Education Commons^™

An Expository Analysis Of Textbook Usage In Classical Settings For High School Biology, Kristen Bissontz

Master of Arts in Classical Studies

AN EXPOSITORY ANALYSIS OF TEXTBOOK USAGE IN CLASSICAL SETTINGS FOR HIGH SCHOOL BIOLOGY

Kristen Bissontz

Southeastern University, Lakeland FL

The classical model of education has reemerged as a viable alternative to the modern education system. Many of the disciplines taught in a classical school, program or home education scenario appear to align with the classical philosophy with the exception of the sciences. This paper serves to uncover if textbooks are the primary source in classical settings, what resources are utilized, and offers suggestions to better align with the classical pedagogy.

A small sample of classical schools and programs in a …

Teachers’ Conceptions Of Students’ Data Literacy In Life Science And Physical Science Classes, Bridget Nicole Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Data literacy in science is an evolving field of study as students need to be able to collect, analyze, interpret, and make inferences from different sources of data. Much research centers on teachers' use of data to improve instructional practices, but less focus on teachers' conceptions of student data literacy and strategies used to foster data literacy in life and physical science high school classes. Thus, there is a need to address this area as recent Georgia assessments reveal that over 50% of students are performing below proficiency level in science. Consequently, this research sought to understand teachers’ conceptions of …

Implementing Minnesota American Indian Tribe State Standard In Suburban Minnesota Ecology Curriculum, Sadie R. Spaeth

Leadership Education Capstones

The purpose of the study was to create curriculum supporting the new Minnesota Native American State Standard 4.2.2.

Discussing Yasmina Khadra’S Novel The Sirens Of Baghdad In The Upper Secondary Classroom To Promote Intercultural Learning, Karl Ågerup

Essays in Education

Based on interviews with four teachers who engaged in discussions about Yasmina Khadra's novel The Sirens of Baghdad with a total of 92 students, this article explores the potential of using fictional narratives to achieve Global Citizenship-related goals in upper secondary education. The novel, which portrays the journey of a young aspiring Al Qaeda terrorist in Iraq, emerged as a response to the increasing need in the Western world to mitigate intercultural tensions following the September 11 attacks. The article addresses the novel's capacity to promote intercultural understanding while acknowledging practical challenges such as intense emotions in the classroom, potential …

Effects Of Performance Feedback On High School Teachers’ Use Of Opportunities To Respond And Positive Feedback: Considering Efficiency In High Need Schools, Nathan Meyer, Amy Stevens, Terrance M. Scott, Marlene Parish

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

The transition into high school presents new challenges for adolescents and performance in ninth grade is highly predictive of success throughout the remainder of high school. However, focus on teacher performance has great promise for increasing student engagement in the classroom and raising student achievement. Unfortunately, many of these practices typically are not implemented within classrooms where students are at highest risk for failure. Two studies were implemented to examine the effect of simple performance feedback strategies as a means of increasing teachers’ provision of opportunities for student responses and positive feedback during instruction. Results showed no effect in teacher …

High-Growth High Schools In Arkansas Based On Performance On The Act Aspire Examination, Sarah C. Mckenzie

Arkansas Education Reports

This section highlights high schools across the state whose students demonstrated high growth on the Arkansas ACT Aspire exams. The ACT Aspire was administered to students in grades 3 through 10 in April 2022 in Math and ELA courses which include English, Writing, and Reading.

Each table in this section presents the Top 20 schools for the noted subject area and school level. In addition, these tables include the region in which the schools are located, the grades served at the school, the weighted achievement score, and the content growth score in that particular subject.

The level of the schools, …

Collaborative Constructions: Designing High School History Curriculum With The Lost & Found Game Series, Owen Gottlieb, Shawn Clybor

Articles

This chapter addresses design research and iterative curriculum design for the Lost & Found games series. The Lost & Found card-to-mobile series is set in Fustat (Old Cairo) in the twelfth century and focuses on religious laws of the period. The first two games focus on Moses Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah, a key Jewish law code. A new expansion module which was in development at the time of the fieldwork described in this article that introduces Islamic laws of the period, and a mobile prototype of the initial strategy game has been developed with support National Endowment for the Humanities. The …

The Relationship Between Introverted Student Behavior And Teacher Perception Of Student Engagement, Megan M. Dubee

