Education Commons^™

Using Games To Teach English In Chinese High School Classroom, Wenyu Zhu

Master's Projects and Capstones

In the 20th century, English played an important role in international communication as an international language. English is a bridge between countries' economies, cultures, and trade. However, current English education in Chinese high schools is still test-oriented which is ineffective, and students are tired of it. Moreover, teachers also have trouble engaging students in the class. The purpose of this project is to create a curriculum for high school English teachers in China to use games to teach English language skills. Krashen’s (1982) Theory of Second Language Acquisition contains five main hypotheses which support this project. The project includes twenty-three …

Reluctance Toward Online Teaching, Sally Dufner

Culminating Projects in Higher Education Administration

Online education has become a staple in the American higher education system. A shortage of qualified and motivated online instructors exists as online learning demand increases. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify why faculty members are not motivated to teach online courses. This study sought to answer the following three questions: (1) Why are faculty members not participating in online instruction? (2) What incentives, if any, are likely to motivate non-participating instructors to adopt online instruction? and (3) What are the differences in perceptions regarding online instruction between faculty members who had been asked or had an …

Teacher Perceptions Of Ability In Implementing A Culturally Responsive Educational Practice For Culturally Linguistically Diverse Students With Dis/Abilities, Melanie Ziebatree

Dissertations

All children in the United States have the right to an equitable education, regardless of gender, religion, class, race, culture, language, or dis/ability. The literature demonstrates that financial, educational, and legal outcomes are disproportionately negative for those students falling outside of white able-bodied norms and that educational institutions often perpetuate exclusive policies and practices that disproportionately impact culturally linguistically diverse students with dis/abilities. A critical examination of the sociopolitical and contextual factors that fortify the barriers faced by marginalized groups highlights the need for a culturally responsive approach to educating students with multidimensional identities.

To serve the needs resulting from …

Role-Play In The Chinese Classroom, Matthew Werth

Masters Theses

Over the past decade, there has been an increasing push for foreign language teachers to use a communicative approach to language instruction. One area this can be seen is through role-plays, activities where students take on a persona other than themselves to complete a task in the target language. Despite the growing popularity of role-play, there has been little empirical research looking at the impact of role-play on students. In particular, the differences between large group and small group role-plays remain virtually unstudied.

This thesis looks at role-play in Chinese language classrooms from the perspectives of both teachers and students. …

Power To Transform: Teaching In Educational Leadership Preparation Programs, Ericka L. Roland

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The pervasiveness of injustices is rooted in structures and ideology that reinforce and reinvent oppression; there is a need to engage in transformative change to dismantle systems of domination and subordination. Educational leadership is essential in the social transformation of educational settings and the wider society. In the collective responsibility for transformative change, educational leadership preparation programs serve as spaces to encourage the development of students’ capacity to address issues of oppression and create new power relations for social justice. Faculty play a role in preparation programs to enact teaching that uncover to power dynamics of oppression and domination for …

Zoom-Out : Expansion Of Pedagogical Approaches Within Moving Image Education, Thomas Flint

Masters Theses

The moving image is arguably the most complex form of expression that we have ever invented. Yet, the degree to which the medium can be taken advantage of throughout its process of creation does not always seem to be grasped within the context of education. Zoom-Out examines the current state of moving image education and how the range of ways in which film can be shaped for the purpose of learning might be further expanded upon. An overview of how standard film industry practices transition into educational settings provides a backdrop for highlighting pedagogical tendencies that point to a reliance …

Effective Teaching And Learning: Flipped Learning In The Classroom, Mohammed Fahad Alsobaie

Dissertations

It is important that adequate knowledge concerning how flipped learning can be implemented in a classroom to support students learning in elementary schools (Backlund, Hirsh & Segolsson, 2017). This is a qualitative study, which used a general qualitative approach to explore teachers’ perspectives and their experiences about flipped learning effectiveness in classrooms at the elementary school level. The population and sample in this study were five elementary school teachers in urban locations in the Midwest region of the United States who utilize flipped learning in their classrooms. The data on the use and impact of flipped learning on teaching and …

