Education Commons^™

Female African American Childcare Teachers In Milwaukee: Construction Of Professional Identity, Venner Joyce Alston

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to understand how African American women working in center-based childcare programs in Milwaukee describe their professional identity. In Milwaukee, approximately 1,500 women who identify as African American are employed as childcare directors and teachers. At least 45% of them are reported as meeting only basic education requirements. This is problematic as Milwaukee experiences the highest number of children and families receiving childcare subsidies through the Wisconsin Shares Program. How can low-income minority children enrolled in childcare programs in Milwaukee expect to be prepared to enter kindergarten without having access to teachers who have sufficient …

An Action Research On Enacting Play-Based Pedagogy In A Pre-Service Teachers' Art Classroom, Yuting Ye

Theses and Dissertations

As a school-based art educator, I advocate for an educational environment that embraces and values concepts of play and play-based pedagogy and encourage understandings of the significant role of play in teaching and learning and its relation to art, artifacts, and multiculturalism. This thesis documents an action research project, reflecting a dialogue about play-based art education in a college classroom. As a social constructivist and an advocate for multiculturalism, I introduced knowledge on play-based pedagogy and its benefits to college students and studied my practices in relation to student learning, especially those students in pre-service teacher education programs. Concepts associated …

Exploring Integrated Curriculum For Music Education In China: Music With Children’S Literature And Visual Arts, Xiyao Zhao

Theses and Dissertations

The use of an integrated curriculum approach for music education in China is in the beginning stages of implementation. The current National Standards for Music teaching in China are limited in this approach. The purpose of this thesis was to develop some novel and creative teaching methods for music utilizing an integrated approach for children’s literature and visual arts that could be applied to future music classes in China. Research on the integration of children’s literature and visual arts into music teaching were reviewed in this thesis for general approaches, and application both broadly and specifically within Chinese music education. …

A Testimonio Reclaiming Acceptance Of My Esl Experience: Trauma, Tex-Mex And Third Space, Cinthia E. Bernal

Theses and Dissertations

Language is a tool that brings all of us together, yet at the same time it also sets us apart. For many of us, it is important to be bilingual and biliterate, but for others, bilingualism is something that is pulling this country apart. Many people, after all, view Spanish as a powerful language that can harm this country, a language that has motivated people to attempt to make English the only language. Ana Celia Zentella tell us “Latina/os, who also have a long history in the United States and became the largest minority in the nation in 2003, are …

The Lived Experiences Of Counseling Graduate Students And The Impact Of Their Studies In Their Marital Satisfaction, Vania S. Palacios

Theses and Dissertations

Due to high levels of stress that students find throughout graduate programs, professional and personal lives are at times not prioritized. The heuristic study focused on analyzing common themes among counseling graduate students at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, the coping mechanisms students have used to improve their marital/relational satisfaction, and common stressors in their marriage as a reflection of the counseling graduate program. The researcher provided a personal narrative for the study and analyzed transcriptions of the interviews of four counseling graduate students at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

Testing Acceptance Of Language Difference In Academia: Perceptions In A First-Year Composition Classroom, Crystal Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

In response to Bawarshi’s collective call for educators to be “more responsive and responsible users and teachers of English,” and motivated by the research of Michelle Hall Kells, I argue that it is necessary for educators to introduce first-year writing students to the historical and sociopolitical aspects of language use in academia through implementing lessons that focus on facets of language diversity. After describing a lesson plan focused on language diversity, I then analyze student feedback using Norman Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis as a lens. I also discuss the results of a Likert scale implemented during the three-phase study. Student …

Promoting Persuasion Knowledge In Third And Fourth Graders Through Advertising Literacy And Argumentation Interventions, Susan Locke Stanley

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study was to promote the development of persuasion knowledge in third and fourth graders by examining children’s interpretation and production of persuasive messages through an instructional intervention. Two interventions were delivered to students that focused on the skills associated with critical thinking (e.g., evaluating effectiveness of arguments, writing a persuasive argument using valid reasoning, and understanding the persuasive intentions and tactics of advertisements). One intervention used advertising as the instructional tool, such that students were taught about the purpose of advertising, advertising tactics, and the companies and advertisers behind the ads. Students learned that ads are …

The Feasibility Of Assessing Parent And Child Letter Knowledge In At-Rrisk Families Within A Museum Enrichment Setting, Jeny Sara Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

THE FEASIBILITY OF ASSESSING PARENT AND CHILD LETTER KNOWLEDGE IN AT-RISK FAMILIES WITHIN A MUSEUM ENRICHMENT SETTING

by

Jeny Sara Thomas

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2017

Under the Supervision of Professor John Heilmann

Purpose. This study addressed alphabet knowledge with children/parents who may be at-risk using a museum environment. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the parent- and child-level assessments developed were appropriate to measure letter knowledge and children’s home literacy environment (HLE) from at-risk families and implement a museum enrichment program for the children/parents within a museum experience.

