Digital Commons Network^™

Child Participation In The Design Of Media And Information Literacy Interventions: A Scoping Review And Thematic Analysis, Linus Andersson, Martin Danielsson

Journal of Media Literacy Education

The article presents findings from a review of scientific articles about media and information literacy interventions targeted at children and adolescents. More specifically, the review centers on the quantity and quality of child participation in the design of such interventions. The findings indicate that designs with high levels of child participation constitute a minority in the sample. Most of them aim at “behavior-relevant” outcomes, e.g., reduce smoking or obesity. Interventions aimed at “media-relevant” outcomes, e.g., helping children to become competent media users, seem less widespread. Based on these findings, we argue that top-down initiatives to the promotion of media and …

Can Backward-Chained, Ab-Initio Pilot Training Decrease Time To First Solo?, Samuel M. Vance, Kat Gardner-Vandy, Jared Alan Freihoefer

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

Flight simulation has made progressively significant inroads into pilot training at all levels of a pilot’s career – typically starting with training for the Instrument rating in light aircraft and concluding with Type Certification in transport category jetliners. This research was designed to explore if significant training inroads could also be offered to ab-initio pilots, those with no prior flight experience. An experimental group of four pilot trainees, without prior flight experience, were exposed to flight in a backwards-chained simulation starting from 4’ AGL (Above Ground Level). Graduated, exponential increments of both altitude and distance from landing were successively added …

Environmental Topics In Physics By Inquiry Course: Integration Models Used By Physics Teachers, David A. Kimori, Gillian Roehrig

The Qualitative Report

As we approach the second quarter of the twenty-first century, one may predict the environment will be among the dominant themes in political and educational discourse. This study investigates how three physics teachers integrated environmental topics and issues in their classroom. Data collection methods including field notes taken from observations, teachers’ interviews, and a collection of artifacts and documents were used. The data were coded, analyzed, and organized into categories utilizing Fogarty’s models of curriculum integration. Findings of this study indicate teachers acknowledge the importance of teaching environmental issues in their classrooms; however, implementing and utilizing effective integration strategies and …

Academic Literacy For Deaf Postsecondary Students Through Integrated Reading And Writing Instruction, Sue Livingston

Publications and Research

Based on theoretical findings from the literature on the integration of reading and writing pedagogies used with hearing postsecondary students to advance academic literacy, this article offers a model of instruction for achieving academic literacy in developmental and freshman composition courses composed of deaf students. Academic literacy is viewed as the product of acts of composing in reading and writing which best transpire through reciprocal rather than separate reading and writing activities. Pedagogical practices based on theoretical findings and teacher experience are presented as a model of instruction, exemplified as artifacts in online supplementary materials and juxtaposed with practices used …

The Name Curriculum: Exploring Names, Naming, And Identity, Isabel Taswell

Graduate Student Independent Studies

The act of naming, or using and respecting one’s name, is a humanizing act: it is foundational to one’s sense of identity and belonging. Conversely, the act of ‘de-naming,’ or changing, forgetting, or erasing one’s name, is an act of dehumanization: it denies one’s sense of identity and belonging. The Name Curriculum provides an opportunity for third grade students to explore the role of names and naming as they relate to one’s sense of self and community. It draws on the role of developmental psychology, the urgency of historical context, and the power of children’s literature. Specifically, it explores how …

Approaches To Narrative Instruction For Second Language Learners, Mathew Peters

MA TESOL Collection

Narratives have reemerged as a dominant form of rhetoric over the last fifty years. This dominant use of narrative discourse has only increased with the rise of social media. Walther Fisher (1987) proposed the narrative paradigm as a unifying theory of human communication. His major claim is that people are inherently storytellers and that people use a narrative rationality and a logic of good reasons to inform their beliefs, values, and actions. This paper utilizes his theories, along with recent findings in neuroscience, to establish an argument for greater inclusion of narratives into second language teaching. Narratives can have a …

Discovering The Formation Of Sound, Michelle L. Andrus, Catherine Scott

Honors Theses

Sound is a part of everyday life. We use it when talking to others, listening to music, and even to know when food is ready in the microwave. Therefore, it is critical that students learn about sound and how it functions. In this lesson, a first-grade students explore sound through a variety of make-shift instruments and are introduced to the different elements of sound.

