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Bowling Green State University

Honors Projects

2022

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Full-Text Articles in Education

The Benefits Of Using Inclusive Literature In Kindergarten Through Fifth Grade Classrooms, Guidelines For Selecting Inclusive Texts, And Resources To Help Teachers, Librarians, And Community Members Use Inclusive Children’S Books, Erin Lynch Dec 2022

The Benefits Of Using Inclusive Literature In Kindergarten Through Fifth Grade Classrooms, Guidelines For Selecting Inclusive Texts, And Resources To Help Teachers, Librarians, And Community Members Use Inclusive Children’S Books, Erin Lynch

Honors Projects

This project outlines the great importance of inclusive children’s literature and the benefits of implementing high-quality, inclusive picture books within elementary school classrooms. Additionally, the project provides suggested guidelines for selecting inclusive literature as well as copious examples of high-quality picture books within a variety of subject matter categories. In addition to a thorough paper, this project contains a large online resource referred to as the “Virtual Library” that utilizes technology and graphic design to simulate a real library full of inclusive literature.


Pause And Possibility: Pre-Service Teachers’ Perspectives On Creative Writing Clubs, Stephanie Altier Dec 2022

Pause And Possibility: Pre-Service Teachers’ Perspectives On Creative Writing Clubs, Stephanie Altier

Honors Projects

Creative writing clubs can enrich the lives of writers and facilitators. These clubs provide many opportunities to enrich their members’ academic, social, and personal development (Clifton, 2022; Siskel & Jacobs, 2011; Lawton, 2021). This project uses a focus-group study of five pre-service Integrated Language Arts teachers to explore the teachers' perspectives on advising creative writing clubs. Their insight informs a web-based teacher resource, Creative Writing Club Hub. Major findings are that participants harbor low self-efficacy towards creative writing and that the most effective method for encouraging them to advise these clubs may be to create a creative writing community …


Cultivating Music Educators For Engaging In Varied Pedagogy Within An Increasingly Pluralistic Society, Maggie Brown Dec 2022

Cultivating Music Educators For Engaging In Varied Pedagogy Within An Increasingly Pluralistic Society, Maggie Brown

Honors Projects

As society continues to grow increasingly pluralistic, questions arise concerning how to better prepare preservice educators in teacher preparation programs. The purpose of this study was to determine the connections between P12 teachers’ training, experience, and what is being done in the classroom. Three participants were hand-selected for participation due to their proven track record employing varied curricular practice. The participants represented a varied range of areas of expertise and years of experience. After exploring the experiences of these three teachers, themes of (1) getting outside of one’s comfort zone, (2) engaging in musical amateurism, and (3) synergizing traditional and …


Public School Administrator Perspectives Of Social Media Impacts On The Students They Serve, Alonzo Stotler Nov 2022

Public School Administrator Perspectives Of Social Media Impacts On The Students They Serve, Alonzo Stotler

Honors Projects

Interviews with high school administrators on the effects social media has on adolescents and schools.


A Ruff Day On The Road: How Relocation Affects Children Pre-K Through Third Grade And How A Picture Book Can Help, Bryant Miller Nov 2022

A Ruff Day On The Road: How Relocation Affects Children Pre-K Through Third Grade And How A Picture Book Can Help, Bryant Miller

Honors Projects

Moving their home from across town, a couple of states away, or overseas is something most will experience at least once in their lifetime. For all, moving is a big change, but for children, it can have lasting effects. Presumably, social skills, academic development, and family dynamics are all impacted when children move. But how and to what length are these factors influenced? This led to the original research question, how does relocation affect children and how can this transition during relocation be eased? After the first portion of the research was done to answer these questions, the research then …


A Sense Of Belongingness Among Undergraduate Students Across Race/Ethnicity, Class, And Gender, Francesca Marino Apr 2022

A Sense Of Belongingness Among Undergraduate Students Across Race/Ethnicity, Class, And Gender, Francesca Marino

