Digital Commons Network^™

Put Yourself In My Shoes: Active Learning And Perspective-Taking In A First Year Honors Transition Course, April Tallant

SoTL Commons Conference

No abstract provided.

Educating The Whole Child: Using A Holistic Education Approach And Mindfulness In The Classroom, Julie Strittmatter

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Throughout this thesis I will outline how the current school system creates considerable gaps in developing happy, healthy, and fulfilled individuals. Since I believe the purpose of a democratic education is to help all people reach some level of self-actualization, I will explore how schools can and should tend to the basic needs of children as a foundation for their learning experience. By investigating the purpose of schools and the purpose of educators, I will argue the importance of taking education beyond the world of academics to tend to the physical, emotional, and social bodies of all students and the …

Fostering Engagement With Voicethread In Online Intermediate Spanish Language Classes, Karen Acosta, Ericka H. Parra Dr

The Coastal Review

It is estimated that more than 1.5 billion students have been affected during the course of the global coronavirus pandemic by school and university closures. As a way to navigate this new instructional landscape, the researchers aimed to find a tool that would allow students to develop and practice communicative language skills in their online Spanish classes. In this research study, participants used VoiceThread over the course of a semester and then reflected on their comfort level using communicative skills in Spanish before and after using the tool, as well as whether they perceived that using the platform in their …

Cultivating Collaborative Synergy To Promote Equity, Diversity, Inclusion And Justice In The Psychology Curriculum, Jasmine Mena, Milton A. Fuentes, Jose A. Soto

Faculty Journal Articles

Transforming the psychology curriculum to incorporate equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) will necessitate department-wide and coordinated efforts; however, most EDI transformations emphasize changes to individual instructors and courses. Cultivating collaborative synergy to advance EDI transformations will foster and protect the relevance and trustworthiness of psychology and respond to the numerous calls for equity and justice. Collaborative synergy involves forming a community with a common goal, learning from one another, and sharing teaching-related resources. In this paper, we present the EDI Collaborative Curricular Transformation in Psychology (EDI-CCTP) model and discuss the benefits of collaboration amongst psychology departments and programs on EDI …

Assessing The Reliability Of The Five-In-20 Classroom Observation Tool, Danielle Buechlein

Masters Theses

Effective classroom management practices are crucial to fostering a positive learning environment, student achievement, and student social-emotional development, as well as teacher job satisfaction. The Five-in-20 Classroom Observation Tool (FCOT) was developed from the 21 evidence-based strategies identified by Simonsen and colleagues (2008) to assess and support teachers’ classroom management; however, its psychometric properties are unknown. The present study looks at the interobserver agreement of the FCOT, specifically at how consistent observers’ ratings are with each other and how consistent observers’ ratings are with a standard coded copy of the FCOT. Forty-four participants, using the FCOT, rated the same 20-minute …

Evaluating The Assessment Of Resident Assistant Training, Diego Ulloa

Masters Theses

This poster provides the findings from a qualitative study of four housing professionals responsible for Resident Assistant (RA) training at four institutions in the Great Lake Association of College and University Housing Officers (GLACUHO) professional association that includes the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. This study looked at how those four institutions assessed, evaluated, and improved the centralized training provided to RAs by the department. Key findings include the importance of the use of learning outcomes for training sessions, developing, and maintaining strong relationships with key campus partners, and the issues around prioritizing session topics and departmental needs …

Cold Calling In The Classroom: Exploring Student Perceptions Of Instructor Communication Using The Face Negotiation Theory, Cynthia Chinazo Nnagboro

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

Using face negotiation theory (Ting-Toomey, 1988) as a theoretical framework, this dissertation sought to determine students’ perceptions of instructor communication during classroom discussions where instructors use cold calling tactics. According to FNT, students perceived that self-construal determines their face concern as either self, other/mutual face. Therefore, an instructor must determine the best facework strategies to prevent face loss during classroom discussions to maintain optimal student outcomes in communication satisfaction and motivation to participate. This was accomplished by using 8 hypothetical vignettes, a pilot test and an experiment that measured face threat, face support, student communication satisfaction and motivation, intention to …

Awareness Of Universal Design For Learning (Udl) Among Teachers In India, Som Krishan, Navneet Sharma

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

The present study investigates the awareness of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) among special and general teachers working in inclusive settings. UDL is a framework used to design a curriculum reachable to students with all abilities. UDL assists teachers to increase meaningful access to the curriculum and remove barriers for students with all abilities in learning. The roles and responsibilities of the teachers play an important role in implementing and transacting any curriculum to the learners. In the present study, the sample consisted of 429 teachers, teaching in primary, upper primary, secondary, and higher secondary stages of regular schools in …