Qualitative Analysis Of Corequisite Instruction In A Quantitative Reasoning Course, Zachary Beamer

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

In corequisite models of instruction, marginally prepared students are placed directly into college-level coursework, taught with a paired support course. Initial research suggests that such models yield significant improvements in the number of students passing credit-level mathematics when compared to previous models of prerequisite remediation. The present study employs qualitative methods to investigate methods of instruction at one community colleges to understand how instructors identify and respond to student needs. It concludes with recommendations for practice and highlights advantages of small format corequisite classes taught by the same instructor.

Transfer And Transitions: Exploring First Year Writing At Holy Cross, Elizabeth Casavant

English Honors Theses

This study explores how first year students transition to college writing, especially in a pandemic with an online format, and how students use transfer, if at all. It focuses on the following research questions: How do students transition to college writing, college norms, and online classes in a pandemic, and how can Holy Cross first-year writing courses support students in this transition? The methods used to investigate these questions included the administration of two surveys sent to first-year students in a first-year writing course, as well as 10 interviews with students. After transcribing, collating, and coding the data, the following …

Meeting Myself As A Scholarly Practitioner: A Self-Study Exploring The Process Of Integrating Instructional Technology Into Introductory Theater Courses, Ramona Broomer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

A growing number of faculty in higher education are using technology applications in their teaching practices. However, a gap in the literature exists related to instructional technology integration in liberal arts courses. This gap also exists in theater education, where I have spent the last 20 years of my professional life. This self-study analyzed my knowledge and practice of using instructional technology in theater education. Using technological and pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) as a theoretical framework, I examined my teaching of introductory theater courses in face-to-face and online formats. As part of the inquiry process, I collected and analyzed …

Faculty Job Satisfaction Related To Online Course Design, April Marie Hixson

School of Education Doctoral Projects - Higher Education

Online education has expanded and evolved slowly through the decades, but the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020-2021 put online education at the forefront of teaching and learning worldwide and sped up the design and delivery of online courses. This study sought to examine faculty attitudes and opinions (amid a global pandemic) toward online course design that may affect their job satisfaction levels. Specifically, it explored factors that could inhibit or contribute to faculty job satisfaction during their engagement in online instructional design. Further, the study was designed to gain an understanding of how pedagogical and technological changes influence the degree of …

Diversity And Worldliness At The Compass School, Luiz A. Batista

Capstone Collection

This paper demonstrates how the application of International Education principles and practices to curricula at the Compass School of Westminster, Vermont would augment worldliness and diversity as well as improve the overall quality of education offered at this secondary school. This research identifies deficiencies in areas pertaining to internationalization and diversity and provides recommendations to remedy these deficiencies. The realization of these recommendations would help to increase students’ preparedness for participation in a globalized society and would provide an enhanced educational experience for all. This research is intended to support faculty and staff at the Compass School by providing an …

Measuring Student Engagement And Student Satisfaction In Online And In-Person High School Classes, Joseph Jasper

Master of Education Program Theses

This research study examined and compared the differences in student engagement and student satisfaction between an online and an in-person entrepreneurship class at a private Christian school in Southern California. The participants were the students in either of the online or in-person sections of the class. The study collected both quantitative data through the use of a survey and qualitative data through the use of open-ended response questions and semistructured interviews with five of the participants. The results of this study found that the levels of student engagement and student satisfaction were slightly higher for the online section than for …

Rethinking Language Teaching Methods And Materials, Matthew Barge

MA TESOL Collection

With a vast number of people speaking and learning English all over the world, the English language has shifted from being a national language to an international language and finally into a global language. However, English is often taught in a very exclusive way in which English language learners are often times only introduced and exposed to the language practices of speakers who have historically held the most power and prestige in the English-speaking world. One result of this teaching methodology is that many English learners are being taught language practices that are not reflective of how various English speaking …

Identifying Schools As Caring Communities: Teacher Perceptions About Character Education, Jasmine Johnson

Faculty Works

This study quantified teacher perceptions and their observations of school community interactive attachments. Observed attachments through teacher perceptions classified school communities as caring. Elementary school teachers in the southern United States districts volunteered, in order to determine the significance of school-based taught or learned character education principles in comparison with caring attachments. Data were collected using the Caring Community Profile – II questionnaire, which measures the participants’ attitudes by the extent to which they agree or disagree with a statement. The results clarified the significance of character education programs that identify school communities as caring.

