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An Education In Democracy: Understanding And Subverting Censorship In The English Classroom, Hannah R. Woolsey
An Education In Democracy: Understanding And Subverting Censorship In The English Classroom, Hannah R. Woolsey
MSU Graduate Theses
The politicization of education has presented a challenge to offering students diverse English Language Arts instruction. Across the county, lawmakers have proposed legislation that limits discussion about race and sex or allows parents to restrict their child’s exposure to materials that violate their moral or religious beliefs. In this tug-of-war, teachers will be forced to decide between avoiding controversial topics or risking dismissal. Increasing censorship, now codified by law in many states, is rooted in our polarized political landscape, divided along cultural and geographic lines. The challenge facing educators, then, is how to create space for inclusive, social justice-oriented instruction …
Reflective Freewriting As A Strategy To Improve Pre-Service Teacher’S Physics Content Knowledge And Overall Attitude Toward Physics And Physics Teaching, Kali Ann Shoaf-Laughlin
Reflective Freewriting As A Strategy To Improve Pre-Service Teacher’S Physics Content Knowledge And Overall Attitude Toward Physics And Physics Teaching, Kali Ann Shoaf-Laughlin
MSU Graduate Theses
A pilot study conducted in the pre-service teacher (PST) physics classroom at Missouri State University sought to validate a tool for learning. A writing treatment, in which students were asked to participate in reflective freewriting exercises over the course of the semester was administered to one lab group. The Physics Attitude Scale was used to determine whether a positive impact was made on pre-service teacher attitudes about physics and teaching physics. Classroom exams and lab reports were used to determine whether or not aptitude was affected. This action research study used qualitative data to assess content knowledge and overall shift …
Creating The Pause: A Theoretical Approach To Helping Students Achieve Creative Independence, Amanda J. Anderson
Creating The Pause: A Theoretical Approach To Helping Students Achieve Creative Independence, Amanda J. Anderson
MSU Graduate Theses
This paper will detail how the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic revealed the need for a modification of our current educational best practices. This modification asks that teachers create an intentional Pause where students can spend time dwelling on content and making their own meaning before teachers intervene through scaffolding and front loading. It uses a combination of personal experience, review of best practices, and Covid-19 data to show that best practices did not transfer well during the pandemic. It will then provide evidence for the addition of the Pause as well as addressing anticipated counterarguments.
Understanding And Advancing College Students' Mathematical Reasoning Using Collaborative Argumentation, Rachel Kay Heili
Understanding And Advancing College Students' Mathematical Reasoning Using Collaborative Argumentation, Rachel Kay Heili
MSU Graduate Theses
This study explored students’ mathematical reasoning skills and offered supports to advance them through a collaborative argumentation framework in a college intermediate algebra class. The goals of this study were to make observations about student reasoning, identify specific actions to address those observations, and document student growth in reasoning as a result of those actions. An iterative analysis, mixed method study was conducted in which the researcher engaged students in responding to questions that required conceptual understandings using a collaborative argumentation framework as a tool to identify and code components of their responses—claim, evidence, and reasoning. After coding and analyzing …
Grit, Efficacy, Commitment And Career Planning, Mary Clare Newsham
Grit, Efficacy, Commitment And Career Planning, Mary Clare Newsham
MSU Graduate Theses
This current study advanced understanding of the career goal-setting and relevant goal-related attitudes to the career planning process. Specifically, this study evaluated how career goal commitment, career goal self-efficacy and grit affect career goal structures and effort. A multidimensional career goal commitment scale was developed to differentiate intrinsic (affective) from rational types of commitments. Findings supported affective career goal commitment as consequential to the completeness of career goal structures and in career-relevant effort. Also, career goal self-efficacy was found to predict career planners’ self-efficacy for shorter term performance.