Methods. Fourteen parent-child dyads from the Family …

The Impact Of Stand-Biased Desks On After-School Physical Activity Behaviors In Children, Nathan Tokarek

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to assess changes in after-school time spent performing sedentary behavior (SB), light intensity physical activity (LPA), and moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) among elementary school children in response to the introduction of stand-biased desks in the classroom. Thirty-one 6th grade participants randomly assigned by their teacher to a traditional (CON) or stand-biased (INT) desk provided complete accelerometer data. After-school PA and SB were measured on four consecutive weekdays at baseline and 10-weeks. Wilcoxon Rank Sum Tests were used to detect significant differences (p<0.10) in changes in the proportion of after-school wear time performing SB and PA between groups. Results suggested no significant differences in changes in after-school time performing SB (p=0.770), LPA (p=0.740), or MVPA (p=0.470). Significant differences in the change in moderate PA (INT: -1.4%; CON: -0.2%, p=0.093) were detected. Stand-biased desks were not detrimental to children’s after-school PA and SB.

American Indian Professionals: Educational Decision-Making And Persistence, Colleen M. Burke

Theses and Dissertations

American Indian graduate students are experiencing a higher matriculation rate in higher education today; however, those rates are still lower than other underrepresented minority groups’ rates. The purpose of this study is to conduct exploratory research to investigate the decision-making process of American Indian/Alaskan Native professionals who persisted to graduation from their graduate programs. This study explores the participants’ graduate school experiences relating to education, tribal values, decisions, their social support, and perseverance. The theoretical framework of decisionmaking theory, i.e. Prospect Theory, was used to evaluate the educational decisions of the participants. Decision-making theorists include corporate culture in their discussions; …

From A Distance: A Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Experience Of Telecommuters Working Remotely In Virtual Teams, Damien Che Michaud

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, the social and emotional experience of telecommuters working remotely in interdependent virtual teams is explored through their lived experiences. The problem this study addresses is a lack of understanding about the process by which individuals subjectively experience remote work in virtual teams. The research methodology for this study is phenomenological—drawing data from interviews of 10 participants. The participants for this study represented a variety of industries and organizations. They were telecommuters who worked remotely more than 80% of the time, had a minimum of one year’s experience, and collaborated with others to develop a shared work product. …

Perceptions Of Belongingness In Stem Subjects And Career Development For Middle School African American Girls, Anya Woronzoff Verriden

Theses and Dissertations

This study addresses the hypothesis that African American girls’ early perceptions of support in middle school influences their narrowing or broadening of interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) subjects and careers. As previously researched the belief that boys excel at math and science while girls do well in the humanities is not supported by findings. Therefore the purpose of this study is to investigate the interaction of contextual factors such as teacher, parent, and peer support for African American middle school girls and their interest in STEM subjects utilizing a qualitative research method. Students are making decisions about their …

What Influences School-Based Occupational Therapists’ Decision-Making? A Qualitative Study, Cynthia Helen Clough

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Occupational therapists in school-based practice make daily service delivery decisions about when, where, and how to provide interventions to children with disabilities. The services provided by these occupational therapists have the potential to support or limit a child’s access to general education curriculum and environments which, in turn, impacts vocational, financial, social, and community life outcomes. Service delivery decisions about pulling children out of classrooms, pushing services into classrooms, and / or providing consultation are made based on the ways therapists define and differentiate their role from that of other school personnel, how they interpret Individual Education Plans for …

School Culture And Climate For Younger Learners: Measurement And Association With Academic Achievement, Leon Joseph Gilman

Theses and Dissertations

This study seeks to understand the measurement of younger students’ perceptions of the school learning environment and their possible association with academic achievement. The target population is 4th and 5th grade students. Their perception of the school environment was compared to 7th graders by factor analysis, measurement invariance, differential item functioning, and hierarchical linear modeling. This study found that younger students’ perceptions are different from middle school students. However, like their middle school peers, these perceptions still predict academic performance.

Yoga And Mindfulness In The Inclusion Classroom, Maria Petruzzelli

Theses and Dissertations

This paper explores the effectiveness of implementing mindfulness and yoga techniques in two sections of fourth grade inclusion language arts classes. More specifically, this paper examines the effectiveness of yoga and mindfulness techniques on the frequency of off-task behaviors and academic achievement. It was hypothesized that off-task behaviors would occur less frequently and that academic performance in writing would improve after a yoga and mindfulness intervention was implemented.

