Education Commons^™

Perceptions Regarding Service/Volunteerism In Postsecondary Education With Students With Intellectual Disabilities, Coraliz Martinez

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to analyze the perceptions postsecondary education programs for students with intellectual disabilities have on the topic of service learning and volunteerism. The goal is to analyze college programs in the Southeast portion of the United States to determine if this topic is incorporated into their curriculum and analyze their perception of the topic. Twenty-six staff members from different postsecondary education programs completed a questionnaire that analyzed their program as a whole. The data indicates that the programs that incorporate service/volunteerism within their program prioritize service/volunteerism and state it has made a positive impact on …

We Salute You: Student Servicemembers' And Veterans' Perspective Of The University Of Southern Mississippi's Support Of Military Students, Dianna Couch

Honors Theses

There has been an increasing number of veterans and servicemembers attending colleges and universities in the past several years. However, these veterans and servicemembers oftentimes struggle to readjust to civilian life and academia after their years of service. With the increasing number of veterans and servicemembers attending colleges and universities, schools are in a prime position to offer support for this population. However, there has been a lack of research conducted on this growing student population and how to best serve them.

A survey was sent via email by the USM’s Center for Military Veterans, Service Members and Families to …

Troubled Past, Golden Opportunity: Public Memory And Memorialization At The University Of Southern Mississippi, Hannah E. Arnold

Honors Theses

This thesis argues that The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) consciously chooses to present historical narratives in its history in ways that best enhance the university’s image. Examining the narratives of M.M. Roberts and Oseola McCarty using the theoretical frameworks of public memory and collective memory study reveals that the way they are memorialized within university history include both conscious and subconscious silences that impact how they are remembered by the public. This thesis identifies gaps within these two historical narratives and shows how these gaps were influenced by factors designed to enhance the university’s public image. Overall, the public …

Language Experience: The Perception Of Foreign Language Acquisition Among University Adults, Lileth A. Stricklin

Honors Theses

While bilingualism has always existed within the history of the U.S. and is the global norm, mainstream approaches to learning have traditionally been monolingually centered and fail to employ approaches that produce sustainable motivation towards foreign language acquisition in students. This study sought to investigate the perceptions adult individuals display towards acquiring foreign language skills, emphasizing distinctions exhibited between monolinguals and their multilingual counterparts. A mixed-method approach in the analysis of 506 survey responses yielded results that suggest that university adults generally display positive perceptions towards foreign language learning. Distinctions in perception between monolinguals and multilinguals were very few with …

The Effectiveness Of The University Of Southern Mississippi's Marketing And Branding Efforts Among Prospective Students, Amy Clevenger

Honors Theses

With enrollment rates expected to surge over the next decade, the competition

between institutions of higher learning will also increase. Because of this, marketing

material produced by all institutions will need to adjust to become more effective at

establishing brand identity to attract the attention of prospective students. Using Aaker’s

brand identity model as a framework to understand branding methods, this research aims

to identify marketing communication strategies that are more effective in a prospective

student’s decision-making process. The thesis also investigates prospective students’

recall and perception of marketing material produced by USM to determine its overall

effectiveness and differences …

Low Academic Outcomes: A Result Of Food Insecurity And Student Mental Health During Covid19, Kristen Riley Cole

Honors Theses

Food insecurity has significantly increased throughout the United States as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many schools switched to remote learning and children lost access to free school meals, affecting them psychologically and academically. This study examined the relationship between food insecurity and low academic outcomes, accounting for student mental health, such as anxiety, depression, and ADHD, as well as parental involvement as a possible protective factor against mental health. The current study administered a survey through Amazon’s MTurk to reach a diverse group of participants across the United States. Data analysis from the study can conclude that food …

Self-Efficacy Development In Elementary-Aged Learners Through Dance As An Algorithmic Thinking Tool, Niva Shrestha

Honors Theses

The purpose of this research is to demonstrate the effectiveness of a transdisciplinary approach in teaching computational thinking through dance to elementary-aged learners, with primary attention to females. With limited literature available on how pre-adolescents begin to construct conceptions of computer science and other engineering domains, including potential career pathways, the incentive of this project was to leverage a day camp for about 20 rising 3rd - 5th-grade learners to assess their identity development in computer science. Modules that teach computational thinking through dance paired with Unruly splats (block-based programmable electronic gadgets) were implemented. By conducting pre-and post-surveys and a …

Two Marching Band Directors’ Insights About Their Bands’ Musical Achievement And Satisfaction In The American Deep South: A Qualitative Analysis, John Klee