Does The Degree Matter? Understanding Employer Hiring Perspectives On Community College Health Information Technology Program Graduates, Tricia L. Broughton

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Health Information Technology (HIT) is an in-demand occupation across Illinois and as such community colleges offer related preparation programs in the form of one-two semester Career and Technical Education (CTE) Certificates and Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degrees. Community college applied programs aim to meet the needs of local employers and the interest of students to obtain employment within their communities. Research suggests that employability as perceived by employers goes beyond the technical skill requirements of the job. This dissertation project aimed to better understand employer’s hiring perspectives on community college health information technology (HIT) program graduates and ultimately whether …

Chapter 3- Improving The General Education Experience Through Equitable And Inclusive Pedagogical Practices, Cree Phillips Taylor

Habits of Mind

General education courses sometimes have the reputation among students of being obstacles to overcome, wastes of time, and a squander of tuition. In my opinion, student dislike of general education courses is fueled by two factors: 1) students’ misunderstanding of the purpose of general education and 2) general education instructors designing courses with a gatekeeping mentality. Traditionally, general education courses have served as the gatekeepers of the university experience by—intentionally or unintentionally—funneling out students who “don’t belong” through poor course design. Racially minoritized students, women, and first-generation college students are disproportionately affected by the gatekeeping mentality of general education instructors.

Chapter 2- Preparing Students With Habits Of Mind For The First Day Of Class, Jennifer Grewe

Habits of Mind

Students often come to university with preconceived but in many cases inaccurate notions of what the university experience is like. They have been told that they need to go to college to get a good job; that their professors do not care about how they do; and that they are now on their own. This can be an overwhelming perspective to have when starting a new chapter in life. College students, including those who may not have experienced even minor academic failures to this point in their lives, are particularly impacted by this mentality. It should come as no surprise, …

Chapter 15- Leap And The Net Will Appear: Risk-Taking And Creative Flexibility In The Face Of The Unknown, Raymond Veon

Habits of Mind

Risk-taking is a leap into a space that has not been mapped. Who knows where or how you will land? Consider the following:

• A student completes a portrait drawing, then cuts it into strips and weaves it into another drawing. The result is an intricate yet beautiful image that addresses the complexity of identity that viewers can reassemble in multiple ways, beyond the control of the artist. The art student had never attempted such a work before.
• A wall of torn-out book pages that are pinned and collaged together. Most of the words on the pages are redacted by marker, …

Improving Critical Thinking In Written Assignments: Human Vs. Chatgpt Tutor In Socratic Questioning Intervention, Katia Martha

Scripps Senior Theses

The purpose of the proposed study is to trial a short Socratic Questioning (SQ) intervention in the writing process, facilitated by either a human or ChatGPT tutor, and explore the effects that this may have on students’ critical thinking (CT), which will be coded from their written responses. Participants will be undergraduate college first years in the local California area who are fluent in English and have no learning disabilities. This study involves two visits, spaced a week apart, to gather pre- and post- test data for evaluating the effectiveness of the SQ intervention in improving CT. Both visits will …

Middle School Teacher Perceptions Of The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Sherria La Vonne Grubbs

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This paper examines the perceptions of middle school teachers on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on student achievement, attendance and enrollment, mental health, and social and economic factors. Allowing the voices of the middle school teachers to be heard was important to this study because it helped to identify some key themes of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on education. For this qualitative research study, a survey was created with Google Forms and a focus group discussion was implemented using the zoom platform to gather and collect data for this study. 67 middle school teachers were invited to …

Ecologies Of Learning For Inclusive Pedagogy In Spanish Secondary Education, Inmaculada Orozco, Anabel Moriña

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

From the theoretical basis of the ecology of learning and inclusive pedagogy, this article explores the activities, resources and interactions practised by 25 Spanish teachers in compulsory secondary education. This qualitative study involved semi-structured and individual interviews. A progressive analysis of the data was carried out using an inductive system of categories and codes. The results show that the activities were varied and all of them put students at the centre of the teaching-learning process. The resources that stood out were technologies and peer support. Interactions were characterised by the need to nurture affection and get to know and motivate …

Measuring Australian Preservice Teachers’ Asia Capability And Perceived Readiness To Teach The Asia Cross-Curricular Priority., James F. Toohey, Peter R. Grainger, Michael Carey

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Preservice teachers are soon-to-be graduates expected to deliver the Cross-Curricular Priority ‘Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia’. Teachers of all learning areas are expected to teach about Asia, irrespective of their knowledge or capabilities in Asian contexts. The curriculum review has revised expectations for ‘Asia literacy’ in graduates. The changes de-emphasise cultural knowledge, and instead, promote relationship-building and intercultural understanding. This research identified 31 preservice teachers’ perceptions of their Asia literacy and preparedness to teach the related curriculum initiative. Grainger and Christie’s (2016) linguistic model was used to define and measure Asia literacy. Thematic analysis identified (1) how participants conceptualised …

