Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

Analyzing Environmental Education In Northern Mississippi And Its Impact On Student Outcomes, Vishnu S. Gadepalli

Honors Theses

This thesis examines environmental education in public high schools in northern Mississippi, investigating how educators describe its presence, delivery, and institutional support in communities disproportionately burdened by environmental harm. Seven semi-structured interviews were conducted with high school teachers across four northern Mississippi schools, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed through iterative thematic coding under Institutional Review Board approval. Five themes emerged: opportunistic curricular integration, time and standards as overriding structural constraints, passive institutional support, student receptivity tempered by limited awareness, and significant variation across school contexts with one magnet school as a clear outlier. The study concludes that environmental education in these …

High School Career And Technical Education (Cte) Programming And Post-Secondary Career Pathways: A Correlational Study, Richard P. Jorgenson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative correlational research project was to examine the association between the 6 CTE components (i.e., curriculum, work-based learning, mentorship/industry connections, student organizations/competitions, non-degree credentials, and experiential learning) and a students’ choice of a career pathway. The current literature stated the benefits of CTE but left a void as to which CTE component had the most impact on a student’s choice of a career pathway. With a theoretical framework based on the Career Self-Management Model, the author analyzed data from a sample consisting of current high school students, former high school students, and current CTE teachers to …

Social Emotional Learning (Sel) For Secondary English Language Learners (Ells), Summer E. Wallace

Honors Projects

This literature review and unit plan seeks to understand what Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is and provide resources to educators on its importance in the classroom. The literature review provides an overview of peer-reviewed sources from various educational journals, as well as online publications. It also contains interviews with two educators currently in the field. This project examines the benefits of SEL within the classroom and beyond, and proposes steps and considerations for implementing SEL into the classroom. It also includes specific provisions for SEL instruction to secondary English Language Learners (ELLs). Additionally, it discusses specific strategies to implement in …

Bridging The Gap Between Career Expectations Versus Labor Market Realities, Reinette P. Madrid, Grethel T. Ledesma, Ignatius Aryono Putranto, Jyro B. Triviño

Leadership and Strategy Faculty Publications

Most students lack awareness regarding the labor market outcomes for their chosen college majors. This study aims to answer what factors affect the career expectations of graduating students at Quezon City University and how these expectations align with the prevailing labor market situation. It employed descriptive, causal, and explanatory research using a sample of 108 respondents from fourth-year information technology students for the school year 2021 to 2022. Eight of the nine null hypotheses were rejected by employing multinomial logistic and linear regression. Student fixed effects and other labor market outcomes significantly predicted salary, estimated stability, and estimated skills in …

Southern Adventist University Undergraduate Catalog 2026-2027, Southern Adventist University

Catalog, Undergraduate

Southern Adventist University's undergraduate catalog for the academic year 2026-2027.

Pieces Solving A Puzzle: Emerging Roles And Cross-Field Analogies During A Distributed Epistemic Game, Jenna Matthews

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In an effort to describe why some problems can’t be solved, a character compared them to a cubic meter of platinum - a block so dense that all the people who could squeeze around it still couldn’t lift it off the ground. In the same way, these problems simply can’t have enough people gathered around and communicating about them - and so they remain unsolved.

This research looks at the first Polymath Project (2009) as an example of a distributed epistemic game to examine how groups engage with complex problems. and without a locally omniscient individual. In this setting of …

Exploration Of Connections Between Student Choice Of Knowledge Pieces In Solving A Slope Problem And Situational Factors, Kent R. Hoffman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Even when students have learned the same concept, they often cannot apply it in different situations. This study explored why high school students (ages 13-16) have such difficulty connecting what they learn in math class to science class, and to everyday life.

Students were given the same slope problems in different settings: two different math classes and a science class. These problems were chosen to have similar levels of difficulty, with the differences between them being their placement in a science-type problem, a mathematical-type problem, and a real-world scenario. Researchers asked students to explain their thinking through writing or in …

Inclusive Laboratory Instruction For Students Who Are Blind Or Low Vision Pacifichem Symposium Overview, Cary Supalo, Christin B. Monroe, Siegbert Schmid

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

The 2025 Pacifichem conference held in Honolulu, Hawaii during the week of December 15-20, 2025, included a symposium titled, “Inclusive Laboratory Instruction for Students Who are Blind or Low Vision.” This symposium was organized by Dr. Cary Supalo, Prof. Siegbert Schmid, Dr. Kaitlin Beare and Ms Jasodhara Bhattacharya, and sessions were moderated by Dr. Cary Supalo and Dr. Christin Monroe. The symposium featured chemists with BLV and other chemists who have an interest in the inclusion of chemists with BLV into the STEM enterprise. It included 13 presentations on varying topics ranging from auto-ethnographic, methodological, to formal educational research studies.

