Education Commons^™

Teaching English As A Foreign Language: A Multicultural Perspective, Nouf Ali Alotaibi

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio is a compilation of the author’s beliefs and practices of what constitutes effective second language teaching. It is based on the author’s teaching philosophy and the work has been done during two years of study at the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program. The teaching philosophy centers on how to implement communication inside the language classroom, develop literacy, integrate culture teaching into language instruction, and how to use technology to facilitate language learning and teaching. The teaching philosophy is followed by three artifacts, which review the literature addressing different topics on language, literacy, and culture. The language …

Alabama And Mississippi: A Case Study In School Trust Land Management, John Morgan Maynes

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

School trust lands are an enormous, yet often overlooked resource for public education. In some states, they have the potential to fund public education in an entirely tax-free manner, and they contribute tax-free funding for schools in many states. Before the Constitution of the United States was written, Congress established a system for granting lands to support common schools. However, there is a gap in the scholarly discourse about this legacy. Souder and Fairfax (1996) noted in their comprehensive work on school trust lands that “other than noting the initial grant to Ohio, most texts ignore the remaining details surrounding …

Learning From The Teaching Practices Of Successful Teachers Of Latina And Latino Students, Glori H. Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study, sponsored by the Department of Teacher Education and Leadership at Utah State University, was to determine the classroom practices and attitudes of the teachers that had been identified as successful with Latina and Latino students at an urban middle school. Criteria for successful teachers were not determined by the researcher, but by those school stakeholders who were asked to nominate such teachers: the administrators, faculty, and parents of Latina/o students.

The difference between the achievement of White students and students of color has long been a concern of educators. It is well established that critical …

Personal Vulnerability In University Student Mothers: An Examination Of Cultural Expectations And Coping Mechanisms, Joanna Daines

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Past research has emphasized the inter-role conflict and resulting stress and depression working mothers' experience. Similar conflicting responsibilities are faced by student mothers, or mothers attending post-secondary institutes of higher education. These women may be subject to feelings of personal vulnerability, depression, feelings of incompetence as parents, and dysfunctional interaction with their children. However, it is unclear how these factors are related among the student-mother population. Additionally, stress resulting from conflicting roles may be exacerbated by the cultural expectations placed on these women especially in the context of Utah culture. This study sought to understand how personal vulnerability is related …

Qualitative Case Study On Cell Phone Appropriation For Language Learning Purposes In A Dominican Context, Gisela Martiz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research study investigated how a Dominican English language teacher and her students appropriated cell phone features for educational purposes inside and outside the classroom. The dissertation used a qualitative approach that focused on the teacher, and four students selected from a class of 23. Data collection took place for 8 weeks in an English language center located at a public university in the Dominican Republic in the summer of 2014. I collected data through interviews, conversations, classroom observations, and questionnaires. Data were analyzed to identify emerging themes that described how the teacher and students used their cell phones for …

An Exploration Of The Use Of Functional Behavior Assessment And Noncontingent Reinforcement On Disruptive Behavior In Middle School General Education Classrooms, Melody C. Andreasen

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Teachers sometimes experience problems with disruptive behavior in their classrooms. These aberrant and socially mediated behaviors can be difficult for teachers to manage without the proper research-based skills and training. This project explored the effects of training general education classroom teachers to conduct a functional behavior assessment and deliver noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) for disruptive classroom behavior(s). Participants included four middle school general education teachers and four students who have been identified by each teacher as exhibiting disruptive behavior(s). Procedures included four hrs of teacher training on conducting functional behavior assessments and delivering NCR followed by a post-training questionnaire and rubric …

Lena Measurements Of Language Facilitation Strategies Utilized By Parents During Storybook Reading, Shannon Michelle Peters

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Approximately 12,000, or 4-6 per 1,000 babies per year in the United States are born with some degree of hearing loss (NCHAM, 2014). Children with any degree of hearing loss are at risk for having difficulty with academics, language and communication. However, with early detection, and use of hearing technology (e.g. hearing aids and cochlear implants), and specialized early intervention, many children who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) can develop language and academic proficiency at or near their same aged peers (Moeller, 2000). The development of age-appropriate literacy skills in children who are DHH is essential in establishing …

Early Hearing Detection And Intervention Conferences: Cultural And Pathological Messages, Kathryn Byrne

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Babies who are born with hearing loss have historically missed out on early language acquisition opportunities due to delayed diagnosis. Over 95% of deaf children are born to hearing families who would have no reason to suspect a hearing loss until typical language development is not evidenced (Marschark, 2010). Unfortunately, a dearth of language acquisition in early childhood has damaging affects on any subsequent language learning as well as social and emotional development. By waiting until children are of an age to evidence this lack of language, their overall language capability is already impeded, and the consequences of this delay …

