Digital Commons Network^™

Teacher Perceptions And Implementation Of A Content-Area Literacy Professional Development Program, Osha Lynette Smith, Rebecca Robinson

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

The Common Core State Standards recommend that all educators equip students with the literacy skills needed for college and careers. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine middle-level content-area teachers’ perspectives on a district-led literacy professional development program and their implementation of the literacy strategies they learned. The conceptual framework included Bruner’s constructivist, Bandura’s self-efficacy, and Knowles’s andragogy theories. These theories informed the investigation of adult learners’ perspectives regarding the way they learn and gain confidence in providing literacy instruction. Eleven English, math, science, and social studies teachers participated in the study through individual interviews. Data were …

A High School Curriculum That Will Help Prepare Students For A Life Outside Of Academics, Kaitlyn Witt

Honors Projects

Current high school curriculums are detailed to push students towards a college education. However, the curriculum does not prepare students for a life outside of academics. After creating a survey, the results showed that individuals that have completed their high school education do not feel prepared to enter the adult world. The individuals that took the survey responded that they did not feel comfortable managing their finances or cooking a meal on their own. In order to help prepare students for a life outside of the education, individuals in charge of creating a curriculum need to make revisions. After conducting …

May Agenda, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Meeting agenda.

Threshold Concepts And Transfer: A Curriculum Mapping Tool For First-Year Writing, Kerry Smith

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Writing scholars Adler-Kassner and Wardle, Beaufort, and Devet have placed pragmatic learning goals of transfer at the core of education’s purpose. This thesis shares the assumption of pragmatic learning goals for education and examines these goals for transfer through Meyer and Land’s theory of threshold concepts in the context of first-year composition courses. Covering Meyer and Land’s foundational work on threshold concepts and Thorndike and Woodworth’s groundbreaking research that later informed Perkins and Salomon’s work in transfer, this thesis aims to contextualize this literature within and operationalize it for first-year writing programs’ curriculum course design through the creation and testing …

The Effects Of Problem-Based Learning On Student Engagement In My Mathematics Classroom, Sydney Mcquate

Honors Projects

The main purpose of this research is to see what effects problem-based learning has on student engagement cognitively, behaviorally, and emotionally. Some research has found that problem-based learning increases students' cognitive engagement in the classroom. This research will be conducted over a three week period and analyze student engagement during a traditional unit and a problem-based learning unit.

Life Science - Animal Coats: Seasonal Change, Elizabeth Martinez

Model NGSS Lessons: Kindergarten - 3rd Grade

Animals and plants may be affected by winter. Many survival techniques enable the organisms to survive this season. Hibernation is a survival technique for some animals. Body systems, such as respiration and heart rate, are slowed and body temperature is lowered until conditions are supportive of coming out of hibernation. Other strategies for winter survival include dormancy, living at the bottom of a body of water, burrowing into the ground, migrating, and changing of body coloring to blend in with the snowy landscape. Other animals may change colors to better blend in with the winter landscapes.

Earth And Space Science - Weather And Climate: Graphical Displays, Elizabeth Martinez

Model NGSS Lessons: Kindergarten - 3rd Grade

Weather and climate are related to one another. Current conditions and seasonal descriptions are considered weather, which include precipitation, temperature, wind speed and direction, cloud cover, and barometric pressure to name a few. Each season has its unique features based on weather and amount of daylight. Thirty years’ worth of weather pattern data are analyzed to determine climates.

Annual and monthly temperatures, as well as precipitation data are the basis for climate zones. Landforms, proximity to oceans, and sea level also contribute the traits of the zones.

Latitude is used to geographically delineate climate zones. The higher the latitude, the …

Earth And Space Science - Map It!: Geographical Features, Elizabeth Martinez

Model NGSS Lessons: Kindergarten - 3rd Grade

There are many geographical features on the Earth, each with its own traits. These landforms may have been formed by plate tectonics. If tectonic plates move toward each other, and collide. The land is pushed upward resulting in hills and mountains. Sometimes plates move toward each other and one plate is forced downward into the earth creating deep trenches.

