Education Commons^™

Genetics With Nettie And Friends: An Exploration Of Genetics In Children's Literature, Erin Soule, Madeleine Gray Burland

Honors Projects

Genetics with Nettie and Friends is an exploration of chromosomal disorders and its place within children's literature. The book provides a comprehensive examination the genetic composition of Downs syndrome, Williams Syndrome, and Duchenne muscular dystrophy at a level to increase understanding in children. This paper provides an insight to the development and construction of the children's book that is available for purchase on Barnes and Noble as well as why representation of genetic disorders in children's literature is needed.

Where's The Rigor? A Study Of Direct Instruction Vs. Inquiry-Based Learning In Math Education, Brianna Rae Warner

Honors Projects

Research suggests that there is an absence of rigor in high school mathematics classes. Since curricula is often used to guide instruction, an analysis of direct instruction and inquiry-based learning curricula was conducted to investigate how rigor is integrated into these divergent approaches for presenting content to high school mathematics students, based on the expectation of rigor aligned with the Common Core State Standards regarding how (1) conceptual understanding, (2) procedural skill and fluency, and (3) applications are developed in the text. The results of the analysis show that neither style for writing curriculum is in alignment with the CCSS. …

College Of Business, Business Career Accelerator, Qualitative Research Study On Student Involvement In Professional Development Activities, Madison Vincent

Honors Projects

The creation and execution of this project began by analyzing the honors project specifications, to design a project that met the Honors College criteria. To meet these criteria, a market research study was conducted to assist the College of Business’s Business Career Accelerator management in understanding the student market of the College of Business. In addition, the study’s goal is to make recommendations utilizing marketing and education frameworks to maintain and increase student usage of the center. The project was executed using traditional market research frameworks, which required conducting in-depth interviews of College of Business students to determine student attitudes …

Denis Diderot: A Secular Hero, Ben Scott-Brandt

Honors Projects

My Honors Senior Project is a biography of Denis Diderot in the form of a children's song. MY understanding of Diderot's life is based on Andrew Curran's book, Diderot and the Art of Thinking Freely.

Songs help us memorize and retain information about the world, and singing songs together strengthens cultural and religious connections. Secular (nonreligious) people need songs, too. Diderot was a philosopher who didn't believe in God. He was an editor of L'Encyclopédie, one of the first encyclopedias, and he snuck in articles that challenged how people think. This was an important moment -- knowledge about the world …

Laker Survival Guide, Clara Bernal

Honors Projects

It was not until her Junior year of college when she became a Peer Mentor for incoming freshman students, that Clara created a mini guide to GVSU's long list of resources for students. She prepared this guide for her mentees as initially what she called, "Things you'll want to use to survive college." Clara wanted to hand her mentees all of the resources she had learned in three years on day one. This list included various academic support resources, places to feel culturally accepted, and resources for non-traditional students. After receiving a lot of positive feedback from her mentees, peers, …

Exploring The World Around You: A Guide To Learning About The Natural World, Jordyn Kuemerle

Honors Projects

This paper discusses the research, methodology, and purpose of my Honors Project. My project is a workbook for children to complete with their parents or guardians all about exploring nature. Language and literacy development is the overall focus of my workbook, but children who complete it also learn about shapes, colors, and comparing sizes in nature. The original inspiration for this workbook came from reading Molly Bang’s 2016 book, Picture This: How Pictures Work, and I originally wanted to make a children’s book in nature. After further research I found out that many educators and education professionals agree that children …

This Is Me: Anxiety And Depression Awareness Event, Stephanie Cotrone

Honors Projects

College and life are stressful, but they don't have to be. We've all been in that place where it feels like life is caving in and there's nowhere else to turn, but it does get better. This event brings awareness to mental illnesses common on college campuses and in the community. There will be engaging and interactive activities to learn about anxiety & depression, and healthy ways to cope through music, art, theatre, amusement parks, learning, reading, and more. Performances by the Humanities Troupe and testimonies by current students who have had experience dealing with mental illness before or who …

