Education Commons^™

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 …

Pedagogy Of The Transplanted: A Study Of Selected First-Year Jamaican Immigrant Elementary School Teachers And Their Perspectives On South Carolina’S Curriculum Processes, Claudia Fletcher-Lambert

Theses and Dissertations

The study explores the experiences of four first-year Jamaican immigrant teachers in rural southern South Carolina regarding their descriptions of the experiences and the researcher’s observations. The main research question was concerned with first-year Jamaican immigrant elementary school teachers’ experiences as they navigate the curriculum landscape in South Carolina. The inquiry engages a qualitative research design.

Interviews, observations, and artifacts were engaged to collect data. These data were analyzed deductively and inductively through a process of content analysis. These data findings in the study covered four dominant themes these included immigrant teachers’ strengths, challenges, changes, and navigation strategies. The data …

Life After Graduation: Exploring The Utility Of A College And Career Research Project In Defining Students’ Post-High School Goals, Ashley E. Bowers

Theses and Dissertations

In order to assist students with their digital research skills while simultaneously allowing them to research and explore college and career options, a Project-Based Learning (PBL) assignment was incorporated into the secondary English classroom. This served multiple purposes: providing students guidance and support as they determine their future college and career goals, meeting several of the South Carolina 9-12 English/Language Arts standards, and increasing students’ College and Career Readiness. The site for this quantitative action research study was English 3 classes in a large, rural high school in the Charleston, South Carolina area. Quantitative, statistical data was collected from a …

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, …

Modeling Instruction In Ap Physics C: Mechanics And Electricity And Magnetism, Nathan Tillman Belcher

Theses and Dissertations

his action research study used data from multiple assessments in Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism to determine the viability of Modeling Instruction as a pedagogy for students in AP Physics C: Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism. Modeling Instruction is a guided-inquiry approach to teaching science in which students progress through the Modeling Cycle to develop a fully-constructed model for a scientific concept. AP Physics C: Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism are calculus-based physics courses, approximately equivalent to first-year calculus-based physics courses at the collegiate level. Using a one-group pretest-posttest design, students were assessed in Mechanics using the Force Concept Inventory, …

The Effects Of Student Involvement In Writing Topic Selection On Achievement And Motivation, Henry D. Tindal

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study examined 18 high school student-participants’ perceptions of essay writing both with teacher-generated standardized prompts and prompts where students were included in the development of the writing assignment. The students consisted of 12 white females, 2 Asian females, and 4 white males enrolled in an Advanced Placement English Language and Composition class from a rural, southern school located in South Carolina. Quantitative methods were used to determine the impact of the prompts on the students’ motivations for writing essays. Writing samples, surveys and observations comprised the data. Teacher-participants and instructional leaders reflected on the data with the …

Exploring An Organization Skills Intervention For Improving Executive Functioning Skills Within A Gifted Population: An Action Research Study, Lynn Gee

Theses and Dissertations

Exploring an Organization Skills Intervention for Improving Executive Functioning Skills within a Gifted Population: An Action Research Study examines the impact of providing gifted and talented (GT) middle level students at Ford Middle Academy (FMA), with an instructional program called Homework, Organization, and Planning Skills (HOPS) that was designed as an intervention to teach organizational, planning, and time management skills. The identified problem of practice at this school involved the lack of an instructional program to enhance organizational and study skills at the middle school level. The participant-researcher wondered if the HOPS program would be an effective program to use …

Challenging Standard Grading Practices: A Qualitative Action Research Study, Brian Andrew Timmons

Theses and Dissertations

The present qualitative Action Research study was conducted to determine students’ perceptions of current teacher grading practices and how a standards-based grading (SBG) report card affected secondary students’ perceptions and understanding of grade fairness and accuracy compared to a standard report card, which reports a single grade that often combines academic achievement with behaviors, attendance, homework completion, deadlines and the like. At the end of the first four-and-a-half week grading period of the fall 2016 semester, a group of tenth-grade English II Honors students were presented with two different report cards, one that utilized a single numerical average and one …

The Response Of Ells To Task-Based Instruction Within An Inclusion Classroom, Sarah E. Bularzik

