Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring The Role Of Schema Development And Its Impact Within The Digital Vocabulary Application Quizlet, Jana M. Tolleson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was to ascertain the possible impact of using schema development strategies and the digital application Quizlet on student learning perspectives and achievement in a mid-level social studies classroom. U.S. schools are highly influenced by state standardized testing based on standards-driven curriculum that reinforces basic recall and recognition. School curriculum should be focused on higherlevel thinking skills such as critical thinking, social negotiation, and self-directed learning. The identified problem of practice of this study explored and described the use of technology at a basic level. Students are exploiting technology by copying and pasting information …

Impact Of An Intervention To Improve Self-Regulation Skills Among Students In The Introductory Biology Course At A Southern Technical College, Jessica Burr Lea

Theses and Dissertations

This paper describes a problem of practice centered on Introductory Biology students’ at a southern technical college’s struggle for course success due to an insufficient ability to self-regulate. It is the concern of the researcher that many students do not experience course success because of their poor time management skills, lack of self-reflective behaviors, and failure to correct unsuccessful habits. Wilde and Hardaker (1997) refer to the need for college students to self-regulate as a form of educational “autonomy” which places a larger portion of the learning in the hands of the student rather that solely at the hands of …

The Impact Of Collaborative Strategic Reading On Students’ Comprehension Of Secondary Social Studies Texts, Kaitlyn Mathews

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study evaluates the impact of the literacy intervention, Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR), on students’ comprehension of social studies texts in secondary classrooms at a high school in East Tennessee, and their perceptions of the intervention as an activity for learning. The identified problem of practice this study sought to explore is whether explicit, collaborative literacy instruction would impact students’ comprehension of grade-level appropriate social studies texts, and to evaluate students’ responses to such literacy instruction. Pre- and post-tests assessing students’ comprehension of informational articles pertaining to eras of United States history, and semi-structured interviews with students, provided …

Implementation Of A Response To Intervention Block, Amy Roberts Mcglohorn

Theses and Dissertations

The location of this study is Bulldog Elementary School (BES) (pseudonym) in Suburban School District (SSD) (pseudonym). According to the Read to Succeed Act (2016), students must read on grade level by the end of third grade. Therefore, the students reading achievement level is the problem of practice. This action research study describes the impact of the Response to Intervention (RtI) model within an instructional framework for English Language Arts (ELA) in an elementary level classroom and its impact on student growth in reading by reviewing student universal screening assessment data and progress monitoring using a pre-test/post-test model as well …

An Action Research Study Of Female Calculus Students’ Perceptions Of The Flipped Classroom Model, Tammy Parham

Theses and Dissertations

To improve teaching practices away from teacher-centered strategies and towardstudentcenteredmethodology based in constructivist and social constructivist theory, the present research study describes six female students’ perceptions of a flipped-model classroom design in an advanced calculus course. In a flipped-model classroom, there is an inversion of the traditional instructional paradigm to move new content instruction outside of the classroom in order to provide time for student engagement in learning activities and interaction with peers during class meeting time. The flipped model enabled the female students to have more time for collaborative practices and application of calculus material, increased the student-participants’ interactions …

The Impact Of Scaffolding On The Historical Thinking Skills Of Middle School Students, William R. Cox

Theses and Dissertations

This work is dedicated to some incredibly important people in my life. First, to my students everywhere, you have challenged me to become a better curriculum leader and a better historian. Many of you have inspired me beyond anything that you can imagine. Second, to my colleagues, you have helped create a drive inside of me to seek the best in my students and myself. You have also put up with my seemingly unending impromptu lectures about the newest thought I had on pedagogy.

Finally and most importantly, to my family, it is you that I owe an indescribable debt. …

College Success Class: A Targeted Soft Skills Inventory For Student Success, Beth Ann Scruggs

Theses and Dissertations

College Success, Freshman Seminar, College 101, or University 101—all of these courses have the common theme of providing students with the knowledge and skills necessary for them to be successful in navigating higher education. This might mean attaining a certificate or degree, or in some cases, transferring to a four-year institution. While content knowledge is unquestionably important, the ability to employ multiple soft skills and learning strategies is also essential for a student to successfully transition to college (Conley, 2013). At Middletown Tech, a designated public, two-year, associate degree-granting institution in the U.S. South, the College Success course is intended …

The Impact Of Structured Play On Early Literacy Skills In A Kindergarten Classroom, Lauren B. Adams

