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Why Teachers Stay: An Exploration Of Why Mid-Career Teachers Remain In Teaching, Jennifer K. Mccorvey Nov 2023

Why Teachers Stay: An Exploration Of Why Mid-Career Teachers Remain In Teaching, Jennifer K. Mccorvey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Much of the current literature on teacher retention centers around early-career teachers, with far less addressing mid-career teacher attrition. This research study explores the positive and negative experiences of five mid-career teachers, Toni, Sean, Susan, Debbie, and Jacqueline, explicitly focusing on the experiences that influenced their decisions to remain teaching. The participants were Teacher Leadership Academy alumni, a professional learning community in two separate Professional Development School programs. I used a qualitative case-study approach to examine the teachers’ experiences and Identity Theory as a lens through which to view the findings. Semi-structured interviews and participant-constructed timelines were the primary sources …

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Teachers-As-Designer In Culturally Revitalizing And Sustaining Indigenous Education, Joshua Colin Krause Oct 2023

Teachers-As-Designer In Culturally Revitalizing And Sustaining Indigenous Education, Joshua Colin Krause

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

Despite centuries of colonial attempts to assimilate and eradicate Indigenous ways of life and tongues through the institutions of schooling, communities, students, and teacher-designers are embracing culturally sustaining and revitalizing pedagogies to design curricula from community-driven outcomes backward. Sustaining and revitalizing curricula are place and people-specific and cannot be bought off the shelf, and research in original curriculum design points to the complexities that teacher-designers contend with as they seek community input and put pen to paper to design teaching and learning that is rooted in student identity, holistic wellness, and academic preparedness toward community ends. Research into expert teacher-designers' …

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Moments Of Meeting: 'Intersubjective Encounters' And ‘Emancipatory’ Experiences Of Individuals With (Intellectual) Disabilities In Inclusive Musical Contexts, Caroline Blumer Oct 2023

Moments Of Meeting: 'Intersubjective Encounters' And ‘Emancipatory’ Experiences Of Individuals With (Intellectual) Disabilities In Inclusive Musical Contexts, Caroline Blumer

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The purpose of this study was to explore an intersubjective framework to better understand the relational aspects of two inclusive musical programs in London, ON. I focused on mutual recognition moments, called moments of meeting (MoM), researching how they are formed and manifested while music is shared, created, or experienced within these two environments. Approaching such programs as potentially intersubjective spaces, this study investigated the impact of MoM and intersubjective experiences on the participation of individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) in music making as well as on their perceptions of themselves as subjects. Equally significant, this study looked at emerging …

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Higher Education Students And Digital Literacies: A Systematic Literature Review, Filipe Malafaia Cerqueira Oct 2023

Higher Education Students And Digital Literacies: A Systematic Literature Review, Filipe Malafaia Cerqueira

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study is a systematic literature review of digital literacies and students in higher education. It sought to identify the state of knowledge on digital literacies in higher education including what studies have been conducted in this nexus and what remains to be known. The deductive themes drew on two prominent concepts of digital literacies: the Seven Elements of Digital Literacies (Jisc, 2014), and the Charter for 21st Century Literacies (Burnett & Merchant, 2018). The review’s methodology identified 23 studies published in the last five years across 21 countries. The findings suggest that researchers demonstrated interest in discussing how students …

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Teacher Perceptions Of Reading Aloud Informational Texts To K-2 Students, Kim Cooper Oct 2023

Teacher Perceptions Of Reading Aloud Informational Texts To K-2 Students, Kim Cooper

Ed.D. Dissertations

Beginning in the 1950s, learning to read was a major focus in elementary schools. Children typically began their reading journey with listening skills. Hearing sounds for letters, then words, come to life from the pages of a book were engaging to children. One way teachers engaged students in learning to read was to read aloud to them in their classrooms. Typically, teachers in Kindergarten through 2nd grade (K-2) read aloud fiction storybooks. I conducted this basic qualitative interpretive study to research teachers’ perceptions of reading aloud informational texts to students in their K-2 classrooms. There was a gap in the …

