Digital Commons Network^™

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 …

A Case For Improved Financial Literacy Education In The United States, Nicholas Kinsella

Honors Scholar Theses

The purpose of this paper was to analyze what financial literacy is and explain in detail the shortfalls that the United States is currently facing in their financial literacy education. This paper will lay out the movement of states and colleges including more personal finance curriculum in their graduation requirements, why a financial literate population is important to topics such as managing student loan debt, retirement planning, professional development, and mental health among others. It will then conclude covering ways to improve current financial literacy education strategies with technology, experiential learning, and transparency.

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 …

Make History Accessible: The Case For Youtube, Rohit Kandala

Honors Scholar Theses

Public interest in history is alarmingly low, and this thesis aims to help reverse that trend by recommending the adoption of YouTube as history’s community tool. The majority of this thesis assesses YouTube’s merits as a suitable platform for enthusiasts and professionals alike to share their interests and thereby grow the public’s interest in history. This paper also includes other authors' sentiments on digital history and incorporates it into the argument.

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 …

Predictors Of Litter Pollution In Suburban Parks, Ilanna Gibson

Honors Scholar Theses

Very few studies have been conducted that examine litter pollution in terrestrial habitats. Most pollution studies are directed toward marine environments. This study looks at the relationship between litter found in thirteen different suburban parks in Rockland County, NY and three separate socio-economic factors of the areas in which each of the parks are found. Using linear multiple regression models, the abundance of litter found in each park was compared to (a) the median income of the people in that specific area, (b) the median home value and (c) the number of environmental programs offered in that area. Results showed …

Trials, Tribulations, And Transitions: Investigating Adolescents’ Perceptions Of Academic-Related Problems, Elyssa C. Eisenberg

Honors Scholar Theses

The majority of our pre-adulthood lives are spent in school; education is a salient part of a child's life. The current study aims to investigate adolescents’ perceptions of the academic challenges they face, and to determine if responses differ according to their age and gender. Adolescents ages 12 through 18 (N = 297) were asked to self-report a problem that they are currently facing. These problems were coded as academic or non-academic. This open-ended prompt resulted in 25% of participants reporting an academic problem, which alludes to the importance of academics in these participants' lives overall. The academic problems …

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.

An Assessment Of Affirmative Action In Business, Jordan A. Kennedy

Honors Scholar Theses

Affirmative action has become an inevitable aspect of the employment hiring process. It has been put into place to assist in eradicating the institutionalized discrimination that inherently exists in such practices. On the surface, affirmative action may appear to be something that is beneficial to both the hiring institution and the individual; it seems to be a win-win situation because the business is creating a more diverse workplace and the individual is getting a job that they desired. However, the way that affirmative action is practiced may prevent its overall effectiveness. For example, there are several fundamental flaws with this …

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 …

An Examination Of Correctional Nursing Competencies For Improved Patient Care, Bing Zheng

Honors Scholar Theses

The concept of this honors project was to explore correctional nursing competency, working closely with my advisor and the research team. Key findings from the initial competency assessment evaluation phase were compiled, organized, and analyzed. A podium presentation “Advancing Correctional Nurse Competencies for Quality Care: Evaluation of Simulation Learning and Satisfaction” was given at the 2013 American Correctional Health Services Association (ACHSA) Multidisciplinary Educational Conference on Correctional Healthcare: Ring a Bell. Additionally, a poster presentation, “Correctional Nurse Competencies: Evaluation of Simulation Learning and Satisfaction,” was given at the 2013 Frontiers conference. A poster presentation was given at the University of …

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 …

Does Gender Inequality In Education Affect Educational Outcomes?, Kevin Sheehan

Honors Scholar Theses

There is little doubt that education has a major effect on economic growth. Studies have traditionally used years of schooling (a quantitative variable) to measure education, but there has a shift towards using qualitative measures of education when trying to test the relationship between education and growth. In fact, there is strong evidence that the quality of education is much more important for economic growth than the quantity of education. The best way to measure the quality of education in a given country is to measure educational outcomes, and the best way to measure outcomes across countries is to look …

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 …

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 …

This Was Not On The Syllabus!: An Examination Of First-Year Urban Teachers' Self-Efficacy , Erica Berg

Honors Scholar Theses

Many first-year teachers find it difficult to reach the needs of all their students in part, because they feel their college coursework left them ill-prepared for the complexity they face in the classroom. This is particularly true among urban teachers who often face crowded classrooms of diverse students with a wide range of instructional needs. This study is a comparative case study of two University of Connecticut graduates during their first year teaching in urban schools. Using mixed-methods, the study draws on interviews, questionnaires, and videotape data shared as a part of a monthly teacher study group of similar graduates. …