Unraveling How Social Cues Foster Second Language Achievement In Online Classrooms: The Mediating Mechanism Of Classroom Emotions, Wen Zhao

Journal of English and Applied Linguistics

Guided by the Cognitive-Affective-Social Theory of Learning in digital Environments (CASTLE), this study examined how social cues influence three classroom emotions (enjoyment, anxiety, and boredom) and, in turn, online second language (L2) achievement. Data were collected from 118 Chinese junior high school English-as-a-second-language learners in a synchronous online English class. Pearson correlations revealed medium-to-large associations among the variables. Social cues were positively associated with enjoyment (r = .569) and negatively associated with anxiety (r = −.429) and boredom (r = −.434). Parallel mediation analysis (PROCESS Model 4) showed that enjoyment and anxiety significantly mediated the relationship between social cues and …

Mentoring Preservice Teachers Of Voice In The Collegiate Setting, Lynne M. Ferrara

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite the vast wealth of knowledge available in the field of voice, there appeared to be a deficiency on the topic of mentoring preservice voice teachers at the collegiate undergraduate and graduate levels. Considering the ways in which collegiate voice faculty members prepare preservice voice teachers is vital. Their instructional style, communication skills, and relationship to students are among the many factors that may influence the personal and professional outcomes of future voice teachers and their students. In search to better understand the preparational experiences of preservice voice teachers, a phenomenological study was conducted in the United States. The results …

A Causal-Comparative Quantitative Study Of The Efficacy Of Adaptive-Responsive Versus Traditional-Responsive Application Practice On Student Performance In Higher Education General Chemistry I Courses, Jennifer E. Felts

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study was to examine the efficacy of adaptive-responsive versus traditional-responsive homework in the mastery and application of General Chemistry I concepts. This study was important to determine if the repetition and foundational concept acquisition necessary for success in the fundamental course was better achieved with Assessment & Learning in Knowledge Spaces (ALEKS) adaptive-responsive homework or traditional-responsive reformulating textbook questions. The sample was composed of 132 higher education General Chemistry I students at Lunar Community College (pseudonym). Data were collected using the American Chemical Society (ACS) General Chemistry First Term (GC1) exam, with ten questions …

Contemplative Pause: Practice As Pedagogy In A Liberal Arts Classroom, Sienna R. Craig, Sid Babla, Abbey Savin

Journal of Contemplative and Holistic Education

This article discusses the integration of contemplative pedagogies – including but not limited to yoga nidra – into two case study courses at an elite private liberal arts institution. We begin by describing the structure, context, and nature of this experiment in contemplative pedagogy, considering this experiment in the context of what we call the “liberal arts promise” at a moment of heightened mental health crises across institutions of higher education and increasing public skepticism about the value(s) of higher education. The article takes as a starting point the idea that building forms of contemplative pause into the fabric of …

Augmented Reality-Based Pop-Up Book For Teaching Rupiah Currency Recognition To Deaf Junior High School Students, Rohmah Ageng Mursita, Totok Bintoro, Asep Supena, Indra Jaya, Murni Winarsih, Mayasari Manar

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

Deaf students depend heavily on visual input, yet Indonesian special schools still teach currency recognition mostly with flat textbook pictures. This study aimed to develop an augmented reality-based pop-up book on the value, colour, and imagery of Indonesian Rupiah currency for deaf students at a special junior high school and to examine its feasibility and preliminary effect on learning outcomes. A research and development design based on the Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation model was applied. The product pairs a printed pop-up book with scannable markers that show three-dimensional models of nine Rupiah banknotes and coins. Two content experts …

Using Theories Of Social Exchange And Status Construction In Mixed-Group Cooperative Learning Practices, Joseph M. Quinn, Valerie K. Barron

