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Item Active-Learning Diabetes Simulation in an Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience to Develop Patient Empathy(American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, 2012) Whitley, Heather P.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa; Auburn UniversityObjective. To develop and integrate an active-learning diabetes simulation into an advanced pharmacy practice experience to improve pharmacy students' empathy toward patients with diabetes mellitus. Design. Students simulated the experience of having diabetes mellitus by conducting activities commonly prescribed to those with this disease state for 7 days, after which they submitted a standardized diabetes log and narrative reflection. Interpretive phenomenology design with thematic analysis was used to determine the impact of this experience on the students. Assessment. As shown in student reflections, 95% developed empathy, 97% found the experience beneficial, and 67% improved their ability to relate to and counsel patients. Most ( 95%) found difficulty adhering to the regimen. On average, students consumed 179 grams of carbohydrates per day and exercised 5 days or 215 minutes per week. Additionally, 69% decided to modify their personal habits to become healthier. Conclusions. Inclusion of the 7-day active-learning exercise greatly impacted student pharmacists' self-reported empathy toward and ability to relate to patients with diabetes mellitus. Completion of this experience may result in long-lasting personal behavior modifications.Item Alabama band directors use of warm-up time preceding state concert band assessments(University of Alabama Libraries, 2010) Ward, Justin; Hancock, Carl B.; University of Alabama TuscaloosaThe purpose of this study was to examine the activities and behaviors of middle and high school band directors when warming-up their concert bands prior to an adjudicated performance. Twenty-nine videos of band directors at two concert band festival sites were analyzed for frequency and duration of 60 behaviors using the Simple Computer Recording Interface for Behavioral Evaluation (SCRIBE). Duration results revealed that directors spent a majority of their warm-up time on teaching behaviors (32%) , music rehearsal (19%), tuning (18%), and scales (7%). Results for the frequency of warm-up activities indicated that a third of all directors lead their bands in breathing exercises, articulation exercises, or chorales, while two-thirds performed long tones or interval exercises. Over 80% of the directors lead their bands in scales and rehearsed the music to be performed at the assessment. Detailed results for percentage of time spent tuning indicted that 82% of tuning time employed the use of electronic tuner. Differences between middle and high school directors indicted that more high school directors lead their bands in singing activities compared to middle school directors. All middle school directors tuned their bands during warm-up, compared to half of the high school directors. None of the band directors had their bands perform a mental warm-up.Item Alabama public school expenditures as correlates of student academic achievement(University of Alabama Libraries, 1996) Roper, David Middleton; University of Alabama TuscaloosaItem AMSTI mathematics in grades 4 and 5: student achievement and teacher perceptions(University of Alabama Libraries, 2010) Bright, Judy Bennefield; Daane, C. J.; University of Alabama TuscaloosaAbstract Concerns with the deficiencies of student achievement in mathematics have prompted reform efforts. This study investigated one reform effort called the Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative (AMSTI). Quantitative data were collected from the results of Stanford Achievement Test Tenth Edition (SAT 10) and the Alabama Reading and Mathematics Test (ARMT). Qualitative data were collected from the participating teachers. Fourth- and fifth-grade students from four, rural, elementary schools were involved in this study. Two schools were classified as AMSTI schools where the teachers had participated in at least one two-week session of professional development. Two schools were identified as non-AMSTI schools. The participating teachers from the non-AMSTI schools had not received training. Quantitative data were collected from the SAT 10 and ARMT for school years 2008-2009 and 2009-2010. The students' scores were analyzed using an independent samples t test. Results of the study demonstrated that there was no statistically significant difference in the SAT 10 and ARMT mean scores of the students in AMSTI schools and the mean score of the students in the non-AMSTI schools. Qualitative data involved individual teacher interviews of AMSTI teachers and non-AMSTI teachers based on their perceptions of AMSTI. The interviews were transcribed and studied to determine emerging themes. The dominate themes were AMSTI's impact on teachers, its impact on students, and time required to implement it. The AMSTI teachers had varied opinions of the impact AMSTI had on them and their students; however, all the teachers agreed that AMSTI was challenging to implement. They liked many of the AMSTI strategies, but found it difficult and time consuming to implement AMSTI and meet the mandated requirements that were already in place in the classroom. Additionally, the teachers commented that AMSTI had positively impacted their students