Digital Commons Network^™

Podcasting As A Pedagogy: Teacher Perceptions Of Podcast Use And Creation In The Classroom, Rebecca J. Hobby

Selected Honors Theses

Podcasting is an innovative technology medium that has impacted the world with its new ideas, perspectives, and connections between listeners and hosts. While this medium has grown exponentially in many spheres, it is relatively new in educational settings. This thesis seeks to determine whether educators are ready to implement podcast listening and producing in their classrooms. It also seeks to ascertain educators’ perceptions of the benefits and challenges of podcasting. A survey was conducted asking teachers and college students preparing to become teachers about their observations and understandings of podcast use in classrooms. The findings indicated that access to professional …

Social Interaction With Native Speakers’ Effect On Foreign Language Enjoyment And Foreign Language Anxiety, Emma Stravers

Selected Honors Theses

This study yielded data surrounding the relationship between knowing a native speaker and foreign language acquisition, alongside the factors of foreign language enjoyment and foreign language anxiety. Through a survey conducted with 46 language learners from a variety of backgrounds who were contacted through social media, the research questions guiding the study were answered with implications for all language learners both inside and outside the classroom. Through statistical analysis, data proved that knowing a native speaker of the target language is a significant predictor of language learners having a higher perception of proficiency. A higher perception of proficiency is also …

From Language To Literacy: Structural Features Of Acquired Languages Facilitating English Morphological Awareness, Erin N. Callahan

Selected Honors Theses

Morphological awareness is a crucial metalinguistic skill, specifically for English Language Learners (ELLs). Since languages differ widely in degree of orthographic opacity, degree of morphological fusion, and degree of morphological synthesis, this thesis sought to evaluate the impact of the structural features of other languages upon ELLs’ levels of English morphological awareness. Additionally, the study investigated the relationship between morphological awareness and perceived levels of literacy and oracy proficiency. Multilingual individuals responded to an online survey containing a morphological awareness task and a language history questionnaire. Each language represented in the sample was coded according to its structural features. Subsequently, …

University Student Perceptions Of Math In Relation To Personality, Upbringing, And Online Learning And The Impact Of Those Perceptions On Career Choices, Elizabeth G. Davison

Selected Honors Theses

Students all over the world are developing negative perceptions of the subject of mathematics and shying away from careers in the field of math as a result. The purpose of this study was to determine how various factors, such as students’ personalities, upbringings, and experiences with online learning, affected their perceptions of math and resulting career choices. A survey asking participants about these factors in relation to their perceptions of math was sent out through email to Southeastern University (SEU) undergraduate students and math professors. The survey received 200 responses with 194 of them being Southeastern University undergraduate students and …

Social Interaction With Native Speakers’ Effect On Foreign Language Enjoyment And Foreign Language Anxiety, Emma Stravers

Selected Honors Theses

This study yielded data surrounding the relationship between knowing a native speaker and foreign language acquisition, alongside the factors of foreign language enjoyment and foreign language anxiety. Through a survey conducted with 46 language learners from a variety of backgrounds who were contacted through social media, the research questions guiding the study were answered with implications for all language learners both inside and outside the classroom. Through statistical analysis, data proved that knowing a native speaker of the target language is a significant predictor of language learners having a higher perception of proficiency. A higher perception of proficiency is also …

The Assessment Of College Female Athletes’ Perspectives On Their Coaches’ Discussion On Food Relationships And Body Positivity, Maggie E. Vernon

Selected Honors Theses

This study examined the differences in how often college female athletes’ coaches discussed food relationships and body positivity with how often the college female athletes wished their coaches discussed food relationships and body positivity. I hypothesized that the coaches’ discussions of food relationships and body positivity did not meet the expectations of the college female athletes. Twenty-six participants from Southeastern University in a population of female athletes completed an online survey that produced quantitative data to determine the discrepancy. The survey consisted of three main topics of eating habits, eating disorders, body positivity, and their relationship building with their coaches. …

A Proposed Curriculum To Improve The Scientific Literacy Of Pastoral Leadership In The Church, Kacey Mewborn

Selected Honors Theses

Scientific illiteracy is a widespread reality in the Christian church today. The observatory and evidentiary nature of science seems to strongly contradict the faith-based belief in religion that often lacks physical evidence. This contradiction has incited many different conflicts between the congregation of the church and proponents of scientific advancement. A potential cause of this division is that the current education provided for church leaders is severely lacking in exposure to scientific topics that would allow these leaders to effectively communicate with their congregation when scientific issues are raised. Therefore, this research proposes a supplementary curriculum in the form of …

