Secondary Education Commons^™

Analyzing The Academic Achievement Of Secondary Virtual Learners During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Case Study, Christina Kaye Board

Dissertations and Theses

Secondary students from a mid-sized school district in the rural Midwest who had chosen an asynchronous learning environment during the COVID-19 pandemic were analyzed to determine predictors of academic achievement and perceptions of their learning during the pandemic. An explanatory, mixed methods case study was conducted to sequentially analyze quantitative data and qualitatively analyze their experiences. Archival data from 288 students [F(7, 281) = 20.87, p < .001] was used predict grade point average (GPA) during virtual learning (M = 2.43, SD = 0.89) using a multiple linear regression (R2 = .326). This study was done to determine what factors help educators understand the variables that aide in student achievement while virtual learning. Predictor variables included race/ethnicity, sex, socioeconomic status, grade level, past attendance, past GPA, and number of parents/guardians in the home. Significant predictors were grade level, past GPA (M = 3.05), and sex. The focus of the qualitative research was on access to technology, digital literacy, attitude, motivation, and social connectedness prior to, during, and post-virtual learning. Four themes emerged. Results from this study suggest that schools should consider the type of virtual environment they provide, instructional design that includes social interaction, and professional development for staff prior to implementation of a virtual learning environment to increase achievement.

¡Controlamos La Narrativa!: Collaborative Dramaturgy As A Tool For Latine Representation In Secondary Theatre Education, Domenika N. Moncayo

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Current secondary theatre education in America places a priority on Western ideals of theatre history and practices. Latine theatre history is hardly taught, and if it is, it is touched minimally. Latine culture places an emphasis on a collective, both in theoretical and practical work. Similarly, the practice of dramaturgy itself is rarely mentioned in curriculums, rather intertwined within lessons of acting, directing, and design. This creates an imbalance in practice versus theory in theatre education. I intend to introduce the concept of collaborative dramaturgy: a form of dramaturgy where students collaborate as dramaturgs to bring about discussions about identity. …

Trauma-Informed Educational Practices In The Middle School Classroom During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Loralynne Yost

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This collective case study used a mixed methods approach to examine how Trauma-Informed Educational Practices (TIEP) manifest in the middle school classroom. This study is important due to the trauma students experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Teacher participants had district training in trauma-informed practices prior to this study.

Teacher participants took an initial survey to capture their conceptualization and perceived usage of the TIEP in the classroom. Teachers then used TIEP in their classrooms for two weeks. Teachers kept a checklist of which of the TIEP they used each day and commented on the context for the use of the …

Teachers’ Experiences Preparing To Teach A New Senior Secondary School (Psychology) Curriculum On The Eve Of Enactment, Karen Marangio, Ellen Heyting

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article explores teachers’ experiences in preparing to enact a new senior secondary school subject, psychology, in Queensland, Australia, at a time of major curriculum reform. In this study, 62 teachers completed an online survey about their experiences on the eve of enactment. From an ecological lens, data were analyzed via descriptive statistics and content analysis before thematic analysis of open-ended responses. Teachers described their preparation in terms of excitement and anticipation in establishing a new subject; frustration and urgency for support to plan, collaborate and access professional learning and curriculum materials; and feelings of isolation and desire to connect …

Kentucky Public Charter Schools, Pamela Manning-Hamilton

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Kentucky public charter school law was introduced in 2017, the purpose of the new innovative schools were to close the achievement gap among the education system within the state. Charter schools are new-age schools that have a smaller class size, use differentiated instructional strategies that integrate technology to promote engagement, which in turn increases student growth and success. Advantages of charter schools within other states include differentiated environment, culture, and performance. Disadvantages of charter schools involve taking resources from traditional schools, higher resource costs, and demands. The study was approached using a basic qualitative research method. The purpose of the …

A Bonded Case Study Of Missouri Secondary Criminal Justice Program Curricula, James Barnes, James Oren Barnes

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory case study measured the Missouri Secondary Criminal Justice Program instructors' perception on the impact of Missouri technical standards, the Industry Recognized Credential/Technical Skills Assessment (IRC/TSA), Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs), individual cumulative career experience, and advisory boards on their curricula. As a local autonomy state, Missouri has no statutorily mandated curricula to guide instructors. Six secondary criminal justice instructors agreed to be interviewed on their perspectives regarding the factors that impact curricula. The research found that instructor experience had the most substantial impact on curricula. The instructors used the technical standards as a scope and sequence for …

Exploration Of Industry Certifications Within Career Pathways, Ashley Childs

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological research study explored industry certifications in career and technical education. A grand tour question and three research questions guided this study. Data collected from interviews with graduate of career pathway programs, career and technical education instructors, and industry employers provided a thorough understanding of the issues experienced in career and technical education. This study revealed a need for appropriate industry certifications in career and technical education programs and the workplace. In addition, the participants expressed a desire for students to start preparing earlier for their careers and be provided with alternatives to college for post-secondary education.