Theses and Dissertations

The present action research study of kindergarten students, in a suburban public school classroom located in the midlands region of South Carolina, describes the ways in which a teacher-researcher developed a Structured Play Unit in her classroom that was designed to answer the following research question: How does the implementation of a Structured Play Unit impact early literacy skills (rhyming) on kindergarten students? Implemented in the Fall of 2017, data was collected over a four-week period. A verbal pre-test was given to the teacher-researcher’s kindergarten class which required students to identify pictures of rhyming words and point to their response, …

Using Performance Assessments To Improve Number Sense In Second Grade Mathematics: An Action Research Study, Lexie P. Feldman

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study describes the effects of implementing performance-based assessments in a second grade mathematics classroom. The focus of this study is on reducing traditional testing methods and moving toward more authentic assessments within mathematics, specifically in the form of performance assessments. The study was grounded in a theoretical framework that involved authentic assessments in mathematics, mathematical communication, and, more specifically, performance assessments. This action research study employed a concurrent parallel mixed methods design to investigate the following research question: How does the use of performance assessments enhance students’ ability to communicate number sense in my second grade classroom? …

Scientific Practices For Student-Centered Inquiry: The Impact Of A Focus On Student Proficiency In Data Analysis And Scientific Argumentation On Inquirybased Practices In A First-Grade Classroom, Whitnee Grant

Theses and Dissertations

Previous to this study, teaching and learning practices in the first-grade classroom of study were primarily teacher and content driven and did not reflect the student-driven inquiry process. The identified problem of practice for this action research study was the first-grade students in the teacher-researcher classroom did not demonstrate inquiry or scientific literacy through content-centered teaching practices. The research plan presented addressed the use of scientific practices as they related to inquiry-based teaching and learning. An action research methodology was used to explore the instructional tools that increased student proficiency in two specific scientific practices: analyzing and interpreting data and …

The Impact Of Problem-Based Learning In An Eighth-Grade Earth Science Classroom: An Action Research Study, Caroline Lucinda Moon

Theses and Dissertations

The present dissertation in practice (DiP) proposal delineates an action research study designed to evaluate the use of problem-based learning (PBL) in an eighth-grade earth science class to assess the impact of PBL on student achievement. I have observed that students often struggle with developing an understanding of how the motions of the sun, earth, and moon (SEM) cause observed phenomenon on the earth. In addition, I have observed the unintentional marginalization of cisgender female students within the science classroom. The identification of the problem of practice (PoP) led to the development of the following two research questions: How does …

The Impact Of Interactive Word Walls In A United States History Classroom: An Action Research Study, Paketrice Jones

Theses and Dissertations

As a scholar practitioner, the goal is to use the most effective teaching strategies available to help eighth-grade social studies students retain the vocabulary from each unit of study and increase both their short- and long-term memories. The problem identified for this action research was that the current use of the word wall (WW) vocabulary retention tool was not successful in accomplishing this goal. Further, I observed that students were not performing at grade level on the district mandated benchmarks at the end of each quarter. Using four phases of conducting a study, I reviewed literature to discover what was …

Action Research: Implementing Restorative Practices To Improve Classroom Climate, Kyle Meetze

Theses and Dissertations

This paper describes action research focusing on implementing restorative practices (RP) to improve the climate in an eighth grade science classroom. This study utilized a concurrent mixed-methods design to determine if the use of RP, specifically affective statements and affective questions, had an impact on classroom climate. Quantitative data consisted administering the Classroom Life Inventory (CLI) to students prior to and following the implementation of RP in the classroom. In addition, a student focus group interview and a teacher interview were conducted following the implementation of RP. The quantitative data were analyzed via descriptive statistics and independent samples t-tests. The …

Solving Dynamic Addition Math Word Problems Using The Start-Change-Result Strategy, Deborah S. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was to examine the impact the Start-Change-Result strategy had on the ability level of first-grade students working to solve dynamic addition math word problems. During an eight-week period, a class of 15 first-grade students from a high poverty setting participated in this study. These students struggled with correctly answering dynamic addition math word problems in which the unknown could be in any of three positions: the start, the change, or the result even though they had the computational skills to answer these questions accurately. All of these students had mastered solving basic addition …

Student-Centered Approach Vs. Teacher-Centered Approach: Which Is More Effective For A Graduate Data Analytics Course In An E-Learning Environment?, Kyle Camac

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study explored and tested the effectiveness of using student-centered methodology within an e-learning environment for a graduate level class in data analytics at Southern New Hampshire University to enhance students’ scholastic abilities. The term scholastic abilities refers to the students’ capabilities to apply to their personal world what is being taught. Inductive teaching and learning was used in this study and the student participants were assessed on their discussion posts and final projects. The primary question in this action research was: “How, if at all, can student-centered instruction increase achievement of students within a graduate level data …

