Digital Commons Network^™

Keep Your Head Up: An Examination Of Out-Of-School Literacy Practices In An Intergenerational Family System, Johnnie D. Bryant-Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

The asset-based qualitative study used a phenomenological approach within a Community Cultural Wealth framework to question the practices of an intergenerational family system in the Southeastern United States. The study investigated the family system’s out-of-school literacy practices and the exposure to culturally relevant literature. The study revealed that an elder who actively participated in rearing school-aged children intentionally introduced culturally relevant literature. Similarly, the study revealed that the primary caregivers did engage their school-aged children in conversations related to social justice and introduced them to culturally relevant texts. However, a child's inquiry into the topic initiated primary caregivers’ introduction to …

High Ability, Hidden Gaps: Building Quantitative Reasoning Amongst Singapore’S Mathematically Literate, Rebecca M. Nichols

Numeracy

In Singapore, where primary and secondary students routinely top standardized worldwide mathematics examinations, a paradox emerges: when reaching university, many struggle to apply their skills critically in real-world contexts. This commentary examines the challenges and strategies involved in teaching quantitative reasoning (QR) to mathematically literate students in a top-ranking Singaporean university. While these students arrive well-trained in computation and procedural problem-solving, they often lack confidence and flexibility in ambiguous, data-driven decision-making. This article argues that fostering QR education is crucial not only for Singapore but for education globally, as QR skills underpin evidence-based reasoning within and across disciplines. Such an …

Using Gamification To Teach Cybersecurity In A Social Science Course: An Experience Paper, Roderick Graham, Medina Williams

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Meta-reviews of gamification suggest that gamifying course instruction can positively impact learners' behaviors and attitudes, leading to improved learning outcomes. However, there is a lack of literature relaying concrete experiences with developing and deploying gamified content. This experience paper contributes to filling that gap by describing the deployment of gamified instruction to students enrolled in a mid-level university social science course. These experiences are organized around four more or less chronological questions the project team needed to answer: (1) why gamify – or what is the rationale for undertaking such an endeavor, (2) what content should be gamified, (3) what …

Equipping Teachers To Support Comic Literacy: An Analysis Of The Educational Potential Of Toon Book, Kayla Whitlock, Jewel Yoder Kuhns, Sara Kersten-Parrish Dr.

SANE journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education

Teachers frequently reach for leveled readers to help facilitate their guided reading groups; however, there can be limits in using these leveled readers. One such limit relates to enjoyment and engagement. An answer to this is using TOON books during guided reading time. TOON books are graphic novel leveled readers and were created in response to a need for high quality books for readers of all levels. However, in reading these books teachers need to be aware of the comics form and how those features impact the reading process. In this article, we outline the features common in graphic novels …

Teaching About Bodily Autonomy In The Early Childhood Classroom, Alaina Foster

Honors Projects

Research and evidence-based practices for the need to implement instructional materials in regard to elementary bodily autonomy and childhood sexual assault prevention education in the general education classroom.

Pedagogy Of The Taboo As Feminist Pedagogy: Embracing An Invitational Rhetoric Orientation, Mark P. Orbe

Feminist Pedagogy

Within this essay, I highlight a pedagogy of the taboo (Orbe, 2018) as a productive framework to counter anti-DEIA attempts to silence diverse voices in our class rooms and across campus. As an extension of Paulo Freire’s (1990) pioneering work, this orientation to critical pedagogy promotes teaching←→learning that questions authoritative meaning-making as a means to empowerment, liberation, and social justice. Central to this framework is a belief that labeling particular topics (e.g., race and racism; sex, gender, sexuality, sexism) as off-limits constitutes a rhetorical device used by those in power to maintain the status quo which benefits them (Orbe, 2018).

Media Quiteracy: Why Digital Disconnection Belongs In The Media Literacy Curriculum, Katie Day Good, Michelle Ciccone

Journal of Media Literacy Education

In this essay, we introduce media quiteracy, which we use to conceptualize and describe the valuable learning that can happen through the refusal to take up new media or the act of pausing or ceasing its use. We see media quiteracy as an active and generative approach to learning and argue for its inclusion in the media literacy curriculum. We trace the history of critical engagement with technologies within education and then articulate what media quiteracy can look like in practice. We surface and discuss three potential obstacles to teaching media quiteracy, which include the ways in which it …

Centering Relation In Media Literacy Practice, Paul Mihailidis, Bobbie Foster, Shannon Burth, Srividya Ramasubramanian, Melissa Tully, Patrick Johnson

