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Full-Text Articles in Education

How Select Groups Of Preservice Science Teachers With Inquiry Orientations View Teaching And Learning Science Through Inquiry, Peggy Diana Ward Dec 2016

How Select Groups Of Preservice Science Teachers With Inquiry Orientations View Teaching And Learning Science Through Inquiry, Peggy Diana Ward

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although hailed as a powerful form of instruction, in most teaching and learning contexts, inquiry-based instruction is fraught with ambiguous and conflicting definitions and descriptions. Yet little has been written about the experiences preservice science teacher have regarding their learning to teach science through inquiry. This project sought to understand how select preservice secondary science teachers enrolled in three UTeach programs in Arkansas conceptualize inquiry instruction and how they rationalize its value in a teaching and learning context. The three teacher education programs investigated in this study are adoption sites aligned with the UTeach Program in Austin, TX that distinguishes …


Verbing History: A Textualist Approach To Gendered Politics In U.S. History Curriculum, Ginney Patricia Norton Aug 2016

Verbing History: A Textualist Approach To Gendered Politics In U.S. History Curriculum, Ginney Patricia Norton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Using three curricular interventions from World War II, I employ an alternative rhetorical history to understand how Social studies curriculum has become a space for the simultaneous deliberation of both national identity and gender politics. In working through the propaganda of Rosie the Riveter, the stories of the women of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and the experiences of gay men and women in the military during the war, I suggest that Social studies curriculum normalizes and reifies gendered, racial, and queer citizenship in relationship to white, masculine, and heteronormative citizenship. It also utilizes epideictic rhetoric to rhetorically and historically construct problematic …


An Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of Hands On Cooking And Nutritional Education With Low Socioeconomic Children, Elizabeth G. Freeman Aug 2016

An Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of Hands On Cooking And Nutritional Education With Low Socioeconomic Children, Elizabeth G. Freeman

Curriculum and Instruction Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study was conducted at The Yvonne Richardson Community Center in Northwest Arkansas to test the effectiveness of hands on cooking classes and nutritional education with children age’s nine to eleven coming from low socioeconomic backgrounds. This group was chosen because people included in low socioeconomic status are more likely to a high number of energy dense foods because of their long shelf life and high calorie count in replacement of fruits and vegetables (Proceedings of the Roundtable on Understanding the Paradox of Hunger and Obesity, 2004). Though this is true, not having a balanced diet and eating a majority …


Instructional Methods And Engagement: The Impact Of Gamification On Student Learning Of Apa Style, Joyce Elaine Terrell May 2016

Instructional Methods And Engagement: The Impact Of Gamification On Student Learning Of Apa Style, Joyce Elaine Terrell

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research examined the effects of simple gamification on the instructional skill outcome and level of engagement as measured by time, repetitions, and responses to the Cognitive Absorption, Perceived Ease of Use and Perceived Usefulness Scale (Saadé and Bahli, 2005). Participants were 70 graduate and undergraduate students randomly assigned to one of two instructional conditions: gamified or typical online instruction. Instruction consisted of three modules on the use of APA 6th ed. (American Psychological Association) citation and reference style in college level writing. Both groups received the same instruction but with different context and directions. Participants in the typical condition …


Parent Beliefs About Technology: A Comparison Of Homeschool And Formal Education Families, Eli L. Skelton May 2016

Parent Beliefs About Technology: A Comparison Of Homeschool And Formal Education Families, Eli L. Skelton

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to gain information about how technology is used by parents to assist school learning as well as their opinions and beliefs about the role of technology in the learning process. Specifically, using homeschool and educational networks as well as social media for distribution of a digital questionnaire, this study sought to gauge parents’ experience with, as well as responses to, attitudes, and values towards the use of technology in homeschool and classroom education. Sixty-five parents of children who are studying at the elementary grade levels participated in this study. Twenty of these were parents …


Course Delivery Methods And Perceptions Of Self-Efficacy Of Pre-Service Teachers, Susan K. Anselm May 2016

Course Delivery Methods And Perceptions Of Self-Efficacy Of Pre-Service Teachers, Susan K. Anselm

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Conflicting research results regarding outcomes for distance versus face-to-face course delivery methods, as well as a lack of that research, presents a need for further research into distance education. This mixed methods study adds to the existing literature on distance education, and will provide specific research exploring pre-service teachers’ perceptions of their self efficacy in the context of teacher education. This study is descriptive in nature, and has a dual purpose: to add to the existing knowledge base regarding distance education models and traditional face-to-face delivery models in teacher education, and to inform program designers about the impact of these …


