PHD, Kent State University, 2020, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Lifespan Development and Educational Sciences

The purpose of this Q study was to create a standard of practice for training and evaluation of online teachers in higher education. Chickering and Gamson's 1989 study on seven principles for effective teaching was used as a categorical baseline for this research. Research questions included To what extent do emerging Q factors align with Chickering and Gamson's seven principles for effective teaching? and Do the emergent factors provide evidence for new principles exclusive to online teaching? Years of competency research was examined and competencies were recorded and grouped by likeness into 12 categories. Data were collected from a diverse group of students and faculty members who were asked to sort 48 competency statements using a forced-distribution grid. Participants were interviewed immediately afterward. Q methodology was chosen to quantify the subjective responses. Data were analyzed using principal component analysis. Findings showed that although Chickering and Gamson's seven principles are relevant as a standard for categorizing competencies for effective online teaching, five additional categories are needed to train and evaluate online teachers. This research has important implications for stakeholders. The outcome provided for the development of a two-tiered student evaluation form separating the design of an online course from the teaching elements. Further, it allowed for the preliminary outline of a proposal for several units of training and development for new and existing online teachers as well as a voluntary mentor program. New research opportunities surfaced including studies of the relationship between categories, teaching philosophies, learning theories, and online learning.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2008, Higher Education Administration

This study was undertaken to develop a deeper understanding of the lived experience of a select group of international teaching assistants and was specifically designed to explore the processes that these individuals engaged in while learning to teach at a Mid-western, regional, comprehensive university. Naturalistic inquiry governed the overall methodological philosophy for the inquiry and a qualitative multi-case study approach was used to collect, analyze, and interpret data. Data collection included document analysis, classroom observations of teaching sessions, and individualized interviews. Analysis of data involved thematic coding and meta-analysis. Research findings indicated that international teaching assistants preconceived expectations about their role as a teacher were incongruent with the reality of their actual experience. Learning to teach occurred by participating in acts of teaching and what international teaching assistants believed about teaching and learning influenced classroom behaviors. These beliefs were frequently in conflict with what was valued in the classroom setting. Knowledge construction occurred through a process of integrating new information with what was already known. Furthermore, the process of learning to teach was complicated by the necessity of integrating multiple intersecting roles. By deploying protocols of qualitative research for analyses of the international teaching assistant experience at the site institution, there were two sets of recommendations. The first set called for practical measures that would reduce the stresses associated with acclimatization to institutions of higher learning. The second set of recommendations called for further research that would: situate the complexity of the international teaching assistant problem in the context of the constraints and challenges of the larger system of higher education within the United States, encouraged revisiting the theoretical framework for international (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2014, Mathematics/Mathematics (Pure)

Mathematics teaching assistants (MTAs) play a critical role in the instruction of undergraduate mathematics students and may go on to become faculty members. Although the literature addressing teaching and learning of mathematics at the K-12 level is extensive, very little is known about MTAs' teaching practices, beliefs, challenges, and understandings of mathematics and teaching. The two major goals of this study were to better understand how MTAs, who were in their first year teaching expressed mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) and pedagogical successes and shortcomings in reflecting on their teaching practices. We coded and analyzed the weekly reflections of 21 participants for five distinct MKT categories and twenty-three pedagogical themes across the reflections. This study presents an initial investigation of mathematical knowledge for teaching at the collegiate level, has professional development implications, and suggestions for future research into this topic.

PHD, Kent State University, 2013, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies

English language teaching and learning receive considerable attention in Saudi Arabian schools as seen in existing efforts of development. A primary purpose of this study is to participate in these efforts of development through the application of a modern constructivist instructional practice for English language teaching and learning on the intermediate school level. This study, in part, strives to determine whether or not the adoption of Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) would be a more effective means of increasing the students’ reading comprehension achievement scores when compared to the traditional teaching method of the English language that involves (among other things) prompting and drilling of students. This study also strives to gain issues and insights that accompany the application of TBLT through constant comparison and contrast with those that accompany the traditional teaching method. This mixed-method study is quasi-experimental that uses a pretest and posttests for collecting quantitative data, and classroom observation and researcher log for collecting qualitative data. The study involved 122 participants divided into treatment and control groups. The treatment group has received ten weeks of English language instruction via the TBLT method while the control group has received ten weeks of English language instruction via the traditional teaching method. The independent variable is the use of TBLT in the classroom and the effect/dependent variable is the students’ reading comprehension achievement scores. A Two-Factor Split Plot analysis with the pretest as the covariate is used for analyzing the quantitative data. Analysis of qualitative data included synthesis, rich, and detailed description for classroom observation and grounded theory for researcher log data. The findings show that teaching via the TBLT method has significantly helped students increase their reading comprehension achievement s (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Anatomy

