Education Commons^™

Applying Executive Function For The Sake Of Well-Being: A Case Study Of Gifted Middle School Students, Erika Lucas

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This study provided gifted middle school student participants the opportunity to discuss the complexities of gifted culture in academia as they have experienced it. This study also sought to pinpoint the emotions or feelings that students and their parents experienced as they transition to high school concerning their perceived sense of confidence and readiness as it pertained to executive function. Gen Z students deemed "gifted" are at a higher risk for depression and suicide due to the rising levels of stress and anxiety they experience (Andrews, 2014). Klimkeit et al. (2011) discovered that teenagers with depression and/or anxiety disorders exhibited …

“Young, Gifted, And Black”: Understanding The Complex Experiences Of High-Achieving Black Students In Ap Classes At A Diverse Suburban High School, Jody Elliott-Schrimmer

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the social and academic experiences of Black students in AP English classes at a diverse suburban high school. This study aimed to illuminate their experiences while giving voice to this traditionally marginalized group. Students provided recommendations for increasing academic success and belonging for future students as schools continually work toward gender and racial equity in the AP classroom. In this Critical Race Theory (CRT) oriented study, I sought to understand the essence of the Black experience in predominantly White academic spaces through a phenomenological methodology. I analyzed the significant moments and …

Impact Of Career And Technical Education Among High School Students In Texas, Tammy Ridgway

Theses & Dissertations

Existing research documents the importance and relevance of career and technical education (CTE) throughout American history. Beginning with the passage of the Smith-Hughes Act of 1917 to the passage of the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21^st Century in July of 2018, federal and state legislation continue to shape vocational education within our public-school systems. The literature provides strong evidence between student success, in terms of high school graduation rate and post-secondary educational attainment, and the participation in career and technical education during the high school years. This dissertation analyzes whether dual credit career and technical education …

Children And Technology: Why Technology Is Important For Our Children, Jill Mactiernan

Student Theses

Many people get scared when they hear about how much technology runs the world today. They tend to get frightened when they go to a store and have to use a selfcheckout instead of a cashier. Parents are scared of the dangers of the internet and how it will affect their children, so they tend to try to prevent/limit their children’s usage of the internet and other technologies. However, that may not always be the right move. Technology can not be avoided; it is a part of our everyday lives. With proper guidance and teachings, children can learn how to …

Overlooked And Under-Referred, Gretchen Spencer

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

According to the National Association for Gifted Children (2019) up to 10% of the population can benefit from receiving gifted services. Due to wide variability in definition, identification and services offered, the NAGC recognized that gifted students have been and continue to be overlooked (NAGC, 2019). Not only are gifted students under identified overall, the ratio of identified students who are Black, Latine, special education, and female was lower than the ratio in the population and occurred at a significantly lower rate than their white counterparts (Ecker-Lyster & Niileksela, 2017). The issue of underrepresentation within the gifted population has …

The Underrepresentation Of Low Socioeconomic Status Children In Gifted And Talented Programs, Teresa Clark-Massey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem is children from low socioeconomic status households are often underrepresented in gifted and talented programs. Only a small percentage of these students is selected to participate in the district's gifted program. The purpose of the study was to help appropriately identify and include low SES children in the district's gifted program. The social constructivist foundation was applied for a better understanding of how the environment affects a child's learning and how social factors contribute to cognitive development, which could possibly alter the perceptions of how successful children can be. The guiding questions revolved around the teachers' perceptions of …

Social And Emotional Learning Needs Of Gifted Students, Derek.Phelan Allen Phelan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Compared to their peers, gifted and talented (GT) students have unique social and emotional needs. As schools mandated social and emotional learning goals for each GT student, support at the state level was limited. The purpose of the study was to answer the guiding question of how students could benefit from implementing key elements in a GT social and emotional curriculum. The study was guided by Corso's approach to promoting and developing positive social-emotional behavior. Data were collected from questionnaires administered to 32 statewide GT experts. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 of those GT experts. Thematic data analysis followed …

Slipping Through The Cracks: A Look Into Special Education Referrals, Courtney Musselman

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Special Education is offered in many schools today and more and more students are being referred to this type of education. For this capstone project three local special education teachers were interviewed about the referral process and what could be done to improve it. This is an important issue because many students are slipping through the cracks when it comes to be identified and others are being overly identified. The referral process is important because it provides students with an equal opportunity for education. Findings from the interviews and information from a relevant literature review were used to develop an …

Liminal Surfaces, Georgina E. Grenier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The poet Ben Okri wrote: “Stories are the secret reservoir of values: change the stories individuals and nations live by and tell themselves, and you change the individuals and nations.” (Stibbe)

