Education Commons^™

The Effectiveness Of Codesters In Teaching Basic Computer Science Topics, Antonio Pedro Moctezuma

Theses and Dissertations

Founded in 2014, Codesters is a visual programming environment (VPE) like the popular Scratch and Alice. Its goal is to teach middle school and older student’s computer programming. Unlike its predecessors, users of Codesters drag and drop actual Python code instead of blocks and can edit the code themselves. Codesters has also developed modules that integrate coding lessons into the VPE.

In this study, we consider the Codesters Python 1 module and investigate its effectiveness in teaching the basic coding concepts of variables, loops and conditionals. During Fall 2018 and Spring 2019, we ran a coding class for eighth graders …

Revealing The Human Resource Development Discourse: A Mixed Methods Study Of Similarities And Differences In Academic And Practitioner Language, Or Labels-In-Use, Holly D. Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

Woven within the pages of HRD’s historical literature, a variety of scholarly voices can be found drawing attention to the increasing inconsistency in the language of the field. Within the literature, we also find evidence of a long-standing discord and debate regarding the field’s definition and identified boundaries. This is the first study that attempts to elevate the conversation of HRD’s definition to that of an exploration of what is shared, and what makes the discipline’s members unique. Utilizing Li’s (2009) lens of disciplinary identity and elements of Gee’s (1999) theory of Discourse, this study presents a concept of what …

Seeing Reading In First-Year Composition, Matthew Felumlee

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on a study of reading-into-writing strategies employed by students in two sections of first-year-composition (FYC) that were paired with a support course as part of an accelerated learning program (ALP) at a community college. Each FYC course was comprised of 11 students whom the college had deemed college-ready without the ALP course, and 11 students who were deemed at remedial levels in reading and / or writing and who were subsequently required to enroll in the ALP course. The study employs grounded theory methodology to identify and consider the many factors that influenced how reading was portrayed, …

A Case Study: The Effects Of Restorative Justice Course On African-American Students In An Urban School., Troy D. Washington

Theses and Dissertations

This ethnographic critical case study investigated the usefulness of a restorative justice course as an alternative to punitive discipline in a high school setting, the goal of which was to holistically address ways to effectively deal with conflict, safety and wellness issues of African-American students in an urban high school. The researcher has worked closely with the school and identified the strengths of an under-utilized approach that has the potential to completely eradicate excessive suspensions and expulsions. Given the research purpose of studying a model of discipline with possible replication at other sites, the research approach was that of a …

Speech-Language Pathologists' Practices And Attitudes Toward App Use In Therapy, Tessa Alexandra Benedon

Theses and Dissertations

Numerous national surveys have established that Americans of all ages are using mobile technologies (e.g. cell phones, smartphones, and tablets) more than ever before (Pew Research Center, 2018; American Academy of Pediatrics, 2016a; American Academy of Pediatrics, 2016b; Reid-Chassiakos et al., 2016; Tsetsi & Rains, 2016; Kabali et al., 2015). In the same vein, Morris, Jones, and Sweatman (2016) found that Americans with visual, hearing, motor, learning, and speech disabilities area also engaging with apps on smartphone and tablet technologies for vocational, educational, and social purposes. Developers of the iOS and Android operating systems have prioritized user-friendly design and accessibility …

Motivators And Barriers To Health Behaviors In African American Women, Teresa M. Depratt

Theses and Dissertations

Women who identify as African American are at particularly high risk of developing obesity and associated health concerns such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancers. Eating healthfully and engaging in a minimal amount of physical activity are known to be both preventative and curative. Based on review of research, this study investigated potential constructs of Motivators and Barriers to health-supporting behaviors as they are perceived in African American women. The study also constructed a novel scale, Motivators and Barriers to Health Behaviors (MBHB), which intended to capture some constructs of each domain via two surveys. Also of interest was if …

An Anti-Deficit Approach To Examining The Career Choice Of African American Men In College, Gary Young

Theses and Dissertations

Awareness of congruence and discrepancies within an individual’s pathway from career interest to occupational choice offers significant insight into the process of conciliation and foreclosure (i.e., psychological disposition toward a circumscription of career options). Given the significant role of careers, understanding the career developmental process is of particular importance. Career interests to occupational choice mediated by self-efficacy are key components in the process of attaining career related goals. Lent, Brown, and Hackett (1994) proposed in the social cognitive career theory (SCCT) that under optimal conditions, career interests give rise to congruent occupational choice goals. Altogether, this leads to goal action …

Research On Communicative Practices In An Alternative Classroom, Maria Alice Bonilha

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis studies communications in an alternative classroom in the United States. Using an ethnographic approach and drawing from conversation analysis, the study describes the school’s model of education and analyzes students’ classroom initiations, particularly those in which students responded to the teacher’s question with a question.