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Elementary Teachers’ Perception Of Digital Resources Based On Student Achievement, Tanya R. Small Oct 2023

Elementary Teachers’ Perception Of Digital Resources Based On Student Achievement, Tanya R. Small

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Many factors impact teachers’ decisions about when and how to implement technology during instruction. However, a gap exists in understanding teachers’ motivations for technology integration and face-to-face instruction. Therefore, this qualitative case study explored how teachers’ perceptions of student achievement, motivation, classroom behaviors, and digital challenges influenced their decisions about using technology or direct instruction in the classroom setting. A group of 20 teachers from two southern Florida public elementary schools completed anonymous Likert-scale surveys; six teachers participated in semi-structured interviews. The findings determined via descriptive statistics and thematic analysis revealed that teachers’ inclusion of technology and traditional resources is …

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Dramatic Storytelling Develops Emergent Literacy In Efl: Evidence From The Uae Kindergartens, Ghada Yahya Alkilani Oct 2023

Dramatic Storytelling Develops Emergent Literacy In Efl: Evidence From The Uae Kindergartens, Ghada Yahya Alkilani

Dissertations

There is increasing importance of the English language for educational excellence and career success in the UAE. The early years is a sensitive period for language acquisition, and preschool age is the best time to learn English as a foreign language (EFL). Stories are a main vehicle used in early childhood education (ECE) to engage children in language learning. Although previous studies have found dramatic storytelling to be particularly effective in developing children’s emergent literacy in English as a native language, little is known about the effect of dramatic storytelling on developing young children’s emergent literacy in EFL. Also, there …

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Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Implementation Of Differentiated Instruction With Grade 3 Students In A School District In Central Georgia, Letasha Pope Oct 2023

Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Implementation Of Differentiated Instruction With Grade 3 Students In A School District In Central Georgia, Letasha Pope

Theses and Dissertations

It is a promotional requirement for grade 3 students to pass the Reading Georgia Milestones Assessment. Teachers are also expected to implement Differentiated Instruction (DI) with their students. The problem addressed in the study was to examine third grade teachers’ perceived effectiveness of Differentiated Instruction with students who must pass the Reading Georgia Milestones Assessment. The purpose of this bounded, case study was to describe teachers’ perceptions of implementing DI with grade 3 students in a school district located in central Georgia. The research paradigm that was used in this study was qualitative. This study included semi structured interviews of …

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The Impact Of Differentiated Affective Curriculum On The Asynchronous Social And Emotional Development Of Gifted Elementary Students, Michelle Koehle Oct 2023

The Impact Of Differentiated Affective Curriculum On The Asynchronous Social And Emotional Development Of Gifted Elementary Students, Michelle Koehle

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed-method action research study was to support the asynchronous development of third-grade gifted students at GWE by identifying their key social and emotional needs and determining the outcomes of a differentiated SEL curriculum. The four most significant affective areas of social and emotional need as self-reported by the participants on a quantitative pre-survey were emotion regulation, goal management, emotional knowledge, and relationship skills. Qualitative observations and exit tickets were collected to understand participants’ perceptions of the differentiated affective curriculum on their social and emotional development. Quantitative data was collected at the end of the study and …

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The Impact Of Ability Grouping On Academic Achievement In Elementary Reading, Kristi Bissell Oct 2023

The Impact Of Ability Grouping On Academic Achievement In Elementary Reading, Kristi Bissell

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT This action research study describes the impact of ability grouping on fifth-grade students’ academic achievement in reading. The theoretical framework that supported this study is embedded in cooperative learning, social learning, and social interdependence. This study used a mixed methods design to consider the following research questions: “How does ability grouping impact students’ academic achievement in reading in a fifth-grade classroom?” The study also examined the impact that reading had on students’ confidence through a second research question: “What is the impact of ability grouping as it relates to students’ reading confidence?” A third research question was examined to …

