Education Commons^™

A Professional Development Plan To Increase Student Motivation Through The Analysis Of Three Motivational Components : Student, Teacher, And Accountability Measures, Ashley Ann Oleson

Graduate Research Papers

This paper contains professional development plan and instructions to be used to train educators about student motivation. While the plan was created to be implemented as a year-long professional development, it could be used in smaller increments focusing on one or two of the three total components that influence student motivation. The three components include: student, teacher, and accountability measures. The final plan, Student Motivation Professional Development Plan, SMPDP, was formulated from research referenced within this paper. SMPDP agendas, plans, and all necessary materials needed for implementation are also included.

Effects Of Gamification On Motivation And Engagement In Secondary Curriculum, Matthew J. Molumby

Graduate Research Papers

This literature review investigates the ways and means schools have attempted to influence motivation through the process of gamification in secondary curriculum. This literature review analyzed 31 peer-reviewed empirical studies that sought to understand the links between motivation and engagement with gamified lessons. This review attempts to analyze and synthesize the studies that are related to the definitions of gamification and beyond, the successful implementation along with the failures for motivation and engagement, and a whole system that afford school districts a more deliberate approach to gamification in the high school curriculum. The reviewer has attempted to chronicle studies to …

An Analysis Of Online And Blended Learning Environments : Measuring Approach And Learning Outcomes In Corporate Settings, Meghan B. O'Neal

Graduate Research Papers

Organizations use training as an investment with the desirable end goal of gaining a valuable employee, despite cost and time constraints on their organization. This review investigates how e-Learning and blended learning training methods are currently used in organizations. It measures the Return-On-Investment of e-Learning and blended learning training methods within corporate learning environments and examines means to improve learning outcomes for learners and the organization.

For this review, peer-reviewed journals were evaluated to analyze e-Learning and blended learning methods and outcomes. Conclusions reveal that both e-Learning and blended learning training models are being successfully used in corporate training modules. …

The Effects Of Web 2.0 Pedagogy On Student Engagement, Collaboration, And Achievement, Kelsey Lage

Graduate Research Papers

This review explores various studies and articles on the effects of Web 2.0 pedagogy on student engagement, collaboration, and achievement in a K-undergraduate setting. A critical review of purposefully selected peer-reviewed journal articles highlight the relationship between Web 2.0 pedagogy and student engagement, collaboration, and achievement. This literature review provides an analysis for administrators and teachers when implementing Web 2.0 pedagogy. This review suggests that the implementation of Web 2.0 pedagogy increases student engagement, collaboration, and achievement.

Meeting Social Emotional Needs In Early Childhood Education, Veronica Armstrong

Graduate Research Papers

Is our nation's educational system heading in the right direction? Tremendous emphasis is being put on academic achievement. With this emphasis comes severe consequences for those schools not meeting standards. This situation is causing many administrators, teachers, and support staff as well as parents, community members, and government officials to have blinders on when it comes to how best to help children succeed. Some believe that the best way to help children learn is to cram it at them quickly and efficiently and hope they retain the information long enough to regurgitate it for the standardized test. Others believe that …

Divorce : Supporting Children And Adolescents, Shannon Griffiths

Graduate Research Papers

Divorce impacts millions of families each year. The experience of a divorce is a process rather than a single event. Children and adolescents experience the divorce process differently. Children often go through five grieving stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Divorce can be devastating to adolescents because they have a broader sense of reality and the world as it applies to their life. Older children are often seen as capable of handing the divorce process and asked to make difficult decisions regarding custody. All children and adolescents who experience their parent's divorce should try counseling. The children and adolescents …

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Angela Bigelow

Graduate Research Papers

Obsessive Compulsive Disorders have the potential to destroy people's lives. The negative consequences of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder can affect so many people-the people suffering from the disorder, the family of the sufferer, as well as the lack of insight of the disorder within the community. According to the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation (2010), the disorder affects between 2 to 3 million adults in the United States and around 500,000 children and teens have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Due to the alarming statistics and the secret lives of incredible pain and humiliation OCD sufferers' experience, it is imperative that mental health counselors educate …

Major Depression : Diagnosis And Intervention, Lindsay Linck

Graduate Research Papers

This paper will be an analysis of the psychological disorder of major depression. First, the classification of this disorder using the DSM-IV-TR will be reviewed. The areas of etiology, differential diagnosis, and treatment will then be considered. Following, a theory-specific approach to the disease including theoretical framework, diagnosis and treatment, and outcomes of using this approach, will be examined. Finally a personal reflection on the subject of major depression, and lessons learned from this project, will be discussed.

