Theses and Dissertations from UMD
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Item EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES THAT ENGAGE THE AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE IN MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE(2018) Elam-Respass, Treesa; Fabian, Ellen; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Culturally-relevant instruction in middle school science engages and inspires the African American male to consider careers in science, technology, engineering, and/or mathematics (STEM). With the exponential value and growth of STEM career options, African American males benefit from the integration of and exposure to cultural language and customs within their science learning. The purpose of the study was to explore the instructional strategies teachers use in middle science classes to engage students, particularly African American males. The study pursued teachers’ perspectives about best instructional practices facilitated in middle school that primarily address culturally-relevant science content. Data for this study was collected and analyzed via responses from an online survey using Qualtrics. The results of the study confirm that the values and needs of African American males are marginally considered during middle school science instructional planning. The teachers report weekly student-teacher discussion techniques as the most commonly implemented practice for student engagement. Whereas, the survey participants also reported that the reading strategy was more infrequently implemented. With respect to the culturally relevant instruction, the survey participants postulate that the introduction of cultural elements proffer more interesting, valuable, and relatable lessons in middle school science. However, the teacher responses demonstrate minimal to no inclusion of culturally relevant instruction Lastly, teachers can benefit from learning about culturally relevant practices and the multicultural framework.Item Transforming Knowledge: The Effects of Scaffolded Instruction in the Toulmin Model of Argument on the Problem-Solving Strategies of Four Sixth-Grade Writers(2014) Wilson, Adam Holmes; Slater, Wayne; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this case study was to examine the effects of scaffolded instruction in the Toulmin Model of Argument on the problem solving strategies used by four sixth-grade writers while composing argumentative essays. Three major components of the Toulmin Model that were presented to participants were claims, data, and warrants. Participants for the proposed study were four sixth-grade students, two of whom were identified as "high ability" (one male and one female) and two of whom were identified as "average ability" (one male and one female). Results of the study were derived primarily from the analysis of intervention protocols and essays produced by participants. After completing a survey about their experiences with argument/persuasion, participating in a practice think aloud, and composing a pretest argumentative essay while providing a think aloud guided by the intervention protocol, participants received a total of six units of scaffolded instruction in the Toulmin Model over a period of four weeks. At the end of the instructional period, participants composed an "independent" argumentative essay under normal (non-protocol) conditions. For the posttest, participants provided a second think aloud guided by the intervention protocol while composing an argumentative essay. Pre-test, independent, and posttest prompts asked participants to formulate and support a claim about a proposed change to a school policy and were identical in form, audience, and task demands. As a result of the intervention instruction in the Toulmin model and the scaffolds I was able to construct through the intervention protocols, participants were able to move beyond knowledge telling to engage in knowledge transforming, moving back and forth between problem spaces of content and rhetoric, and thus more effectively handling the audience-related task demands of warranting claims and providing convincing supporting data - aspects of argumentative writing that existing research suggests pose the greatest difficulties for secondary students. I had hypothesized that the intervention instruction in the Toulmin model would also enable participants to more effectively handle the argumentative writing task demand of anticipating and responding to opposition, but this hypothesis was not supported by the study data.Item Technology in their hands: Students' voices from a Nook summer reading program for non-proficient fifth-grade students(2013) Mitchell, Chrystine Cooper; Turner, Jennifer D; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Researchers have documented a "summer reading setback" where a demonstrated achievement gap between proficient and struggling readers expands during the summer months (Allington & McGill-Franzen, 2003). Educators need to devise a plan to foster diverse independent reading (Byrnes, 2000) by providing students access to texts of interest (Ivey & Broaddus, 2001; Hughes-Hassell & Rodge, 2007) and researchers suggest when given opportunities to read e-books, students read more (Fasimpaur, 2004). This study was designed to reveal students' perceptions of a Nook summer reading program granting the students access to a wide variety of eBooks, paying particular attention to the non-proficient fifth-grade students' reported summer reading behaviors and the influences for students' summer reading. Using a