Honors Theses

High School marching band is an intricate facet of music education that operates in several varieties across the United States. Depending on the style as well as many external and internal factors of a marching band, marching bands can have goals and definitions of musical achievement that can vary drastically. This qualitative study aims to assist those in the world of marching music education to better understand these distinct types of marching bands on a deeper level. The study gathered detailed perspectives of two directors in juxtaposed marching programs to a view of what drives these bands and directors to …

Engaged Pedagogy And Teacher Discourse: A Critical Examination Of Public Education In Mississippi, Kelsi Ford

Honors Theses

This thesis explores Mississippi K-12 public education in terms of inequality and critical pedagogy with a focus on historical factors, state testing, and personal accounts of current teachers. The research is based on ten in-depth interviews with current schoolteachers regarding their perspectives on education and personal experiences and draws from previous scholarship, notably bell hook’s concept of engaged pedagogy. Critical pedagogy offers a model for transformative education for resisting social inequity and promoting democracy and citizenship, but teacher interviews suggest that the structure and culture of classrooms are contradictory to adopting critical pedagogy. Specifically, the research finds that both standardized …

Exploring How Popular Media Affects The Motivations And Hesitations Of Women Who Go Through Sorority Recruitment At The University Of Southern Mississippi, Whitley W. Howell

Honors Theses

Fraternity and sorority life is an important part of many college students’ experiences. Sororities provide college women with many opportunities for leadership, service, academics, and growth. Even though sororities have many benefits, they often have negative connotations in popular and social media. Often, these negative stereotypes affect people’s perception of sororities, and many women have hesitations about joining a sorority because of the way sororities are portrayed.

Sorority women express concern with the media’s negative representation of Greek life. The negative connotations affect how people see the sororities. Recruitment of new women into the chapters is an important part of …

Exploring Self-Determination And Recreational Sports Participation For Adolescents With Disabilities, Samantha K. Papp

Honors Theses

Self-determination is a vital skill for individuals with disabilities and provides significant benefits, such as more positive adult outcomes and greater quality of life. Recreational sports participation is another fundamental aspect of life for individuals with disabilities, as it leads to increased physical activity, enhanced self-esteem, and improved peer acceptance. Despite the well-researched benefits of both self-determination skills and recreational sports participation, a literature review revealed few studies that examined the relationship between self-determination and recreational sports participation for individuals, particularly adolescents, with disabilities. This mixed methods study was designed to fill this void, using questionnaires, interviews, and observations to …

The Ebp-Cot Assignment: Increasing The Use And Understanding Of Ebps In Preservice Teachers, Margaret Bowman

Honors Theses

This study investigated whether the use of the Evidence-Based Practice-Classroom Observation Tool (EBP-COT) assignment in an introductory teacher education practicum increased the understanding of Evidence-Based Practice-Classroom Observation Tools (EBPCOT). Participants in this study were consenting special education majors in their introductory block practicum course at a mid-south university in the fall semester of 2018. Students were asked to complete the EBP-COT assignment to include focused checklists components and reflections as well as a pretest and posttest. The assignment, pretest, and posttest were analyzed for similarities in increased understanding of evidence-based practices and comfort with the use of evidence-based practices. Overall, …

Benefits Of Veterans’ Oral History On Gifted Students, Katelyn Watkins

Honors Theses

To combat boredom and negative sentiments, all students need to be provided with engaging experiences in history. This is especially the case with gifted students. One strategy that has proven beneficial to students is oral history, which brings people who have lived through history into the classroom. Research supports the use of oral history in the classroom; however, research on the benefits of veterans’ oral histories on gifted students in particular is scarce. This study describes research on how a veteran’s oral history might benefit gifted students. Qualitative research methods consisting of case study and narrative research were used. The …

Exploring Issues Of Diversity Experiences In Student Organizations Sponsored By The University Of Southern Mississippi, Cornelia Welch-Dick

Honors Theses

Colleges and universities are becoming increasingly racially/ethnically diverse. Previous studies have noted that an increase in racial/ethnic diversity has positive outcomes for minority and majority groups. Additional research supports that positive diversity experiences in student organizations have benefits for college students (Kuk & Banning, 2010; Cheng & Zhao, 2007; Antonio, 2001). While the benefits of increased diversity are clear, no previous study was found to have looked at diversity experiences at USM or more specifically, USM’s student organizations. The current study examined the degree to which leaders of each organization perceived experiences of diversity as positive compared to the members’ …

A Retro Development In Education: Evaluating The Feasibility Of Integrating Place-Based Education Into Mississippi Curriculum Standards, Colby K. Mcclain