The College Student Study Playlist: A Comparison Of Genres, John C. Pokhan

Selected Honors Theses

Music has played a significant role in the lives of students. Various genres of music have been studied to determine their specific effects on human behavior. Christian Praise and Worship music is a normal piece of service, whether it is in the chapel and or the church. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is a renowned classical music composer whose music has been shown to have positive effects in improving concentration. A student’s emotions are critical when it comes to studying. When a student is studying, they need to concentrate and work on their assignment with confidence, inspiration, and excitement while managing their …

Understanding The Educational Landscape: A Comparative Study Of Public, Alternative, And Montessori Models, Elizabeth Dykens

Selected Honors Theses

This thesis intends to demonstrate the relevance and significance of alternative education within today’s educational climate. First, the literature review traces the historical backdrop of the American public school system and the founding fathers’ original purposes for education. It explores the shifts in policy and pedagogy that have led to current models and methods of education. Then, the literature review focuses on alternative educational philosophies, with an emphasis on the Montessori Method, and why they not only address the critiques of the public system but also better align with a child’s nature and development. The study backing this thesis lays …

Teaching Multicultural Literature In The College Classroom, Jordan K. Fleming

Selected Honors Theses

Due to a lack of research on the topic and events of 2020, this thesis aims to learn how professors teach multicultural literature to traditional undergraduate students and how students respond to these courses. I focus on pedagogical scholarship that notes the structure, challenges, and impact of teaching this genre in K-12 and higher education classrooms. My conclusions provide educators with a repertoire of teaching strategies, materials, and student feedback to help students critically respond to living in a multicultural nation and world. These conclusions also lessen a gap in research, as there is significantly less published information on teaching …

Establishing Trauma-Informed Practices Within The Early Learning Environment, Daria M. Castor

Selected Honors Theses

Nearly half of US children have experienced one or more types of serious trauma with rates continually increasing. Early childhood educators get a first-hand encounter with childhood trauma as it affects the learning and behavior of young students. Young children process their trauma differently whether that be through behavioral issues or a withdrawn demeanor. Building strong, positive relationships with students and creating a safe learning environment are practical methods used by educators when working with traumatized young learners, however there is much more to be done to best meet the needs of these students. This thesis emphasizes the detrimental effects …

Can Sensory Tools Help Students With Autism In Regard To Academics, Communication, Behavioral And Emotional Management?, Summer Rusher

Selected Honors Theses

Students with autism face many difficulties in the classroom and with everyday tasks outside of the classroom. In the classroom, they face difficulties with academic focus, communication skills, and behavioral management. Knowing this, academics, communication, and behavior were all evaluated. This thesis was written to decipher the effects of sensory tools on students with autism in the classroom and decide if sensory tools should be used more often in the classroom and at home. Sensory tools are a relatively new therapy idea. They are a wide range of tools that have all different functions and purposes. Some schools and families …

Teacher’S Self-Efficacy For Teaching Character Education, Alana K. Ribble

Selected Honors Theses

Character education is an important part of school curriculum, but it is not always taught intentionally. This thesis outlines the benefits of character education, the various character education curriculums, and teacher’s self-efficacy for teaching character education. The study was conducted in Lakeland, Florida through an online survey. Participants were first year teachers and current student teachers. Each teacher answered questions regarding their confidence teaching various character traits. Teachers agreed that the most difficult part about teaching character education is helping students understand the importance of their values in their individual lives. Overall, respect and responsibility were the character traits that …

Overcoming Communicative And Cultural Barriers: A Study Of The Perceptions And Interactions Between American And International Students, Hope V. Twitchell

Selected Honors Theses

Globalization is a central aspect to the developing American society, both vocationally and culturally. Increased international representation on college campuses is one example of the prevalence of globalization in an everyday context. As the rate of international students present on American university campuses increases, more research has been focusing on the experiences of international students. The present study focused on adding to the literature surrounding American students’ perceptions and interactions with international students when communicative and cultural barriers arise. The thesis statement proposed that American students attending an American university who had previous international travel experience would be more adept …

Embracing And Creating Culture: Exploring The Role Of Culture In Secondary Reading Education, Christina E. Ibsen

Selected Honors Theses

This thesis explored the role of culture in secondary reading education, especially as it relates to educating struggling readers. Through an extended review of literature, this thesis first explores the statistics surrounding struggling readers in the state of Florida, along with the demographics of struggling readers. Next, student and teacher culture is explored as it relates to their perspectives of and interactions with academic content and other students. Finally, this thesis proposes the use of embracing and creating culture in secondary reading classrooms through multicultural education and classroom culture and community in order to improve proficiency.

