Education Commons^™

Health-Related Fitness Knowledge Growth In Middle School Years: Individual- And School-Level Correlates, Xihe Zhu, Justin A. Haegele, Haichun Sun

Human Movement Sciences & Special Education Faculty Publications

Background: Health-related fitness knowledge (HRFK) has been an essential concept for many health and physical education programs. There has been limited understanding and longitudinal investigation on HRFK growth. This longitudinal study examined HRFK growth and its individual- and school-level correlates in middle school years under 1 curriculum condition: Five for Life.

Methods: Participants were 12,044 students from 47 middle schools. Data were collected at both individual/participant and school/institution levels. Individual-level variables included gender, grade, and HRFK test scores. School-level variables included percentage of students receiving free and reduced meals (FARM), student-to-faculty ratio for physical education, and school academic performance …

A Qualitative Study On Elementary School Principals’ Perspectives On How Leadership Practices Influence The Academic Achievement Of African American Male Students, Jamel Kimbro

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

School leaders are responsible for implementing effective strategies that improve African American male students’ academic and social performance. Hence, this study focused on the elementary African American male population and the influence school principals’ leadership practices have on African American male students’ academic achievement. This qualitative case study examined the perceived impact of 10 elementary school principals’ leadership practices on African American male students in the Southeastern United States. This study identified several key leadership practices and strategies that school leaders implemented towards African American male students to improve their ability to meet academic and behavioral expectations.

Defying The Odds: The Resilience Of African American Youth In The Face Of Differential Treatment In The Classroom, Frank R. Wood Jr.

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

In the education system, African American youth are confronted by deficit-based narratives of intellectual inferiority and defiance that inform teaching pedagogies, curricula, and classroom management strategies, such as school discipline practices. In light of available research documenting the deleterious effects of low expectations and treatment by teachers on the academic outcomes of African American youth, this body of knowledge also underscores the importance of racial socialization and positive perceptions of school bonding in safeguarding the academic achievement and success of African American youth. However, the lack of criminological inquiry into the complex associations between perceptions of differential treatment by teachers, …

Time For A Paradigm Shift In School Education?, Geoff N. Masters

Occasional Essays

The thesis of this essay is that the schooling paradigm is in need of review and that the answer may lie in a shift in how we think about teaching and learning. Under the prevailing paradigm, the role of teachers is to deliver the year-level curriculum to all students in a year level. This mismatch has unfortunate consequences for both teaching and learning. Currently, many students are not ready for their year-level curriculum because they lack prerequisite knowledge, skills and understandings. The basis for an alternative paradigm and a 'new normal' is presented. The essay addresses concerns raised about changes …

Scholar-Practitioners Of Color Challenge Normative Stem-M Practices Through Cultural Intuition And Student Narratives/Voices, Maria Reyes, Janet Rocha, Tamara Coronella, Lindsay Romasanta

Global Diversity and Inclusion Publications and Presentations

This symposium features four scholar-practitioners of color working across the STEM-Medicine (STEM-M) pipeline who are actively engaging their cultural intuition (Delgado Bernal, 1998) to create access to higher education by challenging dominant pathways, practices, and cultures related to college readiness/preparedness, success, persistence, and the workforce transition.

Session Objectives

• Challenge systemic barriers in diverse educational settings, such as deficit-frameworks and their associated normative practices
• Promote asset-based approaches and frameworks to achieve better equity, access, and opportunity for students of color in STEM-M pathways in K-16 settings
• Facilitate discussion with the audience on how they can replicate a similar approach of change …

Blended Learning's Impact On Student Performance And Engagement In A Middle School Language Arts Classroom, Claire Cole

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this action research project was to determine if blended learning instructional practices enhance students' understanding of the content being studied and increase student engagement in a 7th grade English language arts classroom. The research questions being studied as a result of these purposes include: Is there a positive correlation between using blended learning techniques with middle school students and students' proficiency of the Iowa Core standards? Does using blended learning methods correlate to increased student engagement? Participants of the study were three sections of 7th grade language arts students from the teacher researcher's school district of rural …

Examining The Convergent Validity Of The Wechsler Individual Achievement Test - Third Edition And The Woodcock-Johnson Iii Tests Of Achievement - Form A - Standard Battery, Trent Howard Walters

MSU Graduate Theses

The Wechsler Individual Achievement Test-Third Edition (WIAT-III) and the Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement (WJ III ACH) are two commercial standardized tests of academic achievement that are utilized in many settings, including educational, research, and clinical settings. Both measurements purport to measure academic achievement across a variety of curricular areas. Both instruments yield subtest and cluster or composite scores in the modes of percentile ranks, standard scores, stanines, normal curve equivalent scores, and age/grade equivalent scores. In the current study, similar subtest and composite or cluster standard scores were correlated to determine the degree of convergent validity between the two …