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The purpose of this quantitative survey study was to investigate if a relationship exists between introverted student behavior and teacher perception of student engagement. The purposive sample was composed of high school teachers in the United States. Using the Engagement Rating Scale, teachers scored student engagement across four domains when considering two descriptions of students. One student was described using characteristics of an introvert; teachers then completed an identical version of the scale for a second student who was described using characteristics of an extravert. Independent samples t-tests were used to analysis differences in scores by personality type and revealed …

An Evaluation Of The Effects Of Student Participation In High School Athletics And Grade Point Averages In A Rural Title I School District, Robert Ebert

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The purpose of this non-experimental, quantitative, associative/predictive study was to evaluate the relationship between participation in high school athletics and grade point averages (GPAs) for graduated cohorts in a rural Title I school district. Study data were collected in archival form from three graduating cohorts of students from a rural Title I school district in Florida. Study findings indicated that senior students who were identified as student-athletes had a mean GPA that was significantly higher than students who were identified as non-athletes. Furthermore, when considering the effect of GPAs by gender, both female and male student-athlete GPAs were statistically higher …

Arkansas High School Freshmen Course Failures 2009-11 -- 2018-19, Sarah R. Morris, Sarah C. Mckenzie

Arkansas Education Reports

This study assesses the course failures among Arkansas high school freshmen by different student demographic and programmatic characteristics. We analyze 10 independent cohorts of Arkansas freshmen for descriptive analyses, and then we limit our analytic sample to the two most recent years of data. Algebra I is the most commonly failed course among Arkansas freshmen. Using logit analyses, we find economically disadvantaged students are nine percentage points more likely to fail a course their freshman year than their more advantaged peers after controlling for prior academic achievement and district characteristics and fixed effects. This study is the first research study …

The Impacts Of Positive Praise On Science Achievement Levels Of Female Students, Sidney Hanel

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

To the general eye, it appears there has been an increase of women in STEM and overall female interest in science however, this is not apparent in the high school classrooms. The lowest level physics classrooms are overwhelmingly female, and the AP Physics class of twenty-five students has two female students. Society is seeing more equal numbers of males and females in biology, healthcare, dentistry, and other medical related fields. This is a wonderful advancement however many other STEM careers are being forgotten.

This study focuses on five physical science courses one of which is provided with additional feedback and …

Quickwrites And The Quest To Reverse Writing Reluctance, Jenna Dunn

Honors Projects

Current research suggests that students’ enjoyment of writing will positively impact their writing achievement (Graham, 2007; Bulut, 2017). Given this trend, the following study explores the extent to which quickwriting, a teaching strategy developed extensively by Linda Rief (2003, 2018) as well as Donald Graves & Penny Kittle (2005), impacts the attitudes of reluctant writers. A total of nineteen eleventh-grade students were interviewed in three focus groups. All of the students within the study experienced three weeks of regular classroom quickwriting along with one week of a quickwriting extension workshop prior to participation in the focus groups. Students were asked …

Teacher Sensemaking In Times Of Crisis: A Case Study Of The Teaching Of High School Ethnic Studies Classes During The Covid-19 Pandemic And Black Lives Matter Protests, Kay Flewelling

Dissertations

This is a study about secondary ethnic studies classes within the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, a novel coronavirus caused dramatic changes in society, and social protests erupted in the United States in response to violence against people of color. This period of dual crises created a collective period of turbulence for educators in the United States as schooling moved to emergency virtual environments. Though the impact of this time is not yet understood, early indicators suggest that existing educational inequalities for students of color will be exacerbated. This study explored ethnic studies teacher sensemaking to understand how teachers adapted their …

Beating The Odds: High-Growth Schools Based On The Act Aspire Examinations, Serving Low-Income Communities, Charlene A. Reid, Sarah C. Mckenzie

Arkansas Education Reports

This section highlights high-growth schools across Arkansas based on the ACT Aspire examinations in Math and English Language Arts (ELA) for the 2020-2021 academic year. For these awards, we consider schools where at least 66% of the student body is eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (FRL).

High-poverty schools are ranked by school level (Elementary, Middle, or High) based on Overall Growth (Math and ELA combined), as well as for growth in each content area independently. High-poverty schools are also ranked within each region of the state. Tables include the region in which the school is located, the number of …

High-Growth High Schools In Arkansas Based On Performance On The Act Aspire Examinations, Charlene A. Reid, Sarah C. Mckenzie

Arkansas Education Reports

This section highlights high schools across the state whose students demonstrated high growth on the Arkansas ACT Aspire exams. The ACT Aspire was administered to students in grades 3 through 10 in April 2021 in Math and ELA courses which include English, Writing, and Reading.

