Education Commons^™

Identifying Misconceptions About Evolution Relative To Science Curriculum Exposure At The Secondary Level, Rachel Carney

Graduate Research Papers

Evolution is the foundation of the biological sciences. Addressing misconceptions related to biological evolution ensures students have a solid understanding of evolution so that they can become scientifically literate members of society. While studies have identified misconceptions about evolution, there is much less research on the degree to which specific biology curricula address these misconceptions. The goal of this study is to determine how exposure to the SEPUP biology curriculum affects the misconceptions about evolutionary theory held by 10th grade students.

This study took place at a moderately-sized school located in the Midwest. Students respond with their agreeability to a …

High School Earth Science Students Evaluating Agricultural Solutions, Jaclyn Citlali Sanchez Erickson

Graduate Research Papers

With the Next Generation Science Standard (NGSS) implementation it is imperative to include three-dimensional learning in any curriculum designed. In addition, NGSS lends itself well to inquiry based and project based learning.

I chose to focus my curriculum project on developing a project-based learning (PBL) piece targeting NGSS ESSS 3-4: Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems. The PBL was designed for ninth-grade earth science students at a rural school. This project was designed with 5 E-learning in mind to help organize the end product, a presentation. It was developed using an …

Enhancing Scientific Literacy Through Attention To Argumentation As A Disciplinary Literacy Practice, Whitney Mcwilliams

Graduate Research Papers

This project is partly driven by Science Writing Heuristic as writing to learn is part of a larger objective to help students develop literacy. While research on the SWH examines its own effectiveness through the lens of literacy, it only looked at its impact on science content knowledge. This project will examine five assessment tasks structured around the practice of argumentation. Data collected will measure use and inclusion of phenomena, three dimensional learning, and alignment to Performance Expectations. The content of the performance expectations center around two standards focused on electromagnetic radiation’s effect on matter and technological devices used to …

Effects Of Stepwise Guided Inquiry On Students' Attitudes And Depth Of Knowledge From Written Lab Reflections In High School Chemistry, Melissa Rae Campbell Johnson

Graduate Research Papers

Many teachers find it challenging to embed guided inquiry into high school chemistry courses. Although guided inquiry provides excellent opportunities for students to engage in data analysis, misconceptions and loss of class time are teacher stated problems with guided inquiry. A stepwise inquiry project can slowly introduce students to the inquiry process of data analysis in high school chemistry.

This stepwise inquiry project examined three different inquiry labs designed around the anchoring phenomenon, “ Which toothpaste protects our teeth the best?”Each lab progressed in inquiry level. Lab one was written at inquiry level one,confirmation. The second lab was written at …

Accuracy Of Self-Assessment In A Ninth Grade Earth Science Classroom, Alyssa Jacobson

Graduate Research Papers

Student engagement is a constant struggle teachers and schools work to address. Students who are not engaged are more likely to drop out of school and participate in risky behaviors that negatively impact themselves and society as a whole. As a means to combat student disengagement, school districts have begun to implement The New Art and Science of Teaching, a framework meant to engage students by involving them in the learning process through self-assessment.

The purpose of this study is to determine how accurately high school aged students can self-assess and how students make decisions when they self-assess. To …

Analysis Of Assessments On Secondary Students' Development And Interpretation Of Models, Alaina L. Appley

Graduate Research Papers

As districts are making the shift to three-dimensional learning the development of a coherent set of high-quality task-based assessments has been a challenge. For this research I collected and analyzed twelve of my district's assessments over the scientific skill of modeling from grades seven through 12. The analysis involved two tools developed by NGSS and Achieve.org to determine the extent to which the assessments ask students to perform tasks that are driven by phenomena and use the three-dimensional in service of sense-making, the Task Screener and the Framework to Evaluate Cognitive Complexity in Science Assessments. The findings support what …

Immediate Vs. Deferred Feedback During Formative Assessments In A 9th Grade Physical Science Course, Jordan Sonntag

Graduate Research Papers

For educators, feedback has become a very important part of the teaching practice that is taught in both teacher education programs and building-level professional development. While many studies have been done on feedback itself, there is much less research on the effectiveness of certain types of feedback used within a Learning Management System (LMS). The goal of this experiment is to determine if there is any difference on summative assessment scores based on the use of different types of feedback on formative assessments using an LMS.

