Education Commons^™

Self-Regulation And The Maturing Mind, Laura Ackerwold, Lauren Adrian, Katey Krager

Empowering Research for Educators

No abstract provided.

Identity Development Within Adolescents And How Educators And Parents Can Positively Affect This Development, Charlotte Heim, Ryan Brudelie, Paige Block

Empowering Research for Educators

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Constructivism In Agricultural And Physical Education, Brittani Oyster, Jesse Bobbit

Empowering Research for Educators

No abstract provided.

Motivating Students Positively Through Restorative Justice Discipline, Peyton Dejong, Emily Trupe, Eric Zwingel

Empowering Research for Educators

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of discipline formats on student development and analyze if the practice of restorative justice can decrease the school to prison pipeline. Does criminalizing every discrepancy against the law create better law-abiding citizens? Is the zero-tolerance policy change an effective mechanism for school discipline? Do restorative justice practices reduce the school to prison pipeline? To investigate this, the infraction rates at various high schools have been observed in regard to their discipline practices to analyze the number of incidences that students incur and how they were managed.

Lessons From The Field: A Collection Of Findings From Teacher Candidate Field Experiences, Tony Durr

Empowering Research for Educators

No abstract provided.

Brookings, South Dakota: Learning Lab, Doriane Paso

Empowering Research for Educators

The following paper explores the possibilities of education in one local setting using both an insider and outsider perspective. Education is a part of society, and as society changes, why should education not change with it?

Alexa?: Possibilities Of Voice Assistant Technology And Artificial Intelligence In The Classroom, Patrick D. Hales, Melissa Anderson, Tonya Christianson, Amber Gaspar, Billi Jo Meyer, Beth Nelson, Krista Shilvock, Mary Steinmetz, Makenzi Timmons, Michelle Vande Weerd

Empowering Research for Educators

The following paper represents the combined effort of 10 educators exploring the experience and use of voice assistant technology in classrooms. This reflection and study of our classrooms looks to better understand both our use of technology and students’ use of technology in very specific ways. Is there a place for voice assistant technology in our classrooms? What benefits are there? What obstacles exist? We tell our stories and experiences here with the intent to provide context and continue the discussion among more of our colleagues.

From Assertion To Conversion: Classroom Management For 21st Century Teachers, Benjamin Halbkat

Empowering Research for Educators

The following position paper provides a new teacher's perspective on modern classroom management. Where is there room for improvement? What might the future hold?

High School Biology Preparation: Do Students Feel They Have Been Adequately Prepared For Introductory College Biology?, Mara Neitzel

Empowering Research for Educators

The purpose of this study was to determine how well students are being prepared in high school for introductory college biology courses. Specifically, the objectives of the study are as follows: To gain a better understanding about how well students feel they have been prepared for college science classes based on their high school education, to gain insight on how college preparation in high school impacts students’ self-confidence, and to determine if the accessibility of advanced education courses is influenced by the size of a high school. A mixed methods survey was distributed to freshman in the fall semester of …

In Support Of The Tinker V. Des Moines Decision, Matthew Olson

Empowering Research for Educators

The following position outlines a case for the Tinker v. Des Moines decision, including a historical and modern perspective. With freedom of speech and protest being a regular part of the discussion about U.S. society and schools, now is a good time to look back.

What Prompts College Students To Participate In Online Surveys?, Kunsoon Park, Narang Park, Wookjae Heo, Kim Gustafson

Consumer Sciences Faculty Publications

Online surveys are frequently used in higher education to collect students’ opinions. This study investigated the factors associated with students’ willingness to respond to online surveys. Using 540 samples from undergraduate and graduate students in the United States, this study conducted a factor analysis to categorize the reasons that students willingly participate in online surveys. Four factors were identified: Format, Affiliation, Content, and Contact. The regression analysis revealed format was significantly associated with the undergraduate students’ online survey participation, while content was significantly related to the graduate students’ online survey participation. These findings indicate the behavior of responding to online …

The Relationship Between Campus Wellness Center Usage And Symptoms Of Depression In College Freshmen, Allison Leonard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is limited research done on the relationship between the program utilization at a campus wellness facility and the symptoms of depression in college freshmen. College students have been found to have a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms than the general population, possibly due to the stressors college life can add. Studies have been done on the effects of physical activity as an intervention for depression as well as on the benefits of campus wellness facilities; however, there have been few studies that look at both campus recreation and depression. The author’s purpose for this study was to see if …

