Education Commons^™

The Lived Experience Of Teachers Choosing An Arts-Rich Approach In Turnaround Schools, Jennie A. Moctezuma

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Increased metacognition, social-emotional growth, and career viability are all researched benefits of including the arts as part of core content instruction, with even greater impact for struggling students, English Language Learners, and students with special needs. Some turnaround schools that are federally funded School Improvement Grant (SIG) schools are beginning to implement an arts-rich method of school reform by teaching core content both through and in the arts. This approach is most often presented as a choice in the high-stakes testing environment of turnaround schools. Since teachers have the most direct impact on students, yet a relatively low amount of …

Best Practices Used By Assistant Superintendents Of Curriculum And Instruction: Improving Teacher Instruction In A High Accountability Environment, Julie Madden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative multi-case study investigated not only the role of assistant superintendents of curriculum and instruction, but the strategies and best practices used by four assistant superintendents of curriculum and instruction and a deputy superintendent of teaching and learning from East Texas in order to improve classroom instruction and support teachers in the high-stakes testing environment. The study sheds light on the role of central office leaders, their views related to the high-stakes testing environment and the impact they have on instruction for teachers and students. The responses given in this qualitative case study were carefully analyzed in order to …

The Impacts Of Explicit Systematic Phonics Instruction On The Areas Of Decoding And Fluency For Students With A Specific Learning Disability In Reading, Marina Hingston

Capstones, Research Projects, and Curricula

The purpose of this embedded, mixed methods action research study was to examine the impacts of explicit, systematic phonics instruction on students with a specific learning disability in reading. A phonics intervention program, S.P.I.R.E., was implemented over the course of four weeks. The participants were two 4th graders and one 6th grader, all who had an identified specific learning disability in the area of reading. Data was collected on decoding accuracy pre and post intervention, as well as on reading fluency using timed one minute fluency drills. In addition, student perceptions of the S.P.I.R.E. program were also gathered using a …

Teaching Efl/Esl College-Level Learners Through Current Global Topics: Integrated Lessons For Efl/Esl Teachers, Chaiyeon Sylvia Lee

Master's Projects and Capstones

The importance of educating effective English users competent in communicating and interacting in a variety of social settings is highlighted in today’s highly globalized world. Being able to understand and discuss complex global topics related to current cultural, social, and business issues and events has become an integral skill of English learners to achieve greater international connectivity. Unfortunately, many EFL/ESL college-level students, specifically Korean EFL students, do not seem to have sufficient preparation to build English communicative competence and cultural awareness necessary to cope with various situations in which they need to communicate meaningfully and purposefully as effective English users. …

Privileging Autistics Of Color: A Human Rights Approach To Applied Behavior Analysis (Aba) Therapy, Rebecca Rubey

Master's Projects and Capstones

This field project examines the social construction of autistic people of color through the pathology paradigm and the associated human rights violations. The purpose of the project is to disrupt the pathology paradigm by privileging voices of autistic people of color in professional development workshops for ABA therapy providers. The workshops aim to help ABA therapy providers understand the historical context of ABA, how it fits into the wider systems of white supremacy and ableism, and how these dynamics are re-enacted in every day practice with autistic people of color.

Can Addressing Language Skills For Fifth Grade Ells In A Multiplication Curriculum Help Address The Achievement Gap In Math? A Multiplication Workbook For Big Kids, Michelle Douglas

Master's Projects and Capstones

Currently, the state of California has 1,332,405 students from grades k-12 who speak a language other than English at home (Caledfacts, 2016). When I started my first year teaching fifth grade with 95% of my students being English language learners (ELLs), I was surprised to see an achievement gap of two to three years in my student’s reading and math skills. I found that my student’s developmental language and math skills contributed to a lack of engagement during math time. Upon further research, I found that these three factors play a role in the wide achievement gaps between ELLs and …

Anti-Japanese Sentiment Among Graduates Of South Korean Public Schools, Jamal Barbari

Capstone Collection

This capstone paper aims to explore how South Koreans, who have graduated public high school within the past seven years (from 2010 to 2017) view Japan and Japanese people, and what (if at all) information concerning Japan and Japanese people was established and received during their presence in the public school system. Through a brief analysis into the history and intricate relationship between Korea and Japan, introduction into hidden curriculum and its significance in this context, as well as ten personal interviews with South Korean graduates who fit the criteria for this research, this capstone paper offers a distinctive insight …