The formation of new crust and volcanoes are just two features caused by moving plates. As plates move away from one another, water may accumulate resulting in lakes, streams, and rivers. As these water shapes expand, they may change into features …

Self-Efficacy And Its Effect On Student Achievement In Reading And Math, Morgan Van Hulzen

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research study investigated the degree of relationship between elementary teachers’ self-efficacy in math and reading and student achievement in math and reading in an elementary school in southeast South Dakota. The participants were 279 students in grades three through five along with 13 third through fifth grade teachers. Using NWEA Growth Map Test data, a comparison in student achievement in math and reading was made between students with highly self-efficacious teachers and students whose teachers reported low self-efficacy. The findings of this research did not show a significant difference between math or reading scores of students with teachers …

Adding It Up: The Effects Of Math Curriculum On Third And Fourth Grade Act Aspire Math Scores In Arkansas, Rebecca Cook

Theses and Dissertations from 2020

Over the last 62 years, mathematics reform has occurred due to a political push after results from a major survey or report were released stating that the United States scored lower than other countries. With each reform effort, teaching methods were changed to match the new initiative. Math curriculum was a key point in each of these reform efforts. In 2015, Arkansas adopted ACT Aspire as the statewide assessment, and in 2017 Arkansas adopted Arkansas State Standards. Although Arkansas adopted ACT Aspire and Arkansas State Standards, Arkansas does not require school districts to adopt a curriculum. The purpose of this …

Alternative Learning Environments As A Tool For Student Success For Struggling Learners In Northwest Arkansas School Districts, Steven Lee Watkins

Theses and Dissertations from 2020

Educating all students is the foundation of education. However, an epidemic is sweeping throughout America’s schools that is threatening the very underpinning of our society. The number of students that leave school each year without a high school diploma is placing an immense personal and economic burden on the student, as well as the economic impact on society. Alternative learning environments have emerged as an intervention to provide a foundation for success for the struggling learner. This quantitative study was conducted to evaluate the perception of high school alternative learning students and high school alternative learning teachers’ perceptions of program …

Peer Coaching At An Independent School, Lindsay Anderson

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research study investigated the effects of peer coaching on an independent school’s culture, professional development, and growth mindset. The participants were eight middle scholar teachers, including the researcher. Each participant volunteered to be a part of a peer coaching pilot team in the spring semester of the 2018-2019 school year. Throughout the course of the pilot program, the participants were surveyed and interviewed independently on the topics of school culture, professional development, and growth mindset. As a team, the participants engaged in pre-observation, observation, and post-observation meetings as well as a final interview to debrief the pilot peer …

Loose Coupling In Curriculum Reforms: Rural Teachers´ Perceptions Of Peace Education In Post-Conflict Colombia, Pedro Pineda, Markus D. Meier

Peace and Conflict Studies

Previous research has shown how peace education (PE) mutates according to socio-political and curricular/didactic traditions, but we still need to know how PE disseminates at the school level. We surveyed teachers from 12 rural schools of the violent Amazon region of Colombia where a national Law made PE mandatory in schools and universities. Teachers working on schools affected by the armed conflict have high expectations about PE. Respondents identified PE with 21 didactic elements: (a) Approaches: values education, citizenship education, critical pedagogy; (b) Pedagogical principles: diversity and pluralism. (c) Learning processes: peaceful conflict resolution, promotion of a “life project”, political …

Physical Science - Magnetic Cars: Forces And Motion, Patrick Young

Model NGSS Lessons: Kindergarten - 3rd Grade

Any moving electrical charge surrounds itself with a magnetic field. The electrons moving around within atoms are no exception. In most materials, the electrons are spinning and moving in random directions and their individual fields cancel out, leaving the material with no overall magnetic field. In some materials, however, the electrons can be organized so they all spin and move alike. Now their individual magnetic fields add together to produce an object with an obvious overall magnetic field.

