media and public consciousness. The message of second wave feminism spread widely and inspired women across the United States in academia as women's liberation groups fought for equal rights resulting in a society driven by a constant state of flux. Narrative inquiry, a distinctive way of thinking and understanding that emphasizes the human enterprise and traces the roots of narrative from life stories, was used in...
Show moreDuring the 1960s and 1970s, feminists catapulted the idea of women into the media and public consciousness. The message of second wave feminism spread widely and inspired women across the United States in academia as women's liberation groups fought for equal rights resulting in a society driven by a constant state of flux. Narrative inquiry, a distinctive way of thinking and understanding that emphasizes the human enterprise and traces the roots of narrative from life stories, was used in this research to address how visual media has influenced women's issues. Female artists who were university educated from 1966 to 1979 conveyed their stories utilizing respective works of art, shared perspectives in interview, and examined media's impact on contemporary issues in alignment with Deweyan pragmatics and the belief experience and thought results from ongoing and continuous interaction with all aspects of the environment. Using information extrapolated from a contextual questionnaire and a triangulation of data inclusive of one-to-one interviews, works of visual art, and respective journals, participants conveyed both personal and social information. Findings support study participants were attuned to the power of visual media and responded to second wave feminism through photography and various media in reflecting a dialogue between the female artist and her culture in the use of images, figures, and memories that spoke to the contemporary culture. This investigation further revealed study participants entered U's. colleges and universities of their choice, exercised their freedoms in seeking individualism, created an intimate connection between the self and creativity, and further defined personal identity through transformation in a plurality of imagery.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- WFE0000455, uwf:61108
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- WILLIAM TORREY HARRIS'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PROFESSIONALIZATION OF TEACHING.
- Author
- Everette, Nicole Ard, Jans-Thomas, Susan, Kramer, Thomas, McBride, Rebecca, Nichols, Joyce, University of West Florida
- Abstract/Description
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A gap in historical research was determined and a historiography was conducted to answer this research question: How did William Torrey Harris help to elevate the professionalization of teaching? Harris held multiple educational positions throughout his fortyeight year career and contributed to the professionalization of teaching within each post. As a teacher and principal, Harris functioned as an active member of multiple local and national level teachers' associations and organizations to...
Show moreA gap in historical research was determined and a historiography was conducted to answer this research question: How did William Torrey Harris help to elevate the professionalization of teaching? Harris held multiple educational positions throughout his fortyeight year career and contributed to the professionalization of teaching within each post. As a teacher and principal, Harris functioned as an active member of multiple local and national level teachers' associations and organizations to promote education. He initiated the graded system into schools, increased opportunities for African American teachers, and wrote the memorial which helped to establish Kirksville Normal School. As Assistant Superintendent, Harris conducted numerous school visits and provided feedback to teachers. The introduction of Leigh's Phonetic System improved reading instruction and the increase of German instruction elevated both student and teacher enrollment. Harris's foundation and publication of the Journal of Speculative Philosophy (JSP) added philosophic thought into teachers' lives. During his Superintendence, Harris published key educational pieces containing specific advice for teachers. Harris's annual reports contained evidence of communication and endeavors he made to improve the education of future teachers, current educators, as well as students. Work within the Concord School of Philosophy and as editor of the International Education Series (IES) were additional platforms Harris utilized to share effective techniques and strategies with countless educators. Throughout Harris's post as the U's. Commissioner of Education, his continued effort to professionalize teaching was evident. His work with normal schools, encouragement of communication between libraries and schools, committee involvement, and additional publications were the culmination of lifelong efforts he made to improve the teaching profession.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- WFE0000479, uwf:61093
- Format
- Document (PDF)