Education Commons^™

Explicit Inclusion Of Fun In Instruction As A Catalyst For Academic Success, Kimberly Tyskiewicz

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Low graduation rates, rising drop-out rates, and increasing apathy and disengagement in learning has prompted the need for new strategies and interventions in education. This case study provides an analysis of the perceptions of high school teachers related to the impact of the explicit, intentional inclusion of fun in direct instruction. The participants included approximately 20% of the faculty in a semirural high school of approximately 1,325 students. The case study involved individual interviews with half of the participants and the other half participating in a focus group conversation. Six participants in each group were observed. All comments and concepts …

Teacher Influence On Motivation Of Korean Efl University Learners, Marie Willyard

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Abstract

This study took place in South Korea over a four-week period in the first semester of the academic school year and focused on how professors influence the motivation of Korean EFL university students. Through faculty meetings, participants were able to share their ideas, trials and tribulations, and learn more about how teaching style and motivational techniques can be utilized to create or maintain the motivation level of their students. Participants noted that a more fluid teaching style, and techniques that create a fun and exciting environment are instrumental in motivating students. However, there is a fine line between motivating …

A Reason To Read: Discovering A Purpose For Books Through Play, Sara Russell Dewey

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Children need desire and motivation to learn. This study examines the responsive, child- centered teaching practices of a reading and literacy specialist as she helps a student, with low motivation for reading, find a reason to want to read. Although her student is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and aspects of autism come up in this study, the focus here is not on teaching children with autism. Since no two children with a diagnosis present similarly, teaching to a diagnosis is not individualized or sensitive enough to meet the educational and emotional needs of a student. Instead, teachers must …

Exploring Emirati Ninth Grade Students’ Use Of Edmodo In Learning English: A Mixed-Method Study, Amna Hamad Al Nuami

Theses

This mixed-method study is aimed at exploring the use of EDMODO by Emirati ninth grade female students (n = 97) who are studying English as a second language. In the first phase of the study, quantitative data were collected by using a questionnaire. Additionally, from the original pool, a subset of students (n = 11) were interviewed with regards to EDMODO usage in the classroom. The findings from this study revealed that ninth-grade students found EDMODO to be first and foremost an interesting and joyful learning experience; Second, they also reported it is an efficient platform for …

The Relationship Between Mindset And Motivation In An Alternative School Mathematics Classroom, Jo Ellen Dowdy

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was to determine the impact of a Khan Academy growth mindset lesson plan on the motivation of at-risk ninth grade students in a mathematics classroom. Data were collected for quantitative analysis of students’ self- reporting of perceptions pertaining to mindset beliefs before and after a mindset intervention and perceptions about motivation in the mathematics classroom. Analysis revealed there was no relationship between mindset and motivation. A minimal decrease in fixed mathematical mindset was determined after a Khan Academy mindset intervention. Increases were found in students’ beliefs in the importance of math, the usefulness …

What Is The Impact Of Utilizing An Authentic Study Of An Author’S Life And Literary Works To Increase Students’ Motivation To Read In A Third Grade Gifted And Talented Classroom?, Cherie B. Salem

Theses and Dissertations

This Dissertation in Practice (DIP) utilizes action research methods to answer the question of: What is the impact of utilizing an authentic study of an author’s life and literary works to increase students’ motivation to read in a third grade gifted and talented classroom? Through intentional questioning and inquiry, the following Chapters provide justification of the Problem of Practice (POP), why students who have the ability or will to read, do not have the motivation or desire to read. Does this negative attitude toward reading begin through literacy curriculum taught in our schools today? Literacy curricula in schools today do …