Education Commons^™

Meaningful, Motivating Library Lessons That Matter To Students In Grade Four, Karen Louise-Bjorling Felch

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to develop a meaningful, motivating library curriculum to increase student learning in literacy for students in grade four. Current literature and research on the roles of the teacher-librarian, information literacy instruction, reading advocacy, specifically literature guidance and appreciation, and motivation were explored. A yearlong library curriculum map was created addressing topics and methods found to be effective in the review of current research. The library curriculum was aligned with the Marysville School District Elementary Library Curriculum Guide for Grade Four, the Washington State Grade Level Expectations in Reading, the Washington State Essential Learnings in …

The Benefits Of Bibliotherapy: Textsets And Accompanying Guides For Students And Teachers, Angela Lee Maurina

All Graduate Projects

In this project, bibliotherapy (the use of literature in helping children cope with emotional problems or change) was investigated. Its history, with a specific focus on past and current uses in professional clinical and educational practice, was researched and outlined. In addition, a review of the psychological social and emotional needs and development of fourth through eighth graders ( early adolescence) was conducted. A summative argument supporting the use of bibliotherapy as a tool to meet the specific needs of early adolescents in the classroom setting was put forward. Limitations were noted. Upon completion of the research, an implementation guide …

"Make It Real": A Guide To Implementing And Connecting State Madated Classroom-Based Assessments With The National History Day Curriculum At The Middle School Level, Richard Reuther

All Graduate Projects

This manuscript is intended to provide a framework for teachers to use the National History Day curriculum as a qualifying classroom-based assessment which will be required for all Washington State gth Grade Social Studies classes in 2008. A review of the literature of National History Day as well as classroom-based assessments is included. A plan for a preliminary assessment of available resources is explored, as well as a sequential topic-bytopic plan for implementing National History Day. Possible variations of student-centered activities are included; student roles in the research process and self-assessment are discussed. Alignment with Washington State Essential Academic Learning …

A Comparison Of The Wj-Iii Test Of Cognitive Abilities And The Wais-Iii, Brittany Leigh Metz

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Since the birth of the intelligence test in the early 20th century, these instruments have gone through tremendous alterations. The revision of such instruments creates an obligation of those who utilize these tests to provide empirical evidence that supports concurrent validity with additional cognitive measures. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relationship between the Woodcock-Johnson Test of Cognitive Abilities, Third Edition and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Test, Third Edition. Both instruments were administered to 30 college students attending a Midwest university. The previously collected data was analyzed using a Pearson Product Moment Correlation as well as a …

Differences In Self-Esteem Between Genders: A Look At Middle School, Beth S. Michael

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Most theorists suggest that the developement of self-esteem is found through interactions and experiences. However, these experiences may greatly differ between males and females in early adolescence because of developmental differences between the genders. Socialization may also play an important role in the self-esteem differences between genders. Overall, males and females have different developmental levels at the middle school age. Early or late development may impact the adolescent's self-esteem. This study will examine the differences in self-esteem between genders in middle school adolescents.

A Program Evaluation Of Tender Hearts, Kensey R. Sheline

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The effectiveness of the Tender Hearts program is examined, based on the perception of participants. Data collection is obtained by a questionnaire developed from the objectives of the program. Frequency analysis and descriptive statistics are utilized to examine the data. Overall, the participants demonstrate satisfaction with Tender Hearts. The study’s limitations are discussed.

The Correlation Between Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Iii And Woodcock-Johnson Iii Cognitive Abilities And Wj Iii Achievement For College Students: Which Is A Better Predictor Of Reading Achievement?, Carrie M. Adkins

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The present study is intended to examine whether the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale III or Woodcock-Johnson III Cognitive Abilities would better predict reading achievement on the WJ III Achievement in the college student population. Participants included 29 college students attending a university in the Midwest, being evaluated for a learning disability or academic accommodations. Data were analyzed using Pearson r correlation, Fisher z, and t-test for each intelligence test in comparison to achievement subtests. Results from this study indicated that both IQ scores obtained from the WAISIII and the WJ-III COG correlated with reading significantly, but not highly enough to …

The Testing Effect: Using Retrieval Practice In The Classroom, Karen S. Clifton

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Repeated testing was applied in a college classroom setting to determine whether a single intervening test, which allowed for retrieval practice, would improve performance on a final test compared to a single structured rehearsal of the material. Performance was measured using multiple-choice exams and relatedness rating tests. The findings suggest that a test condition which requires retrieval, when compared to a read-only condition, improves performance on a final test of item-specific knowledge but not on a test of relational knowledge of the same material. The difficulty of retrieval was manipulated using hard and easy questions on the intervening test and …

The Effects Of An After-School Intervention Program On The Reading And Math Proficiency Scores Of Sixth Graders, Laura Kelley Gleichauf