with the activities and games. Students were also impacted by the hands-on work with manipulatives and the group work associated with most AMSTI strategies. The non-AMSTI teachers had perceptions primarily based on what they had heard and interpreted from conversations with other teachers. Like the AMSTI teachers, these teachers also saw pending problems with incorporating AMSTI into the required curriculum.Item An Analysis of Certain Fine Arts High Schools in the United States Including the Alabama School of Fine Arts(University of Alabama Libraries, 1976) Wood, Roy Lavon; University of Alabama TuscaloosaOne of the important educational areas that has been seriously neglected in the secondary schools of Alabama is the area of the Fine Arts. This includes music, drama, dance, and visual arts, as well as peripheral subjects such as the technical aspects of dramatic productions, and audiovisual technology. Most of the students desiring these disciplines, particularly dance and visual art, have had to find instruction outside of the public schools. The curricula of a few of the larger high schools include limited training in a number of these subjects, but such opportunities constitute exceptions to the majority of secondary situations across the state.Item An analysis of factors influencing undergraduate acceptance, matriculation, and success in music theory in the school of music at The University of Alabama(University of Alabama Libraries, 2013) Powell, Hilen; Latimer, Marvin E.; University of Alabama TuscaloosaThe purpose of this study was to seek to identify and assess factors that contributed to undergraduate student acceptance, matriculation, and success in MUS 115, Music Theory, during the academic years of 2008-12. Data were (a) student ACT test scores, (b) SOM Audition Diagnostic Exam scores, and (c) final grades for students who registered in MUS 115 during the years 2008-12. Student gender, major, performing medium, home state and scholarship offer was also included in the analysis. Research questions were: (1) To what extent did student gender, major, performing medium, home state, diagnostic exam score, standardized test score and scholarship offer affect student acceptance to the University of Alabama School of Music (UA SOM)? (2) To what extent did student gender, major, performing medium, home state, diagnostic exam score, standardized test score and scholarship offer affect matriculation to the UA SOM? (3) To what extent did student gender, major, performing medium, home state, diagnostic exam score, scholarship offer, standardized test score and diagnostic exam score affect success in Theory I? (4) What was the mean diagnostic exam score of accepted students by performing medium and major? (5) What was the mean standardized test score of accepted students by performing medium and major? (6) What is the percentage of success in MUS 115, Music Theory, of matriculated students by performing medium and major? Data for this study were provided as a numeric data set with student names and other identifying information removed. The database included standardized test scores, Music Audition Diagnostic Exam scores, high-school grade point average, declared major, home state, gender, and principal instrument. Results were reported as they related to changes and trends over time. The results suggested (a) home state, performing medium, and major influenced success in Theory I, (b) diagnostic exam scores did not appear to affect acceptance, matriculation, or success in Theory I, and (c) standardized test scores influence success at the freshman level. The results gathered from this study will be helpful in better identifying students with the potential to succeed in the School of Music at the University of Alabama.Item Authentic assessment and individual student achievement in the choral classroom: a case study(University of Alabama Libraries, 2019) Hearn, Elizabeth R.; Latimer, Marvin E.; Bannerman, Julie K.; University of Alabama TuscaloosaAssessment in the large choral ensemble music classroom continues to be a widely examined topic among both practicing music educators and music education scholars. This instrumental case study (Stake, 1995) explored the lived experiences with assessment practices as reported by high school choir students and the choir teacher. The research site was a large, suburban, high school choral program in the Southeast United States. Research questions focused on participants’ beliefs about assessment, factors that influenced those beliefs such as the role of choir in the school curriculum and culture, and the challenges of assessing choral music students. Data generation methods included observational field notes, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and collection of artifacts. Findings revealed that both musical and nonmusical assessment practices were used to evaluate student learning including participation and attendance-based assessments, a theory curriculum, and performance assessments. Students perceived all assessment practices, musical and nonmusical, to be in support of what they viewed as the primary goal of the choral program, ensemble achievement. That choir participation was positively perceived to be more like an activity and less like an academic class appeared to be a core belief at ATHS, and one that should be further examined in assessment discussions in music education.Item A beneficiary analysis of the communication process