Journal of Media Literacy Education

As calls for media literacy in formal and informal learning spaces continue to grow, educators’ understanding of media literacies and their purposes remains complex. In 2021, the authors of this paper led a multi-methods research project on media literacy education in the United States, focusing on impact and equity. Findings showed that educators share a commitment to equity and justice but are unclear on how to incorporate them into their work. In response, our research team developed a field guide that maps out equitable media literacy practices for classrooms and communities. In this study, we detail the findings from 11 …

Assessing Media And Information Literacy: Scale Development And Measurement Among College Students, Erlis Cela, Alban Tufa, Melsena Danglli

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Media and Information Literacy (MIL) is a topic discussed by many authors in recent years. Several authors have developed measurement scales and validated them mainly among students and teachers who have media and information literacy knowledge. Although no evidence is tracked for any research conducted, MIL has been an unexplored field in the Western Balkans region. This article delves into developing and testing a scale for measuring the level of Media and Information Literacy among students in Albania. Firstly, it employs an exploratory qualitative approach, with the use of focus groups, the results of which contributed to the design of …

Measuring Adults’ Media Literacy Skills And News Media Literacy Knowledge In The Context Of Age, Gender, And Education Level, Agnese Davidsone, Vineta Silkane, Ianis Bucholtz

Journal of Media Literacy Education

In this study, we examine the relationships between self-reported media literacy skills, actual knowledge of news media literacy, and three sociodemographic factors: age, gender, and level of education. Data were collected through an online survey among a national sample of adults (n = 871) in Latvia. A significant positive correlation was found between all self-reported media literacy subscales and the knowledge subscales of news media literacy. Age was moderately negatively related to self-reported media literacy skills and weakly negatively related to news media literacy knowledge. The level of education was weakly positively correlated with both media literacy skills and …

Cognitive Diagnosis Of Media And Digital Literacy Knowledge Schema In Mexican High School Students, Janneth Trejo-Quintana, Guadalupe E. Morales-Martinez, Betsabe Hernandez-Alvarez

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This research explored the mental representation of media and digital literacy (MDL) in 242 Mexican high school students through a definitional task based on the natural semantic networks technique. The participants defined ten target concepts related to MDL, using verbs, nouns, and adjectives as definers, and then they rated each definer with a scale from 1 to 10. The smaller the number, the lower the quality of the definer to conceptualize the target, while the higher the rating, the higher the quality of the definer to define it. The participants showed a beginner level in MDL despite their daily navigation …

Exploring Online Search Behaviors For Information Literacy Education, Luca Botturi, Loredana Addimando, Martin Hermida, Azza Bouleimen, Chiara Beretta, Silvia Giordano

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Information Literacy education is challenged by an ever-changing and complex environment. The design and development of current and effective Information Literacy education requires a thorough understanding of how young people search information online, which mainly happens with generalist search engines. The present study involved a voluntary sample of 152 young people (age group 16-20), who were asked to solve four different information tasks. We collected 595 search stories, each containing the sequence of navigation actions performed while solving a single information task, enriched with automatic metadata. We used cluster analysis to identify emergent search behaviors, and statistical analysis to observe …

Provision Of Brand Information And Critical Reasoning Predict Advertising Literacy, Eugene Zheng Yao, Alexandra List

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This study investigated students’ critical reasoning about commercials, as an aspect of advertising literacy. Critical reasoning was examined under two different experimental conditions. That is, students were tasked with watching four different commercials with 1) brand information provided or not, and 2) asked to engage in critical reasoning or not. The commercials chosen used various production techniques (e.g., socially conscious marketing) to mask their persuasive message. Students provided with brand information within commercials had significantly higher critical reasoning scores when viewing two, out of the four, commercials, and significantly higher overall Analysis of Persuasive Intent (API) scores and brand recall. …

Effects Of Wikipedia Knowledge, Algorithm Awareness, And Reading Comprehension On Undergraduates’ Preference For And Use Of Lateral Reading Strategies To Evaluate Information, Arshia K. Lodhi, Patricia J. Brooks, C. Donnan Gravelle, Jessica E. Brodsky, Maryam Syed, Donna Scimeca

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Internet users are bombarded with information and need strategies to evaluate its trustworthiness. Expert fact-checkers rely on lateral reading, which involves investigating sources, finding better coverage, and tracing information back to original contexts. This study contrasted college students’ preference for and use of lateral reading to evaluate online content, and examined factors associated with variation in preference and use. Undergraduates (N = 483) often selected lateral reading as the preferred strategy for evaluating content (multiple-choice items) without demonstrating use of lateral reading (open-response tasks). Use of lateral reading was associated with higher Wikipedia knowledge, algorithm awareness, and reading comprehension; …

