Education Commons^™

Playing To Grow. Roundtable Interview On Games, Education, And Character, Owen Gottlieb, Matthew Farber, Paul Darvasi

Articles

In this roundtable interview moderated by Paul Darvasi, lecturer at the University of Toronto and co-founder of Gold Bug Interactive, Owen Gottlieb and Matthew Farber discuss research and practice at the intersection of religion, character education, and games in schools. Gottlieb is an associate professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology, founder and lead faculty at the Initiative in Religion, Culture, and Policy at the MAGIC center, and founder and director of the Interaction, Media, and Learning Lab at RIT, where he specializes in interactive media, learning, religion, and culture. Farber is an associate professor of educational technology and coordinator …

Role Playing Gamification In The Science Classroom, Timothy Normandt

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Invented in 1972, Dungeons & Dragons was a brand new way to play games—utilizing the strongest computer humans have ever conceived: the human brain. This project strives to categorize some of the techniques used in the classroom as role playing in their own right. The purpose of all gamification, role playing and SEL, and the satanic panic that came out against Dungeons & Dragons are looked at. This paper additionally looks at some examples of role playing in the classroom that have succeeded at a small charter school in Minneapolis. These findings underscore the equity achieved by allowing for student …

Supporting Multicultural Mental Health With Culturally And Linguistically Relevant Practices, Codi Shogren

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Teaching through the COVID-19 pandemic as an English teacher to elementary school learners highlighted many mental health needs for learners that were amplified even more once everyone was back in school full time. My fellow educators and I have been surviving and reacting to mental health needs and behaviors as they pop up during the school year but that is neither a long term solution nor does it provide the needed support to learners. These experiences in the classroom led to the question: How can elementary educators support multicultural learners with their mental health? After researching culturally and linguistically responsive …

Animal Assisted Environmental Education Program Design: The Environmental Learning Farm, Kellie Soronen

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Research has shown that by including animals in therapeutic and educational experiences progress can be made in improving the quality of our education and the quality of our lives. This project focused on filling a gap seen in Minnesota’s environmental education programs. There are many environmental learning centers in Minnesota and many different animal assisted therapy programs focusing on physical, mental and emotional health, but there is not a program that is dedicated to bringing our domesticated animals into the curriculum in environmental education. The Environmental Learning Farm is an theoretical and experimental project that could bridge the gap that …

Observing The Impact Of Environmental Science Exploration And Discovery On The Social-Emotional Learning Of 2nd Grade Students, Laura Sammis

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The guiding question in this study was, how do outdoor science exploration and discovery impact the social-emotional learning of 2nd grade students. This study documents the author’s development, facilitation and analysis of a 3-week science unit that included an increase of time spent outdoors. This study was conducted in an observational and descriptive qualitative manner that used the researcher’s real-time observations, reflections and student surveys. The author utilized research literature to develop meaning and understanding of the concepts to support the importance of the study. The author describes the study in terms of successes and limitations. The study concludes that …

Internalizing Character Education Through Javanese Traditional Dance To Realize Child-Friendly School, Siti Supeni, Setyasih Harini

Jurnal Civics: Media Kajian Kewarganegaraan

The aims of the research are to (1) identify character education in various Javanese traditional dance, (2) to analyze the needs, output, problems, and learning objectives of child-friendly schools (CFS) in implementing character education based on regional dance, and (3) to identify types of Javanese traditional dance values. The methods of collecting the data used literary studies, interviews, surveys, observations, and documentation. In analyzing the data, the researchers employed Research & Development model. Model of regional cultural development based on character education is supported through a psychological, educative, and socio-cultural approach, with qualitative descriptive analysis implemented in 2020. The research …

Identifying Schools As Caring Communities: Teacher Perceptions About Character Education, Jasmine Johnson

Faculty Works

This study quantified teacher perceptions and their observations of school community interactive attachments. Observed attachments through teacher perceptions classified school communities as caring. Elementary school teachers in the southern United States districts volunteered, in order to determine the significance of school-based taught or learned character education principles in comparison with caring attachments. Data were collected using the Caring Community Profile – II questionnaire, which measures the participants’ attitudes by the extent to which they agree or disagree with a statement. The results clarified the significance of character education programs that identify school communities as caring.

