Education Commons^™

Navigating Through A Pandemic (The Unknown): The Effects Of Synchronous Learning For Online And In Person Students On Achievement Scores In Reading And Math In A Private Catholic School In South Texas, Israel Martinez Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

In the Spring of 2020, a wide world pandemic, specifically COVID-19, slammed the door on what we defined as normal life. COVID-19 and its associated pandemic exposed more explicitly great inequities such as access to devices, platforms, and/or places to do schoolwork outside schools in education systems (Fullan, 2020). It also interrupted international travel, it devastated economic growth, and it disrupted schooling globally (Harris & Jones, 2020). In the Summer of 2020, a Catholic school in South Texas set a plan in place to provide a 100% synchronous way of learning for students in elementary grades 1 through 8 to …

A Holistic Approach To Culturally Relevant Education In Biology To Examine Student Engagement, Robyn Brooke Biery

Theses and Dissertations

Recognizing that many students were disengaged in my grade-level biology class, this study sought to improve student engagement as a result of the implementation of CRE-enriched instruction and to describe themes associated with CRE and engagement. This qualitative action research study used a survey, exit tickets, and observations to discover emergent themes as a result of implementing CRE-enriched lessons. This action research study used member checking and disconfirming evidence to increase rigor and transferability. The results were that the use of CRE-enriched lessons increased the engagement of grade-level students in biology, and that engagement requires a two-pronged approach – cultural …

Improving Undergraduate Psychology Students’ Academic Advising Experiences, Kelsey Grant

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study evaluated how to prepare undergraduate Psychology students for the transition from a developmental style of advising to the prescriptive advising style of departmental advisors. As an Undergraduate Academic Advisor, I drew upon a theoretical framework of appreciative advising, positive psychology, and the theory of transition to examine how to improve my practice in terms of this transition. Survey data from students who had not yet made this transition and interview data from students who had already made the transition enabled me to evaluate their perceptions of the advisor–advisee relationship and overall advising model in Psychology, as …

First-Generation Support: A Mixed-Methods Approach To Understanding Imposter Phenomenon And University Belongingness, Julia Kathryn Hodge

Theses and Dissertations

This longitudinal mixed-methods study examines first-generation students (FGS) from a new angle, using the lens of the imposter phenomenon (IP) and the impact of a support program tailored to this population. The Opportunity Scholars Program (OSP) serves low-income, first-generation in-state students. The program promotes retention for low-income FGS. It is worthwhile to evaluate whether and to what degree such a program affects IP among FGS. At the beginning and end of the fall semester, 99 OSP first-generation students, general FGS, and non-FGS completed surveys on imposter phenomenon, academic self-efficacy, and test anxiety. Following the quantitative measures, 12 first-generation students participated …

Middle School Transition: The Influence Of An Academy Approach And The Role Of Leadership, Kimberly Calhoun Odom

Theses and Dissertations

Students entering middle school frequently encounter challenges in their transition as they leave the comforts of elementary school. Traditionally, fifth grade students experience their last year in elementary school in a similar fashion to the previous five years of elementary school. They are in self-contained classrooms with one teacher for the majority of their school day. This study’s objective is to determine best practices and strategies that support fifth grade students in transitioning to the rigors of middle school. More specifically, the research focuses on the impact of an Academy structure in the elementary setting that models the transitions of …

The Devil And Tom Robot: The Use Of Robotics To Impact Empathy In Secondary Students Of American Literature, Susan K. Porter-Voss

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was to evaluate the effect of a robotics-based intervention on empathy for students enrolled in secondary English and literature courses. Empathy, as a concept, is an integral component of reading comprehension and student motivation. A decline in reported individual levels of empathy among young adults can negatively influence longitudinal academic and career success. Robotics present a promising method in which to impact student learning in K-12 environments. Student manipulation of Wonder Workshop Cue robots in designed challenges was integrated within literature content standards for English III. The outlined study measured the impact of …

Examining The Relationship Between School Policing Behaviors And The Depressive Symptoms Experienced By Black Students, Collin Perryman

Theses and Dissertations

The school policing literature has two major themes: (a) the negative safety outcomes of school safety (Gottfredson et al., 2020) and (b) the central role that school police play in placing Black students into the school-to-prison-nexus (Morris, 2016; Turner & Beneke, 2020). The study of school police roles, how school police interact with educators, and the safety effects of school police presence is important. Just as important is knowing the mental health effects of physical and nonphysical school policing behaviors on Black students. This dissertation sought to fill this gap in part by studying the relationship between school police behaviors …

Undergraduate Students' Perceptions Of Their Experience With Financial Aid And Loans With Potential Solutions, Sheila J. Lewis

Theses and Dissertations

Since the cost of higher education is rising every year, some students will contact their financial aid office to inquire about their options to pay for school with loans and grants. However, financial aid administrators might not provide undergraduate students with useful information that will guide them to make informed decisions on loans because the financial aid administrators might lack training to help students. The purpose of this quantitative study is to examine the undergraduate students' perceptions of their experiences with financial aid and student loans for Rowan university undergraduate students and the financial aid office using a non-experimental descriptive …

Her-Story: A Narrative Study On The Lived Experiences Of First-Generation African American Women Who Transfer To A Predominately White Institution, Delithea Evonn Davis

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this narrative research study was to explore the experiences of first-generation African American women who transfer to a predominately White institution. More specifically, this study focused on Black women students' ability to succeed while navigating against dominant majoritarian views and negative stereotypes while attending a predominately White institution. This study focused on the resilience and success of Black women as they worked towards obtaining an education. Black feminist thought and Anti-Deficit Achievement theory assisted the study in identifying negative stereotypes, oppression, and the women's abilities to be successful. The findings indicate that while these women faced negative …

Effectively Integrating Technology To Engage Students And Meet Learning Objectives In Language Arts Classrooms, Jessica L. Austin

Theses and Dissertations

Technology is an ever-changing resource that is more advanced now than it has ever been. This action research project explored how teachers intentionally plan the use of technology in their classroom based on the objectives that need to be taught. The main study that this action research explores is how teacher align objectives to integrate intentional technology that engages students in the middle school ELA classroom? By collecting data via questioning, interviewing, observing and collaboration among participants, the findings show that the use of technology in the classroom is most efficient when implementing a backwards design approach to lesson planning.

A Case Study Of Rural Southern Desegregation: How Black Students In A South Carolina Community Experienced Segregated Schooling And The Integration Process, Margo Mcdowell Gore

Theses and Dissertations

My purpose for this study is to shed light on how the African-American community in a small Southern rural community experienced segregated schools and the long school desegregation process. Conflicts over school integration in urban centers like Little Rock drew the media's attention, but how small communities beyond the glare of the media fared is less well understood and documented. Archival data and contemporary media coverage provide a timeline and context for the experiences of this Black community, and oral history interviews were collected and analyzed to document the range of desegregation experiences.

Although the Brown v. Board of Education …

A Study Of A Bring Your Own Device Initiative, Myriame Delva Pierre

Theses and Dissertations

The intended purpose of this applied dissertation was to examine how teachers use student-owned technology devices for learning in the classroom and to determine how the use of these devices influence teacher planning and the classroom environment. The Bring Your Own Device initiative was an effort to prepare students by allowing them to use and leverage technology devices in the classroom to advance and enhance their learning (Greer, 2013). It is an initiative that incorporates the use of handheld technology devices into schools to better motivate student engagement. The study determined that mobile devices, as a significant part of daily …