An LMS is a program that allows the educator to create step by step …

Best Practices In Assessment And Evaluation Of Literacy At The Secondary Level, Meaghan Kathleen Johnson

Graduate Research Papers

Research over the century has shown that grading practices in schools, especially at the secondary level, are commonly inconsistent, unreliable, and invalid amongst teachers. Grades have a large impact on students’ futures, determining scholarships, colleges, and career paths. Therefore, it is important that assessment and evaluation practices are consistent, reliable, and fair. This paper contains a review of research on the reasons for discrepancies in grading practices, followed by what research suggests is best practice for fair and reliable assessment and evaluation practices. Finally, these findings have been combined to develop a presentation on best practices in assessment and evaluation …

Development Of Curriculum For Next Generation Science Standards In High School Chemistry, Jennifer L. Brown

Graduate Research Papers

The aim of this project is to develop a unit relevant to students, aligned with three-dimensional performance expectations, and beneficial to teachers in helping students to meet those standards. To effectively meet those goals, an understanding of what curriculum is and how to develop it is needed. Curriculum is “the high-quality delivery system for ensuring that all students achieve the desired end – the attainment of their desired grade- or course-specific standards” (Ainsworth, 2010, p. 4). Without a clear goal for student performance and a detailed plan for how to get them there, lasting, meaningful learning is not likely to …

Blended Learning In Credit Recovery, Robin Kuhn

Graduate Research Papers

This project is to create a blended learning module for students who need to recover course credit in order to stay on track to graduate on time from a small rural district with limited teachers and face-to-face time. This project will eliminate the need for the district to pay for online credit recovery services and help avoid scheduling issues that may prevent completion of the high school curriculum by students who fail a class. The project will be tested with students within the district and, if successful, will be implemented for all students who need to recover course credit.

Using Google Tools To Enhance Secondary Writing Instruction, Sarah Ebener

Graduate Research Papers

This literature review analyzes the use of Google Apps for Education and other Google tools as a way for teachers to improve writing instruction. It focuses on 30 studies conducted in the United States and internationally which investigate varying uses of technology tools with secondary and college-aged students. The results showed that students’ writing improves and students experience more engagement when technology is used to enhance collaboration, feedback, editing, and revision, and that students generally enjoy using Google tools to accomplish writing tasks. Recommendations include guidelines for teachers when assigning technology-based writing activities, but further research needs to be conducted …

Developing Model Identification Skills In An Advanced Placement Physics 1 Classroom, Ian Spangenberg

Graduate Research Papers

Every year, hundreds of thousands of high school students take the AP Physics 1 Exam. Passing scores can mean college credit, recognition, and scholarships. While typical physics courses teach the content and solution procedures in discrete units such as dynamics, energy, and momentum, the AP Physics 1 Exam requires students to solve problems without problem-type headings or unit captions. Students must also be able to support ideas and answers using overarching theories, laws, and principles. This research looks at a curricular and pedagogical strategy designed to teach AP Physics 1 students how those discrete units fit together into a complete …

Development Of A Standards-Based Classroom For High School Physics At Solon Community School District, Tim Sheeley

Graduate Research Papers

Current educational reform focuses on achievement based on standardized-testing. In addition, both national and state standards have been developed and approved. These frameworks logically demand standards-based reporting of achievement within schools. Standards-based grading systems communicate accurate student learning progress, target specific teacher feedback and allow multiple reassessments for unrestricted growth.

The problem of practice investigated in this paper is “How do teachers effectively communicate learning progress and promote continued growth in a high school physics classroom using standards-based grading?” This paper describes my personal experience developing a standards-based classroom. I share lessons learned, and the next steps I intend to …

Dungeons And Dragons And Literacy: The Role Tabletop Role-Playing Games Can Play In Developing Teenagers' Literacy Skills And Reading Interests, Stefanie L. B. Kaylor

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to explore the role that tabletop role-playing games (TRPGs) play in developing the literacy skills and leisure reading interests of teenagers who play them. Additionally, this study sought to determine what role or roles educators should play in developing the gaming culture of teenage students. In order to answer these questions, seven people who played TRPGs as teenagers were interviewed about their past and current TRPG interests, past and current leisure reading habits, and the effects that playing TRPGs had on their literacy skills. This study revealed that all participants felt that playing TRPGs …

The Effects Of Flipped Learning On Students In Secondary Education, Abigail M. Fish

Graduate Research Papers

As schools incorporate flipped instruction into the classroom, it is important to understand the effectiveness of flipped learning and its pedagogical shift. This literature review analyzed 24 peer-reviewed empirical studies out of 30 articles that explore the effectiveness of flipped learning versus a traditional learning style on student achievement and student engagement in general and the promotion of student-centered learning activities when using a flipped learning environment in particularly. Studies selected for the review were conducted in secondary classrooms after the year 2000 with sound research methodology.