Tracking And Increasing Digital Literacy Skills In Secondary Education, Joseph Elsen

Masters Projects

Some students in secondary schools struggle to perform at proficient levels in their digital literacy skills. These skills are grouped into multiple categories and can be applied to a wide range of interdisciplinary subjects. Students should understand and be analytical about the technology they use, be able to create new content in a creative way, and can collaborate with a global audience in an ethical way (Pangrazio, et. al. 2020). Because of the wide range of disciplines and rapidly changing technology, the definition of being digitally literate has changed in the last twenty-five years. Students with lower digital literacy skills …

Artifact Investigation As An Access Point To Doing Social Studies, Jacquelyn R. Benchik-Osborne, Susan Mcdonough

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Social studies methods coursework at two Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) emphasizes providing access to rigorous social science education for all. Teacher candidates (TCs) learn to design equitable opportunities for students in the elementary and middle level classrooms to engage in inquiry–to do social studies. One tool social scientists use to “do” their work is artifact investigation. Artifacts, such as historical photographs and primary sources, help students connect with cultural and historical contexts. Using digital artifacts from the Library of Congress (LOC), TCs create opportunities for students to explore social dynamics, identity formation, power structures, and community development through cultural realia. …

The Impact Of An Iron-Rich Diet On Fatigue In Menstruating Women With Non-Anemic Iron Deficiency, Meagan Seraydar, Lauren Latimer, Sam Miragliatto

Department of Nutrition Student Projects

Fatigue without diagnosed anemia is prevalent in menstruating women, with iron deficiency being a potential contributor. While iron supplementation is a standard intervention, dietary sources of iron may offer a sustainable alternative. This study aims to assess the impact of an iron-rich diet on fatigue levels in menstruating women. A 12-week randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be conducted, assigning participants to either an iron-rich diet group or a control group following their usual diet without specific iron recommendations. Fatigue will be measured using the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) at baseline, six weeks, and twelve weeks, alongside iron status biomarkers, including …

Conducting Effective Literature Searches And Writing Strong Abstracts, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

This invited presentation for students at Poland's War Studies University communicates ideas on how Ph.D. students at this institution can enhance their research quality. Specific content includes formulating your research question, determining research aims and methodology, reviewing a research question checklist, understanding the meaning of search terms you propose to utilize, devising effective search strategies, consulting multiple varieties of information resources from multiple countries, finding gaps in literature, being able to distinguish between nuances in literature and data, writing succinct abstracts, and enhancing the clarity of your prose.

The National Cybersecurity Teaching Coalition: Expanding Cybersecurity Education Opportunities, Paul Wagner, Melissa Dark, Robert Honomichl, Filipo Sharevski, Sandra Leiterman

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

The increasing prevalence of cybersecurity threats and the shortage of qualified professionals necessitate innovative solutions for cybersecurity education at all levels. Despite the expansion of post-secondary cybersecurity programs, employer dissatisfaction with graduates and a lack of standardized introductory curricula highlights the need for structured secondary education pathways. The National Cybersecurity Teaching Coalition (NCTC) and its National Cybersecurity Teaching Academy (NCTA) address this gap by equipping high school educators with the necessary knowledge and credentials to teach cybersecurity effectively. NCTA offers an 18-credit cybersecurity graduate certificate program to ensure teachers are competent and confident to develop and teach cybersecurity curriculum with …

Speculative Youth Participatory Action Research: Narratives Of Imaginative Social Dreaming

Occasional Paper Series

No abstract provided.

Crawl Spaces To Productive Ruptures: A Reflection To Remember Speculative Futures, Petra J. Lange, Erin Perry, Gregory Wickenkamp

Occasional Paper Series

Perhaps the greatest purpose of artistic expression is trying to make sense of the human experience. Art and storytelling construct and transform our realities. They take the noise of seemingly endless stimuli in our physical existence and identify patterns and meanings, and in so doing, wield incredible power. This is the exact reason censorship is a useful tool to the status quo and reactive. The state of Iowa put this tool to use in 2021 with the passage of House File 802, the law restricting so-called “divisive concepts” and the ability to explore systemic oppression in schools (Iowa Legislative Services …

Actualizing Black Spatial Histories Through A Speculative Youth Archiving Project, Kaleb Germinaro, Alvin Logan, Jr.