The Impact Of Mentoring At- Risk Youth On The Socialization Process Of Pre-Service Teachers, Theresa Allgaier

Theses and Dissertations

While much is known about how traditional field based practical experiences in teacher preparation programs impact the socialization of pre-service teachers, less is known about how practical experiences within after-school programs and other contexts influence pre-service teacher socialization. Relatedly, many scholars have sought to understand at-risk youth and have investigated teachers’ experiences with these students within the context of schools and the gym. The purpose of this study was to understand how mentoring at-risk youth in an after-school program impacted the socialization of six pre-service teachers. Occupational Socialization Theory provided the theoretical framework for this study. Six PETE majors, in …

Factors Affecting Illinois Legislators' Perceptions Of School-Based Agricultural Education, Perry William Harlow

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined factors contributing to Illinois General Assembly members’ perceptions of school-based agricultural education. Personal characteristics and multiple media sources were examined to determine if any of these factors affected their perception of school-based agricultural education. These factors included the population area of where the legislator grew up, the population area of the district the legislator represents, the geographical location of the legislator’s district, whether the legislator lived on a farm, and whether the legislator worked on a farm. The factors also included frequency of seeing information about school-based agricultural education on multiple media source including television, radio, newspaper, …

Improving Access To Ministerial Training Through The Use Of Electronic Devices: A Qualitative Study Of Educators In Developing Nations, Andrew John Beaty

Theses and Dissertations

This study was based on the concern that in developing nations, the vast majority of pastors in local churches have no training to prepare them for the duties they are expected to carry out as ministers. With the increase of technology being available around the world, the questions have arisen as to whether or not technology can be utilized to help improve access to this training.

A qualitative approach was employed to interview thirteen people involved in global theological education in developing nations and to learn from them as to the trends that they see being utilized in regards to …

Examination Of The Role Of Dehumanization As A Potential Mechanism Underlying The Racial Disparities In School Disciplinary Measures., Ebony A. Lambert

Theses and Dissertations

Schools should be safe and supportive spaces for all students, yet Black students tend to face biased treatment in the education system, which often results in harsh disciplinary measures. This research examined the role of animalistic dehumanization (i.e., perceiving others as animal-like and uncultured and denying uniquely human characteristics), in predicting choice of harsher disciplinary measures for Black students as opposed to White students. It was hypothesized that individuals who dehumanize Black students to a greater degree would be more likely to believe that Black students need to be disciplined through harsher measures. Additionally, it was hypothesized that the link …

Secondary Student Information Literacy Self-Efficacy Vs. Performance, Jen Spisak

Theses and Dissertations

The amount of information in the world has grown exponentially in the last generation. Students often believe that growing up as digital natives means they have advanced information literacy skills. However, school librarians are not seeing evidence of this in their schools. The purpose of this study was to determine if secondary students overestimate their information literacy (IL) abilities, if relationships exist between IL self-efficacy and performance, and if grade level or self-efficacy level changes those relationships. To accomplish this, data were collected from two middle schools and three high schools from a total of 397 students in grades 6, …

The Effects Of Physical Activity On Middle School Students' Self-Esteem, Marissa Ruchim

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between student physical activity levels and how they affect self-esteem. The study analyzed the differences in participants’ self-esteem on days they had PE versus days they had Encore class (i.e. journalism, drama, art, global awareness, stem, and music). Participants were 25 students in an intact sixth-grade PE class (10 girls, 15 boys) at a middle school in a suburb of Chicago. Data were collected from two sources, pedometers recording number of steps taken daily and scores on Harter’s Global Self-Worth Scale, a measure of self-esteem. Data were analyzed using SPSS …

Pre -Service And Novice Teacher Perceptions Of Behavior Management Preparation And Practice In Physical Education, Shane Turpen

Theses and Dissertations

If students are not engaged, they cannot be learning (Stright & Supplee, 2002). Student engagement relies heavily on the environment of a classroom, as well as the management of behaviors before and during a lesson (Him & Scott, 2014). Student engagement refers to the degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion that students show when they are learning or being taught, which extends to the level of motivation they have to learn and progress in their education. (George Lucas Educational, 2011 In many cases, a lack of student engagement can be attributed to a discrepancy in behavior management competence …