Examining Attitudinal Shifts Regarding Stem Education In Primary School Students With The Addition Of Game Based Assignments, Hayden Stricklin
Examining Attitudinal Shifts Regarding Stem Education In Primary School Students With The Addition Of Game Based Assignments, Hayden Stricklin
MSU Graduate Theses
There are an estimated 3 to 4 million open job positions in STEM fields (Ball, Huang, Cotten, & Rikard, 2018; Chen, 2013), lacking qualified individuals to fill them. Graduation rates for undergraduate degrees in STEM fields average just over 430,000 degrees per academic year (National Center for Education Statistics, 2023), leaving an approximate 2.5 million positions unfilled. This lack of workers and qualified individuals is a concern for the scientific community because a lack of degrees obtained results in a lack of scientists in the field and therefore less opportunity for advancement. To address this issue, the researcher proposes a …
How A Professional Describes Reasons For Working In And Ultimately Leaving The Foster Care Field In The State Of Missouri: A Case Study, Lauren Williams
How A Professional Describes Reasons For Working In And Ultimately Leaving The Foster Care Field In The State Of Missouri: A Case Study, Lauren Williams
MSU Graduate Theses
The foster care field continues to have a high turnover rate of the professionals working in the field. While support and work balance are available for some professionals, many face the challenges of heavy workloads, unrealistic expectations, and health sacrifices that lead to many professionals leaving the field. This case study of one former foster care professional’s description of reasons they worked in the field, and reasons they ultimately left the field provides insight of the challenges and support as a foster care professional. The findings of this study are organized into three major themes including “Challenges for Foster Care …
Closeness And Conflict In The Parent-Child Relationship And Parental Self-Efficacy During Childhood, Stephanie Boekweg
Closeness And Conflict In The Parent-Child Relationship And Parental Self-Efficacy During Childhood, Stephanie Boekweg
MSU Graduate Theses
The present study examined the relationship between closeness in the parent-child relationship, conflict in the parent-child relationship, and parental self-efficacy during childhood. Quantitative data from an electronic survey on one hundred eighty-eight participants was collected. Results from a simple linear correlation indicated that parental self-efficacy during childhood and the parent-child relationship quality measures of closeness and conflict were moderately correlated. A simple regression showed that parental self-efficacy during childhood did not predict closeness nor conflict in the parent-child relationship when controlling for current parental self-efficacy. However, parental self-efficacy during childhood significantly predicted current-parental self-efficacy.
The Strong Black Woman Schema: How It Informs The Gendered Racial Identity Development Of Black College Women/Non-Binary Students And Their Navigation Of Pwis, Whitney Ngozi Akalugwu
The Strong Black Woman Schema: How It Informs The Gendered Racial Identity Development Of Black College Women/Non-Binary Students And Their Navigation Of Pwis, Whitney Ngozi Akalugwu
MSU Graduate Theses
The strong Black woman schema (SBW) is known to be a salient aspect of Black womanhood. This culturally specific schema can be understood as a protective factor against the social inequities that Black women are subjected to. However, not much is known on how the SBW schema informs Black college women’s gendered racial identity development and how it informs their navigation of PWIs. The purpose of this study is to explore the strong Black woman schema and how it informs the gendered racial identity development of Black college women/non-binary students and their navigation of PWIs. This study will also address …
Family Drug Treatment Court Program Effectiveness As A Protective Factor For Parents In Prevention Of Substance Abuse Foster Care Re-Entries: A Mixed Methods Study, Eugenia Ann Richardson
Family Drug Treatment Court Program Effectiveness As A Protective Factor For Parents In Prevention Of Substance Abuse Foster Care Re-Entries: A Mixed Methods Study, Eugenia Ann Richardson
MSU Graduate Theses
Foster care re-entry rates are high. Studies show that many foster care entries are due to substance abuse. These parents may enter a Family Drug Treatment Court Program that offers intensive therapy for the parent as well as services for the family. This study looks at the effectiveness of a Missouri County Family Drug Treatment Court Program at preventing foster care re-entry for those who graduate the program. This study uses a mixed methods research design. Caseworkers for the Missouri County Family Drug Treatment Court were interviewed. Quantitative secondary data was also obtained from the Missouri County Juvenile Office. Results …
