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The purpose of this study was to determine differences in students' perceived benefits of chess by gender and age after being exposed to chess during instruction for an entire academic year as part of a Chess in Schools initiative in a southeastern state of the United States. Data were collected during the 2017-2018 academic year. The sample consisted of 1,286 students across elementary, middle, and high school levels. Data were collected using a retrospective pretest survey. Seven constructs of the students' perceptions were generated ("increased enjoyment of mathematics," "improvement in academic self-efficacy," "improvement in collaborative skills," "improvement in organizational skills," "enjoyment of chess," "confidence in chess playing ability," and "increased engagement in learning"), and all had high reliability coefficients. Data were analyzed using a two-way multivariate analysis of variance. The results showed that elementary students consistently tended to have higher ratings of perceived benefits than middle and high school students across all constructs. The differences between middle and high school students were low and not statistically significant.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the experiences and perceptions of teachers who used chess during instruction for an entire academic year in several school districts within a southern U.S. state. Data for the study were obtained via an electronic survey administered to a sample of 62 teachers in Spring 2018. Results of the study showed that teachers were enthusiastic about using chess during instruction, and they had largely positive perceptions regarding the benefits of chess among their students.

This paper explores students' perceptions of the benefits of chess-based instruction as part of an evaluation of a Chess in Schools (CIS) program implemented in 2017-2018 by a State Department of Education in the southeastern United States. The data were collected using a cross-sectional survey administered to students at the end of the academic year after 1 year of exposure to the CIS program. Results from the student survey responses (n = 1,286) indicated that a majority of students across all grade levels felt they had experienced a variety of positive outcomes because of their exposure to scholastic chess-based instruction. These perceived positive outcomes are beneficial for understanding the holistic impact of chess-based learning as they provide insight beyond measuring students solely on test scores or GPA metrics.

Studies have shown that stand-alone technology courses, such as those taught in most teacher education programs, only develop basic computer literacy skills and do not prepare educators to use instructional technology in the classroom. A 14-item questionnaire assessed instructional technology use for classroom management and instructional development among a stratified random sample of K-12 teachers in four rural, Middle Tennessee schools. A total of 168 inservice teachers completed the study questionnaire. Results supported the hypothesis that teachers were using instructional technology primarily for classroom management tasks. Access to technology, State technology utilization grant recipients, and teachers' computer self-efficacy significantly predicted IT utilization. Results are discussed in the current social context of IT infusion through education and recommendations concerning K-12 IT use are offered. (Contains 2 tables.)

This research study was an emergent qualitative inquiry into machismo, patriarchy, and sexuality in Cuba. The purpose of this study was to identify how machismo continues to manifest in Cuban society and to identify organizational approaches that are working to address machismo and sexuality in Cuba. Ethnographic in nature, this study employed two strands of ethnographic research with a Marxist Humanist-feminist-poststructuralist critique to form a critical, focused-ethnographic examination. As researchers, we interacted with 112 participants between 18 and 83 years old. Data collected suggest that machismo continues to manifest in Cuba through social interactions and education. Furthermore, data from this exploration highlights how State-Based Organizations (SBO) and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) are taking organized approaches to address machismo and sexuality in Cuba. Key limitations within this study include possible cultural and linguistic misunderstandings as well as time limitations associated with ethnographic data collection. Future studies examining the complexity and intersectionality of social structures including families, communities, and national identities as it relates to sex, gender, and sexuality could provide incredible insight into the struggle for social equity.

The purpose of this study was to determine differences in students' perceived benefits of chess by gender and age after being exposed to chess during instruction for an entire academic year as part of a Chess in Schools initiative in a southeastern state of the United States. Data were collected during the 2017-201 8 academic year. The sample consisted of 1,286 students across elementary, middle, and high school levels. Data were collected using a retrospective pretest survey. Seven constructs of the students' perceptions were generated (increased enjoyment of mathematics, improvement in academic self-efficacy, improvement in collaborative skills, improvement in organizational skills, enjoyment of chess, confidence in chess playing ability, and increased engagement in learning), and all had high reliability coefficients. Data were analyzed using a two-way multivariate analysis of variance. The results showed that elementary students consistently tended to have higher ratings of perceived benefits than middle and high school students across all constructs. The differences between middle and high school students were low and not statistically significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this critical discourse analysis of six high-school world geography textbooks, we explore how constructions and representations of North Africa and Southwest Asia have served to reinforce Orientalist discourse in formal curriculum. Visual and written representations in these textbooks were overwhelmingly confounded by a traditional/modern dichotomy that constructed a paradoxical "Muslim world." Gender and religion coding perpetuated the temporal paradox with women and Islam used as symbols of the traditional in need of western modernization. This paper begins with a contextualization of the study of textbooks and addresses investigations of media portrayals of Muslims, Arabs, and Islam. We then describe our theoretical grounding in criticalist perspectives and detail methods of analysis. Lastly, we present the three themes revealed through analysis and conclude with recommendations for enhancing geographic literacy in schools.

This study is an investigation of the representations of Muslims and Islam in high school world history textbooks available for adoption in Tennessee from two consecutive six-year adoption cycles-2008-2014 and 2014-2020. Informed by critical theory and Said's Orientalism, we used critical discourse analysis to identify six major themes: people and their roles, fabricated religion, mysticism, timelessness, violence, and internal conflict. By sharing that school curriculum is socially constructed with students, teachers can help to foster critical social justice literacy so that students may in turn challenge social injustice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deficit ideology about people who are poor permeates a plethora of social programs. Our research demonstrates how the state of Tennessee uses the Internet, legislation, law enforcement, the criminal justice system, and the media to reproduce and perpetuate deficit thinking about recipients of TennCare, the state's health care insurance program. In routinely and systematically producing, publishing, and disseminating information about arrests, using pejorative language, and delineating the offenses, the state reinforces the idea that people who are on TennCare are a menace to society. Our work points to the need for continued action and research that exposes and challenges deficit thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research study was an emergent qualitative inquiry into machismo, patriarchy, and sexuality in Cuba. The purpose of this study was to identify how machismo continues to manifest in Cuban society and to identify organizational approaches that are working to address machismo and sexuality in Cuba. Ethnographic in nature, this study employed two strands of ethnographic research with a Marxist Humanist-feminist-poststructuralist critique to form a critical, focused-ethnographic examination. As researchers, we interacted with 112 participants between 18 and 83 years old. Data collected suggest that machismo continues to manifest in Cuba through social interactions and education. Furthermore, data from this exploration highlights how State-Based Organizations (SBO) and Non- Governmental Organizations (NGO) are taking organized approaches to address machismo and sexuality in Cuba. Key limitations within this study include possible cultural and linguistic misunderstandings as well as time limitations associated with ethnographic data collection. Future studies examining the complexity and intersectionality of social structures including families, communities, and national identities as it relates to sex, gender, and sexuality could provide incredible insight into the struggle for social equity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies have shown that standealone technology courses, such as those taught in most teacher education programs, only develop basic computer literacy skills and do not prepare educators to use instructional technology in the classroom. A 14-item questionnaire assessed instructional technology usefor classroom management and instructional development among a stratified random sample ofK-12 teachers in four rural, Middle Tennessee schools. A total of 168 inservice teachers completed the study questionnaire. Results supported the hypothesis that teachers were using instructional technology primarily for classroom management tasks. Access to technology, State technology utilization grant recipients, and teachers' computer self-efficacy signjflcantly predictediT utilization. Results are discussed in the current social context ofIT infusion through education and recommendations concerning K- 12 IT use are offered [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]