Honors Projects

Research has shown that feelings of belongingness within an educational setting are likely to improve outcomes in various academic-related areas. In the present study, I examine BGSU undergraduate students’ sense of belongingness, feelings of value, and understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts on campus. Using an online campus climate survey, I explore differences in perceptions and experiences among students with different social identities. In particular, I focus on differences across race/ethnicity, social class, and gender identity. Findings show that there are racial/ethnic and gender differences across feelings and perceptions of the general campus climate, DEI, belongingness and value, …


Journaling As A Social-Emotional Teaching Practice To Promote Adolescent Mental Health, Mackenzie Robertson Apr 2022

Journaling As A Social-Emotional Teaching Practice To Promote Adolescent Mental Health, Mackenzie Robertson

Honors Projects

Given the current state of education in the United States, there has been an influx in the number of adolescents diagnosed with a mental illness or have experienced struggles with their mental health. Because of this, Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) strategies have been introduced further into adolescent education to bolster the skills students learned in their youths. To assist in the promotion of the five SEL competencies, different journaling strategies can be introduced to impact adolescent mental health positively and continue to practice SEL for life beyond high school. The purpose of this research is to introduce these strategies to pre-service …


Inspiring Active Citizenship In The Community From Within The Classroom, Nathan A. Halm Apr 2022

Inspiring Active Citizenship In The Community From Within The Classroom, Nathan A. Halm

Honors Projects

This project presents an alternative to contemporary civic education courses and methods in an attempt to inspire students to become Active Citizens. Fighting against common sentiments surrounding contemporary politics such as divisiveness, polarization, apathy, and disenfranchisement, this project provides a framework for students to engage at the local level in an effective and genuine way.


Accessibility And The University Experience: Where Does Bowling Green State University Stand?, Abigail Mcnichols Apr 2022

Accessibility And The University Experience: Where Does Bowling Green State University Stand?, Abigail Mcnichols

Honors Projects

Accessibility is a rather broad term, but this paper focuses specifically on accessibility issues for students with disabilities pursuing higher education. While K-12 institutions have disability legislation like IDEA, higher education is governed by several different acts which work together to create a legal minimum. This paper serves to outline what that legal minimum is, whether Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is in compliance with the minimum, and what BGSU could be doing to go beyond the minimum. Based on an analysis of the ADA, Section 504, the 2008 ADAAA, and expert legal opinion, BGSU does appear to be compliant …


Quickwrites And The Quest To Reverse Writing Reluctance, Jenna Dunn Apr 2022

Quickwrites And The Quest To Reverse Writing Reluctance, Jenna Dunn

Honors Projects

Current research suggests that students’ enjoyment of writing will positively impact their writing achievement (Graham, 2007; Bulut, 2017). Given this trend, the following study explores the extent to which quickwriting, a teaching strategy developed extensively by Linda Rief (2003, 2018) as well as Donald Graves & Penny Kittle (2005), impacts the attitudes of reluctant writers. A total of nineteen eleventh-grade students were interviewed in three focus groups. All of the students within the study experienced three weeks of regular classroom quickwriting along with one week of a quickwriting extension workshop prior to participation in the focus groups. Students were asked …


Anxiety & Icebreakers, Sara Jurkiewicz Apr 2022

Anxiety & Icebreakers, Sara Jurkiewicz

Honors Projects

Icebreakers are a common activity conducted at colleges and universities at various times during a student’s career. They may be performed at orientations, class meetings, in student organizations, and even in jobs. Anxiety can arise from participants in icebreakers for various reasons and as anxiety is a health concern, it is important to consider the impact icebreakers can have on students. Anxiety is related to shyness and sociability of a person as these traits can impact how a person participates in life.