Gender Representation In Children's Media And Preschool-Aged Girls’ Internalized Beliefs About Gender, Jessica Lindsey Kanne Atkins
Gender Representation In Children's Media And Preschool-Aged Girls’ Internalized Beliefs About Gender, Jessica Lindsey Kanne Atkins
MSU Graduate Theses
The current study examines patterns of gender representation through three categories (distribution, presentation, and stereotyped behaviors) in children’s media and how these patterns relate to preschool-aged girls’ internalized beliefs about gender. Both historical and presently available children’s media tends to display high levels of stereotypical gender representation. By preschool age, children have already developed distinctions between boys and girls, and hold internalized beliefs regarding gender. The objective of the current study is to examine the relationship between these two factors. To accomplish this, preschool-aged girls were interviewed to assess their internalized beliefs about gender. Their caregivers completed questionnaires related to …
The Impact Of Freewriting On Writing Teachers' Self-Perceptions, Katherine A. Busch
The Impact Of Freewriting On Writing Teachers' Self-Perceptions, Katherine A. Busch
MSU Graduate Theses
I present a study of eight graduate assistants who teach introductory composition courses as part of their graduate assistantships. Each participant was asked to freewrite for ten minutes a day, five days a week, for ten weeks. Participants were interviewed about their teacher and writer identities prior to the freewriting, at week five, and at week ten. Graduate assistants offer a unique perspective, as many of them are neither professional writers nor trained teachers, yet they are hired to teach writing. Using Peter Elbow’s Embracing Contraries (1986) as a theoretical framework, I determine that freewriting offered the participants a space …
Examining The Effectiveness Of Khan Academy As An Instructional Tool In A Highschool Mathematics Course, Shane C. Kreller
Examining The Effectiveness Of Khan Academy As An Instructional Tool In A Highschool Mathematics Course, Shane C. Kreller
MSU Graduate Theses
With the many educational resources available to today’s educators, it is critical that educators utilize the best options to maximize instructional time and resources. With the widespread use of Khan Academy, it is worthwhile to examine if its most well-known attribute, its math program, is effective in improving student outcomes. This study examined if the use of Khan Academy in a high school math course would improve participating student scores over the course of a quarter marking period. The researcher anticipated that participating students would experience higher math scores and increased confidence in their ability to handle covered mathematical concepts.
Project-Based Learning And Social-Emotional Learning In The Elementary Classroom: A Qualitative Study On Potential Opportunities For Student Self-Awareness And Social Awareness, Kaitlin Eileen Kilby
Project-Based Learning And Social-Emotional Learning In The Elementary Classroom: A Qualitative Study On Potential Opportunities For Student Self-Awareness And Social Awareness, Kaitlin Eileen Kilby
MSU Graduate Theses
Project-based learning (PBL) is a student-centered instructional practice, emphasizing student agency, engagement, and learning opportunities through relevant problem-solving and interdisciplinary curriculum. PBL also helps students develop academic and social skills through real-world application of their learning. It is necessary for educators, administrators and interested parties in education to understand the potential of PBL and other student-centered practices on increasing student engagement and achievement in subject areas besides sciences and social studies, such as literacy, math, and social-emotional learning (SEL). SEL is necessary for all students to have access to, as engaging with activities that increase a person’s ability to understand …
Online Speech & Debate: Should We Zoom Into The Future?, Parker E. Hopkins
Online Speech & Debate: Should We Zoom Into The Future?, Parker E. Hopkins
MSU Graduate Theses
This study uses quantitative analysis of survey responses to identify and explain individuals’ motivations for or against online Speech & Debate competition. This study used a 51-question survey to generate multiple variables to explore the issue of online participation from a variety of angles including: financial costs, feelings of community, cultural experiences, sub-community, age, familial status, role in the community, feelings of work/life balance, technology, access, and tournament or season structure. This study found that there are few single determinants for online participation, rather all the factors listed above were motivating factors, for various individuals, for various reasons, and at …
Using Music Training To Increase Social Responsiveness And Happiness In Children With Autism, Meghan Talarico
Using Music Training To Increase Social Responsiveness And Happiness In Children With Autism, Meghan Talarico
