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Full-Text Articles in Education

Interdisciplinary Summer Institute Offering Steam Activities For At-Risk Middle School Students, Katherine Zaromatidis, Kara Naidoo Dec 2017

Interdisciplinary Summer Institute Offering Steam Activities For At-Risk Middle School Students, Katherine Zaromatidis, Kara Naidoo

The STEAM Journal

A one-week long summer institute was designed for at-risk middle school students with two goals in mind: increasing interest in scientific inquiry through the use of artistic venues and exposing students to a higher education setting to motivate future goals of post-secondary education. Students were brought to the Iona College campus and were led through STEAM activities by a multi-disciplinary team of educators, who were assisted by a group of motivated undergraduate and graduate students. The summer institute culminated in a dramatic performance prepared and delivered by each of the students.


Blended Learning And Math Growth: Investigating The Role Of Ixl Math In The Growth Of 5th Grade Students’ Math Fluency Scores, Dan Van Ruler Aug 2017

Blended Learning And Math Growth: Investigating The Role Of Ixl Math In The Growth Of 5th Grade Students’ Math Fluency Scores, Dan Van Ruler

Master of Education Program Theses

Because of an increase in usage of online adaptive technology in the classroom replacing much of the paper and pencil work previously given as math homework, this study was designed to compare the growth rates in MAPS (Measurement of Academic Progress) math scores between a control group of 5th grade students who did not have access to online practice and a treatment group of students who were assigned online practice throughout the school year. If growth rates were greater in the treatment group, this study could support the movement of decreasing the amount of traditional homework and implementing more online …


Effects Of A Treatment Package To Facilitate English/Language Arts Learning For Middle School Students With Moderate To Severe Disabilities, Pamela J. Mims, Angel Lee, Diane M. Browder, Tracie-Lynn Zakas, Susan Flynn May 2017

Effects Of A Treatment Package To Facilitate English/Language Arts Learning For Middle School Students With Moderate To Severe Disabilities, Pamela J. Mims, Angel Lee, Diane M. Browder, Tracie-Lynn Zakas, Susan Flynn

Pamela J. Mims

This pilot study sought to develop and evaluate the use of a treatment package that included systematic and direct instruction on acquisition of literacy skills aligned with middle school English/Language Arts standards for students with moderate to severe disabilities, including autism. Participants included five teachers and 15 middle school students with moderate to severe disabilities who were primarily served in a self-contained setting. A one-group, nonrandomized, pre-posttest design was implemented to measure vocabulary, comprehen- sion of familiar text and unfamiliar text, poetry, research, and writing skills. Results indicated significant gains in vocabulary and comprehension of familiar text. Limitations, implications, and …


An Investigation Of Palindromes And Their Place In Mathematics, Ryan Andrew Nivens May 2017

An Investigation Of Palindromes And Their Place In Mathematics, Ryan Andrew Nivens

Ryan Andrew Nivens

What do the Honda Civic, the Mazda 626, and the Boeing 747 have in common? What about Weird Al's song Bob, the first name of Miley Cyrus' alter ego, and the 70s sensation Abba? What do all these things have in common? They all contain palindromes. While some people recognise a palindrome when they see one, fewer realise that a palindrome is a special case of a pattern and that these patterns are all around. Palindromes frequently occur in names, both of vehicles and people, and in music.


Childhood Fitness And Academic Achievement: An Exploration Into The Effect Of Physical Fitness Scores On Academic Assessment Tests, Kevin Vanderwal Apr 2017

Childhood Fitness And Academic Achievement: An Exploration Into The Effect Of Physical Fitness Scores On Academic Assessment Tests, Kevin Vanderwal

Master of Education Program Theses

This research study examines the correlation between the effects of physical fitness scores on academic assessment tests. The study examines students’ PACER scores and what impact that causes with the MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) test. The study included a sample of 147 students from a large Midwestern elementary school of fifth graders. The study found that PACER scores seems to have a positive relationship with students’ MAP scores; that improving on the PACER does not show significant gains to show a connection between the two variables; that high BMI scores can indicate lower MAP scores and that lower BMI …


