Education Commons^™

Conflicts In Communication And Academic Needs For Virtual Education Gifted Students, Sarah M. Finley

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Modern education has to take on various roles and contingencies over the last decade – both for good and worse. Public school systems are competing with private and now charter schools for student enrollment and virtual or online learning schools. A question many parents and educators struggle with – how do we grow and develop children and young adults' academic needs through the use of technology?

The question may be simple; however, the answer is far complicated. Technology provides help in various ways a human being cannot, including instant gratification of Google searches, video education, synchronous education game formats, distant …

Student Perceptions Of Instructor Support In Remote Learning Environments During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Christopher F. Sellas

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The present study explored student perceptions of instructor support in remote learning environments during the COVID-19 pandemic to better understand inequities in their learning experiences. Participants self-reported perceptions of instructor support, online learning experiences, mental health symptoms, and wellbeing. Bivariate correlation testing and linear regression modeling were used to analyze the data. Results indicate that students' student-instructor rapport is associated with higher perception of instructor support. Further, higher perceptions of instructor support were associated with significantly lower symptoms of depression, anxiety, and academic-related stress. Higher degrees of students' self-regulated learning behaviors were associated with lower perceived instructor support. There were …

Examining Motivation In Online Learning Amongst Traditional And Nontraditional College Students, Juan J. Echeverri

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Nontraditional students continue to grow as a population in universities across North America. These individuals are characterized as twenty-five years of age or older, have taken time off from school, and usually hold a job outside of their school duties. With our increased immersion in online environments, many individuals earning an educational degree through online participation, and previous studies calling upon further research, we decided to investigate this line of research. Specifically, the present study seeks to understand the motivational factors seen between traditional and nontraditional students, with an emphasis on intrinsic motivation. The results suggest that nontraditional students are …

Examining One Teacher's Practices In Supporting Students With Exceptionalities In An Online Setting, Alyson L. Hepler

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis explored how students with exceptionalities learned literacy skills in an online learning environment and how the teacher was supported in the online classroom environment through professional development. Analysis of classroom observations and interviews with a teacher resulted in five findings: (1) There was limited professional development for teaching exceptional education students online. (2) Meeting exceptional student educational needs in the online environment was challenging for the teacher. (3) During the teacher's online lessons, there were some elements of literacy present such as comprehension and real-world examples. (4) The teacher missed out on some key components for literacy development …

The Implications Of Case-Based Learning (Cbl) On Biochemistry Education: An Integrative Literature Review, Ryan C. Ripert

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The COVID-19 has significantly impacted the world as we know it, especially in higher education institutions. In response to COVID-19, most colleges and universities were forced to close their doors to students and switch to online learning over Zoom. Although most students are adjusted well to this new mode of education, other students, such as individuals pursuing degrees in the sciences, have difficulty adapting to the online mode of instruction. Case-based learning (CBL) is considered one of the best strategies in teaching a course like Biochemistry in a large classroom setting. Implementing CBL in biochemistry education may increase student engagement …

Teacher Effectiveness In Underserved, Underfunded, And Under-Resourced Elementary Schools, Anais A. Placencia

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Based on previous studies and the author's observations pre-service teachers do not typically consider teaching in underserved areas as their preferred option (Aragon et al., 2014). My goal for this study was to provide PSTs with a different perspective on teaching in urban areas by developing a compendium of evidenced-based practices based on the five major patterns found in effective teaching in underserved elementary schools. A qualitative content analysis of research on teacher effectiveness in underserved, underfunded, and under-resourced elementary schools allowed me to gather data from previous studies to identify evidenced-based best practices for this particular setting. Based on …

Exploring Portrayals Of Black American Culture In Coretta Scott King Picturebooks Awarded From 2013 To 2020, Rebecca Jesse

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Children's literature is crucial in shaping the way young children see and think about themselves in the eyes of society. Although diversity is increasing, a need remains for books that feature Black children as well as accurate portrayals of their lifestyles. According to the Cooperation Children's Book Center (2020), only 400 books out of 3,299 are about Black Americans, while a little over half of that number are actually written by Black authors. Why should children of color have to suffice with reading books that have no connection to their real-world life? Black children should have access to and enjoy …

Applications Of The Match Model To Analyze Student Problem-Solving, Barbara Chiu

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Problem-solving has been recognized as a critical skill that students lack in the current education system, due to the use of algorithmic questions in tests that can be simply memorized and solved without conceptual understanding. Research on student problem-solving is needed to gain deeper insight into how students are approaching problems and where they lack proficiency so that instruction can help students gain a conceptual understanding of chemistry. The MAtCH (methods, analogies, theory, context, how) model was recently developed from expert explanations of their research and could be a valuable model to identify key components of student problem-solving. This project …

Designing An Expressive Writing Unit For Students With Asd In Mind: The Synthesis Of Social-Emotional Learning And Writing Strategy Instruction, Maya Govea

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In general education classrooms across the United States, students with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) learn how to write and cultivate their writing skills. Teachers of students with ASD have the unique responsibility of carrying out effective instruction to all students. However, the growing body of research around evidence-based practices and approaches for students with ASD is limited. Two effective practices that have shown positive statistical significance for students with ASD are the self-regulated strategy development model (SRSD) and the social-emotional learning (SEL) framework. General education instruction faces a research-practice gap because of the widespread lack of strategy instruction and lack …

Unpacking Perceptions Of Play And Literacy In Early Childhood Education: Creating Home Literacy Bags As A Guide To Parental Support, Delaney C. Knapp

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This paper takes a deeper look into how children's literacy development can be supported at home. Specifically, the paper examines the use of home literacy bags that are directed towards the students' specific needs by exploring their family background and home literacy environment. First, I explored the research on family perceptions of literacy, children's perceptions of literacy, home literacy practices, and home-school literacy partnerships in a literature review. Next, I created a literacy-based curriculum consisting of ten home literacy bags. This paper outlined a home-school literacy intervention in my future classroom. The information was obtained from my junior and senior …

The Relationship Between Creative Hobbies And Visual Spatial Ability, Victoria Alexander

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Recent developments in educational practices have identified the teaching of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) areas as important, but this emphasis on STEM fields has sacrificed educational focus on the Arts (Cohen, 2016). This is a significant loss, not only in terms of the loss of humanities education in itself, but through the potential loss of foundational skills through practice in artistic areas. The current paper explores this idea by investigating the correlational relationship between visual spatial abilities and participation in a variety of creative activities. Spatial ability is known to be a cognitive skill that underlies success in …