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Weathering The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Study Examining How The Lived Experience Affected English Learners, Mary Kathryn Maxwell Oct 2023

Weathering The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Study Examining How The Lived Experience Affected English Learners, Mary Kathryn Maxwell

Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly impacted many students, especially the English learners who require specialized instruction and additional support to develop English language proficiency. This study examines how the pandemic created barriers that caused a decline in the academic achievement and engagement in the learning process of sixth-eighth grade English learners in an urban district in Ohio. In this mixed-methods study, using an explanatory sequential research design, quantitative data were collected through an online Likert survey while qualitative data were gathered from semi-structured interviews, artifacts, and researcher field notes. A total of 21 participants completed the survey and interviews. The merged …

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Unveiling The Lifeworld Of Educators’ Social Justice Journeys: A Phenomenological Investigation, Maria Rocas Halkias Oct 2023

Unveiling The Lifeworld Of Educators’ Social Justice Journeys: A Phenomenological Investigation, Maria Rocas Halkias

Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this qualitative phenomenological action research was to explore the viewpoints of educators participating in a community of practice that integrates the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework with culturally responsive teaching and personalized learning. The study involved six teachers from a competitive public school district in New Jersey. Data collection methods encompassed weekly reflections, researcher’s field notes, audio-recorded sessions, and interviews. The study yielded valuable insights into organizational frameworks and learning strategies that enhance educators’ ongoing reflective practices, while also advocating for districts to allocate resources to support teachers' continuous personalized professional development. Analysis of the findings …

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A Mindful Search For Basic Writing Identities: Constellating Contemplative Classroom Pedagogies, Classroom Community Circles, And Critical Discourse Analysis In A Cultural Rhetorics Ecology, Elizabeth Edwards Weems Oct 2023

A Mindful Search For Basic Writing Identities: Constellating Contemplative Classroom Pedagogies, Classroom Community Circles, And Critical Discourse Analysis In A Cultural Rhetorics Ecology, Elizabeth Edwards Weems

English Theses & Dissertations

Many Basic Writing students have stories which are informed by traumas, othering, and marginalization. Finding pedagogies which address students’ stories, in addition to meeting academic goals, is crucial. Sometimes, students question how improving their reading and writing skills can help them navigate other areas of their education and experiences, especially their lives outside of academia. I have worked to create a kairotic pedagogy which invites students to read and write ‘the word and the world’ (Freire, 1970; 1988). Using Contemplative Classroom Pedagogies, I attempted to follow Freire’s (1992) call to make “teaching a creative act, a critical act, and not …

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An Examination Of Physical Literacy: Learning Through A Technology Integrated, Flipped Classroom Approach., Euan M. S. Frew Oct 2023

An Examination Of Physical Literacy: Learning Through A Technology Integrated, Flipped Classroom Approach., Euan M. S. Frew

Theses and Dissertations

Technology integrated, flipped classroom design offers opportunities to engage students on various levels and through meaningful ways. Introducing this learning environment to students at an early age is likely to change their motivation for learning towards physical literacy and influence their lifelong participation in physical activity. The purpose of this action research was to evaluate the implementation of a new technology integrated, Flipped Classroom in a physical education class, to increase eighth -grade students’ physical literacy at an international middle school. The following research questions guided this study: (a) How and to what extent does a technology integrated, flipped classroom, …

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Critical Literacy And Student Engagement: Disrupting The Canon In The Secondary English Classroom, Katherine Burdick Ramp Oct 2023

Critical Literacy And Student Engagement: Disrupting The Canon In The Secondary English Classroom, Katherine Burdick Ramp

Theses and Dissertations

Canonical literature is typically featured on the required texts list of secondary English classes while culturally relevant literature is frequently eschewed. Students struggle to understand and connect with the canonical literature as there are limited cultural connections that are relevant to their lives. As a result of this lack of culturally relevant literature in modern English curriculums, there has been a decrease in student engagement. The purpose of this study was to determine whether students’ engagement and their academic performance increased through the inclusion of these culturally relevant texts. Two research questions guided this study: (1) What effect does the …

