Digital Commons Network^™

The Rise And False Of Confederate Monuments, Julia M. Hamilton

Museum Studies Theses

Removing Confederate monuments in the United States has caused a racist, violent, and deadly backlash. Those who are against removing Confederate monuments make claims that doing so is erasing history and culture. This thesis argues that removing these monuments corrects history because Confederate monuments are not historically accurate. Factual historic evidence is provided as well as literature to support this claim. Case studies are provided that explore different institutional responses to racist Confederate monuments and problematic museum displays. This paper explores the responsibility that historic public spaces must ensure accurate information is available to the American public.

A Comparison Of M&T Bank And Citizens Bank Net Income Changes During The Coronavirus Pandemic, Alex R. Glasier

Applied Economics Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic had a tremendous impact on every aspect of life, particularly within the world of banking & finance. All banks saw sharp drops in their stock prices and net income, but my hypothesis is that larger, more established banks maintained more stability during 2020 than smaller banks. This paper analyzes the income statements and balance sheets of M&T Bank (an older, more well-established bank) and Citizens Bank (a less-established bank) during this difficult time.

The first part of my thesis describes similarities and differences between M&T Bank and Citizens Bank. I explain how these similarities and differences may …

Does Playing Math Games Improve Students’Attitudes Towards Mathematics?, Megan E. Lipovsky, Beverly A. Brennan

International Graduate Program for Educators Master's Projects

Abstract

In the last few years, math games have been introduced in the classroom as a way for students to have a fun and engaging means to practice math concepts. The purpose of our research was to understand the effects on students’ attitudes towards math after math games have been implemented into the curriculum. The questions we asked were:

1. Does playing math games help improve students’ attitudes towards mathematics?

2. Does the enjoyment of math correspond with higher math scores?

We used multiple surveys to conduct our research and collect data. The surveys were given to third and fifth-grade students at …

Distance Learning Effects On The Early Elementary Student's Socio-Emotional Development And English Acquisition, Alejandra Irene Escamilla Saldaña, Luisa Fernanda Quintanilla Herrera, Margarita Coronado Fernández

International Graduate Program for Educators Master's Projects

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted all schools throughout the world. Because of this experience, student’s learning may have been affected. This study sought to find if there could have been an effect in student achievement and development after a year of distance learning. Specifically, does an ELL student’s english acquisition, self-regulation and social skills scores lower after a year of distance learning? If there is a negative impact, do these lower scores get bridged to meet expectations after a year of in-person instruction and intervention? In this study, 16 teachers from PK to 2nd grade at ASFM in Monterrey, Mexico were …

Social Media, Anxiety, And Reading Achievement In Elementary Students, Mercedes Villarreal Hinojosa, Viviana Elizondo Marcos, Maria A. Julian Quintanilla

International Graduate Program for Educators Master's Projects

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between perceived social media usage, academic achievement in reading, and anxiety. This study looked at a second grade classroom in ASFM consisting of 21 bilingual Mexican students, 11 boys and 10 girls. Perceived social media usage was measured using a survey, academic reading achievement was measured using Fountas and Pinell reading levels and anxiety was measured using the Children’s Test Anxiety Scale (CTAS) by Wren and Benson (2004). Each variable was then analyzed on its own through the use of descriptive statistics and bar graphs; then, each dependent variable was …

The Effect Of The Pandemic On Nursery Students’ Personal And Social Development, Viviana Zertuche, Cordelia De La Garza

International Graduate Program for Educators Master's Projects

The purpose of this research was to understand the effect of the pandemic and online learning on nursery students’ personal and social development. Specifically, the study was done to determine how distance learning impacted nursery students' ability to: (1) persevere, (2) restrain impulsivity, (3) work independently, and (4) participate actively in the whole group activities. The research was conducted with a sample of 450 nursery students from the American School Foundation of Monterrey (ASFM) in Mexico. It consisted of a causal-comparative design in which three generations of nursery students (150 students per generation) were compared: the 2019-2020 generation who coursed …

Does Macroalgae Invasion Alter Macroinvertebrate Or Macrophyte Communities In Wetland Habitats?, Alexander Krest

Great Lakes Center Masters Theses

Macroinvertebrates play an important role in maintaining ecosystem functionality. Processes such as nutrient cycling, and primary productivity are directly linked to macroinvertebrates and their value as a food source for higher trophic levels is undeniable. Therefore, disruptions to co-evolutionary adaptations between macroinvertebrates and native macrophytes remain a concern. This study investigated patterns in macroinvertebrate richness, abundance, and functional feeding group representation, as well as plant richness and total biomass across five sites in upstate New York with varying dominance by the non-native macroalgae, Starry Stonewort (Nitellopsis obtusa).