Honors Theses

This thesis evaluates the feasibility of integrating place-based environmental education activities from Think Green, Take Action: Books and Activities for Kids into the Mississippi Department of Education’s (MDE) Frameworks for Science and Social Studies for K-5. As children develop and experience the world, their ability to understand and interpret the surrounding environments expand; however, Mississippi schools are not focused on experiential environmental education, even though experiencing and understanding the surrounding environment is vital in fostering eagerness to learn. Due to a growing disconnect between humans and the natural world, this thesis examined 37 place- and environment-based activities for children, sixteen …

Health Educators’ Perceptions Of Factors Related To The Implementation Of School-Based Sexual Education, Kari Ellis

Honors Theses

Mississippi is one of the leading states in both teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted infection rates. In an effort to limit these rates, Mississippi passed House Bill 999 in 2011. This bill mandated sexual education in public schools throughout the state. However, since the passage of the bill there have been many factors that impact the way this curriculum is taught. To better understand these factors, how they affect educators, and how schools are addressing them, this study surveyed educators who taught some form of sex-related education curriculum from 2011 to 2016. The findings show that educators believe many factors …

Teacher Perceived Barriers To Inclusive Instructional Delivery Approaches, Casey M. Wright

Honors Theses

The aim of this undergraduate thesis is to identify the perceived barriers to Inclusive Instructional Delivery Approaches (IIDA) through the perspective of general education teachers. For decades, students identified as having special educational needs have not been adequately served in the classroom. This study reveals the best practices used to include students with disabilities in the general education classroom and why they are not being employed as often as they should be. Through use of survey, the researcher allowed for the opportunity to answer (a) Which IIDAs are used most often? (b) How much time per week do teachers spend …

An Exploration Of Perseverative Behaviors In Young Children With Autism, Madison M. Ralph

Honors Theses

This study explored the interplay of stereotypical behaviors and social skills interventions in a clinical environment when stereotypy was not the focus of the interventions. A case study design was implemented to observe two participants that exhibited stereotypical and repetitive behaviors (SRBs) as well as the interventions that influenced these SRBs. Findings demonstrated prompting, positive reinforcement, and response interruption/redirection had a positive impact on shaping some SRBs but, as SRBs were not the focus of the interventions, other SRBs developed.

Depictions Of The Middle Class In Magnolia Award Nominees, 2013-2015, Anna K. Rawls

Honors Theses

This study’s purpose was to research depictions of the middle social class in Magnolia Award nominees from the years 2013-2015. A flexible approach to qualitative content analysis that incorporated both deductive and inductive analysis was utilized to identify new frames, or portrayals, of middle class characters in this set of books. As a result of this analysis, several new frames of middle class characters were identified including young characters facing adult problems, being victims of teasing, and experiencing low levels of self-esteem. Additionally, a frame previously noted by Forest (2014b) that shows characters achieving upward mobility, or “rags-to-riches,” was found …

The Perceptions Of General Education Teachers On The Inclusion Of Students Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing In The General Education Classroom, Rebecca L. Roppolo

Honors Theses

Many deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) children receive their education primarily in the general education classroom with the majority of their academic instruction provided by a general education teacher. The purpose of this study was to investigate how general education teachers in the southeastern region of Mississippi perceive D/HH students included in the general education classroom. Specifically, this study was designed to explore the attitudes of general education teachers toward the inclusion of students with hearing loss, evaluate their feelings of preparedness to teach this unique population, and to identify the type and quality of services currently being provided …

An Evaluation Of Two Peer Literacy Strategies For The Development Of Reading Comprehension In Third Grade, Low-Income Students, Olivia L. Herring

Honors Theses

Generally speaking, low-income students fall behind their peers when it comes to reading and comprehension. Comprehension is a necessary tool for success, both in school and beyond, and must be taught effectively to these struggling students (Beirne, & Velsor, 2012). Studies have shown the benefit of student discussion and utilization of peer reading strategies in the fostering of comprehension. This study will compare students’ success after reading passages using two peer reading comprehension strategies: Paragraph Shrinking (a component of Peer-Assisted Learning) and Reciprocal Teaching. There are many questions to explore: After using both strategies, does either one encourage greater independent …

Finland Vs. The United States: Similarities And Differences In Kindergarten, Rebecca L. Ulrich

Honors Theses

Understanding successful educational systems and the qualities they incorporate is imperative in the quest for student achievement. Finland is known worldwide for their success in the classroom and its educators do a great job preparing young students for primary education in their Kindergarten classrooms. Kindergarten is a very important grade for young students. It prepares them for grades to come and introduces them to a school setting. By using qualitative research methods and comparing and contrasting of published data, Finland’s kindergarten system and three kindergarten teachers who represent the typical kindergarten milieu in Lamar County, Mississippi will be analyzed through …

