Education Commons^™

Historical Thinking At Historical Sites And Museums: An Action Research Study, Timothy Edward Hicks

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study examined the impact of the Historical Thinking Method (HTM) on how students interacted with actual and virtual historical sites and museums. From September 2017 to May 2018, students engaged in analysis and evaluation of online exhibits and actual sites in the Washington, DC, and Columbia, South Carolina, areas using the 32 prompt HTM guide. The HTM was designed to develop not only students’ analytical abilities but also consideration of social justice issues such as racism and sexism in the exhibition and memorialization of history. Using qualitative data from student HTM guides, papers, teacher observations, and written …

The Impact Of A Forest School Model And An Interdisciplinary Curriculum In A Third-Grade Classroom: An Action Research Study, Valerie Hoyt-Parrish

Theses and Dissertations

New policy at LHP (pseudonym) requires all teachers to implement the Danish Forest School approach and integrate the natural outdoor areas surrounding the campus in their curriculum and pedagogy. The purposes of the present study are to identify the cognitive, affective and psychomotor impact of the Danish Forest School approach on students and to design a professional development plan for teachers that enables them to combine this approach within an interdisciplinary framework that will include the State Standards that are required of all third-grade students in this southern, private, parochial school. Action research methods were used to collect observational data …

The Impact Of Project-Based Learning On Student Learning Perspectives And Achievement In A Social Studies Classroom, Jason Brisini

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the possible impact of project-based learning on student learning perspective and achievement in a social studies classroom. American schools are in an era of standardized testing based on standards-driven curricula that only teaches basic recall and recognition. School curriculum should be focused on providing students with the skills necessary for them to be successful after high school graduation. Higher-level thinking skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, and self-direction are not easily learned with traditional, essentialist teaching methods. Students can quickly look up facts with ready access to the internet, so they need …

Impact Of Design Challenges Upon The Development Of Critical Thinking Skills Within An Undergraduate Image Manipulation Course: A Mixed Method Action Research Study, Charles Treado

Theses and Dissertations

The overarching purpose of this study was to improve upon critical thinking through the use of scenario-based design challenge interventions. The study was conducted within an introductory graphic arts course in higher education that focused upon Adobe Photoshop and image manipulation tools, techniques, and terminology. Twelve introductory level graphic arts students participated in the study. In addition to scenario-based design challenge interventions, a reflective practice framework that used scaffolded questioning was developed to guide students in their use of critical thinking about image manipulations.

Through a mixed-methods action research design, the study explored the concepts of design challenge interventions and …

Self-Regulation And Self-Efficacy In A Three-Part Goal Setting Cycle, Mary Virginia Roueche

Theses and Dissertations

The researcher examined the impact self-regulation and metacognitive formative assessments had on self-efficacy through a mixed-methods design. The purpose of the action research study was to teach metacognitive goal-setting through a formative assessment framework in order to measure how students employed self-regulatory behaviors and if this affected their self-efficacy. The overall goals were to improve seventh-grade students’ self-efficacy and mental self-regulation in order to 1) discern how students are efficacious and how does it affect their output; 2) provide field-tested instructional strategies and assessment choices for the seventh-grade teacher team; 3) provide qualitative data to the school’s administrative team to …

Twelfth Grade Students’ Perceptions Of Linked Learning Pathways, Scott Weimer

Theses and Dissertations

During the era of standardized testing in California, Central High School District (CHSD- pseudonym) had created a single course of study that all students were expected to follow to maximize results on state exams. This single course of study was not relevant to a large majority of the students who graduated from the district and they were not prepared for life after graduation. The new accountability system has allowed CHSD to expand the course of study that is being offered. The district has several programs that follow the Linked Learning model which uses project based learning to pair core academic …

Resolving The Problem Of Student Disengagement: Flipped Instruction In A Community College Computer Science Course, Kimberly K. Sterne

Theses and Dissertations

The mixed methods action research study described focused on the problem of student disengagement in an introductory computer science classroom at a community college. The problem of practice led to the development of the following research question: What is the impact of the flipped classroom on the academic performance and perceptions of community college students? A quasi-experimental design, using one group of students experiencing both a control and treatment, was implemented to investigate the research question. One half of a computer concept unit was taught using the transmission method of learning while the second half was taught using the flipped …

The Impact Of Self-Assessment On Student Engagement During Independent Reading, Jonnell Atkins

