Education Commons^™

Improving Social And Emotional Learning In Middle School, Casey Canaday

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Research shows that social-emotional learning has a direct impact on the academic and overall success of students in educational environments and beyond. Effective social-emotional programs and strategies implemented with fidelity can improve school climate and culture, positively impacting students, teachers, staff, and families. Without explicit teaching of social-emotional concepts, students are not given the opportunities to reach their full potential to be well-rounded individuals with developed social-emotional skills that support their overall wellness. The findings of a variety of research related to social-emotional learning guided the school improvement plan that was created to successfully implement social-emotional learning practices into schools. …

The Effects Of Repeated Reading Strategies On 9th And 10th Grade Iep Students' Fluency Rate, Kylee F. Cooper

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this action research project was to study the effects of repeated reading on improving oral reading fluency of 9th and 10th grade students on an IEP. The researcher specifically examined the use of 6 Minute Solutions curriculum. The researcher is a high school special education teacher in her 7th year of teaching, where her own students were the participants in the repeated reading intervention. The six-week intervention was performed in their Learning Strategies or Reading Strategies class where the researcher collected their fluency data daily using the 6 Minute Solutions passages and materials. The findings revealed the …

Developing Resiliency Skills Of Preschoolers Through Social-Emotional Behavioral Teaching Practices To Buffer Against Trauma And Increase Child Outcomes, Jill Mastin

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This school improvement plan responds to challenges that preschool teachers face with the growing number of young children in their classrooms who have experienced trauma and exhibit serious, highly disruptive, and dangerous behaviors. All children benefit from early learning experiences that are rich in social-emotional learning. Research has shown that students with well developed emotional literacy, problem solving skills, and self-regulation skills have better outcomes into adulthood compared to peers who struggle with these skills. This school improvement plan aims to provide insight and guidance for Early Childhood Educational Programs by providing intentional professional development to build staff capacity for …

Improving Literacy Skills For Els Through Targeted Pd, Kayla R. De Vos

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Over the last few decades, schools have seen an increase in the number of English learners entering their classrooms. Meeting the needs of English learners continues to be a topic for discussion. Schools and teachers across the United States are struggling to appropriately meet the unique learning needs of this demographic of students. English learners continue to be pushed through the educational system while the gap between them and their non-EL peers continues to widen. This school improvement plan was created with the intention of providing a professional development plan that focuses on improving teacher knowledge and providing teachers with …

Character Education And Its Effects On Athletic Performance, Melissa Brandenburg

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This action research was driven by the researcher's current interest in character education for female student-athletes and if the presentation of character education lessons plays a role in player performance. Along with the effects of character education and performance, the researcher also tried to decipher if timing of lesson delivery had an overall impact on the performance of the student-athlete. This quantitative action research took four weeks to complete with presentation of weekly lessons and student-athlete feedback in the form of a Google Form questionnaire. The researcher, a varsity head softball coach, enlisted in the voluntary help of her current …

Action Research In The Teacher Candidate Clinical Experience, Krystal Kooiker

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this action research project was to determine the impact of explicit action research training during teacher candidates’ clinical experience with the hope of increasing their self-efficacy as reflective practitioners. The researcher utilized a qualitative action research methodology with a phenomenological design during the student teaching seminar capstone course. Participants were taken step-by-step through the action research process while they applied their personally designed project in their clinical experience setting over the course of a semester. The research was conducted to analyze teacher candidates’ perceived self-efficacy as action researchers, their use of collaboration with supervisors and peers, and …

The Numeracy Intervention Project, Paige Smith

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This study focused on the Numeracy Intervention Project designed to detect gaps in student's mathematical learning. Research took place in the special education setting with one participant. Participants qualified by having an Individualized Education Plan with a goal specific to math instruction. The intervention took place over a two-week time period where the researcher and student met each day for thirty minutes. The Numeracy Intervention provided a scripted baseline assessment, hands on manipulatives, and several specific skill activities. Results from the baseline to post assessment showed no significant results. Study limitations and future research are included.