Eighth Graders Explore Form And Function Of Modern And Fossil Organisms, Jolene K. Teske, Phoebe J. Z. Pittman Apr 2017

Eighth Graders Explore Form And Function Of Modern And Fossil Organisms, Jolene K. Teske, Phoebe J. Z. Pittman

Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions

Arts integration into science has been shown to motivate students and promote long-term retention of content. To add to the literature addressing arts integration, an experiment was conducted with middle school students studying the anatomical similarities and differences between modern and fossil marine invertebrates and different types of extant insects. Eighth grade students participated in a counterbalanced-design, quasi-experimental study to determine if the integration of art into the science curriculum would influence student retention of content, enjoyment, motivation, and perceived learning toward learning science concepts supporting the Next Generation Science Standards including engineering-related concepts. The lessons addressed Life Science standard …


The Utilization Of Group Art Therapy As A Framework To Enhance Relationship Building Skills Among Emotionally Disturbed Students, Kerith Lynn Glass Apr 2017

The Utilization Of Group Art Therapy As A Framework To Enhance Relationship Building Skills Among Emotionally Disturbed Students, Kerith Lynn Glass

Theses and Dissertations

Over the past four decades in the United States, the number of students that have been classified as Emotionally Disturbed has increased as well as a rise in these students' aggressive behavior, school violence, and expulsion from their home school districts (Mooney, Epstein, Reid, & Nelson, 2003). Historically, school professionals have employed behavior therapy strategies solely as a method to address students' negative behaviors and improve their overall school experiences (Crow & Small, 2011). These behavior therapy strategies include earning points for improved behavior that lead to school rewards. Although students show improvement after behavior therapy strategies are used, some …


Relationship Between Parenting Styles And Mathematics Achievement, Laura Kramer Apr 2017

Relationship Between Parenting Styles And Mathematics Achievement, Laura Kramer

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research project examined the relationship between parenting styles and mathematics achievement for middle school students at a small Christian school in the Midwestern United States. The participants were 22 fifth through eighth grade students and their parents. Students and their parents completed surveys measuring the parenting dimensions of demandingness and responsiveness, which were used to determine the overall parenting style in the home. Parenting styles determined by the surveys were compared to mathematics scores from the students’ most recent achievement test. The study results indicate that an authoritative parenting style does not necessarily correlate with higher mathematics achievement …


Middle-Grades Students' Understandings Of What It Means To Read In A High-Stakes Environment, Mary Beth Schaefer Jan 2017

Middle-Grades Students' Understandings Of What It Means To Read In A High-Stakes Environment, Mary Beth Schaefer

Curriculum & Instruction Faculty Publications

In this practitioner inquiry, the teacher researcher found that a culture of high-stakes testing had pervaded her diverse, urban seventh-grade students' conceptions of reading; students associated reading with tests and skills-based worksheets rather than pleasure. Using students' voices, passions, and interests, the teacher researcher broadened students' reading conceptions and abilities by introducing them to Langer's reading theory. Students used the theory to develop deep understandings of their own and others' reading needs, skills, and desires. Students constructed understandings of self as reader, found pleasure in constructing personalized reading skills and strategies, and reconstructed notions of reading to assert authority and …


Fostering Literacy Learning With Three Middle School Special-Education Students Using Therapy Dogs As Reading Partners, Donna E. Lamkin Jan 2017

Fostering Literacy Learning With Three Middle School Special-Education Students Using Therapy Dogs As Reading Partners, Donna E. Lamkin

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This case study explored dog-assisted reading with three middle-school special education students in a self-contained alternative school. Data collection conducted over a 15-month period included observations, interviews, and artifacts. In this study, reading with therapy dogs and their handlers, helped three adolescent readers with their reading motivation, engagement, and literacy processes/behaviors. The students’ engagement with the dog, the role of the dog handler, and the role of the context all impacted students in different and multiple ways.