Walking Carefully Towards Bridging The Gap: Exploring Australian Music Educator Voices About Teaching Indigenous Music, Dawn Joseph, Bradley Merrick

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Facilitating an inclusive pedagogy to close the gap that exists within the teaching of Indigenous Knowledge in Australia is a tall order for many teachers. This paper draws on responses to a national study and explores how music educators include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music and culture into their practice. An online survey (December 2022-February 2023, N=109) informed the findings. Using thematic analysis, two themes (teaching challenges and opportunities, and bridging the gap) are discussed and key recommendations offered. Findings suggest that walking carefully towards bridging the gap is an opportunity for educational change in contemporary Australian classrooms.

Student Teachers As Readers: The Reading Experiences And Reading Pedagogy Of Finnish And British Student Teachers, Juli-Anna Aerila, Merja Kauppinen, Teresa Cremin, Mari Siipola, Sarah Jane Mukherjee, Johanna Lähteelä

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

As the pedagogy of teachers depends partly on their earlier life experiences, investigating the prior reading practices of student teachers is crucial. This study investigated Finnish and English student teachers’ (N = 353) own reading, the importance of their own reading to their reading pedagogy, and the relationship of these to teachers’ content knowledge of reading pedagogy. The data were collected via an online questionnaire and analysed via quantitative methods. According to the findings, nearly all the student teachers enjoy reading, have a positive attitude towards reading, and consider the teachers’ own reading important for the pedagogy they implement. However, …

Moving Forward Together: Reflections Of A National Survey Of Ot/Ota Students’ Perceptions Of Culturally Aware Educational Content Delivery, Adair M. Sanchez, Iris W. Burns, Tina M. Deangelis, Maclain Capron, Abigail Mills, Taylor Kligerman

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

In June of 2020 in response to the murder of George Floyd and the additional atrocities against historically marginalized people and communities across the United States, the Commission on Education (COE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) sought to act within its scope. A retrospective survey (N= 1,692) was developed, deployed, and analyzed in accordance with the COE’s standard operating procedures relating specifically to monitoring trends that impact the education of occupational therapy (OT) and occupational therapy assistant (OTA) students. This survey aimed to capture perspectives from OT/OTA students regarding the delivery of culturally aware educational content in curricula …

Understanding The Mental Health Of Occupational Therapy Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Alisha Sharma, Andrea Tyszka

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the mental health of health professional students across the world. Although there are a growing number of studies regarding the mental health of other health professional students, there are currently limited studies regarding the mental health of entry-level occupational therapy (OT) and occupational therapy assistant (OTA) students in the United States, especially within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this mixed methods survey study was to understand the mental health status of entry-level OT and OTA students in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic in order to better support their mental …

Occupational Therapy Graduate Students’, Recent Graduates’, And Educators’ Perceptions Of The Value Of Anatomy Knowledge, Karissa Legleiter

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

This non-experimental descriptive survey study examined the relationship between occupational therapy (OT) graduate students’, recent graduates’, and educators' values of the regional and specific anatomy knowledge required for OT clinical practice. The researcher collected survey data from 94 OT graduate students, recent graduates, and educators at a private university. Data analysis consisted of descriptive statistics used to analyze the value of anatomical regions and structures and a one-way ANOVA with a post-hoc Tukey to compare the group means on the value of anatomical structures. Results revealed that the regions of the highest value were the back and spine, thorax, and …

Using A Flipped Classroom To Teach Evidence-Based Practice To Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Students, April C. Cowan, Karen Ratcliff, Chih-Ying Li

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Constructivist teaching approaches rely on students to be active participants in their learning. A flipped classroom is a constructivist approach that requires the students to complete pre-learning activities outside of class. Thus, in class the students can practice and engage in team-based discussions and teacher guided learning. We delivered evidence-based practice (EBP) concepts to entry level occupational therapy (OT) students in a doctoral program using a constructivist approach, that included a flipped classroom model and reliance on team-based strategies. We used the Evidence Based Practice Confidence (EPIC) Scale to assess the change in students’ confidence in EBP. Students demonstrated statistically …

Telling Your Story: Stewardship And The Honors College, Andrew Martino

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

Honors administrators, particularly honors college deans, find themselves in positions not necessarily equivalent to academic deans in other disciplines. Often, honors college deans function more like provosts in that they need to attend to multiple disciplines simultaneously, while also often carrying obligations in teaching and advising. In addition, the initiation, cultivation, and stewardship of donors to the college are essential components to the honors college dean’s portfolio. This task may be particularly challenging for a dean in honors in that many potential donors are intellectually and emotionally tied to their specific major and/or school or college. And yet, fundraising, especially …