Additionally, the findings answered the …

Book Choices Of Girls During The Transition To Middle School: Empowerment Through Reading, Ilona Poole

Human Development and Family Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this project was to fill a research gap on the reading interest of early adolescent girls and to reveal whether the books these students are reading feature strong female leads. The literature review suggests that the transition to middle school is often a challenging and critical time for children, particularly for females. It also reveals the importance of book reading and relatable and strong girl characters to guide female students. These students can learn from the actions of the protagonist through character education. Based on this information, an online pilot survey was distributed to 4^th and …

Social-Emotional Learning Integration Into Language Arts Classrooms, Claire Johnas

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Growing up is hard. Not many people are interested in reliving their adolescent years. One way that school professionals can support students during adolescence is through meeting their social and emotional needs so that they may be successful academically. This led to the question, How can social-emotional learning be authentically integrated into the middle school language arts classroom? To assist in answering this question, expert research was explored and examined around six topics— teacher preparation and professional development, use of social-emotional learning in middle schools and in English- language arts classrooms, other various social-emotional activities, assessments, and parent involvement and …

Effective And Engaging Ways Of Teaching The Civil Rights Movement To K-2 Students By Sarah Westad, Sarah Westad

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed in this project is, what are the most effective and engaging ways to teach K-2 students about the Civil Rights Movement while fostering meaningful connections to history? It documents the research and creation of a curriculum unit discussing the Civil Rights Movement as it existed in the past as well as in the 21st century. The curriculum unit developed in this capstone covers eleven instructional days beginning with slavery and ending with current events discussions. The capstone chapters address issues like master narrative myths, incorporating student experiences and interest, and research based practices. It looks at …

The Effects Of Character Education Programs On School Climate And Student Discipline In Grades 6-8 Through The Eyes Of Substitute Teachers, Javier Lozano

Dissertations

This research study used surveys and one on one interviews conducted with substitute teachers to investigate whether character education programs in a middle school setting can be observed having a noticeable impact on school culture and climate. The study observed findings through the lens and perspectives of substitute teachers to see if guest teachers reported a significant difference in their experience between schools of character versus schools that did not practice character initiatives. The study investigated this Research Question through exploring four topics: 1) how substitute teachers described schools that are actively involved in character education versus those schools that …

Teacher’S Self-Efficacy For Teaching Character Education, Alana K. Ribble

Selected Honors Theses

Character education is an important part of school curriculum, but it is not always taught intentionally. This thesis outlines the benefits of character education, the various character education curriculums, and teacher’s self-efficacy for teaching character education. The study was conducted in Lakeland, Florida through an online survey. Participants were first year teachers and current student teachers. Each teacher answered questions regarding their confidence teaching various character traits. Teachers agreed that the most difficult part about teaching character education is helping students understand the importance of their values in their individual lives. Overall, respect and responsibility were the character traits that …

The Effectiveness Of The Preventive System Approach Through The Lens Of Character Education: An Exploratory Case Study Of A Youth Delinquency Camp In South Korea, Mankeun Yoon

Doctoral Dissertations

Juvenile delinquency is deemed a worldwide issue. Despite efforts to remediate, it persists. This study employs a case study methodology to examine the principles, implementation, and perceived impact of a Salesian youth development approach, the Preventive System, on youth delinquency in a Salesian youth Center in South Korea. The study yields three main findings regarding the practice and the effects of the Preventive System. First, this study found that structural elements revealed in the facility, such as reason, religion, and loving-kindness, implemented through assistance and familiarity, were core to the practice. Second, the study revealed that more than through training, …

Analisis Model Pembelajaran Berbasis Pendidikan Karakter Untuk Membentuk Karakter Siswa, Dada Suhaida, Fadillah Syarifah

Jurnal Civics: Media Kajian Kewarganegaraan

Pembelajaran Pendidikan Pancasila dan Kewarganegaraan (PPKn) merupakan mata pelajaran yang memfokuskan pada pembentukan karakter siswa untuk menjadi warga negara yang cerdas, terampil dan berkarakter yang diamanatkan oleh Pancasila dan UUD 1945. Tujuan untuk membangun karakter siswa tentunya tidaklah mudah, oleh karena itu diperlukan suatu upaya yang berkesinambungan dalam pembelajaran PPKn. Salah satu upaya yang perlu dilakukan adalah mengembangkan model-model pembelajaran yang berbasis pendidikan karakter untuk membangun karakter positif siswa dalam pembelajaran PPKn. Hasil analisis yang dilakukan memperoleh gambaran bahwa karakter positif siswa dapat dibentuk melalui penerapan model-model pembelajaran yang inovatif dalam pembelajara PPKn. Hasil analisis tersebut selanjutnya dapat digunakan dalam …

Model Desain Pendidikan Kewarganegaraan Di Era Media Digital Sebagai Pendukung Implementasi Pendidikan Karakter, Anita Trisiana, Sugiaryo Sugiaryo, Rispantyo Rispantyo

