Education Commons^™

Experiential Learning Tools For 5th Grade Scientific Concepts, Megan Cramer

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The experiential learning theory (ELT) has been integrated in educational programs through wildlife conservation education, Human-Animal Interaction (HAI), and Equine Facilitated Learning (EFL). The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of different experiential learning tools, specifically animals and equine, on gaining knowledge through measuring the retention of 5th grade scientific concepts. Students attending the Institute of Wilderness Studies (IWS) at Pine Cove Camps in Central Texas were used to evaluate student knowledge through a quantitative assessment (n=142). Student knowledge was measured a total of three times using three assessments, one pretest and two posttests. Overall, the total …

Promoting Queer Competency Through An Experiential Framework, Thomas Killian, Reka Farago, Harvey C. Peters

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Many counselors report feeling under prepared to effectively work with queer persons. Arguably, this can be mitigated through early intervention within training programs. However, many counseling programs do not adequately prepare their students to work with queer persons. To eliminate this gap in training, this article combines endorsed counseling competencies and experiential learning as an approach to enhance counselor queer training and preparation. This approach primarily framed through the Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies, and further supported through the Competencies for Counseling with LGBQQIA Individuals, and the ALGBTIC Competencies for Counseling with Transgender Clients can create an encompassing curricula …

Effecting Epiphanous Change In Teacher Practice: A Teacher’S Autoethnography, Karen D. Barley Ms, Jane Southcott

The Qualitative Report

This study comprises of a series of autoethnographic vignettes stemming from Karen’s life experiences that provide a snapshot of her quest for equality and fairness in her personal life, as well as her professional life as a primary school and special education educator. Karen later became a teacher of teachers, keen to share what she had learned with her peers. It was when she began educating other teachers that she became even more self-reflective with the most poignant question being, what causes one to change their beliefs, attitude, or way of thinking? The included vignettes encapsulate significant stories, starting from …

The Impact Of Developing A Maker Mindset In An Interdisciplinary Fifth Grade Classroom, Jason Soltis, Tiffany Wells

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research studied the impact of having a maker mindset on a unit of study in art and coding classrooms. This study was conducted with two fifth grade classrooms in a rural kindergarten through eighth grade charter school. Two specialist teachers, one from Art and one from Coding conducted the research over the period of four lessons each. Pre- and post-surveys were administered as well as student journaling, exit slips, and a final project rubric. The study revealed that a targeted unit of study on the maker mindset positively affected learner attitudes in all of the 12 qualities that …

Effects Of Critical Reflection On University Students’ Cognitive Achievement In Agricultural Mechanization, Patterson P. Hilaire

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Experiential learning continues to play a vital role in agricultural education and mechanization laboratories (Shoulders & Myers, 2013). An essential component of experiential learning is critical reflection. Critical reflection helps students process and construct meaning from laboratory experiences. A study conducted by Shoulders and Myers (2013) revealed that only 15.4% of the agricultural educators the researchers interviewed incorporated reflective practices laboratory experiences. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of critical reflection on students’ achievement following five agricultural mechanization laboratory activities. The results from this study revealed that critical reflection had a consistently positive effect on immediate …

College To Career Transitions: Understanding Experiential Learning Opportunities Offered Through Business Incubators, Luanne Kelly Mayorga

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The transition from college to careers has remained relatively consistent for decades. This is no longer the case as numerous external factors, such as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, technological advancements, and changing workforce needs, are simultaneously at play. In addition, higher education institutions across the United States are facing numerous challenges, such as unprecedented access to a college education, funding allocations, and students simultaneously working while attending college. These are just a few of the items which are complicating this transition and are influential factors in this discussion.