Fear, Anxiety, And The 2016 Presidential Election: What Are The Effects On Student Achievement?, Kayla Mette, Katherine Bertolini

Empowering Research for Educators

The student fear and anxiety exhibited in the aftermath of the recent election are unlike anything most teachers have seen. The long-term ramifications of persistent fear and anxiety are too serious to ignore. The academic consequences of living in a perpetual state of fear are dire and affect the most vulnerable students. Current literature relating to the impact fear and anxiety have on achievement is examined with suggestions for teachers and administrators wanting to better inoculate their students against the deleterious effects of stress, fear and anxiety. This article issues an urgent call for increased examination of this phenomenon.

The Purpose Of Education: What Should An American 21st Century Education Value?, Krista Shilvock

Empowering Research for Educators

A survey taken by 511 respondents dealt with such issues as past and current educational practice preparation, educational purposes in America, core class subjects, and soft skill teachings. Its results revealed a public opinion believing the primary goal of education as teaching students to adapt to any situation they find themselves in. Other results include a lack of preparation in current practices for life beyond education, although workforce preparation is adequate. Also, soft skills ought to see a curriculum of their own and taught explicitly to students in education instead of implicitly enforced, hoping parents alone taught these skills previously. …

Development Of One’S Teaching Philosophy: The Three “R’S” Of Relationships, Relevancy, And Rigor, Mary Bowne

Empowering Research for Educators

A common practice for educators is to develop a teaching philosophy which helps them become reflective practitioners on various teaching and learning strategies. This narrative will address how one faculty member identified common themes within her online and face-to-face classes that held students accountable, yet eager to come to class and learn the important content and develop the unique traits mentioned. Through the use of various data methods and current literature and research available, the author identified three common themes within her teaching and classroom environment. Those themes are identified as the 3 “R’s”: Relationships, Relevancy, and Rigor.

The Plight Of The Gifted Student: A Call To Action, Krista M. Shilvock

Empowering Research for Educators

With so many needs in today’s public education classroom, we cannot forget the needs of those who excel in the classroom, too. Gifted students face severe neglect in class due to the appearance of their competence and maturity. However, we quickly face losing the contributions of a major group of students as this neglect causes them to lose interest in their own education. As teachers, we must challenge ourselves to help gifted students reach their potential just as we attempt to do for all subgroups of students. A poll of 22 gifted students confirms these frustrations and needs of students. …

Growth Mindset In The Classroom, Luther L. Kiger

Empowering Research for Educators

This article discusses how Mindset can effect a students educational and social life.

Emphasis On Test Scores In Education, Lindsay Olson

Empowering Research for Educators

This article discusses how too much emphasis on standardized testing can affect student learning as well as teaching in the classroom. It includes a personal interview with a high school teacher as well as an article from the Washington Post regarding a study that was completed involving testing students.

Immigrant Parental Involvement In Student Academics, Charles Tebben

Empowering Research for Educators

Abstract

This study is meant to focus discussions about the importance of the involvement of immigrant parents in respect to student academics. In this study I intend to make evident a relationship between parental involvement and student academics, after which I will draw in a conclusion of the resources utilized by my community at the elementary and middle schools. I’m conducting my research study starting at elementary school and running through middle school. I’m eliminating the high school period because of their unique parental involvement complexities which share little constraints and outcomes with the lower levels. To build my study, …

The Language Of Learning In Family And Consumer Sciences: English Language Learners In Career Technical Education, Kali S. Lenhoff

Empowering Research for Educators

Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) content and English as a Second Language (ESL) strategies can be organically incorporated to create a successful education for an English Language Learner (ELL). The first objective of this research project is to discover how prepared Family and Consumer Sciences teachers feel to work with English Language Learners in the classroom. The second objective is to identify practical and effective methods and strategies that are useful for Family and Consumer Sciences teachers instructing English Language Learners. The rationale for this project is that by identifying the challenges faced by English Language Learners in education, teachers …

Environmental Mental Models Of College Students, Melissa R. Wuellner, Leslie Vincent, Brandi Felts

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Primary and secondary students in the United States are provided environmental education in their curricula due in part to national legislation, but higher education, for many U.S. citizens, is the last opportunity to educate young adults about the environment and humans’ role in it in a formalized setting. Pre-college education and other life experiences or ways of learning can shape a student’s mental model of the environment. While some previous research has focused on understanding environmental mental models of primary and secondary students, only one study to date has evaluated models of college students. Further, no study has evaluated potential …