Jurnal Civics: Media Kajian Kewarganegaraan

Tujuan penelitian ini adalah sebagai berikut: ditemukan sebuah desain Model Pembelajaran Pendidikan Kewarganegaraan di Era media digital sebagai pendukung Implementasi pendidikan karakter. Metode penelitian menggunakan penelitian dan pengembangan (Research and Development (R&D), yaitu suatu metode penelitian yang digunakan untuk menghasilkan produk tertentu dan menguji validitas dan keefektifan produk. Penelitian ini menggunakan model pengembangan prosedural. Prosedur dalam penelitian ini mengadaptasi model ADDIE (Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, Evaluation). Sampel dalam penelitian ini, melibatkan Perguruan Negeri Negeri dan Swasta di Jawa Tengah. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan sebagai berikut: pertama Analisis yaitu melakukan analisis kebutuhan, mengidentifikasi masalah (kebutuhan), dan melakukan analisis tugas. Kedua, …

Social-Emotional Learning For The Alternative High School, Lindsay A. Bednar

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The purpose of this capstone is to provide social-emotional learning (SEL) strategies for educational professionals to use with high-school students in the alternative high school. Included in this capstone is a detailed description of SEL as well as an analysis of the need for SEL offering in alternative high schools. The project provides three succinct strategies that educators and professionals can implement within an alternative education setting to best support the high needs of their students. Adapted from Nancy Hellander Pung’s UpCoaching framework, the three strategies focus on deepening questions that allow students to realize their values, their intentions, and …

How To Build A Classroom Community Of Caring, Self-Directed Learners Through The Use Of Morning Meeting In The First Ten Days Of School And Beyond, Andi Jo Zimmerman

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Research has demonstrated that creating a child-centered classroom and implementing the Responsive Classroom Morning Meeting is integral to creating a classroom community. The curriculum designed for this project focuses on using Roxanne Kriete’s “The Morning Meeting Book” and other theories of co-operative learning to create a framework of a Morning Meeting to create a classroom community of self-directed learners. The project involved creating a diverse curriculum that engages students with classmates and their own learning through activities that expose them to both social and emotional skills and strategies but also academic skills, in an atmosphere that is non-threatening. The curriculum …

Improving Attention And Emotional Regulation For Middle School Students Through The Use Of Mindfulness Practices, Sean Mattner

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Mattner, S. Improving Attention and Emotional Regulation for Middle School Students Through the Use of Mindfulness Practices. (2019) Research has demonstrated that establishing a mindfulness practice has a range of mental, emotional, social, and educational benefits. The curriculum designed for this project focuses on using mindfulness techniques for 6th-8th grade students to improve attention, concentration, and emotional regulation. Mindfulness practices have been implemented in a number of settings, from hospitals to work environments for decades, but implementing it within the classroom, especially for children, is limited. The project involved creating a diverse curriculum that engages students with mindfulness through activities …

A Necessity For Social And Emotional Learning In Kindergarten The Teaching Of Self-Regulation Through Literacy, Kirsten M. Pinkerton

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed in this capstone project was: How can kindergarten teachers begin the year using a text set to teach the social and emotional learning skill of self-regulation? This capstone project was identified through the author’s experience observing many kindergarten students struggling to positively interact with their peers due to ill-developed social and emotional skills. The Self-regulation Text Set Unit lesson plans designed for this capstone project incorporate the teaching of social and emotional learning skills through literacy instruction. This project developed a text set unit with 13 lesson plans and accompanying texts to be used by kindergarten …

Ethics Of Care In Action: A Review After Its 30 Years Of Establishment, Shima Rostami

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

Using a narrow sample in his study of moral development, Lawrence Kohlberg in developing his theory of Ethics of Justice defined the “moral as the realm of abstract universal principles formulated by disembodied subjects” (Hekman, 2013, p. 101). Kohlberg resulted that women’s level of what is ethically normal is less than what is in men. Consequently, “more often influenced in their judgments by their feeling, women show less sense of justice than men” (Freud, 1925, pp. 257-258). To challenge Kohlberg’s Ethics of Justice, in 1982 In a Different Voice, Carol Gilligan shifted the voice of moral psychology by pointing …

Leading A National School Of Character Through The Lens Of Organizational Change, Mark R. Chapin

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand the role of the principal and the role of the change recipient in the organizational change process specific to the implementation of effective character education. The study utilized a constructivist grounded theory approach in conducting research and formulating a conclusion. Respondents included eight middle school principals from across the United States who led a National School of Character in the past three years. Transferability and credibility were enhanced through the participation of the researcher in a bracketing interview to identify potential biases, double coding by an outside analyst of the regular interviews, …

Working-Class Graduates’ Perceptions Of The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective Teens Training And Its Impact On Their Life Choices And Future Success, Andrew Kenneth Ashley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine working-class graduates’ perceptions of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens training. This purpose was accomplished through a qualitative analysis of data. The data was collected from interviews of graduates and teachers. Following the coding process, graduate data was then reduced to the following categories: social awareness, relationship development, teamwork, communication skills, empathy, self-awareness, and self-confidence which created the themes of interpersonal skills and intrapersonal skills. Four additional graduate themes were created from decision-making data: weighing pros and cons, prioritizing outcomes, thinking long-term, and real-life applications. Additional graduate data was provided …

