Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Measuring Social Studies Teacher Self-Efficacy: Development Of A Valid, Reliable, And Fair Social Studies Self-Efficacy Scale, Leona Calkins

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Social studies education provides unique opportunities for students to learn about the democratic process and, more importantly, how to engage in civic life to become active citizens. It is through meaningful social studies education that students are deliberately helped to understand the world, and are provided space to discuss, deliberate, and inquire about problems in the world, both past and present, and then learn how they can work to solve these problems (NCSS, 2013a; Parker, 2008). Considering the role of social studies education in helping develop active citizens, there has been a call for social studies teachers to provide instruction …

Closing The Racial Gap: The Lack Of Diverse Faculty At The University Of Nevada, Las Vegas And University Of Nevada, Reno, Olivia K. Cheche

Undergraduate Research Symposium Podium Presentations

How does faculty racial diversity compare to student racial diversity at UNLV and UNR? How do faculty salaries affect this diversity? What policy recommendations can be implemented to attract more racially diverse academics to UNLV and UNR?

Improving K-12 Education For Hispanic Students In Las Vegas And Beyond, Richard Reeves, Ember Smith

Policy Briefs and Reports

Public K-12 education serves as a launching pad for economic mobility and opportunity, preparing students for college or a good-paying job. Despite K-12 education’s influence on later-in-life outcomes, schools often underserve students of color. Hispanic students in particular constitute a significant and growing portion of the U.S. student population yet are often overlooked in education literature because they are not the lowest performing demographic. In this brief, we examine how well public K-12 education serves Hispanic students in Clark County, where nearly half of students are Hispanic. We then consider factors that may influence student performance, including both in-school factors …

Retention Starts With Preparation: Preparing Black And Latinx Teachers Through Alternative Routes To Licensure, Iesha Jackson, Doris L. Watson

Policy Issues in Nevada Education: Policy Papers

Problem. Critical to the support and success of students of color is support for Black and Latinx teachers. Yet, teacher preparation programs often neglect the culturally relevant perspectives and experiences of teachers of color. This can contribute to retention issues given challenging school climates that Black and Latinx teachers must navigate. Purpose. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of sound teacher recruitment, preparation, and retention practices nationally and draw alignment to the state of Ne- vada. We focus on alternative routes to licensure (ARL) because such programs are touted for increasing the number of teachers of …

Educational Equity Perspectives In Response To The Black Lives Matter Movement: A Road Map For Nevada, Patrice Leverett, Lawrence Jackson, Neffisatu Dambo, Jared Lau

Policy Issues in Nevada Education: Policy Papers

Problem. Communities across Nevada call for more equitable practices, especially to reduce contact between communities of color and law enforcement, particularly in the African American community. By increasing our cultural awareness and highlighting the commitment of the state to support an Antirac- ist Nevada, we foresee a reduction in unrest and an increase in educational outcomes across all student groups. Purpose. The purpose of this policy paper is to highlight the importance of addressing racism and racialized bias in education. Recommendations. To address the rising need for equity practices and poli- cies in Nevada, we propose six recommendations to acknowledge …

A Graphic Novel Tasting: Develop Your Professional Palate For Young Adult Comics, Amanda Melilli

Library Faculty Presentations

Staying knowledgeable of the newest YA graphic novels can be a daunting task. This session will discuss some of the struggles that educators new to graphic novels face as well as a fun activity that participants can do on their own (or together!) to increase their knowledge of the format.

Connecting With Students As A Motivator For Learning, Michelle Arroyo

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Students want to feel cared for and that their instructors have their best educational interests in mind. Having an instructor who demonstrates compassion and shows empathy toward students creates a positive classroom climate and the course is more meaningful to the students at UNLV.

An Analysis Of Cooperating Teacher Feedback: A Qualitative Inquiry, Christopher J. Eck, Jon W. Ramsey

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

Cooperating teachers are a key component to the success of student teaching internships, serving an integral part in “raising” a teacher. To effectively facilitate the student teaching internship, teacher preparation programs must identify cooperating teachers who align philosophically with the pedagogical training delivered by university programs (Korthagen & Kessels, 1999; Tom, 1997), specifically, cooperating teachers who can reinforce the theoretical framework underpinning the professional coursework pre-service teachers experience in university teacher preparation programs. This qualitative study sought to better understand the feedback provided to future school-based agricultural education (SBAE) teachers during their student teaching experience. Through initial and secondary coding, …

Reimagining High School Writing: A Multi-Case Examination Of The Impact Of External Pressures On High School Writing Contexts, Nicole Elizabeth Klimow

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Research concerning teachers’ pedagogical beliefs shows a strong relationship between planning and instruction; however, the sources of pedagogical beliefs have not been researched thoroughly. Because teachers bring their histories and experiences to their interactions with students, their pedagogical beliefs may also be present in their instruction, mediating the relationship between knowledge (planning) and action (writing instruction). Framed by Sociocultural Theory (SCT), the purpose of this qualitative, multi-site, multi-case case study was first to understand teachers’ expectations for teaching writing based on their beliefs about learning. A secondary intent was to examine ways in which high school English teachers’ learning expectations …

