Education Commons^™

Negotiating Identities In Middle School Science: Impacts On Students’ Perceived Expertise And Small Group Participation, Taylor Dexter

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis investigates how students in a linguistically diverse 7^th grade science lab group interact and position each other’s capabilities within a STEM context. These capabilities are discussed in terms of how the identities local to a particular 7^th grade science lab group of “good student” and “scientist” are assigned, challenged, and strengthened. These interactions are instances of identities and patterns (pathways) of identities being negotiated. This thesis’ analysis focuses particularly on how the identities of being Latinx and multilingual affect these negotiations in the terms of the local identities (“good student” and “scientist”). This analysis sheds light …

Reducing Daily Hassles In The Classroom: Teaching Coping Techniques To Elementary School Children, Fiona Molsberry

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Stress, including stress from daily hassles, can have a negative effect on children. Coping skills can be helpful for dealing with stress, but must be effective for the type of stressor the student is experiencing. Teaching children effective coping skills can help them manage stress and may also have a positive impact on perceived classroom climate.

Researchers examined what the relation between a brief CBT intervention with a classroom-based generalization phase on the student rated frequency of daily hassles which occur at school and on the student rated distress levels associated with the hassles, how helpful and acceptable do the …

The Relationship Between Mindfulness, Academic Stress, And Attention, Tida Blackburn

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Some degree of anxiety in learning situations is expected and normal. However, excessive anxiety and stress negatively affect cognitive performance, especially working memory, concentration, and sustained attention. Studies have shown that higher success in academics is related to a better ability to maintain focus on the information presented including auditory and visual attention. College students who are better able to manage stress are more successful than those who cannot. One method of coping with stress and anxiety is the practice of mindfulness. Mindfulness is the ability to be fully present in the moment, be aware of one’s mind, body, and …

Hitting The Trail: An Exploration Of An Outdoor Educational Experience At Intermountain West Junior High School, David N. Joy

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Outdoor educational experiences are one of the ways that young people learn about and experience the benefits that are found in the outdoors. However, despite the benefits that outdoor educational experiences have to offer, many young people do not participate for one reason or another. These reasons are often rooted in issues of social injustice. This study adds to about how outdoor educational experiences effect the perceptions of and attitudes toward the outdoors and learning in the outdoors, as well as what may be keeping so many people from participating in these experiences. One junior high school in the intermountain …

Mind-It. Introducing Mindfulness Online To Help Students Change Perceptions And Develop Interest: A Design-Based Research Approach, Joana M. Franco

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study aligns with contemporary perspectives on higher education suggesting that learning ought to be holistic, going beyond disciplinary knowledge and seeing students as whole beings, to support them in knowing themselves and integrating a more conscious society. In the attempt to contribute to this vision, this study advocates for incorporating mindfulness meditation—a contemplative practice to train the ability to be fully aware of the present moment with a nonjudgmental and curious attitude—into higher education curriculum. Adopting design-based research, I created and iteratively refined a two-week online course called Mind-IT to introduce mindfulness meditation to graduate students in the Veterinary …

Comparison Of Public Mental Health Stigma In Youth, Desiree A. Clarke

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The present study looked at mental health stigma in youth. Mental health stigma is devaluing, disgracing and disfavoring individuals with mental illness. Participants aged 11-14 completed a measure to rate their stigmatizing beliefs toward peers with either ADHD, depression, or asthma. Their ratings were compared for significance between genders and for the three different conditions: ADHD, depression, and asthma. Significant differences were found between the stigma ratings for asthma, depression and ADHD. ADHD had significantly higher stigma ratings than asthma, and depression had significantly higher stigma ratings than ADHD (on some, but not all, areas rated) and had consistently higher …

Perceptions Of Consulting In Inclusive Preschool Classrooms, Natalie E. Forsythe

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Consulting is a method of delivering special education services in inclusive preschool classrooms (consisting of both students with disabilities and typically developing peers) where special education teachers and related service providers (consultants) visit the classroom and support general education preschool teachers (consultees) in implementing special education services and accommodations. This thesis examined the results of a survey gathering perspectives of both consultants and consultees on the definition of the consulting role and factors in building positive consulting relationships. Providers from both groups who responded to this survey defined the consultant role as working with both students and consultees, but primarily …

Psychosocial Effects Of Shared Book Reading, Amy Halling

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many studies have examined the academic benefits of parents reading with their children, but few studies have looked at the psychological and social benefits, and even fewer have related the quality of shared book reading to psycho-social benefits. This study looked at whether positive and negative reading interactions during shared book reading predicted parent-child relationships, child social skills and child academic skills. Twenty-five parents of 4-year-olds read a story with their child and completed parent relationship and child social skills questionnaires. The reading interactions were then coded into two separate composite scores: positive and negative. Positive interactions did not significantly …