The Effectiveness Of Mathematical Manipulatives In One-On-One Intervention For Third And Fourth Grade Students, Jenifer Lantz, Caitlyn Miller

Honors Projects

The use of manipulatives in elementary schools is one beneficial method that has been utilized to help students grasp abstract mathematical concepts. To examine the effectiveness of implementing mathematical manipulatives, researchers designed a seven week intervention for ten low-achieving third and fourth graders. Topics focused on the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics number and operations strand. Data was collected based on observation with the use of a Likert scale measuring each student’s achievement with the chosen and designed manipulatives. Success is defined as students being able to complete assessments using the manipulatives without aid and with little to no …

English In France - Linguistic Dominance And Ambivalence, Chloe Kampf

Honors Projects

Whenever English is perceived as a threat to a nation’s language, English proficiency suffers, and France is guilty as charged. Many people know France as a nation with exceptional cuisine, famous artists, and breathtaking countrysides. What many are not aware of, on the other hand, is that France has the least proficient English speakers out of any EU country. Through in-depth research, literature reviews, interviews with French citizens, and analyzations of personal experiences, I attempt to expose the underlining truth behind this intriguing phenomenon.

A Student Research Manual: Helping Students Help Themselves Identifying And Addressing Challenges Facing Prospective Undergraduate Researchers, Landon Rohrer, Karen L. Sirum

Honors Projects

Undergraduate research does not only help equip STEM majors to be better researchers and employees but increases retention of students to graduate school in needed scientific fields. However, while resources are being produced for undergraduates like Undergraduate Research Experiences (UREs), Centers for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship (CURS), and Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs), undergraduate involvement and awareness about these resources, and the value of undergraduate research in general, does not seem to be improving. Therefore, it would be valuable to figure out why undergraduates aren't autonomously seeking out undergraduate research during their studies. To investigate why, a two-part survey was …

Inquiry In Inquiry: A Classification Of The Learning Theories Underlying Inquiry-Based Undergraduate Number Theory Texts, Rebecca L. Butler

Honors Projects

While undergraduate inquiry-based texts in number theory share similar approaches with respect to learning as the embodiment of professional practice, this does not entail that these texts all operate from the same fundamental understanding of what it means to learn mathematics. In this paper, the instructional design of several texts of the aforementioned types are analyzed to assess the theory of learning under which they operate. From this understanding of the different theories of learning employed in an inquiry-based mathematical setting, one can come to understand the popular model of what it is to learn number theory in a meaningful …

Opening Weekend: The First-Year Experience, Matthew Nolan

Honors Projects

Opening Weekend, at Bowling Green State University, is the four-day antecedent to the start of the Fall Semester in August. University sponsored programming during Opening Weekend provides academic support, social opportunities, and leadership opportunities for students. Through an analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of Opening Weekend, this project stands to recommend and identify areas of growth for the program that will benefit incoming students to the university.

Steam Vs. Stem: A Study And Program Proposal For Monticello, Micaela Deogracias

Honors Projects

STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and art programs have long been struggling for dominance in the education system. This fight overshadows the fact there are synergistic educative capabilities when these two schools of thought are combined, allowing scientific and artistic persons to work in tandem and be exposed to a wider variety of problem-solving options and opinions. This study aims to focus on museum education practices specifically and how implementing STEAM programs (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) versus STEM could raise the perceived value of arts in society, as well as create a more enriching educational experience by …

Are You Listening? How Listening Skills Help Students Become Informed And Engaged Citizens In A Culturally Diverse World, Nicole Schwaben

Honors Projects

The ability to listen is vital for good communication to exist and flourish. Without properly developed listening skills, one may unintentionally create roadblocks when communicating with others. Good communication will allow for the spread of differing ideas and perspectives. The social studies classroom is a place in which students have the opportunity to develop skills to become good citizens. These skills include the ability to make reasoned and informed decisions and interact with a culturally diverse and interdependent world. In order to achieve these skills, students must engage in discussion with their peers. While there is a focus on the …

Fictional Narrative Skills Of Preschool-Age Bilingual Children With Typical Language Development, Lydia Bias

