Education Commons^™

Promoting Civic Engagement And Knowledge Amongst Middle School Adolescents Through Simulation Based Teaching Models, Karrie Palmer

Dissertations

Public schools, and education in general, were founded on the principles of preparing young people to participate in civic life as active and informed citizens. Yet, civic competency scores are consistently low and demonstrate that students are not prepared for the civic engagement required of them when they leave school. The purpose of this quasi-experimental mixed methods study is to determine if participation in simulations and utilizing experiential learning theory while teaching the government standards will lead to a greater understanding of civics, and a positive improvement in students’ beliefs and values regarding civic engagement beyond the classroom. While the …

Finding Focus: Authentic Inquiry And Composition In The Third Space, Noah Brewer

Dissertations

This research seeks to better understand the attitudes and dispositions of advanced-level English Language Arts students toward the activities of academic research and writing, and to explore the ways that critical pedagogies focused on authentic inquiry and composition interact with these attitudes. The project draws upon research in student motivation, sociocultural definitions of literacy, and theories of hybrid identity in order to discover the potential impact of engaging students in critical reflection on their own meaning-making practices, and of curricular and pedagogical choices aimed at making the lessons of the classroom more relevant to the demands of real-world literacy practices …

Fostering Critical Thinking Through Simulation: An Integrative Review, Sarah Knapp, Raymonta Green

Master of Science in Nursing Final Projects

Over the past decade simulation has become a staple of nursing education with increasing use during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both manikin-based and virtual simulation are used to increase the preparedness of nursing students for their roles at the bedside. With the increasing experience-complexity gap, it is important that students enter the workforce prepared to effectively care for patients. Simulation allows students to work with a patient scenario without the possibility of injury; in simulation, mistakes are opportunities instead of harm. This integrative review searched the literature questioning if in pre-licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing students, do virtual simulation and …

Creating Inclusive Classrooms With Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy, Melissa Kane

Doctor of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education Dissertations

This is a qualitative phenomenographic study that uses the theoretical frameworks of Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy (CSP) (Paris, 2012), Intergroup Contact Theory (Allport 1954), and Social Constructivism (Smagorinsky, 2007) to evaluate how 7^th grade students at a Title I middle school in the Southeastern United States experience the phenomenon of peer relationships in the context of a CSP writing unit. Students created, peer edited, and shared multimodal “Where I’m From” (Lyon, n.d.) poems in intentionally created groups. The researcher collected data via participant interviews, participant journals, and a researcher reflection journal. Findings indicated that students developed a better understanding of …

Growth Mindset Intervention And Its Impact On Productive Struggle In The Eighth-Grade Mathematics Classroom, Jordy Wilson

Doctor of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education Dissertations

This study aims to seek means to increase student productive struggle while adhering to the strenuous performance demands by our school systems. This study examines connections between growth mindset interventions, attitude towards struggle, and productive struggle in the mathematics classroom. Growth mindset interventions have been shown to change mindsets and to help students become more willing to engage in challenging problems and deal with difficult situations and struggle. Productive struggle is the engagement with difficult problems with the understanding that breakthroughs occur from confusion and struggle and has been linked with students’ conceptual understanding in the mathematics classroom. It has …

What Is The Effect Of Differentiated Instruction On Student Engagement In Learning?, Charlotte Lester

Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership Dissertations

WHAT IS THE EFFECT OF DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION ON STUDENT ENGAGEMENT IN LEARNING? The purpose of this research was to determine the effect of differentiated instruction on student engagement in learning. This mixed method study inspected the effectiveness of assigning different learning strategies to students according to their academic ability. One class received different assignments that addressed student’s specific learning needs while the other class received common assignments. Attendance, achievement, and behavior data were also collected from this study to determine the overall effectiveness of differentiated instruction. This study was conducted in a middle school located in Georgia. Both classes were …

Playful Learning: The Disposition Of Architecture As Pedagogy, Alyssa Franklin

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Education is a vital foundation of a society. The standard of today’s school environment is built upon the pedigree of the factory schools from the nineteenth century. However, elementary age children require a flexible, engaging, and creative learning environment that the standard school environment does not provide. Learning is a dynamic and innovative action. Architecture should mirror the learning that it supports through providing spaces that allow for flexibility, engagement, accessibility, and attraction. Children are transformed by the spaces they are in, spaces that will leave lasting impacts on the cognitive development of the children, spaces that can be playful …

Immersive Virtual Reality As An Effective Alternative To Traditional Clinical Nursing Education: An Integrative Review, Alisha Gelder, Myrtha Labastille-Normil

Master of Science in Nursing Final Projects

Immersive Virtual Reality as an Effective Alternative to Traditional Clinical Nursing Education: An Integrative Review 

Abstract 

Aim: To assess the usefulness of immersive virtual reality as an effective alternative to traditional face-to-face clinical education for undergraduate nursing students. 

