Department of Teaching and Learning

Art integration as educational reform has been the focus of recent debate. The suggestion has been made that the arts can provide unique learning opportunities in other content areas. To provide empirical evidence for this added value of the arts in learning, this study investigated the efficacy of teaching science concepts in and through the visual arts by implementing an art integrated lesson. The study investigated the impact of an art integration to assist elementary level learners' visual perception so they could more accurately form mental models of the science ideas. The hypothesis suggests that participants in the art intervention who construct a three-dimensional representation of abstract science concepts will gain an increased understanding of those concepts. Specifically, students who work with parallel concepts in art and science to make and manipulate three-dimensional, kinetic models of the sun, earth, and moon will be able to more accurately visualize the relationships between these heavenly bodies. Fifth grade students participated in the study which was integrated into the regular curriculum. Seventy-six randomly selected students comprised the experimental group and participated in the art project. After the completion of traditional textbook and lecture presentation by the classroom teachers, a researcher developed Science Concept Test was administered to all fifth grade students. Statistically significant results indicated that the differences between the groups on the science concept test were due to the integration of the art intervention. These empirical data show significant differences between the group receiving the art intervention and the group receiving traditional classroom instruction, supporting the efficacy of the art integration model. In conclusion, the study supports the literature that suggests the efficacy of art integration partnerships as alternative avenues for presenting and representing knowledge. The study additionally supports the literature establishing the need for concrete modeling of science concepts at the elementary level. Furthermore, the study indicates the need for further investigation into attitudes toward art integration partnerships, the role of the arts in the culture of education, and the viability of instruments to assess conceptual understanding in the visual arts and in science.

The focus of this study was to determine whether the We the People...The Citizen and the Constitution curriculum improved knowledge and understanding of the U.S. Constitution of middle school minority students. A second focus of this study was to determine if the same curriculum improved student perception of their rights and responsibilities in American society. The Test on the History and Principles of the United States Constitution Level II was used to determine whether there existed a difference between middle school minority students participating in the We the People...The Citizen and the Constitution curriculum and middle school minority students enrolled in the traditional textbook-driven civics education program. The second instrument, Student Perception Questionnaire, measured perception of the rights and responsibilities of middle school minority students who participated in the We the People...The Citizen and the Constitution curriculum and students enrolled in the traditional textbook-driven civics education curriculum. The instruments were administered to a total of 247 8th grade middle school students. The inquiry found significant differences in knowledge and understanding between 8th grade students who used the We the People...The Citizen and the Constitution curriculum and students who used the traditional textbook-driven civics education curriculum. Independent sample t tests revealed mean pretest values to be nearly identical but posttest values to be higher among students using the We the People...The Citizen and the Constitution curriculum. The results demonstrated that the We the People...The Citizen and the Constitution curriculum had a greater impact on the knowledge and understanding of the U.S. Constitution of middle school minority students participating in the We the People...The Citizen and the Constitution curriculum compared to students enrolled in the traditional textbook-driven civics education program. The study also found that there was only a marginally improved student perception between those students who participated in the We the People...The Citizen and the Constitution curriculum and students enrolled in the traditional textbook-driven curriculum. Independent sample tests revealed that the change was insignificant. Research on effective citizenship education programs in American schools can play a significant role in the continuous efforts of social studies educators in promoting political participation among minority populations.

This study investigates the perceptions that second language students have of those who speak the language that these students are trying to acquire and examines how these perceptions relate to students' progress in acquiring the target language. The study is based on the psychological theory of the need to belong, i.e. belongingness as well as on the concept of integrative motivation. This study is a qualitative investigation that uses the Repertory Grid Technique and Personal Construct Theory in order to elicit subject perceptions and their constructs. Membership checking was carried out with nine of the originally interviewed 22 subjects in order to obtain more insight into the subjects' perceptions of themselves, their progress, and, most importantly, their perceptions of the target language speakers. One of the important findings in this study is the establishment of what elements second language students use to construct views of target language speakers.