The major findings reveal that flipped learning can lead to higher student achievement …

Effects Of Gamification On Motivation And Engagement In Secondary Curriculum, Matthew J. Molumby

Graduate Research Papers

This literature review investigates the ways and means schools have attempted to influence motivation through the process of gamification in secondary curriculum. This literature review analyzed 31 peer-reviewed empirical studies that sought to understand the links between motivation and engagement with gamified lessons. This review attempts to analyze and synthesize the studies that are related to the definitions of gamification and beyond, the successful implementation along with the failures for motivation and engagement, and a whole system that afford school districts a more deliberate approach to gamification in the high school curriculum. The reviewer has attempted to chronicle studies to …

Building 21st Century Business Skills In High School Business Classrooms Using Digital Games And Simulations, Stacy Marcus

Graduate Research Papers

Digital games and simulations are often seen as fun activities to reward students but their potential is much greater. This literature review examined how integrating digital games and simulations into secondary business curriculum can help students build the skills needed for the 21st century workplace in an environment that is conducive to how they learn best. The effects of digital games and simulations on student motivation are also examined as well as how to assess student learning while using these tools. The information found came from peer-reviewed journals, books, and studies from the Web. Digital games and simulations have proven …

What Is Really Happening When I Teach? : A Self-Study In A Secondary English Classroom, Margaret Christensen Mnayer

Graduate Research Papers

As an educator in an urban school, determined to provide my students with the most effective teaching, I engaged in a self-study to examine my practices and evaluate effectiveness based on current research. I used Schulte's (2002) framework to build my self-study. Her indicators of a quality self-study are: 1) thorough descriptions of the context, data collection, and analysis, 2) thoughtful problemization of researcher and her practice, 3) indications for how study changed researcher's practice, and, 4) a description of how the new insights gained might contribute to knowledge base for other teachers.

Differentiated Instruction In The Secondary Social Studies Classroom, Chad A. Christopher

Graduate Research Papers

As an educator with fifteen years of experience, this author has experienced the frustrations of having to teach a wide range of student abilities at the secondary social studies level. There is a lot of support for differentiated instruction for special education, TAG, and elementary students, but there seems to be questions about the practicality and effectiveness of it in a secondary classroom.

The issues discussed in this paper will focus on the following questions: 1) Does Differentiated Instruction affect student learning? 2) Can Differentiated Instruction be implemented with secondary teachers in a practical way to help student learning and …

Reading Intervention Support For The Older Struggling Reader : A Desk-Reference For Reading Interventions, April L. Kleinschmidt

Graduate Research Papers

Reading interventions for the older student are a topic of discussion in school districts, especially when an increasing number of middle schools and high schools are in need of improvement in the area of reading. Because of this increase in literacy concern in the middle and high schools, there is a need to better understand areas of reading that would assist struggling adolescent readers. Research affirms the importance of including intervention assistance in the upper grades. Research indicates key areas to target: structures and features of text, decoding, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, writing and technology, as well as the incorporation of …

Reading Instruction At The Secondary Level, Justified Or Unjustified? : Real Strategies For Content Area Reading Instruction With Applications For Social Studies, Bridgette Pohlman Andersen

Graduate Research Papers

Reading research conclusively asserts that reading is developmental in nature and requires explicit instruction beyond the elementary years. However, secondary education is dominated by content area curricula, leaving little instructional time for literacy. Standardized assessments reveal that middle and high school students' reading comprehension scores remain stagnant, yet society's literacy demands have increased. In order for students to become independent learners and productive citizens, reading comprehension strategies need to be embedded in existing classroom practices. Research-based practices for comprehension that can be used before, during and after reading are presented. A professional development session, covering two years, is included that …

Freshman Transition Retreat, Amy E. Swisher

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of a freshman retreat would be to help middle school students make the transition to high school a successful one. A successful transition program has many components such as; important information in regards to classes and school requirements, parent meetings, and days for new freshman to get acquainted to their new surroundings. These components along with a weekend retreat away from school grounds would prove to be an effective way to help transitioning students. Through the use of adventure-based activities and techniques students will gain self confidence, develop new friendships and take part in risk taking.