Occasional Paper Series

For today’s youth, learning about one's history and culture is not always a given in the classroom. Many schools are learning spaces void of any cultural or spatial connection, particularly for Black students. This paper details an action-based summer archeology program hosted by the Burke Museum and Seattle Public Schools Liberatory Education Program that explored Black spatial histories through speculative youth archiving. Through key relationships with community organizations, students underwent a three-week program designed to allow students to develop their relationship with Black spatial histories and envision their role in creating and setting history in real-time. Using student interviews, the …

Introduction: Speculative Youth Participatory Action Research: Narratives Of Imaginative Social Dreaming, Ricardo Martinez, Ezequiel Aleman

Occasional Paper Series

The theme of Issue 53 of the Bank Street Occasional Paper Series, Speculative Youth Participatory Action Research: Narratives of Imaginative Social Dreaming, arose from our perception that many youths and teachers assumed that youth participatory action research (YPAR) was unattainable to them. We argue that, to the contrary, many have been living different forms of YPAR for years.

“When Black Women Whisper”: An Exploration Of Why Black Women Stay In K-12 Education, Chelsea Lynne Murry

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract

From low retention rates to race and gender biases to being overworked and undervalued in the classroom, Black women leave education at higher rates than any other demographic. This study highlighted the experiences of Black women in K-12 education settings, the role of support systems in their retention and advancement, and why they stay in K-12 education. The study used Counter-storytelling in Critical Race Theory, Black Feminist Thought, and Womanism to examine the race and gender inequities that Black women face and to highlight their lived experiences. Through the use of Sista Circles/focus groups and one-on-one interviews, the research …

Preparing Preservice Teachers For Rural Teaching Through Professional Learning During Teaching Practice, Blandina Daniel Mazzuki

The Rural Educator

Resource deficit in rural schools has been reported to affect recruitment and retention of teachers. However, many researchers focus on external factors that can attract teachers to teach in rural schools. This study explores teacher educators’ and preservice teachers’ perspectives on strategies that may equip preservice teachers with professional learning during their teaching practice to attract them to teaching and staying in rural schools. The study was conducted at the University of Dar es Salaam (Dar es Salaam University College of Education-DUCE). Data were collected through face-to-face interviews and focus group discussions conducted with 5 teacher educators and 33 preservice …

Course Design Toolbox (April 2025), Instructional Design And Delivery, Gonzaga University

Instructional Design & Delivery

No abstract provided.

Ai Responsibilization: Shifting The Burden Of Academic Integrity, Daniel A. Cryer

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Because AI text generators like ChatGPT give students unprece-dented power to outsource their work, concerns about academic integrity are escalating among instructors. This essay suggests that the proliferation of generative artificial intelligence in teaching and learning dramatically shifts the burden of academic integrity, typically shared between teachers and students, onto students. The concept of responsibilization, a defining feature of neoliberal societies in which individuals become responsible for costs and tasks once shouldered collectively, is a useful lens through which to view this new reality. Rather than policing students’ work, educators should recognize the new responsibilities conferred onto students by learning …

Teaching Ai Literacy Through Science Studies, Rhetoric, And Ethical Reasoning, Michael J. Klein, Philip L. Frana

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Building on the idea of productive troublemaking, this essay presents a team-taught interdisciplinary honors course that integrates science and technology studies, rhetorical analysis, ethical reasoning, and artificial intelligence policy. Rather than framing AI as a threat, this course invites honors students to experiment with AI technologies and develop competencies by analyzing AI as a social and subjectivity-shaping phenomenon—writing policy briefs, producing rhetorical analyses of science fiction, and completing self-paced AI literacy modules. Honors education is uniquely positioned to model responsible and human-centered uses of intelligent systems, thereby cultivating graduates who can both use and critically interrogate the AI tools that …

Harnessing The Power Of Ai In Honors: Equipping Students To Leverage Tools Effectively, Lindsey Roberts, Jesse Roberts

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Rapid advancements of AI and its permeation across disciplines are driving its inclusion in higher education curricula in order to maximize graduate employability. AI education in honors must go beyond practical workplace readiness to include creative and critical engagement with the technology (e.g., understanding its conceptual foundations, domain-specific applications, and implications for ethics and governance). Without these essential components, the imparted knowledge of AI may age poorly and leave honors graduates ill-prepared to ethically and responsibly use artificial intelligence.

Understanding And Addressing Mental Health In Honors Programs, Gavin D. Hood, Katherine H. Tennis

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Evidence of psychological experiences unique to high-achieving students is examined, revealing prominent themes relating to student mental health including academic identity, perfectionism, imposter syndrome, burnout, and overcommitment. These themes are explored in the context of program feedback from honors students gathered through focus group meetings as part of the program review process. Strategies for reframing failure, normalizing self-care, fostering supportive community, and engaging in nonacademic self-exploration are included. The article closes with suggestions for programmatic interventions that directly address these concerns among high-achieving students. While most honors programs are not positioned to engage in clinical interventions, they can take small …