Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

Exploring The Relationship Between Anxiety And Virtual Reality Sickness, David Wesley Woolverton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

As virtual reality (VR) becomes more commonly used in education, it is important to understand the technology’s weakness and mitigate any potential negative effects on student success. One adverse side-effect of VR use is simulation-induced motion sickness, known in the context of VR as VR sickness. Previous research by Howard and Van Zandt (2021) found that possessing a phobia had a significant positive correlation with VR sickness, but only if the phobia is triggered by the simulation, suggesting that symptoms are actually connected to the anxiety the phobia induces. This study explored the hypothesized correlation between anxiety and VR sickness, …

Exploring Mid-Level Teacher Use Of Behavior-Specific Praise And General Praise, Catherine Anderson

Curriculum and Instruction Undergraduate Honors Theses

Behavior-specific praise (BSP) is an evidence-based classroom management practice that can be used to increase desired behavior and decrease undesired behavior. Teachers use general praise (GP) more frequently even though it has proven to be less effective than BSP. This study extends previous research on frequency behavior-specific praise in mid-level classrooms. The expected outcome was that mid-level teacher rates of BSP would be much lower than GP. The proposed research questions include the following: What are middle school teacher’s rates of general praise vs. behavior-specific praise? Do teachers deliver behavior-specific praise more frequently to individual students or groups of students? …

Investigation Of K-2 Teachers' Self-Efficacy In One Rural School District, Crystal Schaefer

Curriculum and Instruction Undergraduate Honors Theses

In the past four years education has undergone many changes, whether it be shifting to distance learning in 2020 or changing student behaviors, and these changes have undeniable effects on teachers and their self-efficacy. The purpose of this study is to investigate teachers’ sense of self-efficacy. A 24-question Qualtrics survey was distributed through email for kindergarten through second grade teachers between two elementary schools in one rural Arkansas school district. These 24 questions were adapted from The Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale. The survey collected 16 total responses. The survey results provided evidence that teacher efficacy in instructional strategies is …

Assessing Teachers’ Dispositions Towards Culturally Responsive Pedagogy In Northwest Arkansas High Schools, Rylie Ford

Curriculum and Instruction Undergraduate Honors Theses

Culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) entails the use of cultural knowledge, prior experiences, and learning styles of ethnically and culturally diverse students to make instruction more relevant and effective for them. Furthermore, practices within this pedagogy are validating, inclusive, emancipatory, and ethical, and help diverse students succeed academically while maintaining their cultural identity. Numerous studies have indicated that using culturally responsive pedagogy increases student academic achievement, sense of self, and emotional well-being (Ladson, 1995; Gay, 2018). Considering the varying degrees of cultural and linguistic diversity in Northwest Arkansas (NWA) schools and the lack of reported professional development relating to CRP, this …

Parity In Higher Education In Prison Programs: Does It Exist?, Michael Lee Griggs, Vianey Luna

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The expansion of college-in-prison (CIP) programs, especially in California, where incarcerated college enrollment increased from 11,472 students to over 15,000 in two years, has spotlighted higher education for incarcerated individuals. This increase, supported by legislation that expands funding for CIP programs and allows time off sentences for successful course/degree completion, is further bolstered by the restoration of Federal Pell funding for incarcerated students after a 28-year ban. Despite the acknowledged benefits of CIP programs in reducing recidivism and enhancing post-release outcomes, existing research highlights the need for additional exploration into the quality of CIP programs. Senate Bill 416 further emphasizes …

Elementary Science Essential Elements Curriculum Map & Progress Monitoring With Evidence-Based Teaching Strategies, Tasha Jenkins

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Little research has explored the field of science instruction tailored to students with significant disabilities. However, research studies have begun to emerge that suggest, with specific instructional strategies, these students can be successful in learning science curriculum. This project evaluated literature to find evidence-based instructional strategies for teaching science to students with significant cognitive disabilities. Six strategies were consistently found across multiple studies. The six strategies include (1) time delay, (2) systematic instruction, (3) multiple exemplar training, (4) task analysis, (5) graphic organizers, and (6) guided inquiry-based learning. These strategies were shared with a team of nine special education teachers …

Evaluating The Intersection Of Continuous Growth And Assessment In The Field Of English As A Second Language, Madison Johnson