Using a pre-post no-control design, thirty-six students, eighteen per class, from a public elementary school in Southern New Jersey participated in this investigation. Baseline and post implementation data were collected using On-Demand …

Kyozaikenkyu: An In-Depth Look Into Japanese Educators' Daily Planning Practices, Matthew David Melville

Theses and Dissertations

This study is in response to the question about how Japanese educators achieve such a high quality of instruction. Considering the area of lesson study has opened the door to new ideas and concepts that are not well defined and too broad to understand. Kyozaikenkyu is an aspect of lesson study that has been said to be a crucial aspect to successful lesson study. Kyozaikenkyu is done on a daily basis by Japanese educators; however, there is very little written about this process in relevant literature. This study examines what Japanese educators do during their daily kyozaikenkyu, and why …

Analysis Of Differential Equations Applications From The Coordination Class Perspective, Omar Antonio Naranjo Mayorga

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years there has been an increasing interest in mathematics teaching and learning at undergraduate level. However, many fields are little explored; differential equations being one of these topics. In this study I use the theoretical framework of Coordination Classes to analyze how undergraduate mechanical engineering students apply their knowledge in the context of system dynamics and what resources and strategies they used; in this subject, students model dynamics systems based on Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs). I applied three tasks in different contexts (Mechanical, Electrical and Fluid Systems) in order to identify what information was relevant for the students, …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Of Student Engagement To Alumni Giving At An Independent Technological University, Ali Faisal

Theses and Dissertations

Due to periodic decreases in government funding for higher education, higher education institutions have relied increasingly on philanthropic gifts. As a result, private funding, including alumni giving, has increased over the past halfcentury, climbing from $2.1 billion in 1965 to $57.48 billion in 2016 (Giving USA 2016). The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of student engagement to alumni giving at a private technological university. The study examined this relationship using two data sets: National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) from this university’s Office of Institutional Research, and alumni giving data from this university’s Development Office. These …

The Effects Of Using Digital Texts On Chromebooks On The Reading Comprehension And Academic Engagement Of Elementary School Students With Learning Disabilities In The Inclusive Classroom, Kimberly Michelle Milchanoski-Bach

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of digital texts on Chromebooks as an assistive technology to meet the needs of students with learning disabilities in an inclusive classroom. Specifically, the study examined (a) the effectiveness of using digital texts on Chromebooks on reading comprehension, (b) the effectiveness of digital texts on Chromebooks to improve engagement and on-task behavior of students with learning disabilities, and (c) student satisfaction using digital texts in the inclusive classroom. Students displayed variation in performance on comprehension and academic engagement throughout the intervention. Findings suggest that digital texts may hinder the comprehension …

The Effects Of Graphic Organizers To Identify Main Idea And Supporting Details In Informational Text On Students With Learning Disabilities, Heather Coombs

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of graphic organizers to identify main idea and supporting details in informational text on students with learning disabilities. The participants were eight 6th grade students classified with learning disabilities in reading. This study implemented an ABAB design. Data was collected during the Baseline (A1), Intervention (B1), Baseline (A2), and Intervention (B2) phases. The independent variable for this study was the utilization of a graphic organizer to assist in identifying main idea and supporting details, as well as reading comprehension. The dependent variables were student identification of main idea and supporting …

Impact Of Sexual Violence Prevention Programming At Rowan University, Emily Kofman

Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to explore the impact of sexual violence prevention programming on the main Rowan University campus. This study focused primarily on the Take Back the Night event on April 4, 2017. The study evaluated the impact of the event on those who attended as well as looking at Social Norm Theory. A total population of 167 Rowan students were surveyed at the event with the instrument Take Back the Night Survey. Results of the data revealed that students positively benefitted from attending the event and were able to increase their knowledge of the subject. …

The Impact Of Academic Advising On Developing Purpose And Selecting A Major Through Exploratory Studies, Michalina Zelazny

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of academic advising on students in exploratory studies. This study focused on the impact of academic advising on developing a purpose through exploratory studies. It also focused on effectiveness of academic advisors in guiding students to select a major that fulfills students' interests and needs as well as students satisfaction regarding academic advising guidance in exploratory studies. This was a qualitative research and a total of six face-to-face interview sessions were conducted to gather data. The research questions presented in Chapter 1 of this study focused on demographic information, advising …

