Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

Virtual Reality And Nursing Education: A Randomized Control Trial Of The Effectiveness Of Virtual Reality As A Simulation Modality, David R. Haigh

Dissertations

Virtual Reality (VR) is an emerging technology being utilized in educational and professional training in fields such as engineering, heavy industry, and the military. VR also has the potential to be utilized in pre-licensing nursing education; however, nursing programs have been slow to adopt VR as a simulation modality to train pre-licensed nurses in clinical skills. As such, there is a lack of research on the effectiveness of VR training in critical skills that nurses will utilize in clinical settings. This research is vital because utilizing VR as a training tool can reduce the time and cost of preparing nurses …

Ethnic Studies For Secondary Schooling: Collaborative Curricular Insights From A Working Collective, Kelly León

Dissertations

The rapid expansion of policy-mandated ethnic studies (ES) in U.S. schools suggests the need to reconceptualize the field of ES for the school curriculum. This exploratory case study sought to contribute to a better understanding of the ways in which secondary ES curricula can be negotiated and made by teachers and their collaborators, illuminating its future possibilities in public schools. The research explored how teachers, academics, and ES graduate students collaborated in a Collective to use and relate various knowledge resources, including local oral histories, to develop community-focused ES curricular guidance. Little is known about the type of knowledge work …

Understanding The Lived Experiences Of Post-Graduates Of A Spiritual Direction Training Program Rooted In Ignatian Spirituality: A Phenomenological Study, Traci Arends

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand and explain the lived experiences of the graduates of the Spiritual Direction Training Program at the Ignatian Ways Center for Spirituality (IWCS). The theory guiding this study was Mezirow’s theory on transformative learning as it informs the transformative journey for the graduates. With this in mind, the central research question was, “What are the transformative learning experiences of graduates of the Spiritual Direction Training Program at the IWCS?” This qualitative design was appropriate because it considered the nature of the problem. The study utilized purposeful sampling of the lived experience …

Fostering Creativity Through A Signature Creative Writing Pedagogy, Ryan Stone

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study offers a historical and conceptual lens to guide the proposed research. A historical account of creative writing in higher education and its relationship to progressive education and creative education is offered. The conceptual framework involves the development of the creative person through the primary pedagogical method within creative writing: the workshop. The research involves a qualitative phenomenological study. Methods utilized include coded observations and interviews.

Thematic Geo-Inquiry In Seventh Grade Geography, Rebekah Driscoll Austing

Theses and Dissertations

With the growth of globalization, geography is an important subject for students of the 21^st Century to understand. Being adept in geography will aid our future generations to be able to use geographic skills to answer complex world issues. Unfortunately, geography has been a long-neglected subject of social studies; often considered boring and not worthwhile with teachers using teacher-centered curriculum methods and memorization. A teacher’s job is to provide appropriate experiences, materials, and context for students to construct and connect knowledge that is useful and beneficial to them. Through a constructivist lens, inquiry-based thematic units can be used by …

The Benefits Of Authentic Learning In English Language Arts Classes, Karissa Marie Connors

Theses and Dissertations

In education, it is important that teaching and learning evolve alongside an ever-changing world. Educators must teach 21^st century skills such as inquiry, independence, flexible and persistent thinking, and student motivation and engagement to help students prepare for the real world after graduation. It is imperative that educators begin to challenge students to learn within class settings that offer opportunities for real-world learning, even if confined to the physical classroom setting. The purpose of this action research study was to examine the benefits of authentic learning opportunities in English Language Arts classrooms while exploring the need for teaching life-long …

Cultivating Cultural Competence To Inspire Social Responsibility In Middle School Students, Jamie Shapiro Blau

Theses and Dissertations

In World Language education, teachers pair linguistic and cultural instruction to prepare students to engage effectively with speakers of the target language. In my French classes, where most students enjoyed dominant racial and socioeconomic identities, I noticed limited cultural competency skills in students, as well as a lack of readiness to engage with diverse cultures. This was unsurprising, as pervasive White eurocentrism permeates American schools, covertly impacting students' social and curricular experiences. Specifically, curricula of World Language courses where the language of study originates in a country with colonial history, such as French, cloud and ignore the linguistic and cultural …