MSU Graduate Theses
Social skills are imperative for individuals’ success in their daily lives because they are applied in areas such as shared interests and cooperative work and play. This study was a replication with extension of the study on a musical treatment of social skills by Finnigan and Starr (2010). The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of musical and non-musical interventions on the sharing and turn-taking behavior of five children with autism. The participants were four boys and one girl between the ages of 4- and 8-years-old who had a diagnosis of autism and were receiving ABA …
Reducing Family Risk Factors Caused By Poverty Through Family Support Services, Aaliyah C. Williams
Reducing Family Risk Factors Caused By Poverty Through Family Support Services, Aaliyah C. Williams
MSU Graduate Theses
This study aims to determine whether preventative measures are effective if implemented while a family is in crisis, through Family Support Services (FSS), to alleviate Risk Factors, prevent family separation and ensure prolonged family stability, instead of as services to reunify a family that already separated due to a lack of resources. This study examined the Poverty Related Risk Factors of Homelessness, Single Parenthood, and Unemployment as Risk Factors that families enrolled in Ozarks Area Community Action Corporation (OACAC) Head Start experience as negative influences on child development and Family Unity and analyzed OACAC Head Start’s implementation of FSS as …
A Study Concerning Factors That Contribute To School Counselors' Self-Efficacy, Cory J. Neal
A Study Concerning Factors That Contribute To School Counselors' Self-Efficacy, Cory J. Neal
MSU Graduate Theses
Many school districts and states still require that school counselors have previous teaching experience before one can begin a career in school counseling. There is little to no data to support these claims and the data that is available does not include how the school counselor’s own previous experiences influence their self-efficacy in their current roles. The data for this study was collected through an online survey sent to school counselors in Missouri. The qualitative data was evaluated using a grounded theory approach while the quantitative data was analyzed through a series of t-tests for independent samples, with group membership …
Implementing Instructional Scaffolding To Support Secondary Students' Abilities To Write Mathematical Explanations, Camry J. Cowan
Implementing Instructional Scaffolding To Support Secondary Students' Abilities To Write Mathematical Explanations, Camry J. Cowan
MSU Graduate Theses
This study examined the implementation of an instructional scaffolding teaching strategy in the secondary mathematics classroom. An iterative process was used to implement an initial design of instructional scaffolding, reflect on its efficacy, and adjust the design as needed. The goal was to assist students in learning to write responses of high epistemic complexity, which is an indicator of the degree of conceptual understanding. A total of 94 responses written by 35 students in two high school Algebra 2 courses were analyzed for epistemic complexity. Across three iterations of the implementation of instructional scaffolding, students wrote at the highest levels …
Adult Transracial Adoptees' Childhood Experiences And Decision-Making In Forming Families Of Creation, Sarah J. Gray
Adult Transracial Adoptees' Childhood Experiences And Decision-Making In Forming Families Of Creation, Sarah J. Gray
MSU Graduate Theses
This study examined adult transracial adoptees’ (TRAs) childhood experiences and determined how specific factors influenced their likelihood to choose biological procreation, adoption, fostering, a combination of these options, or the choice to be child-free when forming their own families. These adoptees were Black, Indigenous and people of color adopted by white parents in the United States through domestic or international adoption. Childhood experiences included the TRAs’ sense of belonging, cultural socialization, and preparation for bias. The only dependent variable option predicted by a childhood experience was the preference to be child-free. TRAs who experienced higher levels of belonging were less …
Affinity-Seeking: Student Desirability And Motivation In The Classroom, Taylor D. Corlee
Affinity-Seeking: Student Desirability And Motivation In The Classroom, Taylor D. Corlee
MSU Graduate Theses
Affinity-seeking research once provided teachers with effective strategies to create an overall better classroom environment. Over the last twenty years there has been no continuation of this research and the effectiveness of these strategies seemed to be agreed upon. The purpose of this study is to bring affinity-seeking research back into the modern era and see how motivation is affected for both in-person and online classes. This study is a contribution that adds to these strategies for effectiveness in both in-person and online classrooms.
