Educational Methods Commons^™

Web Tools: Keeping Learners On Pace, Mickey Kosloski

STEMPS Faculty Publications

One of the greatest challenges in teaching technology and engineering is pacing. Some students grasp new technological concepts quickly, while others need repetition and may struggle to keep pace. This poses an obstacle for the technology and engineering teacher, and is particularly true when teaching students to build a website. However, there are a plethora of online tools available that can assist learners in building a website. This article identifies some of the tools that may be used in the classroom and for classroom-oriented, teacher-hosted websites. While specific examples are provided, Web search terms are denoted at the end of …

The Role Of Simulation-Based Learning Environments In Preparing Undergraduate Health Students For Clinical Practice, Brennen Mills

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Experiential learning (EL), whereby students are able to integrate theory with practice, is an essential component of learning for health professionals. Traditionally, EL in the health education context has been achieved through clinical placements (CPs) that see students ‘apprentice’ in real clinical settings. The literature suggests there are a number of factors that diminish a student’s ability to learn in such environments, including limited opportunities to practice, being confined primarily to observation roles as opposed to participate in tasks, being exposed to skills/procedures outside their level of learning/understanding, and institutional learning objectives being secondary to workplace goals. Simulation-based learning environments …

Spiritual Nurture In Developing The Faith Of Christian High School Students: A Phenomenological Study, Marsha Boyd-Mitchell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Many Christian schools provide solid academic environments for adolescents. The programming promises to deliver an education to nurture the human soul. This qualitative, transcendental, phenomenological study was for the purpose of discovering how spiritual nurture in Christian high schools aided and encouraged faith development. Christian high school is the lived experience of adolescents going to school with spiritual nurture at the heart of their programming. The participants were 15 adolescents who attended a Christian high school that implemented spiritual nurture by use of prayer, worship, biblically-integrated curriculum, Bible study, teacher-student relationships, holistic correction, and peer relationships. The epoche was the …

The Transition Of Flipped Instruction : From Professional Development To Classroom, Alison J. Sauter

Graduate Research Papers

This action research study was designed to implement flipped classroom professional development for high school teachers, and investigate whether the flipped professional development could be transferred from the teacher learning into student learning. Over three months the teachers' flipped professional development covered the flipped classroom model, differentiated group work, and the technologies needed to flip a lesson. Each of the seven participants created and delivered three flipped lessons in their classrooms. The major findings suggest that the flipped learning skills were transferred from professional development to practice (with the aid of instructional coaching.) Recommendations for further professional development on classroom …

The Effect Of Flipped Instruction On Student Learning : Perspectives From Students And Teachers, Britta Adams

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this literature review is to examine the effects the flipped classroom has on student achievement, student attitudes and teacher perceptions. Thirty peer-reviewed journal articles were reviewed and analyzed. Three themes emerged from the review: student achievement, student attitudes and teacher perception. It was found that the flipped classroom was a positive experience within a majority of the studies. Since little research has been done in the K-8 level for content areas outside of math and science, it is recommended that further research to be done in a larger variety of content areas at the primary and secondary …

Changing Early Intervention Provider Practices To A Coaching Model Through Self-Study And Distance Mentoring Model : Family-Guided Routines-Based Interventions And The Key Indicators, Cindy Lefeber

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to detemiine whether the use of the Distance Mentoring Model-Family Guided Routines Based Intervention strategies, adult learning strategies and self-study research would assist me in assimilating the Key Indicators into my early intervention provider practices. The Key Indicators are Setting the Stage, Observation and Opportunity to practice, Problem Solving and Planning and Reflection and Review (SS-OO-PP-RR). To determine the extent to which my teaching practices reflect the current practices in early intervention I engaged in Iowa Distance Mentoring Training through the state of Iowa while collecting and analyzing data through qualitative self-study, a constant …

A Selective Annotated List Of Reading Promotion Events Recommended For Elementary Students, Nicole Nadine Guldager

Graduate Research Papers

Students who are not afforded with the opportunity to read for pleasure often become students who choose not to read once the required reward­-based reading system is removed (Pavonetti et al., 2002). Although anecdotal ideas for reading promotion are often shared in email, blogs, and journals, teacher librarians would benefit from a clear annotated list of reading promotion events designed to help them select a wide variety of events to create a planned sequence of events throughout the school year to best meet a variety of school and community needs.

