Education Commons^™

The Impact Of Information Literacy Instruction On The Library Anxiety And Information Competency Of Graduate Students, Rodney G. Birch

Ed.D. Dissertations

Many persons enrolling in graduate programs of study do so with varying levels of research skills. The lack of research skills often results in students experiencing some level of library anxiety, which occurs most often at the outset of a research assignment. The role of information literacy instruction is to provide students with the skills necessary to define the information need, understand the resources available to fill the need, understand the process for evaluating information, and understand what it means to use information in an ethical manner. This study explored the relationship between the library anxiety and the information literacy …

Generations: A Family Ministry Curriculum, Bethany Abbott

Honors Program Projects

This Honors Capstone Project created the opportunity to create a children’s church curriculum influenced by the ideas of family ministry. The paper includes an introduction to the writer’s vision and goals, a review of literature focused on what family ministry is and why it is important, a description of the curriculum project, and the creator’s reflection on the project. The first appendix of the paper includes the curriculum elements (philosophy, theology, a two-year curriculum scope and sequence, two examples of Sunday morning curriculum and take-home materials, as well as a curriculum website design and parent event outline). An additional appendix …

An Evaluation Of The Chicago Police Department's Recruit Curriculum In Emergency Response Week Relating To Terrorism Awareness And Response To Terrorism Incidents, Mark T. Sedevic

Ed.D. Dissertations

Police recruits need to be prepared the moment they graduate from the police academy for any type of situation, especially terrorism. This study examined whether the Emergency Response Week portion of the Chicago Police Department Recruit Academy curriculum was adequate and provided Chicago Police Department recruits with appropriate knowledge of terrorism awareness and the skills necessary to respond to a terrorism incident. The results indicated that the Chicago Police Department recruit curriculum in Emergency Response Week was perceived as above adequate by Chicago Police Department recruits. Additionally, the Chicago Police Department recruits perceived their knowledge concerning terrorism awareness and their …

The Integration Of School Garden Programs Into Educational Curriculum, Annie Lowry

Honors Program Projects

School gardens have many benefits for students which include helping students make nutritious choices, encouraging students to be environmentally conscious, and providing experiential learning. School gardens have great potential to be an effective learning tool if incorporated into the classroom. The purpose of this project is to evaluate how gardening is being integrated into classroom curriculum in several schools in the state of Illinois and what factors have led to this integration. Educational professionals from seven different sites were interviewed to collect qualitative data about current integration of gardening into school curriculum. The results from the interviews confirm previous research …

Writing Curriculum And The Adolescent: Addressing Skill Variance In The Classroom, Zakieh A. Mohammed

Ed.D. Dissertations

This study addressed a means of responding to the varying writing skill levels found in the standard high school classroom. A structured writing curriculum was examined through a state, national and marketed rubric, focusing upon a high-risk high school population in Chicago, IL. The research centered around cognitive learning theory, specifically, Vygotsky‘s zone of proximal development. Additionally, to account for the variance in skill level, a new measurement tool was created to quantify rigor in relation to increasingly difficult writing assessments. The longitudinal study determined that, with extended exposure, the proposed structured writing curriculum did enable students to meet state, …

Teaching Christian Readings Of Secular Young Adult Literature, Angela R. Lee

Honors Program Projects

The purpose of this project is to empower Christian young adults to engage with secular literature adolescent literature in a manner that encourages them to grow in their faith. The project has three main components: a case study article on Christian reading practices based on their reviews of The Shack, a literature review of Christian reading theory, and a five day instructional unit plan designed to teach high school freshmen Christians to engage appropriate with secular literature.

In the case study, over 400 Amazon.com reader reviews and comments on the Christian fiction novel The Shack were examined in order to …

From Fourth Grade Slump To Fourth Grade Triumph, Maria Delsing

Ed.D. Dissertations

The Fourth Grade slump has been a phenomenon that was identified over 50 years ago and is most prevalent among students from low achieving schools. This applied research project focused on students using material that was readily available and was free or low cost to help prevent the slump. Students created inference questions, as well as other critical thinking questions, as they read the material. They also played the Set Game daily. Students in this school had historically experienced the fourth grade slump as demonstrated on the standardized tests for the last four years. The study was implemented for one …

Impact Of Two Interventions On Isat Scores In A Small, Rural School District, Vicki J. Good