Teaching assistants have been used in higher education for decades, they help distribute the workload for many high enrollment undergraduate courses, especially STEM laboratory courses. Both graduate and undergraduate students are utilized to varying degrees and have an array of responsibilities in teaching assistant positions. There is great variation in the type of training, if any that they receive. Previous studies have identified successful teaching practices as well as training programs for graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) or undergraduate teaching assistants (UTAs) in subjects other than anatomy. These training programs are also often time consuming and population specific. Developing and evaluating a training program that can be easily adapted for various fields is valuable to faculty, teaching assistants, and students. The purpose of the first study was to determine the prevalence and elements of current anatomy UTA trainings as well as the desired elements identified by current UTAs. A range of use and training of anatomy UTAs was found. Anatomy educators recommended the inclusion of many pedagogical techniques in the training. This study highlights the importance of training on teaching practices and how they could be beneficial for UTAs. Based on the results from the first study as well as components of previous effective programs, a new training program was developed. The training program consists of two main parts, pre-semester learning modules on of the topics predetermined from study results, and weekly mentoring videos throughout the semester. The learning modules aimed to educate UTAs on evidence-based teaching practices to increase their teaching self-efficacy and provide a positive experience in the role. The weekly mentoring videos targeted content review, real-world applications with clinical correlates, and continued dissemination of teaching strategies. The aim of the second study was to evaluate the effectiveness of t (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2022, EDU Teaching and Learning

This study examines teachers' pedagogical practices that sought to affirm students' cultural and learning experiences. The work of cultural affirmation seeks to value students' involvement in education and home knowledge. During the time of crisis (i.e., the COVID-19 outbreak), low-income immigrant students and their parents did not have access to equitable schooling and faced severe economic and health challenges. Drawing upon Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy(CSP)and Critical Race Theory (CRT) as theoretical frameworks, this study sheds light on the importance of practicing cultural affirmation through ePedagogy (i.e., the implementation of affirming students' cultural and learning experiences during the time of crisis that captures emergency, electronic, equity, empathy) and examines teachers' rationale for engaging culture in teaching. Crisis Methodology was employed to understand the teachers' pedagogical practices.The participants included seven teachers with diverse cultural backgrounds who taught immigrant youth in an after-school program in the Midwestern U.S. area. During the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers taught their students virtually to help them with their homework and meaningful lessons that sought to engage students in learning. The research utilized grounded theory and included online interviews, online FGD(Focus Group Discussion), and online observations. In addition, field notes, online journals, and classroom documentations were collected to obtain comprehensive data. The findings demonstrate that ePedagogy offers an advanced form of teaching and creative methods teachers employed in virtual settings. The study also explores teachers' agencies and commitment to support students that enable them to practice transformative approaches to teaching. Additionally, the study addresses how teachers recognize the isolating effects of online learning on mental health. Valuing cultural affirmation as a pedagogical practice, a recommendation to create online pr (open full item for complete abstract)

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2022, Engineering and Applied Science: Engineering Education

While the need for more STEM professionals continues to increase in the United States, retention and persistence in undergraduate engineering programs remain low. Scholars have attributed inadequate teaching of college instructors as one of the major reasons behind student attrition. Teaching self-efficacy has been identified as a significant characteristic of educators that affects student performance. To make progress towards improving the teaching self-efficacy of college instructors in engineering, it is important to understand how teaching self-efficacy is shaped by the experiences in graduate school where socialization to an academic career first happens. This study aimed to investigate the teaching self-efficacy of engineering graduate students across the United States and the factors they perceived contributed to it, using a convergent mixed methods approach. Bandura's model of sources of self-efficacy was used as a central theoretical framework. Quantitative data was collected from 512 graduate students using the Graduate Teaching Assistant Teaching Self-Efficacy Scale (GTA-TSES) instrument and their engagement in teaching and training experiences. Confirmatory factor analysis and structured equation modeling provided inferences on significant predictors of teaching self-efficacy. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 graduate students to understand their perceptions of the experiences that contributed to their teaching self-efficacy. Joint displays were used to integrate the findings from quantitative and qualitative analyses. Quantitative findings showed evidence that graduate student training, race, and gender were significant predictors of teaching self-efficacy while teaching experience was not significant. Qualitative findings suggested graduate students perceive teaching experience important to their self-efficacy in addition to getting feedback in various ways, observing others teaching, and their personality. Integrating the findings fr (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts, University of Toledo, 0, English (as a Second Language)