The research based project is an annotated list of 31 …

A Journey Of Designing And Beta-Testing A Game-Based Unit, Renee E. Thomas

Graduate Research Papers

This project report describes a journey of designing and beta-testing a game-based learning unit with sixth grade students in rural Iowa. Game-based learning was a trial at practicing the 21st century employability skill of demonstrating productivity and accountability. The unit was designed and developed using the backwards planning process of Understanding by Design (Wiggin & Mc Tighe, 2005). The beta testers were two classes of sixth grade students and a classroom teacher. Alpha testers were other school personnel. It is found that a majority of sixth grade students like to be in control of their learning path in a game-based …

Building Data And Information Literacy In The Undergraduate Chemistry Curriculum, Yasmeen Shorish, Barbara A. Reisner

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry - Faculty Scholarship

The Literature and Seminar sequence at James Madison University has been used to develop the chemistry information literacy skills of chemistry majors for over four decades. These courses have been continually updated to emphasize information literacy skills for the twenty-first century. This chapter describes the methods that have been developed to improve chemical, data and general information literacy at a large, public, primarily undergraduate institution. The focus of the first semester course, described in this chapter, is on skill building rather than teaching specific resources. It is a model of integration and collaboration between chemistry faculty and chemistry librarians. Changes …

An Investigation Into The Accessibility Of Ap Calculus, Brian Austin Dodge

Capstones, Research Projects, and Curricula

This is a mixed methods ethnographic study conducted to determine what obstacles students face when approaching AP Calculus. I focused my study on home economics, peer pressure, ELL status and home support. Overall, I found that being a student who is ELL (hereafter defined as a student who was or currently is required to take ACCESS testing) had the most negative effect of the previously listed factors. Home economics and peer pressure were inconclusive or often had no effect. Finally, having a supportive home life in the form of parents who value education, encourage goal-setting, and set high expectations had …

Questioning As A Civic Act: An Examination Of How Social Studies Teachers Define, Develop, And Cultivate Questions For Inquiry, Rebecca Glasgow Williams Mueller

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

The present qualitative study used socio-cultural theory (Wertsch, 1998), pedagogical content knowledge (Shulman, 1987), and reflective practice (Schön, 1983) to examine how social studies teachers define and develop inquiry questions. Existing literature reflects a long tradition of equating inquiry with high quality social studies instruction (e.g., Barton & Levstik, 2004; Bruner, 1977; Griffin, 1942) and arguing that successful inquiry hinges on an engaging question (Barton & Levstik, 2004; Grant, 2003), but relatively little attention has been paid to how teachers characterize and develop questions for use with inquiry (Grant & Gradwell, 2010). The main research question was: How do high …

Construction And Validation Of A Holistic Education School Evaluation Tool Using Montessori Erdkinder Principles, Anthony Philip Setari

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

The purpose of this study was to construct a holistic education school evaluation tool using Montessori Erdkinder principles, and begin the validation process of examining the proposed tool. This study addresses a vital need in the holistic education community for a school evaluation tool. The tool construction process included using Erdkinder literature to justify the development of each item through the use of an item matrix, ultimately leading to the development of the 23 item formative Montessori Erdkinder School Evaluation Survey. The validation process included a series of three Rasch Rating Scale Model analyses with data from a sample school. …

A Debriefing Technique In High-Fidelity Patient Simulation And Competent Decision-Making Abilities Among Nursing Students, Trena Seago

Theses and Dissertations--Curriculum and Instruction

Nursing faculty are utilizing high-fidelity patient simulation (HPS) with debriefing to help engage nursing students in making competent clinical decisions. This quasi-experimental study examined the use of HPS with debriefing and students’ ability to make nursing care decisions using standardized exams. The experimental group received debriefing after HPS and the control group did not receive debriefing after HPS. The pre- and post-test assessed participants’ ability to make clinical care decisions. The analysis of the pre-test and post-test HESI scores showed that there was no significant difference between the two groups.