Students’ Perception Of The Self-Assessment Process In High School Physical Education, Caitlan Peyton

Theses and Dissertations

According to SHAPE America’s Executive Report (2016), the goal of physical education is to address the needs of the whole child, by helping students exercise both their bodies and minds, ultimately impacting all aspects of health. Within education, students are becoming significantly and detrimentally disengaged, specifically within the assessment process. An implicit aim of education is to enable students to become better judges of their own work by engaging in self-assessment. The purpose of this study was to understand students’ perception of the self-assessment process in physical education. Qualitative data was collected using a questionnaire consisting of items relating to …

Unemployment, Does It Really Hurt?, Claudia Vargas

Theses and Dissertations

This paper analyzes the consequences of changes in the unemployment rate in Colombia on the level of education attained for adolescents. Increases in the unemployment rate are associated with an increase in the average number of years of education. No significant effect was found for men of the same age.

An Exploratory Study Of Learning Transfer From The Online Technical Communication Course To The Workplace, Richard Scott Schnoll

Theses and Dissertations

For technical communication educators, a fundamental consideration is to what extent the skills and information students learn in the classroom are applied in a workplace environment. While this issue has been studied, it has not been examined from the perspectives of students taking an online writing course or of instructors teaching that kind of course. To investigate this issue, I conducted a two-part, qualitative study consisting of surveys and follow-up interviews that explored instructor and student (former and current) perceptions regarding learning transfer from online business and technical writing courses to postgraduate jobs or careers.

Learning transfer theory was used …

Building Bridges Over Troubled Waters: A Phenomenological Study Of Post-9/11 Guard And Reserve Military Veterans Transitioning To The Civilian Workplace, Jean Marie Pyzyk

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

BUILDING BRIDGES OVER TROUBLED WATERS:

A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF

POST-9/11 NATIONAL GUARD AND RESERVE MILITARY VETERANS

TRANSITIONING TO THE CIVILIAN WORKPLACE

by

Jean Marie Pyzyk

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2017

Under the Supervision of Professor Barbara Bales, Ph.D.

This qualitative, phenomenological study examined the lived experiences of 25 National Guard members and reservists representing the United States Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps returning to civilian careers following a post-9/11 deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan. The research question asked: What are the lived experiences of post-9/11National Guard and Reserve military veterans as they transition back to the civilian …

Technical, Artistic, And Pedagogical Analysis Of Mark Morris' L'Allegro, Il Penseroso Ed Il Modertato, Mireille Radwan Dana

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes Mark Morris' choreography for pedagogical purposes. It explores Morris' technique and style by investigating one of his most acclaimed works: L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato. Because this evening length piece offers a large selection of sections, a total of thirty-two, it provides many possibilities to investigate Morris' musicality, creative process, and style. The musical aspect of Morris' work is examined by focusing on how he often molds the dance to the musical score involving specific rhythms, canons and counterpoints. Analysis of his creative process investigates his use of individual and group work, with the implementation of …

Examining Chronic Sorrow Among Parents Of A Child With Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd), Tiffany M. Bordonada

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the directional relationship between chronic sorrow and each of the following (a) family understanding, (b) social support, (c) coping behaviors, and (d) competence among parents of a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Specifically, this examination tested the hypothesized directional relationship that parents of a child with ASD scoring higher levels of family understanding, social support, coping behaviors, and competence indicate lower levels of chronic sorrow. A descriptive, correlational research design was employed to examine the research hypothesis. The data was analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results indicated parents …

The Effects Of Single-Sex Versus Coeducational Physical Education On Junior High Physical Activity Levels And Self-Competence, Crystal Vargos

Theses and Dissertations

According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than one-third of adults in the United States are obese (DeAngelo, Kalumuck, & Adlin, 2015). Obesity affects people socially, culturally, genetically, metabolically, behaviorally, and even psychologically (DeAngelo et al., 2015). In 1972, Title XI was enacted (Title IX athletics, 2010). This law requires that all classes must be coeducational and equal opportunities must be provided for everybody, regardless of gender (Hannon & Williams, 2008). Physical Education (PE) classes then became coed. In many cases, coed classes have had a negative effect on a portion of the participation levels in PE (Murphy, Dionigi, …

Examining Fifth-Grade In-School Physical Activity Patterns And How Many Days Of Monitoring Are Needed, Tyler R. Langosch