Yo Importo: The Latina/O Students' Experience At Rowan University, Alma Diaz

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether Latino/a students at Rowan University felt as though they mattered. The subjects in this study consisted of undergraduate, full-time and part-time students at Rowan University enrolled during the 2014 Spring semester. Data were collected using the College Mattering Inventory, which consisted of 29 Likert scale items. The findings of this study revealed that Latina/o students at Rowan University generally have positive attitudes toward mattering in the subscales. Latina/o students at Rowan University reported the lowest levels of mattering in the general college mattering sub-scale and the Mattering to Students sub-scale. Overall …

Pre -Service And Novice Teacher Perceptions Of Behavior Management Preparation And Practice In Physical Education, Shane Turpen

Theses and Dissertations

If students are not engaged, they cannot be learning (Stright & Supplee, 2002). Student engagement relies heavily on the environment of a classroom, as well as the management of behaviors before and during a lesson (Him & Scott, 2014). Student engagement refers to the degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion that students show when they are learning or being taught, which extends to the level of motivation they have to learn and progress in their education. (George Lucas Educational, 2011 In many cases, a lack of student engagement can be attributed to a discrepancy in behavior management competence …

Involvement Theory: An Examination Of Community College Student-Athletes, Kaitlyn Marie Matthews

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to assess selected community college student athletes' involvement in athletic and non-athletic activities at Rowan College at Gloucester County (RCGC). The researcher surveyed 67 student athletes at RCGC who competed during the spring 2017 semester. The subjects were administered a survey to measure their level of involvement, as well as their attitudes toward involvement at RCGC. Surveys were statistically analyzed to determine frequency, percentages, means, standard deviations, and significant correlations between selected demographics and specific involvement activities. The study provides insight on the attitudes of importance and satisfaction that student athletes at RCGC have …

Success Of Secondary Special Education Students Outside Of Classroom In Integrated Occupational Learning Environments, Erik Yost

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to highlight the benefits of vocational work outside of the classroom for special education students, primarily those who are in enrolled in secondary school. It also questions how effective a vocational setting is compared to a traditional classroom setting for special education students nearing the end of their initial educational track. It was hypothesized that special education students, primarily enrolled in secondary or high school, benefit from a learning environment outside of a normalized classroom setting due to the first-hand experience gained in a real-world setting is more conducive to long-term success after completing …

The Effects Of Classical Music On Children With Learning Disabilities In A Sixth Grade Mathematics Classroom, Amy C. Mckeever

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this exploratory investigation were to (a) determine if sixth grade students would improve their math performance (in areas of staying on task, focusing, and completing work) while classical music was being played, (b) determine if students will report they feel differently and more successful in the mathematics classroom while classical music was being played, and (c) determine if students with learning disabilities will improve their mathematical performance (in areas of staying on task, focusing, and completing work) while classical music is being played. In this study, there were 19 students. The results show that classical music had …

Beyond Problem-Solving: Elementary Students’ Mathematical Dispositions When Faced With The Challenge Of Unsolved Problems, Jenna R. O'Dell

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study was to document the characteristics of students’ dispositions towards mathematics when they engaged in the exploration of parts of unsolved problems: Graceful Tree Conjecture and Collatz Conjecture. Ten students, Grades 4 and 5, from an after-school program in the Midwest participated in the study. I focused on the cognitive, affective, and conative aspects of their mathematical dispositions as they participated in 7 problem-solving sessions and two interviews.

With regard to cognitive aspects of the students’ dispositions, I focused on the students attempts to identify and justify patterns for labeling graphs. Overall, the unsolved problems were …

Exploring Bilingual Teachers' Beliefs About Academic Language Development In Mathematics Teaching: Implications For Bilingual Teachers' Professional Development, Viola Canales-Vela

Theses and Dissertations

The achievement of mathematics within Hispanic youth is of great concern across the nation. In order to improve student achievement in mathematics, the nature of a mathematics teacher’s complex belief system must be understood (McGee &Wang, 2014). The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study is to investigate the K-5 bilingual teachers’ beliefs about how to develop the academic language of mathematics in Spanish and English in the context of dual language programs at the elementary school level and bilingual teachers’ perceptions on the impact of professional development design for bilingual teachers to meet the needs of their students’ academic language …

Effectiveness Of The Flipped Classroom Model In Anatomy And Physiology Laboratory Courses At A Hispanic Serving Institution, Gerardo Sanchez

Theses and Dissertations

A flipped laboratory model involves significant preparation by the students on lab material prior to entry to the laboratory. This allows laboratory time to be focused on active learning through experiments. The aim of this study was to observe changes in student performance through the transition from a traditional laboratory format, to a flipped format. The data showed that for both Anatomy and Physiology (I and II) laboratories a more normal distribution of grades was observed once labs were flipped and lecture grade averages increased. Chi square and analysis of variance tests showed grade changes to a statistically significant degree, …