As N. obtusa proportional biomass increased, other plant community biomass declined at two …

Does Participation In Extracurricular Theatre Productions Influence Emotional Wellbeing?, Francis V. Sada Gutiérrez

International Graduate Program for Educators Master's Projects

The purpose of this study was to research whether or not participating in extracurricular theatre productions had an impact on the emotional wellbeing of students in middle and high school. Students involved in extracurricular theatre productions during the 2021-2022 school year were surveyed and asked to rate their level of confidence, self-esteem, among others. They were also asked open-ended questions regarding their experience in the theatre department and the learnings or benefits they perceived to have gained as a result. The multiple-choice questions showed data ranging from students claiming they were very confident to not confident at all, but the …

The Significance Of Abolitionism And The Underground Railroad, In The Buffalo Area, 1840-1860, Timothy J. Nixon

History Theses

The movement to end slavery is commonly known as the abolitionist movement. As a city located next to the Canadian border, Buffalo was a major route on the Underground Railroad. Sadly, when researching abolitionism and the Underground Railroad, national research seems to gloss over Buffalo. If Buffalo makes an appearance in national history books on this topic it is usually only a mention of being an Underground Railroad route into Canada. If historians mention Upstate New York, they usually focus on Frederick Douglass’s home of Rochester. Using the accounts of abolitionists, fugitive slaves, newspapers, community activists, and guest speakers, it …

Can Listening And Performing Music Reduce Stress In The Classroom During The Pandemic?, Francisco Moreno Jr.

International Graduate Program for Educators Master's Projects

This research searches into the questions of whether listening and performing music can have an impact on stress during the pandemic. Over 200 participants were in this study and most of the students were attending the American School Foundation in grades 2 and 3. Both qualitative and quantitative data was collected to show sentiment of how music affected the moral and reduced stress in both the homeroom classroom and music classroom. Findings through the data proved to be proved to be show a trend of a general sentiment of happiness when performing music. Overall, this study could serve as a …

The Correlation Between Phonological Awareness, Phonemic Awareness, And Phonics Skills And Effective Readers In First Grade., Olivia N. Didio

International Graduate Program for Educators Master's Projects

The purpose of this study was to get insight related to the literacy instruction and the connection between phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, and phonics for fluent reading. The research includes examinations of students' prior knowledge of phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, and phonics decoding skills, along with their ability to read grade level text. Students received daily instruction in literacy through modified Lucy Calkins’ Units of Study in reading, writing, and phonics. Some adaptations and supplemental resources were used to support this curriculum. As the data was collected the instructor made adjustments to the instruction to fill gaps in phonological awareness, …

Multiple Intelligence Theory Activities In The Middle School English As A Second Language (Esl) Classroom And The Impact On Student Perception And Engagement, Allison M. Horner

International Graduate Program for Educators Master's Projects

In 1983, Howard Gardner published his Theory of Multiple Intelligences and detailed seven distinct intelligence areas. He extended his theory into the classroom and asserted that every student has their own unique gifts and talents which they bring to the classroom. Despite these contributions to pedagogy, schools continue to mainly focus on teaching curriculum standards concerned with matriculating pupils to the next grade level or getting them ready for the next standardized test.

Authentic educational experiences accommodated to student needs are infrequently used in the modern classroom. Educational institutions largely cater to verbal-linguistic and mathematical intelligence profiles, despite many students …

The Impact On Student Learning Outcomes And Mastery Of The Unit When Guided Feedback Is Added To The Instructional Design, Majida Timimi

International Graduate Program for Educators Master's Projects

Providing feedback after an assessment is a method used to communicate to students that the desired learning outcomes of a unit taught have been met or not. Typically, feedback provided to students is brief and not integrated in the lesson plan. With the disruption that COVID-19 pandemic brought to teaching and learning in educational institutions during the 2020-2021 academic year, there was a gap in the learning outcomes being met by the majority of the students. In this Action Research, I investigated the role feedback had in achieving the desired learning outcomes and mastery of the unit by integrating Guided …