Movement Break Effects On Second Graders: An Action Research Study, Windy K. Sizemore

Theses and Dissertations

This paper describes an action research study regarding the amount of time elementary school children have to engage in movement and play during the school day. The teacher-researcher focused on using transitional movement breaks before math whole group instruction in an effort to answer the question: How do various types of movement breaks during instructional transitions impact off-task behaviors among second grade students during classroom instruction? The data results showed that physical activity related to students’ abilities to stay on-task during instruction when regularly scheduled movement breaks have been implemented as transitions. Student off-task behaviors decreased after using a physical …

The Impact Of Literature Circles On The Reading Comprehension Of English Language Learners, Madeline Fletcher

Theses and Dissertations

This Dissertation in Practice was written in response to a Problem of Practice in the high school in which I work. Close to 40% of the students in my school are Hispanic, and more than two thirds of these are English language learners. Like so many ELLs around the country, these students struggle to learn English while also keeping up with their other classes, which are not taught in their native language. Almost half of the ELLs at my school end up dropping out before graduating.

To address this problem, I undertook an action research study with the goal of …

The Impact Of Project-Based Learning On Student Learning Perspectives And Achievement In A Social Studies Classroom, Jason Brisini

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the possible impact of project-based learning on student learning perspective and achievement in a social studies classroom. American schools are in an era of standardized testing based on standards-driven curricula that only teaches basic recall and recognition. School curriculum should be focused on providing students with the skills necessary for them to be successful after high school graduation. Higher-level thinking skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, and self-direction are not easily learned with traditional, essentialist teaching methods. Students can quickly look up facts with ready access to the internet, so they need …

Self-Regulation And Self-Efficacy In A Three-Part Goal Setting Cycle, Mary Virginia Roueche

Theses and Dissertations

The researcher examined the impact self-regulation and metacognitive formative assessments had on self-efficacy through a mixed-methods design. The purpose of the action research study was to teach metacognitive goal-setting through a formative assessment framework in order to measure how students employed self-regulatory behaviors and if this affected their self-efficacy. The overall goals were to improve seventh-grade students’ self-efficacy and mental self-regulation in order to 1) discern how students are efficacious and how does it affect their output; 2) provide field-tested instructional strategies and assessment choices for the seventh-grade teacher team; 3) provide qualitative data to the school’s administrative team to …

The Effect Of The Functional Linguistics Of Mathematics Instruction (Flmi) Model On Quadratic Application Skills In Algebra, Susan Ray Burnett

Theses and Dissertations

This paper addresses a need for change in instructional practices to improve student performance in transferring of mathematical concepts to mathematical applications in Algebra 2 classes at Burdine High School (BHS) in South Carolina. The teacher-researcher has created a mathematics literacy instructional model, the Functional Linguistics of Mathematics Instruction model, which was implemented during an instructional unit on quadratic functions. A mixed methods design with an action research approach was utilized to determine the effects of this model on students’ performance on an application-based assessment. Preliminary findings suggest initial success with the model as a remedy for applied mathematics shortcomings …

The Effects Of A Gamified Curriculum On High-School Students, Joshua Kyle Bastean

Theses and Dissertations

One of the emerging trends in education is gamification, a concept that has been applied in other fields, such as business and advertising, with great success. Gamification can be defined as adding game elements to non-game constructs. This study followed a high-school Algebra II teacher and 10 of her students in an attempt to document the effects of gamification on student academic engagement. Multiple methods of data collection were used to gather data from students and teachers. After analysis, the data showed that gamification had a positive effect on student academic engagement. The results were used to create an action …

The Impact Of A Blended Learning Rotational Model On Student Achievement In An Eighth-Grade Social Studies Class, Amanda Mings

Theses and Dissertations

One of the biggest determining factors of effective education is the implementation of standardized testing as a way to access students and hold schools accountable. Some educators argue that this system of accountability has done more harm than good. Many teachers have adopted a teach to the test approach to learning as they succumb to the pressures of high stakes testing linked to performance evaluation. Many educational scholars agree that instructional practices must cater to the needs and interests of the learner in order to yield positive results. The so-called, Net Generation, learns differently from their predecessors and these students …

Towards A ‘Pedagogy Of Hybrid Masculinities’: The Effects Of Teacher-Selected Vs. Student-Selected Informational Texts On The Literacy Achievement And Masculine Identities Of Middle-Level Males, Elizabeth Coen Welch

