Secondary Education Commons^™

Analyzing The Effectiveness Of Different Media To Enhance Mathematical Discourse, Kyle Och

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This qualitative and quantitative study compared the effect of paper-pencil work in a mathematical discourse with problems and prompts presented virtually through various technological tools. The participants of this study were ninth and tenth grade students in two separate blocks of geometry class. These classes consisted of predominantly White students split into class sizes of 26 and 21. Since students were separated into two different geometry classes, one class was given paper problems and discussion prompts while the other received problems and prompts through Desmos Classroom Activities. This way, a quantitative analysis of three data points could be compared between …

The Effects Of The Transition From Pre-Nursing To Nursing On Mental Health, Andrew J. Davis, Paige R. Mullins, Kimberly A. Sell

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Mental health is an ever-growing crisis among adolescents and young adults, with suicide as second leading cause of death and the number of those negatively affected continually on the rise. Transitions are one of the major stressors prevalent among these age groups, placing individuals at risk for mental health deficits. This quantitative voluntary response comparative study assesses the transitional mental health of pre-nursing students and students in the nursing program at East Tennessee State University. Emailed to all with a declared major of pre-nursing or nursing, this study measured mental health using evidenced based assessment tools. The PHQ-9 for depression …

A Sociocultural Analysis Of Book-Length Works Mentioned In The English Journal, 2010-2020, Elizabeth Price

Curriculum and Instruction Undergraduate Honors Theses

Between 2010 and 2020, the book-length works mentioned in the English Journal were recorded in order to assess societal and professional trends reflected in the uptake of these books in pedagogical articles. The data shows a continued heavy presence of canonical literature, particularly Shakespearean plays, as well as an increase in diverse perspectives, a higher respect for new genres such as Young Adult Literature and the Graphic Novel in the classroom, and a pushback on two popular novels, To Kill a Mockingbird and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Does The Use Of Digital Storytelling Affect The Self-Efficacy And Writing Ability Of Long-Term English Learners?, Theresa Gonzales

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

When a student enters the public system and speaks a language other than English at home, this student becomes classified as an English Learner (EL). In order to reclassify out of that designation, a student must pass an English proficiency test at the end of the school year, as well as meet the other requirements for that specific district. If a student in the school system has an EL designation for more than seven years, they become classified a Long-Term English Learner (LTEL) student with very specific academic needs. Within the United States, schools will fail to reclassify 30-50% of …

Educators’ Adolescent Experiences And Their Implementation Of Positive Behavioral Interventions And Supports, Je Quila D. Broussard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) is a framework comprised of several tiers to address students’ emotions and academics. Although educators utilize PBIS in their classroom management, they encounter barriers that hinder implementation. The purpose of the study was to discover, through qualitative interviews, how educators’ adolescent experiences with behavior/classroom management and the positive and negative consequences they experienced in school influenced their values and beliefs about classroom management and their implementation of the PBIS framework in middle schools in Texas. Bandura’s social cognitive theory provided the theoretical framework used to craft the research questions. The central research question examined …

Hands-On Stem: Chemistry, Physics, And Other Science Resources For K-12 Education, Lisa Ahlberg, G. Brendan Cross

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Tier 2 Intervention On Student Achievement & Student Self-Efficacy, Cheyenne Morgan Hill

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Biology is a key course in a student's learning path. It provides important information about the living world and creates foundational knowledge that will be used in other science courses as the student progresses through his or her secondary and post-secondary education. However, there is a pattern of low student achievement in this required science course. The inability for students to understand and retain the curriculum in turn leads to low self-efficacy. Together, this creates a poor attitude toward science and a reluctance to pursue further science courses and in turn science careers. Response to Intervention (RTI), a common educational …

The Sel Implementation Monkey: Identifying Factors That Serve As Barriers To The Successful Implementation Of Sel In The Classroom And School Setting, Aron Dody

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify factors that served as barriers to the successful implementation of social and emotional learning in the classroom and school setting. This study utilized a reflective case study approach concerning USD 417’s social and emotional learning implementation journey.

The research questions for this study were: 1. What factors or conditions serve as barriers to the implementation of SEL in the classroom and school setting? 2. What resources or supports would lead to increased fidelity amongst teachers in the implementation of SEL in the classroom and school setting?

The reflections and data were used …

Evaluation Of A Technology Tool Assignment & Scoring Guide, Alanna Gibbons

Open Educational Resources

The goal of this assignment is for students to explore how technology can be used to enhance student learning and strengthen student appreciation of the mathematical content they are studying. This assignment asks students to identify a technology resource/tool and evaluate its applicability to study at the secondary school level.

Journaling As A Social-Emotional Teaching Practice To Promote Adolescent Mental Health, Mackenzie Robertson

Honors Projects

Given the current state of education in the United States, there has been an influx in the number of adolescents diagnosed with a mental illness or have experienced struggles with their mental health. Because of this, Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) strategies have been introduced further into adolescent education to bolster the skills students learned in their youths. To assist in the promotion of the five SEL competencies, different journaling strategies can be introduced to impact adolescent mental health positively and continue to practice SEL for life beyond high school. The purpose of this research is to introduce these strategies to pre-service …

“A Short History Of An Overlooked Genre: How And Why Horror Can Be An Effective Tool In A Classroom And For Creating Social Change”, Hunter King