Secondary Teachers Should Expose Rural Readers To Books That Are Culturally Different Than The Student's Personal Choice, Sarah Roiger

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This capstone addresses the research question, “How can secondary teachers expose rural readers to books that are culturally different than the student’s personal choice?” It documents one teacher’s creation of a book club that allows students a chance to read various novels that portray cultures that differ from the rural culture. It integrates differentiation of choice novels, reflections, and character comparisons. The author documents research from the literature review based on rural influence and motivation, classroom culture, and censorship by schools, parents, and librarians. This project includes the lists of books to use, the step-by-step layout, and the character comparison …

Movement And Mindfulness In The Kindergarten Classroom, Kylie Rosenthal

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed in this project was: How will intentional movement and mindfulness opportunities in a kindergarten classroom impact the classroom environment, student behavior, and student achievement? The stress, emotional and behavioral management, self-regulation skills, and mental health of the students in her classroom led the author to research topics of the brain and movement, classroom environment and student wellbeing, the effects movement has on student achievement, examples of schools implementing movement and mindfulness, and yoga and mindfulness programs and curriculums. The research showed that movement and mindfulness provide many benefits to students’ emotional wellbeing, behavior, regulation, and academic …

Using Multicultural Literature To Teach Grammar To English Learners, Laura Anderson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed in this project was, What are the implications for using multicultural literature as mentor texts to teach academic English language grammar structures in an elementary setting? The author describes her past personal and professional experiences as a student and teacher that led her to developing this research question. Then, the author reviews professional literature on the topics of multicultural literature, best practices in teaching ESL, and culturally responsive teaching to connect each topic to the research focus. Next, the author describes the project, which is a curricular unit of ten lessons teaching prepositions to second grade …

Using Classcraft As A Positive Behavioral Intervention Strategy In The Classroom, Renae Otto

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed in this project was, how does Classcraft, a positive behavioral intervention strategy, increase student motivation in the classroom? It chronicles a teacher’s creation of a professional development plan and professional development presentation to integrate Classcraft into a positive behavioral intervention system (PBIS) classroom. The author uses related research literature in the areas of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, social and emotional learning, generation z students, and gamification in the classroom. In this study it is found that combining PBIS and Classcraft will allow teachers to foster the development of positive behaviors in the classroom. Classcraft can be …

How The Leadership Of A Character Development Curriculum Effects The Standardized Test Scores Among 3rd Grade Students, Bonnie Sypolt

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this non-experimental causal-comparative study sought to determine if character development curriculum directly impacted student success, specifically in the area of academics through standardized test scores. Many articles presented an explanation regarding the need for character development curriculum, but very little research has been done regarding the positive academic impact on standardized test scores. By utilizing a quantitative design, standardized test scores for 168 students in third grade were collected from one school district and analyzed to determine a difference between scores in Language Arts and Math through the statistical MANOVA test. The standardized test scores for the …

How To Use An Advisory Period To Cultivate High School Students’ Social And Emotional Growth, Elizabeth Lundquist

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This capstone paper and project addressed the research question: How can high school teachers cultivate students’ social and emotional growth during an advisory period in order to promote positive behavior and increase overall student achievement? Social and emotional learning is established as a critical component of overall positive youth development. The author’s literature review examined the impact strong social and emotional skills can have on individual behavior, classroom community, school climate, and academic achievement. Her research also focused on the unique opportunity an advisory period provides as a time and place through which every student may receive instruction and additional …

Involvement In Extracurricular Activities And Overall High School Experience: Academics, School Belonging, And Career/College Readiness, Michael Richards

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed in this project was to find out if there is a connection between extra-curricular (EC) activities and high school belonging, academics, and college/career readiness that makes school a more positive experience overall. The primary focus of this project was on finding if there is a positive impact on involvement in EC activities with regard to school belonging and college/career readiness along with higher achieving academics. An online survey was administered to the student body and there were individual interviews conducted. Along with analyzing literature, the researcher looks into his background of EC activities and how it …

Involvement In Extracurricular Activities And Overall High School Experience: Academics, School Belonging, And Career/College Readiness, Mike Richards

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this project was to find out if there is a connection between extra-curricular (EC) activities and high school belonging, academics, and college/career readiness that makes school a more positive experience overall. The primary focus of this project was on finding if there is a positive impact on involvement in EC activities with regard to school belonging and college/career readiness along with higher achieving academics. An online survey was administered to the student body and there were individual interviews conducted. Along with analyzing literature, the researcher looks into his background of EC activities and how it …