Examining Barriers And Facilitators Of Community Based Vocational Instruction For Students With Significant Disabilities, Lavinia Gripentrog

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This study examines the barriers and facilitators of community based vocational instruction (CBVI) for students with moderate to significant disabilities as identified by special educators. Community based vocational instruction (CBVI) involves students with disabilities receiving repeated instruction on vocational and other job related skills in community settings (Kim & Dymond, 2010). An electronic survey was sent to high school and transition special education teachers from four states including Utah, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Colorado. One hundred thirty-five participants completed the survey. Almost two-thirds of the respondents had a master’s degree and one-third a bachelor’s degree. The majority of respondents were …

The Promotion Of Self-Determination: A Survey Of General And Special Educators, Melanie P. Allen

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Learning self-determination skills is critical for all students to ensure they advocate for themselves and participate in a seamless transition from the secondary school setting to college and career. This quantitative study surveyed 224 general education, 37 mild/moderate special education, 10 severe special education, 28 alternative high general educators, 5 alternative high special educators, 3 transition special educators’ mild/moderate, and 8 special education severe teachers in a suburban school district in the western US. A rating scale and open-ended questions were used to assess the degree to which teachers provide students with instruction and require students to demonstrate self-determination/self-advocacy skills. …

The Effects Of Brief, Localized, Intensive, Social Skills (Bliss) Training On Social Outcomes For Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder In Inclusive School Settings: Form And Function, Christian V. Sabey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined the impact of a framework for implementing social skills training, entitled BLISS, on the social vocalizations of students with autism spectrum disorder.

The number of students with autism spectrum disorder is on the rise and many of these students are being served predominantly in general education settings. However, there is a serious lack of social skills training interventions that have been effectively integrated into the typical school setting, including the use of typically available school personnel as interventionists. The developers of the BLISS approach take a step closer to the ideal by integrating brief social skills instruction …

Adoption, Adaptation, And Abandonment: Appropriation Of Science Education Professional Development Learning, Max L. Longhurst

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Understanding factors that influence teachers to use certain practices from training they receive will help improve learning experiences for students. This study examined how two teachers with the same teacher training experience use learning from that training in their instruction differently. This research attempted to account for multiple factors that influenced teachers learning. Educator’s incorporation of teaching practices can vary from teacher to teacher and from training to training. This variability is understood in terms of their appropriation of new teaching practices into their teaching and delivery of learning. Two teachers were selected as a result of their participation in …

Comparison Of Neurological Activation Patterns Of Children With And Without Autism Spectrum Disorders When Verbally Responding To A Pragmatic Task, Daphne U. Hartzheim

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined the neurological activation of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) while performing a pragmatic judgment task. In this study, children between the ages of 9 and 15 years responded to questions regarding a social situation, taken from the Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language, while concurrently having their brain activity measured. We targeted four brain regions for analysis: dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), superior temporal gyrus (STG), and the inferior parietal lobule (IPL).

Ten children with ASD and 20 typically developing (TD) children participated. Matching occurred in a bracketing manner with each child in the ASD …

Expert Rural Elementary School Teachers' Planning For Effective Instruction, Lance T. Hatch

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Learning how to plan for effective instruction is a critical part of the work performed daily by the elementary school teacher. While some new and struggling teachers in urban school districts have access to professional development on a variety of topics including instructional planning, teachers in rural school districts often struggle to find training opportunities. This study sought to gather information and insight from rural teachers who demonstrate expert instructional planning. The specific planning decisions they made and activities they engaged in while planning were studied. Not only were the planning practices identified, but the reasons said practices were employed …

The Effects Of A Training Session On Teacher Knowledge, Perceptions, And Implementation Of Assistive Technology In Secondary Schools., Robert Woodbury Jr

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Despite the prevalence of students with mild disabilities in special education and the legal mandate to consider assistive technology to support their needs, research suggests low rates of assistive technology use by this population (Bouck, Maeda, & Flanagan, 2012; Derer, Polsgrove, & Rieth, 1996; Quinn, Behrmann, Mastropieri, & Chung, 2009). One major barrier to assistive technology consideration and implementation cited by teachers is a lack of training. This study examined changes in teachers’ knowledge, perceptions, and implementation of assistive technology as a result of a hands-on teacher training session. Participants included 61 regular and special education teachers and administrators in …

College Student Perceptions Of Secondary Teacher Influence On The Development Of Mathematical Identity, Kathryn Van Wagoner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Through interviews with college students, this qualitative study explored how the students' experiences with their secondary mathematics teachers affected their relationship with mathematics, known as mathematical identity. The study was rooted in the idea that learning is an experience of identity and in John Dewey's theory that all experiences are inextricably linked to past and future experiences. The eight college students' interview responses were written into biographical narratives and then analyzed within preselected themes related to experiences with secondary teachers and dimensions of mathematical identity. These themes were determined through a review of previously published studies on those topics.

