Education Commons^™

Euclidian Geometry: Proposed Lesson Plans To Teach Throughout A One Semester Course, Joseph Willert

Mathematics Undergraduate Theses

Overview We provide several engaging lesson plans that would aid in the teaching of geometry, specifically targeting Euclidian Geometry, towards students of high school age. The audience of this piece would be high school or college students who have not yet had an introduction to geometry, but have completed the standard mathematical courses leading up to this point (i.e. algebra, elementary math, etc.). This being the case the lessons and concepts realized in Chapter 1 target a basic understanding of what Euclidian Geometry is and the subsequent chapters aim specifically at underlying properties of a geometry. The main source of …

The Administration Of Online Programs In Statewide Systems: A Case Study Of The University System Of New Hampshire, Christopher Lynn Labelle

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Enrollments in postsecondary online programs have grown over the years. As enrollments have grown, postsecondary institutions have experimented with different ways to administer their online programs. In many cases, institutions have shifted to a more centralized business model that consolidates the governance of their online programs under a single high-level institutional officer (Legon & Garrett, 2017). However, even as more colleges and universities prioritize the administration of online programming and dedicate staffing and resources to administer those programs, there is very little research focused on the best way to administer online programs in four-year public statewide systems.

Given this gap …

Knowledge-Sharing And Virtual Community Of Practice Potential In The Uscg’S Afloat Community: A Qualitative Case Study, Lisa Rodman

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Virtual Communities of Practice (VCoP) may provide the afloat community of the USCG greater opportunities for learning and professional development. The affordances of virtual engagement, including increased access to learning and peer feedback may enhance interaction and opportunities for the development and refinement of professional expertise. Although the specific learning needs and constraints of this community, including geographic separation and dynamic deployment schedules, appear well-aligned with VCoP structure and objectives, it is critical that the knowledge-sharing culture of the USCG’s afloat community be thoroughly explored before pursuing any form of performance and learning intervention. Grounded in Lave and Wenger’s (1991) …

How Teachers May Influence The Impact Of Computer Adaptive Instruction: A Mixed-Methods Analysis Of Implementing Lexia Core5 In Second-Grade Classrooms, Scott G. Woolstenhulme

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

School districts across the country have been adopting computer adaptive instructional programs as early reading interventions. It is imperative to learn whether CAI has an effect on student reading gains and what other factors may influence its effect. This mixed methods study employed an explanatory sequential design to first evaluate the reading gains of 2^nd grade students. An independent samples t test showed that 2^nd grade students in 2017 who participated in the Lexia Core5 reading intervention program for at least 30 hours had significantly higher gains than their peers in the 2014, 2015, and 2016 school years. …

Student Perceptions Of Instructor Immediacy In Online Program Courses, Anthony Charles Saba

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The first online course was taught over 30 years ago. Over that time, instructors have primarily used text-based asynchronous communication in the online courses they teach. However, advances in technology over the last ten years have given rise to more opportunities to use new synchronous and semi-synchronous communication technologies (e.g., video, mobile and social networking technologies) in online courses. These advances in technology are likely to not only influence how instructors today communicate in the online courses they teach but ultimately influence their instructor immediacy. Instructor immediacy is the degree of psychological closeness students perceive there to be with their …

Principal Leaders And College And Career Readiness Programs, Inna Goretaya Polishchuk

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the intersection of high school principals and college and career readiness initiatives in five high school contexts. Because school principals are responsible for setting the vision in a school, college and career readiness initiatives have the potential to overlap significantly with the principal’s direction of the school. Moreover, studies indicate college and career readiness programs might rely on the active support of the school administrator if they are to succeed. What the school leader cares about tends to be what staff focus on; therefore, this study examines how three factors influence the effectiveness of a college and …

The Effects Of Formative And Summative Assessment On Student's Connectedness, Satisfaction, Learning And Academic Performance Within An Online Healthcare Course, Thomas J. Wing

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The quantitative study presented here evaluates the effects of formative and summative assessment on student’s connectedness, satisfaction, learning and academic performance within a university three-credit 400 level online healthcare course. Literature exploring the role that formative assessment plays within an online environment is currently lacking. Additionally, understanding how assessment practices can help support the goals of online healthcare education is vitally important given the rise in popularity of this delivery format.