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study describes the influence of task-based instruction on English Language Learner (ELL) motivation in a seventh grade inclusion classroom. This research study was grounded in a theoretical framework that involved inclusion education, ELLs, task-based instruction (Willis, 1996), and the ARCS Model of Motivation (Keller, 2008). This action research study employed a convergent parallel mixed methods design to explore the following research question: What is the influence of task-based instruction on ELL student motivation in a grade seven English Language Arts (ELA) inclusion classroom? The participants in this study included 5 ELL students and 10 Native English Speakers …

Determining Worth: Cell Phones And Their Perceived Place In Secondary Education Classrooms, Alex J. Hollis

Theses and Dissertations

Determining Worth: Cell Phones and their Perceived Place in Secondary Education Classrooms is an action research study that describes and evaluates educators’ perceptions of Personal Electronic Devices (PEDs), primarily smartphones, in secondary education classrooms at Jackson High School in Upstate South Carolina. The identified problem of practice that undergirds the present study involves a lack of consistency among secondary educators at this school as to how, when, and why PEDs are allowed for classroom use. The study explores these teacher-participants’ interests in and aversions to using PEDs as instructional tools and communication devices, and concurrently examines current instructional practices, school-level …

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 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 …

Curricula As Complements: Inclusive Content-Based Literature And The Goals Of Common Core In Secondary Students’ English Achievement, Sara Lott

Theses and Dissertations

The Common Core State Standards now suggest a 70% nonfiction, 30% fiction reading load for 6th to 12th grade students (Common Core State Standards Initiative, 2017). To satisfy this curricular push toward nonfiction, many secondary English teachers are shifting away from inclusive literature instruction to a more standardized English Language Arts (ELA) model based on Common Core’s five strands for ELA: reading informational text, reading literature, writing, language, and speaking and listening. This ideological and practical shift within secondary ELA has created a local-level problem of practice. Owing to Common Core’s relative silence on issues of diversity, shifts away from …

Medical Homebound Services: Assisting Students With Chronic Illnesses, Melissa Johnson Allgood

Theses and Dissertations

The present action research study examined a group of chronically ill students approved for medical homebound services at a suburban high school located in the southwestern part of South Carolina. Students who have received or are currently receiving homebound services ranging from ninth through twelfth grade along with their teachers and parents/guardians were the subjects of the research. Semi-structured interviews and existing documents provided the data for this research.

The study explored how chronic illnesses affected a group of high school students when they were absent from school as well as ways to improve assisting them through medical homebound services. …

The Impact Of Repeated Reading On The Comprehension Level Of Eight Eighth Grade Students At The Middle School Level, Elizabeth C. Dotson-Shupe

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of repeated reading on the comprehension level of eight 8th grade students. Incorporating an action research design, data was collected through utilizing a pretest and posttest, timed repeated readings, a reading semi-open ended questionnaire, a Likert-scale questionnaire, observation and the taking of field notes, and weekly assessments. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected for a total of eight weeks for a period of 20 minutes two times per week, each Tuesday and Wednesday morning. Participants were a combination of eighth-grade regular education and special education students, with the majority …

The Impact Of Self-Regulating Practice Strategies On The Achievement Perceptions Of Sixth-Grade String Orchestra Students, Anne Poe Matthews

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of self-regulating strategies on the musical achievement perceptions of 8 6th-grade students in a beginning orchestra class. For the purposes of the study, musical achievement was measured using two parameters: (a) student self-reports of improvement and ability to effectively use self-regulating strategies and (b) teacher observations ascertaining improved class performance and student use of self-regulating strategies. During the Fall 2016 semester, students received instruction during class on goal setting, monitoring, and evaluating strategies that they were to incorporate during self-directed practice. Data were collected during pre- and postinterviews conducted in …

Implementing The Constructed Scaffold Model: Hands-On Activity Units For Advanced Placement Calculus, Susan Scott