relative to the teacher-pupil paradigm of the preadolescent student(University of Alabama Libraries, 2014) Smith, Kelli Fountain; Zelkowski, Jeremy S.; University of Alabama TuscaloosaTeacher-student relationships are an increasingly important component of middle school education. Evidence suggests that teachers who care for their students often exhibit communication behaviors that facilitate positive relationships. This study focused on teacher-student interactions in the middle school setting as they relate to teacher-student relationships. Thirty-seven teachers and 218 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students participated in this explanatory sequential mixed methods study. The Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI) survey was employed to measure ideal teacher communication behaviors and actual teacher communication behaviors in the middle school classroom. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) test revealed a statistically significant difference between ideal teacher communication behaviors and teacher self-perceptions of communication behaviors. Follow-up analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests indicated a statistically significant difference between ideal teacher and teacher self-perceptions of communication behaviors for leadership and admonishing scores. Independent-samples t-tests revealed that teachers consider themselves to exhibit more leadership, understanding, helping/friendly and strict behaviors than their students perceived. Additionally, leadership, understanding, helping/friendly, admonishing, and strict scores between ideal teacher communication behaviors and student perceptions of ideal teacher communication behaviors were also significantly different. Interviews were conducted with five teachers and seven students to further explain quantitative results. Qualitative data from teachers and students regarding communication behaviors in the classroom were comparable in regards to leadership, understanding, and helping/friendly behaviors; however, qualitative findings disconfirmed the quantitative analysis for student/responsibility, uncertain, and dissatisfied behaviors. Implications for middle school education are discussed, including recommendations for future study with communication behaviors and teacher-student relationships.Item Can individual music preferences be influenced by imposed artificial music personality ingroups?(University of Alabama Libraries, 2018) Stegall, Jonathan Hirin; Hancock, Carl B.; University of Alabama TuscaloosaThe purpose of this study was to investigate whether assigning nonmusic majors to artificial music personality ingroups influences their individual music preferences. Participants were recruited from undergraduate nonmusic majors enrolled in a music appreciation course at the University of Alabama (N = 4,737). Survey participants (n = 130) were randomly sorted into three treatment groups, Popular Music Personality Group (n = 29), Classical Music Personality Group (n = 22), and World Music Personality Group (n = 21), and two control groups, Personality-Control (n = 27) and Control (n = 31). Participants listened to 15 samples of popular, classical, and world music. They rated their individual preference for each sample, and predicted the other participants’ preferences for each sample. Responses were recorded using 7-point Likert-type scales. Results showed group assignment did not have a significant effect on participants’ individual preferences for popular, classical, or world music. There were significant differences in how the treatment groups predicted the preferences of the World Music Personality Group for popular music (p < .01) and world music (p < .01). These differences arose between the World Music Personality Group and the other two treatment groups, which may suggest that participants in the World Music Personality Group might not have been convinced that they belonged to their artificial ingroup, but also that participants may have been less sure of how to predict preferences concerning world music.Item Career identity development of secondary choral music teachers(University of Alabama Libraries, 2018) Cook, John Benjamin; Latimer, Marvin E.; University of Alabama TuscaloosaThis study sought to examine factors that contribute to ongoing career identity among secondary choral teachers, identify whether or not a relationship exists between career identity and job satisfaction, and determine what relationship—if any—exists between professed career identity and professional practices of secondary choral teachers. For this study, a closed-response survey was administered to secondary choir teachers in the state of Alabama. Demographic data were gathered, and participants responded to a questionnaire. Additionally, some participants took part in structured interviews, which were transcribed and analyzed. Results indicated the lack of a unified group identity, as significant relationships were found between the preference of title (director or teacher) and professional priorities. Most respondents preferred titles that were specific to content area taught (choir rather than music) and task (director rather than teacher). Interview responses suggested role conflict and role overload to be primary agents of job stress among respondents.Item Case study of a creative writing program and the interaction of white instructors' and African American students' social and cultural