Espoused And Enacted Beliefs Of High School English Language Arts Teachers In Writing Instruction, Sydnie Schoepf

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of the current study is to explore the espoused beliefs and enacted practices of secondary English Language Arts teachers with regards to writing instruction and how these beliefs correlate with teacher self-efficacy beliefs. The study worked to build upon the literature mainly in the fields of mathematics and science in order to explore what the perceived and enacted beliefs are and how they affect the self-efficacy belief of teachers within the field of writing instruction in the high school classroom. The study used a collective case study design in order to better understand what espoused and enacted pedagogical …

Teaching Appropriate Feedback Reception Skills Using Computer-Based Training, Seth G. Walker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Feedback is a commonly used intervention to address performance issues in a number of settings. Most research on feedback has focused on manipulating parameters surrounding the delivery of feedback. However, the interaction between those delivering the feedback and a feedback recipient may also influence the impact of performance feedback. The current study investigated the efficacy of training individuals to receive feedback in an appropriate manner using a computer-based training format. Following computer-based training, participants exhibited increases in accuracy of appropriate feedback behaviors when compared to baseline. Participants also demonstrated slight increases in performance on primary job tasks. This study extends …

Supporting Adolescent Mental Health Within School Culture And Curricula: Inviting Adolescents To Utah's Mental Health Conversation, Diana West

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Utah is facing a mental health crisis. Between 2011 and 2017, teen suicides nearly tripled in Utah and had become the leading cause of death for children ages 10-17. Educators and policymakers are scrambling to provide students with mental health supports in schools, but an incomplete understanding of the challenges that students face can make it difficult to meet their needs. Each year state agencies ratchet up awareness, funding, and the determination to support mental health initiatives, but each year adolescent mental health in Utah becomes more precarious. The purpose of this study is to change the conversation by inviting …

Developing And Validating Stealth Assessments For An Educational Game To Assess Young Dual Language Immersion Learners' Reading Comprehension, Frederick J. Poole

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this multiple-paper dissertation is to design a digital game and stealth assessments within the game to assess young second language learners' Chinese reading proficiency. In Chapter 2 (Paper 1), I describe the game designed for this dissertation and how it was implemented in a dual language immersion classroom. This study found that the digital game and in-class implementation led to significant vocabulary and reading comprehension gains. Further, seven types of support that students needed while playing the game were identified. In Chapter 3 (Paper 2), I describe how educational data mining approaches, and more specifically, how data-driven …

National Survey Of Professional Development On Writing Compliant Transition Individualized Education Programs, M. Faith Thomas

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A national survey of special education administrators was conducted on current special education teacher trainings, the internal monitoring processes on transition IEPs, and the effect training has on compliance with federal law. In addition, this student researcher examined training and internal monitoring systems to determine if there were any similarities or differences between rural, suburban, and metropolitan school districts. An explanatory sequential mixed methods design gathered survey data from 147 special education administrators from across the U.S. and conducted interviews with 14 participants representing rural, suburban, and metropolitan school districts. When combining survey and interviews data, the results showed that …

Validation Of A Brief Prosody Rating Scale For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Sarai S. Holbrook

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Differences in the speech prosody, or "melody" of speech, of persons with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have long been noted by researchers. Yet, despite many studies, researchers have not identified a universal description of speech prosody in ASD. It may be flat or monotonous, not different from typical, or overly variable. However, atypical speech prosody can immediately set someone apart from their peers. This distinction could negatively social, academic, and vocational interactions. For those persons with ASD whose speech prosody is different from typical and interferes with daily functioning, valid, reliable, and efficient assessments of speech prosody are needed. Currently, …

Teaching Students To Communicate With The Precise Language Of Mathematics: A Focus On The Concept Of Function In Calculus Courses, Derrick S. Harkness

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The use of precise language is one of the defining characteristics of mathematics that is often missing in mathematics classrooms. This lack of precision results in poorly constructed concepts that limit comprehension of essential mathematical definitions and notation. One important concept that frequently lacks the precision required by mathematics is the concept of function. Functions are foundational in the study undergraduate mathematics and are essential to other areas of modern mathematics. Because of its pivotal role, the concept of function is given particular attention in the three articles that comprise this study.