The …

"It Is Not In The Stars To Hold Our Destiny But In Ourselves": Tales Of Saudi Muslim Women Maintaining Their Identities In U.S. Higher Education, Debi Sheridan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The objective of these oral histories was to examine, explain and reveal the success of a small group of Saudia (female Saudis) whose studies at a mid-Western American university through the medium of English (their second or third language). Four students were randomly selected from a group of volunteers, based on their successful completion of the English as a Second Language (ESL) program, plus a year of other academic classes in the university. One student, who had not completed the ESL program, was admitted to the master of English program having passed the Test of English as a Foreign Language …

Music: A Tool For Expressive And Receptive Vocabulary For Children Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing, Lauren Smith

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Children with congenital hearing loss are at risk for speech, language, and academic delays. Early identification of hearing loss provides the opportunity for children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) to obtain appropriate technology, such as hearing aids or cochlear implants, and to receive early intervention services to optimize development of listening and spoken language. Almost all industrialized countries have adopted policies for universal newborn hearing screening (National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management, 2011). This has significantly reduced the average age of identification from 2 ½ -3 years of age to 2-3 months of age (White, Forsman, …

The Effectiveness Of Using An Ipad Literacy Application To Engage Early Readers With And Without Hearing Loss, K. Michelle Brown

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Previous research has found that engagement is key for the success of early readers. There is not sufficient previous research to show how best to engage early readers, particularly with mobile technologies, and almost none on the engagement of those with hearing loss. Electronic and mobile devices have been used in previous research to increase the engagement and success of students. The Reading for All Learners beginning reading curricula iPad application was adapted to include child and adult narrators and multiple modes of access to sound. Recordings of 24 (12 typical and 12 with hearing loss) early readers, ages four …

Facilitating Development Of Foreign Language, Literacy, And Culture, Chad Saunders

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

In this portfolio, the author describes integral components of his teaching philosophy which include how the instructor can become a supportive facilitator, how he can promote use of the target language for communication, and how motivation can reinforce language instruction and learning. Specific topics of interest were investigated further in support of the teaching philosophy. The artifacts discuss Utah’s dual language immersion program: its development, future, and expected outcomes; the acquisition of multiliteracy skills for educational achievement; as well as the use of technology in promoting target language use and intercultural communicative competence. Finally, the author includes an annotated bibliography …

School Counselors' Provision Of Career And College Transition Services To Students In Special Education, Pamela K. Lee

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

School counselors provide career and college guidance services to secondary students to prepare them for transition to post-secondary education and employment. Successful post-secondary transition is a desired outcome for students in special education. This project surveyed 96 currently practicing secondary school counselors from two Northern Utah school districts. A survey questionnaire using rating scale items and open-ended questions was administered to assess the degree to which school counselors provide specific career and college guidance services to students in special education, counselors rating of preparedness to provide such services, counselor beliefs about providing these services, and what factors negatively or positively …

Negative Reinforcement Through Contingent Easy-Task Presentation, Cicely Irene Nickerson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Escape from instructional demands is one of the most common functions of problem behavior. Some research suggests that a switch from difficult to easy tasks may function as a reinforcer for problem behavior. This is of particular concern for situations in which easy tasks are part of the intervention procedure to reduce problem behavior. This project examined the reinforcing effects of a switch from low-probability (low-p) to high-probability (high-p) tasks for individuals whose problem behavior was maintained by escape from demands. It also provided preliminary evidence as to the quality of reinforcement provided by a switch from low- high-p tasks. …

Using Video Prompting On An Ipod Touch To Teach Multiple-Step Recipes To Transition-Age Students With Moderate To Severe Cognitive Disabilities, Kjerstin Mourra

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study investigated effects of video prompting using an iPod Touch to teach recipe-following to four 16-19 year-old youth with intellectual disability and autism in a transition classroom. Target behaviors involved correctly following three multi-step recipes: microwave dinner, brownies, and gelatin. A multiple-probe design across recipes was replicated across participants. After low levels of responding in baseline probes, researchers presented participants with an iPod Touch showing each step of the task using video and with audio narration. Following the video prompting phase, maintenance and home-based generalization probes were conducted. The intervention increased recipe-following performance for all participants. Performance maintained and …