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

In January 2005, a new after-school intervention program was implemented by a public middle school with the desire to raise their students. state proficiency scores. In order to evaluate their program and report the results of their labor, the proficiency scores of these southern Ohio students were studied by comparing the arithmetic means of the March 2003 fourth grade state proficiency scores with the arithmetic means of the March 2005 sixth grade state proficiency scores in the areas of reading and math. Differences in the performances were compared using t-tests. The outcome data of the comparison school was not successful …

The Influence Of Counselor Education Programs On Counselor Wellness, Leila Roach

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Counselor education programs strive to promote the personal development and wellness of counselors in addition to cognitive, skill, and professional competencies. The purpose of this study was to examine trends in self-reported levels of wellness of master's level counseling students. The cross-sectional study investigated the influence of time in a counselor education program on the wellness levels of counseling students. Students were surveyed at three points in their counselor education training: the beginning, middle, and end. Participants included 204 master's level counseling students enrolled in three CACREP-accredited counselor education programs located in the southeastern United States. Each participant completed the …

Relationships Among School Counselor Self-Efficacy, Perceived School Counselor Role, And Actual Practice, Michelle Mitcham-Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships that exist among school counselor self-efficacy, perceptions of the professional school counselor's role held by counselors, and actual practice. Data were collected from 192 professional school counselors that attended a statewide counselor conference. Professional school counselors responded to two researcher-designed surveys; the first was a 14-item demographic survey; the second, a 20-item by four-question survey for a total of 80 responses. A Multiple Regression Analysis was used to ascertain what relationships existed between school counselor self-efficacy, school counselor perceived role, and actual practice. The questionnaire listed 20 different counselor and …

The Role Of Native Target Cultures In The High School English-As-A-Foreign-Language Classroom, Gwendolyne Claudine Mamanua

Theses Digitization Project

The goal of this project is to provide a curriculum that allows EFL students to learn through various social settings. Learning English through various classroom activities also enables the learner to apply the knowledge outside of the classroom setting.

Source Evaluation And Selection For Interpretation In Sequoia And Kings Canyon National Parks, Lacey Elizabeth Moore

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study is to aid interpreters in evaluation sources (research material) for use in interpretive presentations and programs in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. This was done by illustrating the need for source evaluation and then developing the guidelines for selecting, evaluating, and most effectively using various sources in the development of interpretive programs in the National Parks Services (NPS).

Environmental Education And High School Backpacking, David Russell Ficke

Theses Digitization Project

The call of the wilderness resonates in all of our hearts, with the desire to get in touch with nature and experience wilderness at some level. This project gives the high school teacher the practical resources necessary to share the passion of being in the wilderness with high school students.

Constructivism For The English-As-A-Second-Language Learning Environment And Professional Development, Starley Beatrix Dullien

Theses Digitization Project

This project addresses the needs of the adult learner. The adult learner referred to in; this project comes from two distinguishable groups. One group of adult learners consists of the ESL students who attend adult school or community-based English programs. The other group of adult learners consists of the teachers within adult education ESL programs who themselves are students as they participate in professional development workshops.

An Effective Science Education Program Can Be A Deterrent To The Drop Out Of Hispanic Females, Sally Anne Field

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study is to look at parallel factors between the Hispanic female dropout rate and possible resiliency methods such as retention through inquiry based science education. This type of educational program might provide insight into the many educational possibilities that are open to Hispanic females.

Environmental Education: The Equalizer, Jolanda Tracie Karr

Theses Digitization Project

This project explores and justifies using the local environment as an effective educational strategy for teachers of special education students.

A Study Of The Interlanguage Of Apology By Taiwanese English-Language Learners, Ching-Yi Shih

Theses Digitization Project

This thesis presents a study of the interlanguage of the speech act of apology by Taiwanese learners of English. It compares the way Taiwanese learners apoologize in English and how they apologize in Mandarin Chinese, as well as how native speakers of American English apologize.

Review Of The Cross-Sectional Field Of Outdoor Camps, Resiliency, And Juvenile Delinquncy, Omar Taha Safie

Theses Digitization Project

Successful outdoor camp programs are being threatened by decreased funding and increased focus on the control of juvenile delinquents. To determine the success of outdoor camp programs for the juvenile delinquent, it is important to examine the recidivism rates of those who go through the programs compared to those who do not. By properly infusing outdoor camp programs with resiliency education, new programs can be created with even more success. This paper is a literature review of the present state of research in both fields. With the background information presented here, the goal is to become a 'springboard' for further …

Lifelong Learning For Older Persons In Hong Kong, Sze Sze, Stephanie Hui

Theses & Dissertations

Lifelong learning (LL) has been widely regarded as one of the activities that can enhance well-being of the society and benefit older persons in terms of psychological, physical, mental, and cognitive well-being. In foreign countries like the Unites States of America, the United Kingdom, Finland, France, Australia, and also China, LL among older persons had been developed successfully. Hong Kong, in contrast, has no systematic planning for the development of LL even though the aged population is increasing rapidly. This research aims at constructing a LL model for older persons in Hong Kong. The theoretical framework of study focused on …

Do Educators Value School Social Workers?, Keynasia Kami Daniels

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study is to examine educators' (teachers and school administrators) level of knowledge about the professional role of school social workers and the value that educators place on the functions carried out by social workers as pupil support personnel.