Theses and Dissertations

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to examine in-school physical activity patterns among fifth-grade students residing in a Midwestern community. Variables observed were minutes of vigorous + activity, vigorous activity, moderate activity, easy activity and very easy activity along with steps and calories expended. A secondary purpose of this study was to determine the minimum number of days necessary to estimate mean physical activity levels, as both moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and steps per day, in fifth-grade students using objective physical activity monitors across two semesters. METHODS: Activity patterns were assessed during two school semesters, spring (N = 82 …

The Effects Of Text-To-Speech On Reading Comprehension Of Students With Learning Disabilities, Mary Cece Young

Theses and Dissertations

In this study, I implemented the use of technology to investigate the effectiveness of text-to-speech (TTS) on the reading comprehension of students with learning disabilities (LD). In a freshman self-contained classroom, I used the classroom-based text and TTS on four participants during a 48-min English class period for 16 weeks. An A-B-A-B withdrawal design evaluated the effectiveness of TTS on reading comprehension, the dependent variable, measured through accuracy of participants’ responses to reading comprehension questions from curriculum-based measures (CBMs). Following intervention, I assessed maintenance of the effect of TTS on reading comprehension for 4 weeks. Additionally, I measured participants’ perspectives …

Synergy: Game Design + Qur'an Memorization, Sultana Jesmine Moulana

Theses and Dissertations

The rise of digital technology has transformed nearly every part of our daily lives, including the way we learn and memorize. Such transformations raise interesting questions for one of the most long-standing and demanding memorization tasks in the world: the memorization of the Islamic holy book, The Qur’an. For Muslims, The Qur’an is a timeless, sacred text, cradling within its covers many profound images, stories, and parables. Despite rigorous research in the fields of game design and memorization techniques, very little work has been done in combining these two areas of research to create a game-based memorization experience of The …

Examining The Lived Experience Of Caregivers Learning A Home Program From A Pediatric Occupational Therapist, Michelle Finet

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences of family caregivers as they learned a home program from an occupational therapist for their child. Gaining information from the caregiver on experiences with patient education may enable therapists to develop an understanding of the needs of caregivers during the educational process that occurs when a therapist is giving the caregiver a home program. Meeting the learning needs of the caregivers may possibly reduce the amount of overall therapy needed by the child. This phenomenological approach sought to answer the following research questions: (a) what are the lived experiences …

The Effects Of A One-To-One Ipad Initiative: A Case Study, Michael Flanagan

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study explored the ways that teachers in a single private middle school integrated one-to-one tablet use in to their classroom practice. The case study also explored how and in what ways the students and teachers perceived that school-provided one-to-one student access to tablets affected student learning. The review of relevant literature included the use of technology in instruction, external factors affecting teachers, and the perception of the effect of technology on student learning.

Over the last thirty years, there has been an increase of computer and tablet use in the classroom (Harold, 2016; Reidel, 2014; Smerdon, Cronen, …

Did Magnet Schools Improve Student Educational Outcomes As A Tool Of Desegregation?, Maureen Elizabeth Pylman

Theses and Dissertations

Magnet schools were implemented in American school districts beginning in the 1970s as part of desegregation plans often required by court order. Magnet schools had three primary goals: provide innovative educational programming, attract students from across school districts, and assist with desegregation. Research evaluating the implementation of magnet schools found that they did effectively desegregate schools (Arcia 2006; Steel and Levine 1994). However, the educational outcomes of magnet schools have not been evaluated, particularly using longitudinal student data, to evaluate magnet school effectiveness. Popular press, the use of effective pedagogy, selection procedures, and exclusivity lead to expectations that magnet schools …

Meaning In Motion, Kara Hendrickson

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis essay and accompanying exhibition examine the capacity of interactive art to stage situations for participants to explore embodiment. In presenting the four-part interactive suite "Body Language" by Nathaniel Stern, the exhibition invites viewers to engage with digital projections that track and respond to movement by producing animated text and spoken utterances. Through the juxtaposition of motion performed by the viewer’s physical body with computer-generated words and speech, "Body Language" explores the complex ways in which the body and language depend upon each other to create and communicate meaning. This essay also proposes that the gallery uses its power …

Factors Contributing To College Retention Of Undergraduate Saudi Students Studying In The United States, Abdulaziz Salem Aldossari

Theses and Dissertations

Over the years, attention has been paid to student attrition in universities. Delving from that, the retention rate has been studied by a multitude of researchers using a variety of predictor variables. As the number of Saudi students in the United States has recently increased, the need for studying these students’ challenges and factors that limit their graduation rates has grown in importance. This study was conducted in order to explain the factors contributing to college retention of Saudi students studying in the U.S. The sample for this study focused on Saudi undergraduate students (senior students) in the school year …