The Question Is The Answer : Making The Language Arts Classroom Meaningful With Essential Questions And Student-Driven Inquiry, Ashley A. Jorgensen

Graduate Research Papers

Coalition research scholar, Grant Wiggins, firmly believes the idea of a question-driven, inquiry approach to teaching and learning should be at the heart of a school's mission. In examining one of the chief questions of a school's mission, that is, 'What are the aims of a high school curriculum,' Wiggins says it must involve getting students to "use their minds well" (Cushman, 1989). Wiggins says that, "students should emerge from their high school career with an integrated vision of how to think within the culture, which implies a broad understanding, not just narrow or rote expertise" (Cushman, 1989). In order …

Applying Forgiveness Therapy To Survivors Of Intimate Partner Violence (Ipv), Tiffany L. Clark

Graduate Research Papers

Twenty-five percent of women in the United States will report some form of intimate partner violence (IPV) within their lifetimes (Mac, Ferron, & Crosby, 2009). At these rates, IPV has become an epidemic, touching the lives of most people. The effects of lPV on victim's physical and psychological health may be severe and chronic (Weaver & Clum, 1995). Finding potent therapy approaches with this population is essential. The author of this paper proposes forgiveness therapy as an approach worthy of further investigation. This paper focuses on explaining what forgiveness is and is not, describes common sequelae of lPV, reviews Enright's …

Exploring Behavior Disorders In Children And Adolescents, Melissa Berger

Graduate Research Papers

Over the last century more and more children and adolescents have been diagnosed with behavior disorders. While problematic behaviors in adolescents have always been seen in and out of schools, it has only been in the last century that psychologists have looked deeper into the root of these behaviors. The term "behavior disorders" can in fact encompass a number of different disorders seen among both children and adolescents. The three specific disorders discussed in this paper will be attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHA), conduct disorder (CD), and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). A great deal of the time, children exhibiting these types of …

Promoting The Development Of Creativity In Students, Amy M. Anderson

Graduate Research Papers

Creativity may contribute to student success in each of ASCA's key areas of student development: career, academic, and personal-social. However, the wide range of theoretical constructs of creativity may impede school counselors seeking methods for supporting creative development. This literature review explores various definitions of creativity and suggests a recently proposed developmental model may be most useful to school counselors in conceptualizing all students as creative and capable of growth. Using this model, the paper examines research into factors influencing creativity, including personality, self-efficacy, appropriate feedback, the perception of judgment, mood and affect, and motivation, and suggests practical ways school …

Attachment And The Schools, Jennifer N. Allan

Graduate Research Papers

In order to be effective workers in the schools, school staff members must be able to form some sort of relationship with individual students. The ability of students to form relationships depends upon the attachments they have formed with their caretakers. The purpose of this literature review was to explore different types of attachment, interventions that can be used with students who have attachment issues, and how attachment can affect schools all of which are given from. the perspective of a school counselor. The literature review investigates and summarizes the impact both healthy and unhealthy attachment has on a student …

Counseling And Educating Deaf Individuals, Sarah Zollar

Graduate Research Papers

Counseling and educating deaf individuals involves unique and important skills that professionals need to have. This paper researches different areas of concern, including ethical dilemmas facing the deaf culture, the importance of clear communication, appropriate uses of interpreters, and the importance of confidentiality in counseling. A project was developed in conjunction with this paper, which includes flash cards with some basic signs. These flash cards could be used in a variety of settings, including a classroom. Future research areas are also discussed, including the use of new technologies and continued observation of the differences in diagnoses between hearing and deaf …

Implementation Of Early Reading Interventions To Increase Student Achievement, Julie Schmitz

