Education Commons^™

Word Study Promotes The Application Of Spelling Skills Within Elementary Students’ Independent Writing, Sarah Kay Rabideau

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this project was how does a balanced literacy program that includes word study promote application of spelling skills within elementary students’ independent writing? It documents the implementation of effective word study components within an elementary setting. The action research project included whole group lessons, followed by guided practice using interactive writing and writing conferences, and also individualized, hands-on, independent word work. These strategies were based off of the research of Fountas and Pinnell and the resource Word Matters (2001). Through the implementation of these components the author developed a deeper understanding of effective word study …

The Impact Of Reading Fluency Instruction On Reading Fluency, Abdul Wright

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this capstone was, how does reading fluency instruction impact reading fluency? The inspiration for this capstone sparked from the first year-end summative assessment that one teacher proctored, and the struggles those students faced on that assessment. Moreover, the author of this research study looks to examine the impact that reading fluency instruction has on students’ ability to read fluently. The majority of students at this charter school in Minneapolis are students who come from low income families. This study documents the impact that fluency instruction had on reading fluency and determines the following: 1) Reading …

Form And Function Focused Language Activities And Their Effects On Student Writing In A Spanish Immersion Classroom, Brian John Rice

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this project was, how does implementing (Spanish) form and function focused language activities during independent reading time affect subject-verb agreement and opinion formation in third grade students’ writing? The study was grounded in the idea of cross-curricular transfer (Meyer & Schendel, 2014; Zwiers, 2006). Students utilized scaffolded form and function focused Spanish language frames in a peer-to-peer reciprocal teaching setting during reading, with the intent that the linguistic learning would transfer to students’ writing. Using Brown's (1973) Obligatory Occasion Analysis method as outlined by Ellis and Barkhuizen (2005) the researcher found substantial improvement in subject-verb …

The Impact Of Collaborative Professional Development Between Classroom Teachers And Reading Recovery Teachers, Tessa Abrahamson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This capstone explores the impact that collaborative professional development between classroom teachers and reading recovery teacher can have on the quality of instruction and on student growth. A mixed-methods approach was used in this action research study including a literacy assessment that was administered to students before and after professional development, observations, and surveys. The data were examined and revealed that working collaboratively is beneficial for teachers and students. Professional development is a powerful tool to help improve instruction when used appropriately.

The Impact Of Critical Literacy On The Moral Reasoning Of Adolescents, Sierra Mae Gilbertson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this study was, in what ways does the implementation of critical literacy impact the moral reasoning of adolescents? It documents one teacher’s use of action research to create a unit that integrated critical literacy methods based on the research of McLaughlin & DeVoogd with moral education methods based on research by Kohlberg. The author documents details of the unit and uses related research literature to construct meaning and validate the study. She describes the effectiveness of each critical literacy activity in terms of the impact it had on the moral reasoning of her students and …

Motivating First Grade Struggling Readers Through Comprehension Strategy Instruction, Jessica Annmarie Nivala

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this capstone was, how does the explicit teaching of comprehension strategies to first grade struggling readers increase their motivation to read? It documents one teacher’s experience of implementing explicit comprehension strategy instruction during reading workshop through the use of the gradual release of responsibility model and examines its effect on motivation of struggling readers. The project integrates whole group and small group instruction and motivational practices for three first grade struggling readers. The author details the comprehension lessons that were taught, and documents observations of the participants’ engagement. She describes her successes and concludes that …

21st Century Literacy: Blending The English 12 Classroom, Natalie Nelson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this project was, how can the use of formative and summative assessments be used to understand student achievement and learning within a 12th Grade Language Arts blended environment? It documents one teacher’s creation of a unit that uses technology in combination with assessment to determine student success within a Language Arts classroom unit. This research project integrated multiple kinds of technology to help understand if this type of assessment creates better or higher levels of learning for students. The author documents the application of the unit after creation. She describes both the outcomes of the …

Teacher Training To Identify Students With Dyslexia. Implementation Of Accommodations To Help Students Be Successful, Brita Marie Gibart

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This curriculum-based capstone provides educators with an in-depth review of how teachers are being trained to identify students with dyslexia. It can be used as a guide to the implementation of accommodations to help students with dyslexia be successful in the classroom. The research question for this capstone is: What is being done for students with dyslexia in our schools? A review of the literature included the definition dyslexia through misconceptions, diagnosis procedures and brain imaging techniques. Dyslexia is identified in the classroom through a person’s rights, the stigma associated with dyslexia and a teacher’s role in identification. The strategy …

