Digital Commons Network^™

Fish In A Tree Book Study Assignment Description, David Wolff

Open Educational Resources - Teaching and Learning

Individuals lead storied lives, and everyone has a story to tell. Our stories can be shared orally and documented in print. Often, learners are exposed to stories through novels and other trade books. Teacher educators may benefit from using the stories in novels and trade books as case studies in preservice teacher preparation course. This assignment description outlines how to use the novel, Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt, as a case study to contextualize and understand the lived story of an individual living and learning with dyslexia. Through the novel, preservice teachers experience the dilemmas faced and …

An Analysis Of The Essential Understandings In Elementary Geometry And A Comparison To The Common Core Standards With Teaching Implications, Helen Crompton, Sarah Ferguson

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Geometry and spatial reasoning form the foundations of learning in mathematics. However, geometry is a subject often ignored by curriculum writers and teachers until high school, leading to students lacking in critical skills in geometric reasoning. As the United States moves into a new curriculum epoch, heralding the commencement of the national common core standards (CCS), one could question if CCS in geometry align with the essential understandings children need to be successful geometric thinkers. This paper begins with an examination of the essential understandings of geometric reasoning leading to an interpretation and critique of the elementary geometry CCS. Finally, …

A New Perspective On Teacher Attrition And Retention: What Can Be Learned From Teachers That Continue In The Profession, The Stayers?, Haley M. Vogel

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological research study focuses on closing the divide between ongoing teacher shortages created by labor market cycles and teacher attrition with retention practices that keep qualified teachers in K-12 public schools. The literature review of this study identified a gap in research related to teacher shortages. Significant research exists around why teachers leave the profession, however, research related to why teachers stay is limited. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to better understand the lived experiences (Moustakas, 1994, van Manen, 2023, Creswell & Poth, 2018) of K-12 secondary public-school teachers continued decision to remain in the profession. The …

Exposing The Camera: The Pedagogical Possibilities Of Critical Camera-Based Arts Curriculum, Oscar Keyes

Theses and Dissertations

Cameras are a ubiquitous part of our everyday lives, especially in schools, found in students’ smartphones and state-of-the-art surveillance systems. This research project emerged from an iterative redesign process of a Photography for Art Education course, structured around the camera’s dual nature as a tool for creative expression and social control. While cameras have long been used to address social issues through documentary techniques; this critical eye can be turned onto the apparatus itself. This study drew heavily upon the historical work of Allan Sekula (1986), who observed how easier access to cameras resulted in both democratization (for the People) …

Taking A Look At The Chicago Renaissance: A Cultural And Influential Movement, Shannon Watkins

Masters Theses

A resource guide for educators to allow students to explore literature from the Chicago Renaissance; while bridging the gap between Social Studies and English/Language Arts. This guide has lesson plans, curricular resources, and references for Intermediate Elementary teachers and students. Lesson plans are aligned with Bloom’s Taxonomy, Illinois State & National Standards. This guide implements Common Core State Standards with interdisciplinary subject areas while developing and emerging critical thinkers in students.

Virtual Reality In Art Appreciation Education: A Systematic Review Of The Literature, Jingyi Zhao, Lili Zhang

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

This study is a systematic review of 23 years of research on virtual reality (VR) usage in art appreciation education. A total of 34 articles were selected from 2 major academic databases using search strings and manual screening protocols. The literature analysis emphasized four aspects of VR-based art appreciation education: research methodologies, instructional design, technological affordances, and assessment. The results show the trends in the VR literature regarding the forms of application in different knowledge types, interaction design specific to art appreciation, and the solutions to the cognitive load imposed by the technology. Finally, practical implications and a future research …

English 890: Advanced Research Methods, A First Benchmark Portfolio, Janel Simons

