Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

Harry Potter And The Pedagogy Of Hogwarts, Rachel Cepe

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Education plays a critical role in the academic and personal development of children. Harry Potter spends seven years as a Hogwarts student; while he navigates school, he fights against a growing evil force that threatens day-to-day life. This paper applies different educational theories to each year to examine how Harry adapts to the ever-changing conditions at school to be successful. In the first year, the application of attachment styles theory introduces Harry to a suppressed part of his identity. In the second year, applying intrinsic motivation theory reveals the cultivation of curiosity. In the third year, the locus of control …

Balancing Efficacy And Efficiency In Functional Behavior Assessment And Behavior Intervention Plan Educator Professional Development, Audrey Alberstadt

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Reviews of functional behavior assessments (FBAs) and behavior intervention plans (BIPs) in schools indicate a lack of technical adequacy. Special educators and related service providers are some of the school personnel that complete FBAs and BIPs. While pre-service preparation programs lay the groundwork for a basic understanding of the FBA and BIP process, in-service training needs to provide professional development to support fluency in technical adequacy. Providing professional development that is both effective and efficient is key to supporting student outcomes and educators’ intent to remain in the field. This study investigates the effect of a virtual professional development intervention, …

A Qualitative Study Of Iranian Efl Teachers’ Perceptions Of A Digital Diversified Education, Seyed Mohammad Reza Marvasti Zadeh, Azizollah Dabaghi Varnosfadrani Advarnosfadrani, Mohammad Amiryousefi

The Qualitative Report

Because Iran is a country of learners of diverse languages, socio-economic classes, genders, and ages, digital diversified education seems appropriate to address needs in English language education. However, there is a notable gap in research on teachers’ perceptions about this type of education. To fill this gap, this study aimed to investigate the perspectives of Iranian teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) regarding a diverse digital education. Data were collected via an open-ended survey with 30 EFL teachers, both male and female, who were selected through convenience sampling. Analysis revealed several key themes, including the utilization of diverse …

21st Century Community Learning Centers: Program Evaluation Evidence From Texas, Rosilyn Jackson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Texas afterschool programs strive to enhance academic performance and meet students' needs, yet gaps in program quality persist. This study evaluated 21st Century Community Learning Centers’ performance in reading, math, GPA, attendance, in-school suspension, and engagement, both within these categories and against program goals and demographics. Theoretical frameworks used in this study include the logic model, social justice theory, and cultural relevance theory. This quantitative study utilized a nonexperimental and secondary data research design which utilized five statistical tests: the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation, One-Way repeated ANOVA, Spearman Correlation, the Independent Samples t-Test, and the Mann-Whitney U Test. Results showed that …

Nutrition Recommendations For Patients On Weight Loss Drugs, Crystal M. Duque Rdn-Ldn, Toye Jackman

Department of Nutrition Student Projects

This paper provides a comprehensive, evidence-based framework for dietitians counseling patients who are using GLP-1 receptor agonists, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, for weight management. These medications are rapidly gaining popularity for their effectiveness in supporting weight loss; however, they come with unique nutritional considerations that require tailored guidance. This review outlines key aspects of GLP-1 mechanisms of action, emphasizing how these medications alter digestive processes, specifically impacting the absorption and metabolism of essential macronutrients, including proteins and dietary fibers. The paper also highlights hydration needs to support optimal health and weight loss outcomes in patients on GLP-1 therapies. Additionally, …

Re-Imagining Professional Learning For Teachers: A Reflection On The Transformative Experience Of An Organic Inquiry., Desiree J. Gilbert Dr

Journal of Contemplative and Holistic Education

Challenged, frustrated and motivated by my observation and sense that learning experiences are often designed and facilitated with an emphasis on criticality over creativity, I engaged in PhD studies to explore the question, How can expanding my understanding of creativity and its connection to learning assist me to re-imagine professional learning for teachers so that their learning experiences are enhanced? In this article I discuss how my practice as a professional learning facilitator for teachers transformed through this study. In particular I describe my experiences and findings from my open exploration of creativity as a phenomenon and how the organic …

Exploring The Curriculum Potential Of The Welsh Word Cynefin By Examining Its New Materialist And Contemplative Pedagogical Resonances, Dylan Adams