Increasing On-Task Behavior Using The I-Connect Application At Home For An Individual With Autism, John Joseph Augustine
Increasing On-Task Behavior Using The I-Connect Application At Home For An Individual With Autism, John Joseph Augustine
MSU Graduate Theses
This study assessed the effects of the research-based strategy, I-Connect self-monitoring application (Wills & Mason, 2014), with an individual diagnosed with autism. I-Connect is an electronic self-monitoring application that was utilized with an electronic device (iPad) to monitor on- and off-task behavior in the home environment. Data were collected using direct observation (e.g., momentary time sampling) for on- and off-task behavior and permanent product for academic accuracy. A reinforcement inventory was also utilized to determine highly preferred reinforcers of the participant. A single-subject withdrawal design (Kazdin, 2011) was used to assess the effects of the I-Connect application on academic on- …
Content Validity Of Aba Language Assessments In The Totality Of Skinner's Verbal Operant Theory, Taylor Marie Lauer
Content Validity Of Aba Language Assessments In The Totality Of Skinner's Verbal Operant Theory, Taylor Marie Lauer
MSU Graduate Theses
Content validity describes the degree of which a measure represents all the components of the overall construct being measured. Behavior analytic language assessments are largely based on Skinner’s verbal operant theory (1957). Three behavior analytic language assessments were utilized to measure the coverage of Skinner’s verbal behavior theory: the VB-MAPP, ABLLS-R, and PEAK. The purpose of the current study was to examine the content validity of each of these assessments coverage on the totality of Skinner’s verbal operant theory. Expressive items on each of the three assessments were compared to definitions of Skinner’s verbal operants and were coded as the …
Child-Directed Learning In Varying Contexts: An Examination Of Preschools In The Philippines, Teri J. Pardue
Child-Directed Learning In Varying Contexts: An Examination Of Preschools In The Philippines, Teri J. Pardue
MSU Graduate Theses
While it has long been recognized that child-directed learning is a central feature of effective early childhood education, the impact of culture on its implementation is only recently gaining attention. In Asian contexts specifically, previous studies have documented challenges in implementing child-directed learning styles. This study applies holistic analysis to a collective case study of six Filipino preschools, documenting and analyzing their pursuit and implementation of child-directed learning. The study uncovers significant discrepancies among Filipino preschool directors and teachers regarding the meaning of “child-directed” and “play-based” learning, and it identifies apparent cultural barriers to implementing child-directed learning more effectively. The …
Predictors Of Student Success In An Upper Division Agriculture Chemistry Class, Maddison V. May
Predictors Of Student Success In An Upper Division Agriculture Chemistry Class, Maddison V. May
MSU Graduate Theses
To attempt to find what made students successful within a higher division class at Missouri State University’s (MSU) Darr College of Agriculture, de-identified academic records of 172 students enrolled in AGR 300 - Food and Agriculture Chemistry were studied over four semesters. Deidentified data were collected and compared to final letter grade received at the end of the class using correlation coefficients, analysis of variance, and stepwise regression. Analysis of variance was used to evaluate the influence of semester on letter grade. Correlation coefficients were used to determine and evaluate relationships between the variables and final grade. Stepwise regression was …
Inviting Entry-Level Composition Students To Interact With Their Instructor Outside Of The Classroom: Influences, Trends, And New Perspectives, Alyssa K. Knight
Inviting Entry-Level Composition Students To Interact With Their Instructor Outside Of The Classroom: Influences, Trends, And New Perspectives, Alyssa K. Knight
MSU Graduate Theses