In the early 21st Century we are facing numerous environmental problems that are being caused by human activity. This era is termed the Anthropocene , a time when accumulated pollutants are causing detrimental ecological change. Ocean creatures are threatened by increasing seawater temperature, acidifying pH levels and melting ice. On land we are experiencing droughts, alteration of biomes, extinctions and an atmosphere that contains less oxygen per breath than …

Mathematics And Music: A Search For Correlation, Isaac Sarver

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Several studies have been conducted, which have shown connections between content in music and mathematics. Concepts such as fractions, ratios, etc. are mathematical concepts that also can be found or expressed through music. Although these connections have been made, they primarily address connections within the subject matter of music and math. This study attempts to find a correlation between a high school student participating in a school sponsored music program and receiving a higher average math grade. In the study, two school districts provided anonymous student math score data, while also showing which students participated in a music program. From …

"That's Empowering!": The Influence Of Community Activism Curriculum On Gifted Adolescents' Self-Concepts, Ashley D. Beason-Manes

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The first of the following manuscripts addresses the experiences of a group of gifted middle school students as they engaged in community action projects that provided them opportunity to become activists in their school, neighborhood, and larger community. This study pays special attention to participants’ self-concepts as measured by the Harter Self-Perception Profile for Children (2012) and through participant interviews. The study finds evidence of students’ co-cognitive components of giftedness when themes of courage, sensitivity to human concerns, and sense of destiny are applied. Main themes from Harter’s scale are also applied, and participant interviews reveal evidence of academic and …

Creative Multi-Disciplinary Learning Incorporating Da Vinci-Style Thinking For Gifted Students, Amelia Melissa Ferrell

All Graduate Projects

This project reviews the merits of interdisciplinary study with a focus on creative thinking, using the foundational knowledge of the life studies of Leonardo da Vinci to teach students concepts in math, science, art, and social studies. From these learnings, students will develop projects of interest that show their basic learning extended into creative student-developed projects.

Improv(Ing) Students: Teaching Improvisation To High School Students To Increase Creative And Critical Thinking, Beth D. Slazak

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

This project focuses on teaching High School students improvisational techniques to increase their creative and critical thinking skills. This covers tools of Creative Problem Solving, rules and concepts of improvisational theater, and affective thinking skills. The finished project includes lesson plans, a workbook, and a video that will assist students and educators in teaching these skills.

Do Honors Programs Make A Difference During The First Year Of College? The Development Of Critical Thinking Skills And Exposure To Good Practices In Undergraduate Education, Amanda Kay Moore

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This longitudinal study analyzed pretest-posttest data to 1) examine the influence of honors programs on first-year college students' critical thinking skills, 2) to determine whether students in honors programs receive more exposure to good practices in undergraduate education than their non-honors peers, and 3) to assess the effect of good practices on critical thinking. The quasi-experimental study also investigated whether the influence of honors programs on critical thinking skills varied in direction and magnitude for male versus female students and White versus students of color. To replicate an earlier study conducted by Seifert et al. (2007), the current study utilized …

Mathematically Gifted Students' Experiences Of Challenge With Cognitively Guided Instruction, Kim Krusen Mccomas

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined to what extent and in what ways mathematically gifted students were challenged in two elementary classrooms taught by exemplary teachers using the principles of Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI). The two case studies included a third grade class and a fourth/fifth split grade class, with five mathematically advanced participants from each grade. A top tier and a second tier of mathematically advanced students were identified, with the top tier of five students identified as mathematically gifted. Classroom observations of CGI math lessons, interviews with students and teachers, and analysis of students' problem-solving strategies were conducted over a five …

School Administrators And The Professional Learning Of General Education Teachers Related To Gifted Education: A Delphi Study, Lenore Cortina

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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The Impact Of High Stakes Testing On Highly Able Gifted Students In A Selected High Achieving New Jersey Abbott District And A Selected High Achieving J District As Perceived By Their Teachers And Administrators, Anne Davie Mucci

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Enrichment Curriculum For Third Grade Mathematically Gifted Students, Brooke Anne Mcallister

All Graduate Projects

Research shows that mathematically gifted students learn differently from their same age group peers. They require curriculum to be differentiated to meet their specific learning styles (Johnson, 2006). Studies have shown that formal instruction in elementary school classrooms often lacks challenge for the gifted learner since courses in regular classrooms sometimes have a relatively narrow range of topics, minimal investigation of concepts, repeated drill and practice, and yearly repetition (Fello, 2004). This project consists of curriculum for third grade gifted math students which takes the regular classroom curriculum to a more contextual level. This unit provides inquiry-based, discovery learning approaches …

Factors That Predict Underachievement In Hispanic Gifted Students, Sandy Salinas Olivarez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors that predict underachieving gifted students. The participants were 44 Hispanic gifted students enrolled in the 8 th grade from 3 different junior high and middle schools in the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas. The following were used as independent variables: parental influence, motivation, self-concept, attitude, self-perceptions, and goal motivation. The dependent variable was dichotomous, achiever or underachiever. The School Attitude Assessment Survey-Revised and the Parent Influence Survey were the instruments used to collect the data. Analysis was done using the logistic regression model. The results show that attitude towards school …