Individualized Instruction In The Special Education Classroom, Elizabeth Arnold

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this action research study was to determine if individualized instruction in the special education classroom positively correlates with vocabulary acquisition. This study focused exclusively on a middle school special education student diagnosed with autism and ADHD. The researcher utilized a pre-test to begin data collection prior to starting the unit. A post-test was given at the end of the unit to determine vocabulary acquisition. Data analysis revealed the student increased vocabulary over the course of the unit. The research findings suggest individualized education teams should consider the special education classroom when determining the least restrictive environment. The …

Professional Learning For Paraprofessionals: A School Improvement Plan, Brooke Pfaltzgraff

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Dallas Center Elementary is a small kindergarten through fourth grade elementary school in the rural town of Dallas Center, Iowa, just outside of Des Moines. In the past, the school has had difficulty training and retaining paraprofessionals to ensure quality support for their special education students. A review of literature was conducted to determine implications for limited training, best practices, and benefits to training paraprofessionals. Feedback from current employees was also considered in designing this school improvement plan and professional learning calendar for the 2023-2024 school year. The professional learning for paraprofessionals will also support the building wide social emotional …

The Effectiveness Of Individual, Small-Group, And Whole-Class Interventions At The Secondary Level, Rebecca Miller

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this action research project was to determine if academic interventions in reading, writing, and mathematics can have an effect on student achievement at the secondary level. Additionally, the goal was to determine if individual, small-group, or whole-class interventions were the most effective. The researcher gleaned data from the 2022-2023 school year based on two individual interventions, nine small-group interventions, and one whole-class intervention. The researcher is an Instructional Coach and had a part in planning for and/or implementing all of these interventions. This research was conducted to help decide if the use of academic intervention is beneficial …

Improving Fact Fluency For Students With Learning Disabilities, Carrie Wall

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The intent of this action research project was to assess the impact of fact fluency when implementing the Direct Instruction (DI) Flashcard intervention for students in special education using curriculum-based measurements. The participants were elementary students who all received specially designed instruction in the area of math due to their Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) in that area. In addition to the body of research in place regarding fact fluency and the DI Flashcard intervention, this study also took into account the students’ initial skill levels as outlined in their IEPs. The intervention occurred over three weeks in a special education …

Implmplementing Meaningful Integration For Students With Significant Disabilities, Julianne Scheer

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This school improvement plan was developed based on the researcher’s interest of integrating students with significant disabilities into the least restrictive learning environment, the general education classroom, to access core learning in a meaningful and developmentally appropriate way using the instructional strategies of Universal Design for Learning, also known as UDL. The researcher is in her fifth year of teaching and in their third year teaching students with significant disabilities who are primarily impacted by autism spectrum disorder. The implementation plan provides opportunities for teachers to create learning opportunities for all students to access core learning areas. This requires both …

Implementing Social Emotional Learning With Fidelity: A School Improvement Plan, Courtney Reuter

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Research findings indicate social emotional learning can have a positive impact on both teachers and students. Social emotional learning not only improves the social emotional well-being and competence in teachers and students, it can also benefit students academically. When students do not have access to social emotional learning instruction consistently, it can have a poor impact on both their behavior and academics. With research findings in mind, a school improvement plan was created to research, purchase, and implement a new social emotional learning curriculum with fidelity. The goal of this plan is to increase the fidelity in social emotional learning …

Multi-Tiered System Of Supports For Homeschool Families In A Home School Assistance Progra, Stacy Picard

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Systematic, explicit reading instruction including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension has been shown to be effective at teaching nearly all children to read. The Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework is used in schools for identifying students who need supplemental instruction and ascertaining their areas of weakness. It is also used for monitoring the progress of students and facilitating ongoing instructional decisions. Homeschool families typically do not have access to scholarly research about effective reading instruction or to tools for determining if their children are making adequate progress or if a change in instruction is needed. The Knoxville …

Increasing Student Achievement In English Language Arts At The Secondary Level, Melissa Randall

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This school improvement paper aims to explore a comprehensive approach to enhancing English Language Arts (ELA) standardized test scores at the secondary level through the implementation of a literacy program. The research focuses on four essential components: differentiated instruction, co-teaching, and on-going assessments. The central question guiding this school improvement plan is: "How does the integration of a literacy program, encompassing differentiated instruction, co-teaching, and on-going assessments, and lead to improved ELA standardized test scores at the secondary level?" The proposed school improvement plan looks to provide educators with strategies and tools to effectively engage students in English Language Arts …