Development And Analysis Of A Statics And Kinematics Demonstration As A Learning Tool In The Biomechanics Classroom, Bethany D. Knight May 2016

Development And Analysis Of A Statics And Kinematics Demonstration As A Learning Tool In The Biomechanics Classroom, Bethany D. Knight

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study was done with the objective of determining if students in the biomedical engineering department at the University of Arkansas would gain better understanding of basic biomechanics principles through the implementation of in-class demonstrations. Biomechanics was chosen because it is the first class taken in sequence after the “Introduction to Biomedical Engineering” class. A pre-demonstration survey was administered to gauge how comfortable the students were with the topics on the syllabus. Two demonstrations were done in class and related homework was assigned. The post-semester survey was administered and collected to determine how effective the students felt the presentations to …


Teachers' Beliefs And Practices About Grammar Teaching In Public High Schools In Kosovo, Marigona Morina May 2016

Teachers' Beliefs And Practices About Grammar Teaching In Public High Schools In Kosovo, Marigona Morina

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many linguists have tried to answer when and how to teach grammar based on research, as well as whether to teach grammar at all. On the other hand, for many teachers, grammar is the backbone of language learning (Sitorus, 2012). This paper analyzes teachers’ beliefs and practices and their relationship regarding grammar teaching in Kosovo’s public high schools. Teachers’ beliefs are resistant to change (Williams & Burden, 1997); knowing what the majority of teachers in Kosovo believe to be true regarding grammar and language teaching can lead to an update on the curriculum of English Language Teaching programs in order …


An Investigation Of How Districts In One State Identify And Serve Gifted And Talented English Language Learners, Caitlin S. Allison May 2016

An Investigation Of How Districts In One State Identify And Serve Gifted And Talented English Language Learners, Caitlin S. Allison

Curriculum and Instruction Undergraduate Honors Theses

School administrators are constantly looking for ways to make learning accessible for all students, and gifted education is no different. The process of identifying a gifted student is a difficult one at best, only made more difficult with language barriers. However, inattention to gifted English Language Learners can have detrimental effects as feelings of culture shock and homesickness combine with feeling intellectually different than one’s peers. This study investigates the current procedures for identifying and providing for all gifted learners to determine if eligibility and participation is dependent on linguistic ability. The study consisted of interviewing three District Coordinators of …


Elementary Teachers' Perceptions Of Teaching History, Kelsey Helyer May 2016

Elementary Teachers' Perceptions Of Teaching History, Kelsey Helyer

Curriculum and Instruction Undergraduate Honors Theses

The study explored elementary teachers’ perceptions of how history is taught in today’s classrooms. To gather the data, the researcher created a survey that asked about the demographics of the schools, how the teachers teach history, and questions to explore teacher’s ideas about the role of history in education. The survey was shared on social media and through email to personal contacts asking contacts to share the link to complete the questionnaire. The participants consisted of fifty-one teachers most of whom are residents of Kansas, Arkansas, or Texas and teach kindergarten through sixth grade in general education classrooms. The participants’ …


An Investigation Of Creativity, Engagement, And Academic Success Using Student-Led Lesson Planning In One Third Grade Classroom, Ericka D. Brockunier May 2016

An Investigation Of Creativity, Engagement, And Academic Success Using Student-Led Lesson Planning In One Third Grade Classroom, Ericka D. Brockunier

Curriculum and Instruction Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate creativity, engagement, and student success using student-led lesson planning within a third-grade classroom. It was designed to see the impact of creativity on engagement and understanding through the use of daily student self-assessments and feedback, and daily input from students, concerning the upcoming lessons. The daily student self-assessments included three rating scales for engagement, creativity, and confidence in content. Each day, students were expected to rate themselves on a scale of one to five for each of the categories, regarding their views for that day’s lesson. This measured the effectiveness of each …


The Effects Of An Elementary After-School Enrichment Program On Gifted And Talented Students' Attitudes Toward School, Madison Nicole Cunningham May 2016

The Effects Of An Elementary After-School Enrichment Program On Gifted And Talented Students' Attitudes Toward School, Madison Nicole Cunningham

Curriculum and Instruction Undergraduate Honors Theses

The study researches interest-based learning in a controlled setting in order to gain insight into student attitudes toward school, more specifically among identified gifted and talented students. This study poses the research question, “Does an after-school program designed to cater to student needs affect student attitudes toward school?” This was an action research study using pre and post assessments to determine elementary students’ attitudes toward school. The study was conducted at an after-school program, once a week for ten weeks total. There were ten students involved in the study, with three of them being formally identified through the school district …