The popularity of Arabic language classes has increased in the recent years. Most research has focused on Arabic language teaching to post-secondary education; however, limited research investigated the strategies used to teach Arabic as a foreign language to school students. This thesis investigates the strategies used by Arabic language teachers to teach Arabic language at Al-Bayan School in Sylvania, Ohio. This study shows that teachers use technology based strategies; group based strategies; bilingual strategies; experience based; movement based strategies; motivation-based; discussion based strategies, in their teaching. This study aims at bridging the gap in teaching Arabic as a foreign language research through providing a much needed overview of approaches used by teachers of Arabic as a foreign language at the K-12 level.

Master of Education (MEd), Bowling Green State University, 2014, Curriculum and Teaching

This study was an action project conducted in an introductory Chinese language college-level class. The aim of this research was to examine if the dialogues between the researcher and the instructor will facilitate the integration of the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) philosophy occurs within an introductory Chinese language classroom setting. The instructor's teaching beliefs before and after the dialogue were examined through the observations and interviews. The research also included the language learners' expectations on language learning. Six times' in-class observations, two feedback meetings, and one CLT mini-lesson modeling were scheduled throughout the whole research. The researcher provided feedback to the instructor about her lessons and introduced CLT features and strategies. The hypothesis was that the interactions between the researcher and the instructor will increase the frequency of communicative activities and target language use in the beginning level Chinese language course. From the collected and analyzed data, it was found that the students expected to learn Chinese culture along with the language learning. Improving their communicative competence was the main goal that the language learners enrolled in the class. However, the students showed reluctance to speak the target language in class while they believed more target language exposure and use will help them with the communicative competence improvement. At the same time, they felt secure with the help of English during the instruction. The instructor showed great interest to utilize CLT inside her class after the feedback meetings. More meaning exchange and communication-based instruction was found in her teaching. From the post-interview, the instructor agreed that language learners would benefit from communication in the language. In conclusion, the dialogue between the instructor and the researcher impacted the instructor's teaching style and belief. Consistent professional (open full item for complete abstract)

PHD, Kent State University, 2014, College of the Arts / School of Music, Hugh A. Glauser

VENESKEY, JOHN E., Ph.D., AUGUST 2014 MUSIC CATALYSTS FOR SUCCESS: BELIEFS OF EFFECTIVE TEACHING AMONG MEMBERS OF THE MUSIC STUDENT TEACHING TRIAD (239 pp.) Director of Dissertation: Craig Resta, Ph.D. This study sought to examine beliefs of effective music teaching among three cases of a student teaching triad in music. A multiple-case study design was employed to reveal contextual insights into the personal beliefs among the cases relative to effective teaching in music. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit participants comprising the three student teaching triads, consisting of three student teachers in music, three cooperating teachers, and three university supervisors. Three questions guided the research: 1) What do members of the student teaching triad in music believe are the skills and characteristics necessary to be an effective music educator? 2) Do differing beliefs about these skills and behaviors impact relationships within the student teaching triad? 3) Are there ways to bring these attitudes and belief-systems together to improve the student teaching experience in music? Data were collected through individual and group interviews as well as field notes, memos, and student teaching field assessments. An open coding process was undertaken upon completion of data collection, resulting in the identification of coding categories that ultimately resulted in three main classifications of beliefs, which would provide the analytical framework for the study: Musical skills and behaviors, non-musical skills and behaviors, and teacher disposition. Research findings revealed a strong correlation of beliefs among and across the music student teaching triad between teacher disposition and effective music teaching, more so than musical skills or non-musical teaching skills, indicating that the participants in this study believed teacher disposition to be the most critical element in effective teaching. Beliefs were revealed that participants placed (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Education (MEd), Bowling Green State University, 2014, Curriculum and Teaching