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of a self-assessment rubric on a students’ ability to self-monitor and self-regulate engaged reading behaviors. The research attempts to answer the following question: What impact does self-assessment have on the engagement of second-grade students during Independent Reading? Using an action research design, data was collected using a pretest and posttest, weekly engagement assessments, field notes and pre/post interviews. Both the quantitative and qualitative data were collected over a period of six weeks on Mondays and Wednesdays during Independent Reading. Student-participants included seven second-grade students and their classroom teacher as a …

The Effects Of A Gamified Curriculum On High-School Students, Joshua Kyle Bastean

Theses and Dissertations

One of the emerging trends in education is gamification, a concept that has been applied in other fields, such as business and advertising, with great success. Gamification can be defined as adding game elements to non-game constructs. This study followed a high-school Algebra II teacher and 10 of her students in an attempt to document the effects of gamification on student academic engagement. Multiple methods of data collection were used to gather data from students and teachers. After analysis, the data showed that gamification had a positive effect on student academic engagement. The results were used to create an action …

The Play’S The Thing: Engaging 6th Grade Social Studies Students Through Movement, Karen Clinkert Paggi

Theses and Dissertations

This paper is a description of a proposed action research study driven by a problem of practice. The problem for this action research is that the teacher-researcher’s sixth-grade social studies students lack critical thinking skills. Critical thinkers are engaged and learners who analyze complex issues and challenges within society. The teacherresearcher observed her students performing well on standardized benchmarks that rely on recalling facts, while simultaneously struggling to analyze explicit and implicit information from primary and secondary sources in order to make relevant and logical conclusions. After observing sedentary teaching practices in her classroom, the teacherresearcher began to review a …

Global Problem-Based Learning In Math, Dora Fletcher

Theses and Dissertations

In the high school of focus in this study, mathematics students struggle to transfer and apply skills to unfamiliar contexts. Also, minority students are underrepresented in advanced mathematics course enrollments. This two-part study consists of a longitudinal analysis of enrollment trends in mathematics courses as well as an action research study of the impact of Global Problem-Based Learning on achievement and attitudes in advanced mathematics classes. The study was conducted at a southern U.S. International Baccalaureate (IB) high school with an annual enrollment of approximately 1300 students. The longitudinal study examined three cohorts of high school graduates, 797 students, beginning …

Making Meaning Of Multiplication: Integrating Virtual Manipulatives And Think-Alouds With Repeated Addition, Arrays, And Decomposing Numbers To Build Conceptual Understandings, Mary E. Camp

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research was to evaluate the implementation of technology integration with multiplication concepts (i.e., repeated, arrays, and decomposing numbers) for struggling third grade mathematics students. This study incorporated the use of virtual manipulatives and student think-aloud recordings to measure students’ conceptual understanding of basic multiplication. This study focused on two overarching research questions: (1) The first question explored how technology integration with multiplication concepts (i.e., repeated addition, arrays, and decomposing numbers) impacted student understanding; and (2) the second question explored how students select and explain strategies for solving multiplication problems. Data collection consisted of teacher-made pre- …

Problem-Solving In An Early Childhood Mathematics Classroom, Lockey Plyler

Theses and Dissertations

Problem-solving occurs when mathematical tasks create opportunities that provide challenges for increasing students' mathematical understanding and development. This research study determined the influence of the launch-explore-summarize/extend problem-solving framework on second-grade student performance of place value tasks. The dissertation in practice measured problem-solving success. This action research study occurred at an elementary school in Columbia, South Carolina. The teacher-researcher determined appropriate problem-solving tasks and assessed students’ academic achievement and critical thinking skills. Following a mixed methods action research design, the researcher analyzed qualitative and quantitative data to determine the significance of the problem-solving framework. The data indicated significant student growth during …

The Effect Of Emphasizing Key Vocabulary On Student Achievement With English Learners, Sarah L. Owen

Theses and Dissertations

This action research seeks to determine the impact of teacher training and the use of specific instructional strategies, per the research-based SIOP® teaching model, on English language arts achievement of formally identified first grade English Learners. The study aims to discover if using strategic techniques to teach vocabulary positively affects language acquisition and comprehension. English Learners have historically lagged behind grade level peers in all academic areas. English Learners tend to have many outside variables that can affect their ability to focus on school. Issues with immigration, class, culture, and race are all relevant topics with this population. This study …

Integrating Literacy Strategies In The Biology Classroom: Using A Generative Vocabulary Matrix To Improve Standardized Test Scores, Anna H. Morrison