Undergraduate Biology Education Research Gordon Research Conference: A Meeting Report, Erin L. Dolan, Michelle Borrero, Kristine Callis-Duehl, Miranda M. Chen Musgrove, Joelyn De Lima, Isi Ero-Tolliver, Laci M. Gerhart, Emma Goodwin, Lindsey R. Hamilton, Meredith A. Henry, Jose Herrera, Bethany Huot, Stacey Kiser, Melissa E. Ko, Marcy E. Kravec, Mark Lee, Lisa B. Limeri, Melanie E. Peffer, Debra Pires, Juan S. Ramirez Lugo, Starlette M. Sharp, Nicole A. Suarez

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The 2019 Undergraduate Biology Education Research Gordon Research Conference (UBER GRC), titled “Achieving Widespread Improvement in Undergraduate Education,” brought together a diverse group of researchers and practitioners working to identify, promote, and understand widespread adoption of evidence-based teaching, learning, and success strategies in undergraduate biology. Graduate students and postdocs had the additional opportunity to present and discuss research during a Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) that preceded the GRC. This report provides a broad overview of the UBER GRC and GRS and highlights major themes that cut across invited talks, poster presentations, and informal discussions. Such themes include the importance of …

Socio-Emotional Learning As A Core Standard In Early Education: Producing Competent Adults, Talia Maras

University Honors Theses

A child’s foundational emotional proficiency is highly predictive of their academic success. It is therefore imperative that center-based, federally funded, public childhood education systems provide their students with a curriculum that facilitates the development of a strong socio-emotional baseline on which to build their cognitive, academic abilities. Drawing on government reports by the US Department of Education and empirical publications from an academic perspective, this paper reviews the nature of current efforts to reform the childhood education system, as seen through the implementation of the common core standards of learning. I review the quality of education that is provided by …

Trajectories, Time Windows, And Alternative Pathways Of Engagement: Motivational Resources Underlying Academic Development During Middle School, Heather Anne Brule

Dissertations and Theses

The middle school years are, in many ways, a key window for students' motivational development. Despite the numerous developmental gains that characterize early adolescence, levels of academic motivation tend to decline as students age, and show steeper drops during the transitions to middle school and to high school. Maintaining high levels of motivation during this period may be particularly important for students from marginalized groups who are at risk for even steeper motivational drops--and for whom academic motivation may be an especially critical resource for later success. Because academic motivation seems to stabilize after middle school, students' later success may …

Settler Colonial Curriculum In Carlisle Boarding School: A Historical And Personal Qualitative Research Study, Patrick Gerard Eagle Staff

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation research study brings together a historical account and one scholar's personal and family stories of how Indigenous children were stolen and sent to the first Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) boarding schools and tribal schools. In the case of the researcher's family, the educational experiences at Carlisle Indian Industrial School immediately started a traumatic assimilation process on Indigenous children that instilled generational trauma for them and their descendants. At these schools, Indigenous children were forced to conform to a foreign European school designed to abolish their Indigenous identity that demanded they give up their language and culture to …

Sense Of Belonging From A Distance: How Online Students Describe, Perceive, And Experience Belonging To The Institution, Marleigh Luster Perez

Dissertations and Theses

The availability and ease of access to online bachelor's degree programs has led to a dynamic shift in the world of higher education. While overall, there has been a decrease in student enrollments, distance student enrollment has been growing. According to a report by the Babson Survey Research Group, between the fall of 2012 and the fall of 2016 students pursuing higher education at all levels across degree-granting institutions fell by 3.8%. During the same four-year period, the percentage of those students choosing to take all or some of their courses at a distance increased from 25.9% to 29.7%. Among …

Utilizing The Growth Mindset To Boost Perseverance And Academic Achievement, Emily Anderson

Graduate Teacher Education

In order to be successful in academics and life, children must have a certain level of perseverance, or willingness to work through challenges. Without perseverance, a child may quickly give up or request assistance and, thus, stunt his or her learning and potential. Due to its important implications for success, it would be beneficial for educators to develop perseverance in their students. One method for building perseverance in children is by fostering a growth mindset. A growth mindset is a belief that traits, such as intelligence, are malleable, often through effort and perseverance. When fostered by educators, a growth mindset …

Health And Academic Achievement In College And University Students, Amber Beane

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this non-experimental quantitative correlational study was to investigate the relationship between academic achievement and health in a national sample of college students using quantitative data analysis. Specifically, the researcher analyzed the relationship between three health-promoting behaviors (physical activity, strength training, and fruit and vegetable consumption), three negative health behaviors (cigarette, e-cigarette, and opioid use) and obesity with GPA.