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Supporting Improvement In Academic Outcomes And Self-Efficacy For Black Male Varsity Athletes, Katherine M. Currie Oct 2023

Supporting Improvement In Academic Outcomes And Self-Efficacy For Black Male Varsity Athletes, Katherine M. Currie

Theses and Dissertations

Athletics can have a profoundly positive impact on high school students and can be an avenue for the athletes to attend college. However, some athletes struggle to cope with the demands of athletics and this is especially true for Black male athletes who are already members of a historically marginalized community. The purpose of this study is to examine the support that the Academic Success Center (ASC) offers for students and its impact on their academic outcomes and self-efficacy. A mixed methods data analysis revealed three themes: positive impact on academic outcomes, positive impact on self-efficacy and student frustration with …

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English Literacy Curricula In A Sino-Canadian Transnational Education Program: Teachers’ Implemented Curriculum, Rong Hai Sep 2023

English Literacy Curricula In A Sino-Canadian Transnational Education Program: Teachers’ Implemented Curriculum, Rong Hai

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This case study explored the English literacy curricula in a Sino-Canadian Transnational Education Program that is accredited by British Columbia (BC). Underpinned by nested pedagogical orientations and critical multimodal literacies, this study focuses on how the BC English literacy curricula were implemented in three English literacy teachers’ classes. Data show that two pedagogical orientations (i.e., transmission and social constructivist) were used by English literacy teachers in the transnational education program. This study also found little evidence of transformative pedagogy in all three teachers’ English literacy teaching. The implications include missed opportunities to engage students to critically analyze and evaluate the …

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Afl Students’ Perception Of Using Mnemonics As A Strategy To Enhance Their Vocabulary Acquisition And Retention, Elsayed Elsisi Sep 2023

Afl Students’ Perception Of Using Mnemonics As A Strategy To Enhance Their Vocabulary Acquisition And Retention, Elsayed Elsisi

Theses and Dissertations

Research in the field of language teaching and learning reveals that mnemonics is one of the most effective language learning strategies for vocabulary. Researchers like Rasiban, et al. (2019); Levin (1993); Zulfa (2019); Kayaaltu (2018) suggest that using mnemonics to learn new vocabulary has a positive effect on vocabulary retention and retrieval. Research also shows however that students’ perceptions may encourage or inhibit the usage of any learning strategy depending on their perceptions of its effectiveness. Hence the importance of detecting learner perception about any learning or teaching device. Despite the above there is limited research about students’ perceptions about …

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About Dying And Death: Thanatology's Place In Medical Curriculum, Jill Dombroski Sep 2023

About Dying And Death: Thanatology's Place In Medical Curriculum, Jill Dombroski

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study explored how healthcare providers engage in advance care planning and end-of-life care conversations. The research explored what shapes their understanding and the extent to which concepts from thanatology they intuitively bring in, explicitly bring in, and maybe fail to recognize. To achieve this, constructivist grounded theory (CGT) methodology guided the design, data collection, analysis, and interpretation of the findings, which allowed for iteration across interviews and analysis with existing theories and data in the literature. The CGT design encouraged further engagement with the literature in an ongoing iterative fashion as well as with the analysis of the data. …

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Police Officers’ Perspectives On The Death Of George Floyd By Minneapolis Police Officers: A Descriptive Study, Janet Henderson Sep 2023

Police Officers’ Perspectives On The Death Of George Floyd By Minneapolis Police Officers: A Descriptive Study, Janet Henderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