A unit on functions that focuses on using …

Social Change Engagement And Leadership Development Among College Students, Andrew Harris

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Young people are increasingly in the public view as agents of social change. As suggested in the Social Change Model of Leadership Development, those who develop the seven values of socially responsible leadership (consciousness of self, congruence, commitment, common purpose, collaboration, controversy with civility, and citizenship) are prepared to engage in the leadership process by creating positive social change. Findings from this study suggest that the socially responsible leadership value of citizenship was the value most consistently related to social change engagement. Additionally, social generativity, or the desire to leave a legacy for future generations, as well as participating in …

Social Justice Mathematical Modeling For Teacher Preparation, Patrick L. Seegmiller

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Today's math teachers face significant social and political challenges for which they receive little preparation. Mathematics content courses can potentially provide additional preparation in this regard by providing future teachers with experiences to mathematically explore social justice issues. This provides them with opportunities to increase their awareness and sensitivity to social justice issues, develop greater empathy for their future students, and serve as examples for high quality instruction that they can emulate in their future careers. This dissertation recounts the development and revision of three social justice mathematical modeling projects, and shares evidence from student work samples of the ways …

Architecture Of Engagement: Autonomy-Supportive Leadership For Instructional Improvement, Travis N. Thurston

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This multiple paper dissertation addresses the importance of improving student success in online higher education programs by providing support for instructors. The autonomy-supportive structures to improve instructional practice are explained through three main domains, including instructional development, instructional design, and instructional practice. The first paper addresses instructional leadership with the theoretical foundations and practical considerations necessary for instructional leaders. Recommendations are made to use microcredentials or digital badges to scaffold programming using self-determination theory. The second paper addresses the importance of instructional design in improving instructional practice including the intentionality involved in implementing a gamification strategy to improve online student …

Early Adolescent Gifted And Talented Students And Their Experience With Bullying, William T. Allen Jr.

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Bullying, in all its forms (e.g., verbal, physical, cyber, social ostracism), is a continual problem in public schools. It exacerbates the painfully high suicide rate among early adolescent students, especially in the western U.S., with some evidence showing distinctions within the academically advanced gifted and talented (GT) cohort. Research shows GT students (GTs) are bullied at nearly double the rate of the mainstream population. Yet, quantitative statistics indicate GTs and non-GTs suffer comparable rates of trauma internalization, suicide ideation, and suicide. Some quantitative differences do start to appear with further personality distinctions. This points to a possibility that qualitative dissimilarities …

Exploring The Influence Of Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (Pals) In Increasing Reading Comprehension Of Grade-Level Biology Text And Biology Self-Efficacy In Students With Learning Disabilities: A Formative Experiment, K. Lea Priestley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The present study used a formative design experiment framework which does not answer a research question but addresses a pedagogical goal. The goal of this study was to determine the influence of Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) on the reading comprehension of grade-level biology text and biology self-efficacy with students diagnosed with learning disabilities. As a result of this intervention, it was expected that students would better understand biology text and feel better about themselves as a biology student.

Students were separated into pairs, or dyads, with each pair having a stronger reader and a weaker reader. These dyads participated in …

A Grounded Theory To Explain Parent Prioritization Of Hearing Care When Children Have Down Syndrome, John J. Whicker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to describe the decision-making process parents experience when prioritizing hearing care while caring for children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing with Down Syndrome. To achieve this, parents of children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing with Down Syndrome were recruited, and in-depth interviews were conducted to develop a grounded theory that may explain the decision-making process for how parents prioritize effective hearing care and management. The resulting theory indicated that the higher the extent of professional engagement, parent perception of benefit, parent activation, and engagement of family support, the higher the priority for hearing care …

An Exploration Of How Past, Present, And Anticipated Future Identities Shape The Reading Identities And Practices Of Reluctant Male Readers In A Rural Setting, Garret Craig Rose

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many factors can attribute to a working-class, rural, male adolescent reluctant reader. This intersection of social factors warrants research to find out the reading attitudes and identity of adolescents with the aforementioned factors. In order to conduct this research, I interviewed six young men, their parents, and their English teacher. I also observed them in their English classroom and in a venue of their choosing. A major component of this research included looking at their past and present reading identities, along with uncovering how they pictured themselves in the future regarding post high school schooling, career, and family.

Persistence Impacts On Student Subgroups That Participate In The High Impact Practice Of Service Learning, John Louviere

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The university focuses on student-centered learning experiences and encourages student success through engagement and discovery. Departments and programs within universities are organized to support this mission. A major part of encouraging engagement is retaining students and helping them persist towards earning their academic degrees. Likewise, campus initiatives, resources, and activities are intended to support these same goals.