qualitative exploratory approach, I studied 20 students who participated in a summer independent reading program using Nook digital readers. I was able to analyze and interpret the student voices regarding their summer reading experiences using an online book log, student questionnaires, focus group interviews, and through two individual student case studies. I analyzed and interpreted the data through an interpretive mosaic focused on four overarching themes and the intersection of those themes which included: the reader, access to text, social relationships and Nook digital readers. I found important implications that were generated from the students' reported reading behaviors and perceptions: 1) Social reading relationships were cultivated through the experience, 2) Access to a variety of texts shaped the kinds of reading students engaged in, and 3) Nook digital readers helped to foster students' reported positive summer reading behaviors. This study serves as a foundation to consider how and in what ways technology shapes students' literacy experiences as we forge ahead in this technological saturated society.Item Teacher Competence Support for Reading in Middle School(2012) McRae, Angela; Guthrie, John T.; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between student perceptions of teacher competence support, self-efficacy for reading, and reading achievement for African American and European American students. Previous studies of teacher support have emphasized emotional support and have found considerable evidence for positive effects on motivation and achievement (Wentzel, 2009). Over time, support for competence has increasingly emerged as a distinct dimension of teacher support (Beghetto, 2007; Wentzel et al., 2010) and there is a need for the extension of this empirical research on the association between teacher competence support, motivation, and achievement. This study seeks to narrow this focus to student perceptions of teacher competence support, student self-efficacy, and reading achievement in middle school. The study sample consisted of 366 seventh- grade students in an ethnically and economically diverse school district. Students completed measures of their perceptions of teacher competence support, which included encouragement and instrumental help in reading. Students also completed a reading self-efficacy questionnaire and an assessment of information text comprehension. While controlling for socioeconomic status, hierarchical multiple regressions and MANOVA were conducted. African American students perceived statistically significantly higher levels of teacher competence support for reading compared to their European American peers. European American students performed at a higher level on the reading achievement measure, and there was no significant difference between groups in self-efficacy. Teacher competence support was significantly associated with self-efficacy regardless of ethnicity, and was also significantly associated with reading achievement, but only for African American students. Self-efficacy was significantly correlated with reading achievement for both ethnic groups; however, this correlation was statistically significantly higher for European American students. Post hoc analyses revealed that the correlation between self-efficacy and reading achievement was significant for European American students regardless of perceived level of teacher competence support, and the self-efficacy and reading achievement relationship was significant for African American students only if they perceived high levels of teacher competence support.Item BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE: AN ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT AND MIDDLE SCHOOL CULTURE ON EIGHTH GRADERS' ACADEMIC PREPAREDNESS FOR COLLEGE BY THE TWELFTH GRADE(2012) Bibo, Erin Ward; Cabrera, Alberto F; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This study used a general two-level model to explore data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988-1992 to determine the extent to which student-level (parental involvement) and school-level (school culture of college preparedness) factors individually and collectively influenced eighth grade students' eventual academic preparedness for college by the time they reached the twelfth grade. The study's models supported my foundational hypothesis that the middle school years play a critical role in preparing students for college. That said, the impacts of both parental involvement and school culture, at the middle school level, appear to have a very trivial influence, on average, on students' eventual levels of academic readiness for college. The study's models' random effects results, however, paint a slightly more complex picture. These resulted indicated that, at some schools within the study, some or all of the four parental involvement variables had a statistically significant impact on students' eventual ACRES scores. While I was unable to determine whether these significant effects were mostly positive or negative, it certainly supports the notion that parental involvement indeed plays an important role in preparing students to be academically prepared for college. Additionally, the study determined that students' middle school grades had the most positive influences on ACRES scores, and student poverty levels and first-generation status were associated with the most negative impacts on students' academic preparedness for college. The study concludes by calling on policymakers, educational leaders, teachers, and parents to focus