Education Commons^™

Best Practices To Help English Language Learners Succeed In Community College, Santina Caster

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

After researching various types of support to help English Language Learners (ELLs) succeed in community colleges, the support methods were categorized into four groups: family, peers, faculty and institutions. To share these practices with ELL students and professionals, a website was developed. The intent of the website is to create a community to encourage students to seek out resources and for professionals to implement more support methods, with the ultimate goal of increasing the retention rate of ELL community college students. The website includes a tab with a form asking for feedback on whether the website was helpful and inviting …

What Middle School Teachers Can Learn From Athletic Coaches, Christopher Lutz

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this study was: How can implementing athletic coaching techniques improve academic and social success for students in a middle school setting? Topics explored in the literature review include student safety, student relationships with adults, student relationships with peers, setting high expectations for students, motivation of athletes, and working as a team. A mixed methods approach was used to detail how the author implemented goal setting and groupwork strategies in his middle school math classes over 9 weeks of a school year. Results of both strategies are discussed and recommendations for interested educators are suggested.

Using Classcraft As A Positive Behavioral Intervention Strategy In The Classroom, Renae Otto

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed in this project was, how does Classcraft, a positive behavioral intervention strategy, increase student motivation in the classroom? It chronicles a teacher’s creation of a professional development plan and professional development presentation to integrate Classcraft into a positive behavioral intervention system (PBIS) classroom. The author uses related research literature in the areas of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, social and emotional learning, generation z students, and gamification in the classroom. In this study it is found that combining PBIS and Classcraft will allow teachers to foster the development of positive behaviors in the classroom. Classcraft can be …

How To Assist Teachers And Students In The Creation And Use Of Learner Profiles To Support Struggling Readers At The Middle School Level, Kendra Willaby

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed in this project was, how to assist teachers and students in the creation and use of learner profiles to support struggling readers at the middle school level? It covers the topics of personalized learning, learner profiles and struggling readers. The project discusses components and elements of personalized learning as laid out by The Institute for Personalized Learning, while connecting the information to support for struggling readers. The core of the project is centered around learner profiles; what they are, information to include, as well as how to go about creating them. The project involves three parts, …

Will An Environmental Focused Genius Hour Affect Students’ Attitudes Toward The Environment?, Claire Opsahl

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine if an environmental focused Genius Hour will affect students’ attitudes toward the environment. Over an eight week period ninth grade students in an Honors Civics class self-selected an environmental topic to research, write a research paper and present their findings. The study was completed in a suburban high school setting. The study Quantitative and qualitative data was gathered using student interest surveys and the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) Likert Scale Survey. The participants were surveyed before completing their Genius Hour project and after completion. The results of the survey show that an …

Effects Of Evaluative Praise Versus Behavior Descriptive Praise On Intrinsic Motivation And Behavior, Stacie Mccormack

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The author’s research inquiry was: what is the impact of behavior descriptive praise and evaluative praise on intrinsic student motivation and behavior? The literature states that using evaluative praise can cause a ‘fixed mindset’ where a child is fearful of trying new tasks, and confused on the desired behavior of the educator. Moreover using behavior descriptive praise allows children to view effort and working hard a positive aspect of learning, while the educator is able to easily establish clear expectations for the students. This study took place over a four month period with two different third grade art classes. Through …

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy And Student Motivation: An Applied Study Of Their Relationship In Fourth Grade English Learners, Joy Mcclain

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this paper is: How are feelings of motivation observed in and

reported by English learners when they are educated in culturally relevant ways? Using Ladson- Billings’ definition of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, Ryan and Deci’s self-determination theory

of motivation, and Gonzalez’ definition of culture as lived experience, the author conducts classroom research with fourth grade English learners in an urban setting in the American Midwest. Student surveys, teacher observations, and field notes are used for the duration of two co-taught lessons that can be classified as being culturally relevant. One lesson introduces the metaphor to students …

Combating Student Apathy: Helping Teachers Create Autonomy-Supportive Classrooms That Foster Motivation And Higher Achievement, David Schlotfeldt

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This project was created as a resource for better understanding the question, How does providing students with autonomy-supportive instruction strategies and choice impact motivation to learn within the classroom? It condenses current research related to student motivation, with a specific focus on autonomy support, and explains how educators can better meet the motivational needs of their students. Resources rooted in Self-Determination Theory (SDT) research is also provided through a motivational framework.

Timing Is Everything: Adapting Rewards Intermediate For 4th And 5th Grade Striving Readers, Ruth Kerl

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this study was “Does REWARDS Intermediate remain an effective intervention for striving readers when adapted for a 30-minute time frame?” This research emerged from a concern for upper elementary aged students who are striving to catch up with their peers when it comes to phonics and decoding skills. The study explored students’ and teachers’ mindsets, as well as the effectiveness of the REWARDS curriculum when adapted for 30-minute rather than 50-minute lessons. Effectiveness was measured in terms of: 1) multisyllabic word part and whole word fluency growth, 2) mindset and attitude changes, and 3) connected …

The Most Effective Methods Of Small Group Reading Instruction In Upper Elementary Grades, Nicole Snoberger

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this thesis was, what is the most effective way to group students for reading instruction in the upper elementary classroom? This work documents one teacher's experience of grouping students in two main ways, trying to determine if one way is more effective than another. Students were grouped based on reading level using a common text during part of the research. Students were also grouped based on their reading strategy need, using self-selected books during the remaining research time. The goal was to determine if one grouping method was more effective. While the research and data …

The Type Of Homework Assignment And Its Potential To Influence Student Motivation And Language Learning In A High School Spanish Language Classroom, Sarah Spilde

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this study was, how does the type of homework assignment influence student motivation and Spanish language learning in the classroom? It documents one teacher’s implementation of two lessons in a unit of study to evaluate student in- class Spanish language use, homework scores, test scores and student perceptions on motivation and homework. The teacher records student data and identifies research literature to provide meaning and context to the study in the area of Spanish language learning. She defines the areas of success and areas of limitations in conducting an action research study and concludes that …

The Relationship Between The Development Of Math Operation Proficiency And Student Confidence, Douglas Elfstrom

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question of this study was, What is the relationship between math operation fluency and a student’s confidence and perception of math in general? A multi-faceted intervention was developed to address both students’ multiplication fact proficiency and student confidence, with middle school students in Special Education. Pre and post assessment data was analyzed to determine the effect of this intervention on student fact proficiency and confidence. Findings suggest that students that progressed throughout the intervention period by mastering multiplication fact families also generally had an increase in math confidence. Implications for future work include determining how to improve this …

Habits Of Mind And Comprehension: A Teacher’S Resource For Standards-Based Integration With A Growth Mindset, Natasha Hart

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The purpose of this Capstone project is to discover Habits of Mind (Costa & Kallick, 2008) can be incorporated with comprehension strategies into language arts curriculums for elementary teachers. The project also explores underlying themes of growth mindsets (Myers, Wang, Black, Bugescu, & Hoeft, 2016) and connectivism (Bell, 2011). The project consists of a literature review and the creation of a matrix with an accompanying curriculum guide. Motivating students through a growth mindset has been shown as a research-based way to increase achievement. With an increase in students reading in a digital format, strategies within comprehension and ways students access …