Lessons Learned From Authors Of Picture Book Biographies Of Activists And The Original Biographies They Inspired, Jay Saper

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This thesis examines the significance of picture book biographies of activists as accessible entry points to teach social movement history and embolden readers to lead courageous lives that confront injustice. The first section is grounded in lessons learned from 19 authors doing outstanding work in the field today: Andrea Davis Pinkney, Carole Boston Weatherford, Cynthia Chin-Lee, David Adler, Debbie Levy, Donna Jo Napoli, Doreen Rappaport, Duncan Tonatiuh, Emily Arnold McCully, Icy Smith, Jabari Asim, Jen Cullerton Johnson, John Hendrix, Kate Schatz, Matt Tavares, Michelle Markel, Richard Michelson, Sarah Warren, and Tanya Lee Stone. I identify and explore ten themes across …

Nursing Students’ Knowledge And Attitudes Toward Care Of The Dying, Betsy N. Ward, Elizabeth Nora Ward

Doctorate of Nursing Science Dissertations

Abstract

Most nursing students fear death or care of the dying and thus question their abilities to give compassionate and competent care to patients or families at end-of-life (EOL). Research has shown positive results when students have experiences with dying patients in environments where interdisciplinary palliative and end-of-life practices are delivered. The purpose of this mixed methods comparative group study was to assess BSN students’ knowledge and attitudes toward care of the dying guided by Bandura’s social cognitive theory, which addresses learning under difficult circumstances. Nursing students in a palliative and end-of-life care elective course were compared to students in …

Reflection Through Revision: A Master's Portfolio, Laura Hoebing

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

This document is a compilation of four essays centered around a theme of reflection and teaching English at a high school level. The essays include pedagogical research on reflective writing, teaching grammar, and standards-based grading in a junior high curriculum, as well as an analytical research essay on the role of the police in two contemporary domestic noir novels.

The Calculus War: The Ultimate Clash Of Genius, Walker Briles Bussey-Spencer

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Using Multiple Intelligence Theory To Aid In Reading Comprehension, Kelsy Neil

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

The main purpose of this study is to determine if using Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory to guide activities for literature groups aids in student comprehension. Students in three literature groups at the fifth and sixth grade level were given a survey to determine each student’s intelligence scores. After each student’s intelligence scores were found, the average of each intelligence score was used to determine the groups’ strongest and weakest intelligences. Activities were then made for each group to correlate with their strongest and weakest intelligences and comprehension was tested after each reading assignment and activity was completed via a …

What Makes That Autistic Student Tick? Strategies For Classroom Behaviors, Amanda Puleo

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Inclusion of autistic students in mainstream classrooms may make it difficult for teachers to identify and proactively address disruptive behaviors. That is, mainstream teachers may not know how to respond to these specific behaviors and their standard classroom management techniques may not work with autistic students. It will take commitment and hard work to identify strategies to regulate the disruptive behaviors of students with autism. To address this issue, the perspectives of directors and teachers who specialize in autism, as well as mainstream public or private school teachers were obtained through interviews. Three options for action emerged from an analysis …

Effects Of Lep Status, Gender, Instructional Type On Positive Student Engagement And Motivation Of Middle School Students, Holly Harris Cothren

Dissertations

The researcher used a causal-comparative, 2 x 2 factorial between-groups research strategy for all four hypotheses. The two independent variables for the Hypotheses 1 and 2 were gender and LEP status (students designated as LEP versus students not designated as LEP). The dependent variable for the first hypothesis was positive student engagement, and the dependent variable for the second hypothesis was positive student motivation. The two independent variables for Hypotheses 3 and 4 were gender and instructional type (traditional instruction and small group pull-out with hybrid computer-based instruction). The dependent variable for the third hypothesis was positive student engagement, and …

The Road To Postsecondary Education, Oscar Bacilio Ordonez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Hispanic/Latino students pursuing postsecondary education is too low. Central Coast High School is an alternative School which provides students with a second chance in the path to graduation. The program to be held in this agency is an outreach program to educate and provide information for students about the importance of going to college. Another purpose is to encourage students to apply for college and explain the different types of financial aid available for them. The expected outcome of this program is to have about 75% of the twelve-grade level students invited to be present and participate. The implementation will …

The Effects Of Using Computer And Ipad Story-Writing Applications For Creative Writing With Kinder Year Students In A Montessori Early Childhood Program, Ruth Ann Christensen