Bridging The Gap Between Science And Technology: A Descriptive Study Identifying Factors Influencing 6-8th Grade Science Teachers’ Implementation Of Virtual Laboratory Simulations, Coral Nicole Hoesli

Theses and Dissertations

Teachers at a South Carolina middle school in the United States were not implementing virtual laboratory simulations at the same rate as other middle schools in the district. This descriptive research examined 6th-8th grade middle school science teacher perceptions and influencing factors behind the choice to implement virtual laboratory simulations. The study examined two research questions: (1) what are the personal and social factors influencing science teachers’ decisions to implement a virtual laboratory simulation, and (2) what are the structural factors influencing science teachers’ decisions to implement a virtual laboratory simulation?

The National Educational Technology Plan (NETP) and the International …

Young Children’S Reading Experiences In An Online Family Book Club Centered On Multimodal Responses, Ling Hao

Theses and Dissertations

This ethnographic case study explored Chinese American children’s heritage language and culture learning and their multimodal responses to culturally relevant picture books. I focus on six Chinese American families who participated in an online family book club. The children were between four and six years old. In each session, I first introduced Chinese characters or cultural traditions related to the book, and then had an interactive read aloud of a culturally relevant picture book. The children discussed the book with one parent and came up with a question and a connection. The children then responded to the book through creating …

The Effects Of Implementing A Mindfulness Program In Two Elementary School Math Classrooms, Sara Lilley

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study examined the effects of utilizing trauma-informed social-emotional learning (SEL) teaching practices in two elementary math classrooms located in a Title 1 public school in North Carolina. The classrooms consisted of one third-grade classroom with 18 students and one fifth-grade classroom with 22 students. These classrooms integrated 10 minutes of mindfulness practice which included direct instruction on calming strategies and breathing techniques. This study worked to help foster a learning environment that supported the academic and mental health needs of the student participants and looked at potential relationships between calming strategies and math assessment data. This study …

Keep Your Head Up: An Examination Of Out-Of-School Literacy Practices In An Intergenerational Family System, Johnnie D. Bryant-Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

The asset-based qualitative study used a phenomenological approach within a Community Cultural Wealth framework to question the practices of an intergenerational family system in the Southeastern United States. The study investigated the family system’s out-of-school literacy practices and the exposure to culturally relevant literature. The study revealed that an elder who actively participated in rearing school-aged children intentionally introduced culturally relevant literature. Similarly, the study revealed that the primary caregivers did engage their school-aged children in conversations related to social justice and introduced them to culturally relevant texts. However, a child's inquiry into the topic initiated primary caregivers’ introduction to …

High Ability, Hidden Gaps: Building Quantitative Reasoning Amongst Singapore’S Mathematically Literate, Rebecca M. Nichols

Numeracy

In Singapore, where primary and secondary students routinely top standardized worldwide mathematics examinations, a paradox emerges: when reaching university, many struggle to apply their skills critically in real-world contexts. This commentary examines the challenges and strategies involved in teaching quantitative reasoning (QR) to mathematically literate students in a top-ranking Singaporean university. While these students arrive well-trained in computation and procedural problem-solving, they often lack confidence and flexibility in ambiguous, data-driven decision-making. This article argues that fostering QR education is crucial not only for Singapore but for education globally, as QR skills underpin evidence-based reasoning within and across disciplines. Such an …

Creative Writing And The Common Core, Nathaniel Drenner

Journal of Creative Writing Studies

Review of Imaginative Teaching Through Creative Writing: A Guide for Secondary Classrooms. Edited by Amy Ash, Michael Dean Clark, and Chris Drew. Bloomsbury, 2021.