their time, attention, and resources on the middle school years to improve students' eventual academic readiness for college.Item A grounded theory of deaf middle school students' revision of their own writing(2010) Yuknis, Christina; Hultgren, Francine; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This study used a grounded theory methodology to examine the experiences of deaf middle school students attending a program for deaf children in a public school to answer the following question: How do deaf children in middle school construct meaningful texts? The students were in one of two self-contained classes taught by a teacher of the deaf. The eight students and two teachers were each interviewed at least once. Classroom observations of the students engaged in writing an essay were conducted, and writing samples from each student were provided by the teachers. All of the data were analyzed, and a grounded theory that describes the experiences of the deaf students emerged. The theory consists of one core category and four key categories, which encompass three parts of writing: Knowing, Experiencing, and Doing. The core category, which captures the essence of what revision is to the students, is Living in Language and is the sole category in Knowing. Three key categories fall under the Experiencing heading: Interacting with the Text, Interacting with Instruction, and Interacting with Self as Reviser. The final key category is the sole category in Doing: Fixing Wrongs. This research contributes to the literature by illustrating how deaf students who are in one middle school understand, experience, and approach revision tasks. A significant understanding is that the students in this study are not given many opportunities to construct meaningful texts independently in their classes. Despite the lack of control over their own texts, the students have developed strategies to successfully “play the game” of writing in school. In addition, recommendations for future research and ways to improve instruction are offered. The greatest implication for instruction is that teachers need to step back and consider how instruction impacts the students. Students especially need to be empowered to control their own writing and develop metacognition of their own work. Future research can be done to test the theory using a broader scope of participants in other settings. It could also examine the writing process from the teachers’ perspectives to provide information about what informs their instruction of writing and revising.Item "Like Who You Are:" Socially Constructed Identity in the Middle School Band(2008-09-03) Hoffman, Adria R; Silvey, Philip E; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this study was to explore the band classroom as a social context and examine its influence on middle school students' identity constructions. Identity theory in sociological research and social identity theory in the field of social psychology provided the theoretical bases for this study. However, the integration of both theories suggested by Deaux and Martin (2003) as well as Stets and Burke (2000) proved most applicable to this inquiry. Both intergroup processes and role identities were explored. This qualitative study included six band students enrolled in a large public middle school located in a metropolitan area on the East Coast. Enrolled in the same sixth grade band class, each of the six participants played a different instrument, and therefore provided a unique perspective on social interactions and the school experience. Ethnography and narrative inquiry informed the data collection process and methodological choices for this collective case study. Data collection included classroom observations, open-ended interviews, and weekly student journals. Data was collected over a period of 5.5 months, ending as students chose to continue or discontinue their band enrollment for the subsequent school year. Interview transcripts, field notes, and student journals were systematically coded first on a case-by-case basis, then compared, contrasted, and interpreted across cases. Findings supported prior research on musical identity and music education. Students simultaneously valued perceived characteristics of their own group while devaluing those of other groups. In addition to supporting prior research findings, this study indicated that middle school band students make choices regarding course enrollment based on influences (rejection or affirmation) of those around them. Students initially chose to enroll in band because friends, teachers, and family members encouraged them to do so. Once they felt accepted as band members, they found particular roles in the band classroom. Based on others' affirmation or rejection of their competency in such roles, they reevaluated whether they felt they belonged in the band. Those who felt rejected or less competent chose to enroll in other courses. Students who felt successful and found unique roles within the band more strongly identified with the group.Item Middle-School Students Coomprehending, Analyzing, and Evaluating Persuasive Text(2008-05-30) Leon, Tina Marie; Chambliss, Marilyn J.; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Students are inundated with posters, fliers, commercials, and advertisements intended to persuade. Students also are challenged to think critically about persuasion on high-stakes assessments, but their textbooks rarely include argument. Students have little experience with written persuasion and may lack the knowledge and skills necessary to comprehend and evaluate