This study aim to know about what extent are the Islamic teaching methods, as dictated by Prophet Mohammed, employed by Islamic religion teachers in the high school classrooms in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. To achieve this goal, the researcher used the quantitative research, which based on survey questionnaire in order to collect the data from the respondents. There were a total of 83 complete surveys. 59 were male and 24 were female. Most of the sample qualification was Bachelor. The teaching experience was an important consideration in this study. The most important results in this study indicate that the most frequently used method in this study was the dialogue method. On the other hand, the teaching method of dictation had the lowest mean indicating that it is the least frequently used method. Also, there were no gender differences across responses in this study. The result showed that there were no differences between the qualifications "Bachelor, Master and Ph.D." in using the Islamic teaching methods and years of experience. Teachers in this study suggested of using other methods, which not described in this study such as problem solving, role model and technological tools like PowerPoint presentations and Smart Boards. The study recommended that teachers must integrate the use of information technology in their teaching methods as all are proven to be good learning tools. Government officials should encourage teachers to use some of the teaching methods that help to develop the students' mind and behavior and teachers should motivate themselves to use it. Islamic religion teachers should use the Quran Instructions.

DMA, University of Cincinnati, 2010, College-Conservatory of Music : Viola

The one-on-one atmosphere of collegiate applied-music instruction offers teachers and students a unique opportunity for increasing communication, developing stronger relationships, and cultivating creative learning and teaching methods. An effective model for teaching and learning, the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education by Arthur Chickering and Zelda Gamson state that good teaching employs student-faculty contact, cooperation among students, active learning, prompt feedback, time on task, high expectations, and respect for diverse talents and ways of learning. While the principles have been applied to a variety of disciplines, many of these have encompassed contexts within the larger, traditional classroom. Applying the Seven Principles to the more intimate environment of the collegiate applied-music studio—by translating them into a musical context, providing music-specific activities that foster learning, and including assessment tools that measure the validity of these applications—provides enriched opportunities in learning and mentorship for both the student and teacher.

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2005, Linguistics (Arts and Sciences)

For over two decades, scholars in the field of second language teaching have proposedextensive lists of strategies to motivate language learners. However, the number ofstudies investigating the actual use of those strategies in L2 classrooms is meager. Thispaper examines the importance and frequency of 43 motivational strategies divided into16 conceptual domains. Twenty-three teachers and 213 students of an EFL school inBrazil participated in the investigation. Quantitative and qualitative data were drawn fromquestionnaires, interviews, and classroom observations. The results suggest that from the16 conceptual domains of motivational strategies, three are potentially motivating.Results also reveal that some strategies regarded as important have been underutilized inthe classroom. In addition, based on the findings, implications and suggestions formotivating learning are drawn. Considerations for further research are also discussed.

Masters in Education, Marietta College, 2009, Education

With the push toward inclusion in public schools, districts are turning toward the co-teaching model of instruction to meet the many needs of special education students in regular education classes. Teachers involved in this shift are forced into environments in which they are sharing classrooms for the first time. Both teachers involved are required to balance instructional roles while building a relationship in front of the students. Collaboration is essential to effective co-teaching. This study investigated teaching staff and student perceptions of the co-teaching environment during the first year of the implementation of the program. The researcher distributed surveys to co-teaching teams and their students in a high school as a means of assessing the program. This study is to help educators in that school and similar situations maximize effectiveness of the co-teaching experience.

Master of Arts (M.A.), University of Dayton, 2012, English

Graduate Teaching Assistants hold a unique role, a dual identity as both an instructor and a student. Most frequently, Graduate Teaching Assistants in English develop their professional roles as instructors through teacher training and their responsibilities as instructors of record for composition courses. Given that teaching loads for graduate students in English require that these graduate students' professional identities are constructed and performed for a significant number of undergraduate students, it is worth knowing whether and how graduate students' ethos as composition instructors is interpreted by students in their composition courses. The author investigates the relationship between Graduate Teaching Assistant ethos and students' perceptions of the role of composition through a survey and interviews, and analyzes the effect that individual Graduate Teaching Assistants' identities as composition instructors have on undergraduate students.

Specialist in Education (Ed.S.), University of Dayton, 2011, School Psychology

Service delivery data was collected before and after the implementation of a Response to Intervention (RTI) framework to evaluate the effect of RTI on teachers' selection of instructional service delivery models. Participants in this study included all the Mathematics and Language Arts instructors within the selected school district. This analysis describes how the RTI framework is being translated into classroom practice.

Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Education, Cleveland State University, 2011, College of Education and Human Services

Researchers agree that teachers' attitudes and efficacy beliefs play a significant role in student achievement (Armor et al., 1976; Hoy & Spero, 2005; Szabo & Mokhtari, 2004; Woolfolk & Hoy, 1990). Teachers with high self-efficacy: 1) believe they can positively influence students' learning and achievement despite environmental conditions (Armor et al., 1976; Ashton & Webb, 1986; Gibson & Dembo, 1984); and 2) assume accountability for student learning (Gibson & Dembo, 1984; Ross, 1998; Siwatu, 2007). On the contrary, teachers with low teacher efficacy have minimal expectations for and fewer interactions with minority students. They are also more likely to feel teacher burnout and abandon the profession (Betoret, 2006; Friedman, 2004; Guerra, Attar, & Weissberg, 1997). Various studies have confirmed that even after successfully completing multicultural courses and field experiences, interns' negative beliefs and low outcome expectancies for minority students remained (Garmon, 1996, 2004; Easter, Schultz, Neyhart & Reck, 1999). Although little is known about how teaching efficacy develops, it is possible that programs incorporating efficacy-building opportunities assist to create and maintain a pool of quality teachers in culturally diverse schools (Clark & Wegener, 2009; Garcia, 2004; Milner, 2005; Santoro & Allard, 2005; Tucker et al., 2005; Siwatu, 2007; Swearingen, 2009). The purpose of this study will be to examine patterns in culturally responsive teaching self efficacy and outcome expectancies between interns, mentor teachers, university supervisors, and teacher educators in an urban teacher education program.

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2007, Music Education

The purpose of this study was to describe the teaching and learning strategies demonstrated by middle school band teachers in Northeast Ohio who reported a student-directed teaching style. This study used a two-stage mixed methods design prioritizing quantitative data and statistical analyses, but also employing qualitative data collection methods in a second stage to enrich perspective and discussion on student-directed teaching and learning strategies (Creswell, 2003). In the first stage, quantitative data was gathered using a researcher-designed demographic questionnaire and Gumm's Music Teaching Style Inventory (MTSI) (Gumm, 2004b). These surveys were delivered online to 120 middle school band teachers in Northeast Ohio, with hard copies administered to two participants who requested them (N = 122). Forty-nine respondents returned completed surveys, representing a return rate of 40.2%. In Stage One, data were analyzed to determine participant teaching styles so that the most student-directed middle school band teachers could be identified and observed during Stage Two. Relationships and differences among selected demographics and MTSI scores were also analyzed, yielding several significant results, including a significant, positive, moderate relationship (p = .00; r = .52) between teacher- and student-directed MTSI scores. Stage One results also revealed that teacher-directed instruction was more prevalent than student-directed instruction; middle school band teachers in Northeast Ohio seemed to prioritize a more teacher-directed rehearsal. In the second stage of the study, three of the most student-directed band teachers were observed and videotaped during five rehearsals, and interviewed following observation. Based on the analysis of videotapes, observational field notes, interview transcripts, and interview notes, quantitative computations and qualitative descriptions of student-directed band teachers were possible. The teachers observed and interviewed duri (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2006, Graduate School

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2024, Curriculum and Instruction Mathematics Education (Education)

Mathematics is central to human activity and hence to education. Although the usefulness and importance of mathematics are unquestioned, many students find mathematics difficult, uninteresting, and dry. Based on my personal experience as a mathematics teacher, teacher educator, and researcher, I have witnessed numerous students expressing their dislike for school mathematics. There is a lack of research specifically exploring the perspectives of students who dislike mathematics. In this research, I explore the factors contributing to the dislike of mathematics and identify ways to mitigate these factors. The study comprises of two phases: the first phase explores students' perspectives on their dislike of school mathematics and the contributing factors. The second phase explores aspects of the undergraduate Quantitative Reasoning (QR) course that help mitigate this dislike. I chose the undergraduate Quantitative Reasoning course for its emphasis on innovative educational approaches such as real-world connection, project-based learning, and formative assessment. In this study, I selected a purposive sample of undergraduates who self-reported their dislike of school mathematics in the Spring of 2023 at a university in Midwestern part of the United States. Fifteen (15) participants took part in the Phase 1 of the study, and 14 continued and completed Phase 2. For each phase, I conducted a semistructured interview of each participant, one at the beginning of the semester and another near the end, except for one participant there were two interviews for Phase 2. Each interview lasted for about one hour. The interviews were audio or audio-video recorded and transcribed and coded using NVivo, a qualitative transcription and coding software. In Phase 1, most students first developed a dislike of mathematics in experienced elementary school, struggling particularly with multiplication and division. This dislike deepened in the middle and high school with subjects like (open full item for complete abstract)