Restructuring A Secondary Business Curriculum For The 21st Century, Eric Springer

Graduate Research Papers

This paper reviews what secondary business educators can do to restructure a business curriculum for the 21 st century and how they can do it effectively. It was written to describe today's workplace, the skills that employers are expecting workers to have, the current trends and reform evolving in high school business education, and the projects, strategies, and tools that can be used by business teachers to prepare students for success in the workplace. The literature review discusses the state of Iowa's 21 st century skills curriculum that was established in recent years. The skills curriculum includes employability skills, financial …

A Preferred Way For Leading Secondary Schools : A Reflective Essay, Travis M. Axeen

Graduate Research Papers

Leadership education is the beginning step for those interested in the challenge of being a school administrator. A school administrator is a leader in the school and in the community. His leadership encompasses many different areas including vision, instruction, organization, collaborative dealings, ethics, and political areas. Leadership education forces students to begin thinking like an administrator and stresses the importance of a school administrator being an educational leader promoting the success of all students. As administrators we want to promote the success of all students. In order to do this a school vision must be formulated. A visionary leader will …

A Preferred Vision For Leading Secondary Schools : A Reflective Essay, Al Blocker

Graduate Research Papers

An ideal school should be a place where every child wants to come and where every child is treated with respect and dignity. Schools should be a place where teachers are respected and feel valued about what they have to contribute. The ideal school should be a place where everyone feels welcomed and appreciated. People should feel this as they walk in the building. As a future administrator, I will do my best to make students and staff and other stakeholders feel appreciated, valued and respected.

Using Web-Based Material To Support Secondary Science Curriculum, Ghadeer Filimban

Graduate Research Papers

Web-based materials have introduced a new way of supporting students' learning and teachers' knowledge of the secondary science curriculum. However it is difficult to know which materials to use and how to use them. This review discussed some of the methods for teaching science, web-based materials that support these methods, how the Internet can add to teachers' knowledge, and some negative effects of using this technology. This review shows how teachers can integrate web-based materials into their teaching strategies, and can help teachers who have integrated them to be aware of the negatives of using the Internet in the classroom. …

Critical Thinking In High School Literature Classes, Simona Sarbu

Graduate Research Papers

This study presents a review of literature regarding critical thinking. Several definitions of critical thinking are compared and contrasted. Critical thinking is presented as a subset of higher-order thinking and affinities between critical thinking and other forms of higher-order thinking are examined. Questioning as a means of promoting critical thinking in high school literature classes is discussed from the perspective of reader-response theories.

Several questioning strategies that have the potential to promote critical thinking in high school literature classes are identified. These strategies are Questioning Circles, Questioning the Author, Design Conversations, Hierarchical Models of Questioning, Socratic Seminars, and Literature Circles. …

A Writing Instruction Tool For Valley High School, West Des Moines, Iowa, Kristine Milburn

Graduate Research Papers

As computer-based communication becomes increasingly popular, so does the need for effective and efficient writing skills. Individuals must express themselves formally and informally to others through writing; thus, the importance of writing goes beyond scholarly pursuits and pervades every facet of society today.

The focus of this paper is to examine the usefulness of a common evaluative and instructive language, specifically the Six-Trait Analytical Scoring Guide (developed by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory in Oregon), within a high school in order to encourage growth and success in student writing.

School-Based Prevention Of Adolescent Substance Abuse, Kristina Lorenzen

Graduate Research Papers

Because of the prevalence and serious consequences of adolescent substance abuse, it is necessary to review programming for prevention. Progress has been made in identifying effective prevention methods. However, there is a gap between what research has shown to be effective and the methods commonly used in most schools.

The purpose of this paper is to review existing literature and research on substance abuse prevention for adolescents. The following research questions were addressed: How prevalent is adolescent substance abuse? What specific factors put an adolescent at risk for substance abuse? Why are some programs considered ineffective? What components make an …

A Preferred Vision For Administering Secondary Schools : A Reflective Essay, Steven A. Winters

Graduate Research Papers

This paper will examine how the role of the administration, teachers, community, and students, communication, staff development, and safety all affect the school's climate and culture. As Lyman (2000) found, the "culture of a school has important and far-reaching effects on the thinking and actions of students and teachers" (p. 145).