This research investigated the impacts of service learning courses on student persistence to the next term. The research methods used for this study were intended to provide leaders of higher education with valid and reliable information about activities that contribute to or inhibit …

“What Makes ‘Em Tick?” The Impact Of Parenting Style And Parent-Initiated Motivational Climate On Student Athletes’ Motivation Orientation In The Context Of Intercollegiate Athletics, Logan Kateryna Lyons

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Motivation has become a widely studied construct in intercollegiate athletics, as coaches and administrators have sought to maximize the socioemotional and performance aspects of athletic competition. While researchers acknowledge parents as having an important role in the socialization of motivation, research in this area has largely focused on sport-specific parenting practices, failing to account for the broader components of global parenting style that may influence parent-initiated motivational climates, and subsequently the motivational profiles exhibited by developing student athletes. The present study was designed to investigate the relationship among global parenting style, parent-created motivational climate, and student-athlete motivation within the context …

Building Engagement In Facebook: A Case Study With Utah State University Extension Sustainability, Kenna Kesler

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to explore how Utah State University (USU) Extension Sustainability uses Facebook to engage followers. The researcher conducted a quantitative content analysis of 504 messages posted to the USU Extension Sustainability Facebook page. Graphics and links were the most common post characteristics used. Text-only posts and posts containing videos were used the least. Food was the most common area of sustainability discussed on the page. Posts containing videos, shared content, or that tagged other pages in Facebook messages experienced statistically significantly higher user engagement than posts without those characteristics. Posts containing hashtags experienced statistically significantly …

An Analysis Of Degree Completion Among Female Students At Utah Valley University: A Demonstration Case For An Individualized Analysis Model In Higher Education, Tara S. Ivie

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Higher education institutions are facing low degree completion rates on an epidemic scale. The role of a bachelor degree completion in the well-being and future life of college students is of paramount importance, impacting physical and mental health, financial stability, relationship satisfaction and duration, safety, and community engagement.

Institutions must be critical of and act to address barriers to degree completion. In addition to an intrinsic investment in the success of their students, institutions may be
motivated by institutional improvement, performance-based funding, and the ethical ambition to create an educated society. Understanding when and why students drop and stop out …

The Marshmallow Lab: A Project-Based Approach To Understanding Functional Responses, Melissa Pulley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This paper presents a three-part lesson plan to improve student’s understanding of Holling’s type II functional response model. This model describes the interaction between a predator and how much it is able to consume given a constant number of prey. According to the model, while increased availability of prey allows predators to consume portionately more prey for low values, after some number of prey, predators will only be able to capture a limited number of prey even as the prey continues to increase. This phenomenon is known as saturation. Holling first develop this important ecological theory through his “disc experiment” …

Working Memory And Syntactic Processing In Bilingual And Monolingual Children, Carla I. Orellana

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between complex auditory working memory, syntactic knowledge, and complex sentence comprehension in bilingual and monolingual children using both offline (behavioral) and online (eye-tracking) measures. There were 19 children in the monolingual group and 19 children in the bilingual group with an average age of 11 years. The children listened to sentences, while looking at a screen with three images of the three nouns in the sentence. They were instructed to select the doer of the action (agent). Their eye movements were recorded as they completed this task. The four sentence …

Characteristics Of Family And Consumer Sciences Teachers Adopting Instructional Technologies In The State Of Utah, Nicole J. B. Manwaring

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Effective instructional technology use increases student learning outcomes. There has been an increase in the number and variety of new instructional technologies, but previous research has not focused on the demographic of Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) teachers. More research was needed to identify correlations among technology adopters and how they perceived student learning.

The researcher developed an online survey adapted from previous research to identify technologies being used in FCS classrooms, teacher attitudes on technology integration and perceptions on student learning, and demographic information. A comparison of high school and middle school settings was conducted. It was found that …

Teacher Questions In The Classroom: The Effects Of Using A Low- To High-Level Questioning Sequence On The Text-Based Reading Comprehension Outcomes Of Low-Performing Students, Shannon Harris Brown

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Teacher questioning may be an effective instructional procedure for building students’ reading comprehension. Strategically asking questions at two different levels, low-level (text explicit) and high-level (text implicit), may be needed to assist students to engage in higher order thinking skills.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a low- to high-level questioning sequence without or with linking prompts on the text-based reading comprehension outcomes of fifth-grade students who evidenced poor reading comprehension. A secondary analysis was used to determine whether the questioning sequence was effective regardless of students’ interest in the narrative …