Graduate Research Papers

How to close the achievement gap amongst students has been a hot topic for educators. Many educators are studying a variety of educational programs and theories which would lead to the educational success of all students. Dr. Walter Cunningham School for Excellence has a history of students who are not meeting the new standards set by No Child Left Behind. As the administrators and teachers discuss and analyze the data of the students we teach we are looking for upward or downward trends. Discussions are a large part of data analysis. As we look at the trends we ask ourselves …

Co-Teaching And Inclusion: A Model For Effective Implementation, Sara A. Straw

Graduate Research Papers

Teachers with training in special education are found in most schools. Why are some special education teachers teaching students in a 'pull-out'. model while others are teaching in a 'push-in' model? For those students who are "pushed in", are they supported in the classroom? And if so, how? If it is by a co-teaching model, what is the most beneficial way of teaching special education students in a general education classroom? What are some of the attitudes of special education students who are pushed into a co-teaching classroom?

Year-Round Education : A Continuing Debate, Heather D. Schultz

Graduate Research Papers

Year-round education has been a common debate in recent decades. The studies and analyses that are discussed in this paper will give insight to what is being debated surrounding year-round schooling. While many studies have shown a positive relationship between a year-round calendar and academic achievement, others have shown no relationship between the two. This paper sets out to answer several questions regarding year-round calendars and academic achievement. Besides academic achievement, there are several other factors and steps to consider before a district and/or school decides to modify their calendar(s). In order for districts/schools to make a just decision involving …

Instructional Strategies Within Single-Gender Learning Environments, Rachelle Sarrah Grandon

Graduate Research Papers

Various instructional strategies can be beneficial in both gender-specific classrooms, as well as co-educational environments. When developing age-appropriate, individualized instruction, it is crucial to consider gender-specific needs that may assist according to certain learning styles. In order to better relate to students of each gender, these practices must be given thoughtful consideration. There are many methods, found in both types of classroom settings have been explored based on practical, research-based experiences from the real-world setting.

Factors That Influence Student Motivation, Abbie Petsche

Graduate Research Papers

This paper discusses different factors in a student's education that can affect motivation and overall learning. It focuses on extrinsic and intrinsic strategies, social-cognitive processes, and the classroom environment. There have been many studies done on motivation and achievement. This paper will focus on the findings of studies done on strategies used to enhance students' beliefs about ability and emotions as well as environmental strategies used by teachers.

Spelling Instruction In The Classroom, Kristin Zweibohmer

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this paper is to identify research-based, effective spelling strategies that will improve students' abilities in a classroom. There has been a great debate about the effectiveness of spelling instruction in the classroom. Many studies have been conducted on spelling instruction using a word sort technique. By looking at past and present studies of spelling instruction, educators will be able to see how well these strategies for spelling instruction have worked. This knowledge can help educators design a spelling instruction program that will enhance their students' scores in many curriculum areas. An effective, research-based, contemporary model for teachers …

The Relationship Of Preservice Teachers' And Faculty Members' Perceptions Of Critical Thinking And Their Epistemological Beliefs, Meskerem Debele

Graduate Research Papers

The term "critical thinking" has recently been used in the Ethiopian educational policy documents as well as in its teacher education curricula. Even though the concept has been given a central importance by being the central goal of education at all levels, a well established understanding and practice of nurturing critical thinking at school level, as well as at teacher education and training curriculum has not been achieved yet. From the personal experience both as pre-service teacher and then as teacher educator in Bahir Dar university, one of the teacher education institutions in the country, I have observed, especially during …

Going Beyond Cookbook Labs : Computer-Based Laboratory Tools In The High School Physics Classroom, Jennifer A. Strohbehn

Graduate Research Papers

Physics education is currently undergoing a face lift. The lecture should no longer be the primary mode of instruction because students are not actively participating. For effective learning to occur, the students need to be engaged, not passive listeners (Knight, 2005). Student-centered classrooms are becoming more common, but there is still work to be done. For a student-centered classroom to be effective, the students must construct their own understanding with the teacher acting as a 'guide. Physics instructors are responsible .for .making the classroom a user friendly environment for students to explore the basic concepts of physics and to develop …

Motivation Success And Failure, Dawn D. Buol

Graduate Research Papers

My research question for this paper is: how can teachers identify the different types of unmotivated students as well as motivated students in the classroom? Moreover, what strategies could be used to motivate those unmotivated students in order to make them become successful life long learners?