The Effect Technology Has On Student Comprehension And Motivation, Paul Richard Holland

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this project was, why do students in a sixth grade classroom using an electronic device to read display different comprehension and motivational levels than students with printed texts? The motivating factor for this capstone was the increased use of electronic devices in the classroom. It documents the changes in students’ comprehension and motivation over a six week time period. Data was collected in a variety of ways such as surveys, student interviews, journals, and comprehension quizzes. Although there were limitations and areas to improve in future studies, results showed student choice plays a significant role …

Children Who Are Deaf Deserve Researched Based Education, Cheryl Ann Hermann

Dissertations

Deaf Education includes many complex components, including: 1) Academics, 2) Cognitive, 3) Hearing, 4) Speech, 5) Language: American Sign Language and English, 6) Social Skills & Emotional Well Being, 7) Deaf Culture, and 8) Instructional Methods. Evidence indicates that children who are deaf achieve academically at the same levels as their peers, “Postsecondary enrollment and degree completion by deaf individuals in colleges, universities, and career and technical education schools have increased dramatically over the past several decades,” (Marc Marschark, 2015, p. 5). However, most of the current research shows that despite numerous interventions and philosophies, children who are deaf continue …

How Formative Assessments Can Be Utilized To Respond To Student Needs Within A Balanced Literacy Framework, Amber Ann Steinmeyer

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The guiding research question of this capstone project was, how can formative assessments be utilized within a balanced literacy framework in order to respond to the reading needs of 5th grade students? The key motivation for formulating this research study was the constant struggle to find a framework for teaching reading that could address the diverse learning needs of students. The author defines formative assessments, in terms of a process, and then explores the balanced literacy framework. The study continued by exploring how the formative assessment process can be utilized within a balanced literacy framework, as it relates to the …

Assessing Latino Caregiver’S Knowledge And Understanding Of Medication Management For Children And The Use Of Health Technology To Gather Information, Kamal Jennifer Johal

Child Development Theses

For people with low literacy who come from other cultures, accessing, understanding and using the United States healthcare system is challenging. Existing literature states that low parental health literacy among the Latino population is related to poor health outcomes for their children. This project explores Latino caregiver’s health practices and the possible uses of technology, specifically Smartphone applications (apps), to provide information about their child’s health care. The project included two focus group sessions (one in English, one in Spanish) with a total of 17 caregivers who attend a Head Start Program. The focus groups addressed two aims: (1) to …

A New Approach: Closing The Writing Gap By Using Reliable Assessment To Guide And Evaluate Cross-Curricular Argumentative Writing, Jody Bauer

Theses and Dissertations

Educational standards emphasize cross-curricular literacy and complex skills at the secondary level. These standards align to the heightened priority of argumentative writing across disciplines. With increasingly complex and shifting writing expectations, assessment practices need to be implemented to mirror these expectations. Two primary components to effective assessment are the ability to inform teaching and improve student learning. This study is designed to test the reliability of a process-oriented rubric as a tool to evaluate argumentative writing in the cross-curricular context, and as a tool to guide classroom practices based on student readiness.

The purpose of this study is to observe …

Stories Of Single Mothers : Narrating The Sociomaterial Mechanisms Of Community Literacy., Kathryn Elizabeth Perry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In light of the increasing significance of community activist scholarship in Rhetoric and Composition and given the overwhelming nature of institutional educational inequity, this dissertation takes a close look at specific literacy practices and the corresponding networks that shape these literacy practices at a community literacy organization. Based on interviews with participants and staff at a local nonprofit called Family Scholar House (FSH), this project paints a complex picture of each stakeholder’s perspective on successful literacy. First, I employ Actor-Network Theory (ANT) to analyze three specific literacy moments at FSH: an application for government assistance, a financial aid appeal letter, …

Close Reading Strategies For Difficult Text: The Effects On Comprehension And Analysis At The Secondary Level, Kimberly Goblirsch

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

Literacy skills are an essential component in transitioning from learning to read to reading to learn. But reading to learn has several levels of difficulty. This research focuses on exploring in what ways close reading strategies of difficult text can impact comprehension and analysis. The participants of the intervention were ninth-grade students of various reading ability levels at a rural public high school. During the six-week period, students used formative assessments, annotations, and written responses to determine if gains in comprehension and analysis scores can be connected. The pre- and post-intervention data reflects how students achieved with and without close …