Honors Theses

Horror as a genre tends to be overlooked by the public eye, especially when it comes to critical analysis and its value as literature or educational film. As a future English teacher, I have made it a mission to promote literacy, and horror has been a tool that has encouraged me to read, so I figured there must be some connection between the genre and the promotion of literacy. The thesis in whole is able to address why the horror genre tends to spark more interest in readers than other genres, highlighting that the genre is built to unite readers …

Curiosity, Motivation, Autonomy, And Lifelong Learning In Education And The United States Marine Corps, Cynthia Malmquist

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

Curiosity, intrinsic motivation, and autonomy-supportive teaching all promote lifelong learning in both the classroom and Marine Corps. Humans are all born with curiosity. Children inherently practice forms of intrinsic motivation. Most would agree that they do not like being micromanaged - they enjoy a sense of freedom when completing tasks. Despite this, many students learn in a controlling environment and many Marines work under controlling leaders. Though a large amount of time is spent on learning through the first 18 years of life, lifelong learning does not come naturally and is not commonly practiced. The research and ideas discussed below …

Quickwrites And The Quest To Reverse Writing Reluctance, Jenna Dunn

Honors Projects

Current research suggests that students’ enjoyment of writing will positively impact their writing achievement (Graham, 2007; Bulut, 2017). Given this trend, the following study explores the extent to which quickwriting, a teaching strategy developed extensively by Linda Rief (2003, 2018) as well as Donald Graves & Penny Kittle (2005), impacts the attitudes of reluctant writers. A total of nineteen eleventh-grade students were interviewed in three focus groups. All of the students within the study experienced three weeks of regular classroom quickwriting along with one week of a quickwriting extension workshop prior to participation in the focus groups. Students were asked …

The Effect Of Separating Grades From Feedback On Student Motivation, Nora Rogers

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

There is often a disconnect around instructional feedback between how the instructor intends the feedback to be used and how students actually use it. Research shows that students tend to view feedback as a means to achieve a higher grade, not as a tool for learning. Frequently, this means that feedback is ignored. Students tend to be motivated by performance goals as opposed to mastery goals thereby focusing on point acquisition above all. Therefore, this study explores the question: What is the effect of separating grades from feedback on the motivation of secondary honors students? Learners in this research study …

Meas: Exploring Links Between Implementation And Standards Mastery, Noah Silver

Honors Projects

In order to effectively enhance a student’s mathematical understanding and development in the field of mathematics, students need to engage in problem solving. Model eliciting activities, or MEAs, provide students with tasks that promote higher level thinking and the ability to utilize mathematics outside of the classroom; they also align and promote the utilization of the Common Core State Standards and Standards for Mathematical Practice. Research suggests that the language and motivation promoted by MEAs enriches engagement and increases student ability and performance of traditional and real-world mathematics. Use of technology further supports these goals. Through the analysis of checkpoint …

Inservice Middle School Teachers' Understanding Of Views Of Nature Of Science (Vnos), Merika Charupoom, Emily Carter, Yasmeen Hernandez

Undergraduate Research Symposium Podium Presentations

What is a misconception? A view or opinion that is incorrect based on faulty thinking or understanding. Misconceptions may originate from personal experience, imprecise language, lack of examples and non-examples in concept formation, media representation of phenomena, errors in logic, and textbooks. Often occurs from the inconsistency in science curriculums among instittuions and education systems.

Effects of Misconceptions: Gap in knowledge/understanding that is taught from teacher to student; Decrease in the academic success of students.

Nevada is ranked 49th in educational attainment, 42nd in school quality, 46th in best school systems in America.

One way to help us understand whether …

The Benefits Of Small Group Counseling Sessions In Rural High Schools, Breanne Dru Dalm

Masters Projects

Rural students continue to be a very misunderstood group in American schools. These students are not exposed to the vast post-secondary career paths available. Rural students face many challenges, such as low-income communities, cultural barriers, parental support, parental education, and school support. As a result, there is a need for greater awareness and interventions created by schools to reach the needs of this student population. This project will critically analyze literature on the rural students’ experience in American Public schools and propose targeted intervention strategies such as small group counseling as a best practice for this student population.

Infographic: Schools In 2021, Dominique Russell

Teacher infographics

How many students were enrolled in how many schools across Australia throughout 2021? How many full-time equivalent staff members? What was the average student-teacher ratio? Find out what schools looked like in 2021 in today’s infographic.

An Investigation Into The Experiences Of Secondary Social Studies Teachers Regarding A Change In State-Level Social Studies Standards In A Colorado School District, Lindsay Mcmichael Sitterley

Theses and Dissertations

The researcher investigated the perceptions of secondary social studies teachers regarding the change in state - level social studies standards, especially in terms of their response in instructional practice. Furthermore, the study included a discussion of the factors that influence the actions of teachers related to the change in the social studies curriculum. This allowed for an analysis of potential changes in instructional decision making, such as including cooperative learning strategies, that were the result of the change in curriculum. The study is significant as changes in recommended instructional strategies have occurred in recent years. Additionally, research in the field …

Effect Of 100% Virtual Learning Modality On Middle Level Learners, Madison Stanton

KU Inspires! Undergraduate Research Day

Teachers and students have been incorporating technology into instructional practices for quite some time. Technology has multiple benefits. However, concerns have been developing due to the increase in technology. While these concerns were being explored, the COVID-19 pandemic hit causing schools to move quickly to 100% virtual learning. Our investigation sought to identify the effects of 100% virtual learning modality on middle level students from their teachers' perspectives. Findings will be shared and solutions discussed.

Keywords: Technology, Middle School, Perspectives, COVID-19, Virtual Learning, KU BEARS.