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Full-Text Articles in Education

Effective And Engaging Online Learning A Research Based Blended Curriculum In The Middle School Language Arts Classroom, Emily Eggers Jul 2017

Effective And Engaging Online Learning A Research Based Blended Curriculum In The Middle School Language Arts Classroom, Emily Eggers

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

As technology becomes more prominent in today’s society, teachers need to be prepared to integrate technology into their classrooms. This capstone was made to answer the question “What is the best method to facilitate student learning in the online environment?” It documents one teacher’s creation of an all encompassing unit of study that incorporates many online learning strategies. Based on the Understanding by Design method of curriculum development, the unit includes learning outcomes, forms of assessment, and daily activities to help deepen students’ understanding of the material with the integrated use of technology. The methods of technological instruction are selected …


Using A Functional Language Approach To Modifiy Guided Reading For English Langauge [Sic] Learners, Kristen A. Young Jul 2017

Using A Functional Language Approach To Modifiy Guided Reading For English Langauge [Sic] Learners, Kristen A. Young

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The first research question addressed in this study was, how can one modify the standard methods of teaching guided reading to better meet the language needs of non-native speakers? The second question was, what adjustments need to be made to include the teaching of academic language functions with guided reading instruction? This study documents the teacher’s exploration of the most effective strategies for teaching English learners (ELs) to learn the language needed to accelerate reading levels. The author uses the Modified Guided Reading for ELs lesson model produced in the work by Avalos, Plasencia Chaves and Rascon, and combines it …


Relationships Between Comprehension And Fluency Levels Within Reading At A Second Grade Level, Erika Gregor Jul 2017

Relationships Between Comprehension And Fluency Levels Within Reading At A Second Grade Level, Erika Gregor

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research is to investigate the relationship between comprehension and fluency levels in a Spanish Immersion second grade setting and answer the question of: What is the effect of daily use of comprehension strategies, including inferencing, summarizing and visualizing, on fluency within a Spanish Immersion program? The literature review served the purpose to explore and deliver vital components in understanding the process of reading and how comprehension and fluency are achieved. I used a quantitative approach and utilized assessments throughout the school year to observe fluency levels when implementing comprehension strategies and assessments. The data revealed …


Close Reading As A Means For Increasing Self-Perception In Struggling Middle School Readers, Megan Slinger Jul 2017

Close Reading As A Means For Increasing Self-Perception In Struggling Middle School Readers, Megan Slinger

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this capstone was: How does explicit instruction in close reading skills impact self-perception as a reader in struggling middle school students? In this project, action research was conducted over a four week period in a seventh grade suburban summer school classroom with eleven students. All of the participants were categorized as struggling readers. At the beginning of the research, students were administered a survey to gather information about their self-perception as a reader. Over the next four weeks, students received explicit instruction in three close reading strategies. During this period, students were also interviewed one …


Effective Whole Group Literacy Instruction For Teaching English Language Newcomers Through Total Physical Response And The Use Of Visuals, Nicole Holmes Jul 2017

Effective Whole Group Literacy Instruction For Teaching English Language Newcomers Through Total Physical Response And The Use Of Visuals, Nicole Holmes

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The purpose of this curriculum development was to create whole group literacy lessons that would benefit all students, especially English Language newcomers. In-depth research in Total Physical Response, the use of visuals, literacy and English Language newcomers drove the findings to implement the use of three vocabulary words at the beginning of each lesson. There are a total of twenty lessons, five lessons in four units, with the implementation of three vocabulary words at the beginning using TPR and visuals to get the meaning across to students. There are assessments to better support English Language newcomers within each unit.


Achievement And Engagement With The Workshop Model In The High School Literature Classroom, Sara Stensaas Apr 2017

Achievement And Engagement With The Workshop Model In The High School Literature Classroom, Sara Stensaas

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this study is as follows: does the use of the workshop model improve engagement and achievement in an honors senior level literature classroom? This action research study sought to discover how two workshop treatment groups, Blau’s literature workshop and Tovani’s workshop model, compared to a control group in achievement on the target unit learning objectives and engagement change over the unit with high school honors-level senior students. Using pre- and post-treatment surveys, focus group discussion, and a unit test, this mixed-method research project looked for a parallel between increase engagement and achievement. Engagement measures under …


Teaching Listening For Prominence In Combination With Reading To Help Students Determine New Information, Margaret Genereux Apr 2017

Teaching Listening For Prominence In Combination With Reading To Help Students Determine New Information, Margaret Genereux

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to assess whether teaching adult English Language Learners (ELLs) to listen for new information spoken with prominence on the target new information increased their ability to make inferences about meaning. Data collected included: a pre and post-test to assess students’ learning during the intervention; an uptake sheet to solicit students’ self-perception of their learning about pronunciation and placement of new information; and a Likert scale to elicit participants’ self-assessment of their ability to identify and use prominence. While results of the post-test on selecting the correct inference were inconclusive, quantitative and qualitative data indicated …


The Impact Of Effective Guided Reading Practices, Emily O'Rourke Apr 2017

The Impact Of Effective Guided Reading Practices, Emily O'Rourke

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This research question purpose was to see how the impact of guided reading can positively improve second grade reading comprehension, fluency and word recognition. Various researchers, such as Jennifer Berne and Sophie C. Degener who have contributed to guided reading research are studied in this capstone. Guided reading is a pivotal element in a child’s journey in the reading process. It explores the specific teacher practices that are necessary to a beneficial guided reading experience. The author used quantitative method of study using district reading assessment and more specifically assessing comprehension, fluency and word recognition. As well as, studying the …


A Family Literacy Approach In A Second Grade Classroom, Katie R. Coder Apr 2017

A Family Literacy Approach In A Second Grade Classroom, Katie R. Coder

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this project was, how does a family literacy approach affect students reading comprehension growth in a second grade classroom? It documents one teacher’s creation of a before and after school family literacy program. The family literacy program focused on teaching students and families explicit reading comprehension strategies that were being used in the classroom. The author documents the research analyzed that led to the creation of a family literacy program based on the parent involvement family literacy model. The author describes the implementation of the program and concludes that: 1) using a family literacy approach …


How Higher Order Questioning And Critical Thinking Affects Reading Comprehension, Lindsay A. Samelian Apr 2017

How Higher Order Questioning And Critical Thinking Affects Reading Comprehension, Lindsay A. Samelian

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question was, how I can increase fifth graders’ reading comprehension through the use of higher-order thinking questions and critical thinking? This qualitative action research was based on Anderson, Krathwohl, and Bloom’s (2001) work on the six levels of cognitive thought, Walsh and Sattes’ (2005) and Morgan and Saxton’s (2006) research on quality questioning, and Brookhart’s (2010) critical thinking assessments and rubrics. Their research incorporates into a fifth grade reading classroom while using Fountas and Pinnell’s (2001) guided reading model. The author creates higher ordering thinking questions for three WWII novels. She studies the types of questions and uses …


The Effects Of The Press Intervention On Kindergarteners With Limited Early Literacy Skills, Lindsey Peterson Apr 2017

The Effects Of The Press Intervention On Kindergarteners With Limited Early Literacy Skills, Lindsey Peterson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this Capstone is: What impact does the PRESS intervention have on Kindergarteners with limited early literacy skills? Many students enter Kindergarten with limited literacy skills and are in need of learning the basic skills of reading before they can learn to read.The action research that was conducted involved seven students and an intervention focused on phoneme segmenting. The students were given a phoneme segmenting pre assessment before the ten day intervention. A post assessment was administered after each ten day intervention. The data revealed that after two, ten day interventions that 100 percent of the …