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

In this benchmark portfolio, I reflect on course design and student learning in a course I teach for incoming Master's students in the English department, ENGL 890: Advanced Research Methods. ENGL 890 is a mini-session course intended to introduce students to various aspects of managing graduate-level research within the discipline of English studies. In this portfolio, I discuss the learning outcomes and goals for the course, highlight some of the assessments I use, reflect on student learning throughout the course, and articulate changes that might improve student learning in future iterations of the course. Given the overarching goals of this …

First Course Portfolio For Tmfd 213: Merchandising I: Textile And Apparel Industry, Na Young Jung

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This portfolio presents a comprehensive overview of TMFD 213: Merchandising I, a foundational course in the Department of Textiles, Merchandising, and Fashion Design at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The course is designed to equip students with critical thinking, analytical skills, and industry-specific knowledge necessary for professional success in the textile and apparel industry. The portfolio outlines the course’s objectives, teaching methodologies, and the impact of instructional strategies on student learning outcomes. It includes detailed analyses of quantitative and qualitative data collected through pre- and post-test surveys, assignments, and reflections. Quantitative results demonstrate significant improvements in key areas such as familiarity …

School Monitors: A Quantitative Study On The Support Needed For These Professionals, Sara Goldberg

Selected Full Text Dissertations, 2011-

Minimal research has been focused on the role of school monitors in the public-school setting. This study explored the perspectives of school monitors on preparation, training, communication, and feedback. The study looked to examine if these aspects contribute to the overall role of school monitors and to identify specific areas where they require guidance and support to assist students throughout their day. Additionally, the study determined if schools who use a social emotional curriculum have school monitors who feel more supported in their role. Preparation, support, communication, and feedback was investigated using a 27 statement Likert-scale survey and three open-ended …

A Meta-Synthesis Of The Literature On Science And Engineering Teaching Self-Efficacy: Current Gaps And Future Research Directions, Deepika Menon, Jeanna R. Wieselmann, Sarah Haines, Sumreen Asim

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Self-efficacy is a topic of great interest in elementary preservice and inservice teacher education given that elementary teachers often have low self-efficacy for STEM teaching. In this article, we synthesize the existing literature on science and engineering teaching self-efficacy to (1) explore trends in science and engineering teaching self-efficacy research, (2) identify current gaps that exist in the literature, and (3) propose a visual model to provide future direction in research. Utilizing a qualitative meta-synthesis, we analyzed 88 articles focused on science and engineering teaching self-efficacy. Of these articles, 66 studied preservice teachers, 21 studied inservice teachers, and one included …

Success Of Achieving Student Learning Objectives: Compressed Vs. Traditional Courses, Irene Miller, Timm Bliss

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Institutions of higher learning are offering varying course modalities to accommodate the changing needs of students. Notably, institutions of higher learning are offering an increasing number of compressed courses to meet student demand and remain competitive in higher education. The increase in the number of compressed classes presents the challenge of ensuring that similar academic rigor and breadth of knowledge are maintained in comparison to the traditional 16-week semester. The purpose of this research study was to determine if students enrolled in off-campus classes with compressed schedules are receiving a similar quality of instruction and achieving the equivalent student learning …

Augustinian Composition Pedagogy And The Catholic Liberal Arts In The Time Of Generative Ai, Gavin F. Hurley

Journal of Catholic Education

This article proposes a theoretical basis of Augustinian composition pedagogy by tracing the symbiotic relationship between writing and knowing found within St. Augustine’s Letters, The Trinity, Soliloquies, and Confessions and connecting them to modern writing-to-learn composition pedagogies. Given today’s trying times of generative AI, this article argues that Catholic schools revitalize the writing arts in a manner proposed by Augustine—that is, to enrich inward contemplation and outward love for others. In embracing such philosophy of writing and applying it across the disciplines, Catholic schools can enrich their distinctively Catholic liberal arts mission—and ward off dangers found in …

Teaching During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Multiple Case Study Exploring Faculty Experiences In Fostering Positive Interaction With U.S.-Based Undergraduate Students, Lauren J. Bullock