Ed.D. Dissertations

This case study sought to determine the impact that an after school program and summer school program may have had on the ISAT reading scores of elementary students in a small, rural school in the Midwest. A secondary purpose was to determine if other factors may have impacted the effectiveness of the two interventions. Quantitative data indicated that the after school program had a positive effect on ISAT reading scores for those students who participated, raising the median raw score of the ISAT reading test by 2.23 points. On the other hand, there was no evidence that the summer school …

Integrating Upper Level Content With Introductory Material For Better Learning, With An Example From Mineralogy, Charles W. Carrigan, Priscilla Field Skalac

Faculty Scholarship – Geology

At the start of upper-level courses, many students have difficulty with advanced material that requires a base knowledge of essential concepts in geology and supporting disciplines, along with critical thinking skills. Students have difficulty in 1) recalling introductory course material and connecting it to deeper content, and 2) integrating concepts from supporting courses. We advocate incorporating a broadening concept review into upper level courses. Emphasis is on mastery of introductory material needed to acquire advanced concepts that follow.

Student And Faculty Perceptions Of A University Faith Mission In Courses Using Classroom, Distance, Or Hybrid Instructional Delivery Modes, Susan Esther Odell Draine

Faculty Scholarship – Nursing

This applied research project took place at a faith-based university in the Midwest. The purpose of the study was to determine to what degree students and faculty who participated in face-to-face instruction, distance education, or hybrid modes of instruction perceived that the subject university's mission was integrated into course content and instruction and to determine whether the mission objectives were applied equally to the three types of courses, as required by the regional accrediting body. Survey instruments were used to quantify participants' perceptions.

Equivalency theory formed the basis for comparing the perceptions of three groups of students and faculty--those engaged …

The Relationship Between Ministry Praxis And Spiritual Development Milestones In The Lives Of Children, Leon Marcel Blanchette Jr.

Faculty Scholarship – Christian Education

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the children‘s ministry praxis in Nazarene churches and four significant spiritual milestones in the lives of Nazarene children. A mixed method study was used to obtain statistical, quantitative results from the population and then followed up with two small groups to explore those results in more depth through personal interviews. This study compares four quadrants of children’s spirituality, the Pragmatic-Participatory Model, Media-Driven Active-Engagement Model, Instructional-Analytic Model, and the Contemplative-Reflective Model. A quadrant is one of four categories that best describes a children‘s pastor‘s ministry praxis. These quadrants are sometimes …

Weaving The Curriculum Tapestry: Modifying Upper Level Courses To Facilitate Integration Across The Geology Program, Charles W. Carrigan, Priscilla Field Skalac

Faculty Scholarship – Geology

Having observed students' frequent struggles to acquire mastery of content and skills in upper-level geology courses, we noted students fail to weave together the diverse strands that produce a well-educated geoscientist. After observing students’ struggles to keep up with new content and skills, we determined a course of action that includes application of best pedagogy based on educational research. We incorporate a technique of spiraling basic content and skills across the geology curriculum: content and skills introduced in the entry-level geology course are intentionally reviewed and referenced in each upper-level course.

Facilitating Integration Across The Geology Program: Applying "Weaving The Curriculum" To Petrology And Structural Geology Courses, Charles W. Carrigan, Priscilla Field Skalac

Faculty Scholarship – Geology

Students often encounter difficulty with advanced material in upper-level geology courses. We identified several trends that arise at the beginning of upper-level courses including difficulty in connecting introductory course material to deeper content, integrating skills and knowledge from supporting courses, and integrating material between upper-level courses. Redesigning upper-level courses, we intentionally incorporate relevant material from introductory geoscience courses into upper-level courses, such that students are re-exposed to fundamental concepts they need to master as more advanced concepts are taught.

The Internet Pyramid, Ann Johnston

Faculty Scholarship – Library Science

Many activity-based articles describe how the Internet can help develop higher level thinking skills. But these skills can be used and assessed only after students have a basic working knowledge of the Internet. This article presents a framework for teaching elementary students to use the Internet in the one-computer classroom.

The Child's Instructer And Moral Primer, By The Young Child's Friend

Rare Books

Besides the Stops and principal Characters used in Punctuation, the Figures and Abbreviations, Early Lessons in Prose; among which are some very pleasing and valuable pieces of Sacred History, and the Ten Commandments; likewise a brief selection from Baldwin's Fables -- History of the Elephant, Whale, Ant and Silk Worm, &c. &c.

Ornamented with Cuts. All which, Afford a pleasing variety for the child, are calculated to improve his morals, to give him that instruction which is suitable to his age, and to advance him in the valuable and delightsome acquirement of good reading.