Music And The Brain, Kimberly D. Madison

Graduate Research Papers

A great deal of literature focuses on the subject of music and the brain and how music can affect learning. Music stimulates brain patterns, and therefore should be considered essential in an academic setting. This review was written to provide an analysis of the published literature and studies in the area of music and cognitive development, to examine how the brain is wired for music, and to determine whether music is an effective tool in enhancing environmental and cognitive learning conditions in classrooms.

Motivating Middle Level Students : Strategies To Help Reach And Teach Middle Level Students, Lisa L. Munsey

Graduate Research Papers

This review of literature focused on the strategies educators use for motivating the young adolescent in the middle level classroom.

Anderman and Maehr (1994) found motivation could be improved through a variety of methods by focusing on specific areas: developmental changes, intrinsic versus extrinsic, middle level transformation and classroom practice. Along these same lines, Curwin (2006) found motivation can be enhanced with practices in the middle level classroom through four main areas: (1) welcoming students to school and class, (2) stressing the effort students put forth, (3) increasing homework completion, and (4) turbo charging classroom lessons.

This paper focused on …

Introversion : Relationship With Mental Well-Being, Elizabeth A. Balder

Graduate Research Papers

This paper explores connections between introversion and decreased mental well-being. The author sought to discover whether introverts are more vulnerable to depressive symptoms than extroverts. Overall findings show introverts are more vulnerable than extroverts to depression and decreased mental well-being. Introverts are more likely to be compliant and have lower self-esteem than extroverts, and also have less social support than extroverts, which can be detrimental when experiencing depression. Western culture gives preference to extroverted individuals, which pressures introverts to attempt to change their personalities.

The Impact Of Grouping For Reading Instruction On Student Attitude And Self-Concept, Michelle Renee Keegan

Graduate Research Papers

Researchers have found a parallel between types of grouping and attitudes of students regarding reading. The majority of students placed in the "lower" reading group in their classrooms have had negative perceptions and overall attitudes about reading. Research has indicated that the curriculum taught in these lower reading groups has differed from those in medium and higher groups due to different skills and practice that teachers have felt were required for students to succeed. Teachers' overall expectations have been found to be lower for those in lower academic groups in school. Students who have had motivation, self-efficacy, self worth, competence, …

Considerations For The Diagnosis Of Personality Disorders In Adolescents, Katherine J. Young-Kent

Graduate Research Papers

The diagnosis of personality disorders in adolescents is a controversial idea. Personality disorders can bring about a stigma and may create effects on quality of life. Developmental implications should be considered when diagnosing adolescents with personality disorders, or any other mental illness, due to the incomplete formation of identity during adolescent years. There is also evidence that attachment patterns may influence personality disorder symptoms and should also be considered as a way to conceptualize personality in general. The current diagnostic systems may not provide a complete framework from which to conceptualize adolescents and ideas for restructuring the diagnostic system is …

Use Of Learning Styles In The Selection Of Instructional Strategies : Does Pedagogy Lead To Practice?, Roger E. Baker

Graduate Research Papers

Much has been written about the importance of learning styles in instructional design. Learning styles can be measured by the use of personality profiles such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Learning styles can also be measured by Learning Style Inventories and defined by cognitive theory such as Gardner's multiple intelligences. This literature review explores the different approaches to the study of learning styles and the practical use of learning style indicators as a tool for selecting instructional strategies.

Many challenges exist in designing instruction to the personal level including costs, time, and instructor limits. Philosophical questions on the benefits …

Identity Exploration In The Secondary Esl Setting, Sarah Wait

Graduate Research Papers

The investigation of the process of identity development is very complex, as a multitude of background information and influencing factors must be considered before suggestions can be made for incorporating identity exploration into a secondary school setting. Chapter One sets the groundwork for this investigation by first describing the nature of the issue and generally introducing topics which will be explored in later chapters. The research question is stated, then expanded upon to include the factors one must consider when attempting to answer the research question. The chapter continues by explaining the significance of the problem, as established in both …