Secondary Education Commons^™

Kentucky Public Charter Schools, Pamela Manning-Hamilton

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Kentucky public charter school law was introduced in 2017, the purpose of the new innovative schools were to close the achievement gap among the education system within the state. Charter schools are new-age schools that have a smaller class size, use differentiated instructional strategies that integrate technology to promote engagement, which in turn increases student growth and success. Advantages of charter schools within other states include differentiated environment, culture, and performance. Disadvantages of charter schools involve taking resources from traditional schools, higher resource costs, and demands. The study was approached using a basic qualitative research method. The purpose of the …

Lay It All On The Line: The Effect Of Teacher-Student Conferencing In Middle Grades Mathematics Classrooms, Natalie Ostrander

Doctor of Education Dissertations

Increasing math achievement continues to be a commonly talked about subject in the educational setting. This case study observes one classroom teacher who implemented teacher-student conferencing in middle grades mathematics classes. The purpose of this study was to reveal the perceived impact of teacher-student conferencing on student engagement and with student achievement. Through a qualitative approach, perceptual data were collected through teacher journaling, conference logs, observations, and an interview. Research occurred in one school district in southeastern North Carolina with middle grades students in sixth and eighth grades. After the qualitative data were collected by me, data were analyzed using …

How Padlet Encouraged Student Collaboration And Engagement In My Virtual Classroom, Annie Yon

New Jersey English Journal

With the growth of virtual classes, it is crucial for teachers to integrate strategies and resources that foster student engagement and build a sense of community in an online environment. One way to augment synchronous and asynchronous communication is to implement an online discussion board, which can provide rich opportunities for students to share insights, ask clarifying questions, collaborate, create multimodal projects, and have their voices heard. By incorporating an interactive discussion board, such as Padlet, as part of class resources, teachers can facilitate discourse among students that transcends the physical boundaries of the classroom, create a motivational environment, improve …

Gradeless Learning: The Effect Of Eliminating Traditional Grading Practices On Student Engagement And Learning, Eric Sanders

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

In order for students to learn at high levels, there must be high expectations and strong feedback. Although traditional grading seems to be an inherent part of the educational system, there are multiple purposes for grades which often causes frustrations for both teachers and students. There is a need to expand the research on grading and its effect on both student learning and motivation. This action research study centered on three research questions: 1) What effect does the elimination of traditional grading practices have on student engagement in learning? 2) What impact does the removal of traditional grading practices and …

Teachers' Instructional Decisions And Student Agency In New Purposefully Designed Learning Spaces, Yanira Oliveras Ortiz, Dalane Bouillion, Lizzy Asbury

Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

Learning that promotes student agency and active, cognitive student engagement has a positive impact on students’ self-efficacy, learning, and achievement. When designing lessons that foster student agency and active engagement, educators must consider multiple variables, including the space where learning will take place. In order to understand how students perceive the impact of spaces in learning and how designed areas are being used by teachers, a qualitative study was conducted at a newly designed energy industry-focused high school. This manuscript presents the students' perspectives related to student agency, the value of learning, students' role in their learning, and how cognitively …

A Phenomenological Study That Examined The Experiences Of High School Teachers Who Build Supportive Classroom Environments That Encourage African-American Students To Graduate, Tressa D. Matthews

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions and lived experiences of high school teachers who have created supportive classroom environments that encourage African-American students to graduate. The theory guiding this study was the self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2008) as it explains the psychological needs of students to encourage persistence toward high school graduation. The central question guided the research in describing the experiences of high school teachers who have created a supportive classroom environment at high schools with high graduation rates for African-American students in Southeastern Michigan. The study sought to determine the experiences …

Explicit Inclusion Of Fun In Instruction As A Catalyst For Academic Success, Kimberly Tyskiewicz

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Low graduation rates, rising drop-out rates, and increasing apathy and disengagement in learning has prompted the need for new strategies and interventions in education. This case study provides an analysis of the perceptions of high school teachers related to the impact of the explicit, intentional inclusion of fun in direct instruction. The participants included approximately 20% of the faculty in a semirural high school of approximately 1,325 students. The case study involved individual interviews with half of the participants and the other half participating in a focus group conversation. Six participants in each group were observed. All comments and concepts …

Male Educators Implementing Instructional Practices That Academically Engage Students, Kenneth B. Beneby

Theses and Dissertations

Male Educators Implementing Instructional Practices That Academically Engage Students. Kenneth Bernard Beneby, 2019. Applied Dissertation, Nova Southeastern University, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. Keywords: teacher, African American male teachers, academic engagement, secondary teaching profession, pedagogies, African American male students

This phenomenological research explored how a selected group of African American male educators understood their own experiences while implementing strategies to academically engage African American male students. The research explored the public secondary education experiences of African American male educators to better understand their occupational understandings; how having more African American educators were helpful in …

Perspectives Of Student Dis/Engagement In Youth Attending An Alternative School As Viewed Through A Lens Of Respect And Relationships, Daniel Vallee

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study enlists the voices of youth attending an Alternative School in a small town in Western Canada to further theorize what it means to be dis/engaged with/from school. Findings suggest that school relationships with both staff and peers are key to understanding student dis/engagement, and that relationships are understood in terms of their degree of respect or un/fairness.