Feminist Pedagogy

Classroom group work can reproduce broader social inequalities when status-based expectations shape whose contributions are valued or ignored. Intergroup Contact Theory (IGCT) proposes conditions of contact that can reduce prejudice but provides limited explanation of the interactional processes through which these conditions generate cooperation or alter status expectations. We integrate IGCT with the Theory of Social Commitments and Status Construction Theory to identify micro-level structural mechanisms that instructors can leverage to create more equitable intergroup interactions that can also enable social learning and bias reduction toward underrepresented groups. Drawing on these theories, we propose a three-part strategy: forming strategically mixed-status …

Accessible Outreach As Experiential Learning: A Transformative Gateway For Neurodivergent Stem Scholars, Christin B. Monroe, Rebecca W. Matte

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

This paper positions science outreach as a structured and accessible form of experiential learning for neurodivergent STEM scholars. Grounded in Beard and Wilson’s (2018) learning waves framework, we argue that outreach offers predictable experiential phases, guided reflection, and supportive mentoring that collectively foster identity development and career readiness. Drawing on the AIE: STEMPLOS program, we illustrate how tiered mentoring, intentionally designed outreach activities, and reflective tools such as the Birkman® assessment help scholars articulate strengths, understand communication and work‑style preferences, and navigate real‑world professional contexts. Program outcomes demonstrate increased confidence, improved communication skills, and strengthened STEM identity among participants. By …

A Mindful Approach To Language Learning: Investigating Attitudes, Self-Efficacy, And Well-Being In The Efl Classroom, Sharon E. Fayerberger, Anca D. Cehan

Journal of Contemplative and Holistic Education

A Mindful Approach to Language Learning: Investigating Attitudes, Self-Efficacy, and Well-Being in the EFL Classroom

This study aimed to explore the effect of a 13-week mindfulness intervention program conducted in English, within the framework of English Foreign Language lessons for 10th-grade students. The aspects researched were attitudes, language self-efficacy, and student well-being, which are essential components for successful foreign language learning. Fifty-seven 10th-grade students were divided into an experimental group and a control group. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining quantitative questionnaires to assess the students' self-efficacy and attitudes pre- and post-stage, and qualitative data collected from semi-structured questionnaires, which …

Artizein Arts And Teaching Journal Volume 11 (1), Darlene St. Georges

Artizein: Arts and Teaching Journal

Full Issue

The Material Life Of Visual-Textual Pairs, Marzieh Mosavarzadeh, Ken Morimoto, Rita L. Irwin

Artizein: Arts and Teaching Journal

This visual essay follows the material lives of visual-textual pairs within a collaborative a/r/tographic  inquiry, attending to how their changing forms invite relations we could not anticipate. Beginning as a  digital exchange of photographs and texts between two collaborators, the inquiry expanded to include a third collaborator and later took the form of hinged, foldable cards shared at a conference round-table. Through gestures of lifting, revealing, passing, and (re)arranging, the pairs became participants in a collective inquiry, opening possibilities beyond their creators’ intentions. We wonder what becomes of inquiry when the gestures through which we share the work begin to …

Narrative Threads: Mining Testimonios And Story-Building As Transformative Practice, Nicole M. Romanski, Leslie C. Sotomayor Ii, Julia L. Hovanec

Artizein: Arts and Teaching Journal

This visual essay interweaves narrative and feminist testimonio practices through the lived experiences and critical reflections of three art educators. It explores storytelling as a transformative method within art education and visual culture. Through vignettes of personal narratives and testimonios, the authors examine how individual experiences shape their teaching philosophies and pedagogical practices. This article situates their positionalities through diverse creative processes, including story mining, bookmaking, filmmaking, advanced clinical experience reflections, and visual pláticas. By merging practice and reflection, the collaborators highlight narrative pedagogy as a tool for personal and professional growth. Drawing on the work of scholars such as …

Drawing Out Remarkable Communities, Bailey Ennig

Artizein: Arts and Teaching Journal

This visual essay examines how an unused classroom whiteboard evolved into a student-driven site of relational art and community building. Initially left blank, the whiteboard became a shared drawing space as students began to doodle informally, returning regularly to contribute and interact. Over time, these collective drawing practices fostered friendships, cross-grade connections, and a sense of belonging grounded in shared pop culture interests and creative play. Drawing on theories of relational aesthetics (Bourriaud, 2002), creative ecosystems (Harris, 2021), and connected learning (Ito et al., 2019), the whiteboard functioned as a dynamic social space shaped by student agency rather than teacher …