Background:  The Covid-19 pandemic impacted nursing education to a point where change is needed in traditional curricula to meet program outcomes. Virtual Reality (VR) based simulations introduce students to clinical situations in a safe environment and therefore became an effective solution during the pandemic to enhance student learning. Due to the lack of research, regulatory bodies are hesitant to accept VR clinical …

Understanding Community And Engagement In Synchronous Online Writing Instruction, Conner Sutton

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

This capstone consists of an autoethnography based on the author's experiences as a synchronous online writing instructor. Using the current literature on synchronous writing instruction—as well as interviews with fellow instructors—this project explores how we define and measure classroom community and engagement from behind a webcam.

Student Experiences, Attitudes, And Perceptions Toward Online Collaborative Tools: A Case Study, Jeremy Easley

Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership Dissertations

Abstract

This case study (Merriam, 1998) describes the experiences, attitudes, and perceptions of four twelfth-grade students at Bob Jones High School (pseudonym) with literacy deficiencies as they used collaborative technology tools in an online after-school tutoring program that focused on reading and writing skills. Leveraging the sociocultural theory of reading (Freebod & Luke, 1990), participants worked collaboratively to strengthen skills while completing tasks. In addition, students used online collaborative tools, based on the principles of the New Literacies Studies (Gee, 2010), to construct and share meaning. Data collection included semi-structured interviews, participant observation and student artifacts. The data from these …

Cracked Windows, Broken Mirrors, And Closed Doors: A Critical Content Analysis Of African American Children's Books, Tiffany World

Doctor of Education in Elementary and Early Childhood Education Dissertations

ABSTRACT

There is a current shortage of culturally responsive African American children’s books. Culturally responsive literature provides a positive influence on children of all races and researchers have indicated that picturebooks that are diverse and culturally responsive can affirm cultural and social identities (Crowley, Fountain, & Torres, 2012). The purpose of this study was to examine how the life experiences of African American families are currently being depicted in recently published children’s literature. This study employed a qualitative research design to explore the topic of African American families in children’s literature. The study examined how African American families are represented …

A Case Study For A Broadened Definition Of Arts Integration In Instructional Methods, Maria Rosario-Regan

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Dissertations

Arts integration is a research-based strategy that has revealed positive outcomes in student achievement (Catteral,1999). In this study student achievement is described as students acquiring knowledge, skills, attitudes, and learning behaviors that will prepare them to lead successful lives. Studies have discovered that arts integration, an interdisciplinary method of connecting two disciplines supports to transform the learning environment. Students’ attitudes towards learning particularly for students of disadvantaged backgrounds has fostered self-efficacy, student engagement, attendance, motivation to learn, and improving school culture and climate (Stevenson & Deasy, 2005; Walker, Tabone, & Weltsek, 2011).

The purpose of the qualitative study was to …

Nursing Students’ Knowledge And Attitudes Toward Care Of The Dying, Betsy N. Ward, Elizabeth Nora Ward

Doctorate of Nursing Science Dissertations

Abstract

Most nursing students fear death or care of the dying and thus question their abilities to give compassionate and competent care to patients or families at end-of-life (EOL). Research has shown positive results when students have experiences with dying patients in environments where interdisciplinary palliative and end-of-life practices are delivered. The purpose of this mixed methods comparative group study was to assess BSN students’ knowledge and attitudes toward care of the dying guided by Bandura’s social cognitive theory, which addresses learning under difficult circumstances. Nursing students in a palliative and end-of-life care elective course were compared to students in …

On Craft, William Lentjes

KSU Journey Honors College Capstones and Theses

Craft is a relationship - a dialogue - between craftsman, tool, and material. Craft begins with the intent of all of these loci, and all of these loci are rooted in Being.

Being is known through the consciousness, awareness, and perception of a subject. Being is the inherent existence and totality of "what is."

Being crafts us; Craft imbues Being.

This thesis re-examines the pedagogical approach of an architectural education. The focus is placed on craft through presuppositionless phenomenology.

In an age of endless mechanized production and spiritless materialism, the practice of craft can teach us to return to the …

Engaging Fyc Students With Quality Work Design, Candace Deal

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

Students learn at deeper levels when engaged with their work; however, engaging students in writing is one of the biggest challenges all composition teachers face. This qualitative study asked Kennesaw State University students to describe the work in English 1101 and English 1102 that they found meaningful and engaging. The data collected was then aligned with research about engaging students in grades K-12 based on the work of Phillip Schlechty. Results from this study reveal that many of the same engagement qualities identified by Schlechty have application in the FYC classroom for engaging students and improving learning.

The Effect Of Smartmusic On Student Practice, Brian Duane Nichols

Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to document the use of SmartMusic Interactive Practice Software and its effect on practice habits and motivation. The 12-week study measured participant practice time using paper practice charts and the online grade book/practice chart in SmartMusic Interactive Practice software. In addition, an 11-question Likert survey was administered pre and poststudy to measure students’ reactions and motivations to practice. Participants (N=38) were randomly assigned to either the SmartMusic group (SM, n=19) or the Contact Control group (CC, n =19). Data from an Independent Samples t test measuring group practice time indicate a significant difference between …