Ten Elementary School Teachers’ Voices: How They Build Effective Literacy Learning In The Lives Of Their 2nd Grade Children, Merfat Ayesh Alsubaie

Dissertations

It is important to support teachers to adapt and apply effective literacy instruction strategies. Teachers may receive support from many sources, such as pre-service developers, principals, supervisors, literacy coaches, parents, colleagues and peer teachers. Perhaps most importantly, the teaching of literacy requires the support of the principal, literacy coach, and others who can collaborate with the classroom teacher to implement effective literacy instruction and strategies (Vallejo & Wren, 2009; Cole, 2008). All of these supports play a role in effectively achieving high literacy levels among students (Cole, 2008). Thus, teachers should work to maximize the benefit they receive from these …

Developing And Measuring Faculty Motivation To Teach In Higher Education, Celeste M. Calkins

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Currently, little research exists that speaks specifically to the motivation of faculty to teach in higher education settings. Given the changes that higher education has faced over the last few decades, the demographics of the faculty has transformed. The competing demands of research, teaching, and service challenge faculty at every juncture, and some have suggested that throughout this process, it is the students who are losing. What motivates faculty in higher education to teach, and what are the factors that contribute to that motivation? To answer this question, faculty motivation to teach was explored through the theoretical frameworks of teacher …

The Role Of Homework In A Mathematics Classroom, Adam Johnson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Research Topic: The topic I researched is assignment grading techniques. I would studied which type of grading works best for students to learn.

Participants: Participants in this study came from a lower class public middle school and high school. The population is 90% white with 60% of students qualifying for free and reduced lunches. The size of the study will be approximately 15 students in the 9th grade. 65% of the students come from a single parent home or have divorced parents.

Instrument: Tests that I have created on the topic will be the measuring instrument. The test will only …

Contexts And Perspectives For Foreign Language Learning And Teaching, Kimberly Paige Fallis

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio highlights what the author believes are important facets and implementations of second language teaching and second language learning. This portfolio is grounded in two elements: second language acquisition theory and the author’s first-hand observations as a student in the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program. The target languages focused in this portfolio are English and French.

This portfolio is divided into three main sections. The first section contains the author’s teaching philosophy statement with focuses on student and teacher roles, tasks in the classroom, and the author’s experiences teaching English. After the teaching philosophy statement, there are …

Final Ma Portfolio, Stefanie Lauer

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

This is the final master's portfolio for my degree in English with a specialization in English teaching. It includes four works from my time in my master's courses, ranging from school safety to lesson plans to research on the teaching of English.

Teaching The Soft Skills Through The Arts: A Supplementary Art Curriculum, Brittany Boverhof

Masters Theses

Soft skills are the ability to work with, for, and among other people, yet we can no longer expect students to develop these skills organically. This research builds on the knowledge that if we want the students we are educating to be successful in employing their own soft skills, then they must be taught. This paper defines soft skills, shows their importance, and introduces practices that are proven to build soft skill ability. I have constructed twelve lesson plans that teach the soft skills through experientialism, working in groups, art, critique, classroom management, and problem solving. This supplementary curriculum provides …

Teaching With Citizen Science: An Exploratory Study Of Teachers' Motivations & Perceptions, Georgia Bracey

Dissertations

With the continued emphasis in the United States on science teaching reform as a way to increase science learning and the scientific literacy of all, the integration of informal science learning activities like citizen science is emerging as a possible way to enhance formal science teaching and learning. There is a limited but growing number of studies indicating that the general public is learning science content and process from participating in citizen science, but research in this area is just beginning and the use of citizen science projects by teachers in formal classroom settings has barely been examined at all. …

Out And Queer: Independent School Teachers Navigating The Personal And Professional, Caroline C. Dunnell

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Queer (Queer) community has experienced unprecedented acceptance in U.S. culture. Yet, education, historically slow to change (Fullan & Miles, 1992), continues in many states to promote a heteronormative culture that does not recognize nor promote equity for the queer community that exists within their schools (Barrett & Bound, 2015).