it. Research with adults has shown that prior knowledge and text characteristics affect reader persuasion. However, it is risky to design instruction for middle-school students based on adult outcomes. Thus, this study extended research on adults to middle-school students. A total of 357 middle-school students between 11 and 15 years old in grades six through eight read an argument on keeping animals in zoos structured as one-sided, two-sided refutation, or two-sided nonrefutation. Text content was emotional and factual. Students rated the persuasiveness of content during reading, rated their knowledge and beliefs before and after reading, and answered comprehension and evaluation questions. Verbal reports collected from 26 students informed how students processed persuasive text. Overall, most middle-school students' lacked adult knowledge of argument and persuasion for reasoning through the argument and its content. Most students identified persuasive text as written to inform, and selected the topic as the main point and a claim as the supporting detail. Students identified the argument in two-sided refutation more accurately. Verbal responses revealed that few students used knowledge of argument structure or persuasive content to comprehend, analyze, and evaluate. Instead, most students reacted to the content as they read and later inaccurately induced the author's purpose and argument. When evaluating premises, a majority of students selected the evidence as their source, but verbal responses indicated that students reasoned from text-based evidence, prior knowledge and their beliefs, despite selecting the evidence basis. Their particular basis depended upon the premise statement being evaluated. Students lacked knowledge of argument and persuasive content and were highly persuaded by both the emotional content and argument structure. Students rated emotional content as more persuasive than factual content. Other results suggested that one-sided argument affected students' beliefs the most. Changes in perceived knowledge mirrored changes in beliefs.Item Work Avoidance in Middle School: Teachers' Perspectives(2007-05-15) Sloan, Meridith Ann; Wentzel, Kathryn R; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This study investigated the beliefs about work avoidance of six middle school teachers from a diverse set of schools. Teachers were individually interviewed. Using a Grounded Theory approach, the interview transcripts were coded and analyzed. The teachers commonly characterized students who avoid work as lacking effort or actively avoiding work, expressing a broad range of emotions (e.g., anger, embarrassment, and negative affect) and having little or incompetent social interactions with peers and adults. The teachers reported several reasons why students avoid work including task/workload characteristics, motivational traits, peers, home and school/teacher. These findings suggest that work avoidance may have been previously oversimplified and the construct may include a wider variety of student characteristics and reasons for the behaviors.Item How Three Middle School Reading Teachers Engender Interest in Reading(2007-04-23) Scholz, Rachel Acosta; Dreher, Mariam J; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Teachers are generally aware of the link between reading skills and academic achievement. They also recognize the connection between motivation and the learning of reading skills. What escapes many teachers, however, is knowing how to generate motivation for reading. The purpose of this qualitative multi-case study was to produce rich descriptions of expert reading instruction at the secondary level that could serve as models for literacy teachers wishing to improve their motivational skills. The researcher's focus was on the motivational construct of interest as she sought to answer three questions: (a) How do three expert middle school reading teachers generate and sustain interest in reading? (b) What are these teachers' beliefs about the role of interest in motivating students to read? (c) What perceptions do these teachers have about the instructional discourses and practices that foster students' interest in reading? The bounded system for this study was a set of three middle school teachers who taught the same subject to approximately the same age students, and who had acquired sufficient expertise to have earned the reputation of "expert teachers" from the principals and supervisors who recommended them as participants. The researcher was an observer in the teachers' classrooms for two months at the end of the school year and two days the following September. All literacy instruction was video taped and teacher interviews were audio taped. Other data sources included field notes, research journal, instructional materials, and classroom displays. The theme, interest as a worthy goal in itself, emerged from data analysis. It describes the teachers' belief that interest is a conduit to life-long learning and it explains their persistent focus on developing personal interest rather than situational interest. Data analysis also revealed the construct, "front-loading," which describes the participants' belief that in order to engender personal interest, teachers must first do the following: (a) establish a safe classroom environment; (b) build connections from the curriculum to students' lives; and (c) provide instructional scaffolding. Future research should assess teachers' knowledge and cultural awareness about their students and how this affects their ability to engender student interest.