“I Kind Of Pushed Back”: Efficiency And Urgency In A No-Excuses Writing Curriculum, Katie Nagrotsky

Education Faculty Publications

Drawing on the concept of structuring contexts (Berchini, 2016) this article explores a white teacher’s understanding of teaching writing in a no-excuses charter management organization network. Through a deductive analysis, the author traces how the teacher’s beliefs about language were shaped by the CMO’s emphasis on efficiency, influencing how he acted on and adapted centralized curriculum and assessment practices. Documenting the ways that whiteness works within the writing curriculum and assessment practices despite stated broader organizational commitments to culturally relevant teaching, the author shows how the curriculum appropriated texts written by People of Color while the assessment practices prioritized correctness …

Hybrid Learning And Standards Based Grading: Fostering Writing Instruction During A Pandemic, Elizabeth Dietz

Masters Theses

Hybrid learning is steadily growing in popularity and showing to be an effective learning modality to accommodate diverse student populations. The pandemic is an unexpected outlier in the overall picture of hybrid learning, and it is helpful to reflect upon best academic practices, including grading methods, to help mitigate loss of learning and to continue to make improvements in pedagogical practices. This thesis explores the relationship between the hybrid learning model and evaluation, specifically Standards Based Grading, and how this combination of methods influences best writing practices. Using reflections gathered from teacher surveys via a case study, it appears the …

The Conflict Campaign: Exploring Local Experiences Of The Campaign To Ban “Critical Race Theory” In Public K–12 Education In The U.S., 2020–2021, Mica Pollock, John Rogers, Alexander Kwako, Andrew Matschiner, Reed Kendall, Cicely Bingener, Erika Reece, Benjamin C. Kennedy, Jaleel R. Howard

Education Faculty Articles and Research

"For this study, we reviewed documentation from and about the campaign’s loudest proponents, particularly national and local leaders. We analyzed anti 'CRT' websites, toolkits, Facebook groups, and media appearances to understand their shared language, tactics, and logic. We analyzed survey and interview data from educators affected through early fall 2021, drawing on survey responses from 275 members of a set of national teacher organizations that support teachers who tend toward teaching on race and diversity, as well as an interview study of 21 'equity officers' (EOs) in district diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) roles across the country. We also drew …

Standards Do Not Happen In A Vacuum: Local, State, And National Influences On Kentucky Academic Standards For The Social Studies And Curriculum Development, Ryan Douglas New

Theses and Dissertations--Curriculum and Instruction

This dissertation includes three articles that focus on local, state, and/or national influences on the development and implementation of state standards for social studies. Each article provides insights into how external influences at various levels can mediate the enactment, understanding, and/or adhering of state-level standards.

Article One, “The State of Social Studies Standards: What Is the Impact of the C3 Framework?” (2021) is a national case study that examines the impact the C3 (College, Career and Civic Life) Framework had in influencing the development of fifty state standards and the District of Columbia. The C3 framework pulls together content, concepts, …

Assessing Teachers’ Pedagogical Practices And Students’ Learning Outcomes In Science And Mathematics Across Primary And Secondary School Level: A Nationwide Study (2018-21), Sadia Muzaffar Bhutta, Nusrat Fatima Rizvi

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

No abstract provided.

