The Effects of Critical Thinking Skills Training on Student Performance in an Educational Psychology Class

Critical thinking skills have become an important part of current educational practices. However, there is little empirical evidence comparing the effectiveness of the programs teaching these skills. In addition, there are questions as to whether the skills should be taught within the class content or separate from the class content. This study assigned students attending labs as part of an educational psychology class to two experimental conditions (content-based and content-free) and a control condition. Measures were scores on lab papers and test scores for the class. In addition, an attitude survey was used to assess student attitudes to each condition, and the overall quality of the labs was assessed. An analysis of variance was performed on the data. Results indicated little difference between experimental and control conditions

Recommended practices for effective teaching in the International Baccalaureate Program: An examination of instructional skills, assessment practices, and teacher-efficacy beliefs of IB teachers

The purpose of this study was to analyze the design and implementation of the International Baccalaureate Program for its fit as an advanced academic option. The first step involved determining the alignment of program and curricular goals with recommended practices for general and gifted education and, consequently, to examine the instructional practices and self-efficacy beliefs of International Baccalaureate teachers.;A review of literature revealed limited research on IB Program implementation and its grounding in recommended instructional practice. Therefore, a comparative analysis was conducted of IB program and curricular goals to determine their alignment with 21 recommended practices for gifted and general education. The comparative analysis indicated the alignment of the 21 practices to IB goals indicating the IB Program was a viable advanced academic option. Once the consistency of the IB model with recommended instructional practices was determined, an examination of teacher practices was conducted.;The context for establishment of a profile of IB teachers was in two school districts in Virginia. Thirty-three IB teachers responded to the Teachers\u27 Sense of Efficacy Scale (Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, 2001), ten of whom were observed for 60--90 minutes to assess their instructional practices within the framework of two research-based dimensions of the Teachers\u27 Effectiveness Behavior Scale (Stronge & Tucker, 2001): six instructional skills and two assessment practices.;The study developed a profile of an IB teacher, who implemented a variety of instructional strategies with a consistent focus on instruction from bell to bell, high levels of instructional clarity and complexity, and high expectations for student learning in and out of class. Teacher-directed strategies, in particular direct instruction (DI), were characteristic of instruction during class time. End-of-course assessments (external assessments) appeared to be the force behind the teacher-directed approach to in class instruction. However, evidence indicated that internal assessments (IB program required work conducted by students and facilitated by teachers often outside of the class period) were characteristically student-directed independent study (IS) activities. The assessment driven IB profile is expressed formulaically as A → DI+IS.;Findings in regard to teachers\u27 sense of efficacy indicated high levels of teacher efficacy beliefs on the total TSES scale and on the three subscales. Respondents were more likely to respond that they had quite a bit to a great deal of influence over student behavior and their ability to implement effective teaching strategies. The highest rated items on the scale corresponded to the instructional skills and assessment practices on which teachers exhibited high levels of performance

Minneapolis Kinship Mentoring Program: A Descriptive and Exploratory Study

Children are growing up with a diminished level of adult contact that affects their social and emotional well-being. Structured adult-to-youth mentoring programs provide stable, caring adult mentors for youth in need of additional adult support. This qualitative study describes the Kinship Program, its program population and explores the nature of mentoring relationships between children and mentors from the Minneapolis Kinship Program. For this thesis, personal interviews were conducted with parents whose children were matched with mentors from the Kinship Program. Fourteen interviews were completed; this was a 47 percent response rate. Interview results indicated that parents believed mentors developed trust with children, introduced children to new activities and skills, and acted as a positive role-model. The findings are discussed in relation to other research on mentoring

Prevention framework for behavioral health

abstract: Builds on past and current prevention efforts to chart new directions for Arizona's prevention programs. It includes information on best practices to reach the new strategic goals. It sets priorities for behavioral health prevention initiatives and encourages closer collaboration and coordination to stretch our limited health care dollars. Perhaps most important, it highlights the essential role of every individual as a partner and a resource for community-wide prevention efforts

Comparative Multiple Case Study into the Teaching of Problem-Solving Competence in Lebanese Middle Schools

This multiple case study investigates how problem-solving competence is integrated into teaching practices in private schools in Lebanon. Its purpose is to compare instructional approaches to problem-solving across three different programs: the American (Common Core State Standards and New Generation Science Standards), French (Socle Commun de Connaissances, de Compétences et de Culture), and Lebanese with a focus on middle school (grades 7, 8, and 9). The project was conducted in nine schools equally distributed among three categories based on the programs they offered: category 1 schools offered the Lebanese program, category 2 the French and Lebanese programs, and category 3 the American and Lebanese programs. Each school was treated as a separate case. Structured observation data were collected using observation logs that focused on lesson objectives and specific cognitive problem-solving processes. The two logs were created based on a document review of the requirements for the three programs. Structured observations were followed by semi-structured interviews that were conducted to explore teachers' beliefs and understandings of problem-solving competence. The comparative analysis of within-category structured observations revealed an instruction ranging from teacher-led practices, particularly in category 1 schools, to more student-centered approaches in categories 2 and 3. The cross-category analysis showed a reliance on cognitive processes primarily promoting exploration, understanding, and demonstrating understanding, with less emphasis on planning and executing, monitoring and reflecting, thus uncovering a weakness in addressing these processes. The findings of the post-observation semi-structured interviews disclosed a range of definitions of problem-solving competence prevalent amongst teachers with clear divergences across the three school categories. This research is unique in that it compares problem-solving teaching approaches across three different programs and explores underlying teachers' beliefs and understandings of problem-solving competence in the Lebanese context. It is hoped that this project will inform curriculum developers about future directions and much-anticipated reforms of the Lebanese program and practitioners about areas that need to be addressed to further improve the teaching of problem-solving competence