Cross-sectional data on student health collected from the American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment II (ACHA-NCHA-II) and completed by 426,650 college students from 650 U.S. colleges during the semesters between 2015 and 2019 formed the foundation for …

The Latin-American Laboratory For Assessment Of The Quality Of Education: Measuring And Comparing Educational Quality In Latin America, Australian Council For Educational Research

Assessment GEMS

The Laboratorio Latinoamericano de Evaluación de la Calidad de la Educación (Latin-American Laboratory for Assessment of the Quality of Education or LLECE) is the network of national systems for the assessment of education quality in Latin America, created in 1994, and coordinated by UNESCO’s Regional Bureau for Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (OREALC). LLECE’s purpose is to produce data and knowledge that inform educational policy in the region, contribute to capacity building, and serve as a forum for reflection, exchange and generation of new ideas and good practices in education evaluation. LLECE assessments aim to provide information about …

Effects Of Block Scheduling Vs Traditional Period Scheduling On The Academic Achievement Of Middle School Students, Katelyn Olsen

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The way school is structured plays a major role in the academic achievement of middle school students. Scheduling systems like block scheduling and traditional period scheduling have played major roles on how students throughout the world are making the transition from elementary school to high school. While the academic achievement of middle school students is based on a collection of things, this senior capstone research project will explore how block scheduling vs traditional period scheduling affect the academic achievement of middle school students. The purpose of this project is to see the answer to the best scheduling system for middle …

Short-Term Financial Confidence As A Predictor Of Academic Achievement And Six-Year Graduation Success Of First-Year Students., Shawna M. Clark

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the relationships among short-term financial confidence, academic achievement, six-year graduation success, and pre-college demographic characteristics for first-time, full-time, traditionally aged first-year students. The sample population was from a mid-sized Midwestern four-year degree granting university. These students were enrolled for the first time in Fall 2013 and participated in the survey used for data collection during that term. Examining the role of socioeconomic status and its relationship with short-term financial confidence was first addressed to provide a context for the other research questions. From this, the research question examined the predictive nature of pre-college demographic characteristics on short-term …

The Language Outcomes Of Hmong Dual-Language Immersion Program, Chao Vang

Doctorate in Education

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a K-12 Hmong dual-language immersion program on kindergarten through fifth-grade Hmong students’ academic performance in the category of reading Hmong and English. Moreover, the parents of those students were investigated concerning specific factors they used in choosing a dual-language immersion program for their child. Hmong bilingual students have different perspectives about their cultural identities, retaining the Hmong culture, and learning English when the Hmong language was used as the instructional language. It was also imperative to determine the most prevalent factor that parents consider when selecting a program with …

An Instrumental Case Study: Growth Mindset Instructional Best Practices For Learning Disabled Students, Brenda L. Cornell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem that drove this study was that students who struggle in school, especially those with a non-intelligence-based learning disability, suffer from a fixed mindset after years of feelings of failure in school. This mindset causes them to develop maladaptive approaches to learning that inhibit success. The purpose of this study was to describe the best practices of reading teachers who have a reputation for high student achievement and who adhere to a growth mindset in an effort to build a growth mindset culture with their students. This qualitative instrumental case study was conducted through interviews of eleven reading teachers/specialists …

The Influence Of Publicly Funded Preschool Programs In New Jersey Public School Districts On Student Achievement In Fourth Grade, Stephanie Elizabeth Kuchar

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This correlational, explanatory, cross-sectional study aimed to explain the influence of a school district having a publicly funded preschool program on English language arts and mathematics test results on the New Jersey Partnership for Assessment for Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) for fourth graders. The study aimed to provide research-based evidence on the influence of publicly funded preschool programs on a district. The study used focused on the thirty-five (35) New Jersey school districts that had public preschool programs in 2012. The study concluded that consistent student attendance was a significant factor in districts with preschool programs when it …

Academic Achievement And Development Of Self-Efficacy Of At-Risk Girls Through Mentoring Programs, Latriace Wicks-Williams

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

At-risk girls of color face a variety of challenges; even more when they are in an urban setting. Girls must gain the tools necessary to transition effectively into adulthood. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the effect participating in a mentoring program had on the academic achievement and self-efficacy of girls of color in an urban setting who have been identified as at-risk. The primary focus of the study was academic achievement and self-efficacy. These two traits have been identified as essential to the successful transition into adulthood. The population of this study is girls of …

Cultural Wealth And The Racialized Experiences Of Persisting Latinx Business Students In A Predominantly White Institution: A Study On Sense Of Belonging, Rebecca Sue Sanchez

Dissertations and Theses

The changing landscape of higher education calls for a shift in approach to ensure that all students are given not just the opportunity but also the environment in which to succeed. In order to facilitate the growing demand for a diverse workforce, universities must work to retain students and support them sufficiently as they move toward graduation. Student persistence rates from year one to year two show markedly different rates based on race and ethnicity with the lowest persistence rates associated with Latinx and Black students. National projections of college attendance by race and ethnicity predict that Latinx students will …