This study investigated student outcomes in the form of connectedness, satisfaction, learning and academic performance. Four cohorts of students were included in this study. Two cohorts were provided with …

Synchronous Online Peer Tutoring Via Video Conferencing Technology: An Exploratory Case Study, Christopher David Smith

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to analyze the lived experiences of peer tutors who provide synchronous online tutoring services, at a large, accredited, public, four-year university located in the Middle Atlantic Region of the United States. An exploratory qualitative case study approach was used to conduct this study. The case chosen for this study consisted of a single holistic case that was both descriptive and intrinsic. Participants of the study consisted of students who were hired by the chosen university to serve as peer tutors as well as students that utilize the online peer tutoring service. Data collection and …

Creating A Positive Classroom Environment: A Case Study Of Elementary Teachers’ Reflections On The Work Of Building Student Relationships, Lisa Strader

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Research suggests roughly one in four children experience one or more instances of trauma, or adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), before they turn 18; this has been associated with difficulty in behavior and academic performance within the classroom. Without intervention, the negative outcomes associated with ACEs such as higher risk of suicide, homelessness, and unemployment, may continue to impact these children through adulthood. This case study explores teachers’ reflection on the strategies they use to foster a positive classroom environment, in particular how they build relationships with students experiencing various types of trauma. Building relationships is particularly important as an instructional …

Online Laboratory Introductions To Promote Student Interactions With Two Science And Engineering Practices Of The Next Generation Science Standards, Catherine K. Howlett

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Online science courses are becoming increasingly available to K-12 students in the United States. With the utilization of these courses, it is important to facilitate student completion of laboratories as well as student interest in and use of the science and engineering practices (SEPs) of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). This exploratory research provided online laboratory introductions to help students interact with the content and the instructor. The research studied if the laboratory introductions led students to ask questions about laboratories, complete laboratories, and think about and use two NGSS SEPs, specifically analyzing and interpreting data and constructing explanations …

Mathematics Student Achievement In The Context Of Idaho’S Advanced Opportunities Initiative, Nichole K. Hall

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Mathematics coursework a student completes in high school often directly affects their subsequent post-secondary education and career opportunities. In recent years, in a push to prepare a larger number of students for post-secondary education and career opportunities in Idaho, state initiatives have focused on addressing mathematics preparation in the middle grade years to increase the number of students completing an advanced mathematics pathway in high school, including the Advanced Opportunities Initiative to support financial costs of advanced coursework. Starting 2011, each year of the initiative has seen annual increases in students participating in dual credit and Advanced Placement (AP) coursework. …

Social Media As A Personal Learning Network For Professional Development: Teachers In International Schools Use And Perspectives, Shannon H. Doak

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Traditional professional development methods are not optimal for international school educators because of isolation, lack of funds and time to attend, disconnected content and inability to make a difference in the pedagogical approaches teachers use. The creation of online Personal Learning Networks (PLNs) has been suggested as an augment to or a replacement for traditional approaches. The purpose of this mixed methods study was three-fold: (a) to discover if international school educators are using social media for professional learning and if so, what tools they are choosing to use, (b) to discover if a relationship exists between the use of …

Teacher Candidate Psychological Insight And Capacity For Change: Developing A Professional Identity, Richard Bradley Coats

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Research in the field of teacher education has recently found that the formation of teacher candidate’s sense of professional identity is an integral part of their development as a future educator, yet few programs explicitly address it (Beauchamp & Thomas, 2009). The purpose of this study was to examine teacher candidates’ ability to reflect on self and others, and the influence of psychological insight on the development of a professional identity. The study took place in the Pacific Northwest at an accredited university in the Northern Rocky Mountain region. The six participants selected for this study were undergraduate Elementary Education …