Honors Projects

Oral narrative retells are commonly used in assessment to examine language and literacy development in young children. Due to the increasing number of bilingual children in the United States, it is necessary to understand typical development in order to assess and intervene when needed. English story retells from eight preschool-age Spanish-English bilingual children were analyzed in the present study using the Narrative Assessment Protocol. Analyses were conducted to examine differences in narrative microstructure at two time points. In the present study, a Wilcoxon Signed Rank Sum test which is a nonparametric statistical measure was used to determine whether there was …

Teaching Gender In Early Childhood Education: A Non-Binary Approach, Sarah Hodson

Honors Projects

The focus of this document is to provide professionals in the field of education an overview of gender development in early childhood education and how to teach students about gender in early childhood settings. The current research on gender development supports the notion that gender is socially constructed from birth, but not directly linked to biological sex. Next, a list of high-quality children’s literature is included; the literature addresses concepts surrounding gender development, identity, and expression in developmentally-appropriate ways. Lastly, several of the children’s books are utilized in sample lesson plans and materials for educators to use as they teach …

Bgsu Student Perceptions Of Mental Health Care And Associated Barriers, Adriana Italiano

Honors Projects

It has been estimated that half of adults within the United States with mental disorders do not seek any treatment (Eisenberg et al., 2011). Of the remaining individuals that do seek the necessary services for treatment, there is a “median delay of 11 years between onset of mental disorders and accessing services” (Eisenberg et al., 2007). In the midst of university life, college students carry a heavy burden; the stress of academics, involvement, GPA, as well as their social and family life can allow these students to develop a disorder or fall deeper into their diagnosis. Today’s campus communities, especially …

Perceptions Of Coaching Students Students With Disabilities, Cassidy Feiler

Honors Projects

This paper’s purpose is to talk to future coaches about the idea of athletic inclusion, as well as their related questions, ideas, and issues surrounding the topic of students with disabilities being on school sponsored sports teams. To conduct this research, the interviewer set out a mass email through a university application to encourage interested participants to take part in face to face interviews. Based off these interviews, the interviewer, with the help of a Graduate Assistant, created transcriptions for future reference. Based off of prior research, conducting interviews, and creating transcriptions, the interviewer was able to come up with …

Early Childhood Special Education Professional Development Workshop, Amanda Sandstrom

Honors Projects

The initial steps to creating the proposed event, a professional development workshop for Inclusive Early Childhood (IEC) Education majors, included determining the needs of current students. To achieve this, an online survey was sent out to all current undergraduate IEC students. The aim of this survey was to determine in which areas current students would like further instruction or training. The survey focused on three areas significant areas of education: teaching students with disabilities and disorders, communicating with colleagues, mentors, and paraprofessionals, and integrating specialist therapy strategies into the classroom environment.

This data, once collected and analyzed, identified two target …

Integrating The Fine Arts, Cole Alexander

Honors Projects

This project seeks to understand and apply research to a lesson plan unit regarding the integration of the fine arts (art and music) into the general education classroom.

Investigating The Effects Of Student Debt On Career Outcomes: An Empirical Approach, Gideon Moore

Honors Projects

High student debt has been hypothesized to affect career choice, causing students to desire stable, high paying jobs. To test this hypothesis, I rely on plausibly exogenous variation in debt due to a federal policy shift. In the summer of 2007, the Higher Education Reconciliation Act (or HERA) expanded the cap for federally subsidized student loans. I examine how variation in debt affects career choice and eventual salary of students using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 Child and Young Adult Cohort of students who were of college age during the implementation of the policy. I find …

Why Study Language? Discussing Language And Its Influence On Gender Discrimination, Katelyn Eisenmann

Honors Projects

An applied research project, with the culminating piece being a panel discussion that focused on the ways in which language use and structure contribute to attitudes and perceptions of gender within our society, and the politics that surround concepts of gender.