The Implementation Of Common Core: Graphic Novels In The Classroom, Chesnie R. Keeler

Honors Theses

The Common Core State Standards are alive and thriving in schools across the nation, and teachers are constantly looking for the best possible ways to implement these rigorous standards with student interests in mind. These standards set goals, or benchmarks, for students to reach at any specified grade level throughout their primary and secondary education; school districts, administrators, and teachers have the choice of deciding how students meet these standards. As a pre-service teacher who will enter the teaching profession, I examine how graphic novels can be implemented into the English Language Arts classroom by analyzing Maus, Persepolis, …

The Relationship Between Academic Success And Elementary Students Who Practice Elements Of A “Healthy Lifestyle”, Bridget A. Page

Honors Theses

Research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that Mississippi is the leading state in obesity, and childhood obesity has tripled in the last thirty years (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013). With schools under pressure to improve academically, coupled with the pressure to show that improvement through high-stakes testing, the amount of time that values the importance of physical activity in school has declined. However, research has shown a decrease in physical activity actually leads to a decrease in reading and math scores and an increase in absenteeism, tardiness, and difficulties in concentration (National Parent Teacher …

The Relationship Between Teachers’ Beliefs Concerning Mathematical Problem-Solving And The Strategies Used For Teaching Third - Through Fifth - Grade Students, Jasmine L. Thomas

Honors Theses

Everyone uses problem-solving on a daily basis: paying bills, managing time, and making decisions. It is important to be able to solve problems effectively, especially in mathematics. In 2007, the Mississippi Department of Education produced a set of mathematical objectives for third - through fifth - grade students. These objectives use the phrase problem-solving, without defining its use in the mathematics classroom. To discover what mathematics teachers were actually executing in the classroom, this study used a valid online survey administrated through Qualtrics. The survey focused on determining third - through fifth - grade teachers’ definition of a problem, their …

Persuasion In Higher Education: Recruitment Of High Ability Students, Ann Marie Chilcutt

Honors Theses

Recruiting high ability students to institutions of higher education varies from university to university and is one of the most important variables for the continuing of successful colleges. This study focused on the variables that were most important to the current cohort of high ability freshmen at the University of Southern Mississippi. The aim of this study was to identify attitudinal and normative communicative components that are most effective for recruiting high ability students to the University of Southern Mississippi. By surveying this cohort of students, and using the Theory of Reasoned Action as a tool in creating questions for …

A Look Into Informal Science Education And Students With Individual Education Plans, Ashleigh M. Davis

Honors Theses

Informal science education is a field of study that is becoming increasingly popular and important in the world of science, especially regarding elementary students. It is important to understand how students with learning disabilities and individual education plans react to informal learning experiences. This case study seeks to reveal the experiences of two students with an individual educational plan due to Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) when participating in an informal nature hike associated with the Over, Under, and Through: Students Informally Discover the Environment (OUTSIDE) program. The two students demonstrated increased attention and interest in science during and …

Mental Visualization Of Three-Dimensional Space: New Tools And Challenges In Building Design Education, Breshawn C. Mcneal

Honors Theses

As a future building design professional, a student’s ability to mentally “picture” second and third dimensional concepts is important. Learning the fundamentals of mental visualization is tantamount to laying the foundation for a building. Sketching, one of the skills required to bring a building concept to life, helps the student rapidly record their first brilliant thought. Though modern CAD software has the capability to auto-develop a three-dimensional structure, the user constructs a two-dimensional floor plan first, so the program output is based on the user’s initial input. Therefore, the quality of the three-dimensional design is linked to the student’s ability …

Education And Economic Development: An Untapped Alliance, Serena E. Williams

Honors Theses

Many Mississippi economic developers firmly believe that education could be the answer to the economic development of a community. However, there is a relatively small amount of research published on how the connection between education and economic development works. This is a case study of the Greater Hattiesburg Area of Mississippi which seeks to explore and to begin to understand how to better the relationship between education and economic development.

The researcher conducted eight in-depth, open-ended interviews with key informants who were directly engaged in the K-12 education system and economic development of the Greater Hattiesburg Area. The researcher coded …

Auditory Versus Cursive Writing Drills In Learning New Vocabulary In 4th Grade Children, Rachel S. Tyrone

Honors Theses

Vocabulary acquisition is fundamental in order for children to succeed not only academically, but also socially. Throughout the years, many scholars have researched various techniques to aid children in learning new vocabulary. Two of the techniques to aid vocabulary can be seen by utilizing an auditory and a writing technique. A teacher will present the students with several vocabulary words multiple times throughout a regular school year. These words are vital to the success of the child. Consequently, there is a need to discover a technique that will aid the students in learning the new vocabulary words. In order to …