backgrounds(University of Alabama Libraries, 2009) Cook, Tammy Crawford; Stallworth, Brenda J.; Scherff, Lisa; University of Alabama TuscaloosaThis case study investigated the implementation of a non-scripted, creative writing program designed by two English Education instructors from a large university in the southeastern region of the United States with collaboration from the Screen Actors Guild from Los Angeles, California, and the National Council of Teachers (NCTE) of English Research Foundation. The main focus was to observe the implementation of the creative writing program, referred to as "We the Children: A Symphony of Lives," and the interaction of participants' social and cultural differences. Participants included ninth-grade African American students in an English Language Arts classroom directed by two white instructors and one white English teacher as they engaged in discussions, writing, and sharing of autobiographical writing. Data collection occurred during the spring semester of the 2007-2008 academic school year in a high school similar to many high schools across the United States struggling for higher achievement outcomes and dealing with a student population defined by factors such as segregation, high poverty, a high dropout rate, a low graduation rate, and low student achievement. The study analyzes the manner in which the creative writing program worked to achieve its goals and the resources used which included visiting experts, the instructors' expectations for students, and the incorporation of what was termed "culturally-central pedagogy" by the instructors. The reality of more and more white English educators teaching students from social and cultural backgrounds much different from their own is a challenge for the English classroom of the 21st century. In order to fulfill a need for examples of best practices for English teachers entering the classrooms, the study explored not only the specifics of the writing program but also the interplay of instructors' and students' social and cultural differences. Case study methodology guided the research, and a total of 14 weeks was spent in the field collecting data which included fieldnotes from observations, personal reflections, student artifacts, and interviews with students and the instructors. I used the constant-comparative method to generate frequent patterns and themes across the students, their teacher, and the instructors' interactions. I identified literacy events in which socio-cultural differences among the instructors and students occurred. However, the differences in the participants' backgrounds did not pose visible difficulties that could be linked to racial differences so much as the appearance of typical differences encountered by teachers and students from the same sociocultural backgrounds with regard to teacher expectations and student outcomes. With regard to the concept of culturally-relevant pedagogy, many instances were recorded when the instructional practices and instructional talk reflected tailored curricular selections for the dominant African American class population, but more research needs to be conducted on the successes of using these type of literary interventions compared to the standard curriculum of most ninth-grade English classrooms.Item A case study of how and if a professional development program builds teachers' TPACK model of instruction(University of Alabama Libraries, 2012) Hall Matherson, Lisa; Wilson, Elizabeth K.; University of Alabama TuscaloosaThe purpose of this case study was to examine the technology professional development experiences of three teachers, to explore their decisions regarding the classroom integration of technology, and to determine if the technology integration met the TPACK model of instruction. The case study design utilized guided interviews, observations, documents, and fieldnotes. From this process, the researcher was able to gain a greater understanding of the decisions made by the teachers regarding technology integration into their classroom curriculum and lessons. The findings of the study indicated that two of the three teachers integrated technology into their classroom lessons meeting a TPACK model of instruction. The discussion reveals the decisions the study participants made regarding the inclusion of technology, their perceptions of professional development, and why they did or did not meet the TPACK model of instruction.Item A case study of one school’s reform efforts to improve math instruction through coordinated professional development(University of Alabama Libraries, 2019) Sarrell, Astin Mobley; Zelkowski, Jeremy; University of Alabama TuscaloosaFor the past three decades, mathematics research has indicated the need for high quality mathematics instruction that includes both ambitious and equitable practices, as well as continuous, innovative learning opportunities for educators. While research connects effective professional development to improved instructional practices, there is still a need for additional research on what this professional development should entail for elementary mathematics classrooms. This study sought to determine how one school coordinates its professional development efforts, with respect to fourth grade, in mathematics instruction. The qualitative case study gathered information and experiences from six participants. The study took place at a rural, pre- K through fourth grade school in east Alabama. The