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological heuristic inquiry was to explore my experience, and those of eleven other queer out independent school educators, to understand how we makes sense of, and navigate, the heteronormative, traditionally male-dominated, independent school environment. This study used in-depth …

Perceptions Of Large-Scale, Standardised Testing In Religious Education: How Do Religious Educators Perceive The Bishops’ Religious Literacy Assessment?, Antonella Poncini

Theses

This research provides a Western Australian perspective of teaching and assessing Religious Education (RE) in Catholic schools. The perspective recognises RE as a learning area reserved for classroom instruction. This educational focus aligns RE with other learning areas as well as highlights the important role that RE plays in the evangelising mission of the Catholic Church.

A pragmatic approach to research was implemented to focus on religious educators’ perceptions of a large-scale, standardised assessment in RE called The Bishops’ Religious Literacy Assessment (BRLA). This assessment is developed by the Catholic Education Office of Western Australia. The research surveyed 238 religious …

Teacher’S Block: Embracing The Challenge Of Improving Students’ Writing, Neil Witzig

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper will explain the overall trend of worsening writing abilities in the past twenty years of education. The purpose of the paper is to analyze this downward trend, examine different methodologies for teaching writing, and propose solutions on how to better approach writing instruction. The challenges with teaching writing range from the difficulty of getting technology absorbed students to focus on one task for a long period of time to also the problem of giving each student individual feedback on their work – an essential element of writing instruction. The research reviewed shows this downward trend in writing assessment …

From There, To Here, Now Where? My Journey Of Vulnerability Toward Interdisciplinary Teaching, Jennifer Lyn Way

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Few words have the power to make people both cringe in fear and lean forward, fascinated to know more. This thesis focuses on one such word: vulnerability. Through the Scholarly Personal Narrative writing format, I explore what vulnerability means to me and how my understanding has changed. I examine how vulnerability in my life helped refine me into a wiser, more compassionate, teacher.

Teaching requires vulnerability, a willingness to risk failure and accept mistakes for what they really are: lessons to create a connection among other humans. This thesis portrays how I have come to understand and accept vulnerability as …

Beyond Teacher Knowledge: Connections Between Content Knowledge, Mindset For Learning, And Teaching In Two-Year College Mathematics Faculty, Lucy Hernandez Michal

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Addressing thousands of students entering unprepared to enroll in college freshman mathematics courses is a challenge two-year college mathematics faculty face every semester. The study addresses this challenge through a mixed methods sequential nested multi-case design to investigate what faculty need, beyond teacher knowledge, to teach mathematics effectively to students. The three-part study measured the mindset learning profile and content knowledge of a sample of mathematics faculty at a two-year college. The quantitative and qualitative data provided references to select four faculty typologies to interview and observe. Interviews reflected faculty perceptions of teaching and learning. Class observations captured images of …

It Is Better: An Autoethnographic Study; "Why" It Is And The Perceived Protective Factors Along The Way, Michael Dennis Cowan

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

LGBTQ individuals have many risk factors and have difficulty navigating going through school because of all the social issues. This study is an autoethnography that looks into the perceived protective factors of a gay male educator. I was challenged to change my dissertation to share my story of being a teacher and dealing with many different risk factors. My committee introduced me to autoethnography and shortly after, I was speaking with a student when the topic of the “It Gets Better” campaign came up. The student said to me, “Prove it.” My dissertation has been a living document with many …

Making Connections Through Coaching: A Story Of Finding Meaning Through Athletics And Coaching, Mary Laura Krug

