Education Commons^™

Student Perceptions Of The Impact Of Social Media On College Student Engagement, Cheri Richardson

Theses and Dissertations

This research study explores student perceptions of the impact that social media has on the student engagement of college students. Research has shown that student engagement has a direct correlation to student success. This study provides a brief outline of conceptual framework considerations by identifying applicable theories of student engagement. It is important to understand the role of social media on student engagement as educators strive to assist students with enhancing their student success. Research participants completed a survey to obtain information regarding the types of social media they use along with their understanding of student engagement and the impact …

The Relationship Between Gender Stereotypes And Academic Performance For Rural Eighth Grade Students: A Mixed Methods Ethnographic Case Study, Elizabeth Anne Royal Witte

Theses and Dissertations

Through this mixed methods ethnographic case study, the subject of gender stereotypes for middle school students, and its relationship to academic performance was investigated. Specifically, the research focused on Albert Bandura’s (1977) Social Learning Theory, gender stereotypes, and how educational institutions, peer relationships, and parental influences may dictate gender norms as they relate to academic success. It also attempted to evaluate the relationship between the issue of gender stereotypes and current experiences in a rural American middle school that led to the recurring issue of the educational gender gap and the underperformance of male students. The purpose of the study …

Expanding Our Space: Stories Of Mindful Practice, Emily Jean Whitecotton

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation tells the story of a qualitative, narrated inquiry study on the narrated experiences of the students and teacher who participated in a mindfulness workshop, designed by the teacher-researcher, and learned within a classroom where the teacher-researcher used mindfulness techniques as a part of their classroom life. This study was designed as an inquiry into the question: How do the students and teacher narrate their experiences as members in a mindfulness workshop over the course of a year? The teacher-researcher collected audio recordings of interviews with participants and whole group discussions that occurred within the workshop and classroom. These …

The Impact Of A Close Reading Approach On The Comprehension Level Of English I Students At Wavers High School, Tina Marie Janus

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact a close reading approach had on the reading comprehension levels of twelve English I students. Studies in literacy theory have suggested that students’ reading comprehension levels improve with the use of reading strategies. As part of a larger body of research concerning reading instruction for secondary students, there is a need for older readers to learn comprehension strategies specific to reading content subject matter (Shanahan & Shanahan, 2015; Duke & Martin, 2015; Ness, 2007). Using a mixed-methods approach, the data collection consisted of pretest/posttest instruments, field observations, existing records, surveys, …

Three Studies Of Service-Learning As An Approach To Movement Integration In Elementary Classrooms, Robert D. Michael, Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three studies that examine service-learning (SL) as an approach to incorporating movement integration (MI) in elementary classrooms as part of a comprehensive school physical activity program (CSPAP). All three studies attempt to advance the knowledge base about using partnership approaches to supporting schoolbased physical activity promotion.

The purpose of study one was to examine the perceptions of preservice classroom teachers (PCTs), classroom teachers (CTs), and course instructors who participated in a constructivist-guided university course with a focus on MI and a SL component. Focus groups with 172 PCTs and individual interviews with 7 CTs and 4 …

Conversations With Chris: Discussing Racial Diversity In A Professional Book Club, A. Brennan Davis

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative action research study was to understand and describe the experiences and the effects of one high school teacher’s membership in a professional development book club focused on issues of racial diversity with the overall aim of change toward equitable teaching practices through the following actions: confronting personal biases, discussing and reflecting on personal experiences and beliefs, questioning and critiquing personal beliefs and teaching practices, interacting with other professionals and with the readings in a supportive environment in which we celebrated and supported articulations of social justice or positive change. Thematic analysis was used to analyze …

“Porque Hací Ya Conocemos”: Dialogic Ways Of Knowing Through Digital Learning Communities And Critical Coaching, Melissa Summer Wells

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative action research case study was to create dialogic, power-sharing spaces that recognized the diverse ways of knowing that teachers, families, and students brought to mutually-constructed learning environments through two strategies, digital learning communities and critical coaching. Specifically, the study explored how families, teachers, and students engaged in digital learning communities; how these parties exercised power in these digital spaces; and how critical coaching partnerships formed between teachers and literacy coaches. The researcher (a literacy coach) engaged in a critical coaching partnership with an early childhood educator over the course of four months. Engagements in this …

Pedagogical Practices In Homogeneous And Heterogeneous Ability Grouped Classrooms, Theresa Marie Kinsey

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative action research study was to describe one sixth grade English Language Arts (ELA) teacher’s pedagogical practices in her heterogeneous grouped classroom and her homogeneous grouped classroom. The focus of this study was on instructional practices in two classes, one homogeneously grouped based on high English Language Arts ability; the other heterogeneously grouped. Through the data generated, the participant-researcher reflected upon the English Language Arts instruction in both classes and described the teacher’s instructional practices in this middle school. Semi-structured interviews, a questionnaire, field observations, videotapes and lesson plans provided the qualitative research data for this …

The Perceptions Of Students On A Cooperative, Gamebased Learning Latin Curriculum: An Action Research Study, Jason Dean Blackburn

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study describes the impact of Operation LAPIS, a cooperative gamebased Latin 1 curriculum, upon student perceptions in a large suburban high school in South Carolina. The game served as an introduction to Latin grammar, vocabulary, and the daily life of a Roman teenager for 15 Latin 1 students who participated in the study. Syntax, vocabulary acquisition, and cultural studies are essential standards-based elements of learning Latin. Students were surveyed regarding their opinions on the game’s approach to grammar, vocabulary, Roman daily life, and game-based learning in general. These surveys produced a quantitative data set that allowed the …

The Impact Of Small Group Intervention Focusing On Operations With Rational Numbers On Students’ Performance In The Florida Algebra I End-Of-Course Examination, Evelyn Dopico

Theses and Dissertations

In Florida, passing the Algebra I end-of-course examination (EOCE) is a graduation requirement. The test measures knowledge of basic algebra. In spring 2015, the Department of Education introduced a different version of the test. For the first two administrations of the new test, the failure rate for 9th-grade students in the state was almost 50%. In contrast, the failure rate for students in the school where this study was implemented exceeded 70%. The purpose of this study was to determine the outcome of small group intervention focusing on operations with rational numbers of high school students’ performance on the Algebra …