Education Commons^™

Avoiding Burnout: Resources To Help The Overworked Teacher, Victoria Oglan, Janie R. Goodman

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

Everyone knows that teaching has always been a demanding job; however, in the last decade the demands on teachers have increased. Today, teachers have to answer to parents, administrators, legislators, and the general public when it comes to their classroom practice and educational beliefs. In addition, long hours, classroom management issues, lack of support, low pay, poor working conditions, and the demands of high-stakes testing have all contributed to widespread teacher stress.

This collection of resources will make your teaching life so much easier. Bringing these authors into your classroom can give teachers a broader understanding of how to configure …

Mixed Methods Action Research: How Integrating Student Response Technology And Case Studies In A Largely Populated University Course Influences Student Engagement, Feedback, And Learning, Scott L. Matteson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if implementing student response technology (SRT) and case studies into a largely populated university undergraduate course would influence student engagement. When student engagement is influenced the potential for positive learning outcomes occurs leading to a higher likelihood of student success (Swap & Walter, 2015). Four research questions guided this study: How and to what extent does incorporating SRT and case studies in a largely populated undergraduate course at MSU influence: (1) student motivation; (2) cognitive, emotional, and behavioral engagement; (3) feedback; and (4) What are the effects of SRT and case studies …

Digital Learning Environment Development: Action Research Using A Situated Coaching Model With Elementary Classroom Teachers Integrating Technology, Robert Burggraaf

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research was to evaluate the impact of a situated coaching model for participating teachers at an elementary school. This study focused on three research questions: (1) how do participants experience a situated coaching model for technology professional development? (2) how does a situated coaching model affect participants’ digital learning environment scores? and (3) how does a situated coaching model impact participants’ perception of barriers to implementing a digital learning environment?

This study situated a coach in an elementary school to work with four teachers over a six-week period in modeling, co-planning, co-teaching, and observing classroom …

Global Problem-Based Learning In Math, Dora Fletcher

Theses and Dissertations

In the high school of focus in this study, mathematics students struggle to transfer and apply skills to unfamiliar contexts. Also, minority students are underrepresented in advanced mathematics course enrollments. This two-part study consists of a longitudinal analysis of enrollment trends in mathematics courses as well as an action research study of the impact of Global Problem-Based Learning on achievement and attitudes in advanced mathematics classes. The study was conducted at a southern U.S. International Baccalaureate (IB) high school with an annual enrollment of approximately 1300 students. The longitudinal study examined three cohorts of high school graduates, 797 students, beginning …

The Impact Of Inquiry-Based Learning On Academic Achievement In Eighth-Grade Social Studies, Lindsey A. Bailey

Theses and Dissertations

The problem of practice described in this paper was identified by varying academic performances of students in a middle school located in South Carolina. The identified problem led the researcher to formulate a research question: What is the impact of inquiry-based learning on academic achievement for eighth-grade students in social studies? The purpose of this study is to determine if implementing inquiry-based learning will affect the academic achievement of students in social studies. Action research allows teachers to study their own classrooms to better understand them and to be able to improve their quality or effectiveness (Mertler, 2014). Action research …

The Effects Of Implementing An Online Professional Learning Community For Teachers Of Gifted And Talented Courses: An Action Research Study, Chelsey A. Mintz

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was to examine the effects of implementing an online professional learning community (PLC) designed explicitly for teachers of gifted and talented (GT) English language arts (ELA) courses. The present action research (AR) is a limited mixed design study, including quantitative and qualitative elements, to discover the effects on collaboration and professional growth focused on best practices for GT instruction. The quantitative data were collected through surveys, which included Likert scales and nominal items and were analyzed through descriptive statistics. The qualitative data were collected through guided and semi-structured interview questions and transcribed before …

Impacts Of An Online Learning Community On The Way Students Communicate, David Dennis

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was to describe one advanced placement (AP) high school literature unit and student-participants' perceptions of technological communication in that English Language Arts (ELA) unit. The site of the research was West-Oak High School in Westminster, South Carolina. Student-participants are accustomed to electronic communication. The participant-researcher designed and implemented a blended AP ELA curriculum unit for Shakespearean Drama to combine an online learning discussion with face-to-face discussions aimed at observing whether these students are able to improve their ability to construct defensible verbal and written arguments. Data collections included a series of observations and …

Service-Learning: An Interpretive Case Study Of Teachers’ Perspectives And Planning Strategies, Cory Susanne Miller

Theses and Dissertations

This interpretive case study focused on elementary teachers who were implementing a service-learning project in their classroom. Research suggests that service-learning is beneficial for students and is becoming more prevalent in high schools and universities. Current literature, however, provides little evidence for the use of service-learning at the elementary level. The purpose of this study was to explore and gain insight in to how elementary school teachers use service learning and to examine underlying factors that shape and influence how teachers plan for and implement service learning projects. This study aims to provide a planning model to support elementary teachers …

Effects Of Language For Learning On Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Diana M. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Language for Learning (LL) is an oral language curriculum that uses Direct Instruction (DI) methodology. DI is well researched, but only limited studies exists on the use of LL with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study used a multiple baseline research design, across four, four-year-old participants, to measure the effects of LL on the language development of young children with ASD. This study also measured the generalization of learned skills to the narrative language of the participants. Finally, changes in the participants language microstructure were analyzed throughout the study. A researcher-created acquisition probe was used to measure language …

A Comparison Of Three Levels Of Verbal Redundancy In Multimedia Learning And Its Effects On Memory Retention And Transfer In Legal Professionals, Angela Mizell Dooley

Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to examine verbal redundancy in multimedia learning and its effects on memory retention and transfer in legal professionals who were randomly assigned to watch one of three multimedia videos. Tests of ANOVA showed no significant differences in performance, mental load, or combined efficiency scores among the three instructional groups, but participants in the complementary text group rated the video with complementary slides as significantly more helpful than the videos with redundant, overloaded text slides and spoken words only. Factorial ANOVA also revealed that the redundant text group with fewer than five years of experience scored significantly lower …

An Investigation Of A Culturally Responsive Approach To Science Education In A Summer Program For Marginalized Youth, Brittany A. Garvin

Theses and Dissertations

The demographics of today’s schools are becoming more and more ethnically and linguistically diverse, as culturally diverse students comprise approximately one third of school populations (Ladson-Billings, 2005). However, the educational experiences of students of Color demonstrate a history of marginalization and inequity (Williamson et al., 2007) as far too many students of Color have maintained poor educational achievement outcomes. The effects of such disproportionally high levels of low academic achievement are extensive and can be witnessed across subject content areas, particularly in math, science, and literacy. To improve the academic performance of students who are culturally, racially, ethnically, and linguistically …