Examining The Experiences That Motivate High School Students To Read For Leisure, Umair Farooq

International Graduate Program for Educators Master's Projects

In my role as a high school principal, I feel that reading is an essential tool for gaining a better grasp of the world around us and enhancing one's academic skills. As is the case with many others in my area, and before starting this research, I was worried about the decline in motivation to read for leisure that generally begins in the high school years (Brozo et al., 2014). Students' enjoyment of reading can be stifled by schools' use of forced reading practices, the selection of texts that do not match their identity, and a lack of knowledge of …

'Code Red' In The English Language Arts Classroom: How Turkish Grade 9 Students Respond To Climate Change And Climate Change Education, Toby-Alan Ray

International Graduate Program for Educators Master's Projects

Climate Change is fast becoming one of the most important issues for humanity to address. Education must clearly play a key role in creating future generations that understand the causes, impacts and solutions to this problem so that they can ameliorate the impacts and adapt.

One area many studies disagree on is whether climate change knowledge translates into pro-environmental behaviour or not, and whilst several studies point out that the topic benefits from being taught in a cross-curricula fashion, so that sociological as well as scientific ideas can be appreciated together, the suitability of the ELA classroom to the topic …

Strike At The Museum: A Report On Museum Labor Unions, John F. Connelly Iv

Museum Studies Theses

At a time of decline in American labor unions, museums have been an outlier. This recent trend has swept through America regarding museum labor and their desire for union representation. This thesis examines the recent increase in museum employees to unionize, explore recent successes, and outline perceived benefits of union representation. Critiques of not having a voice in the workplace, unfair wages, and calls to acknowledge social injustice have all served as catalysts to museum workers unionizing. Museum work consists of several responsibilities concerning stewardship, education, and public outreach. One often overlooks the function of museum employees since visitors often …

How Neurodiversity Centered Museum Education Within Art Museums Can Benefit Children With Adhd And Autism Spectrum Disorders, Maria I. Johnson

Museum Studies Theses

Within the last twenty years, many major museums have made an effort to be seen and operate as pillars of their communities. They have begun shifting their organizational standards to be more inclusive and accessible to marginalized communities. When looking at the educational practices of modern art museums, there is undoubtedly a common standard of educational programs. While this formula has worked for many, there is a community that has voiced the need for a change. The neurodivergent community, which developed within the last two decades, should have access to art museum education in an accessible way. The following thesis …

Parent Perceptions Of Elementary General Music Instruction, Hali Shepard

Music Education Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore parent perceptions of elementary general music instruction. This was a qualitative, multiple case study (Fraenkel & Wallen, 2009) in which the perceptions of elementary general music were gathered from a parent from each of the three geographical areas (rural, urban, and suburban) within Western New York. This study sought to determine how parents perceive elementary general music, as well as what types of perceptions of elementary general music exist in all geographical areas (i.e., rural, urban, and suburban districts).

Spatial And Temporal Analysis Of Big Dataset On Pm2.5 Air Pollution In Beijing, China, 2014 To 2018, Hutong Fan

Great Lakes Center Masters Theses

Air particulate matter (PM_2.5) pollution is a critical environment problem worldwide and also in Beijing, China. We gathered five-year PM_2.5 contaminate concentrations from 2014 to 2018, from the Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center and China Air Quality Real-time Distribution Platform. This is a big dataset, and we collected with crawler technology from Python programming. After examining the quality of the recorded data, we determined to conduct the temporal and spatial analysis using 27 observation stations located in both urban and suburb area in the municipality of Beijing. The big dataset of five-year hourly PM_2.5 concentrations was …

Examining The Effects Of Annotating Text Strategies With Eighth Grade Students, Clare Low

International Graduate Program for Educators Master's Projects

With the ever increasing developments in technology, many question what it means to teach the skill of reading in such an unprecedented digital age. Not since the conception of the printing press have we seen such rapid changes in literacy and therefore the question of whether reading can be taught using a digital medium in order to equip learners with skills needed for the 21st century is a common discussion in the education field among educators and institutions. It is correct to say that this new era has drastically changed reading practices and behaviours towards reading as younger generations have …