Journal of Contemplative and Holistic Education

Cynefin is a key word in the new curriculum for Wales. Yet it is a word that is difficult to define. It has no direct English translation and originates from Welsh hill farming where it was used by farmers to describe how sheep would form a mysterious attachment to different parts of common land. Subsequently, it has come to be associated with a person’s relationship to a place, where they feel at home. This article examines how the concept of cynefin potentially resonates with posthumanist and contemplative pedagogical perspectives. In doing so, it aims to answer the question, “how could …

Using Practitioner Research To Improve An Instructor’S Practice In An Accelerated Developmental Reading And Writing Course, Pamela Herrington-Moriarty

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

This dissertation study utilized practitioner research to analyze a developmental reading and writing course focused on an accelerated curriculum, problem-based learning, and a sociocultural perspective on academic literacy, which I taught at a community college. The study collected information-rich data from three students who participated in semi-structured interviews. This study applied the Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing to analyze the course curriculum and resulted in recommended changes to three assignments based on the Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing: (1) The Educational Autobiography, (2) the Summary Assignment, and (3) Letter Assignment, and four themes based on the student …

An Examination Of The International Baccalaureate’S Approaches To Learning As Humanizing, Leah Yates

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The development of 21st-century skill frameworks characterized as being universal, transferrable, and future-facing are ubiquitous among international educational organizations (Suto & Eccles, 2014). The International Baccalaureate (IB) incorporates a similarly articulated universal, transferrable, and future-facing set of skills called the Approaches to Learning (ATL) in its four programmes (International Baccalaureate, 2022b). However, critiques of the IB as being Eurocentric and solely concerned with the development of learners for Western educational experiences calls for a critical examination of the ATL as promoting monocultural skills which are not contextual, personalized, or humanizing (Refai, 2020). This multiple-case study and document review utilized the …

Supporting Preservice Teachers Of Color In Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, Kimberly M. Korpita

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While learning how to become culturally and critically conscious educators and advocates for their PK-12 students, racially minoritized preservice teachers often feel isolated. More research is needed to learn how teacher preparation programs could consistently empower rather than isolate preservice teachers of color as they engage in coursework involving culturally relevant pedagogy.

This study focused on the experiences of preservice teachers of color engaging in culturally relevant pedagogy coursework in a K-12 teacher preparation program at a predominately White institution. In partnership with this teacher preparation program, one current preservice teachers of color, five former alumni of color, and three …

Evidence-Based Pathways For Leveling Digital Access In Higher Education During And Beyond The Covid-19 Pandemic, Christopher Ali, Vikki Katz

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, policymakers’ attention focused heavily on K–12 student connectivity. By contrast, college students were largely “presumed connected,” even as they lost access to campus Wi-Fi, computer labs, and other digital resources. This study asks what lessons were learned and not learned by university administrators when it came to digital inequality on their campuses during the pandemic. To address this question, the article’s authors relied on a series of student surveys and policy analyses. This article offers evidence-based policy recommendations to university leaders for effectively addressing digital inequality among their student populations as we look …

Curriculum Curation: Centering Mirrors And Windows In An Inclusive Bookshelf Project, Kelly P. Vaughan

Education Department Faculty Articles

From increasing calls for multicultural and inclusive books to media stories about books being banned in elementary schools,  curriculum debates have become increasingly contentious. These debates illuminate key questions in curriculum studies: What is the knowledge of most worth? And who decides? In this article, I utilize a curriculum studies in education framework to engage and extend the literature supporting multicultural and inclusive children’s literature and critical literacy while emphasizing the role of teachers-as-curators. After analyzing the results of a year-long project in which preservice teachers (PSTs) curated collections of multicultural books representing a mirrors and windows approach to text …

Aviateok: A Stem App To Increase K-12 Student Engagement In The Aviation And Aerospace Industry, Irene Miller, Amy Rutledge, Timm Bliss

Journal of Extension

STEM industries are driving technological and economic growth across the globe. To remain competitive, the U.S. needs to focus on the advancement of STEM education and develop a sustainable pipeline to provide a well-qualified workforce to STEM-related industries. The Department of Aviation and Space Education (AVED) at Oklahoma State University (OSU) has developed aviateOK, which is a STEM application, to provide aviation/aerospace content to students, parents, and extension educators. The aviateOK STEM application promotes extension education by providing access to free activities and resources for grades K-12. AviateOK equips 4-H youth programs with the resources needed for extension educators to …