Using Gamification To Teach Cybersecurity In A Social Science Course: An Experience Paper, Roderick Graham, Medina Williams

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Meta-reviews of gamification suggest that gamifying course instruction can positively impact learners' behaviors and attitudes, leading to improved learning outcomes. However, there is a lack of literature relaying concrete experiences with developing and deploying gamified content. This experience paper contributes to filling that gap by describing the deployment of gamified instruction to students enrolled in a mid-level university social science course. These experiences are organized around four more or less chronological questions the project team needed to answer: (1) why gamify – or what is the rationale for undertaking such an endeavor, (2) what content should be gamified, (3) what …

Drawing Conclusions: A Study On Student Comic Creation As A Formative Assessment, Madeline Wright

Honors Projects

This study explores the effectiveness of comics as an exit ticket to help improve student learning and achievement. Students today are struggling with grasping social studies concepts, and this study seeks to look into the researcher’s creative solution to this issue. While extensive research highlights the effectiveness of comics as an instructional tool, little research has been done on its effectiveness as an assessment tool. The hypothesis of the study is that if students create comics as an exit ticket, then their perceived understanding and engagement in the content will improve. Data was collected by student drawn comic panels/sheets, observations, …

It’S Not Like Riding A Bicycle: How A Steadfast And Committed Effort To Writing Can Contribute To The Development Of Student Writers, Meredith J. Whited

Honors Theses

This work investigates the effect of writing routines in public education. Propelled by the words and ideas of Penny Kittle, Cynthia Urbanski, Ralph Fletcher, and many more, a study was completed with high school aged students to find the correlation between writing routines and levels of writing apprehension. These students were given The Daly-Miller Test as a pretest via Google Forms at the start of the study. After responding to a series of five-minute writing prompts over the course of several days, students were given a post-test of the same survey to determine if changes in writing apprehension had occurred. …

Equipping Teachers To Support Comic Literacy: An Analysis Of The Educational Potential Of Toon Book, Kayla Whitlock, Jewel Yoder Kuhns, Sara Kersten-Parrish Dr.

SANE journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education

Teachers frequently reach for leveled readers to help facilitate their guided reading groups; however, there can be limits in using these leveled readers. One such limit relates to enjoyment and engagement. An answer to this is using TOON books during guided reading time. TOON books are graphic novel leveled readers and were created in response to a need for high quality books for readers of all levels. However, in reading these books teachers need to be aware of the comics form and how those features impact the reading process. In this article, we outline the features common in graphic novels …

Using Social Emotional Learning To Connect Social Awareness And Classic Literature, Erin Anderson

Honors Projects

The following case study explores how social-emotional learning (SEL) teaching strategies enhance seventh-grade students’ engagement with classic literature during English Language Arts (ELA) class. Using S.E. Hinton’s classic novella The Outsiders as a foundation for this research, this study examines whether SEL-based lesson plans help adolescents make deeper connections between literature and their own lives. Two groups of students were compared in the study: one group received traditional, comprehension-based instruction, while the other participated in SEL-based assessments, encouraging perspective-taking and personal reflection. This study utilizes qualitative assessments like character analysis, reflection, and surveys to affirm that students who are exposed …

Teaching About Bodily Autonomy In The Early Childhood Classroom, Alaina Foster

Honors Projects

Research and evidence-based practices for the need to implement instructional materials in regard to elementary bodily autonomy and childhood sexual assault prevention education in the general education classroom.

Pedagogy Of The Taboo As Feminist Pedagogy: Embracing An Invitational Rhetoric Orientation, Mark P. Orbe

Feminist Pedagogy

Within this essay, I highlight a pedagogy of the taboo (Orbe, 2018) as a productive framework to counter anti-DEIA attempts to silence diverse voices in our class rooms and across campus. As an extension of Paulo Freire’s (1990) pioneering work, this orientation to critical pedagogy promotes teaching←→learning that questions authoritative meaning-making as a means to empowerment, liberation, and social justice. Central to this framework is a belief that labeling particular topics (e.g., race and racism; sex, gender, sexuality, sexism) as off-limits constitutes a rhetorical device used by those in power to maintain the status quo which benefits them (Orbe, 2018).