Digital Commons Network^™

Improving Academics Using Brain Breaks, Nicole Rose Graeve

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates how brain breaks, also known as activity breaks, impact student learning and retention as well as student overall well-being. The compiled research in this review demonstrates how breaks taken throughout the day not only help with health benefits, but also help students academically. Breaks help students perform better in the classroom, but even more importantly, students reported greater focus, engagement, and less restlessness after taking either a brain or academic break. This is reinforced through effective classroom implementation and proper application of brain breaks. Examples of common brain breaks include a video with active instructions to get …

Southern Adventist University Undergraduate Catalog 2024-2025, Southern Adventist University

Catalog, Undergraduate

Southern Adventist University's undergraduate catalog for the academic year 2024-2025.

Teaching Financial Literacy: How Educator Background, Confidence And Preparedness Shape Student Financial Behavior, Abigail M. Osborn

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many states have adopted high school personal finance graduation course requirements to address the lack of financial literacy in the United States. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the role of teachers’ backgrounds, confidence, and preparedness in delivering effective personal finance education. Literature reveals a significant financial knowledge gap among secondary teachers, paralleling the financial illiteracy of American adults. This gap contributes to low teacher self-efficacy in providing financial education and negatively impacts student financial knowledge, skills and behaviors. High-quality education for teachers strengthens content knowledge, increases confidence to teach financial literacy, and encourages positive student future financial …

The Impact Of Gender On Literacy Engagement, Perception, And Academic Practice In Grades 3–12, Dennis John Wickes Jr.

Selected Full Text Dissertations, 2011-

Gender disparities in literacy persist across the globe, shaping academic and career opportunities in profound ways. Despite advances in educational research and interventions, boys continue to trail their female counterparts in literacy from an early age, and this gap persists. The purpose of this study was to examine gender differences in students’ self-perception, academic practice in literacy-based tasks, and enjoyment of these activities. A quantitative, cross-sectional design was employed. Participants included students in Grades 3–12 from international sites in the United States, the Philippines, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone, recruited through convenience and purposive sampling based on site access and …

Winter 2025, Augustana College, Rock Island Illinois

Augustana Magazine

No abstract provided.

State Of The University Annual Report - 2024-2025, Office Of The President, East Tennessee State University, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

Office of the President State of the University Annual Report

No abstract provided.

Where Honors Education And Faculty Development Meet: Front And Back Matter, John Zubizarreta, Victoria M. Bryan

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

Front and back matter

Where Honors Education and Faculty Development Meet [NCHC Monograph Series], John Zubizarreta and Victoria M. Bryan, editors

Lincoln, Nebraska, United States: National Collegiate Honors Council, 2025

Includes:

Front and back covers

Table of contents

Acknowledgments

Foreword, Victoria Mundy Bhavsar and Suketu P. Bhavsar

Introduction, John Zubizarreta and Victoria M. Bryan

About the authorsAbout the NCHC Monograph Series

List of NCHC monographs and journals

NCHC publications order form

From the back cover:

This volume contains an assorted collection of theoretical and practical essays that demonstrate the value of collaborations between honors programs or colleges and faculty development, …

Commotio Cordis In The Introductory Classroom, Gregory A. Dilisi, Linda M. Dilisi, Mojtaba E. Youssefi, Richard A. Rarick, Carmela M. Dilisi

2025 Faculty Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Becoming Adults: Immigrant And Second-Generation Dominican Youth In The U.S., Evelyn Fernández-Ketcham

Publications and Research

This study offers new evidence on the question of developmental studies, particularly in relation to the stage that covers the transition to adulthood. The publication at hand provides strong added value by introducing new demographic groups, new scenarios, and new methods to examine the Dominican youth experience.

The Impact Of Youth Leadership Programs On West Virginia Youth Resilience Skills, Heather Mcdonnell-Stalnaker

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this research is to examine the impact that youth leadership programs have on WV youth resilience skills, as measured by the Wagnild Resilience Scale (RS). This research adds to the current body of knowledge by focusing on a specific set of resilience skills as measured by The Resilience Scale (RS): purpose, perseverance, equanimity, self-reliance, and existential aloneness. To determine the impact of youth leadership programs and/or organizations on resilience skills, WV youth ages 13-18 were given the Resilience Scale Assessment. This research is a non-experimental, comparative study looking at the differences in Resilience Scale scores between WV …

01. Harry Stottlemeier's Discovery (Novel - Ebook), Matthew Lipman

Middle School Curriculum

One day Harry finds himself giving the wrong answer in science class and begins to wonder where he has gone wrong. This reflection soon involves his classmates, who begin to think together about the nature of thinking, inquiry and knowledge. With the help of their teacher, Harry and his classmates discover rules of formal and informal logic, relational logic and hypothetical thinking—-not as ends in themselves, but as tools in helping them understand themselves and their world. Some of the ideas they begin to explore this way include education, mind, rights, religion, art, cause and effect, causes and reasons, and …