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This study investigated the viability and implications of technology-assisted story writing with kinder year students. Seven kinder year students at a private Montessori school participated in the study. Pre- and post-study conferences and Likert scales determined story writing skills and attitudes. These were followed by one-on-one storywriting sessions using a variety of story-writing tools. Students were given the choice of story-writing method at each session. Individual sessions were evaluated and completed stories compared to a rubric of fundamental story-writing elements. Stories written by the students improved with the use of computer and iPad programs, but independent story writing was not …

Play It Forward: Cooperative Learning & Structured Play During Recess, Tyler Elwin, Mary Rossi

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Cooperative learning and structured play (CLASP) are two things that have gone unappreciated in the modern educational setting. This is an important issue for many local low-income schools as the dropout rate is so high. CLASP ideals come with a wide array of positive outcomes that look to brighten the futures of affected youth. CLASP provides an incredible number of scholarly benefits: increased school involvement, higher GPA, improved interpersonal relationships, increased ability to work as a team, etc. This capstone identifies these critical benefits and addresses the best way to properly utilize CLASP within the school setting. The three primary …

It Pays To Behave: Investigating Effective Classroom Management, Rei Massie

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The focus of this Capstone project is on improving the work ethic and engagement of students by reducing challenging behavior that comes with classroom transitions and management. This is an important issue for educators because when an instructor spends too much time redirecting students, a lot of crucial learning time can be lost. Consideration of the issue included the perspectives of the training and program specialist and child program assistants of the observed after school child care center. Based on the findings, action was taken to help refine the educational opportunities and help decrease challenging behavior during instruction time to …

Improving Reading Through Fine Motor Skill Development In First Grade, Tyler West-Higgins

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Children who struggle with learning to read in first grade, fall behind, and have difficulty catching up with their peers. Research has shown students who struggle to read in first grade, also struggle to read in later years. The purpose of this study was to determine if an intervention to enhance fine motor skills to a select group of students in one class room increased their reading abilities. This was a mixed methods research study which assessed the quantitative data from the running record assessments, and the qualitative data taken by teacher-aide during assessment process post fine motor intervention. This …

Supporting Narrative Writing Proficiency And Engagement In A Montessori Upper Elementary Classroom Through The Writing Workshop Model And 6+1 Traits Of Writing, Kirstin A. Nordhaus

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research project set out to determine the effects of daily writing workshop lessons, including the 6+1 Traits of Writing vocabulary, on student writing proficiency and engagement. An upper elementary classroom of 17 students, consisting of nine fourth graders and eight fifth graders, in an independent, suburban Montessori school participated in this study. Students completed a five-week narrative writing unit from Calkins, Ochs, & Luick’s (2017) Up the Ladder curriculum. The teacher-researcher collected data through observation, writing prompts scored using a 6+1 Traits of Writing rubric, student feedback forms, Bottomley, Henk, & Melnick’s (1997/1998) Writer Self-Perception Scale, and small …

The Effects Of Technology On Ell Students Writing Fluency, Aristea Goundouvas

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research project explored whether the iPad application ‘Book Creator’ could impact the written fluency of English Language Learners (ELL). It also monitored the impact the application would have on non-ELL students. It was conducted in a public Montessori elementary school with students aged six to eight years old at the beginning of the school year. Out of twenty students, ten were ELL. Data tools included writing rubrics, personal evaluation rubrics and tallies of written output. While results showed some nominal improvement in writing output, it is difficult to assess if the results reflected students settling into the new …

Young Adult Literature And Empathy In Appalachian Adolescents, Kelsey R. Kiser

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Based on recent research concluding that fiction can increase empathy, this project examines how multicultural young adult literature may encourage empathy in Appalachian adolescents. Empathy encourages prosocial behaviors, but evidence suggests that young adults’ ability to empathize has declined in recent decades. In addition, Appalachia in particular is still a relatively homogenous region as it is majority white, protestant Christian, and heteronormative. Because of this, young adults in Appalachia may encounter few diverse perspectives in real life; multicultural young adult literature can provide diverse perspectives with which teenagers can empathize in a region where they might not have similar opportunities …

Wicor Walkthroughs And Teacher Practice, Christie L. Mcmullen

Dissertations

Watching experts execute their craft allows for learning. In four schools, this type of learning, teachers watching one another teach, was made available and the feedback from those interviewed showed positive results. This paper explains the process each school used for allowing teachers to watch others teach and the results that they got in the process. This program evaluation was designed to provide guidance to principals on some specific ways to ensure that they can avoid pitfalls if they were to employ a similar strategy with their staff. Teachers using high yield strategies with confidence in their classrooms has the …