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present action research study is to describe a hands-on activity model, named the Constructed Scaffold Model (CSM), used in an Advanced Placement Calculus class in a southeastern United States suburban high school. Data were collected over an 8-week period during the spring 2017 semester. The teacher-researcher developed a pretest and posttest to describe the CSM’s impact on 10 student-participants in her Advanced Placement classroom. Repeated measures t-tests were used to determine the effect of the CSM on the student-participants’ test scores. Additional qualitative data were collected from field notes, student surveys, a focus group, and student …

A Virtual Learning System’S Impact On Student Achievement In A Secondary Biology College Preparatory Course; An Action Research Study, Jamie Ankney Whitlock

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was to describe the effectiveness of a virtual learning system (VLS) on college preparatory biology students’ pre- and posttest scores. Data were gathered from observations of students using the VLS for video lectures, practice tests, reviewing, and other online simulations in the spring of 2017. Data were also collected using a pretest and a posttest designed by the participant-researcher before and after the implementation of the VLS. A t test was used to analyze the pre- and posttest quantitative data, and the constant comparative method was used to analyze the qualitative data from …

The Impact Of Journal Writing On Students’ Understanding Of Rational Number Operations Of Eight Seventh Grade Students At Jackson Middle School, Amanda Marie Smoak

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of journal writing on eight seventh grade math students’ understanding of rational numbers in a public school in South Carolina. The literature on mathematical understanding and achievement suggests that students should be taught to write about their mathematical thinking to learn the concepts or reasons behind the procedure to consistently and accurately perform operations with rational numbers (Countryman, 1992; Anderson & Little, 2004; Borasi & Rose, 1989; Ganguli, 1989; Johanning, 2000; Lim & Pugalee, 2004; McCormick, 2010; McIntosh & Draper, 2001; Miller, 1991).

During the course of the study, participants …

The Impact Of Technology Integration On The Engagement Levels Of Ten Second Grade Students In An English Language Arts Classroom, Octavia J. Hamilton-Hankins

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study examined the way in which integrating technology into a second grade ELA classroom impacted levels of student engagement. Research investigated utilizing various technological tools to meet learning goals and objectives in the classroom, and determined the impact on student engagement as perceived by the students and classroom teacher. The study employed a mixed-methods approach of data collecting. The researcher collected and recorded data twice a week for six weeks. In order to identify and validate the study‘s findings, the researcher used field notes, interviews, questionnaires, and checklists as the data collection sources to measure student engagement. …

The Impact Of A Reflective Practice Series On The Awareness Level Of Six Teacher Candidates At A Public University In The Southeast, Lindsay M. Sturkie

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the impact of a Reflective Practice Series (RPS) on the awareness level of preservice teachers enrolled in a field experience course in a teacher education program at a university in the southeast United States. This study took place during the Fall 2016 semester with six participants, two early childhood majors, two elementary majors, and two middle level majors. Data were collected through pre- and post-questionnaires, course assignments, and field observations. The results revealed that the teacher candidates were able to make connections between theory and reflective teaching, had varying viewpoints about the process of reflection, and most …

The Impact Of One-To-One Ipad Instruction On Student Engagement, Sherri Herbst

Theses and Dissertations

The action research study describes the experiences of 14 elementary students using one-to-one (1:1) iPad instruction to engage in learning Spanish as a second language (L2). The student-participants used 1:1 iPads to learn Spanish over an 8 week unit of study. Data was comprised of scores from a student-participant engagement rubric scored by the teacher-participant before and after the study as well as summative structured surveys with student-participants to determine their perceptions of the iPad unit. Data were also collected in participant-researcher’s daily field notes and journal entries. Formative self-reflective journals were also kept by student-participants. Summative artifacts were collected …

Improving Scientific Literacy Through Reading Strategies: An Action Research Study, Myra L. Finneran

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative action research study is to examine a Scientific Reading Intervention Model (SRIM) with students enrolled in Honors Chemistry at a private high school in South Carolina. Students were given a pre-test prior to the intervention. The research took place over a six-week period in the spring of 2017. A teacher-participant worked with the researcher-participant to implement the intervention that consisted of three reading activities—pre-reading, during-reading, and post-reading. These three activities were designed to enable the low-level science readers to better comprehend their chemistry texts by activating prior knowledge with an anticipation guide, identifying key concepts …