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

In this thesis, I share stories of my experiences as a high school science teacher, gymnastics coach, and track and field coach and I explore my discovery of the importance of making connections in my vocation. Written in Scholarly Personal Narrative format, I reflect on my own experiences with high school and college athletics I and discuss the lessons that I learned which I find to be most important to coaches and teachers. This thesis centers around making connections with athletes and students as a coach and educator. I dive into my career and highlight the lessons that I find …

Global Citizenship And Education: The Multidimensional Impact Of A Study Abroad Bilingual Teaching Experience On University Students And Preservice Teachers, Haris N. Anwar

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The intent of this thesis is to study the diverse experiences of 13 University of Central Florida students who participated in the Bilingual Study Abroad Teaching Experience in Spain. The group included nine education students and four in other majors. The experiences of study abroad participants can help to better understand what future participants can look to gain from the program, and what the organizers of the program can potentially look to improve. The research involved was a qualitative study which sought to record the experiences of participants, and then interpret those experiences. The participants were asked to determine the …

Student Evaluations Of Teaching, Course And Student Characteristics At Andrews University, Fatimah Al Nasser

Dissertations

Problem

This research examined the type of rating of specific Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET) dimensions and overall rating students tended to give for the courses that they took, identified the dimensions that predicted the overall rating, and assessed the association of gender, student academic status, course level, course type, academic school and the effect on SET scores.

Method

The researcher used a quantitative research method to explore the type of score that students give to the courses they took, examine the relationship between dimensions of SET and overall rating, and the influence of gender, student status, course level, course …

Elementary Teachers' Experiences Integrating Technology With Literacy Instruction, Valerie Coward-Vaughn

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Elementary educators at the urban elementary school in this study struggled with technology-enhanced literacy pedagogy to increase student success. The purpose of this case study was to examine the extent to which educators built relationships between technology and teaching to improve student success. The study was guided by Venkatesh's unified theory of acceptance which was used to examine how educators accept and use technology in literacy instruction. The research questions examined teachers' perceptions of how they can build better relationships with technology and teaching to enhance student literacy success and their perceptions of administrative and district support services to enhance …

Teaching Efl Writing In Montenegro: Perceptions And Approaches Of Elementary And High School Teachers, Silvija Marnikovic

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This project examines perceptions and practices of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) K-12 teachers in Montenegro regarding their teaching of writing. To collect data the researcher utilized a researcher-created online questionnaire. Participants’ responses were analyzed and compared in order to examine their perceptions of importance of EFL writing instruction for their students, the extent and quality of professional training on teaching EFL writing they receive, the approaches to teaching EFL writing they practice, and perception of their competence in teaching EFL writing. Findings showed that the 27 participants would feel more confident teaching EFL writing if they had more …

Educators' Support Of The Cultivation Of Self-Determination And Self-Advocacy Of Students With Disabilities, Stephanie Porcari

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

In a society that appears to take independence for granted at times, it has become more and more of a necessity for educators to combat this trend and foster independence within students. One way educators can foster independence is by supporting the cultivation of self-determination and self-advocacy within students during the school-age years. As part of this project, a literature review was conducted to compile the components of self-determination and self-advocacy of students with learning disabilities and mild cognitive impairments. Working definitions of these two attributes were then created from these components. This project will explore the cultivation of self-determination …

An Investigation Into The Impact Of High-Stakes Testing, Through The Naplan Assessment, On The Teaching And Learning Of Mathematics In One Primary School, Linda Cranley

Theses

In 2008, the implementation of the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) commenced in all schools across Australia. This assessment of mathematical and literacy standards across Australia raised questions about the impact which high-stakes testing has on teaching and learning. This research specifically focused on the effect NAPLAN has had on the teaching and learning of mathematics. The study explored perspectives about NAPLAN from key participants; students, teachers and parents at one Western Australian Primary School. These perspectives included the potential anxiety experienced by students and how this affected their performance in NAPLAN. According to recent research on …