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Full-Text Articles in Education

Young Women In Stem: An Analysis Of Outreach Programs For Middle School Girls, Rachel Lundeen Dec 2018

Young Women In Stem: An Analysis Of Outreach Programs For Middle School Girls, Rachel Lundeen

Honors Projects

Historically, and still presently, women face many obstacles when attempting to pursue science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. Women have been systematically barred from entering STEM programs at universities and today face cultural obstacles, resulting in marginalization. Research points to adolescence as the age where this sense of marginalization begins to develop. As a result, many outreach programs for young women interested in STEM are targeted toward the middle school age group. This study adds to this research by examining two such outreach programs for young women in STEM to determine their effectiveness, including Camp GEMS at Ohio Northern …


Competition: Motivating Or Declination Of Academic Success, Nicholas Mazza May 2018

Competition: Motivating Or Declination Of Academic Success, Nicholas Mazza

Honors Projects

This study examines if competition in the classroom is more of a motivating or declining factor. I am examining the positive and negative effects of competitions on students. Games and individual worksheets will be employed to explore influence on academic achievement. Through my research, I did not find competition to be motivating for students. However, I did find the competition intervention to provide higher average quiz scores.


An Evaluation Of The Bgsu Herpetarium As An Educational Tool, Katherine Herzog May 2018

An Evaluation Of The Bgsu Herpetarium As An Educational Tool, Katherine Herzog

Honors Projects

The goal of this research was to evaluate the impact of the BGSU Herpetarium on students, both as a means of academic success and preparation for the workforce. The Herpetarium offers undergraduate students the chance to volunteer, serve in leadership positions, conduct research, and develop a network of like-minded peers and faculty. Because of the great opportunities for student involvement, we hypothesized that the Herpetarium would prove successful in positively impacting students’ college experiences and leave them better prepared to graduate and take their next steps. To assess these impacts, a variety of qualitative and quantitative data was collected. Six …


Code4her Spring 2018, Rebeccah Knoop Apr 2018

Code4her Spring 2018, Rebeccah Knoop

Honors Projects

CODE4her is a mentorship program with a goal of sparking interest in computer science organized by the BGSU Women in Computing (BGWIC) student organization. Participation is open to middle school girls (grades 5-8), and participants are paired with BGWIC members who serve as mentors.


Student Attitudes On Cooperative Learning And Individual Learning In My Mathematics, Jessica Thompson Apr 2018

Student Attitudes On Cooperative Learning And Individual Learning In My Mathematics, Jessica Thompson

Honors Projects

The main purpose of this research is to see which learning style, individual or cooperative, is better for student attitudes in my classroom when implemented correctly. When students work within cooperative learning groups, research has found that they have more positive attitudes as well as higher performance levels. However, the students in my classroom did not have a significant change in attitude when in cooperative learning groups versus learning individually.


Impact Of Literacy On Student Readiness In Math And Science Classroom, Mackenzie Alexandra Rittner Apr 2018

Impact Of Literacy On Student Readiness In Math And Science Classroom, Mackenzie Alexandra Rittner

Honors Projects

Lack of literacy, specifically disciplinary literacy, is an epidemic in education today. Here, I will illustrate how this problem presents itself in our student’s reading every day in every class. Within a literature review, many accounts are detailed about the impact literacy has on a student’s educational career. From the outset, literacy is a key factor in a student’s success in school. A research study was conducted that asked students to give varied definitions of the word ‘volume’ based on prior experience. These results showed that direct instruction in how a word can change based on its context had an …


Art In The Science Classroom: Art Integration, Alexandria Stough Apr 2018

Art In The Science Classroom: Art Integration, Alexandria Stough

Honors Projects

The arts should be included in the science classroom as a way of helping students learn. Art integration provides a deeper understanding of the material to students and also gives students the chance to be creative in their school work. Over the next year, I intend to conduct research about the integration of art in a science classroom.