This study enters the discourse surrounding student-faculty interaction through an investigation of out-of-class interactions within an entry-level composition course. Empirical studies have found students and instructors in undergraduate courses often communicate infrequently, but most studies gathered quantitative data on interactions through student reporting. This study investigated influences on undergraduate students’ desire to interact with the course instructor outside of the classroom through the lens of both the instructor and the students. This study addressed the potential differences between students’ perceptions and the course instructor’s observations and found that the instructors’ demeanor, course content, and instructional delivery impact the number of …
Examining The Convergent Validity Of The Wechsler Individual Achievement Test - Third Edition And The Woodcock-Johnson Iii Tests Of Achievement - Form A - Standard Battery, Trent Howard Walters
Examining The Convergent Validity Of The Wechsler Individual Achievement Test - Third Edition And The Woodcock-Johnson Iii Tests Of Achievement - Form A - Standard Battery, Trent Howard Walters
MSU Graduate Theses
The Wechsler Individual Achievement Test-Third Edition (WIAT-III) and the Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement (WJ III ACH) are two commercial standardized tests of academic achievement that are utilized in many settings, including educational, research, and clinical settings. Both measurements purport to measure academic achievement across a variety of curricular areas. Both instruments yield subtest and cluster or composite scores in the modes of percentile ranks, standard scores, stanines, normal curve equivalent scores, and age/grade equivalent scores. In the current study, similar subtest and composite or cluster standard scores were correlated to determine the degree of convergent validity between the two …
Writing Through The Senses In The Basic Writing Classroom, Danielle M. Schull
Writing Through The Senses In The Basic Writing Classroom, Danielle M. Schull
MSU Graduate Theses
This study attempts to determine the impact and effectiveness of sensory writing strategies in the initial drafting stages of narrative writing when used in the Basic Writing classroom. Inspired originally by my work with English As a Second Language (ESL) students at a middle eastern international school and the works of feminist theorists, such as Hélène Cixous and Gloria Anzaldua, students use sensory experiences as the foundation for the generation of narrative content. This early draft is then quantitatively and qualitatively compared to previous work completed by the student. I found that certain populations of students, based on gender, classroom …
Using Behavior Skills Training To Increase Quality Parent Talk During A Read-Aloud, Britnea Monaco
Using Behavior Skills Training To Increase Quality Parent Talk During A Read-Aloud, Britnea Monaco
MSU Graduate Theses
Reading to children is one way to engage a child in high-level conversations that go beyond the explicit message of the book. There is a positive correlation between the amount of high-quality caregiver/child joint attention activities and language development. The purpose of this study was to use Behavior Skills Training to teach parents seven component reading skills in order to increase parents word count and quality of words read during read-alouds with their children. Results showed as parents mastered the seven reading components they increased their overall word count. Implications of these findings are discussed within the context of caregiver/child …
Transitioning From The Abstract To The Concrete: Reasoning Algebraically, Andrea Lynn Martin
Transitioning From The Abstract To The Concrete: Reasoning Algebraically, Andrea Lynn Martin
MSU Graduate Theses
Why are students not making a smooth transition from arithmetic to algebra? The purpose of this study was to understand the nature of students’ algebraic reasoning through tasks involving generalizing. After students’ algebraic reasoning had been analyzed, the challenges they encountered while reasoning were analyzed. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews with six eighth grade students and analyzed by watching recorded interviews while tracking algebraic reasoning. Through data analysis of students’ algebraic reasoning, three themes emerged: 1) it was possible for students to reach stage two (informal abstraction) and have an abstract understanding of the mathematical pattern even if …