Such an object, called a magnet, has a field with two poles, north and south. Like polls repel each other and opposite …

The Language Outcomes Of Hmong Dual-Language Immersion Program, Chao Vang

Doctorate in Education

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a K-12 Hmong dual-language immersion program on kindergarten through fifth-grade Hmong students’ academic performance in the category of reading Hmong and English. Moreover, the parents of those students were investigated concerning specific factors they used in choosing a dual-language immersion program for their child. Hmong bilingual students have different perspectives about their cultural identities, retaining the Hmong culture, and learning English when the Hmong language was used as the instructional language. It was also imperative to determine the most prevalent factor that parents consider when selecting a program with …

Physical Science - Make It: Physical Properties, Elizabeth Martinez

Model NGSS Lessons: Kindergarten - 3rd Grade

Physical properties of matter are those that can be observed without changing the chemical composition of the matter. Size, shape, color, flexibility, texture, solubility, melting point, and odor are just a few physical properties. Using these observations is helpful in classifying matter and determining which materials would be ideal for various uses. For example, something that dissolves in water would not be useful in making beverage cups.

Life Science - Life Cycle Modeling: Plant And Animal, Elizabeth Martinez

Model NGSS Lessons: Kindergarten - 3rd Grade

All living organisms go through life cycles, which consist of stages from birth to death. While these stages are similar, the appearance of organisms in different stages varies. An awareness of child development is important to consider while teaching life cycles. Some research indicates that when a student is in second grade, there is a shift in his or her understanding of organisms, from representations based on perceptual and behavioral features to representations that are more scientific. Children may begin to understand death as the cessation of life processes at about 9 or 10. People of all ages have a …

Life Science - Plant And Animal Traits: Young And Old, Elizabeth Martinez

Model NGSS Lessons: Kindergarten - 3rd Grade

Living organisms reproduce offspring and go through life cycles. Some offspring may look similar to their parents, while others look very dissimilar to theirs. Immature organisms that look similar to their parents will share some, but not all traits with their parents. This may be observed in many types of plants and animals. Examining the similarities and differences assists in identification, grouping, and classification.

Faculty Perceptions Of Open Educational Resources In Cyber Curriculum: A Pilot Study, Alan Stines

Masters Theses & Doctoral Dissertations

The cyber landscape is growing and evolving at a fast pace. Public and private industries need qualified applicants to protect and defend information systems that drive the digital economy. Currently, there are not enough candidates in the pipeline to fill this need in the workforce. The digital economy is still growing, thus presenting an even greater need for skilled workers in the future. The lack of a strong workforce in cybersecurity presents many challenges to safeguarding U.S. national security and citizens across the world. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation defines Open Educational Resources (OER) as teaching, learning, and research …

Middle School Teachers’ Perceptions Of Goal Orientations, Teacher Self-Efficacy, And Authentic Outcomes-Based Assessments, Tamela W. Hoak

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine middle school teachers’ attitudes towards authentic outcomes-based assessments and to relate teachers’ perceptions of patterns of adaptive learning to authentic assessment scores of middle school students. Multiple learning theories were used to shape the conceptual framework. The correlational portion of this study was designed to seek relationships between the participants’ perceptions of patterns of adaptive learning and their students’ mean authentic assessment scores. The descriptive survey portion of this study was designed to gather middle school social studies teachers’ opinions of authentic outcomes-based assessments used to evidence mastery of intended learning outcomes. …

A Place Of Yes? Experiences Of Educators Participating In Site-Based Teacher-Led Reform, Elizabeth Hind

Education (PhD) Dissertations

This study examined the experiences of four teachers who participated as mentors in a teacher-designed and -implemented creative community at a middle school in southern California. Using the arts-based research methodologies of poetic inquiry, narrative inquiry, and painting, the researcher explored how teachers experience teaching and learning when they deconstruct structures that perpetuate standardization and choose to approach education as a place of yes, freed from the parameters of mandated curriculum, the idea of education as product, and high- stakes accountability measures. The study revealed that the qualities of the creative community had a humanizing effect on its participants, allowing …

Physical Science - Speed And Energy: Diving Energy And Speed, Patrick Young

Model NGSS Lessons: 4th - 5th Grade

Energy is the ability to do work. Energy can be thought of as a currency which is universally accepted as the way to make things happen. All moving objects have energy. The amount of energy depends on their speed and mass. The faster an object moves, the more energy it has, and the more work it can do on other objects with which it interacts.