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

COVID-19 changed how faculty members approached teaching in higher education in the United States. This study specifically looks at the changes in faculty-student interaction (FSI) during the COVID-19 pandemic. While extensive literature exists on the topic from the student perspective, the disruption in education necessitated a more extensive study of the faculty perspective. A multiple-case study methodology was employed to explore the experiences of a small cohort of faculty members at a single institution and how they fostered positive interactions with students from Spring 2019 through Spring 2023. The data collected included semi-structured interviews, course syllabi, teaching philosophies, and a …

Poetry For Us: Centering The Voices Of Teachers Of Color Through Action Research Poetry, Erika N. Starzynski

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The teaching profession has historically been defined by an “overwhelming presence of whiteness” (Sleeter, 2001, p. 101), leading to experiences from Black, Indigenous and Teachers of Color (BITOC) often being neglected and undervalued. This action-oriented research project employed poetic inquiry techniques to capture the full experiences of BITOC participants speaking their stories in their voices through poetry. The centering of BITOC experiences is crucial to shifting the paradigm from mere survival and retention towards what aspects of the BITOC experiences support them to flourish and thrive in private/independent schools. This study examined poetry as a generative practice for building community, …

The Pulse Of Connection: Professors' Experience Of Positive Relationships With Students–An Interpretative Phenomenology And Photovoice Study, Ileya N. Grosman

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

In higher education, the focus on student success often takes center stage in research and the professor-as-teacher practice. While numerous empirical studies concentrate on the growth and development of undergraduate students, this dissertation delves into professors’ relational and felt experiences in positive teaching-learning relationships. Four terminal-degreed professors from four different schools and three different disciplines–education, humanities, and leadership–engaged in photography and were then interviewed. Participants reflected on their photographs and their experiences in a teaching-learning relationship with their students. The present study aimed to illuminate the unspoken language of connection by utilizing interpretive phenomenology and photovoice to uncover professors’ relational …

Post-Truth's Effect On The Brain And The Future Self: A Critical Communication Pedagogy Response, David H. Kahl Jr.

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

The university was created for the critical examination of ideas to seek truth. However, the proliferation of post-truth messages has made this goal more difficult to reach, creating an important communication pedagogy problem. Hegemonic forces create post-truth messages to mislead people and play to their existing beliefs in order to maintain and advance power. Post-truth messages are particularly effective because they cause cognitive overload and temporal discounting. Critical communication pedagogy (CCP) is a means by which instructors and students can evaluate post-truth messages. CCP allows for dialogue to reduce the cognitive issues that post-truth messages cause and allow for the …

So Much Courage: Hemingway, War, And Rape, Tracie Nicolai

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Weaving together Ernest Hemingway’s biography and literature with her own life, Tracie Nicolai analyzes the impact of Hemingway’s life and literature in the classroom and outside of it. War trauma is analyzed in relation to rape and its lasting effects, paralleling the impacts and the traumas that shape our philosophies and our lives. Nicolai explores how Hemingway wrote of war and his own injuries, and she discusses the distance evident between his own life experiences and his subsequent fiction writings. In separate vignettes in each chapter, Nicolai writes of her experience as a rape survivor and the lasting impact on …

Digital Storytelling As An Innovative Approach To Prehospital Education: The Experiences Of Teaching Academics., Andrew Van Noordenburg, Georgina Seaman

Health Professions Education

Purpose. To explore teaching academics' experiences of utilising digital storytelling as an innovative approach to prehospital education.

Method. This study describes an innovative learning activity, digital storytelling, developed for an undergraduate paramedicine program. The experiences of teaching academics were then explored through semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was used to evaluate the data.