Media Literacy Curriculum For The Adolescent Young Adult Classroom, Leah Oliver

Honors Projects

The American public education system has been lagging behind other developed nations in its implementation of media literacy curricula throughout all grade levels. As mass media outlets (including television, film, magazines, advertisements, and video games) become more prevalent in our society, the accompanying job market and the everyday use of electronic media platforms require high school and college graduates to have at least a basic understanding of how media can be used to disseminate information and to buy and sell products. Moreover, research studies in the field suggest that exposure to popular culture mass media can greatly influence teens’ self-esteem, …

Integrating Standards And 21st Century Skills To Increase Engagement, Andrea Michelle Peterson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this project was, how can I create curriculum using the principals of project based learning and the Language Arts Common Core State Standards in a fourth grade social studies setting that may increase student engagement? The purpose of this capstone was to create a curriculum that integrates the Language Arts Common Core State Standards and Minnesota Social Studies Standards with project based learning so that students are actively participating in their learning to strengthen life-long and critical thinking skills. The capstone provides an explanation of how project based learning integrates 21st century skills and Common …

Creating The Capable Public: A Call For Liberal Arts Education In Public Schools, Olivia R. Keithley

Educational Studies Honors Papers

I argue that liberal arts education is critically important to the creation of a capable public in a democratic society. I draw on David Labaree and Henry Giroux to assert that education is a public good and must serve the purpose of promoting democratic equality. By promoting democratic equality, public education is capable of creating publicly minded citizens. Publicly minded citizens of a democracy must also be free-thinking. Liberal arts education has at its core the aim of creating individuals who are able to think freely and autonomously. In a democratic society where freethinking citizens are necessary in order to …

Response To Intervention In The Kindergarten Classroom, Megan Elizabeth Bauer

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this capstone was, how can kindergarten teachers support the Response to Intervention (RTI) process? It explores the RTI model, procedures for student identification, developmental appropriateness, and ways to collect and use data to support student growth. The action research study documents the results of interventions performed with five students in a kindergarten classroom. The findings demonstrate that early student identification and structured intervention within the classroom can have positive effects on student growth and success.

How Can Embedding Critical Literacy Practices Through The Use Of Text Sets Foster A Growth Mindset In A First Grade Classroom?, Rachel Ann Johnson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this capstone was, How can embedding critical literacy practices through the use of text sets foster a growth mindset in a first grade classroom? It documents one teacher’s creation of a text set with read aloud lessons to introduce first graders to critical literacy practices to address gender stereotypes and reinforce the importance of growth mindset development. The curriculum is grounded in research surrounding critical literacy, text sets, growth mindset, and backward design. The author describes the details of the curriculum and provides the lessons and resources used to introduce critical literacy and growth mindset …

How Does Young Adult Literature Foster Reading Growth In The Striving Secondary Reader?, Elizabeth Catherine Jensen

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this curriculum development projects was, how does young adult literature foster reading growth in the striving secondary reader? The author researched issues surrounding current literacy intervention practices, motivation and engagement of secondary readers, and the issues surrounding striving secondary readers. The author focuses on the research of Gallagher, Ivey, and Guthrie as a basis for the curriculum developed. The curriculum project also focuses on the use of Young Adult Literature as a means of intervention for striving secondary readers. The author created an annotated text set of Young Adult Literature that focuses on texts from …

“It’S Not Pixie Dust”: An Exploratory Qualitative Case Study Of A School-Based Multimodal Tablet Initiative, Erin Elizabeth Margarella

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents findings from a qualitative case study of three English teachers representing varying levels of comfort with technology and years of teaching experience at St. Patrick Catholic High School. This research was motivated by two questions: (1) What are three literacy educators’ perceptions of a multimodal tablet initiative at a Catholic High School? (2) How is information regarding the use of iPad technology for literacy disseminated to three High School English teachers within a Catholic School system? Data was collected over a twelve-week period during the first academic year of implementation of a school-based multimodal tablet (iPad) initiative. …

How Fostering Parent/Teacher Communication Impacts Literacy Development In The Primary Grades, Melissa Ann Hibbard