Problem-Based Learning In A Fourth Grade Gifted And Honors Mathematics Class, Barbara J. Barr

All Graduate Projects

Problem-based learning was used to deliver math instruction on three different occasions. Thirty-two fourth-grade students were involved in the project. The purpose was to investigate students' attitudes towards word problems and the development of their confidence with problem-solving skills by providing differentiation through Problem-based learning. The results showed that the majority of the students perceived themselves as good problem solvers and that math in school was related to real life.

Factors That Affect Parental Involvement In Gifted Education, Lynne Ann Mahony

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study was completed to identify various factors that affect the level of involvement of parents who have children in gifted programs. Specifically this thesis attempts to identify the reasons parents do or do not attend parent meetings for the gifted, and the types of agendas at the meeting that these parents find to be the most beneficial.

The population studied consisted of parents of 117 gifted students, kindergarten through twelfth grade, located in a school district on the Western Slope in Colorado, who completed the Parental Involvement Strategies Survey. Data were complied by axial coding and analyzed for development …

A Review Of The Primary Extension And Challenge (P.E.A.C.) Programme In A Metropolitan District From A Parent, Teacher And Student Perspective, Wendy Perry

Theses : Honours

The purpose of this research is to review the Primary Extension and Challenge Programme (P.E.A.C.) in a Metropolitan District, from a parent, classroom teacher and student perspective. P.E.A.C. has been operating in Western Australian primary schools for approximately 8 years, yet to date, only one evaluation of the P.E.A.C. programme has been conducted. This was carried out in the Swanbourne District in 1990. It appears vital that the programme is evaluated and that feedback is gained from all those involved - parents, classroom teachers and students. The sample of 106 subjects consisted of students from Years 5, 6 and 7 …

Native American Handbook For Gifted Education, Karlene Rae George

All Graduate Projects

The author reviews the key problems associated with generally accepted practices for identifying, and providing programs, for the gifted Native American student. Culturally appropriate behavior of the Native American gifted is discussed and an outline for securing tribal input to the development of an identification process is suggested. The importance of using culture based definitions of giftedness and goals in the education of students so identified is stressed. Program options and models are presented which address the central issue of self-concept.

A Handbook Developed To Create A Better Understanding Of The Gifted, Nan M. Hake

All Graduate Projects

The problems encountered by gifted students when integrating into the regular self-contained classroom were studied. Parents and peers display their misunderstanding of gifted students by their innocent remarks that adversely affect them. Teachers unwittingly cause discomfort by the unchallenging tasks gifted children are expected to perform. Sixty children from the Wenatchee School District's Gifted Pull-out Program were asked to share some of their concerns pertaining to these problems. Based upon their responses and a survey of the literature, a handbook was compiled to help prevent parents, teachers and peers from misunderstanding the gifted student.

A Four-Stage Program Of Enrichment In Reading For Gifted Junior High School Students, Mina Winifred Welch

All Graduate Projects

The needs of gifted students and strategies for meeting those needs were studied. A four- stage enrichment model was designed, accompanied by a teacher's guide for implementation of a sample application of the model at the seventh grade level. The four stages of enrichment activities included in the model were (1) exploratory activities beyond the regular curriculum, (2) activities to develop critical reading and thinking skills, (3) activities for improvement of information-gathering skills, and (4) a mentorship phase.

A Study Of Child Rearing Attitudes Of Mothers Of Gifted Children, Kemme Lynne Caldwell

All Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not any differences exist between the attitudes toward child rearing and family life of mothers of gifted children and the attitudes toward child rearing and family life of mothers of non-gifted children of the same age, living in the same community, and attending the same schools.

A Survey Comparing Aspects Of Programs For The Able Student At Lochburn Junior High School In The Clover-Park School District To Selected Junior High Schools From Throughout The United States, Larry Allen Carlson

All Master's Theses

Even though programs for the talented have been expanding in this country for the last thirty years, the "knowledge explosion" currently being experienced in the United States suggests that even more must be done to fully develop the potential of the highly able student.

An Enrichment Program In Science For Gifted Children In Grades One And Two, Margery Alice Skeen

All Master's Theses

This paper is a review of the literature and presents a number of suggested concepts that could serve as an enrichment program in science for the gifted child in grades one and two.

A Study Of The Creative Thinking Abilities Of Teachers And The Tested Creativity Of Their Pupils, Florine Creekmore

All Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the creative thinking abilities of teachers and the tested creativity of their pupils.

A Study Of The Accelerated Program In The Chesterfield County School System, Charles Willard Krause

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.