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the development and implementation of an action research study that seeks to determine the impact of integrating literacy strategies in the biology classroom on standardized test scores. The teacher-researcher identified the problem of practice in her classroom after four years of observation of ninth-grade biology students. These observations led the teacher-researcher to develop, research, and investigate the following question: What is the impact of Larson’s (2014b) Generative Vocabulary Matrix (GVM) in a high school biology course as demonstrated by students’ performance on the South Carolina End-of-Course Examination Program? This dissertation orients the research question from a …

Cyberbullying And Social Media Responsibility In Schools, Michelle Leviner

Theses and Dissertations

A rapidly growing and destructive phenomenon among today’s adolescent students is cyberbullying, a malicious use of the easy and widespread accessibility of electronic devices and the internet. Whereas traditional bullying typically involves and is known to only a few people, cyberbullying allows perpetrators to spread cruel information to a large audience in a short amount of time, typically via social media. Cyberbullying has negative results for adolescents at school, even if it occurs outside of school hours. With the growing inclusion of technology, specifically social media, in education, educating students on responsible technology usage is more important than ever. This …

The Effects Of Using An Information Literacy Model On The Information Seeking Behavior Of Sixth-Grade Students, Jessica L. Kohout-Tailor

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study describes how teaching an information literacy model affects the information behavior of sixth-grade students. The theoretical framework that supported this study was Carol Kuhlthau’s Information Search Process or ISP (1989). This study used a sequential mixed-methods design to examine the following questions: “How will teaching the Simple Four information literacy model (Alewine, 2006) to sixthgrade students affect their information seeking behavior?” The study also explored the effects the model had on students’ affective behavior through the second research question: “How will teaching the Simple Four information literacy model (Alewine, 2006) to sixth-grade students affect their confidence …

Strategy Group Differentiation: The Effect On Literacy Development Of Accuracy, Fluency, And Comprehension, Megan Deweese

Theses and Dissertations

The problem of practice described in this paper was identified from the varying reading levels of first-grade students and the difficulty faced by teachers to meet the literacy needs of individual students within a diverse classroom. The identified problem guided the researcher to the following research question: what effect does strategy group differentiation during literacy have on accuracy, fluency, and comprehension development? The purpose of the current study is to determine if strategy group differentiation influences the academic success of students in the literacy elements of accuracy, fluency, and comprehension. Through action research studies, teachers can study their own classrooms …

Exploration Of The Use Of Computer-Mediated Communications To Support The Face-Toface Collaborative Efforts Of A Sixth-Grade Professional Learning Community, Christine Horowitz

Theses and Dissertations

Noting the lack of resources to meet face-to-face, most notably time, a significant body of research has investigated the use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) to replace face-to-face interactions of teacher professional learning communities (PLCs). Equally noted is the research on social constructivist theory that supports social interaction as the foundation of learning (Vygotsky, 1978). The purpose of this qualitative case study was to determine how a successful sixth-grade PLC leveraged available technologies in support of their face-to-face collaborative efforts by answering the following research question: How do participants in an established PLC use CMC as a means of supporting and …

Improving Instructional Practice Through Instructional Coaching, Lauren Dillard

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was to determine how instructional coaching impacted implementation of shared reading strategies in kindergarten classrooms. This study included four teachers from one primary school in South Carolina. All of the teachers that participated in this study had more than two years of teaching experience. Data for this study was collected from surveys, classroom observations, lesson plans, and focus groups. Teachers, instructional coaches, and administrators at one elementary school are concerned with the students’ ability to comprehend materials that are being read to them, as well as reading materials that students are reading independently. …

The Impact Of Reading Workshop On Third Graders In A Summer Reading Camp, Meredith J. Davakos

Theses and Dissertations

This action research describes the influence of the research-based program, Reading Workshop, based on student reading achievement, specifically, in one thirdgrade South Carolina summer reading camp classroom. Guiding the research, the problem of practice arose from the passing of South Carolina’s Act 284, which states that school districts should make provisions to support every child becoming a proficient reader by the end of the third grade (SCDE, 2015a), and the lack of literature regarding the use of Reading Workshop in summer camps or summer school. Thus, the overarching question that guided the research was: To what extent are summer reading …

Blended Learning And Its Effect On Student Achievement: An Action Research Study, Christopher Michael Turpin

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study seeks to determine the effects of blended learning on student achievement in a social studies classroom. The research focus is centered on the idea that students are not reaching their full potential on assessments, and a question about how to most effectively assist them in realizing their potential through a new teaching method. This action research study follows Mertler’s (2014) action research framework to find an answer to the research question. The participants of this study were a group of 10th grade students enrolled in an Honors World History course. Students were taught using a blended …