Theses and Dissertations from UMD

Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2

New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a give thesis/dissertation in DRUM

More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.

Browse

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Factors that Influence Technology Integration in the Classroom
    (2017) Montgomery, Maureen Cathryn; McLaughlin, Margaret J; Richardson, Patricia M; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Education is one area where the use of technology has had great impact on student learning. The integration of technology in teaching and learning can significantly influence the outcome of education in the classroom. However, there are a myriad of factors that influence technology integration in the classroom. The purpose of this study was to investigate the variation of teacher integration of technology into classroom instruction. Factors that teachers perceive as being the most influential will be analyzed. The investigation also serves to inform school leaders about specific ways to ensure maximum use of instructional technology by all staff members. The study involved a comprehensive high school centrally located in a suburban county in Maryland with an on-time graduation of above 95%. This study surveyed 49 teachers who are employed at this high school and represent various years’ experience. Their teaching assignments range from standard level to advanced placement courses in one of the following content areas: English, science, social studies, or math. The research design in this study is quantitative in nature and was conducted through an on-line anonymous, eleven question survey using the Qualtrics platform. A total of 44/49 participants, or 90%, provided responses to all of the questions asked on the anonymous survey. Results indicated that content, grade, skill level of student, and years’ experience had no effect on the integration of technology in the classroom as 84% reported daily integration. Smart Boards and Laptops were the most frequently used while responders/clickers and the document camera were the least frequently used. Teachers reported using the Internet to develop lessons, Moodle, and video clips from the Internet were the most common uses of technology. Furthermore, results indicated that personal interest, availability, and professional development had the greatest influence over a teacher’s decision to integrate technology.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Our Musical School: Ethnographic Methods and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in Elementary General Music
    (2011) Strab, Emily Theresa; Witzleben, John Lawrence; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The current study has uncovered the complexities of childhood musical culture in a rural public school in Maryland with a diverse student population. Through daily interaction with her students, the researcher learned about their particular culture, including musical preferences, practices of music consumption and expression, and how students conceptualize music. The breadth and depth of knowledge the investigator was able to discover through participant observation during teaching duties demonstrates the usefulness of ethnographic methods in learning about students' musical culture for classroom music teachers. The use of this information proved to be productive in developing culturally relevant lessons that students responded to positively. In conclusion, the researcher found that pursuing an ethnographic project in order to create a culturally relevant pedagogy for her students was a worthwhile undertaking as an elementary general music educator.