Meas: Exploring Links Between Implementation And Standards Mastery, Noah Silver Apr 2022

Meas: Exploring Links Between Implementation And Standards Mastery, Noah Silver

Honors Projects

In order to effectively enhance a student’s mathematical understanding and development in the field of mathematics, students need to engage in problem solving. Model eliciting activities, or MEAs, provide students with tasks that promote higher level thinking and the ability to utilize mathematics outside of the classroom; they also align and promote the utilization of the Common Core State Standards and Standards for Mathematical Practice. Research suggests that the language and motivation promoted by MEAs enriches engagement and increases student ability and performance of traditional and real-world mathematics. Use of technology further supports these goals. Through the analysis of checkpoint …


Intergroup Dialogue: Affecting Real Change, Lauryn Hulett Apr 2022

Intergroup Dialogue: Affecting Real Change, Lauryn Hulett

Honors Projects

Intergroup Dialogue (IGD) is a course adapted from The University of Michigan. In this Honors Project, a systematic literature review is done from eleven sources in hopes to theorize best practices and areas of improvement amongst applications of Intergroup Dialogue.


Impact Of Traditional Versus Alternative Assessment On Student Achievement, Beth Lustgarten Apr 2022

Impact Of Traditional Versus Alternative Assessment On Student Achievement, Beth Lustgarten

Honors Projects

The focus of this study looks at the effect of alternative assessment on student achievement in a high school science classroom. Within this action research, students have choices and are able to demonstrate creativity in their alternative assessments. By comparing student results from traditional and alternative assessments, the impact of assessment showed students had an overwhelming preference for completing alternative assessments, and a majority of students did better on the alternative assessment when compared to the traditional assessment.


Exploring The Relationship Between Art And Environmental Education, Mackenzie Haynes Apr 2022

Exploring The Relationship Between Art And Environmental Education, Mackenzie Haynes

Honors Projects

To explore the relationship between art and environmental education, I created a lesson plan and then put into practice at Crim Elementary School in a 4th grade art class. The art project had to do with the environment, endangered animals and recyclable materials. I titled the project "Habitat Heroes" and students had to imagine that they were the only people left on Earth along with a few animals and lots of trash. They were tasked with selecting an endangered animal in Ohio from one of five different groups (mammals, birds, reptiles/amphibians, birds and fish) to create a habitat for. The …


Connecting Confidence To College Mathematics And High School Ability Tracks, Kaleb Wourms Apr 2022

Connecting Confidence To College Mathematics And High School Ability Tracks, Kaleb Wourms

Honors Projects

Ability tracking within mathematics education is commonplace in American high schools. Some feel that students’ ability tracks act as a predictor for their success in university mathematics. Research has shown that many factors, such as socioeconomic status and more, have substantial effects on student success. The purpose of this study was to further investigate variables related to success in university mathematics. Confidence in mathematics is one factor in student performance that is particularly under-researched. This research investigated the relationship between ability tracking in high school mathematics, student confidence level, and performance in university mathematics. Data was gathered via a survey. …


Effects Of Interdisciplinary Instruction On Students' Connection Of Knowledge Across Learning Domains, Karley Becker Apr 2022

Effects Of Interdisciplinary Instruction On Students' Connection Of Knowledge Across Learning Domains, Karley Becker

Honors Projects

This research examines the use of interdisciplinary instruction in the early education classroom and how it impacts students' connection of knowledge across learning domains. This study looks specifically at a second-grade classroom in a midwestern state. The primary learning domains of social studies, science, mathematics, and language arts were focused on. The study is broken up into two phases: observation and implementation. Prior to the observation phase, a four-part interdisciplinary lesson plan on dinosaurs was created, including transition activities, vocabulary, state standards, and activities. After the creation of the lesson plans, the observation phase took place in which a typical …


For Our Future: Why Suffrage Must Be Extended To Disenfranchised Youth, Nolan Mchugh Apr 2022

For Our Future: Why Suffrage Must Be Extended To Disenfranchised Youth, Nolan Mchugh