Service-Learning And The Hungry And Homeless: Tangible Sensibilities Of Care Among Young Urban Adolescents, Dilafruz R. Williams

Educational Leadership and Policy Faculty Publications and Presentations

For over 20 years, Sunnyside Environmental School in Portland, Oregon has adopted service-learning as an instructional approach to engage young people with local communities. This report explores the voices of sixth through eighth graders illustrated by their Reflection Journals as they interacted with hungry and homeless individuals in the community. The human-scale connections resulted in tangible sensibilities of care evident in students’ reflections: dispelling stereotypes as students became open-minded, making a noticeable difference however small, developing compassion through new understandings, and taking action to correct social injustices in the communities where they live.

Social Studies In The Modern Era: A Case Study Of Effective Teachers' Use Of Literacy And Technology, Kristal Curry, Todd Cherner

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of this research project was to highlight the practices and philosophies of two effective—but different—social studies teachers who balance the demands of teaching in the modern era while honoring their own philosophies for teaching social studies. This project was ground in the theoretical framework provided by TPACK and used a case study methodology for its research design. While the pedagogical content knowledge of the participants was strong and technology was used abundantly for instructional purposes, this research raised questions regarding how teachers can most effectively use technology to enhance instruction by helping students conceptualize content knowledge and apply …

Color Me Calm: Adult Coloring And The University Library, Heidi Blackburn, Claire E. Chamley

Criss Library Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

An activity often reserved for children, coloring books for adults rose from hipster trend to global phenomenon beginning in 2013. Adults flocked to the activity for a variety of reasons, including stress relief, socialization, a way to unplug from technology or even as a way to gain social status by appearing trendy. Participants reported enjoying the tactile, interactive nature of the books as a respite from constant screen time. Coloring books became big business for craft suppliers and bookstores by 2015. Coloring books shot to the top of the Best Sellers list on Amazon and were prominently displayed in book …

“Everybody’S Homeschooled Differently” - A Pilot Qualitative Study Of The Lived Experience Of Homeschooled College Students, Hannah J. Bullock, Maria P. Alexander, Irene L. Penkalsky

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Abstract

There are preconceived notions that homeschooled students suffer both academically and socially, especially in the college setting. The purpose of this study is to explore the lived experience of academic and social transition from homeschooling to a public university in homeschooled students. A phenomenological approach is used, which addresses individuals’ unique experiences and interpretations of those experiences based on their upbringing. A qualitative design is used in this study with semi-structured interviews in which participants were asked to talk about their social and academic transition experiences. The sample group includes previously homeschooled students that currently or previously attended a …

A Comparison Of The Effectiveness Of Two Educational Interventions Developed To Teach Early Infant Hunger Cues To Junior Level Nursing Students., Melissa D. Gainer

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Due to multiple learning styles, it can be difficult to teach to large groups of students. The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of two different educational interventions designed to teach infant hunger cues to undergraduate nursing students to increase the knowledge and confidence levels needed for the future teaching of infant hunger cues to new parents. Flemings VARK theory was used to guide this quasi-experimental study. A pretest posttest two-group design was used to evaluate both knowledge and confidence levels in the participants (N= 86). Data was analyzed utilizing a paired t-test. The results noted significant …

Crossing Literacy And Informed Learning Boundaries With Manga, Kathleen Smeaton, Clarence Maybee, Christine Susan Bruce, Hilary Hughes

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

This research investigated high school students’ experiences of informed learning in a literacy development workshop. It was conducted in the library of an Australian high school with a low socio-economic population. Building upon students’ fascination with Manga fi ction and artwork, the workshop was part of a larger university– community engagement project, Crossing Boundaries with Reading, which aimed to address widespread literacy challenges at the school.

Effects Of A 10-Week Mental Skills Training Intervention Infused Into A Pre-Existing English Composition Course, Courtney A. Flynn

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

"Academic performance is a complex phenomenon that is shaped by a wide variety of factors which extend beyond the traditional notions of academic skills and content knowledge (Rosen et al., 2010). Dweck and colleagues (2011) - in coining the term academic tenacity - have suggested that educational interventions which target non-cognitive skills (such as goal-setting, motivation, and resilience) can have transformative effects on students' experience/achievement. However, few in academia have taken Dweck and colleagues (2011) advice and developed interventions specifically targeting this skill set. In this study, "academic tenacity" was taught by infusing mental skills-related material into a pre-existing 10-week …