A college degree has become an entry point for many professional careers, …

An Assessment Of The Methods Used To Teach Content Skill Sets Required For The Introduction To Agriculture, Food, And Natural Resource Course, Lee I. Wright

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Numerous studies have shown that students learn best when theory is applied to hands-on experiences. Traditionally, vocational agriculture, which evolved into agricultural education, has incorporated hands-on learning. For example, students typically raise livestock and crops as part of supervised agricultural experiences; learn to use chain saws, tractors, hay rakes, balers and other equipment found on farms; and basic metal working skills. They also sample soil and water to test for mineral levels and types of pollution that might affect agricultural practices. The purpose of this study, which incorporates a survey of agricultural education teachers in West Virginia, is to determine …

Educational Technology Use In Neurodiagnostic Clinical Skills Training, Margaret Ann Marsh-Nation

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The current shortage of clinical sites for neurodiagnostic technology (NDT) students is limiting enrollments and subsequently limiting graduates from NDT schools in the U.S. A lack of knowledge or consensus concerning the use of educational technology in NDT clinical skills training prompted this investigation. The purpose of this study was to explore the use of educational technology in providing NDT clinical skill training. This qualitative Delphi study was guided by experiential learning theory and cognitive constructionist epistemology. Thirty expert panelists were recruited to rate the effectiveness of educational technology methods in addressing neurodiagnostic competencies for electroencephalography. Twenty-four completed round one, …

Experiential Learning Best Practices And Successes In The K-8 Classroom, Asia Sierra Paulus

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper aims to analyze the best learning practices and success stories of experiential learning in the K-8 classroom. Experiential Learning is explained through research done in the K-8 classroom. Research is analyzed showing how experiential learning has helped students be successful academically. How to incorporate experiential learning practically into the classroom is explained. How teachers can bring this type of learning into their classroom daily is discussed with provided ideas. Success stories are analyzed for best practices and proof of experiential learning working. The success stories show what experiential learning can do for all students. Hands on experiential activities …

Impact Of English Language Teachers' Technology-Based Pedagogical Choices On Japanese University Students, Robert John Mcclung

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Recent literature suggests that communicative language tasks widely used by English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers to try and improve Japanese students’ learning have had little effect on improving their language ability and their intrinsic motivation to improve. Consequently, a number of teachers are now using interactive technology in the classroom although it has not been systematically implemented or widely studied. Understanding the approaches of successful EFL teachers—specifically, how teachers using an andragogic approach through experiential learning might affect student engagement—was the purpose of this qualitative study. The conceptual framework focused on student-centered learning and included Knowles’s theory of …

Visualizing The Future: Work-Integrated Learning And The Psychosocial And Professional Development Of Undergraduates, Scott Weldon Kilpatrick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the following central research question: What experiences enhance the psychosocial development (as defined by Chickering & Reisser [1993]) and professional development of students that participate in work-integrated learning programs? Specifically, this study also explored the following sub-questions: (a) how does participation in work-integrated learning support the development of personal and/or professional identity, and (b) how do undergraduate students perceive their growth and preparation for careers as a result of their work-integrated learning experiences?

Exploring Influences And Using Intentionality To Develop Work-Based Learning Opportunities: A Faculty Perspective, Lauren Mccrary

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

Understanding the practical implications related to experiential learning is complex. It is important to first view experiential learning as an umbrella term under which work-based learning (WBL) is housed. To further particularize, there are different avenues for students to pursue work-based learning opportunities (WBLOs), with internships and cooperative education being two. Although these are not new learning environments, understanding and clearly defining them (to both internal and external bodies) is increasingly necessary. In Kentucky, WBLOs are part of the political discourse on postsecondary education. The Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) and local economic development agencies have incorporated strengthening and growing …

Examining The Impact Of Undergraduate Study Abroad On Early Career Outcomes: A Mixed Methods Approach, Noah Goldblatt

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

This study examines impact of study abroad on early career outcomes at a professionally-focused northeastern private college. A mixed-methods sequential research design provides a thorough inquiry into the influence of study abroad on early career outcomes at this institution. In the first, quantitative phase of the study, The National Organization of College and Employer’s (NACE) First-Destination Survey data is analyzed to assess whether a study abroad experience has an impact on career outcomes. The quantitative results compare career outcomes for 2014, 2015, and 2016 graduates who have studied abroad (n = 523) and those who did not study abroad (n …