Play Therapy Interventions And Their Effectiveness In A School-Based Counseling Program, Nancy Cardenas

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to add to the limited amount of information on the effectiveness of play therapy interventions in a school-based counseling program. The study focused on examining the reasons why clients were referred to counseling, the frequency and duration of their behavior, the clients' academic performance at the beginning and end of treatment, the total number of sessions received, and the type of play therapy that was used to determine how effective play therapy interventions were during treatment.

Tibetan Buddhism And The Environment: A Case Study Of Environmental Sensitivity Among Tibetan Environmental Professionals In Dharamsala, India, Megan Marie Shearer

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to investigate environmental sensitivity among environmental professionals in a culture that is assumed to hold an ecocentric perspective. Nine Tibetan Buddhist environmental professionals were surveyed in this study. Based on an Environmental Sensitivity Profile Insytrument, an environmental sensitivity profile for a Tibetan Buddhist environmental professional was created from the participants demographic and interview data. The most frequently defined vaqriables were environmental destruction/development, education and role models.

Balance In Language Teaching And Learning: Honoring Tradition And Celebrating Innovation, Natalia Tsarikova

MA TESOL Collection

This paper presents a study aimed at finding a flexible approach to teaching that is responsive to learner needs and preferences whilst at the same time utilizing communicative language teaching and form-focused instruction. In other words, the author aims to find a balance between CLT (learner centered approaches) advocated by many trainers and teachers in Uzbekistan and the Grammar Translation method (teacher centered approaches) that has been widely practiced as well. The author’s primary purpose is to find an approach which is centered principally on learning rather than on the teacher or the learner. The author maintains that teaching is …

Peer Interaction In The Haitian Public School Context, Fenel Pierre

MA TESOL Collection

The purpose of this paper is to define peer interaction and its major components. It identifies and examines the major challenges that language teachers in Haiti will face in incorporating peer interaction within the Haitian public school context. It explains the advantages of using peer interaction as a way to generate knowledge. The author concludes by providing practical guidelines and strategies of how to cope with these challenges and describing what he has learned from his research.

Since language is learned mainly through interaction with other learners and speakers of that language, this paper aims at persuading Haitian language teachers …

A Framework For Teaching A Foreign Language Class Based On The Principles Of Chaos/Complexity Theory, Michael Kozden

MA TESOL Collection

Chaos/complexity theory first emerged in the study of the natural sciences over thirty years ago. Through the years, experts from a variety of fields have held this theory up as a new way in which to view the world around us, including its applications to the study of second language acquisition. The language classroom, like the natural world, can also be observed from this perspective because it exhibits many features of chaotic/complex systems. Language instruction in a classroom setting not only produces strange attractors and fractals, but is dynamic, complex, nonlinear, chaotic, self-organizing, unpredictable, sensitive to initial conditions, open, feedback …

Using Music And Song In The Second Language Classroom: A Description Of The Many Ways Music And Song Can Enhance The Teaching Of French, Christine Geueke

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

Tasks In Tbl: What Kinds Of Tasks Promote Meaningful Communication?, Anna Fatneva

MA TESOL Collection

This paper examines the process of developing and implementing TBL tasks in the EFL classroom. A title page is included. A non-specific abstract was created and included. The structure of this IPP is outlined in the Table of Contents. Teaching context as well as the reasons for my choice of the topic are described in the introduction. Research into ESL/EFL source literature on the topic is illuminated in Chapter 1. Classroom Observations based on the teaching journal kept throughout the project are depicted in Chapter 2. Implications for the use of this paper are considered in terms of advantages for …

Integrating Writing Within The Foreign Language Classroom: Shifting Dynamics, Not The Task, Patricia Ann Evans

MA TESOL Collection

This classroom based research project considers the following questions: Why should my foreign language students write? From Pedagogy to Purpose; what happens when students use technology with their writing; what transitions take place with regard to the role as teacher when integrating writing into the Spanish language classroom? This project follows the shift from writing , disconnected activities to writing. How a student-centered writing process and technology support the shift away from the perception that good writing is voiceless and mechanical. It traces the shift from learning to write to writing to learn. The project studies the shift that occurs …

Exploring The Teen Efl Classroom: The Students, Their Teachers, And The Tangles Of Dealing With Discipline And Motivation, Anna Burbridge

MA TESOL Collection

This paper discusses specific elements of teaching teens in an EFL context, in particular the areas of teen motivation and discipline. This was a teacher’s development project involving six teachers (including the writer), and lasting for one semester in a Brazilian bi-national language institute. The project was built on videotaped class observations, readings, group meetings, and journal writings. The result was a deeper reflection into the developmental stage dubbed “teenhood”, followed by subsequent considerations of motivation and discipline of teen groups, the role of the teen teacher, the importance of knowing and connecting with the inner teacher, and practical implications …