Education Commons^™

Supporting Student Connectedness And Social Satisfaction During Recess, Elizabeth Teasdale Wells

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

This project examines the effects of how recess preparation and reflection can be focused on providing students an opportunity to connect socially and strengthen overall happiness. By investigating the role social satisfaction plays in a child’s life during recess, educators may gain knowledge about how to foster social connectedness for every child. While most studies about recess focus on a child’s level of physical activity or negative behaviors, researchers have yet to investigate recess as a place to improve a child’s well-being and social satisfaction. This study was conducted at a public elementary school through qualitative interviews and observations. Teachers, …

The Importance Of Teaching Young Children Academics Through Multi-Sensory Activities, Tiffany Schardt

Senior Theses

In this project, one will find information regarding the benefits of multi-sensory learning. Multi-sensory learning is a hands-on form of learning. One will find information on how technology is causing children to spend less time learning through their senses. The project is accompanied by information for parents and what they can do to promote multi-sensory learning at home. Along with this information, parents will find a guidebook that incorporates academic concepts with multi-sensory lessons. The project is organized so that one can find information on technology, importance of multi-sensory learning, proof, and guidebook contents. The project is easily laid out …

How To Best Support Individuals Growing Up With A Special Needs Sibling, Lauren Mcdonell

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

The purpose of this study was to understand the emotions of a neurotypically developing sibling. This study also attempted to understand how caregivers can best support the neurotypical sibling in the areas of self-concept and overall well-being. The gap is knowledge is how to better support neurotypical developing siblings specifically in the areas of self-concept and overall well-being. Three participants were interviewed to gain insight about their experiences with their special needs sibling. Participants who participated in a support group for neurotypical developing children with a SNS were surveyed to gain insight about their experiences with the support group. Through …

Responsive Classroom Approach: Teachers’ Experience With Implementation, Rachael Olmanson

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

The research in this study aims to understand the experiences of teachers as they implement a social emotional learning curriculum called, The Responsive Classroom (RC) Approach, for the first time. Further, this research inquires about the ways in which schools can best support teachers during the initial implementation phase. This qualitative study used focused interviews, surveys, and field observations to gain the perspectives of various RC teachers. Using a humanistic research approach, each focused interview was designed to encourage a safe sharing of emotions and knowledge through the use of open-ended questions. Data collected from the interviews, in conjunction with …

The Impact Of Rigorous Curriculum In Transitional Kindergarten And Kindergarten Classrooms, Lauren Clough

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Educators across the world are being asked to teach academic skills to increasingly younger students. The purpose of this research project was to examine the impact that using rigorous curriculum had on transitional kindergarten and kindergarten educators as well as how rigorous curriculum affected the self-esteem of students. A particular shortcoming in the available literature is the lack of research discussing rigorous curriculum used in early elementary classrooms that contain mostly English language learners and how that affects the teachers and students. This project used a mixed methods approach in order to collect qualitative data from detailed interviews using open-ended …

Recess Preparation And Reflection For Supporting Social Connectedness, Elizabeth Teasdale Wells

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

This project examines the effects of how recess preparation and reflection can be focused on providing students an opportunity to connect socially and strengthen overall happiness. By investigating the role social satisfaction plays in a child’s life during recess, educators may gain knowledge about how to foster social connectedness for every child. While most studies about recess focus on a child’s level of physical activity or negative behaviors, researchers have yet to investigate recess as a place to improve a child’s well-being and social satisfaction. This study was conducted at an elementary school through qualitative interviews and observations. Teachers, administrators, …

Exploratory Application Of A Sensory Activity Schedule In Head Start Preschool, Marian Perez, Elaine Wong, Michelle Perryman

Student Research Posters

Objective: The objective of this research is to determine whether the implementation of sensory activity schedule in a preschool classroom can increase the on-task behaviors of the students.

Methods: Three students were recruited to participate in a quantitative multiple single subject design with qualitative follow-up study. The participants performed sensorimotor activities before circle time and were monitored for frequency of their off-task behavior using a time sampling frequency data collection. Afterwards, the head teacher was interviewed to discuss the experience.

Results: Off-task behavior decreased from baseline on all three children, which supports the efficacy of sensory activity schedule in reducing …

Service-Learning Faculty Handbook [Version 3], Julia Van Der Ryn, Emily Wu

Collected Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Dominican University’s mission provides a strong foundation for service-learning, a pedagogy that creates intentional links between academic education and community experience where each strengthens the other. Service-learning engages students, faculty, staff, and community partners in collaborative and responsive action, dialogue, and reflection to address community-identified needs, meet learning goals, expand our perspectives, and increase civic participation. In this way service-learning creates reciprocal benefits for all involved:

1. The University is able to live out its mission and enhance its role as a vital and active partner in the community;

2. Faculty are supported in connecting innovative teaching, research/scholarship, and community …