Action Research: Effective Ways To Group Students In A Middle School Classroom, Shawna Russell

Honors Projects

Effectively grouping students based on the lesson, activity, interests or ability is one of the most challenging things to do in a middle school classroom. This Action Research explores the effectiveness of flexible grouping students in a fifth- grade science classroom, and the impact on the students’ learning and engagement. Students were grouped four ways: mixed readiness, same readiness, learner profile, and interest. Six focus students were selected to be interviewed before and after implementing each method for grouping. Formative assessments and learner profile and interest surveys were used to flexibly group the students and create appropriate and engaging lessons. …

The Effect Of Exit Slips On Student Motivation Within The Classroom, Karen Izor

Honors Projects

Through this study on the use of exit slips in the classroom, it was found that exit slips were an effective way to help answer students’ questions, motivate students to take ownership of their learning, and provide the teacher with an accurate picture of where students are in their understanding of the material. The results of the data collected and the student interviews conducted at the end of the study showed that the use of exit slips in the classroom can be beneficial. Students said that they were able to use the feedback given to them on their exit slips …

Music And Its Application In The Classroom, Christian Mcknight

Honors Projects

The purpose of this action research project is to determine if background music can be used to improve student test scores using the Mozart Effect. The participants were twenty-eight juniors and seniors from two Algebra II classes at Sylvania Southview High School. Each student in the study was given a control quiz, taken with no background music, followed by the experimental quiz, taken with classical music, specifically Mozart’s “Sonata for Two Pianos in D, K. 448”, playing in the background. The mean average of the students’ first quiz was 2.7% higher than the mean average of the second quiz taken …

Formative Assessment As A Method To Improve Student Performance In The Sciences, Natalie Miller

Honors Projects

This study focused on utilizing formative assessment to shape student understanding and teaching practices in a junior high science classroom. Students were given a pre-test as a method of formative assessment and their results on the pre-assessment before instruction were compared to their performance on a modified post-test. Students received direct instruction, completed an independent project, and responded to daily “bellringer” questions as a form of additional formative assessment before taking the post-test. Students showed marked improvement on the post-test as average scores increased from a 35.7 percent to a 94.4 percent.

Yoga In My Public-School Classroom, Hannah Sumich

Honors Projects

This paper discusses the pre-established research on implementing a yoga program in an urban, public classroom setting. Then, results of a yoga practice in the urban, public classroom are presented and discussed. Yoga in this urban, public school classroom, had mixed responses, with some students flourishing and enjoying the practice whole-heartedly, and some students were pained and disliked the practice strongly. The majority of participants enjoyed the practice, and would opt to continue participating if the program continued.

A Sensory-Friendly Musicking Experience, Emma Stumpf

Honors Projects

For individuals with sensory processing disorders, attending a traditional musical performance can be uncomfortable, inaccessible, and sometimes impossible. From the duration of the performances, the overwhelming variety and volume of sounds, as well as the rigid, unwritten rules that performances in the Western art music tradition demand, typical concert settings present challenges for many of those with sensory processing disorders. These challenges include hypersensitivity to lights and sounds, as well as being asked to remain quiet and seated for long periods of time. This project is a research-based creative endeavor centered upon individuals with sensory processing disorders – specifically, those …

Action Research: Self-Regulation Journaling Within Fifth Grade Classroom, Brianna Karas

Honors Projects

Self-Regulation is vital to a student's academic success. This paper discusses how self-regulation has been shown to be integral to the learning process and academic success. This paper details an action research project which externalizes self-regulation in a written manner for students to reflect upon. Specifically, students answered prompts to activate their self-regulatory processes. Students’ self-regulation was monitored throughout the semester to evaluate any changes.

Food Insecurity Among College Students, Alison Hige

Honors Projects

Increasing collegiate education costs results in students today facing greater financial stress. As a result, students have to make difficult choices of how to allocate their monetary resources. Sometimes, students prioritize educational costs over nutrition and health necessities, impacting an individual’s ability to obtain adequate food resources. The purpose of this project was to explore the prevalence and impact of food insecurity among college students. The project included conducting a literature review yielding 26 pertinent articles from the keywords “food insecurity” and “college students.” Food insecurity affects a student’s physical and mental health, along with negatively impacting their scholastic abilities. …