study collected data on the specific opportunities afforded to teachers throughout one semester of focused efforts on mathematics instruction and on the impact of the efforts had on classroom instructional practices. All professional development efforts centered on the use of mathematical number talks within the elementary classroom setting. Analysis of the data revealed that while the development of a strong focus and overall goal for professional development opportunities is necessary, it is also important to ensure that all efforts align in order to meet the overall goal. Data also showed the importance of developing a strong teacher subsystem, complete with professional development opportunities, instructional coaching, teacher collaboration, and teacher networks. The results indicate that number talks implemented in elementary mathematics classrooms can have positive impacts on instructional practices. The results also indicate that development and implementation of a teacher subsystem impacts the effectiveness of professional development reform efforts. Findings from this study can be used by administrators, instructional coaches, or those involved with coordinating professional development efforts. Future research could apply the same organizational structure over a longer period of time with a larger number of participants. Additional research on a larger scale is needed to further determine the impact of number talk implementation on teachers’ instructional practices.Item A Central Support System Can Facilitate Implementation and Sustainability of a Classroom-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) in Genomics(American Society of Cell Biology, 2014) Lopatto, David; Hauser, Charles; Jones, Christopher J.; Paetkau, Don; Chandrasekaran, Vidya; Dunbar, David; MacKinnon, Christy; Stamm, Joyce; Alvarez, Consuelo; Barnard, Daron; Bedard, James E. J.; Bednarski, April E.; Bhalla, Satish; Braverman, John M.; Burg, Martin; Chung, Hui-Min; DeJong, Randall J.; DiAngelo, Justin R.; Du, Chunguang; Eckdahl, Todd T.; Emerson, Julia; Frary, Amy; Frohlich, Donald; Goodman, Anya L.; Gosser, Yuying; Govind, Shubha; Haberman, Adam; Hark, Amy T.; Hoogewerf, Arlene; Johnson, Diana; Kadlec, Lisa; Kaehler, Marian; Key, S. Catherine Silver; Kokan, Nighat P.; Kopp, Olga R.; Kuleck, Gary A.; Lopilato, Jane; Martinez-Cruzado, Juan C.; McNeil, Gerard; Mel, Stephanie; Nagengast, Alexis; Overvoorde, Paul J.; Parrish, Susan; Preuss, Mary L.; Reed, Laura D.; Regisford, E. Gloria; Revie, Dennis; Robic, Srebrenka; Roecklien-Canfield, Jennifer A.; Rosenwald, Anne G.; Rubin, Michael R.; Saville, Kenneth; Schroeder, Stephanie; Sharif, Karim A.; Shaw, Mary; Skuse, Gary; Smith, Christopher D.; Smith, Mary; Smith, Sheryl T.; Spana, Eric P.; Spratt, Mary; Sreenivasan, Aparna; Thompson, Jeffrey S.; Wawersik, Matthew; Wolyniak, Michael J.; Youngblom, James; Zhou, Leming; Buhler, Jeremy; Mardis, Elaine; Leung, Wilson; Shaffer, Christopher D.; Threlfall, Jennifer; Elgin, Sarah C. R.; Saint Mary's College of California; University Incarnate Word; University of Evansville; Longwood University; Worcester State University; Johnson C Smith University; Saint Joseph's University; Grand Valley State University; University of West Florida; Calvin University; Hofstra University; Montclair State University; Amherst College; Mount Holyoke College; University of Saint Thomas; California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo; City College of New York (CUNY); Oberlin College; George Washington University; Wilkes University; University of North Carolina; North Carolina Central University; Cardinal Stritch University; Utah Valley University; University of Detroit Mercy; Simmons University; University of Puerto Rico; University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez; York College NY (CUNY); University of California San Diego; Widener University; Macalester College; Webster University; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa; Prairie View A&M University; California Lutheran University; Georgetown University; University of Puerto Rico at Cayey; Albion College; Rochester Institute of Technology; San Francisco State University; North Carolina A&T State University; Duke University; William Woods University; California State University Monterey Bay; Denison University; William & Mary; California State University Stanislaus; University of Pittsburgh; Washington University (WUSTL)In their 2012 report, the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology advocated "replacing standard science laboratory courses with discovery-based research courses"-a challenging proposition that presents practical and pedagogical difficulties. In this paper, we describe our collective experiences working with the Genomics Education Partnership, a nationwide faculty consortium that aims to provide undergraduates with a research experience in genomics through a scheduled course (a classroom-based undergraduate research experience, or CURE). We examine the common barriers encountered in implementing a CURE, program elements of most value to faculty, ways in which a shared core support system can help, and the incentives for and rewards of establishing a CURE on our diverse campuses. While some of the barriers and rewards are specific to a research project utilizing a genomics approach, other lessons learned should be broadly applicable. We find that a central system that supports a shared investigation can mitigate