Honors Projects

Is our democracy truly representative if large portions of our population consistently fail to make their voices heard at the polls? 18-24 year olds consistently turn out to vote at the lowest levels of any age group, and yet these are the voters who will live the longest with the policy decisions being made today: how can we improve voter turnout and civic engagement in the next generation to ensure our democracy is truly "by the people and for the people?" To answer this question, we must turn to another group whose voices are not heard at the ballot box, …


Life Design For Education Majors: Merging College, Career, And Life, Rachel Durbin Apr 2022

Life Design For Education Majors: Merging College, Career, And Life, Rachel Durbin

Honors Projects

This project explores Life Design and how it can aid college students in making meaningful and intentional decisions regarding their career and life. It identifies key components of design thinking and how they can be applied to career navigation through inquiry-based learning techniques. This project also includes an asynchronous, online course to introduce Education students to Life Design. The goal of the course is to allow students to discover their values and meaning, which can then be used to guide decisions regarding a career.


Integrating Social And Emotional Learning Into Language Arts Classrooms Through Diverse Young Adult Literature, Rachael Schmidt Apr 2022

Integrating Social And Emotional Learning Into Language Arts Classrooms Through Diverse Young Adult Literature, Rachael Schmidt

Honors Projects

This paper discusses the growing integration of social and emotional learning (SEL) in high schools. The project provides an explanation of why SEL should be integrated into classroom instruction, specifically focusing on the language arts classroom. The included teaching guide provides six lessons for integrating SEL in the language arts classroom using diverse young adult literature.


Open-Ended Problems: How Much Time Is Enough Time?, Kaitlyn Solymosi Apr 2022

Open-Ended Problems: How Much Time Is Enough Time?, Kaitlyn Solymosi

Honors Projects

The purpose of this action research is to observe and analyze students’ responses to open-ended questions, examine student engagement in assessment, and to gauge a reasonable timetable of how long students are predicted to work through them. A great amount of research has been conducted regarding the benefits and impact of open-ended problems in K-12 classrooms, but very little research has focused on the proper amount of time that should be allotted for them. This action research aims to establish a general rule for determining the proper amount of time allotted for open-ended problems. Implications for mathematics teachers will be …


Action Research: Hand Signals' Impact On Student Mindset And Performance, Katelyn Niehaus Mar 2022

Action Research: Hand Signals' Impact On Student Mindset And Performance, Katelyn Niehaus

Honors Projects

Hand signal use as a form of alternate mode of communication in the classroom offers potential for developing a growth mindset in students and, by this, improving student performance. This paper explores the work already done on various response systems. Research shows response systems typically accomplish their intended goal, and may help students to develop a growth mindset. Additionally, development of a growth mindset is associated with improvement in student performance. The action research discussed in this paper shows there may be an increase in growth mindset as a result of hand signal use in the classroom.


Expeditionary Learning: Mi Vida En Perspectiva, Emily Meyer Jan 2022

Expeditionary Learning: Mi Vida En Perspectiva, Emily Meyer

Honors Projects

This work outlines and supports the use of Expeditionary Learning to help 8th grade Spanish 1 students to understand mental and emotional health. Outlined is a single In-depth Investigation plan (IDI) that walks through the activities, experts, and service the students will be participating in, in order to learn about mental and emotional health.


The 6e Instructional Model In The Mathematics Classroom, Danielle K. Deutsch Jan 2022

The 6e Instructional Model In The Mathematics Classroom, Danielle K. Deutsch

Honors Projects

The focus of this action research study is to compare the 6E instructional model to a traditional instructional model in the mathematics classroom. Literature shows that the 5E model has a significant positive impact on subject mastery, knowledge permanence, and students’ attitude and interest toward the content. Further, the 6E model is shown to allow for easy implementation of tiered differentiation strategies so that all students’ needs are met. Two classes of seventh grade students received instruction on the same content, with one class receiving 6E instruction and the other receiving traditional, lecture-demonstration style instruction. Results showed that the 6E …