Education Commons^™

Writing To Learn: A Course Design And Educational Resources, Geoff Keston

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

Higher education students write in many courses, but often as only a small part of a class and without guidance about how to use writing to learn. This paper describes the design of a dedicated course, Writing to Learn, in which students practice many genres and study the science of learning. A focused approach to using writing as a way to learn aims to give students extensive and diverse practice, which isn’t done in many published case studies. And making ideas from psychology, neuroscience, and the theory of pedagogy a part of the course content shows students why and how …

The Impact Of Station Rotations In 2nd Grade Reading, Rebecca Draayer

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Selecting a classroom approach which engages students and prepares them for success can be challenging for teachers. Educators have to take into account resources available for instruction as well as the demographics of their classroom. This action research study followed second grade students over a four-month period in a reading classroom that utilized the station rotation approach of blended learning. The reason for selecting the station rotation model of blended learning was to improve students' reading scores. It was a goal of this action research to see if a more active approach to teaching would help improve student reading skills. …

Educating For Global Competence: Co-Constructing Outcomes In The Field: An Action Research Project, Kristina A. Van Winkle

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Capacity building for globally competent educators is a 21st Century imperative to address contemporary complex and constantly changing challenges. This action research project is grounded in positive psychology, positive organizational scholarship, relational cultural theory, and relational leadership practices. It sought to identify adaptive challenges educators face as they try to integrate globally competent teaching practices into their curricula, demonstrate learning and growth experienced by the educators in this project, and provide guidance and solutions to the challenges globally competent educators face. Six educators participated in this three-phase project, which included focus groups, reflective journal entries, and an exit interview. Data …

A History Of Distrust: How Knowing The Law Impacts African American Males' Perceptions Of Police Encounters, Glynell R. Horn Jr.

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

From its inception American Law Enforcement was built from a racially motivated system in which African Americans were subject to discriminatory treatment. Unfortunately, that treatment still persists in modern day policing, which is highlighted by the deaths of Eric Garner and George Floyd to name a few. There is no surprise that law enforcement needs to improve trust with the African American community; however there is a dire need for a new approach. This study is unique because unlike previous research this study focuses solely on African American males that reside in disenfranchised communities that are most at risk for …

Promoting Learner Agency Through Critical Pedagogy In The English Language Classroom, Susan Zyphur

School of Leadership and Education Sciences: Student Scholarship

In this self-study action research project, I explored how students exercised agency and how it may be affected by a critical pedagogy approach in a community college English as a Second Language (ESL) setting. The participants were adults enrolled in an advanced ESL course in a community college in the greater San Diego area. Students engaged in three dialogic circles as part of a needs assessment dialogue and two successive critical pedagogy dialogues. Data were collected using a classroom observation protocol (supported by audio recordings of the dialogues), student writings in response to journal prompts, and an analytic journal which …

The Impact Of Physical Activity Breaks In The Classroom, Ryan Iverson

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this action research study was to determine the relationship between physical activity breaks and their impact on student achievement and behavior. The participants included 30, eleven and twelve-year-old students, who attended a public school in the north suburbs of MN. Students participated in 5-10-minute physical active breaks in health class during a 6-week trial period. Data was collected through the use of summative assessments, student surveys, and an observational behavior chart. The study found that implementing physical activity breaks in the classroom can have a positive impact on students’ academic achievement and behavior. The researcher recommends further …

Gamification Of The Classroom: Seeking To Improve Student Learning And Engagement, Kyle Iverson

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to find how gamification of the classroom would affect middle school students in a northern suburban school district in Minnesota. This work was designed to find if student proficiency would increase because of gamification and if students would become engaged with the classroom material due to its implementation. Using three classes taught in this new setting and two classes taught in the standard of past years, test scores were measured and studied to find significant changes along with a survey to the gamified classes about their experience regarding engagement. The study found that …

Growth Mindset In Physical Education, Kyle Herber

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Growth mindset continues to be a popular topic of conversation in the field of education. The purpose of this study was to observe and analyze the impact growth mindset intervention can have on student’s performance as well as their self-efficacy in physical education. This study took place in an elementary school in the northwest suburbs of Minneapolis, using four different 4^th grade classes. For this study, the author collected data in the form of pre- and post- Likert scale surveys as well as pre- and post- presidential fitness tests. Classes were randomly selected to receive growth mindset intervention or …

Flexible Seating Influencing Student Engagement, Samantha Burgeson

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This action research project was conducted to determine how much seating options can affect the engagement of students in the classroom and if students are able to identify which seating options help them stay engaged. Students were exposed to a variety of different seating options and allowed to explore each one. Students took a survey to show which seating options they believed helped them stay engaged the most in the classroom. The data collected through the survey suggests that students are engaged in traditional and nontraditional seating options. The engagement levels depend upon the individual student.

The Implications Of Action Research For Literacy Instruction, Kathi Lippert, Cassie Bailey

Faculty Scholarship – Education

Action research is an ongoing, cyclical process in which the teacher has the autonomy and authority to make significant change in his or her classroom. The word research, however, may intimidate the novice researcher. It is important to remember that action research is not as formal as traditional research as it is conducted for a shorter duration, allows for more flexibility, and usually includes qualitative and quantitative data. This type of research enables the practitioner to make effective changes in literacy instruction. In action research, reflections drive inquiry, and the results of which, positive or negative, fosters insight into the …

Service-Learning With Young Students: Validating The Introduction Of Service-Learning In Pre-Service Teacher Education, Nancy M. Arrington

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

Founded on experience as a practitioner and teacher action-researcher in an elementary school setting, the author shares this study as a validation for introducing the methodology of service-learning in teacher preparation programs. Multiple methods were used in this action research to analyze the effects of participating in a service-learning experience on the self-effi cacy for self-regulated learning of a class of third-grade music students as they participated in an intergenerational project—sharing music and writing with residents in a local nursing home.

The quantitative data included the results from the Children’s Self-Effi cacy Scale (Bandura, 2006) and progress rating scales administered …

Politics And Action Research: An Examination Of One School’S Mandated Action Research Program, Ryan Flessner, Shanna Stuckey

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

Action research has been shown to empower educators, create lasting changes in schools, and have an impact on student learning outcomes. Given these positive results, many school leaders are beginning to mandate the use of action research within their schools. While some in the field have warned against mandating action research, there is little research examining the effects of doing so. This study examines the mandated school-wide action research program at Fieldstone Elementary. While some results align with the action research literature (importance of collaboration, necessity of time to conduct action research, etc.), this article also examines the political tensions …

Exploring Supports Provided For Student Eportfolio Development In A Professional Development Context, Muireann Okeeffe

Articles

This small scale study aimed to explore and establish if support strategies implemented to enhance student ePortfolios were helpful to students and to identify useful ways of supporting ePortfolio development with future cohorts of students. This action research study was informed through focus group discussion and individual interviews with students.

The importance of reflection for the development professional practice and of creative abilities is discussed. The substantial benefits of creativity within education are investigated and characteristics of creativity that might be developed with students’ ePortfolios are revealed. Specifically this paper seeks to foster Crafts (2011) four characteristics of creativity, pluralities, …

Practical Strategies For Facilitating Classroom Teachers' Involvement In Action Research, Deborah Sardo-Brown, Lesley A. Welsh, David L. Bolton

Educational Foundations & Policy Studies Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.