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed is, How can fostering parent/teacher communication impact literacy development in the primary grades? This capstone provides research proving the importance of communication between educators and families to increase literacy success for children. To answer the research question a resource toolbox was created and included in the Appendix as a practical tool for teachers and parents to utilize. The resource toolbox includes two categories of tools; communication tools, and literacy tools. The focus in regards to teachers, was tools to enhance efficient, and effective communication with parents. The focus in regards to parents, was to provide reading …

Media Literacy Definitions, R. M. Wenner

Communication & Theatre Arts Theses

This thesis conducts a critical discourse analysis on definitions of the term “media literacy” used by researchers in media literacy educational interventions. These definitions are compared to the skills developed in participants of media literacy interventions. This comparison reveals if and how researchers are operationalizing their stated definition of media literacy. Over half of researchers are using the definition proffered by the National Association for Media Literacy Education. However the disagreement in the field around a definition of the term “media literacy” has created confusion. This confusion has left educators falling back on practices scaffolded by the previous educational paradigm. …

The Effect Of A District-Wide Literacy Initiative On English/ Language Arts Standardized Test Scores, Sheri R. Robken

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a District-Wide Literacy initiative that implemented the 18 literacy strategies and Silent Sustained Reading activities incorporated in the 2008 Revised Louisiana Comprehensive Curriculum on English/Language Arts standardized test scores. Standardized test scores were obtained for seventh and eighth grade students from a control group (n=204, 2006-2008 tests administrations) and an experimental group (n=185, 2008-2010 test administrations). An Analysis of Variance was used to determine significance (p

Creating A Lifeline Back To Books For Adolescent Boys Through Multimedia Enhanced Read-Alouds, Jana Wilkening Mcnally

Dissertations

Due to a growing concern regarding the reading motivation levels of adolescent males, educators have been encouraged to broaden their definition of literacy beyond the traditional fiction novel. This study sought to target the reading motivation levels of unmotivated adolescent boys through the use of a multimedia-enhanced read aloud (MERA). Research questions included: (a) How does the implementation of the MERA impact the reading motivation of adolescent male students? (b) How does the implementation of the MERA impact the reading motivation of unmotivated adolescent male students? (c) How does the implementation of the MERA impact the reading motivation of adolescent …

Information And Communication Technology (Ict) Literacy: Refining A Construct For Assessment, Louis Michael Verdusco

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This research effort conceptualized, developed, implemented, and examined the psychometric properties of an Information & Communication Technology (ICT) literacy assessment instrument designed for students entering college. This process began with the development of a working definition of the ICT literacy based on the literature and the input of a panel of experts regarding the proposed literacy sub-constructs and the individual test items. A pilot test was conducted to identify areas for improvement. Once these improvements were incorporated, the final assessment instrument was administered to the freshmen class at a private Midwestern comprehensive university with religious affiliation.

The psychometric aspects of …

Using A Functional Language Approach To Engage High School English Language Learners In Academic Language Arts Content, Robert Grant Schaller

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this capstone project was; how can a curriculum, rooted in the experiential metafunction of functional language analysis, be developed to help secondary English language learners gain academic language needed in a language arts classroom? It looks at the struggle high school ELLs face because of the academic language used in content classes. It also looks at the components of functional language analysis and how they can be used to teach the academic language needed for student success. The author utilized the work of Christie, F. (2012), Fang, Z., & Schleppegrell, M. J. (2008), and Martin, …

Literacy Choice In A First Grade Classroom, Lisa Marie Maletta

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to observe and note student performance on choice literacy activities. Students were given choice pertaining to writing assignments and publishing preferences as well as guided reading material. Students completed an interest inventory at the start of the research to better understand the types of literacy activities that may interest them. The students were allowed to exercise choice in their literacy activities when choosing a guided reading book from appropriately leveled choices and choosing their writing topic as well as publishing option such as a big book, a little book, or a step book. Student …

Will It Change Their Reflection? A Culturally Responsive Reaction To Literacy Failures, Idalis J. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

This teacher research study was conducted in a second grade classroom. The teacher set out to find out: What happens when students who are faced with repeated literacy failures receive culturally responsive instruction in place of basic skills instruction? Children that struggle with reading often receive basic skills support as a form of intervention; yet still struggle in reading and other areas of literacy. Students often develop a negative identify of themselves as a reader and this leads to diminish and sometimes a lack of self-efficacy. The students in this study are at risk for falling below grade level in …