Additionally, the findings answered the …

'Training' The Body Politic: Essays On The School Reform Orthodoxy, Jahan Naghshineh

Education (PhD) Dissertations

These essays represent my attempt to grapple with fundamental questions about what I see as the upside-down nature of educational reforms in American society. Why is there a never-ending crisis in America’s public schools? What does it mean when the educational specter from different periods of history is discredited and yet the specter keeps being recycled decade after decade? For example, elites propagated crisis narratives to galvanize support for the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation at the turn of the century. Countless researchers then documented the adverse impacts of NCLB on America’s schools and yet that literature never led …

Re-Centering Racial Justice In White-Dominated School Settings, Brian A. Davis

Master's Projects and Capstones

Any institution that does not give students the critical and theoretical frameworks to understand White supremacy in the United States is an active contributor in the proliferation of this hegemonic force. White supremacy is a system that produces violence educationally, socially, politically, environmentally, ontologically, and epistemologically. The study of Whiteness and White supremacy has been discounted in high school settings for various reasons. This project seeks to solve this critical issue within the field of secondary education through the implementation of a course that unpacks White supremacy while center Black history. This course will provide students with a historical framework …

Virtual Reality For Public Speaking Rehearsals: Student And Faculty Perceptions, Carrie A. Saltsman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Speeches and speech rehearsals are an important part of many basic communication courses. However, instructors are developing new ways for students to rehearse their speeches every day; one way may be for students to use virtual reality. Although virtual reality is somewhat of a new innovation, it is effective in various settings, including higher education, and more specifically, the speech classroom. However, this efficacy may not matter if students and instructors are unwilling to adopt it into the classroom. Diffusion of innovation theory, developed by Rogers (2003), focuses on how an innovation is diffused and adopted. Using two of the …

The Attitudes Of New York State Public High School Teachers Toward Online Instruction, William Hooper

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This research examined faculty attitudes toward online instruction (FATOI) at public high schools across New York State. The research sought to better understand the role that perceived positive and negative aspects of online learning play in shaping FATOI and whether a teacher’s gender, years of service, age, academic background, or experience with online learning played a moderating role. The study further sought to analyze the impact of economic need, location, and instructional application on FATOI. The theoretical underpinning of the research was based on a new model-the Online Instruction Adoption Model (OIAM). OIAM is a derivation of the Unified Theory …

Using Scrum To Teach Standards-Based K-12 Computer Science: A Prosepectus For A Master’S Level Methods Class At Buffalo State, Noah M. Pierce

Career & Technical Education Theses

Computer Science has been increasingly prevalent in K-12 education in recent decades. Most Americans believe that Computer Science is as important as other skills taught in school; further, parents are putting pressure on districts to offer Computer Science programs (1.1). To meet this demand, many teacher preparation programs are adding Computer Science Education to their offering of degrees. This thesis investigates Agile and Scrum product development as a potential method of Computer Science instruction, explores the standards relevant to a Computer Science teacher, and offers a prospectus for a new Graduate Level Methods class to prepare Computer Science teachers to …

Adult Transracial Adoptees' Childhood Experiences And Decision-Making In Forming Families Of Creation, Sarah J. Gray

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This study examined adult transracial adoptees’ (TRAs) childhood experiences and determined how specific factors influenced their likelihood to choose biological procreation, adoption, fostering, a combination of these options, or the choice to be child-free when forming their own families. These adoptees were Black, Indigenous and people of color adopted by white parents in the United States through domestic or international adoption. Childhood experiences included the TRAs’ sense of belonging, cultural socialization, and preparation for bias. The only dependent variable option predicted by a childhood experience was the preference to be child-free. TRAs who experienced higher levels of belonging were less …

The Impact Of Digital Portfolios On The Economics End Of Course Assessment, Marcus E.R. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

Digital Portfolios, also known as electronic portfolios, became more visible in the educational landscape. This study employs a causal comparative design to assess the impact of web-based digital portfolios on seniors’ standardized economics assessment scores at a Metro Atlanta high school. The purpose of this study is to determine if students’ use of digital portfolios caused differences in economics end-of-course (EOC) assessment scores (dependent variable) between different groups of high school students (independent variables) across two years of implementation. Using the first-generation activity theory as the theoretical framework, the researcher frames the study as an activity system where the groups …