The Power Of The Written Word: An Exploration Of Writing As Craft And Pedagogy, Kristen Charlesworth

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

This portfolio is an exploration of writing, both as a crafted process and a subject of pedagogy. It includes three pieces of vastly different genres, which have one overlapping theoretical notion: autonomy is a key ingredient to successful writing at any level. Student success, creative writing, and scholarly research are all enhanced when the writer is given opportunities to guide their own process. The selected works of this portfolio serve as examples of how student autonomy is not only possible in the classroom, but of the overwhelmingly positive effect it has on the writing process, student engagement, and ultimately, academic …

An Analysis Of The Learning Activity System Of An Elementary Education Program For The Development Of Social And Emotional Competence In Preservice Teachers, Lisa Sheldon Brown

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-methods descriptive case study examined how a public research university's elementary education teacher preparation program develops social and emotional competence (SEC) in preservice teachers. Using Engeström's Expansive Learning Theory framework, the study analyzed the tools and mediating artifacts within the program's learning activity system, specifically focusing on activities known to develop SEC. Through semi-structured interviews with 18 instructors and comprehensive document analysis, the study found that SEC development is extensively integrated throughout the program's coursework and field experiences. Three primary types of SEC development activities were identified: self-reflection/self-awareness, active listening, and collaboration. The study revealed a significant correlation between …

Their Stories, Our Testimony: A Narrative Inquiry Into The Remote Teaching Experiences Of Community College Clinical Nurse Educators During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Catherine E. Fenner

Doctor of Education Program Dissertations

This narrative inquiry explored the lived experiences of clinical nurse educators who taught at community colleges during the COVID-19 global pandemic, contributing to the growing body of literature about what nurses endured during the pandemic. The pandemic and the ensuing havoc it caused occurred when the profession faced significant staffing shortages. In the early months of 2020, when the virus was spreading rapidly, many states issued stay-at-home orders requiring nursing programs to pivot to remote learning platforms. Teaching hands-on skills, communication techniques, and time management strategies through virtual and remote pedagogy was a time of confusion for nurse educators, who …

The Relationship Between Classroom Management, Cultural Responsiveness, Teacher Self-Efficacy, And Students' Perceptions Of Effective Teaching And Learning In The 21st Century Secondary Classroom: A Quantitative Correlational Study, Angela Herring Donaldson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Effective classroom management plays a vital role in helping to create an environment that is conducive to effective teaching and learning. It is a catalyst for the effective implementation of teaching and learning strategies that result in better behavioral and academic outcomes. Ineffective classroom management strategies have resulted in teacher burnout, student disengagement, disruptive behavior, and negative academic outcomes for students. The purpose of this non-experimental quantitative predictive correlational study is to examine the relationship between the criterion variable (students’ perceptions of teaching and learning) and the predictor variables (cultural responsiveness, classroom management, and self-efficacy of each student’s teacher). The …

Military Early Childhood Educators' Experiences Of Transitioning From The Creative Curriculum To Early Learning Matters (Elm) Curriculum: A Case Study, Joretta Anderson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the experiences of military early childhood educators at a military installation in eastern Virginia as they transitioned from Creative Curriculum to the Early Learning Matters (ELM) Curriculum. The theory guiding this study was Schlossberg’s (1981) transition theory, as the aim of the study was to research educators in the time of a curriculum transition. The study was a single instrument case study, and the participants included military early childhood educators who have experienced transitioning from Creative Curriculum to ELM Curriculum. Data was collected through individual interviews, focus group discussion, and …

The Poetic Experience As Supported By A Teacher/Poet’S Heartfelt Empathy, Joseph S. Pizzo

New Jersey English Journal

This poem focuses on the productivity that is possible when a supportive teacher/poet establishes a supportive classroom environment within which their students can write and explore in a classroom where the positive outweighs the negative, thereby encouraging creativity.

Teaching Writing: Fostering Joy In Writing Through “Commentarying”, Ellin Kim

New Jersey English Journal

For over 15 years, the author taught at an after-school English Language Arts center. Initially emphasizing perfection, enthusiasm waned. A graduate course changed the author's views on writing, stressing personal reflections. Implementing this, students' perceptions shifted, using "commentarying" to foster understanding and engagement in discussions on topics such as racism.