Each table in this section presents the Top 20 schools for the noted subject area and school level. In addition, these tables include the region in which the schools are located, the grades served at the school, the weighted achievement score, and the content growth score in that particular subject.

The level of the schools, …

A Phenomenological Study To Understand The Transformation Of The Education System In A Rural Missouri High School In The Wake Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Amanda R. Burdick

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the transformation of the education system in a rural-distant Missouri high school in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Seven content-area educators participated in the study. Data was collected through interviews and archival documents. The data analysis revealed three themes: transition to virtual learning, the new classroom experience, and emotional impact. Within those themes, participants described specific institutional and curricular changes that were made, and the emotional impact that the COVID-19 teaching experience had on them. Results of the study indicated that teachers felt very alone navigating through all of the …

The Effect Of Interleaved Practice In A High School Chemistry Class, Alex Herrington

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Determining practices to produce optimal learning outcomes is a foundational objective for educators. Recent publications have identified the importance of practice sequencing structures (blocked vs interleaved) on learning. While this information has significant value for education, few studies have been conducted in authentic educational environments. This action research involved high school chemistry students (n=25) completing a practice assignment covering mole-mass conversions. One group practiced these problems in a blocked organization while the other was interleaved. Immediately following this assignment, students noted their completion time and rated their perceived difficulty. Three days later, students were given an unannounced interleaved assessment of …

Tier Ii Interventions: Utilizing An Interventionist At The Secondary Level, Sarah Ham

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this action research was to determine the impact of an interventionist conducting Tier II interventions on student achievement. The research setting was a high school English language arts classroom in Iowa where the participants included 58 ninth-grade students. In previous years, interventions were taught by the ELA teacher in the classroom; this action research dictated that an interventionist teach the Tier II intervention lesson to non-proficient students during class. Quantitative data from these participants was collected to assess the impact of an interventionist on student achievement in two reading skills: identifying the main idea and summarizing. Assessment …

Essential Practices For Disciplinary Literacy Instruction In Secondary Classrooms, Jenelle Williams

Michigan Reading Journal

This article describes the role of student-centered, problem-based instruction, and it offers practical tips and resources for secondary English Language Arts educators in using effective problem frames for units of instruction.

Exploring The Impact Of Early Exposure To Research On Dual Enrollment Students: A Qualitative Single-Case Study, Kevin A. Adkins, Jorge L. D. Albelo, Samantha Bowyer

Publications

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) provides a concurrent enrollment model to high schools across the United States. The concurrent enrollment opportunity offers science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) college-credit coursework taught by college-credentialed instructors on the student’s high school campus. One faculty member transitioned to Embry-Riddle’s main residential campus following seven years of service with ERAU’s concurrent enrollment program. During his tenure with ERAU’s concurrent enrollment program, in addition to instructing a variety of concurrent enrollment courses, he maintained an active research agenda that involved concurrently enrolled students. His transition was preceded by the matriculation of a subset of these students …

The Relationship Between The Next Generation Content Area Reading Professional Development Program On The Effectiveness Of Teaching Literacy Strategies In High School Biology Classes, Tia Pridgen Brown

Dissertations

The need for effective content area reading teachers have continued to increase since the introduction of one public school districts’ Content Area Reading Professional Development (CAR-PD) in 2006. In 2011, modifications were made to improve the program, and it became known as the Next Generation Content Area Reading Professional Development (NGCAR-PD). The purpose of this program evaluation is to investigate the relationship between NGCAR-PD certified Biology teachers and their ability to implement reading strategies with science content effectively. The context of this inquiry is a mid-sized public school district that has implemented the program since 2006 at the middle and …

The Effects Of Small-Group Collaboration On Student Attitudes Towards Mathematics, Philip Golden

Undergraduate Theses

Collaborative group work has become a prevalent teaching strategy in high school mathematics classrooms, and for good reason. When implemented effectively, studies show that collaboration improves student learning outcomes. However, there are other factors to consider when deciding on best practices for teaching, one being student attitudes towards the content. In particular student attitudes towards mathematics (which are not generally positive) are important to consider. In this study, students in a high school mathematics classroom took a survey before and after a unit that implemented collaborative strategies. Results of the study indicate that student attitudes towards math improved after working …

The Differential Efects Of Hand-Raising And Digital Response Cards On Active Engagement Of High School Students With Mild To Moderate Disabilities During Literacy Activities, Meredith Davis

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

The purpose of the study was to investigate how both hand-raising and digital response cards effect student engagement, on-task behavior, and off-task behavior. Academic achievement was also assessed using a high-tech student responses system. An ABAB withdrawal design was used to evaluate the effects among high school students with mild to moderate disabilities during reading lessons. The results showed digital response cards increased active engagement for all participants, but digital response card conditions did not show increased levels of on-task behavior.