Action Research: Using Engaging Vocabulary Instruction In A Science Classroom, Madison Pittman Apr 2018

Action Research: Using Engaging Vocabulary Instruction In A Science Classroom, Madison Pittman

Honors Projects

The focus of this study is to look at vocabulary instruction and how certain techniques affect student learning. This paper evaluates the work that has already been completed within this field of study of vocabulary instruction, focusing on its impact on students and educators. This paper also provides the phases of an action research project focusing on students using interactive activities for implementing vocabulary instruction into a fourth grade math and science classroom. The data collected from this study determined vocabulary instruction improved the students’ final test scores at the end of the unit in my classroom.


Inquiry-Based Learning: Effects On Student Engagement, Kimberly Wheatley Apr 2018

Inquiry-Based Learning: Effects On Student Engagement, Kimberly Wheatley

Honors Projects

Inquiry-based learning is an approach to science instruction that has been around for over 40 years and has many positive aspects, including: critical thinking, student achievement, positive attitudes towards science, and student engagement. Inquiry-based learning has four different levels and is an instructional method that provides a problem or question which allows students to complete an investigation. This action research project will explore how inquiry-based learning affects student engagement and how student’s feel about inquiry. Students were taught with two days of traditional instruction, two days inquiry-based instruction, and then given a pre-survey and post-survey, and observed using an engagement …


Metacognition And The Utility Of Pathway Maps In Introductory Chemistry, Kayla Schwartz Apr 2018

Metacognition And The Utility Of Pathway Maps In Introductory Chemistry, Kayla Schwartz

Honors Projects

Students historically struggle in introductory chemistry courses. This experiment was designed to test a hypothesized method to increase student success which utilized metacognition, reflection, and the creation of pathway maps. An introductory chemistry course at BGSU was given two sets of pre-assignments, pathway map assignments, and post-assignments which was related to the topics they were learning in class. The pre-assignments and post-assignments were used to determine if there was a change in understanding before and after the pathway map assignment was completed and the pathway map assignment was based on a question that was given in the pre-assignment. The students …


Investigating Critical Thinking In Experiential Learning, Megan Gillen Jan 2018

Investigating Critical Thinking In Experiential Learning, Megan Gillen

Honors Projects

This action research project reviews the relevant literature on experiential learning to research whether experiential learning promotes critical thinking in a middle school science classroom. Based on constructivism, research shows experiential learning, particularly problem-based learning, increases motivation, promotes professional skills, and multiple strategies used to solve problems. Even though its effects are difficult to measure on standardized tests and most of these research studies are small qualitative studies, this teaching method’s benefits are significant enough to warrant its implementation. The results from this study show no conclusive evidence that experiential learning promotes critical thinking. Suggestions for expanding the action research …


A Teachable Unit On Soft Corals With Instructional Method Variances, Emily Breech Dec 2017

A Teachable Unit On Soft Corals With Instructional Method Variances, Emily Breech

Honors Projects

The soft coral Sinularia flexibilis contains an aqueous alcohol extract that has shown antineoplastic activity against lymphocytic leukemia (Weinheimer and Matson, 1977). It also has other biological properties that work as antimicrobials, anti-inflammatory agents, and cytotoxicity activities (Kamel and Slattery, 2005). There is much research on the effects of flow rate on growth and morphology (Khalesi, Beeftink, & Wijffels, 2007) and the effects of light-dependency on growth rate (Khalesi, Beeftink, & Wijffels, 2009). The purpose of this student project was to further research on S. flexibilis, as well as incorporate that research into evaluating the effects of lecture-based teaching …


Student-Created Test Sheets, Samuel Laderach Apr 2017

Student-Created Test Sheets, Samuel Laderach

Honors Projects

Assessment plays a necessary role in the high school mathematics classroom, and testing is a major part of assessment. Students often struggle with mathematics tests and examinations due to math and test anxiety, a lack of student learning, and insufficient and inefficient student preparation. Practice tests, teacher-created review sheets, and student-created test sheets are ways in which teachers can help increase student performance, while ridding these detrimental factors. Student-created test sheets appear to be the most efficient strategy, and this research study examines the effects of their use in a high school mathematics classroom.