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This teaching portfolio contains a compilation of the author’s personal teaching experiences and research interests while in the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program at Utah State University (USU). The sections of this portfolio highlight collaboration with current USU professors in the field of teaching English as a second language and the author’s personal experiences working in a second-grade elementary school classroom as well as teaching English in a community education setting. Much of the mentioned research focuses on the subfield of second language assessment. This is an area of interest to the author as an area for personal …

The Effects Of Selected Demographic Factors On The Reading Achievement Of Middle School Students, Kendrea J. Bryant

Dissertations (2016-Present)

Middle school is one of the most important times during which students gain knowledge. However, a large proportion of adolescents have continued to complete middle school without mastering essential knowledge of, and skills in, vocabulary and reading comprehension. Adolescents who miss school in the 30–60 days leading up to high-stakes exams experience declines in their reading scores. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of selected demographic factors on the reading achievement scores and attendance of middle school students. Specifically, this study involved examination of the effects of socioeconomic status (SES), gender, and ethnicity—both separately and in …

Supporting The Creative Side Of Creative Coding: Helping Students Wield Code In The Pursuit Of Their Own Dreams, Gretchen K. Larsen

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Creative coding has become more common in art and new media schools, however research describing how teachers navigate the unique challenges of teaching code as a creative medium is limited. This paper presents the details of a creative coding course designed to support the ‘creative’ side of creative coding. As a result of this research, I present a framework for supporting the ‘creative’ side of creative coding, which connects to arts-based education theories, modified for the creative code context. This paper asks—what helps students use creative coding as an artistic medium in the pursuit of their own questions and meaning? …

Using Improvement Science And A Co-Teaching Model To Increase The Effects Of Evidence-Based Reading Intervention For High School Students Reading Below Grade Level Proficiency, Ashley Vaughn

All Dissertations

I conducted a single instrumental case study to address the problem of practice in which approximately one-third of students entering the ninth grade for the 2019-2020 school year in the study school district were reading below grade level proficiency. I chose an instrumental case study method because it allows for an in-depth examination of a situation within its real-life context. I opted for this approach because I sought to understand the problem of practice deeply and generate recommendations for practical application. By focusing on a single case, I could thoroughly explore the intricacies of the subject matter, providing valuable insights …

The Effects Of Demographic And School Related Factors On Academic Distinctions Of Secondary Schools, Kourtney Hines

Dissertations (2016-Present)

The purpose of this correlational study is to determine the nature of the relationship between school and demographic factors and student achievement using data from the individual schools reported by an independent school district in North Texas. Answers to the following questions were sought: Do the teacher demographic factors (years of experience, gender, ethnicity, degree held) have a significant impact on the student achievement on the English I and II STAAR exam? Do the school-related factors (size of school, attendance, average class size) have a significant impact on student achievement on the English I and II STAAR exam? In this …

An Integrated Transformational Teaching Model For Empowering Undergraduate Psychology Students To Cultivate Self-Awareness, Wellness Practices, And Resilient Mindsets During Their Undergraduate Careers, Summerrae L. Arcemont

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This Narrative inquiry explored psychology students’ perceptions of self-awareness interventions and wellness training in undergraduate psychology coursework. Participants included seven undergraduate psychology majors who completed a psychology health and wellness course in the Fall 2023 semester at a regional university in the Southeast. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and examined to identify themes in the students’ stories regarding their journeys through the wellness course. The use of reflexive thematic analysis helped determine the following five overarching themes from the data: Roadmap for Navigating Wellness, Group Experience, Newfound Insight, Personal Growth and Transformations, and Moving Forward. The results of this study highlighted …

Exploring The Phenomenon Of Code-Switching In Immersive Esl Kindergarten In The Uae, Abeer Nabeel Albayari

Theses

This thesis explores the phenomenon of code-switching among those learning English as second language in an immersive kindergarten setting in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). There is a lack of research on code-switching practices, specifically among kindergarten students in immersive language programs in the UAE. They argue that this gap in research is particularly concerning, given the growing number of young learners who are enrolled in such programs in the UAE.
The main objective of this study is to identify when kindergarten students switch from English to Arabic their L1 during their immersive English language classes, intending to understand the …

Factors Influencing Uae High School Chemistry Students' Learning Of Organic Qualitative Analysis: A Qualitative Study, Manal Abdullah Almahdawi

