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Educational Methods

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

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Homework Perpetuating Inequalities For Low-Income Families In Education, Eileen Boyd Dec 2023

Homework Perpetuating Inequalities For Low-Income Families In Education, Eileen Boyd

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This capstone project delves into the persistent issue of homework perpetuating inequalities among low-income families. Drawing on insights from North American public school teachers who have shared their perspectives and experiences, this research employs a combination of literature reviews, teacher interviews, and anonymous surveys. The collective evidence underscores the unsettling fact that homework drives educational disparities. Consequently, it calls for a broader acknowledgment among educators and schools that homework often hinders rather than enhances a student's academic achievements.

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My Family, Their History: Using Exploratory Inquiry & Pragmatic Methods To Learn History, Lowellen Sucgang May 2020

My Family, Their History: Using Exploratory Inquiry & Pragmatic Methods To Learn History, Lowellen Sucgang

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

History education is at a crossroads. The availability of information at our fingertips has the potential to change how the non-historian sees history and the other social sciences. This capstone researched ways the non-historian can utilize the changing face of history education by implementing the pragmatic methods of John Dewey’s education philosophy called instrumentalism. Principal issues discussed include the pros and cons of out-of-classroom history education, utilization of exploratory inquiry for research and the usefulness of primary sources for a historiography. To apply instrumentalism ideals and methods, I created a historiography about my ancestors and how their lives intertwined with …

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Expanding Kindergarteners’ Understanding Of Family Structure Regarding Same-Sex Parents, Emilia Sique Mar 2020

Expanding Kindergarteners’ Understanding Of Family Structure Regarding Same-Sex Parents, Emilia Sique

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

There is a lack of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ+) representation in elementary school curriculum. This deficit leads to a lack of understanding of LGBTQ+ identities, limited gender role diversity, and a predisposition to teasing and anti-gay bullying among children. Therefore, I created a two-day lesson for kindergarteners at Del Rey Woods Elementary in Seaside, California. Participants were evaluated before, during, and after the sessions. Results showed an increase in understanding and acknowledging LGBTQ+ families.

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No Habla Español: Are Monolingual Teachers Getting The Support They Need?, Natalie Correa Dec 2019

No Habla Español: Are Monolingual Teachers Getting The Support They Need?, Natalie Correa

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

For this Capstone Project, the researchers investigated how monolingual teachers view the support and resources they received to teach English Language Learners (ELL) and what they thought could be done to improve their teaching effectiveness. An evidence based argument is offered that monolingual teachers were not being provided with effective support and resources. More specifically, three themes emerged from an analysis of the data obtained from interviews of monolingual teachers and administrators. Based on the emergent themes, an action was undertaken to help monolingual teachers better address the needs of ELLs. This is an important issue for monolingual teachers because …

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Creating A Meaningful Experience: On Service Learning And Teacher Preparedness, Telia Krown, Nhat-Dzu T. Bui Dec 2019

Creating A Meaningful Experience: On Service Learning And Teacher Preparedness, Telia Krown, Nhat-Dzu T. Bui

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The focus of this Capstone project is on the effectiveness of service learning and its role in teacher preparedness. This is an important issue for Liberal sStudies students, professors, and the community because in the Integrated Teacher Education Program, service learning is treated as preparation for teaching, and it can be seen that way for Traditional Pathway students as well. It is argued that while service learning works towards an admirable goal, there are obstacles and design decisions that keep it from being fully effective in preparing Liberal Studies students in becoming teachers. The three primary stakeholder perspectives chosen were …

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Academic And Social Effects Of Waldorf Education On Elementary School Students, Christian Zepeda May 2018

Academic And Social Effects Of Waldorf Education On Elementary School Students, Christian Zepeda

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

As society becomes more critical of public education, alternative education systems are becoming more popular. The Waldorf education system, based on the philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, has increased in popularity and commonality each decade. Currently, 23 Waldorf institutions exist in California. With this increase in popularity, it is important to analyze and examine the effectiveness of this education philosophy. An examination of Waldorf education, through research and interviews of Waldorf teachers and administration, will provide parents and teachers with an understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. Ultimately, Waldorf education provides a positive environment for students, yielding positive effects but this …

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A Battle Of Values Global Trends Of Nationalism And Cosmopolitanism In Education Paradigms, James Drennen May 2018

A Battle Of Values Global Trends Of Nationalism And Cosmopolitanism In Education Paradigms, James Drennen

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This report explores the global political climate around the Spring of 2018 and how it has affected educational paradigms in Costa Rica, China, Finland, and Turkey.

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Play It Forward: Cooperative Learning & Structured Play During Recess, Tyler Elwin, Mary Rossi Dec 2017

Play It Forward: Cooperative Learning & Structured Play During Recess, Tyler Elwin, Mary Rossi

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Cooperative learning and structured play (CLASP) are two things that have gone unappreciated in the modern educational setting. This is an important issue for many local low-income schools as the dropout rate is so high. CLASP ideals come with a wide array of positive outcomes that look to brighten the futures of affected youth. CLASP provides an incredible number of scholarly benefits: increased school involvement, higher GPA, improved interpersonal relationships, increased ability to work as a team, etc. This capstone identifies these critical benefits and addresses the best way to properly utilize CLASP within the school setting. The three primary …

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Creating A Multiracial Lesson Plan, Clayton Davis May 2017

Creating A Multiracial Lesson Plan, Clayton Davis

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The purpose of this project is to teach students about multiracial identity issues. Multiracial populations in the U.S. continue to grow and it’s important for educators to address the needs of these students. A 5-E multiracial literature lesson plan was created for second grade that incorporates KWL and Text-to-World teaching strategies. A second grade class were read two children’s picture books, each featuring a biracial protagonist, and were asked to discuss and evaluate the content and commonalities of these stories. Students recorded what they learned in this lesson in their KWL’s. The results reveal that some students understood the problems …

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