Student Development: The Relationship Between Student Leadership And Self-Actualization, Norman G. Oliver

Selected Honors Theses

This study compared two groups of college students’ levels of self-actualization from Southeastern University, student leaders and non-leader students. The participants’ levels of self-actualization were measured using the Short Index of Self-actualization (SISA). The study followed a cross-sectional design. Participants were recruited through in-person communication, emails, and an on-campus study recruitment software called SONA. The participants completed a questionnaire containing the SISA and various demographic questions. Results indicated that the findings of the study were not statistically significant; therefore, it could not be determined whether or not student leadership is positively correlated with higher levels of self-actualization. However, a replication …

The Effects Of Mobile Device Use On Social Interactions Among College Students, Ian Jones

Selected Honors Theses

This paper evaluates the impact that increased cellphone use causes on face-to- face interactions. An introduction to the literature will show the dramatic increase of cell phone ownership across the United States (Anderson, 2015). This dramatic increase can have numerous effects on all persons who own a cellular device. A brief look at the research conducted by different researchers (Hakuno, Omori, Yamamoto, & Minigawa, 2017; Gottman, Gonso, & Rasmussen, 1975; Hay, n.d.; Shneidman & Woodward, 2016), reveals that cell phones can have a negative impact on the users, if used in excessive amounts. The current study uses true experimental design …

Exploring The Effects Of Recess On Academic Performance, Grace Grevengoed

Selected Honors Theses

This paper seeks to explore the effects of recess on an elementary student’s academic performance based on interviews completed with educational professionals. By answering the interview questions, these responses helped gauge the attitudes and perspectives these professionals have towards the inclusion of recess in their students’ days. Recess is currently being left out of daily routine for sake of more instructional time in a classroom. This study seeks to add to the stance of students needing recess as a time of unstructured play, in which they can learn meaningful interactions that would otherwise be omitted from their learning.

Exploring Historical Empathy In Secondary Education, Melanie Alsene

Selected Honors Theses

This thesis sought to explore the purpose of teaching history, to define historical empathy, to discover if historical empathy is being taught in secondary public schools, and to see what methods of instruction teachers utilize. Research was done by conducting interviews of middle school and high school history teachers from different schools in the area. These interviews sought to find out if teachers could come up with their purpose for learning about history, if they could define historical empathy, and what methods they utilized to teach historical empathy. Some of the teachers were able to define historical empathy and gave …

The Effect Of Art, Community, And Relationships On Urban Youth, Kelly Thomas

Selected Honors Theses

This thesis gathers the research necessary to understand the impact art, a healthy community, and nurturing relationships can have on the life of an inner city child. The many factors that serve as the foundation of a certain lifestyle can be the very factors that make or break a child’s opportunity for success. The inner city child may lack a healthy community, intentional relationships, and an effective system to release frustrations. Art has been utilized time and time again to direct the urban population towards healthy forms of self expression. Previous examples of successful art programs will be surveyed as …

A Psychosocial Analysis Of The Coach-Athlete Relationship Through The Lens Of Coaching Efficacy, Kael G. Gouriluk

Selected Honors Theses

This paper seeks to understand the relationship between athletes and their coaches. More specifically, through review of precedential work and a survey study, to understand the effects of coaches’ instruction methods and actions upon athletes in relation to their perceptions of their previous coaches’ efficacy.

Financial Management Issues Of College-Aged Students: Influences And Consequences, Katharine N. Widener

Selected Honors Theses

College students have acquired a reputation of irresponsibility and impulsivity, which has contributed to the perception that they are poor managers of money. This researcher sought to establish a clearer picture of the full story behind how college students handle their finances through a comprehensive literature review. Several searches were conducted on the topics of college students, finances, money management, debt levels, and other related terms. Scholarly articles were analyzed for common themes and research patterns, and the various strings of research identified were categorized into three main headings: Financial situation, financial influences, and financial consequences. The three major headings …

