Digital Commons Network^™

Expanding Teacher Diversity And Learning Achievements: Understanding And Supporting The Teaching Career Decision Making Of Minoritized Students, Jannatul Anika

University Scholar Projects

The purpose of this study was to explore how college students of color who are considering (or have considered) the teaching profession describe the internal and external factors that are influencing their career decision. In Connecticut during the 2021-22 academic year, 89.9 percent of public school teachers identified as White, while Connecticut’s population of students of color is more than 45 percent. This project translated the observations and experiences around the lack of diversity in the teaching workforce and aimed to understand the underlying reasons why there is a shortage of teachers of color with the goal of recommending solutions. …

An Analysis Of The Effectiveness Of Virtual Reality In Distance Learning, Rashana Weerasinghe

Honors Scholar Theses

This study focuses on the applicability of emerging technologies in education. To explore this, our research was conducted through an “Intro To Emerging Technology” course taught by the OPIM Department at the University of Connecticut. The class meets in two modalities: virtual reality environment and video-conferencing platform. Our research explores the learning outcomes produced by the different classroom environments, seeking to better understand the impact of virtual reality in distance learning. The purpose of this is to identify and predict how virtual reality will be integrated into a distance learning environment and understand if it can be used as a …

How Teachers Manage Resource Inequity In Different Educational Contexts: A Case Study & Recommendations, Elizabeth George

Honors Scholar Theses

This study explores how teachers make decisions and navigate different contexts to support their students. I investigated how teachers use agency, ownership, and learning in the positive, adaptive choices they make to achieve better student outcomes. The purpose of this honors thesis is to surface ideas about how teachers can serve students in different schools with various needs and different amounts of resources.

The research questions framing the study are as follows: (1) How do teachers make choices about how to utilize their professional support network? (2) How do teachers make choices about their instructional approach to support students? (3) …

Mirrors Of Our Own: Multiracial Representation In Children’S Picture Books, Kiana Foster-Mauro

Honors Scholar Theses

The United States multiracial population is a fast-growing portion of our population. As the multiracial population grows, so does the need for multiracial representation within books. This study analyzed the representation of multiracial individuals in children’s picture books for ages newborn-8. I identified 75 board and picture books published in the United States between the years 2009 and 2019 that feature mixed race characters. The identified texts were analyzed in a critical content analysis using a framework based upon Critical Race Theory. Through this framework, I examined how multiracial characters in the texts are portrayed, the power dynamics, and what …

Examining Diagnostic Utility Of Celf-5 Sentence Comprehension Test, Dayana Lituma-Solis

NERA Conference Proceedings 2019

In our partnership with urban schools serving large populations of students from lower socioeconomic and culturally diverse backgrounds, we have provided research-based interventions for improving the reading skills of at-risk readers in first and second grade. Our research augments the school’s response-to-intervention (RTI) while simultaneously investigating the efficacy of our assessments and interventions. Because the school we work with tends to have insufficient personnel and resources to serve all who need RTI, it is essential that our screening measures can accurately identify children who may need extra intervention. Last year we were asked to assess kindergarteners and provide an intervention …

Teacher Perceptions Of Arts Integration Into General Education Curriculum, Molly Pines

Honors Scholar Theses

In elementary schools, art is often taught as a supplement to general education, and is frequently separated from academic subjects. Traditionally, elementary school students were only exposed to art through with “pullout programs.”” (McKean & Sudol, 2010). However, incorporating arts into the general education classroom, and into academic subjects, can potentially have positive outcomes such as allowing students to . Students who learn with an integrated approach are often inspired to broaden their conceptions of the world, and themselves, and to obtain and use knowledge in an authentic way (Brand & Triplett, 2012).make authentic connections across disciplines. “A common thread …

Breaking Out From Tradition: Redesign Of Large Physiology Lecture Increases Engagement, Inclusion, And Student Outcomes, Jordyn Dickey, John Redden, Kristen Kimball

Honors Scholar Theses

The human digestive system is a diverse network of cells, tissues, and organs that is regulated by intrinsic (e.g. nervous and endocrine systems) and extrinsic factors (e.g. secretions, pH, and the microbiome). Given the volume of content and the dense physiology involved, this system is difficult for instructors to teach and equally challenging for students to understand. This is especially true in our two-semester Human Anatomy and Physiology course for pre-health students at the University of Connecticut. In the Spring 2017 semester, we developed and implemented an active learning based approach when teaching the histology and regulation of gastric secretions …

A Study Of Parent Perceptions Of Advanced Academic Potential In The Early Grades, Jennifer L. O'Brien

Honors Scholar Theses

Parents are key stakeholders in children’s education; this project, which is part of a larger study about early identification of high potential, focused on parent awareness of the behaviors that indicate high potential and the kinds of resources that would support developing academic potential in the early grades (grades K-2). This project consisted of an online parent survey and a parent workshop with a card sort component in which parents indicated what kinds of resources would be priorities. The study took place in three school districts with large populations of families from low-income backgrounds. A total of 38 parents completed …

Use Of Phonetics In The Beginner French Classroom: An Analysis Of Textbooks, Melissa B. Scarbrough

Honors Scholar Theses

Textbooks are a common resource for teachers in a variety of content areas, as such it is important that teachers know whether or not textbooks are aligned to standards and current research. This study investigates if common textbooks, reported to be in use in schools across Connecticut, are aligned to recent second language acquisition and French linguistics studies.

