Educators have realized the importance of engaging students in learning. Teachers often see participatory behaviors like "hand raising" as evidence of students being engaged in an activity. These indications of engagement do not capture motivational factors behind true engagement. A research team developed a five item scale to easily…

Considering the importance of education in the life of a 21st-century person, it is remarkable that the training of teachers continues to be as inconsistent, and in many cases, as lackadaisical, as it is. For all the evidence indicating that excellent teachers rank high on the list of factors essential to student success, one would expect that…

Problems associated with recruiting, supporting and retaining quality teachers in the STEM areas have been well documented in the literature. Specifically, findings suggest STEM teachers have indicated a need for pedagogy and increased content knowledge. These needs may be attributed to the fact that more STEM teachers have been alternatively…

In recent years, educators have started incorporating learningstyle instruction into their lessons. Of particular interest is the inclusion of kinesthetic learning practices in the content area. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of purposeful movement on learner outcomes and attitudes in high school Algebra classes. Two Algebra…

Business ethics is presently a major component of the business school curriculum. Although there has been much attention focused on the impact of such coursework on instilling ethical decision-making (Nguyen et al., 2008), there is sparse research on how business students view the major ethical principles that serve as the foundation of business…

Metadata is information about computer-generated documents that is often inadvertently transmitted to others. The problems associated with metadata have become more acute over time as word processing and other popular programs have become more receptive to the concept of collaboration. As more people become involved in the preparation of…

School leaders face the difficult challenge of finding teachers who are highly qualified, committed, and prepared to ensure that all students achieve at levels mandated by NCLB. The pervasive strategy attempted by school districts to recruit teachers to high need schools is incentive programs that include either salary enhancement or bonuses.…

The College of Education and Professional Studies (CEPS) provides an environment in which all students can learn. The term "students" encompasses anyone enrolled in a course provided by the College. The DAC was formed to protect the health, safety, and general welfare of students, educators, and those who participate in conjunction with…

Students of a required biology course for non-science majors were given an opportunity to take online multiple choice quizzes during the weekend interval between classes. Incentives were that they would be given extra credit for their participation. Questions from the quizzes were then placed on the next exam. After the exam was given, the number…

Most journals and compendiums (e.g., Colwell, 1992) in the area of music education focus on the preparation of teachers for instruction at the elementary through secondary level. There is but sparse research on college or university level instruction regarding departments of music. To address this void in the literature, the current study presents…

Alternative certification teacher programs have been gaining in popularity in recent years. Yet the efficacy of such programs remains in question and empirical data on such programs are urgently needed. The current study compared confidence in instructional skills designated in the Florida Educator Accomplished Practices in a sample of alternative…

Computer-based instruction is becoming more prevalent in secondary education in the United States. Using computers to deliver instruction can help to correct inequities in educational opportunities that exist due to race/ethnicity, budget constraints, geographical location, income, school size, and substandard teaching. Some knowledgeable experts…

The present study reports the results of a survey conducted at the University of West Florida concerning faculty usage and views toward online databases. Most respondents (N=46) felt quite satisfied with scholarly database availability through the university library. However, some faculty suggested that databases such as Current Contents and…

Studies have reported the isolation of Escherichia coli (E. coli)O157:H7 from pork, lamb and poultry products, and from other animals including deer, horses, dogs, birds and humans. There is limited or no information on the presence of the organism in goats. The objectives of this study were to determine if E. coli O157:H7 was naturally occurring…