Holding the premise that the development of expertise is a continuous process, this study concerns expert models and modeling processes associated with a modeling tool called Model-It. Five advanced Ph.D. students in environmental engineering and public health used Model-It to create and test models of water quality. Using "think aloud" technique…

This grounded theory study explores how middle school literacy teachers used dialogue journals and the processes by which they responded to their students' written responses. Literary conversation between teacher and student was conceptualized as an ongoing scaffolding process within dialogue journals. Teachers used "response facilitators"…

Noting that there are no standardized manual communication curricula or proficiency assessments available to teacher preparation programs, the author used a case study to describe how preservice teachers of the deaf are taught to incorporate American Sign Language and various forms of signed English as effective communication tools for students…

The authors use digital photographs to help children recall "key events" in a practical activity--those moments that provide rich learning opportunities. The captured images of particular events helped the children to recall what they were doing at a particular time and prevented confusion over which event was being discussed. They also…

In a litigious society, it is of particular importance that students understand the law of sexual harassment and sexual harassment investigations. Sexual harassment litigation can create a heavy financial burden on employers. Sexual harassment investigations and litigation also cause a social impact on employers. In order to provide students with…

"Teaching Sociology" recently published several articles dealing with the use of computer-assisted pedagogical techniques. Many authors assess the effectiveness of specific computer-assisted instruction (CAI) forms by examining either student performance or student course evaluation. Typically one group uses some form of CAI while the other does…

Objective: Students will identify several unique characteristics of verbal vs. visual messages, including the superior ability of language to communicate objective, factual, philosophical content in past, present, and future terms; and the superior ability of visual images to communicate social-emotional meaning and concrete information limited in…

The present study investigated the impact of making lecture outlines available on-line via Blackboard 5 on exam performance of students enrolled in introductory psychology. Performance of students in a class with access to information on Blackboard was compared to that of students in a class without such access. These classes were held in…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to address the lack of quantitative data on eye-to-face gaze (also known as eye contact) in the literature on pragmatic communication. The study focused on adolescents and young adults with traumatic brain injury (TBI), as gaze often is included in social skills intervention in this population. Method: Gaze…

The growing diversity in today's classrooms demands that family and consumer sciences (FCS) teachers be knowledgeable, responsive, and well-prepared to work with a multicultural, multilingual student population. To meet the needs of students from all backgrounds, FCS teachers must use a broad array of research-based strategies that support diverse…

Since 2001, classroom and pre-service teachers, along with high school and university students from Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Germany, Lithuania, Ukraine and the United States, have participated in an international workshop that focuses on preparing students and teachers for life in an increasingly interconnected world. These intercultural…

The accelerating rate of data generation and resulting publications are taxing the ability of scientific investigators to stay current with the emerging literature. This problem, acute in science, is not uncommon in other areas. New approaches to managing this explosion of information are needed. While it is only possible to read one paper or…

This document presents the proceedings of the 17th Annual Research Forum held June 29, 2012, at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Included herein are the following 25 action research papers: (1) "Reading and Writing": A Study Comparing the Strengths of Peer Review and Visible Author Writing Strategies (Elizabeth Behar); (2)…

This paper describes developments and uses of the Educational Technologies Center at Tennessee Technological University since its inception. The goal of the Educational Technologies Center is to generate interest and provide support for the use of technologies to support instruction. The Ed Tech Center is a separate entity from the computer…

This paper provides guidelines for using video presentations in teacher education programs in special education. The simplest use of video is to provide students with illustrations of basic concepts, demonstrations of specific skills, or examples of model programs and practices. Video can also deliver contextually rich case studies to stimulate…