Improving Reading Interventions: A School Improvement Plan, Rachel Harmelink

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This paper examines the use of reading instruction interventions in an elementary school in Northwest Iowa. Whereas the school excels at providing regular assessments, including universal screeners, educators there have struggled to adequately meet the reading needs of their students as reflected on FAST, MAP, and Panorama data. This school improvement plan provides professional development training in response to intervention (RTI) procedures along with continual support and collaboration throughout the school year to assist teachers in confidently serving all learners and helping them reach their fullest potential as readers.

Severe Special Need Student Inclusion In The Classroom, Samantha Thompson

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This school improvement plan focuses on enhancing student inclusion within the general education environment. With inclusion being a pivotal topic in educational settings, this study aims to explore and elucidate its significance. The project encompasses a comprehensive investigation of the issue, examining aspects such as leadership support, differentiated instruction, and the practical implementation of inclusion in the general education setting. Emphasizing the vital role of inclusion in fostering student success, particularly within the inclusive environment, this research advocates for the integration of students with diverse abilities in the general education setting to sustain their social and academic growth. The findings …

The Benefits Of Using Phoneme Segmentation & Oral Reading Fluency Cbm On 1st Grade, Jessica Pavlenko

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This action research was driven by the researcher's interest in using curriculum-based measurement as an assessment tool and the effects they can have on student growth throughout the school year. The researcher utilized the STAR CBM phoneme segmentation tool quarterly, beginning in the first quarter, as well as the STAR CBM oral reading fluency passages quarterly, beginning in the second quarter. The research was conducted to analyze the effectiveness of using CBM, specifically phoneme segmentation and oral reading fluency, as a progress monitoring tool with 1st Grade students. The researcher is a first grade teacher in her eighth year of …

Autism Spectrum: The Impact Of Colors And Symbols Have On Students Outcome, So Young Jun

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this action research paper was to explore the effects of educational interventions using colors and symbols on orchestra members with Autism Spectrum Disorder. A fifth week action study was conducted using visual support for effective musical expression in an orchestra composed of members with autism and intellectual disabilities. The red glasses marked on the sheet music of the members should see the conductor and play according to conductor’s hand signals, and the number of times they could not play according to the conductor's hand signals was checked every week for 5 weeks to collect and analyze data. …

Improving The School's Mtss Reading Intervention Framework, Mariah Snyder

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this school improvement plan was designed based on first-hand

experience in seeing the high need for an improved MTSS reading intervention

framework. Research findings show that reading interventions provided through an

MTSS framework provide students with many beneficial supports that increase reading

test scores. With these research findings in mind, a school improvement plan was

created to create a sustainable reading intervention framework within the school

setting.

The Effects Of Social-Emotional Learning Strategies On Promoting Positive Behavior In Elementary School Students, Lea Adams

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The focus of this action research was to appropriately implement social emotional learning into a small classroom environment. The lessons were aimed to assist students and foster positive behaviors both inside and outside the classroom environment. Participants participated in a four-week study. The research participants consisted of 17 girls and boys within a classroom. This classroom environment had a total of 11 boys and 6 girls, in Honolulu, Hawaii. The study also included four specialist teachers (Hawaiian, Japanese, Computer Science, and Physical Education), the homeroom teacher, and the school counselor. During the intervention, each class engaged in daily morning meetings, …

Conscious Discipline For Parent, Amber Brown

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Conscious Discipline is a universal comprehensive program combining social-emotional wellbeing into our everyday lives by enhancing the social-emotional skills of administrators, teachers, students and families. Collaboration is the key for Conscious Discipline to be effective. In order to change others, we must first change ourselves. This program uses evidence-based research to help overall improvement for all people involved. It has been known to be a traumainformed approach to learning about ourselves in others to the best of our ability.