some shortfalls in campus infrastructure (such as time for new curriculum development, availability of IT services) and provides collegial support for change. Our findings should be useful for designing similar supportive programs to facilitate change in the way we teach science for undergraduates.Item Characteristics of tenacious teachers in Alabama: a comparison and measurement of band directors' grit and self-efficacy in low, medium, and high SES schools(University of Alabama Libraries, 2014) Aycock, Michael Lee; Hancock, Carl B.; University of Alabama TuscaloosaResearch has shown that band programs at schools serving mostly low-income students have low student participation and depressed academic achievement. Furthermore, these same programs have reported difficulty recruiting and retaining band directors as they seem to prefer schools with access to more resources and support (Bruenger, 2010, Madsen & Hancock, 2002). Understanding the characteristics of band directors who choose to work in low socioeconomic (SES) schools may provide teacher trainers and professional associations with a means to identify individuals with a propensity and interest in working in schools serving predominantly low SES students. Moreover, accounting for teaching experience may help ensure SES is the primary factor being examined. In order to determine whether a relationship between those band directors employed at schools serving financially advantaged and disadvantaged students was related to their teaching experience and personality traits (i.e., grit and self-efficacy), I created a survey and conducted two studies to address four research questions. The purpose of the first study to compare the grit and self-efficacy of band directors teaching in schools enrolling primarily low, moderate, and high SES students while accounting for band directors' teaching experience. The purpose of the second study was to confirm whether the components comprising grit and self-efficacy, revealed in the first study, were applicable to band directors drawn from the entire membership of the Alabama Bandmasters Association. One-hundred and four band directors attending the Alabama All-State Festival voluntarily filled out a 31-question survey derived from prior research on Grit and Self-Efficacy (Duckworth, 2013; Sherer, Maddux, Merdandante, Prentice-Dunn, Jacobs & Rogers, 1982). An exploratory factor analysis of the participants' responses revealed the presence of two Grit factors representing Consistency of Interests and Perseverance of Effort, and five Social Self-Efficacy factors comprising Perception of Reaction to Adversity, Perception of Tenacity, Perception of Ability, and Confidence for Self-Efficacy. These scores served as dependent variables and results from an analysis of covariance revealed no differences between socioeconomic groups for any of the factor scores. In general, public school band directors in Alabama demonstrated a high degree of grit and self-efficacy despite the SES of their school assignments. Factors that emerged for Grit and Self-Efficacy were then examined using a confirmatory factor analysis to determine the stability of the structure with a larger pool of Alabama Band Directors. Three-hundred and seven band directors who were members of the Alabama Bandmasters Association were invited to participate in an online survey that was functionally identical to the one used previously. Results verified factor structure revealed in the first study Grit and Self-efficacy. Detailed analysis revealed item loadings for Grit and Self-Efficacy were similar to other populations supporting the use of Grit and Self-Efficacy with Alabama Band Directors in future research.Item Childersburg and its school during the first two and one-half years of World War II(University of Alabama Libraries, 1944) Bumpers, Eula Barnes; University of Alabama TuscaloosaThe problem of this thesis is to collect, to synthesize, and to interpret interrelated facts pertinent to the expansion of Childersburg, Alabama and its school during the first two and one-half rears of world War II.Item Chinese doctoral students' perceptions of academic achievement, identity investment and use of English in an American university(University of Alabama Libraries, 2013) Lin, Liang-Yin; Mantero, Miguel; University of Alabama TuscaloosaFor Chinese doctoral students, English is the most essential subject when studying in U.S. universities and living life in the U.S. Using English not only promotes academic success, but also helps them to pursue better job opportunities and a better life in the U.S. The purpose of this study was to explore Chinese doctoral students' English use, perceptions of academic achievement in relation to their academic motivation and identity investment. Chinese doctoral student interviews, questionnaires, classroom observations, and journal entries were used in this qualitative case study. The findings of the study show that Chinese doctoral students' English use and perception of academic achievement had impacts on their academic motivation. Moreover, Chinese doctoral students' identities were also reflected in the investment of academic achievement.Item The civil rights movement in elementary classrooms: examining teacher practices and beliefs(University of Alabama Libraries, 2015) Swain, Holly Hilboldt; Sunal, Cynthia S.; Hubbard, Janie D.; University of Alabama TuscaloosaThis qualitative, collective case study investigated Alabama