Results. Three themes were identified through thematic analysis. The first theme was ‘the impact of friction on learning’ which describes how a learning activity’s design can negatively impact learning. The second theme ‘connecting with the teaching resources’ outlines how having access to sufficient resources is necessary to facilitate …

Meeting The Sustainability Challenges: An Assessment Of Entrepreneurial Education, Anna Zherdeva, Intesar Madi, Abrar Alzankawi, Lucia Morales Dr, L. Pop, A. Soler-Dominguez, J.C. Saez

Conference papers

The importance of sustainability and entrepreneurship education is highlighted in this study. The world economies are facing significant challenges as they try to enable the transition towards more sustainable economic and business models. Therefore, at the centre of the transition process, it is critical to consider the role that business education can play and, more specifically, the role of business schools in integrating and supporting the development of skills and competencies that align with our contemporary society's needs. In this paper, we initially assess the need to connect entrepreneurial and sustainability education by exploring the educational offerings at Technological University …

From Elementary School To Doctoral Education: An Autoethnographic Journey, Gwendolyn D. Dailey

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Every child has a right to education, and their skin color should not determine their education quality. However, since the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education (1954), it has been proven that race continues to matter in the success and failure of education (Delgado & Stefancic, 2001). The persistent achievement gaps between students of different racial and ethnic backgrounds, as well as the disparities in access to high-quality educational opportunities, demonstrate how race and ethnicity shape the educational experiences of students of color (Stanford Center for Education Policy Analysis, 2012). Unfortunately, stories such as Ruby Bridges of New …

University Student Worker Productivity: A Qualitative Analysis, Amanda S. Mansfield

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Student worker productivity is an important aspect of higher education, since many functional units rely on student employees to operate. Student workers communicate with all stakeholders of universities, including incoming and current students and their families, alumni, faculty, staff, and community members. Universities facing issues related to budgeting, enrollment, retention, and employability of their graduates can combat those issues by strengthening the largest labor pool on campus, student workers. The study explored what it means to be a productive university student worker within the framework of Social Exchange Theory and Grounded Theory. The study sought to provide recommendations to universities …

Aba Standard 303(C) And Divisive Concepts Statutes And Regulations: Challenges And Opportunities, Andrew King-Ries, Karen Tokarz, Becky L. Jacobs, Sherley Cruz, Kendall Kerew, Carwina Weng

Faculty Law Review Articles

This article by six clinicians discusses the challenges and opportunities of new ABA Standard 303(c), including the implications of and interactions between Standard 303(c) and divisive concepts laws and other threats to representation, academic freedom, and free speech in legal education. The article also highlights the intersection of  Standard  303(c) and Standard 303(b)(3), which addresses professional identity formation; discusses opportunities to adapt current curriculum and teaching and create new curricular responses to meet the new accreditation standards and interpretations; and explores ways to resist increasing limitations and find a supportive academic community to sustain hope and resilience.

Reformed-Based Approaches To The Teaching And Learning Of Science, Sahar Vali

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This qualitative practice-based study explores the efficacy of reformed-based science teaching approaches in fostering meaningful student engagement within elementary science classrooms, framed within the science-as-practice paradigm. Utilizing three theoretical frameworks, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and Ambitious Science Teaching (AST), and the Teacher Noticing, this research investigates how these frameworks influence student engagement in scientific disciplinary practices. The study draws on data from an NSF-funded project on teacher noticing in fifth-grade classrooms in West Virginia. Through a practice-based research approach, the relationship between teachers’ pedagogical practices and student engagement in science and engineering practices as outlined by NGSS and …

Teaching Cultural Humility Practices In Appalachia: The Value Of Conducting Conversations Based In Education, Bailey A. Riggs

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Recent literature highlights the paradigm shift from utilizing cultural competence practices to cultural humility practices within the field of occupational therapy, and health sciences (Fisher- Borne, et al., 2015). The idea of cultural competency suggests that culture is unchanging, and individuals can master cultural knowledge. The perception of knowing culture can be perceived as an unwillingness to learn about culture. In contrast, cultural humility promotes the value of lifelong learning and introspection, encouraging greater self-awareness, reflection of personal biases, and recognition of power imbalances. This approach aims to better integrate educational approaches to serve diverse populations in a culturally affirming …