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether teacher-selected informational texts or student-selected informational texts best contribute to literacy achievement and engagement for middle-level males and to examine middle-level males’ perception of the relationship between masculine performance and literacy practice. For the purposes of this study, literacy achievement was measured using pre-test/post-test comparison on an assessment which measured participants’ ability to determine the central idea of an informational text while engagement and the relationship between masculine expression and literacy achievement were analyzed using observational field notes and semi-structured focus group interviews. Over a nine-week period during the first nine-week …

Influence Of Application-Based Homework On Students Who Struggle In Algebra I, Charles Seipp

Theses and Dissertations

This investigation describes a problem of practice with the academic achievement of students who struggle in Algebra I by means of an action research design. Students regularly struggle academically for a variety of reasons, as described within and are frequently identified as at-risk due to this struggle. This investigation seeks to determine if the utilization of application-based homework serves to increase achievement and student engagement in a course with such significant importance for future success as Algebra I. An example of application-based would be the use of specific content outside of the classroom, such as parabolic functions to model projectile …

The Effects Of A Flipped Classroom On Student Comprehension And Perception Among Second Language Learners In A Bachelor Of Social Work Course, Beverly Wagner

Theses and Dissertations

This two phased action research study first explored obstacles to learning among second-language learners in a UAE undergraduate, social work course. This knowledge was then used in the modification of a flipped class approach to understand how this approach could influence student engagement and comprehension. This study was grounded in a sociocultural and student-centered learning theoretical framework, through first exploring the sociocultural influences and obstacles within a specific cultural context and modifying a student-centered learning approach based on this knowledge. Both phases were studied using a qualitative, ethnographic design.

Phase I sought to answer the following research questions: What are …

The Effect Of 7e Model Inquiry-Based Labs On Student Achievement In Advanced Placement Physics: An Action Research Study, Vaughn C. Vick

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation involved an action research study of the effects of 7E Model inquiry labs in Advanced Placement (AP) Physics on students’ performance on AP exam inquiry lab-based questions. The study, which is described in detail, employed a one-group, pretest-posttest design to answer the research question regarding the effects of the inquiry-based AP Physics labs on students’ achievement on AP exam inquiry lab questions as measured by unit assessments. Data collection and analysis strategies are also discussed. Sources of data included a pretest, lab reports, and a posttest. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, specifically a t-test comparison of …

The Impact Of Number Talks On Third-Grade Students’ Number Sense Development And Mathematical Proficiency, Nicole D. Gaillard

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study employed a mixed-methods design to examine the impact of a number talks intervention on the number sense development and mathematical proficiency of students in one third-grade mathematics class. The number talks strategy was also studied to determine its impact on third-grade students’ development of a productive mathematical disposition. Number sense is “a person’s general understanding of numbers and operations along with the ability and inclination to use this understanding in flexible ways to make mathematical judgments and to develop useful strategies for handling numbers and operations” (McIntosh, Reys, & Reys, 1992, p. 3). This eight-week study …

The Effects Of Peer-Revision On Student Writing Performance In A Middle School Ela Classroom, Charles Hamilton

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation in practice outlines an action research project that attempted to answer the research question: what impact does peer-revision have on students' writing performance? This question is predicated on the idea that writing instruction in middle school English-Language Arts (ELA) classrooms is not always adequate. Writing often suffers due to many reasons, and out of all aspects of writing, it is often the instruction and practice of revision that suffers the most. This research project followed Mertler’s (2014) four-phase action research process, with phases being broken down further into nine steps: identifying the topic, gathering information, reviewing the related …

South Carolina Preschool Teachers’ Perceptions And Experiences Implementing Critical Literacy In The Preschool Classroom, Rebecca Weissman

Theses and Dissertations

Critical literacy situated within a critical theoretical and pedagogical paradigm focuses specifically on exploring the sociopolitical implications of texts and challenging information rather than taking it at face value. The present study constitutes a case study that describes the perceptions and experiences of seven preschool teachers who employ critical literacy in their early childhood classroom and how their pedagogy fits within the existing themes seen in the early childhood literature. Specifically, this case study is an instrumental collective study, consisting of in-depth interviews. Through qualitative analysis of these interviews a variety of specific pedagogical methods for implementing critical literacy are …

Counseling Program Intervention For Improving African American Students’ Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics Dual Enrollment Participation, Sonja L. Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

African Americans are underrepresented at all points in the STEM pipeline from K-12 coursework into professional careers. The reasons for this underrepresentation are varied and reflect a myriad of contributing factors based on early academic experiences, sociocultural influences, and the effects of standardized testing. The three-fold purpose of this study was to implement a counseling program to inform nine African American study participants about the dual enrollment opportunity at their high school, to gain perspective about the factors which shaped their STEM disposition, and to determine the effect of the program on their attitudes about dual enrollment participation. The study …