An Analysis Of Inclusion In The Field Of Special Education, Sarah K. Jerome

Selected Honors Theses

This review of literature explores the many different aspects of including a student with disabilities into the general education classroom 100% of the school day. The topics explored include; the history of inclusion, the social and emotional effects of inclusion, the active engagement of included students, the importance of social acceptance from peers, the teachers’ attitudes and opinions of inclusion, the students’ opinions of inclusion, and the parents’ opinions of inclusion. The goal is to expose some of the negative outcomes of inclusion because of recent emphasis on inclusion in the last decade. The researcher found that inclusion should be …

It’S All In The Heart: The Influence Of The Personal Values And Philosophies Of Administrators And Teachers On The Methodologies And Effectiveness 
Of Character Education, Rebecca Joy Foxworth

Selected Honors Theses

This thesis sought to determine the influence of educators’ personal values and philosophies on character education, particularly on methodologies and effectiveness. Research consisted of a two-part study of an elementary charter school. Part one of the study consisted of an interview with two administrators from the school, and part two of the study consisted of a survey sent out to the teachers of the school. Both the interview and survey sought to determine the values and philosophies of character education held by the educators, the methodologies the school uses for character education, and how the educators perceive the effectiveness of …

Perceptions Of Educator Preparation In The Field Of English Language Learners, Vivian R. Fry

Selected Honors Theses

This study investigated how well pre-service teachers felt prepared to teach English Language Learners in the areas of second language (L2) acquisition and culture. 62 preservice teachers responded to a survey sent out to education majors at Southeastern University. Majority of the participants in the study indicated that they had less than adequate knowledge in the area of L2 acquisition and were less than adequately prepared to educate ELLs in the area of L2 acquisition. The participants indicated that they wanted professional development opportunities that focused on pedagogy for the specific stages of L2 acquisition. Regarding culture, a little more …

Once More With Feeling: Elementary Classroom Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of Reader’S Theater, Alissa Marie Allen

Selected Honors Theses

Due to the No Child Left Behind policy of 2001, school systems are held to a higher standard with more advanced curricular aims. The resulting intense focus on content leaves little time for extracurricular activities such as the arts. Yet, educators may still include the arts in their classrooms by integrating the arts into curricular content. For example, the use of an arts integrated reader’s theater gives teachers the opportunity to integrate all four strands of the arts and teach oral reading fluency.

This study was guided by the enquiry of how reader’s theater integrates the arts and influences student …

Cultivating Moral Student Leaders: The Relationship Between Experience As A Resident Assistant And Moral Development, Jeremiah Gallego

Selected Honors Theses

This study compared two groups of college students, resident assistants and non-resident assistants, on their increases in moral development assessed by the Sociomoral Reflective Objective Measure ñ Short Form (SROM-SF), a moral judgment measure. The study utilized a pre-test/post-test design. Participants were recruited through in-person communication, classroom presentations, or email. Participants responded to the SROM-SF on an online version in the beginning of a fall semester and completed the same online version of the measure again at the end of that fall semester. Results indicated that the RAs exhibited a greater increase in SROM-SF scores over the course of the …

The Creative Commodity: A Study Of Improvisation In Middle And High School Choral Classrooms In Florida, Caitlynn M. Ensley

Selected Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of improvisation in middle and high school choral classrooms. Specifically, the researcher sought to answer the following questions: (1) To what extent are middle and high school choral directors using improvisation activities in their classrooms? (2) How do the Core Arts Standards impact the value choral music educators’ assign to improvisation? (3) What challenges do choral music educators encounter when attempting to implement improvisation? (4) What do choral music educators believe would help them effectively use improvisation in their classrooms?

A researcher-designed questionnaire was sent to 105 middle and high …

Learning Gains At Cccu-Member Schools: A Comparison Of Cccu Students’ Performance On The Cpa Exam To Performance At Aacsb-Member And Non-Aacsb-Member Schools – A Replication Of A Study By Hahn, Fairchild, And Childs Presented At The Christian Business Faculty Association In October 2014, Rachel M. Galbreath

Selected Honors Theses

This study is a replication of a study by Hahn, Fairchild, and Childs that examines differences in Uniform Certified Public Accountant Exam (UCPAE) pass rates between test-takers who graduated from schools that are members of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and those who graduated from institutions that are not members of the CCCU. CCCU- member schools were found to have pass rates similar to institutions accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) even though AACSB schools have an advantage in incoming student aptitude as measured by students’ SAT scores. These results indicate that …

The Certified Management Accountant Program, Kathleen M. Trenski

Selected Honors Theses

No abstract provided.