Changing Parental Perceptions Adding Value To School Improvement Processes In Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, Mola Dad Shafa, Sharifullah Baig

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

Parental perceptions and perspectives play a critical role in their motivation, interest, participation, and valuation of children’s education which ultimately influences the quality of education in schools. This article reports the change of perception and perspectives of the parents under the influence of a comprehensive school improvement intervention. A quantitative survey approach was employed in this study including 680 parents from 6 districts. The data was collected in two rounds following the pre- and post- intervention approach. The first round of data was collected at the beginning of the project and the second round was collected at its end. The …

Relational Nation The Appreciation Of Characters In Rizal’S Noli Me Tángere In Two Philippine Public High Schools, Filomeno V. Aguilar Jr, Christian Jil R. Benitez, Ma. Elizabeth J. Macapagal

History Department Faculty Publications

In implementing the Rizal Law, the Department of Education’s K-12 Curriculum Guide emphasizes the study of characters in Rizal’s novels as a means to cultivate patriotism among the youth. In this light, this paper presents ethnographically how students from two public high schools in Rizal Province relate with characters in Noli me tángere. In the classroom, these characters have developed a status akin to “real” historical beings. Concomitantly, students use tropes that connect these characters to their own lives, relationships, and understandings of the social world. The students’ relationships elicit moral standards for imagining the nation and embodying their own …

First-Year College Students' Perceptions Of Writing And Writing Instruction Across High School To College Transitions, Laura Dacus

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Over the past few decades, standards-based educational reforms in the U.S. have sought to enhance students’ college and career readiness. The most recent wave of such reforms has emphasized writing as an essential aspect of college readiness and a 21st century skill necessary for success in the workplace. A common feature of these conversations concerning college writing readiness is a prevailing sense that high school graduates are underprepared for postsecondary literacy demands and, relatedly, that standards-based instruction is the key to bridging this “gap.” Compared to the number of studies that focus on writing at either the secondary or postsecondary …

The Influences Of Equity And School Culture On Black, Latinx, And Mixed-Race Student Enrollment In Advanced Secondary Mathematics Courses, Fyniss Nixon

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This quantitative, descriptive analysis of three large, urban secondary schools in the South used equitable practices to intentionally increase the percentage of Black, Latinx, and mixed-race students in advanced mathematics courses. Each high school observed in this study acknowledged a disproportionately higher percentage of White students taking rigorous college and career-ready courses when compared with the Black and Latinx population. This disparity was not just isolated to the schools in this study. District, state, and national initiatives across the country are becoming acutely aware of the accessibility gap between (Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color) BIPOC and non-BIPOC secondary …

Lay It All On The Line: The Effect Of Teacher-Student Conferencing In Middle Grades Mathematics Classrooms, Natalie Ostrander

Doctor of Education Dissertations

Increasing math achievement continues to be a commonly talked about subject in the educational setting. This case study observes one classroom teacher who implemented teacher-student conferencing in middle grades mathematics classes. The purpose of this study was to reveal the perceived impact of teacher-student conferencing on student engagement and with student achievement. Through a qualitative approach, perceptual data were collected through teacher journaling, conference logs, observations, and an interview. Research occurred in one school district in southeastern North Carolina with middle grades students in sixth and eighth grades. After the qualitative data were collected by me, data were analyzed using …

An Examination Of Student Perceptions Of Career And Technical Education Teachers' Interpersonal Behaviors And Their Impact On Student Achievement, Gail Gallman

Doctor of Education Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine career and technical education (CTE) students’ perceptions of CTE teacher interpersonal behaviors and their impact on student achievement. This study is important because teacher-student relationships impact student achievement and CTE struggles with students earning concentrators and/ or completers. Wubbels et al.’s (1985) 48-item student questionnaire of teacher interaction was administered to CTE students enrolled in CTE courses. Descriptive statistics revealed students perceive their teachers as having more leadership, understanding, and helping/friendly behaviors and less uncertain, student responsibility/freedom, admonishing, dissatisfied, and strict behaviors. Due to the small sample size, the nonparametric Spearman’s …

The Importance And Need For Daily Exercise For Students, Oscar Bernabe Mateo

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

Exercising on a daily basis increases grey matter in the hippocampus, which is crucial for memory processing and spatial awareness. These are 2 important traits for learning new things in school and and storing them in our brain. There is a correlation between physical activity and mental health: less physical activity proposes 2x the likelihood of experiencing depression. The amount of physical activity among students has been decreasing for decades as well as depression appearing to 34% more on people worldwide since the year 2000. Exercising helps the brain function better as there is better blood flow through the body …

Mental Health Vs. Social Media, Alexandra Avalos

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

Mental health is a persons condition with their emotional well-being and social well-being. A persons mental health is so important because it affects how you feel, think and act. Your mental health can determine how motivated you are or how you handle stress and or stressful situations. Social media has impacted peoples mental health especially in teenagers that depression rates are higher, as well as anxiety and self image issues.