Exploring Secondary Students’ Abilities In Judging The Credibility Of Digital Content On The Internet, Katie Dailey

Masters Theses

The shift from print to digital environments has created an opportunity and responsibility for educators to focus on instructional planning and practices that reflects the growing complexity of online texts students helping to ensure that their students are information literate. The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the how 83 eleventh grade high school English students judge the credibility of information on the internet. The researcher used methodological triangulation to qualitatively analyze by comparing and aligning data from the survey results, observations of students during class discussions, responses to class assignments, and the quality ratings of students’ think-aloud …

Cariño In The Clase: Understanding How Teachers And Staff In San José Navigate Caring, Protecting, And Empowering Undocumented Latinx High School Students In The Trump Era, Nancy Haro

Master's Theses

Latinx students in low-income public schools face structural oppression that limits their educational and career opportunities. Those opportunities are further limited when we consider how many of those students might be undocumented. The current political climate is replete with anti-immigrant sentiment and has already created further difficulty for undocumented students with the recession of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Public high school teachers and staff play an important role in the lives of these students, for they interact in a space in which preparation for adulthood is the goal. However, these spaces do not exist in a vacuum but …

Data Diving Into “Noticing Poetry”: An Analysis Of Student Engagement With The “I Notice” Method, Scot Slaby, Jordan Benedict

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

This paper explores students’ engagement in reading poems, examining data on their self perceptions of their confidence and competence in reading poems before, during, and after using the “I Notice” methodology as adapted from The Academy of American Poets’ unit plan, “Noticing Poetry” (Slaby, 2017). The data was collected over the course of a month from January 9 through January 30, 2018 and involved five classes of one hundred general English tenth grade students across three teachers’ classrooms at Shanghai American School’s Puxi High School Campus. Data indicates that the “I Notice” method and the “Noticing Poetry” unit and its …

Drop In Or Drop Out: A Case Study On The Effects Of Academic Track Placement, And Levels Of Student Skill And Will, On Successful Ninth-Grade Completion, Channell M. Wilson-Segura

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

The ninth grade is a transition year from middle school to high school where many students struggle to successfully navigate a new environment, new teachers and peers, new academic and behavioral expectations, and the concept of graduation requirements. This qualitative study examined the effects of academic track placement, and student levels of skill and will, on successful ninth-grade completion in one New Mexico Title I high school. It also provided insight into their perceptions of the success factors and challenges that they felt impacted their ability to successfully promote to the tenth-grade, and thus, remain on-track for graduation.

This study …

A Story To Tell, Megan Rose

Occasional Paper Series

Rose recounts her experience on September 11 while being the teacher of an eleventh grade class. This essay demonstrates a teacher's need to be a leader and caregiver in the face of disaster, and subsequently allow for reflection and processing of emotions. Initially, her job stifled her own emotional response to the attack, but she was eventually able to use curriculum and creativity in the classroom to help herself and her students engage and reflect on their experiences.

Wrong Place, Right Time, Rachel Mazor

Occasional Paper Series

Mazor recounts working in the three distinctly different environments during her first year of teaching: sixth-grade math, pre-school social studies, and first-grade reading. Each of these experiences taught her specific skills that she later applied to assignments; additionally, each experience helped her develop her own style as a teacher.

A Qualitative Study Of The Positive Transformation Of Public High School Cultures As Perceived By Administrators, Teachers, And Classified Staff Members, Amy L. Besler

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to discover the factors which contribute to the positive transformation of a comprehensive public high school’s culture as perceived by the school’s administrators, teachers, and classified staff. An additional purpose of the study is to determine what similarities and differences exist between the perceptions of administrators, teachers, and classified staff.

Methodology: The researcher identified comprehensive public high schools within the state of California where measurable growth in positive perceptions of school culture had been achieved within the preceding two to four years. Of this target population, six schools were identified, through …