Media Portrayals Of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Cars2 And Frame Analysis Of The Sesame Street Character Julia, Sallyann Ficarrotta

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Media Portrayals of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A CARS2 and frame analysis of the Sesame Street character Julia Media portrayals of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are grossly exaggerated and inaccurate. Julia, a Muppet with ASD, is not depicted as having high-functioning autism, but most of the exaggerated portrayals depicted in movies and television are of a person on that end of the spectrum. The current study, a quantitative content analysis of Julia from Sesame Street, draws from framing theory, most importantly stigmatizing cues, and utilizes the professional assessment tool, the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS2). The tool was used to rate …

Working Groups As Classroom Management Style, Emma Frances Bloomfield, Kathryn Rafferty

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

There is a need at UNLV to improve student retention across disciplines, which can be done by improving students’ confidence in their performance, improving their satisfaction with classes and their major selections, and providing welcoming and open spaces for participation and inclusion.

Are Dogs Better Than Cats?: Teaching Oral & Written Persuasion Skills, Sara Mathis

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

First generation students often come into UNLV underprepared for the rigors of speaking and writing. Student’s success in their courses and future careers depend on their abilities to persuade through oral and written skills.

Volunteering In The Community: Combining Service And Learning, Elena Gandia Garcia

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Most of the patients who use the services offered by the Lied Pediatric Clinic are minorities (70%), and half of those patients are Hispanic. The clinic lacks of professional interpreters to help monolingual doctors and residents to communicate with their patients.

Instructional Methods That Improve Outcomes For Unlv Students In The Virtual Classroom, Tiffiany Howard

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

The demand for online education programs has resulted in the expansion of course and degree offerings, and a steady increase in online student enrollment nationwide (U.S. News, 2016). While the goal of online education is to improve access to higher education, historically underrepresented groups experience lower course completion rates and poorer grade performance in online classes, when compared to underrepresented students enrolled in hybrid and in person courses.

Using A Breakout Box To Encourage The 4cs In The Classroom, Erica S. Tietjen

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Small groups can benefit from practicing the “4Cs” skills that will continue to be important in the 21st century (NEA, 2017): Critical thinking Communication Collaboration Creativity

Photo Assignments: An Exploration Of Student Retention Rate, Lawrence Mullen

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

In an attempt to increase student retention and graduation rates, many colleges and universities have some sort of freshman course, or first-year seminar that serves to introduce students to college life. The course also helps students transition from high school.

Approaching Intersections In The Classroom, Shelly Volsche

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Most university professionals are accustomed to understanding diversity by demographics.

Socrative Student And Real Time Assessment, Emma Frances Bloomfield

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Many graduate K-12 without skills necessary to manage learning (ACT, 2008)

Critical Service Learning, Anna C. Smedly-Lopez

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Service Learning Initiative for Community Engagement in Sociology (SLICES) is a critical, research-focused, community-based, leadership and knowledge project. By engaging in Community Based Participatory Action Research Projects (CBPAR) students have an opportunity to work multiple semesters, if they choose, to develop research skills, serve in leadership roles, serve and collaborate with local organization, and engage in professional development.

Access To Quality Teaching: Myths, Facts, And Potential Policy Solutions For The Future, Michael Hansen

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

Many believe the public schools serving the most affluent students have a monopoly on quality teaching, and schools in high-poverty areas perform poorly due to its lack. Yet a variety of research studies in recent years have challenged this myth. This research shows teacher quality varies much more within the same school than it does across schools, even looking across schools serving students from very different backgrounds. Access to quality teaching is not equal, though it is not nearly as formidable a challenge as previously believed. A variety of potential policy solutions will be presented to enhance the access of …

A Comparison Of The Effects Of Peer Networks And Peer Video Modeling On Positive Social Interactions Performed By Young Children With Developmental Disabilities, Conrad Oh-Young

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A concern that parents of children with disabilities have is whether or not their offspring are able to interact and be accepted by children who do not have disabilities. Unfortunately children with developmental disabilities (DD) may experience difficulties when interacting with typically developing peers. One method of addressing this issue has been to ensure that children with DD receive instruction in the same school setting as their peers. However, simply attending the same school as children who are typically developing may not be enough. Hence the need for interventions such as peer network (PN) and peer video modeling (PVM), that …

Tweet Vs Status Update: Exploring Ways To Promote Collaborative Argumentation In An Online Classroom Setting, Marissa Christina Owens

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The focus of this study was to answer the following overarching question: How does a Twitter discussion format compare to a Facebook discussion format in terms of promoting collaborative argumentative discourse? Data analysis focused on the difference in amount of arguments, counter-arguments, reasons, and elaborations generated by participants between the two social media platforms. In addition, the impact of participant use of sentence openers on the amount of argument components was also examined. A Mann-Whitney statistical test was conducted to determine the differences between Twitter and Facebook groups in argument components across three small group discussion questions. The results of …

A Phenomenology Study Of First-~Year Teachers Looking At The Shared Lived Experience Of Learning To Grade, Brandon Lee Yost

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study describes the phenomenon of how first-year teachers learn to evaluate students learning by (letter) grades. Grades seem simple enough; but in reality, each grade carries serious consequences with it – for either good or bad. For example, grades affect benefits/consequences at home; they affect placement in remedial or advanced courses; they affect grade level promotion; they affect participation in programs, i.e. extracurricular activities like sports; they affect high school graduation, college acceptance, and scholarship eligibility (Brookhart, 1991; Marzano, 2000).