Clinician Recasts And Production Of Complex Syntax By Children With And Without Specific Language Impairment, Rebekah Wada

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined whether children with specific language impairment (SLI) respond differently than children who are typically developing in response to an intervention composed of the strategies of priming and recasting. Twenty-six children between the ages of 6 years, 10 months to 10 years, 11 months participated in the study (13 with SLI and 13 developing typically). The intervention was completed in one session. Findings revealed that both children with and without SLI were able to be primed to produce subject relative and object relative sentences with subject relative clauses being easier to produce than object relative clauses.

A Feminist Examination Of How Girls And Women Engage With A Female Protagonist In Dystopian Young Adult Literature, Robin A. Parent

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examines how girls and women related to a strong female protagonist in Scott Westerfeld's book Uglies, a dystopian young adult novel. I chose the text, Uglies, as a common experience shared between both participant groups. Two main research questions framed this study: How do girls and women relate to the female protagonist in dystopian YAL? and, How are the responses to dystopian YAL similar and different for the targeted teen audience and the adult audience? This study utilized third-wave feminism and reader response theory for its critical framework. Third-wave feminism calls for researchers to foreground personal …

Identifying Factors Common Among Students Who Do Not Fit The Typical Mathematics Self-Efficacy And Achievement Correlation, Jodi H. Mantilla

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A student’s self-efficacy, or their belief in their ability to perform a specific behavior, has been shown to have a positive correlation with their academic achievement. In other words, if their self-efficacy is high, their academic achievement is high. If self-efficacy is low, likewise their achievement is low. Research has shown that this correlation is especially true when looking at the self-efficacy and academic achievement in a specific subject, such as mathematics. However, in a typical classroom, teachers experience students who have very high self-efficacy in their mathematics abilities yet perform mathematics tasks at a low level. They may also …

An Exploratory Study Of Attributes, Affordances, Abilities, And Distance In Children's Use Of Mathematics Virtual Manipulative Ipad Apps, Stephen I. Tucker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This exploratory qualitative study investigated the presence of and relationships among constructs that contribute to children's interactions with educational technology, leading to the development of the modification of attributes, affordances, abilities, and distance (MAAAD) for Learning framework. For this study, each of 10 fifth-grade children participated in one individual video-recorded semistructured interview session, during which they interacted with two mathematics virtual manipulative iPad apps and responded to follow-up questions. Video recordings and observation field notes were analyzed for evidence of attributes, affordance-ability relationships, distance, and relationships among these constructs.

Constant comparative data analysis using memoing and eclectic coding provided evidence …

The Use Of Feedback In Group Counseling In A State Vocational Rehabilitation Setting: A Pilot Study, Saara Grizzell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Thirty individuals with disabilities receiving services at a vocational rehabilitation state agency attended a ten week skills based group counseling program. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: feedback or the treatment-as-usual. Prior to each session, participants filled out the Outcome Questionnaire-45, a questionnaire that provides measures of four different aspects of counseling outcomes: level of symptom distress, problems with interpersonal relationships, social role performance, and mental health functioning. Reports were then generated showing each participant’s scores and progress over time. Group counselors and participants in the feedback condition received these weekly reports. At the end of the …

Indicator 13 Training For Transition Teachers: Comparison Of Pre-And Post Test Scores On Writing Of Goals, Christina B. Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Special education teachers sometimes experience problems with knowing how to construct and write transition goals that meet Indicator 13 requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This project examined the effects of teacher training in Indicator 13 requirements on the quality of transition goals. Participants included 17 special education teachers from one school district located in a western state. Target behaviors where increasing each participants’ post-test goal quality scores from individualized transition plans (ITP) written after they demonstrated knowledge about requirements through a post-instruction goal quality writing probe. Procedures involved (a) a pre examination of participants’ transition goals that …

The Effects Of Unidirectional Peer Tutoring On Mathematics Outcomes For Students With Learning Disabilities In An Inclusive, Secondary Setting, Daniel Pyle

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Students with disabilities included in general education settings often require varying levels of supports and services to execute classroom routines effectively while maximizing their learning opportunities. One support that holds potential to increase outcomes for students with disabilities in general education settings is peer tutoring. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effects that a targeted, unidirectional tutoring intervention had on the math outcomes for students with learning disabilities in a Secondary Mathematics I class. High school students that had advanced skills in mathematics served as interventionists (i.e., peer tutors) and were trained to deliver the unidirectional …