Digital Commons Network^™

Motivation, Learning Strategies, And Language Competency In A Technology Facilitated Chinese As A Second Language Classroom, Xiongyi Liu, Lih-Ching Chen Wang

Chinese Language Teaching Methodology and Technology

The present study examines the effectiveness of a game-based mobile technology application Kahoot on the motivation and language competency of high school student learning Chinese as a second language, and the relationship among student motivation, learning strategy use, and language competency in such a technology-facilitated classroom. Data was collected using pre and post surveys from a class of 18 students taught by a teacher candidate in a Chinese teaching licensure program at a state university. The results indicate significant student improvements in two areas of Chinese language learning: reading and speaking, though no significant difference was found in the areas …

Bridge Over Troubled Water: Creating An Ecology Of Transformative Care For Students At Risk Of Their Promise, Cherina O. Betters

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The teacher-student relationship is multidimensional and fluid. This is especially true for students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Educational leaders in the public school setting cannot control which students enroll at their school sites. The only thing teachers, as educational leaders in K-12 public education, have complete control over is the environment they create in their classrooms. Among those student groups most reflecting few gains on state and federal reports of proficiency data are students who typically come from backgrounds besieged with challenges or from historically underserved and marginalized communities. In this transcendental phenomenological study, the phenomenon investigated was how …

The Effects Of Pair-Programming In A High School Introductory Computer Science Class, Ken Manship

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The following describes my research into pair-programming in a high school introductory computer science class. Research exists that shows the benefits of pair-programming in industry and post-secondary education. For example, in industry, well respected programmers often prefer pair-programming to a more individual approach and often produce better solutions. Furthermore, in post-secondary education, students show higher academic achievement and rely less on staff and instructors when paired with another student. There is not much research that investigates pair-programming in high school.

From January 2017 to March 2017 I explored the effect of pair-programming on my Exploring Computer Science class at Ridgevue …

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 …

From Deficit To Diversity: How Teachers Of Recently-Arrived Emergent Bilinguals Negotiate Ideological And Pedagogical Change, Laura Ascenzi-Moreno

Publications and Research

Although the number and diversity of emergent bilingual students is rising, this population is viewed as homogeneous rather than vibrant and eclectic. This case study explores how two secondary English as a New Language (ENL) teachers uncover the diversity of their recently-arrived emergent bilingual population through implementing translanguaging pedagogy, a strength-based vision of student language development. The findings indicate that teachers’ shifts in how they conceive of their students are intertwined with meaningful pedagogical changes.

Meeting The Needs Of Teachers As Whole Learners, Amanda Lea Britt

Theses and Dissertations from 2017

This exploratory study investigated the applicability of the Whole Child/Whole Learner concept to the teaching profession. Utilizing open-ended questions on a web-based questionnaire that was completed by secondary-level teachers throughout Arkansas, this pragmatic qualitative inquiry obtained information about teachers’ experiences in, and attitudes toward, the teaching profession. The constant comparative method was used to analyze participants’ responses to open-ended questions; patterns and themes that emerged through the data were then examined through the lenses of the five tenets of the Whole Child/Whole Learner approach. Of the five, ‘safe’ was the tenet that arose least frequently in participants’ responses. ‘Healthy,’ ‘engaged,’ …

Girls’ Primary And Secondary Education In Malawi: Sector Review: Final Report, Sally Robertson, Elizabeth Cassity, Esthery Kunkwenzu

Dr Elizabeth Cassity

Enhancing girls’ access to high-quality education is a global priority that is articulated in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is also a national priority in Malawi. The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) was contracted by UNICEF, to conduct an education sector review of girls’ primary and secondary education in Malawi. The review aimed to: outline the current context and challenges relating to girls’ education in Malawi; identify the key factors contributing to gender inequalities in educational access and outcomes; provide an overview of the policies and strategies currently in place to enhance girls’ education; provide recommendations to help …

Steam Curriculum: Arts Education As An Integral Part Of Interdisciplinary Learning, Taryn Tenaglia

Graduate Education Student Scholarship

This research project contains an extensive exploration of a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) approach to curriculum and instruction. STEAM is continually growing as an educational model in transition from the STEM educational (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) model. The research is a response to a two-fold problem in education: a lack of preparation for future leaders in careers that require innovative-thinking and a need for advocacy for the arts in public education. The literature review provides an expansive look at the present information available on STEAM frameworks, programs, curricula design, and teaching practices. Four emergent themes are …

Girls’ Primary And Secondary Education In Malawi: Sector Review: Final Report, Sally Robertson, Elizabeth Cassity, Esthery Kunkwenzu

Monitoring Learning

Enhancing girls’ access to high-quality education is a global priority that is articulated in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is also a national priority in Malawi. The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) was contracted by UNICEF, to conduct an education sector review of girls’ primary and secondary education in Malawi. The review aimed to: outline the current context and challenges relating to girls’ education in Malawi; identify the key factors contributing to gender inequalities in educational access and outcomes; provide an overview of the policies and strategies currently in place to enhance girls’ education; provide recommendations to help …

Self-Efficacy Sources And Academic Motivation: A Qualitative Study Of 10th Graders, Salina K. Bryant

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The NAEP (2016) report shows that the performance of the country’s highest achievers is increasing in reading while the lowest-achieving students have lower scores than previous reports and are performing worse than ever. Not only are these students expected to succeed academically, these students must know how to problem solve, work in teams, and be creative. The longstanding issue of how to motivate students is not new. Motivation consists of the factors that stimulate the desire to attain a goal. Self-efficacy is defined as the belief in one's capabilities to carry out, organize and perform a task successfully (Bandura, 1997). …

A Case For Collaboration: A Manual For Bringing The Collegiate Tutoring Model To The High School Level, Veronica A. Beaupre

Honors Theses

Colleges across the United States have peer tutoring centers designed to support diverse student bodies in their efforts to learn. At the surface level, peer tutoring provides tailored one-on-one instruction that meets the varied learning needs of a large learning community. In addition, peer tutoring has been shown to benefit not only the tutees coming to the center for assistance, but also increase the performance of tutors and change the learning culture of the rest of the learning community. As a powerful resource, the collegiate peer tutoring center model would greatly benefit high schools across the United States, who also …

Creating Confident Writers: Implementing Writing Portfolios In A Secondary-Level Language Arts Classroom, Julia Smagacz

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This paper explores the implementation of a writing portfolio project in secondary-level English Language Arts classrooms. In addition to defining the project and describing its potential parameters, this paper describes goals and strategies that educators may use to implement this project, using research from multiple school district curricula and reputable state education resources. The paper includes testimonies from four current high school English teachers, in which each teacher details his or her experience with the writing portfolio. The teachers also provided feedback on the importance of writing and the writing process in general. Also included in this paper is a …