Saudi International University Students' Perceptions Of Their Relationships With American Teachers At A Large Western Research University, Mohamed Al-Romahe

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The number of Saudi Arabian international students studying at U.S. universities has increased dramatically over the last decade. Existing studies show that many Saudi international students are faced with challenges adapting to studying at Western universities. In this study, Saudi international students’ perceptions of their relationships with American college instructors will be examined. Qualitative research and interviews were used to explore how various factors influence Saudi international students’ engagement with instructors at a large Western research university in the United States. Specifically, the researcher seeks to understand what Saudi international students experience as helpful or not helpful in their relationships …

What About Mathematical Metacognition?, Susanne Foote

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Problem solving is an aspect of mathematics that often proves difficult for many learners. The difficulty not always founded in a lack of mathematical knowledge, but also in the lack of experience to effectively activate existing knowledge, self-monitor, and reflect during problem-solving (Schoenfeld, 1992). This study investigated how primary teachers’ application of explicit instruction in the use of self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies affect students’ (a) regulation of cognition (ROC) (b) and influence ability to solve whole number addition and subtraction problems in contextual settings. A quasi-experimental group design was used with a sample of first-and third-grade participants. SRL strategies were …

Building Conceptual Understandings Of Equivalence, Kelli Rich

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The equal sign is prevalent at all levels of mathematics however many students misunderstand the meaning of the equal sign and consider it an operational symbol for the completion of an algorithm (Baroody & Ginsburg, 1983; Rittle-Johnson & Alibali, 1999). Three constructs were studied through the lens of the Developing Mathematical Thinking (Brendefur, 2008), Relational Thinking, Spatial Reasoning and Modes of Representation. A review of literature was conducted to examine the effects of mathematics instruction on the development of students’ conceptual understanding of equivalence through the integration of spatial reasoning and relational thinking. The Developing Mathematical Thinking (DMT) curricular resources …

The Effects Of Servant Leadership On Parent Involvement, Liesl Allyn Milan

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation describes a research project that examined parent involvement in schools as influenced by servant leadership. Student achievement, as well as parent and family involvement, is largely influenced by leadership styles (Fullan, 1998, Thoonan, Sleegers, Oort, Pettsma, & Geijesel, 2011). Although various influences on parent involvement have been suggested in research, including student demographics and state and district policy and school structure, the undercurrent of organizational leadership continues to remain hidden (MacNeil, Prater, & Busch, 2009). Strategies to increase parent involvement in schools have fallen short and relationships between administrators, educators and parents requires investigation, and new approaches must …

The Role And Effectiveness Of The Haitian Diaspora In The Development Of Haiti, Keveny Rosier

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

It has been over a century since Haiti proclaimed its independence from France, but the nation still struggles to find a way to sustain its development. From an authoritarian governmental system to democracy, Haiti is widely known to be the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. As globalization opens doors for new opportunities, skilled Haitian professionals as well as professionals from other developing countries take advantage of those opportunities. However, the politics of repression of the Duvaliers (Papa Doc and Baby Doc) (1957-1986) and the failure of Haitian governments during the last three decades have encouraged not only the departure …

Congolese Refugee Students In Higher Education: Equity And Opportunity, Refik Sadiković

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore Congolese refugee students’ experiences in higher education in the United States. In order to understand the challenges Congolese students face in higher education, this study used narrative inquiry methodology to investigate Congolese students’ lived experiences that affected their educational endeavors before and after resettlement to the United States. The study examined personal stories of 10 Congolese students in the Pacific Northwest using semi-structured in-depth interviews, one-on-one follow-up interviews, field notes and two focus group interviews. Using narrative analysis five reoccurring themes were identified and discussed in the findings. The study findings indicate …