fourth-grade teachers’ practices and beliefs associated with teaching the US Civil Rights Movement. The problem guiding this work was the absence of comprehensively investigated current practices occurring within social studies instruction in elementary classrooms. The purpose was to add to available empirical studies related to teaching the movement in Kindergarten-6 education in light of the major deficit existing in this area of research. The research questions investigated teachers’ described and demonstrated instructional practices, their rationale for using those instructional practices, and beliefs about their instructional practices. The research methodology used a constructivist grounded theory approach to analyze data from lesson plans, interviews, and observations while applying within-case and across-case analysis. Findings of this case study of three, fourth-grade teachers described instructional practices of overreliance on a central text, teaching language arts skills in social studies, facilitating class discussions, and presenting information through outside resources. Insufficient time for teaching social studies and perceived student deficits were teachers’ rationales for their instructional practices. Difficulty was noted in teachers’ abilities to describe central beliefs guiding their specific instructional practices. Teachers’ demonstrated practices differed from described practices and primarily involved teacher-centered instruction. Recommendations for future research related to teaching the US Civil Rights Movement in Kindergarten-6 social studies could include work with varied participant populations, experimental research involving student-entered and culturally responsive pedagogy, and studies using methodologies centered in Critical Race Theory.Item Community college students' perspectives regarding their remedial mathematics placement(University of Alabama Libraries, 2014) Crosby, Laura Jean; Zelkowski, Jeremy S.; University of Alabama TuscaloosaMany students are entering college under-prepared for college-level, credit bearing mathematics courses, and they are also having difficulty completing the remedial coursework that is required before they can move on to credit-bearing courses. The purpose of this exploratory qualitative research study is to gain an understanding of students' perceptions regarding their remedial mathematics placement. There is little research that takes into account student perspectives when trying to understand why so many students are entering college under-prepared for credit bearing mathematics courses. Two-hundred sixty-seven students enrolled in remedial elementary algebra math courses were asked to voluntarily complete a survey online regarding their prior math experiences and their plans to overcome their remedial placement. One-hundred fifty-nine students completed the survey and sixty-seven students volunteered to participate in a follow-up interview. Twelve of these participants were then selected for follow-up interviews to gain a more in-depth understanding of their experiences. Results of the study indicated that participants attribute their remedial mathematics placement to a lack of mathematical knowledge/understanding, time between math courses, negative experiences with teachers, a lack of effort in high school, and lack of information and guidance regarding the college placement test. Participants planned to study and see a tutor to overcome their remedial mathematics placement.Item The conceptualizations of interest, reading engagement, and motivation in high school English teachers' literature instruction(University of Alabama Libraries, 2013) Davis, Ashley Lane; Coleman, Julianne M.; University of Alabama TuscaloosaThe purpose of this multiple case study was to investigate the literature instruction practices of two high school English teachers. Furthermore, this study sought to explore how the participants' conceptualizations of interest, reading engagement, and motivation were reflected in their literature instructional practices. Using various qualitative methods of data collection, such as interviews and observations, the researcher utilized emerged open and focused codes to interpret findings revealed through the data. Five focused codes emerged from the data analysis: 1) Selecting Literature and Identifying a Purpose for Reading, 2) Planning for Instruction, 3) Strategic Teaching, 4) Role of Literary Criticism, and 5) Engaging Students in Reading. In the cross case analysis, five themes emerged across the two cases: 1) The Constraints and Freedoms of the Educational Climate, 2) The Influence of Each Teacher's Education Preparation on Their Teaching Methodologies, 3) How Teaching to One's Strengths Affects Instructional Planning and Implementation, 4) The Role of Situational and Individual Interest During in Class Activities, and 5) The Role That Student Autonomy and Teacher Support Play in Students' Engagement with Texts and Motivation to Read. The findings of this case study suggest that the two participants could clearly discuss their conceptualizations of interest, reading engagement, and motivation as well as the ways in which they planned and carried out literature instruction. However, the results indicated that these teachers were unable to demonstrate a cognizance of how their conceptualizations of these concepts affected the methodologies they utilized as they selected literature and carried out instruction.