Inclusion Strategies To Assist Emotional And Behavior Disorder Students In The Classroom, Karley Bales

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Students who may have severe difficulties when with their peers can often get placed in emotional and behavioral disorder (EBD) classrooms. These classes usually are self-contained special education settings. The students’ least restrictive environment (LRE) is with the general education classroom with their peers, however, behaviors can get in the way and interfere with the inclusion process. This school improvement plan goes over strategies that can be utilized by both general and special education teachers to help get students back with their peers in their LRE to get a Free and Appropriate Education (FAPE) and out of the self-contained special …

Comparing The Effects Of Phonics Instruction Provided To Students With Disabilities, Ashley Rohlf

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Special education teachers work each day to implement effective curricula to help students with disabilities receiving special education services reach grade-level standards. Recent research supports the need for implementing a comprehensive reading program that includes phonics instruction. With numerous curricula available, this action research seeks to inform educators of two methods of instruction that have a heavy phonics component that leads to growth in student reading skills. Two methods were evaluated: one method used multiple curricula to target all areas of a comprehensive reading program while the other method used a single curriculum that targeted all of the same areas. …

Building Teacher Differentiation Self-Efficacy In The Classroom, Tyler Krattenmaker

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The practice of inclusion has allowed more students with disabilities to participate with their peers in general education classrooms than ever before. However, research findings show that in many cases, educators have low self-efficacy when it comes to their ability to serve students with disabilities within their classrooms. Studies have documented a need for professional development to target inclusion and accommodations, showing that increased training increases teacher self-efficacy in implementing students supports. With this research in mind, a school improvement plan was developed that focuses on a professional development series to increase educator self-efficacy in implementing accommodations frequently included in …

Growing Independence Through The Use Of Structured Work Systems, Skye Nicolls

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and related disabilities struggle to manage daily activities and routines with independence. They often rely on adult prompts and cues, even when a skill has been previously mastered. This action research study aimed to determine the effects of structured work systems (SWS) in the inclusive pre-k classroom on the overall independence of students with ASD or related disabilities. TEACCH modeled structured work systems were implemented with four preschool students a minimum of twice daily. Three areas were observed for the purpose of this research: (1) student completion of the structured work system; (2) …

Errorless Learning: An Effective Method For Teaching Math Fact Fluency, Lauryn Hilger

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this action research project was to evaluate the errorless learning technique as a method of teaching middle school students with disabilities math fact fluency. The study included seven participants, all middle school-aged boys. The research was conducted in a rural middle school in Northwest Iowa. Quantitative data was collected and compared from the beginning of the study in the baseline collection to the post-test. Results suggest that the errorless learning technique is an effective method for teaching math fact fluency.

Effects Of Actively Involving Students With Ieps In The Progress Monitoring Process, Kelly Adams

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Special education teachers are trying many ways to help students with IEPs achieve their goals. This action research study looks at one way educators might do that with the involvement of students with IEPs in the progress monitoring process, specifically students with math goals. Instead of having the progress monitoring process as something done to them, students with disabilities were encouraged to take an active role by goal setting, getting feedback, reflecting, and graphing their scores. The five fifth-grade students that this study followed showed signs of growth over the six weeks of this intervention. The findings of this action …

Pbis Tier 2 Intervention: Check-In/Check-Out, Britta Tewes

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The following is an action research project studying the effects of PBIS Tier 2 intervention, Check-In/Check-Out (CICO). Data was collected over the course of two weeks following four elementary students in a rural school district. CICO intervention data was taken according to the students’ ability to demonstrate the three school rules; safety, respect, and responsibility. Findings of the study show a 75% success rate, as well as collaborating teachers’ opinions regarding the intervention. In support of the using the CICO intervention, a literature review was conducted delving into the successes of previously conducted PBIS research. Limitations and future research are …

The Effect Of Quaversel On Preschool Students, Kinsley Heckart

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Social-emotional learning (SEL) has become a growing concern and topic in education as students have faced unprecedented times since the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020. COVID-19 increased several mental health conditions and decreased critical social-emotional skills. The school where this action research took place implemented a new SEL curriculum called QuaverSEL to better address student needs. The participants in this study included two preschool classrooms, with six students aged 3- to 5-years-old. The study took place over four weeks, and interventions took place in 10-15 minute sessions two times a week. Data was collected before and after the implementation of …