Dissertations

Chemistry is one of the five science subfields typically covered in secondary schools in the United Arab Emirates. Chemistry is a branch of science that studies substances' characteristics, components, and structures. Numerous subfields fall under the umbrella of chemistry, including inorganic, organic, analytical, and physical chemistry. One of the topics covered in chemistry classes is the analysis of chemical compounds, which is divided into two types: quantitative analysis and qualitative analysis. While qualitative analysis determines the kind of each element or group present in a given solution sample, quantitative analysis determines the quantity of each element or group present. Students' …

Food And Culture In Challenged Books, Noah Hawkins

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This paper looks at the way food and culture are intertwined and discussed in literature. I also discuss how many of these books that represent culture in America are being challenged across the country. My research takes a deeper look into why challenging these books is more harmful for students than it does good. My lesson planned is then planned around poetry and how food and culture and be a great opportunity to talk about their culture in their homes. My lesson plan aims to make students better writers as well as be able to give them a voice to …

Informing Adolescents About Potential Internet Risks And Tools For Safely Navigating Online Spaces, Rhiannon Jean Elliot

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This capstone project focuses on digital safety for adolescents who have already been or are accessing online spaces for the first time. Adolescents today have been growing up in the age of technology and are likely to have had access to digital devices, such as smartphones, tablets, computers, and gaming consoles, from a much younger age than previous generations. Today, 96% of teens in the U.S. say they use the internet daily, with about 95% of teens reporting having a smartphone (Faverio & Sidoti, 2024). With adolescents accessing the internet more often, they must understand the risks they may encounter …

Increasing Social-Emotional Development In Early Childhood, Brianna Navarro

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This capstone project focuses on increasing social-emotional development of 5- to 7-year-old children. Social-emotional learning (SEL) is a methodology that helps students of all ages better comprehend their emotions, feel emotions to the fullest extent, and demonstrate empathy for others. These learned behaviors are then used to help students make positive, responsible decisions, create frameworks to achieve their goals and build positive relationships with others. Researchers indicate that social-emotional learning promotes scholastic achievement, well-being, and positive life outcomes and can be a powerful tool for prevention and resilience when embedded with intentionality in curriculum, instruction, and school climate (Durlak et …

Effects Of Design Thinking Instructional Strategies On Design Skill Acquisition: A Meta-Analysis, Sarah M. Urquhart

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In today's educational landscape, design thinking has emerged as a vital skill for the 21st century, becoming ingrained in curricula from kindergarten through post-secondary education. However, despite its widespread integration, there exists a notable absence of quantitative evidence supporting effective instructional approaches for fostering cognitive design skills. Various initiatives have aimed to explore how individuals acquire cognitive design competencies and to catalog instructional methods that facilitate this process. Nevertheless, existing quantitative research on the topic is fragmented across diverse fields and lacks a cohesive synthesis. This study endeavors to fill this gap through a meta-analysis focusing on two primary objectives …

Evaluating An Integrated Science, Technology, Engineering, And Math/Computational Thinking Professional Development Program For Elementary Level Paraprofessional Educators, Aubrey A. Rogowski

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

For my dissertation, I looked at a training program one Utah school district used to teach paraprofessional educators science, technology, engineering, math, and computational thinking. Specifically, the program taught them about what computational thinking is and how they could use it when teaching science, technology, engineering, and math to students from kindergarten to sixth grade. While reviewing this program, I evaluated 1) The experiences the paraprofessionals had with the program, 2) Whether the paraprofessionals understood computational thinking, and 3) Whether the program prepared them to teach computational thinking to K-6 students.

I worked with eight paraprofessionals who participated in this …

Lessons Lost: The Complicated Filtering Of History Curricula, Kate Burchnell

Quest

Argument and Proposal Essay

Research in progress for ENGL 1302: Composition II

Faculty Mentors: Lisa Kirby, PhD and Kyle Wilkison, PhD

Introduction from Dr. Lisa Kirby

It was my pleasure to work with Kate Burchnell on her paper, “Lessons Lost: The Complicated Filtering of History Curricula.” Kate’s project began as an assignment in my Fall 2021 Composition II course. This assignment allowed students to choose a topic they were passionate about, write a persuasive essay about the issue, and propose a solution to the problem. Students were encouraged to pick topics in their future professions or fields of study. As …