Amplifying Latinx Voice Through Interview Study: Highlighting Mathematics Identity As A Pathway To Student Self-Empowerment And Academic Agency, Brea Justine Cohen

Dissertations and Theses

Nationally, the percentage of high school students taking higher-level mathematics courses (beyond Algebra 2) has increased from the late 20th century to the present. However, as compared to White high school students enrolled in advanced math classes, the rate is lower among students of color, specifically students who identify as Latinx, African American, or Native American. My school district (a suburban district in the Northwestern United States) is working to address this problem by implementing several district-wide initiatives that focus on increasing students' engagement in mathematics, which focuses teacher pedagogy on leveraging mathematics communities to support collaborative mathematics dialogue. The …

The Influence And Predictability Of Socioeconomic Factors On The 2018 Parcc Middle School Ela Scores In New Jersey, Charlene Jones

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This quantitative study is nonexperimental, utilizing socioeconomic, community, and district data to determine what influence and level of accuracy of prediction is made on standardized testing in New Jersey. This study focuses on middle school students in Grades 6, 7, and 8 in New Jersey's traditional public schools. The study design is a quantitative correlational predictive study design. SES factors for each district were identified using both U.S. Census data and NJDOE district data. Independent variables include percentage of poverty, percentage of single-parent families, education level of parents, percentage of free and reduced price lunch. The dependent variables include: 2018 …

Effective Instructional Practices For Students With Mild Disabilities: Cognitive And Meta-Cognitive Strategies, Crystal Roberts, Andrea Scandrett, Jessika Washington

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

General Education Teachers, Special Education Teachers, and School Administrators will be able to gain information needed to support students suspected of or identified as experiencing learning disabilities. The presenters will discuss cognitive and meta-cognitive high leverage instructional practices that can be used to improve student engagement and academic achievement by strengthening executive functioning skills to enhance memory, attention and self-regulation.

Is The Setting Important?: A Systematic Review Of Academic Achievement In A Variety Of Educational Settings, Shannon Jeralds

Educational Specialist Scholarly Papers

Since the inception of Public Law 94-142, which we now know today as the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), in 1975, the question of how and where to educate students with disabilities has been constantly examined and re-examined. Students with disabilities have gone from being placed in an isolated area of the school (out of sight, out of mind) to being included in regular education classrooms and being expected to perform at the same level as students without disabilities. This has caused educators and researchers to wonder what is the best educational setting for students with disabilities to be educated, …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Factors Influencing Students’ Academic Performance In Online Courses: A Case Study, Autumn Reyes-Sokolowsky

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The problem at the center of this study was the fact that full-time virtual students often showed less learning gains than their traditional counterparts. The purpose of the study was to explore teachers’ perceptions of internal and external factors influencing students’ academic achievement in online courses. The central research question was: what factors do teachers perceive as a significant impact on online students’ success? A qualitative method with a case study design was adopted. Data were collected through individual teacher interviews and a focus group discussion in southeastern region of the United States. The results showed five significant themes: student …

Securing The Next Generation, Wu-Chang Feng, Robert Liebman, Ellie Harmon, Veronica Hotton, Michael Mooradian Lupro, Lois Delcambre

University Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Weak authentication practices that rely on passwords for security have led to widespread data breaches and successful phishing attacks. Recent advances in the cost and usability of hardware security tokens have made the prospect of effectively augmenting password-based authentication or removing it altogether a possibility. To actualize this, a paradigm change in how people learn to authenticate accounts on-line must occur. Towards this end, we describe a curriculum to teach high-school students the perils of passwords and a program to distribute hardware security tokens to them as they are first setting up their on-line presence in order to improve the …

Environmental Scan: Topical Areas To Inform A Future Review Of The Australian Professional Standards For Teachers, Kerry Elliott, Pru Mitchell, Hilary Hollingsworth, Charlotte Waters, Jenny Trevitt

Teaching standards and teacher evaluation

The brief was to conduct a broad sweep of literature that has surfaced since the publication of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers in 2011, and to consider how this literature could inform any future review of the standards. This multi-pronged scan method identified eleven topics that have increasingly influenced teachers' work over the past decade. The environmental scan report provides a critical review of current educational research and policy literature for each of the 11 topics. Findings provide a description of the topic, key sources, an outline of the changing landscape as it relates to teaching, examples of how …

How Teacher-Student Rapport Impacts Student Academics And Achievement, Ashley D. Mellgren

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the last 50 years of education, student behaviors have become an increasingly important topic. Behaviors are an outward expression of how students feel about themselves, their classroom, or their teachers. Teachers have power in how they can impact students and it all starts with a relationship and rapport. If teachers want students to care about what we are teaching, they must show an interest in them as people first. It is a cycle that promotes stronger interpersonal connections which leads to deeper academic engagement. Teacher-student relationships affect students academically but also as a whole person. Research suggests that when …