University Interdisciplinary Linked Block Schedules And Developmental Student Success, Linda S. Reeves-Wymer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Developmental education is the starting point for many 1st-year college students, especially from underrepresented, low-income, and first-generation populations. One such 1st-year program linked block-scheduled academic skill-development courses with a required interdisciplinary general education science course where instruction was provided simultaneously in a lecture format to college-ready nondevelopmental students and developmental students in three skill-development courses: reading, writing, and combined reading/writing. Although this program had existed for over 20 years, the effectiveness of the program, meaning whether the linked skill-development courses were associated with academic success, had not been assessed. Guided by Tinto’s integration theory, a causal comparative design with the …

Training Strategies To Improve Salesperson Confidence And Production, William B. Bronson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many sales leaders need strategies to improve the productivity and confidence of their sales personnel. Ineffective sales training programs cost organizations billions of dollars in annual revenue and profits. Grounded in adaptive leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative mini-ethnographic multiple-case study was to explore successful strategies used by sales leaders that combine and balance virtual and online resources with traditional face-to-face training methods to increase the productivity and confidence of sales personnel. Data were collected by interviewing eight salespeople and two sales managers spanning two Texas insurance companies and reviewing company documents. Data were analyzed using Yin’s five-step process …

Junior High Teachers’ Perceptions Of Differentiating Instruction For Students With Trauma, Olawanle Victoria Lawson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem for this study was that junior high school teachers faced challenges involving differentiating their pedagogy to meet academic needs of students with trauma. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore junior high school teachers’ perceptions of this topic. The conceptual framework for this study was the trauma-informed care and practice framework that is influenced by six key principles and four elements of trauma-informed care approach. Two research questions were focused on perceptions of junior high school teachers regarding differentiating instruction to meet needs of students with trauma, and supports needed to address their pedagogical challenges involved …

Tools, Tips, And Tricks For Beginning Teachers, Kimberly Lilley, Regina Lineback, Brad Rhew, Elia Spencer

Instructional Modules for Professional learning Responding to Opportunities and Valuing Educators (IMPROVE)

Tools, Tips, and Tricks for Beginning Teachers is a professional learning module (PLM) that supports the growth and development of beginning teachers. The topics reviewed in this PLM include classroom management, collaboration, instructional strategies, and student engagement. The strategies included in this PLM are research-based and support the Beginning Teacher Standards, Professional Teaching Standards, and Beginning Teacher Standards for Science Education. As you proceed through the PLM, you will have opportunities to consider your current or planned practices in each of the focus areas and select new tools, tips, or tricks that can be applied to your classroom practices.

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A Mixed Method Comparison: Instruction In Undergraduate Beginning, Intermediate, And Advanced Contemporary Dance Classes, Aditi Bheda

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This study aimed to identify the nature of instructional differences between beginning, intermediate and advanced contemporary dance classes. The study involved interviewing two dance instructors and observing their classes, as well as conducting focus group discussions to gain insight from students. Despite difficulties in comparing across three levels given that no single instructor was observed teaching all three levels, the mixed method comparison yielded some common themes at each dance level. Given that students at higher levels were more aware of and comfortable with their bodies, instructors moved through the class at a quicker pace. Students at each level were …

Capacity Building For Organizational Resilience: Integrating Standards On Risk, Disruption And Continuity In The Curriculum, Lisa Greenwood, Dawn Hess, Yewande S. Abraham, Jennifer Schneider

Articles

Disruption is an inevitable factor in business and society, while inability to mitigate and manage risk can cause irreparable damage to business, the economy, and our ways of life. The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened interest in standards-based strategies for risk management and crisis preparedness to enhance organizational and societal resilience. University curricula that integrate national and international standards offer students a rich skill-set for effective performance in their careers. Moving forward, we must cultivate capable professionals who understand the challenges and risks facing society, and who grasp standards and systems for strategic planning, response, and recovery to promote organizational resilience …

Migrants, Covid-19, And Italy: A Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis Of The Construction Of And Resistance To Nationalist Discourses, Alessia Barbici Wagner, Theresa Catalano, Bryan Meadows

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

Migration has historically been a controversial issue around the world and one that has often been harnessed by people in power (or people hoping to gain power) for their own political agendas. In times of a global pandemic, the scapegoating of migrants has only increased, often rooted in nationalist ideologies which lead to policies and practices that harm migrants and the larger society. The present paper employs multimodal critical discourse analysis to explore how nationalist ideologies supported by right-wing populism are constructed visually and verbally during COVID-19 on Italian social media in regard to migration. We analyze Giorgia Meloni’s (leader …