Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

Writing For An Authentic Audience In The Middle Grades, Emily Huffman

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research study investigated the effects of writing for an authentic audience on the achievement and engagement of students in a school in Southern California. The participants were 79 8th graders, split into an experimental group of 40 that wrote a review with the opportunity to be published in The New York Times, and a control group of 39 students that wrote a review for the teacher to read and grade.

Growing Motivation And Learning For The Middle School Student Through Reassessment Practices, Payton Ponstein

Master of Education Program Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore the best reassessment practices, in a middle school setting, that would nurture a learning and motivating classroom environment. The research questions sought to discover the best reassessment practices in middle school and how do these practices increase a middle school student’s ability and motivation to re-learn. Forty-eight middle school students in the 7th and 8th grade were surveyed to assess the effectiveness of each reassessment practice. Furthermore, interviews with four students were conducted for a more in-depth exploration of student learning and motivation. Statistical significance was found in the quantitative data indicating …

Blended Learning And Math Growth: Investigating The Role Of Ixl Math In The Growth Of 5th Grade Students’ Math Fluency Scores, Dan Van Ruler

Master of Education Program Theses

Because of an increase in usage of online adaptive technology in the classroom replacing much of the paper and pencil work previously given as math homework, this study was designed to compare the growth rates in MAPS (Measurement of Academic Progress) math scores between a control group of 5th grade students who did not have access to online practice and a treatment group of students who were assigned online practice throughout the school year. If growth rates were greater in the treatment group, this study could support the movement of decreasing the amount of traditional homework and implementing more online …

Childhood Fitness And Academic Achievement: An Exploration Into The Effect Of Physical Fitness Scores On Academic Assessment Tests, Kevin Vanderwal

Master of Education Program Theses

This research study examines the correlation between the effects of physical fitness scores on academic assessment tests. The study examines students’ PACER scores and what impact that causes with the MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) test. The study included a sample of 147 students from a large Midwestern elementary school of fifth graders. The study found that PACER scores seems to have a positive relationship with students’ MAP scores; that improving on the PACER does not show significant gains to show a connection between the two variables; that high BMI scores can indicate lower MAP scores and that lower BMI …

Relationship Between Parenting Styles And Mathematics Achievement, Laura Kramer

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research project examined the relationship between parenting styles and mathematics achievement for middle school students at a small Christian school in the Midwestern United States. The participants were 22 fifth through eighth grade students and their parents. Students and their parents completed surveys measuring the parenting dimensions of demandingness and responsiveness, which were used to determine the overall parenting style in the home. Parenting styles determined by the surveys were compared to mathematics scores from the students’ most recent achievement test. The study results indicate that an authoritative parenting style does not necessarily correlate with higher mathematics achievement …

Parent Involvement In The Middle School, Stephanie Walhof

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research project investigated the effects of parental involvement on the education of middle school students. Parents and teachers at Sioux Center Middle School were surveyed on how they viewed the potential impact of parental involvement on student achievement. Parents and teachers were also asked about barriers that might prevent involvement and best practices that would capitalize on effective parental involvement. The results of the survey confirmed that teachers and parents see parental involvement as important for student achievement. Few barriers were noted as inhibiting parental involvement. The best practice of parent-teacher conferences was noted as the most effective …

Physical Activity And Time-On-Task, Lisa Mouw

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research project explored the effects of physical activity to time-on-task. The participants in this study were 24 sixth grade students in a language arts classroom at a PK-8 Christian elementary school in the mid-western states. Students were observed to determine time-on-task for the first twenty-five minutes of class. A no-treatment period was observed in order to create a baseline, followed by a treatment period to demonstrate any increase or decrease in overall time-on-task. Three-minute activity breaks were implemented at the beginning of the class time during the treatment period. These breaks included a combination of cardio- and skill-based …

Self-Assessment In The Middle School Science Classroom, Stephanie Tanis

Master of Education Program Theses

Teachers using self-assessment in classrooms understand its vital role in a student’s ability to understand their own learning. The diversity of the student learners requires a diversity of assessment strategies. Specifically, in an inquiry-based science classroom, students must be able to identify their current skills and their areas of growth. The implementation of self-assessment strategies helps students to set goals and achieve them. The goal of the researcher in this study was to determine if self-assessment strategies are effective in the middle school science classroom and to determine if such strategies provide evidence supporting the growth of student achievement. Through …

Sifting Through The Cultural Dust: A Pre-Transformational Activity, Robert Duiker

Master of Education Program Theses

Technologically mediated communication which has flooded the worlds of North American people with information brings with it an increasing uncertainty about the reliability of this information. This flood of information delivers worldview and culture, completely unsorted, in very small increments to the hearts and minds of young people who are students in Christian schools. These small increments we call cultural dust. This study identifies technology, and specifically mass media and computer mediated communication, as a factor that has contributed to accelerated cultural change in the lives of students who attend Christian schools. Data collected through this action research project provides …

Middle School Reading: From Reluctant To Strategic Reader, Amy S. Groetsema

Master of Education Program Theses

Research shows that student attitudes towards school reading declines dramatically as students reach upper elementary grades (Mckenna, 1995), yet as these students reach middle school and high school they will be faced with increasing demands to be critical readers. Reluctant middle school readers must have reading experiences that are successful in order to change their attitudes towards reading. Reading teachers must equip their middle level students to be strategic readers in order to be prepared for the critical reading and thinking demands of middle school and high school. This means that reading instruction must be organized in a way that …

Read Aloud Effectiveness On Comprehension And Attitude In Junior High Social Studies Classroom, Randy L. Hilbelink

Master of Education Program Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine if reading aloud to eighth-grade students would have a more beneficial effect on students in the areas of comprehension and attitudes toward reading in comparison to students reading to themselves. Forty-one eighth-grade students in two separate classrooms were involved ina literature-based social studies unit. During a three-week time period one class had the historical novel Johnny Tremain read aloud to them while the other group read the same novel to themselves. Three comprehension quizzes were given as well as a pre-test and post-test using Estes Scale to Measure Attitudes Toward Reading.

The …

Effects Of A Peer-Influenced Goal Setting Strategy On Internal Locus Of Control, Tim Antonides

Master of Education Program Theses

Enabling children to take ownership of their learning is an ever-present challenge to educators. This study examined the effects of a six-month goal-setting strategy used with grade five students in a suburban, Christian middle school. Students were required to set three monthly goals and to describe how successfully these goals had been attained. In addition, the participants were asked to orally share their progress with their peers each month. The effects of this strategy on internal locus of control were monitored using the Nowicki-Strickland Control Scale for Children. Results of the study indicated no statistical correlation between the strategy and …

Effects Of Keyboarding Skills On The Quality Of Writing Using A Word Processor For Composing, Jon S. Kroeze

Master of Education Program Theses

This study investigated the influence of keyboarding proficiency on writing quality. The participants were seventeen fifth graders in a small private school. One sample group participated in formal keyboarding instruction for seven weeks. The other sample group used the computers for the same seven week period but with other programs not related to improving keyboarding proficiency. Keyboarding tests were taken as a pre-test and post-test. Writing samples were taken as a pre-test and post-test and scored holistically. An analysis of the keyboarding pre-test and post-tests suggested that a significant improvement in keyboarding skills had developed for the group given formal …