On May 25, 2020, four Minneapolis police officers reported to the location where an African American man had been accused of trying to use a counterfeit $20 bill in a convenience store. After being taken outside of the store, the man, George Floyd, was eventually placed in the back of a police patrol car, after he was handcuffed. Saying he was claustrophobic and resisting arrest, Mr. Floyd was removed from the patrol car, and placed on the ground on his stomach. One of the patrol officers, the most senior officer present, and a field training officer, placed his knee on …

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Investigating Epistemic Violence In Schools Using Machine Learning (Ai) To Explore The Effects Of Culturally Inclusive Curricula On High School Students’ Racial-Ethnic And Civic Identities, Leylah M. Bighach Sep 2023

Investigating Epistemic Violence In Schools Using Machine Learning (Ai) To Explore The Effects Of Culturally Inclusive Curricula On High School Students’ Racial-Ethnic And Civic Identities, Leylah M. Bighach

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study investigated the impact of culturally sustaining/inclusive curricula (CSP/CIC) and experiences of racism in school on racial-ethnic identity, racial self-worth, civic efficacy, and activism for African American/Black, Latino(a)(x), Asian, and Indigenous youth. The effect of CIC/CSP on developmental psychological self-concepts and the impact of the public health crises occurring in 2020 on curricula and activism was explored. The effect of CIC/CSP on non-White youth from New York City was captured using an interactive web-based survey (n=155) and quantified using a branch of artificial intelligence called machine learning. Consensus narratives and focus groups (n=20) were used to follow up on …

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Extreme E-Service Learning: Remote Learning For Undergraduate Students And Telehealth Intervention For Children With Autism, Madiha S. Muzammal Sep 2023

Extreme E-Service Learning: Remote Learning For Undergraduate Students And Telehealth Intervention For Children With Autism, Madiha S. Muzammal

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Extreme e-service learning courses in higher education, in which all components of the course including the instruction and service is provided online (Waldenr et al., 2012), offer rich educational experience as well as mutual benefits to the students, community and the higher education institutes. Very few studies have examined extreme e-service learning. We examined an undergraduate extreme e-service learning course in psychology; students learned through a virtual class and provided telehealth behavioral intervention services to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Utilizing mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative measures including student observations, assignments, and self-reports) and a mixed design (single subject …

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Fostering Self-Efficacy And Autonomous Motivation To Aid In Mastering High-Order Writing Skills, Jessica Nowacki Van Denheuvel Aug 2023

Fostering Self-Efficacy And Autonomous Motivation To Aid In Mastering High-Order Writing Skills, Jessica Nowacki Van Denheuvel

Graduate Teacher Education

Students need to be able to write to be successful in school, personal life, and professional settings. In upper elementary, fourth- through fifth-grades, students shift from basic to high-order writing skills. The increased cognitive load can overwhelm students and even lead to task avoidance. Self-efficacy and autonomous motivation assist students in engaging and sustaining complex tasks. This literature evaluated fifteen primary research studies on how teachers may foster these constructs to aid in students’ development of high-order writing skills. Three strands were revealed. The first strand explored the state of writing instruction - the influence of standards-based educational systems and …

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Evidence-Based Writing Pedagogy, Patrick Misner Aug 2023

Evidence-Based Writing Pedagogy, Patrick Misner

Culminating Experience Projects

Standardized tests continue to consistently show students performing below grade level on writing tasks. This project explores the history of the issue as well as research behind evidenced based writing pedagogy shown to improve students' writing abilities. It focuses on three key strategies: integrating reading and writing instruction, providing effective feedback, and using a process writing framework. The culminating project incorporates these three techniques in a writing unit, which can be used with high school English students. Also provided are pre- and post-assessments with grading rubrics taken from previous National Assessment of Educational Progress tests that teachers can use to …

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A Study Of Behavior Issues In The Early Childhood Classroom After The Pandemic, Mari Elena Sremba Aug 2023

A Study Of Behavior Issues In The Early Childhood Classroom After The Pandemic, Mari Elena Sremba