Evaluation Of Gifted Education Using A-F School Grading Accountability Systems, Daniel R. Arndt

Honors Scholar Theses

A recent trend in accountability systems in the United States has been grading schools on an A-F scale. Some of the evaluation components included in these systems are standardized test proficiency rates and student growth measures. Traditionally, these systems have not emphasized accountability for gifted education programming or services. The accountability systems of the sixteen states in the U.S. under these A-F systems were analyzed for indicators that involve gifted education, which does not yet have a federal mandate or centralized decision-making. The frequency of evaluation components were compared at the high school and elementary school levels. The only gifted …

Computer Lab Instruction In Elementary Schools: Time For Instructional Transformation Or Worksheet Substitution?, Julia Kara-Soteriou

NERA Conference Proceedings 2013

Lately, concerns are raised about the ways teachers integrate technology and about their students’ digital literacy skills. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate how elementary school teachers use their scheduled computer lab time. During this observational study emphasis was placed on the integration of literacy and technology and the extent to which integration supported the development of new literacies and promoted transformation of literacy tasks. The study took place in two elementary schools and included three weeks of daily observations in each of the schools. After the observations, interviews were conducted with teachers and school/district administrators.

The Effect Of Technology On A Student's Motivation And Knowledge Retention, Mark Granito, Ellina Chernobilsky

NERA Conference Proceedings 2012

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact that technology has on a student's motivation to learn new information and retain said information. The procedure involved the completion of two projects over the course of a nine-week study. One group was to create traditional storybook projects. A second group was to complete computer-based projects. A third group was given the choice of which project to complete. A pre-post-retention test, Likert scale surveys, and post project interviews were used to collect the data. The results of this study support the idea that when given the choice of project, students …

Genocide In The Classroom: How Transitional Societies Are Affected By The Quality Of Genocide Education, Leah Oppenheimer

Honors Scholar Theses

Recognized as a legal term since 1944, genocides have been an unfortunate occurrence since the beginning of world history. However, many countries have failed to properly educate students about genocides that have taken place in their own countries by either not providing accurate or consistent information about what took place or denying the genocide outright. Additionally, in many countries, relations between formerly warring ethnic groups have not improved, despite the often large amount of time that has passed since the end of the genocide. This study examines how history education, both accurate and inaccurate, has affected the current social situation …

Bar Graphs & Baselines: Student Perceptions Of Distortions In Real World Graphs, Robert K. Janes Iii

Honors Scholar Theses

It is important for every educated member of our society to be able to read, comprehend, and interpret graphs. To that end, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and the Common Core State Standards have endorsed a kindergarten through eighth-grade mathematics curriculum that is rich in data analysis and graphical literacy skills. These skills are important, as graphs in the public sphere may include certain features that can cause misperceptions of the data. Such features may be intentional or unintentional and can include non-zero baselines, representing data with extra dimensions, stretching and shrinking graphics, not displaying outliers, and …

Perspectives Of Suburban Public School Teachers On The Characteristics Of Students At-Risk For Dropping Out Of School, Michael Sollitto, Robert Gable

NERA Conference Proceedings 2011

This study focuses on a major problem facing today’s educators: high school dropouts. Numerous studies have been conducted to identify the reasons that students drop out of school and programs that may address the needs of students at-risk for dropping out of school. Literature in this area was reviewed to identify what can be learned from these studies.

Research questions addressed differences in teacher perspectives of the characteristics of elementary, middle, and high school struggling students. Differences in teachers’ perspectives based on tenure and type of teaching assignment were examined. A sequential, mixed methods approach was taken. The researchers began …

Teachers' Views Of Human Rights Education, Sarah Ann Stockmann

Honors Scholar Theses

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states that education should be "directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms... promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups." This study surveyed 53 teachers on their views of Human Rights Education, including their familiarity with the concept, their self-efficacy with teaching it, and conditions that would increase the likelihood of their teaching it. The study found that, regardless of familiarity with the topic, years of teaching experience, or school location (urban/suburban), most teachers were …

The Purpose Of Schooling: Beliefs And Practices Of Educators In British Schools, Jessica Gilleylen, Jamie Hoogasian, Rachel Hunt, Elizabeth Johnson, Amanda Kristie, Jessica Landolfi, Mark Mishriky, Tara Murphy, Lauren Preleski, Jennifer Rigano, Elizabeth Schall, Lauren Zafrin

TERC Documents

The overall purpose of this study was to explore what British teachers consider to be the purposes of schooling and how their beliefs impacted their classroom practice. The principal aims of the British National Curriculum informed this study, thus we examined teacher perceptions of schooling along a continuum, from academic to personal/social education. Research methodology included the use of teacher surveys, semi-structured interviews, and classroom observations in four different London schools (two elementary, two secondary). Each London school was ethnically and linguistically diverse and primarily served an economically disadvantaged student population. Our research suggests that overall, an emphasis on standardized …

Theme For English A, B And E: An Anthology Of Identity In Cape Town, South Africa, Noelle Elizabeth Rose

Honors Scholar Theses

This collection of poetry from grade 11 students in Cape Town, South Africa seeks to explore self-identity in South African high school students. In reading through their personal work, one can identify four ways in which these students define themselves: using self-promotion, or a display of personal strength; self-doubt, or moments of vulnerability; self-exploration, or the literary journey students take to define and explore their lives; and self-definition through social issues, or the examining of important social issues in South Africa and how they play into the lives of students. This anthology and literary analysis explores life-defining issues that are …