Despite the extreme importance of grades and how they can influence a person’s life over a period of time …

Playful Aggression And The Situational Contexts That Affect Perceptions, Jennifer Hart

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Play is considered a fundamental tool for early childhood education practices as it provides numerous developmental benefits for young children. However, not all play is viewed by children, parents, and early childhood educators the same, especially playful aggression. For example, rough-and-tumble play, risky play, superhero play, “bad guy” play, active pretend play, play fighting, big body play, war play, gun play, and physically active and imaginative play are types of playful aggression that benefits young children’s development; but are often viewed negatively by the adults who observe it. The contextual factors that influence the development of these conflicting perceptions—the motivation …

Negative Impacts Of Teacher Evaluation Reform: The Role Of Federal Policy In Student Achievement And Teacher Quality, Allison Smith

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this sequential transformative study was to elucidate the negative experiences of teachers with performance evaluations and to juxtapose the intended use of current popular teacher evaluation reform movements to the evident implementation. One may quickly assume that negative experiences with evaluation are a result of unsatisfactory teaching practices. However, this may not accurately explain the negative experiences. This study focused on the negative experience of teacher evaluation to provide a broader understanding of the impact of new evaluation policy reform on student achievement and teacher quality. Five data sources were analyzed: PAR policy, a teacher survey, district …

The Attitudes And Beliefs Of Special And General Educational Professionals Concerning Alcohol And Drug Problems, Troy Wayne Kieser

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Drug and alcohol abuse is one of the greatest challenges of public education. Substance abuse affects student academic performance. Teacher attitudes concerning substance use are linked to drug and alcohol use by students. The purpose of this study was to assertion teacher attitudes and beliefs about drug and alcohol use. The data were collected using a questionnaire. The questionnaire was a modified version of the Addiction Belief Inventory (ABI) based on the five constructs (e.g., coping, efficacy, disease, lack of efficacy, moral weakness) of substance abuse (Broadus, Hartje, Roget, & Cahoon, 2010; Luke, Ribisi, Walton, & Davidson, 2002). The participants …

Digital Behavior Intervention Plans: Effects On General Education Teacher Fidelity Of Implementation, Christopher G. Holcomb

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Students with disabilities often have behavior that interferes with classroom learning. Serious problem behaviors are identified as the most significant factor interfering with learning in the classroom. Unfortunately, chronic behaviors often lead to a student dropping out of school. Current research typically focuses on areas of intervention for these students with little attention towards teacher fidelity of implementation of these interventions. Because of this, student's behavior intervention plans may not show effectiveness (e.g., progress monitoring, data driven decisions). It is important that researchers begin to explore systematic improvements in fidelity of implementation of behavior intervention plan components for general education …

Effects Of Pecs Phase Iii Application Training On Independent Mands In Young Children With Autism, Jessica June Love

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of PECS phase III application training on independent mands in young children with autism. Participants were five children with autism ranging from ages 2 to 4 years old. A multiple baseline across participants was used to evaluate acquisition of independent correct mands across baseline and treatment conditions during training with the PECS Phase III iPadTMapplication.

Data for Participant Four did not demonstrate experimental control directly, as he showed high levels of mands during baseline. The functional relationship for Participant One was questionable as she too likely learned to mand by …

Hitch Your Wagon To Institutional Goals, Anne E. Zald, Michelle Millet

Library Faculty Publications

The landscape of accreditation and accountability in higher education is in a period of rapid change, coalescing around issues identified in the 2006 report of the Spellings Commission, “A Test of Leadership: Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education.” Information literacy librarians need to connect their instructional efforts to the institutional strategies and initiatives that address continuous improvement whatever their source, e.g. accreditation agencies, funding bodies such as state legislatures, institutional participation in the Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA), University & College Accountability Network (U-CAN), or internal initiatives of the institution’s administration. The challenge for instruction librarians is great, requiring …

School Counselor Assignment In Secondary Schools: Replication And Extension, Jennifer L. Williamson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Before school counselors can carry out the duties and responsibilities outlined as part of a comprehensive school counseling program, they must know which students they are responsible for helping. The topic of assigning students to school counselors has only recently been seen in the educational research arena in a study by Akos, Schuldt, and Walendin (2009). The current study attempts to replicate and extend the findings of Akos, Schuldt, and Walendin by addressing the questions of how secondary school counselors are assigned and what are their perceptions of their assignment. In addition, the study attempts to determine whether a particular …