Earth/Space Science - Floods! Erosion By Water, Peg Steffen

Model NGSS Lessons: 4th - 5th Grade

Water was the most important environmental factor in early human settlement and rivers were useful sources of water. They were important sources for fresh drinking water, washing, food, and transportation. Floods are a natural part of river ecosystems and flood control by humans has been practiced since ancient times with methods such as reforestation, and the construction of levees, dams, reservoirs and channels diverting floodwater. Farmers often settled near rivers for steady access to water. The river’s natural flooding could help irrigate their farms and in dry seasons the farmers could dig canals or trenches to direct river water to …

Physical And Life Science - Food And Energy: Animal And Plant Energy, Cassandra Armstrong

Model NGSS Lessons: 4th - 5th Grade

Energy exists in many forms and is constantly being transferred between forms. All energy types can be sorted into two main categories: potential and kinetic. Potential energy is stored energy. Chemical energy, nuclear energy, stored mechanical energy, and gravitational energy are all examples of potential energy. Kinetic energy is the energy of motion. Radiant (light) energy, thermal energy, sound energy, and electrical energy are all examples of kinetic energy. Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred between the types of energy. Most energy we use on Earth stems from the nuclear energy from within the sun.

Life Science - Time To Eat: Patterns In Survival, Elizabeth Martinez

Model NGSS Lessons: Kindergarten - 3rd Grade

Both plants and animals are dependent upon their environments for survival. However, in order to get the sustenance they need, organisms often must alter their environment to meet their needs. Some animals gather and store food for a season due to times of extreme temperatures, ground conditions, and availability. Many bury food in the ground, while others store food in plants. Usually, the limbs or hollowed out sections of the trunks of trees are used, though some animals do store their food in densely populated areas of low plants.

Physical Science - Can You See It? Light And Its Properties, Elizabeth Martinez

Model NGSS Lessons: Kindergarten - 3rd Grade

Light is needed for humans to see. Light may also be used to communicate. As with sound, the type of medium used for passing the light through will be determined by the function of the communication. For example materials used in stoplights, stained glass windows, flashlights, and frosted glass all affect the output of light. When light strikes an object, many actions may occur. Two factors involved in this interaction are the type of light and the object itself. The light may bounce or reflect off of an object or pass through it. The quality of light transmission may determine …

Engineering, Technology, And Applications Of Science - Winter Clothing Challenge: Engineering, Elizabeth Martinez

Model NGSS Lessons: Kindergarten - 3rd Grade

Students in kindergarten develop the understandings of basic needs, weather patterns, the concepts of push and pull, engineering, and the applications of science. Through identification of patterns, determination of cause and effect, investigation of structure and function, as well as systems and system models students begin to make sense of the natural world. Developmentally appropriate use of science and engineering practices prepares students for more complex phenomenon. December through February comprise the winter season in the Northern hemisphere. Changes in temperatures, forms of precipitation, types of storms, and preparedness plans occur during winter. Average daily temperatures in the Chicago area …

Additional Documents, Elizabeth Martinez

Model NGSS Lessons: 4th - 5th Grade

No abstract provided.

Physical Science - Patterns And Predictions: Forces And Motion, Elizabeth Martinez

Model NGSS Lessons: Kindergarten - 3rd Grade

A push or a pull, a force, is needed to set an object in motion. This requires objects to interact with one another. Types of interactions may be grouped into two broad categories. Direct contact between and among objects, such as friction, is one group. Interactions may also occur across a distance. Magnetic and gravitational forces are included in this category. Results of these forces are observable. Careful observations can lead to prediction of future results of interactions. The use of qualitative and quantitative observations assists in the development of predictions.

Earth And Space Science - Protecting From The Weather: Design Solutions, Brian Grublesky, Elizabeth Martinez

Model NGSS Lessons: Kindergarten - 3rd Grade

The Earth can be divided many different ways, one of which is by climate zones. Climate zones are classified by similar weather traits which have been observed for at least 30 years. Each climate zone has weather hazards. Extreme temperatures, cyclones, tornadoes, drought, and monsoons are just some of the hazards. Humans regularly build structures to reduce the impact of the climate, but extreme weather conditions can tax normal structures and new ones need to be constructed.