An Analysis Of Ubiquitous Learning Environments And Stem Confidence Building Among Hispanic Students, Torrence G. Temple

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The fastest-growing demographic in the United States is also the one with the biggest struggle with academic success, particularly in STEM-related subjects. Pre-study research observed that one of the most significant factors facing Hispanics is their set of psycho-social behaviors influenced by cultural heritage. In a response to this challenge a solution was developed and over the two years of its implementation failure rates among Hispanic students dropped from department-wide chemistry class average of 40% down to under 10% in the treatment population. The purpose of this study was to identify a theory that identifies the relationship between individual factors …

Pedagogy Or Andragogy?: Which Teaching Method Produces Successful Esl Tutoring That Involves Musical Activities?, Julia Cormack

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Considering the connections between music and language, as well as Chi et al.’s (2001) theory, this thesis introduces an original case study investigation: which teaching method, pedagogy or andragogy, will be most effective in one-on-one ESL tutoring sessions that use music as source material? The term pedagogy often describes the art and science of teaching. However, its Greek roots refer to the method of the teacher leading the classroom. Meanwhile, andragogy describes a teaching method where the teacher engages with the students in the learning and leading; Greek for “leader of man,” andragogy most often refers to teaching adults. To …

Queering Beyond Pronouns: The Necessity Of Indigenizing Learning Communities, Gillian Imazumi-Hegarty

Master's Projects and Capstones

Learners who do not see themselves reflected in schooling face mental health, social and academic hardships. While centring marginalized identities and pursuing efforts to queer learning spaces is vital, it cannot end with attention to gender and sexuality. In order to best serve learners and community members, learning environments must commit to indigenizing as well. This paper culminates in a handbook which seeks to provide best practices for engaging with learners and holding space, as well as includes a sample curriculum and resources for further development. This handbook is focused for educators on unceded ancestral Ohlone Lands, and centres the …

Educating Children During Covid-19 And Beyond, Alvin Lee

Asian Management Insights

Since the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a pandemic in March 2020, school closures across the Asia-Pacific region have affected some 325 million children.

Teacher's Guide To Using Literature To Promote Inclusion Of People With Disabilities, Bruce Menchetti

Open Educational Resources

The Teacher’s Guide to Using Literature to Promote Inclusion of People with Disabilities has been designed to assist teachers who wish to use literature to promote inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of life. The Guide consists of two parts. Part 1 is a rubric for evaluating how short stories, books, poems, TV programs, movies, digital media, and other forms of literature portray characters with disabilities. Part 2 of the Teacher’s Guide to Using Literature to Promote Inclusion of People with Disabilities is a curriculum guide with learning objectives, lesson activities, and strategies for outcome evaluation. The curriculum …

Okay Boomer: Overcoming Cringe To Teach A Unit On Meme Analysis, John Sparks

Undergraduate Theses

This project goes over a detailed explanation for why and how memes should be included in the classroom. It explains the components of a meme in detail, describes how to teach them, and how to overcome those awkward embarrassing moments that come from trying to be relevant known as “cringe”, in the classroom. The unit itself is split into 5 days of lessons that discuss the structures, allusions, and multiple creators that make up a meme. Content such as propaganda and how memes impact the broader conversations is also taught in these lessons. There is an accompanying slide show and …

Teaching The Lessons Of The Vietnam War And Applying Them To The War In Afghanistan: Lesson Plans For A Sophomore Us History Class, Zoe Bond

Honors Projects

This project is a series of lesson plans for a 10^th grade US History class detailing the lessons of the Vietnam War and how they have and haven’t been used by President Obama in his decisions during the War in Afghanistan. The lesson plan uses Differentiation and Universal Design for Learning to accommodate every student in the class. The goal of this project was to teach original research in a way that promotes inquiry even if there is no correct answer at that time.

Overview Of The Proceedings Of The 2020 Inclusion In Science, Learning A New Direction, Conference On Disability (Island), Cary Supalo, Jasodhara Bhattacharya, Daniel Steinberg

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

No abstract provided.