Middle School Subject Area Teachers\u27 Self-Efficacy with English Language Learners: A Mixed Methods Study

The population of English language learners (ELLs) within the US has been steadily increasing over the past 20 years, thereby escalating the need for teachers to be knowledgeable in how to teach these students. However, research indicates that many teachers are not receiving adequate English as a Second Language (ESL) professional development. Lack of professional development in ESL strategies may adversely affect teachers’ self-efficacy because they are unfamiliar with methods to assist their ELL students in learning academic content. The purpose of this research study was to determine if particular subject areas taught by middle school teachers engender a higher level of teaching self-efficacy. An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was used for this study. The quantitative data were collected using a modified version of Tschannen-Moran and Hoy’s (2001) Teachers\u27 Sense of Efficacy Scale survey with middle school subject area teachers. The survey focused on self-efficacy with instructional practices for ELLs and ELL student engagement, and provided an opportunity for participants to volunteer to be interviewed for the qualitative portion of the study. Interviews allowed for more detailed information to be gathered about participants’ self-efficacy in teaching ELLs. The results of the data analysis of the survey showed statistically significant results for instructional practices. Upon closer analysis, social studies and English language arts (ELA) teachers were the only subject areas with statistically significant results for instructional practices. Student engagement was not found to have any statistically significant results. Findings from the qualitative phase of the study showed that participants already used many different strategies for discussion, differentiation of instruction, and instructional strategies, most of which they gained through years of teaching experience. School support in the form of ESL professional development was unavailable at most of the schools

Congregational Exegesis: Toward Shared Proclamation

Recognizing that theological diversity is a reality in many mainline churches, this thesis considers the value of exegeting the congregation to gain knowledge of the congregation’s lived and local theology. That knowledge is then used to write and preach four sermons with the intent of helping both the listener and the preacher deepen their understanding of Jesus. An additional focus is on the challenge for the preacher to make clear and bold theological claims. Using an Action-Reflection method of research, interactive exegetical tools, questionnaires, surveys and a personal preaching journal, this project is carried out by a minister in a new call within a United Church of Canada congregation

EFFECTS OF CORTICOSTERONE AND ETHANOL CO-EXPOSURE ON HIPPOCAMPAL TOXICITY: POTENTIAL ROLE FOR THE NMDA NR2B SUBUNIT

Chronic ethanol (EtOH) exposure produces neuroadaptations within the NMDA receptor system and alterations in HPA axis functioning that contribute to neurodegeneration during ethanol withdrawal (EWD). Chronic EtOH exposure and EWD, as well as corticosteroids, also promote increased synthesis and release of polyamines, which allosterically potentiate NMDA receptor open-channel time at the NR2B subunit. The current studies investigated effects of 10 day EtOH and corticosterone (CORT) co-exposure on toxicity during EWD in rat organotypic hippocampal slice cultures, and alterations in function and/or density of the NR2B subunit of the NMDA receptor that may mediate CORT-potentiation of toxicity during EWD. We hypothesized that toxicity during withdrawal following EtOH and CORT co-exposure would be greatest in the CA1 region due to increased NMDA NR2B receptor abundance and/or function. Cultures were exposed to CORT (0.01–1 μM) during 10 day EtOH exposure (50 mM) and 1 day EWD. Additional EtOH-naïve cultures were exposed to CORT for 11 days. Propidium iodide (PI) was used to measure toxicity in the CA1, CA3, and DG hippocampal regions. In EtOH-naïve cultures, 11 day exposure to CORT (0.01 – 1 μM) produced modest toxicity and in all regions. Exposure to CORT during EtOH exposure/EWD potentiated CORT-toxicity at all concentrations in the CA1 region. Ifenprodil, an NR2B polyamine site antagonist, significantly reduced toxicity from EtOH and CORT (0.1 μM) co-exposure during withdrawal. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot analyses were conducted for measurement of NR2B immunoreactivity in organotypic cultures, and autoradiography studies were conducted for measurement of polyamine-sensitive NR2B subunits with [3H]ifenprodil. Consistent increases in NR2B subunit protein were not detected with use of any methodology. Additional studies exposed cultures to a membrane impermeable form of CORT (BSA-conjugated CORT; 0.1 μM) with or without EtOH exposure and withdrawal. BSA-CORT exposure did not produce toxicity in any hippocampal region, suggesting that CORT toxicity was not mediated by membrane bound substrates. These data suggest that CORT and EtOH co-exposure result in increased function of polyamine-sensitive NR2B subunits, but this toxicity does not appear dependent on the number of hippocampal NMDA NR2B subunits

Integrating Multimodal Arguments Into High School Writing Instruction

We conducted a formative experiment investigating how an intervention that engaged students in constructing multimodal arguments could be integrated into high school English instruction to improve students’ argumentative writing. The intervention entailed three essential components: (a) construction of arguments defined as claims, evidence, and warrants; (b) digital tools that enabled the construction of multimodal arguments; and (c) a process approach to writing. The intervention was implemented for 11 weeks in high school English classrooms. Data included classroom observations; interviews with the teacher, students, and administrators; student reflections; and the products students created. These data, analyzed using grounded-theory coding and constant-comparison analysis, informed iterative modifications of the intervention. A retrospective analysis led to several assertions contributing to an emerging pedagogical theory that may guide efforts to promote high school students’ ability to construct arguments using digital tools