Teacher Interventions Used To Reduce Test Anxiety: Does Free-Writing Before A Test Help Reduce Anxiety?, Kimberly E. Lentz Apr 2017

Teacher Interventions Used To Reduce Test Anxiety: Does Free-Writing Before A Test Help Reduce Anxiety?, Kimberly E. Lentz

Honors Projects

The focus of this study is to look at how common testing anxiety is among students and how teachers can work with their students to reduce this anxiety. The study examines and discusses past research to see what causes test anxiety and what methods have been effective in the past in reducing this anxiety. Then, based on past research, a similar study is completed in my high school honors geometry classroom to determine whether the suggestions given by past researchers will decrease reported test anxiety in my students.


Using Educative Assessment In A Science Classroom, Jordan Truitt Apr 2017

Using Educative Assessment In A Science Classroom, Jordan Truitt

Honors Projects

The focus of this study is to consider educative assessment in the science classroom and its effectiveness in assessing student-centered learning. By using educative assessment to measure learning, student work can be evaluated by rubric in addition to a traditional summative assessment. In comparing the student learning measured using the rubric results and traditional results, there was no statistical difference between the two assessments. However, the educative assessment provided greater insight into higher levels of learning. Conversational data also showed evidence of skills-based learning in the field of science. Further research into the applications for ‘at-risk’ students is required.


Impact Of Kinesthetic Learning On Student Knowledge Retention And Attitudes Toward Mathematics, Alyssa Lustgarten Mar 2017

Impact Of Kinesthetic Learning On Student Knowledge Retention And Attitudes Toward Mathematics, Alyssa Lustgarten

Honors Projects

This research study examines the impact of kinesthetic learning on student knowledge retention and attitudes toward mathematics. Specifically, this study focuses on teaching mathematics to secondary students through dance. Quantitative data was collected and analyzed regarding student mathematics knowledge retention and student attitudes towards mathematics. Although student mathematics knowledge retention increased for both the control and treatment groups, student attitudes toward mathematics decreased after the intervention for the treatment group.


Family-Friendly Science: Increasing Family Engagement In Stem Education, Alison Bixler Oct 2016

Family-Friendly Science: Increasing Family Engagement In Stem Education, Alison Bixler

Honors Projects

Family engagement is vital to a child’s success in his or her academic career. Current research has focused more specifically on the relationship between parent engagement in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education and a student’s success in his or her STEM education. This paper is a summary of present research pertaining to this topic, as well as a summary of the results of a field-based study the author and faculty mentors completed to learn more about methods for engaging families in STEM education, particularly in the area of science. Present research indicates that a successful method for engaging …


Eighth-Grade Students' Use And Justification Of Multiple Represenations, Maria Nielsen Apr 2016

Eighth-Grade Students' Use And Justification Of Multiple Represenations, Maria Nielsen

Honors Projects

The purpose of this study is to explore students’ use of multiple representations in the classroom and their reasoning for representation choice. The participants of this study were 22 eighth-grade students. All students took a short pretest consisting of three items. The items addressed mathematics content covered during regular instruction. Students were asked to answer each question using different representations. Usual instruction included frequent probing and encouragement of students' representation use while problem solving. Students were asked to explain their reasoning when problem solving and share their representations with others. Following the unit of instruction, students completed a posttest composed …


Examining Implementations Of Blended Learning In A K-12 Mathematics Classroom, Kelsey Waynick May 2015

Examining Implementations Of Blended Learning In A K-12 Mathematics Classroom, Kelsey Waynick