Culminating Experience Projects

Research has shown that children entering the classroom environment after the COVID-19 pandemic are struggling with behavioral issues. Due to a lack of social-emotional skills and heightened anxiety and depression, schools are seeing children act out more violently and emotionally than ever before. With a strict focus on the findings of the importance of school readiness and play-based learning skills, this project is aimed to minimize these outbursts of negative behavior by teaching parents on how to get involved in the home and teach these necessary skills for school success. Parental involvement has shown high correlations with success for children …

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For The Love Of Teaching: Pre-Service Teachers’ Experience Of Moral Education, Anne Marie Foley Ruiz Aug 2023

For The Love Of Teaching: Pre-Service Teachers’ Experience Of Moral Education, Anne Marie Foley Ruiz

Doctoral Dissertations

Moral aspects of teaching arise each and every day, yet we lack information about how prepared teachers feel about this critical aspect of teaching. This multi-case study explores perceptions of five pre-service teachers in an elementary teacher education program in Western Massachusetts. A series of interviews explore their histories prior to the program and their experiences in the program as related to the pre-service teachers’ orientations to the moral work of teaching. Research questions address the awareness and self-efficacy of student teachers in implementing the moral aspects of teaching. Using Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clark, 2006), this study explores beliefs …

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An Examination Of Early Childhood Scholars’ Social Emotional Competencies, Monica J. Graveling Aug 2023

An Examination Of Early Childhood Scholars’ Social Emotional Competencies, Monica J. Graveling

Culminating Experience Projects

Research has disclosed valuable evidence about early childhood social emotional learning. This project investigates the recent history of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in America and the impact it is having on young learners in order to improve instructional techniques and foster SEL growth within early childhood children. SEL capabilities influence the overall well-being of young scholars in the present and the future. There is an abundance of early childhood students who lack the SEL skills needed to succeed in education and society. Positive, classroom relationships are beneficial in developing social emotional abilities. Additionally, interactive read aloud experiences and discussions are …

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Mental Health Education In Higher Education, Chelsea J. Farley Aug 2023

Mental Health Education In Higher Education, Chelsea J. Farley

Culminating Experience Projects

This project dives into the current mental health status of college students and what institutions are doing to address students steady and continuous decline of mental health. Mental Health 101: A Comprehensive Guide for Faculty incorporates suggestions from literature and theory to provide resources to faculty members when educating students. Mental Health 101 was created with the social-ecological model in mind (Bronfenbrenner, 1979) by connecting the individual student to their environment, or in this case, the college classroom. The guide consists of information about mental health such as risk factors and warning signs, coping strategies, activities, and assignments faculty members …

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Limiting Play-Based Learning In Early Childhood Classrooms: The Impact On Student Engagement, Ashley M. Lesniak Aug 2023

Limiting Play-Based Learning In Early Childhood Classrooms: The Impact On Student Engagement, Ashley M. Lesniak

Culminating Experience Projects

Research has revealed the developmental benefits and school readiness skills students gain from play-based child centered learning, yet most early childhood classrooms beyond preschool are seeing less and less play-based learning and more direct instruction of academic skills due to increased accountability put in place by reforms such as No Child Left Behind. The purpose of this project is to inform and remind teachers and administration of the benefits of play-based learning but also to create some curriculum that will integrate more play-based learning into classrooms. Currently, many classrooms do not implement play -based learning due to time, academics, and …

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Grading To Better Communicate Student Learning, Derek M. Carlisle Aug 2023

Grading To Better Communicate Student Learning, Derek M. Carlisle

Culminating Experience Projects

While the inadequacies of traditional grading have been well documented, it is still the most prominent grading system in schools today, including Kent City Community Schools. This project analyzes research on traditional and non-traditional grading systems to determine how to best assess and communicate student learning. Research confirms that, while traditional grading does have some benefits, the negative effects far outweigh the positive. And while there are a few other grading systems of merit, standards-based grading is the most commonly implemented and best meets the project goals of accurately assessing and communicating student learning and growth. The teacher in-service designed …

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