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Theses/Dissertations

MSU Graduate Theses

Education

2016

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Identifying The Key Components Of Place-Conscious Pedagogy To Help Maximize Rural Potential, Amber Marie Dlugosh Dec 2016

Identifying The Key Components Of Place-Conscious Pedagogy To Help Maximize Rural Potential, Amber Marie Dlugosh

MSU Graduate Theses

By using reflective and observational data from a rural high school English classroom's endeavor to launch a community-wide online literary magazine, this study uncovers the key components of place-conscious curriculum and instruction that must be present for benefits to transpire. Focusing on a rural, predominantly-caucasian school district, the study tracks 64 students who were enrolled in four sections of a senior-level writing course. Previous research asserts that place-conscious curriculum choices that involve student contributions to the community prove to have significant potential for rural schools. The investigator observed a significant decrease in student apathy, academic gains within the content area, …

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A Descriptive Case Study Investigating The Perceptions Of Year-Round Education, Chelsea Nicole Wallace Jul 2016

A Descriptive Case Study Investigating The Perceptions Of Year-Round Education, Chelsea Nicole Wallace

MSU Graduate Theses

This qualitative study investigated potential perceptions of educators from a Southwest Missouri school district regarding a transition from a traditional school calendar to a year-round school structure. Through semi-structured interviews, reflective field notes, and researcher observations, this study descriptively interpreted data from nine individual interviews. Analysis provided a comprehensive review of the salient themes uncovered in hope of informing the affected district and those interested in current teacher perceptions of this educational change and acting as a catalyst for further dialogue surrounding the concept of year-round education. In this study, participating educators indicated their favor of year-round education as an …

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Transitioning Students From The Area Model To The Number Line Model When Developing Fraction Comparison Strategies, Joann Elaine Barnett Jul 2016

Transitioning Students From The Area Model To The Number Line Model When Developing Fraction Comparison Strategies, Joann Elaine Barnett

MSU Graduate Theses

In this study, 21 participants (control and treatment) were examined based on differences between their abilities to use a variety of strategies to compare fractions after considering the fractions' approximate positions on a number line. A pre-post test and interviews were conducted in Fall 2015 and Spring 2016. Results showed greater gains for the treatment group than the control group in their ability to correctly estimate a fractions' position on the number line and to count fractional intervals on the number line. Even after students in the treatment group developed the ability to correctly place fractions on a number line, …

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Toward Writing Skill With A Toddler Who Is Blind Using A Braille Writer, Paige Renee Maynard May 2016

Toward Writing Skill With A Toddler Who Is Blind Using A Braille Writer, Paige Renee Maynard

MSU Graduate Theses

The topic of emergent literacy development in children younger than 36 months has not been extensively researched, while the topic of emergent literacy development in children who are blind and younger than 36 months has even less empirically-validated literature. Within the umbrella of emergent literacy lie emergent writing skills, emergent braille writing skills, emergent reading skills, and emergent braille reading skills. The purpose of this study was to understand how the presence and utilization of a braille writer in the home of a young child who is blind fits into the development of the child's emergent literacy repertoire, as part …

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Practicing Positive Coping Strategies For Managing Math Anxiety In A Secondary Mathematics Classroom, Courtney Kathleen Smith-Nelson Jan 2016

Practicing Positive Coping Strategies For Managing Math Anxiety In A Secondary Mathematics Classroom, Courtney Kathleen Smith-Nelson

MSU Graduate Theses

The purpose of this action research study was to explore student and teacher perceptions on the usefulness of teaching students to practice positive coping strategies for managing math anxiety in a high school International Baccalaureate mathematics classroom. This study used a reflective action research methodology in which students' math anxiety levels were assessed using Alexander and Martray's Abbreviated Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (1989). Students were then surveyed on their use of coping strategies for managing math anxiety, presented with a variety of positive coping strategies, and asked to rate each strategy on its perceived worth and the likelihood that they …

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Using Relevance To Inspire Engagement In Disengaged Secondary Mathematics Students, Cherie Lynn Burkett Jan 2016

Using Relevance To Inspire Engagement In Disengaged Secondary Mathematics Students, Cherie Lynn Burkett

MSU Graduate Theses

With the advances being made in technology, our nation is in dire need of a work force degreed with mathematics and science. In the past few decades, the United States has seen a decline in the proportion of college graduates who majored in mathematics-intensive subjects. If our demand is high, why is our supply decreasing? Research suggests that traditional teaching methods using skills-based curricula make it difficult for students to take an interest in a confusing topic like mathematics in which they see no immediate relevance. I have spent a semester engaged in action research taking steps to increase student …

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