Aerobic Exercise And Its Effect On Students’ Readiness To Learn, Shanan K. Zollinger

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The purpose of this research was to test if aerobic exercise done before academic work would improve student learning readiness which includes increased alertness, longer periods of concentration and a resilience in doing work. The six-week study incorporated twenty-minutes of aerobic exercise every morning and involved 26 students between the ages of 9 and 12 years in a Montessori classroom. Data collection included pre and post surveys on student energy levels, exercise logs filled out by each student daily, on-task observation sheets and levels of attention observation sheets done by myself daily for the first thirty-minutes to evaluate students’ depth …

Movement Interventions For Appropriate And Coordinated Movement, Brianna N. Blasberg

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The purpose of this action research was to determine the effect of fundamental movement lessons and independent movement jobs on appropriate and coordinated movement as well as focus of students. Twenty-five students from a lower elementary class of first, second, and third graders in a public Montessori school participated in the study. Data was collected over a period of six weeks using a coordination scale, student feedback, work plans, and time on task observations. Results show a positive correlation between movement intervention and student coordination, on task behavior, focus, and productivity. All students reported positive associations with the movement jobs …

Using Mindfulness To Self-Regulate In The Upper Elementary Classroom, Ashleigh L. Bartz

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The purpose of this research was to determine the effects on students’ ability to self regulate while learning about daily mindfulness lessons. The study took place over the course of six weeks in an upper elementary class of 20 students, including four fourth graders, nine fifth graders, and seven sixth graders. The study was conducted in a rural public Montessori school in the Midwest. Students participated in a six-week mindfulness unit from The Mind Up Curriculum (The Hawn Foundation, 2011). The researcher collected data through a pre-and postassessment, students’ self reflections and graphs, researcher’s observation, and researcher’s daily journal. The …

Reverse Migration: Documenting How The Educational Experiences Of Transnational Youth In Mexican Schools Are Shaped By Parental Deportation, Sandra Lourdes Candel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Research Problem

Over 500,000 U.S.-born children are living in Mexico –some due to parental deportation– experiencing a decrease in their quality of life, the stress of an unfamiliar language and culture, and difficulty accessing education. In order to support them in their transition to Mexico, and to reincorporate them into U.S. society as adults, their struggles and educational trajectories should be of great concern to the Mexican and U.S. governments, as well as higher education institutions.

Purpose

The purpose of this qualitative study was to document the educational experiences of transnational students attending schools in a border city in northern …

Student Expectations And Motivation In Spanish For Heritage Speakers Programs, Sergio A. Guzman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The changing demographics in the United States and the growing need for multilingual individuals originated by globalization, among other reasons, have contributed to the emergence of a new field within the area of Applied Linguistics: The Teaching and Learning of Heritage Languages. Due to historical and geographic causes, Spanish for Heritage Speakers (SHS) is currently the largest and most established of these programs. However, the curricula, like those of most college courses, has been developed from professors’ perspectives, largely ignoring what students want to learn and/or their motives for enrolling in these classes. The lack of student input is especially …

Developing Oral Proficiency And Motivation Through Script-Based And Improvisational Drama, Muhammet Çağrı Güzel

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Utilizing drama has long been an innovative and dynamic concept as a part of a communicative approach in English classrooms around the world. Teaching languages through drama offers many beneficial opportunities for learners. Nevertheless, traditional methods are still the widely held teaching structures across the globe, which results in an increase in the number of demotivated learners who often hate and fear to practice one of the challenging skills when learning a foreign language- speaking- as it is a productive language skill. Not only do the traditional methods bring negative emotional and psychological outcomes, but it also causes a gradual …

Final Ma Portfolio, Annelise Mason

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

This portfolio contains papers on Urban Education and teaching speakers of African American Language/ African American Vernacular English. As the capstone to my Masters in English with a Specialization in Teaching, I have chosen four papers to revise and resubmit: “Intertwining Narratives: Stories of the I-280 Bridge Collapse,” “Reshaping Attitudes: Tailoring Urban Education to fit the African American Student,” “The Study of Language in a Multi-Dialectical Classroom,” and “Youth Acquisition and Ownership Is Crucial Language Vitality.” "Intertwining Narratives" is a report on the I-280 bridge collapse in Toledo. "Reshaping Attitudes" is an explanation of some best practice in urban education. …