Learning Chinese Vocabulary: Understanding Students' Perspectives, Austin Gasiecki, Zuotang Zhang

The Coastal Review

This study used a survey to investigate self-study and university-enrolled Chinese learners’ habits in studying Chinese vocabulary in order to determine what study methods influence a.) learners’ confidence in learning Chinese vocabulary and b.) what aspects of Chinese vocabulary they consider easy or difficult. We were particularly interested in seeing what the data had to say about students’ attitudes towards characters and the written language, given that the field of Chinese language pedagogy is known for a stronger focus on the written language as opposed to the spoken language. We found that aspects of Chinese vocabulary associated with the spoken …

Between Pain And Glory: Memory Disputes Of The Brazilian Dictatorship In Retrato Calado And O Que É Isso, Companheiro?, Angela R. Mooney

The Coastal Review

This article analyzes Luiz Roberto Salinas Fortes’ Retrato calado (Silent Portrait) published in 1988, considering the theoretical discussions on testimonio's epistemology—addressing the challenge of narrating trauma and the risk of stylization. It compares Fortes' memoir with Fernando Gabeira's O que é isso, companheiro? (What's This, Comrade?) from 1979, examining diverse approaches to capturing historical trauma through literature and its impact on collective memory about Brazilian Dictatorship (1964-1985).

A Foundation For Transformative Learning Practices In Higher Education, Michelle Meyer

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Higher education institutions in the United States have an ongoing rhetoric of claiming that they offer students educational experiences that build skills and prepare them for a career. However, reports from employers and students indicate that many schools are struggling to do so, and research imperative skills like critical thinking have wide construct definitions that can be difficult for institutions to work with. Transformative learning theory (TLT) is a theoretical practice and pedagogy that could support institutions by providing both a pedagogical foundation of what should occur in a classroom and a series of steps for what transformative learning looks …

The Effect Of Learning Environment And Student Groupings On Math Skill Mastery, Erin Marr

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

This study was designed to evaluate the impact of instructional group size and composition on student progress within a classwide math intervention. In terms of group size, groupings of greater than and less than 10 students were compared. In terms of group composition, homogeneous and heterogeneous groups were compared, defined by grouping the classes with standard deviations of student performance within the upper quartile (heterogeneous) and lower quartile (homogeneous) on a pre-intervention measure. The outcome measure used to evaluate student progress was the number of trials required for students to reach mastery on a specific skill within the 16-skill intervention …

The Unequal Distribution Of Social Risk For Black Men Across The Life-Span. A Novel Framework., Waleed Y. Sami

Adultspan Journal

This conceptual overview offers a comprehensive overview of systemic pathways that negatively impact the mental health of Black Men throughout their lives. Our argument highlights the importance for counselors and mental health professionals to utilize a thorough social risk assessment that considers these pathways in order to effectively address the mental health needs of Black Men while fostering positive working relationships. This overview strongly advocates for the use of context and structural determinants when evaluating mental health symptoms. Without an appropriate understanding of social risk and determinants, counselors may inadvertently perpetuate disparities by decontextualizing symptomology, and reproducing racist discourse.

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Cheating In Online Classes And Technostress: Perceptions Of Business Faculty, Stacy Boyer-Davis, Kevin Berry, Amy Cooper

International Journal for Business Education

This research study investigated the relationship between technostress creators (techno-complexity, techno-insecurity, techno-invasion, techno-overload, and techno-uncertainty) and faculty perceptions of student cheating in online classes. Data were collected from faculty members of the Management and Organizational Behavior Teaching Society (MOBTS), a member of the AACSB Business Education Alliance, the American Society of Business and Behavioral Sciences (ASBBS), an interdisciplinary professional organization comprised of faculty teaching in accounting, finance, management, marketing, organizational behavior, and computer information systems, and other research panels during 2021 (N = 94). Findings from regression analysis indicated that the techno-complexity subconstruct is positively related to a faculty’s perception …