A Little Goes A Long Way: Pressure For College Students To Succeed, Jennifer R. Davis

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

When college students begin college they experience pressure from multiple sources. For example, they experience pressure from their parents to succeed, from their professors, and pressure from themselves to do well in classes. This pressure could lead to high anxiety and possibly even poor performance in classes. Prior research that has examined the impact of anxiety on performance includes the Yerkes-Dodson law and the Processing Efficiency Theory. Both argue that anxiety increases the performance to a point, but then performance decreases again with too much pressure. The Processing Efficiency Theory also includes motivation. This motivation increases the drive to succeed …

Effects Of Student Athletics On Academic Performance, Nicole Grimit

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of involvement in athletics at the collegiate level at South Dakota State University. This paper seeks to determine if participation in collegiate athletics is beneficial to a person or if its disadvantages outweigh the advantages. Sixty-seven student-athletes completed a survey during October of 2013 to determine the effects that athletic involvement has had on SDSU’s campus. This study found that participation in athletics is extremely beneficial. These athletes performed better in the classroom, developed impressive time management skills, felt motivated to complete their degree, were motivated to attend classes, and …

Video Games, Tony Durr

Teaching, Learning and Leadership Faculty Publications

Video games have drastically increased in popularity in the past two decades and show no signs of decreasing anytime soon. From 2004 to 2009 the average 8- to 18-year-olds increased the amount of time spent playing video games by 24 minutes to 1 hour and 13 minutes a day (Rideout, Foehr, & Roberts, 2010). Research on video games and their impact is a relatively new field, even though video games have been widely accepted in our culture since 1972, when Atari sold over 19,000 Pong machines. Findings of video game research have been a bit of a mixed bag. Studies …

Television, Tony Durr

Teaching, Learning and Leadership Faculty Publications

In the past 50 years substantial research has helped us better understand how the television has impacted our mental functions and specifically the cognitive development of children. In 1988 a Department of Education report, that analyzed all research at the time on the cognitive impact of cartoons, did not find clear evidence to suggest children’s television viewing effected cognitive functions (Anderson & Collins, 1988) In fact, there is some evidence that programs such as Sesame Street actually have a positive impact on things like vocabulary development (Rice, Huston, Truglio, & Wright, 1990) Delving further into the question of how television …

A Habitat For “Coco”: A Social Studies Investigation With Preschool-Aged Children, Mary Bowne, Jennifer Kampmann

Teaching, Learning and Leadership Faculty Publications

Every investigation begins with a “spark” or provocation; something that ignites conversation and action by the teacher and/or children. Learning takes place through the process of construction, thus answering the endless “whys” and the meaning of things, others, and life (Rinaldi, 2006), which can be accomplished through projects and investigations. As a teacher, nothing is more rewarding than seeing children’s enthusiasm for learning, specifically the zest to ask questions and take control of their own learning. When teachers create lessons that are engaging, provoke questions, research, and collaboration, the static classroom environment now transforms into a dynamic environment where action …

Parental Influence On Adolescent’S Academic Performance, Jessica Schmuck

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this survey research was to uncover how the relationship of parental involvement and parenting styles influence their adolescent’s academic performance and success. Parents need to be actively involved in their adolescent’s life, support and provide assistance with school and help instill motivation and confidence. This research was conducted by personally distributing surveys to a class of students at the Brookings High School in October 2010. The survey found that half of the participating adolescent’s stated that their parents had a strong influence on their academic performance. This was critical information because it supported previous research conducted regarding …

Bullies And Victims: Renee's Story, Tony Durr

Teaching, Learning and Leadership Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Well-Being Of Children As Viewed Through Their Conceptions Of Death, Jennifer Kampmann

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An explorative study was conducted to try and understand how young children’s emerging death concepts form including, (a) what family demographics and child factors contributed to family well-being, (b) did family well-being influence children’s social competence, and (c) did family well-being and children’s social competence influence children’s death conceptions. Although the subject of death contains many unique characteristics, it is not easily separated from other aspects of life; death is inseparable from the whole human experience (DeSpelder & Strickland, 2002). It was the assumption of this paper that children develop their conceptions of death based on the appreciation they hold …