Honors Projects

In this research project, I investigated the effects on eighth grade students’ performances and perceptions throughout a blended learning experience by implementing a combination of face-to-face and online instructional strategies in an Algebra classroom. This blended experience was segmented into two units – a face-to-face unit and a blended unit – to allow for comparison within the participant group of high-achieving mathematics students. Edmodo, an online educational platform, was utilized to provide students with access to online resources at home during the blended unit. Students completed a series of three identical tests to quantitatively measure learning growth at designated checkpoints …


Differentiation In The Classroom Using Chromebooks And Google Applications, Allison Carney May 2015

Differentiation In The Classroom Using Chromebooks And Google Applications, Allison Carney

Honors Projects

The purpose of this research was to differentiate using Chromebook and Google technology to improve engagement and grades in the classroom. Chromebooks have been implemented into classrooms all over the country, but the use of Google applications in order to differentiate instruction and assessment is not as prominent in schools. I created four assignments on the Chromebooks that differentiated instruction and assessment based on interest and ability levels. I used a total of six applications and differentiated for forty-four students in a sixth grade math and science classroom. I found that differentiating using Chromebooks and Google applications boosted student engagement, …


Student Perspective And Frequency Of Mathematical Textbook Use, Lance Kruse May 2015

Student Perspective And Frequency Of Mathematical Textbook Use, Lance Kruse

Honors Projects

The purpose of this action research study was to explore students’ perspective and use of their mathematical textbook as a resource to learn mathematics. Participants were 18 students who attended an eighth grade mathematics class for 45 minutes each day in a suburban school setting. An initial survey was provided to participants to gauge perspective about current use of textbook as a resource and was then followed up with a focus group interview of six participants. Specifically designed instruction was aimed at creating a reader-centered learning environment by instructing participants about key components of the textbook and encouraging proper reading …


Integrating Math And Language Arts In The Classroom, Emilee Blake Jan 2014

Integrating Math And Language Arts In The Classroom, Emilee Blake

Honors Projects

This is a unit outline with detailed lesson plans and a reflection. It is a unit teaching about adding and subtracting fractions with like denominators for fourth grade students. The unit focuses on incorporating language arts in the math classroom focusing on reading, writing, and speaking.


Active Learning In The Science Classroom, Amber Mathias Jan 2014

Active Learning In The Science Classroom, Amber Mathias

Honors Projects

This study focused on at active learning and how it affects student attitude and achievement in college level biology courses. A Biology Attitude Survey was administered at the beginning and middle of the semester to determine if student’s attitude towards biology improved from the active learning setting. The student’s attitude was also assessed from a classroom format survey containing questions about the benefits of undergraduate Learning Assistants and the active learning classroom format. These attitudinal measures were then compared with student’s achievement in biology by looking at their midterm grade, pre-test and post-test assessment scores. The ANOVA revealed that students …


The Effectiveness Of The Flipped Classroom, Raymond Szparagowski Jan 2014

The Effectiveness Of The Flipped Classroom, Raymond Szparagowski

Honors Projects

This research study explores the “flipped” or “inverted” classroom and its effects on student learning. The flipped classroom is a form of education in which students learn new content during out-of-class-time instead of the traditional review exercises that are normally given, which opens up class time for activities, problem solving, and other forms of instruction. During this study, a flipped classroom was implemented in a high school mathematics course. Data was collected from student grades, a pre and post survey, a class interview/discussion, and my personal notes from teaching. My results indicate that some potential benefits of the flipped classroom …


The Impact Of Peer Accountability Groups In A Mathematics Classroom, Leslie Russell Jan 2014

The Impact Of Peer Accountability Groups In A Mathematics Classroom, Leslie Russell

Honors Projects

This research study will examine student goal attainment through self- and peer analysis. The participants of this study will be students in an eighth grade mathematics class. Research was conducted through Google forms where students were able to list their goals, ideas for reaching those goals, and respond to weekly prompts. Overall, the peer accountability groups tended to be beneficial for most students.