An Auto-Historia-Teoria Of Kismet Encounters: Building Bridges Between Multiple-Marginalized Identites - Queer, Latine, And Disabled - In A Colonial Education System, Rachel Torres

Wayne State University Dissertations

Existing education research has identified a series of factors that impact student identity formation, belonging, and academic performance in secondary and post-secondary education. Such research usually focuses on one to two identity groups - like ethnicity and gender or sexuality and disability. However, very few center on the experiences of queer, disabled, students of color. Using a decolonial methodological approach to qualitative research. This dissertation uses Chicana/Indigenous epistemologies as research methodologies to identify challenges students of multiple marginalized identities encounter in schooling and how they might find strength in their elders and cultural stories. The findings encourage educators to normalize …

2025 Intersession Catalog, Illinois Math And Science Academy

Intersession Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Comparisons Of The Effects Of White Noise And Classical Background Music On Student On-Task Engagement During Work Cycles In A Lower-Elementary Montessori Class, Lee Ellis

Doctor of Education (EdD)

This study compares the effects of classical and white noise background music, played during in-class work cycles for lower elementary students (grades 1-3) at a Montessori school in Pennsylvania. I aim to measure academic on-task engagement and overall classroom behavior. I will observe and record notes on their progress when there is no background sound, white noise, or classical music playing. Research has shown that introducing different sounds to the background of a classroom can positively affect student focus and retention of information (Levitin, 2006; Williams, 1961). Manipulation of sound or music played in the background can have a sizable …

What Did Independent Study Do For Me? Perspectives Of Latine Graduates Of A California Independent Study High School Program, Monique R. Escobedo

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The independent study model in K-12 education has rarely been studied as an opportunity to meet the needs of diverse learners who require access to education outside of the traditional school day and brick and mortar settings (Anderson & Amesse, 2022). This multimethod study (Cram & Mertens, 2016) explores the experiences of 15 Latine graduates of an independent study high school that serves four counties in southern California. The study takes a critical approach both theoretically and methodologically to understand how the independent study model as carried out at the school site met the intersectional needs (e.g. cultural, linguistic, geographic, …

Unseen Journeying: Latinx Mothers’ Experiences And Navigation Of Pre-Referral Home-School Collaboration, Yoné Rodríguez

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Research has documented various home-school collaboration obstacles faced by Latinx mothers whose children receive special education services. However, minimal attention has focused on Latinx mothers of students in the pre-referral stage—the time when students facing significant academic difficulties may be struggling in the classroom but have not yet been referred to special education evaluation. Responding to this gap in the literature, this qualitative study investigated how Latinx mothers experienced and navigated pre-referral home-school collaboration, which was conceptualized as the dynamic process occurring between family members and school personnel working towards common goals related to student growth. In alignment with Chicana …

A Study Of The Parental Decision To Homeschool, Leonard Cheung

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This phenomenological qualitative study provides context and understanding of why parents choose to homeschool their children using Rational Choice Theory as the framework. As of 2024, while there is quantitative data that breaks the reasons why parents homeschool down into several categories, scholars often criticize these data for being poorly done because these studies lack context. There have also been many qualitative studies that investigate certain reasons why parents homeschool, but almost all of them do not use a decision-making framework nor were they studying the decision-making process on why parents choose homeschooling. The literature has shown that parents homeschool …

An Exploration Of Inquiry-Based Learning: Effects On Critical Thinking, Engagement, And Achievement, Madelyn J. Mehr

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the effects of inquiry-based learning on three key student outcomes: critical thinking, engagement, and academic achievement. Drawing on studies from which the methodology was applied across K-12 and higher education settings, this review summarizes empirical findings to identify strengths and limitations. Inquiry-based learning is frequently associated with improvements in student participation and reasoning skills due to its emphasis on providing opportunities for hands-on investigative processes and collaborative work; however, the magnitude of these effects varies based on the type of inquiry-based learning used and the level of instructional support. In this paper, literature was reviewed on different …

Balancing Innovation And Attention: A Review Of Digital Distraction, Self-Regulation, And Technology Policy In Modern Classrooms, Kayla R. Schlichting

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This literature review examines how digital technology influences student attention, engagement, and self-regulated learning in 1:1 classrooms. Across 30 studies, technology is deemed neither inherently harmful nor helpful; rather, its impact depends on how technology is used and the instructional design the educator employs. Digital distractions, such as smartphones, multitasking, and peer interruptions decrease focus and negatively impact academic performance. However, strategies such as goal setting, structured note-taking, reflection, and feedback loops help students develop greater self-regulation and manage their engagement. Overall, this review emphasizes the need for clear and consistent expectations, well-designed technological lessons, and intentional instruction, especially as …

Nature-Based Learning In Visual Arts Education, Ava D. Raisanen

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This literature review and application thesis examines the concerns related to nature-deficit, specifically screen usage, student disengagement, and mental health issues. This review examines how nature-based educational approaches can enhance mental health, improve academic performance, and connect to various topics, including Indigenous culture and interdisciplinary art approaches that integrate multiple subjects. The lesson plans provided in the application are rooted in culturally relevant, nature-based approaches for students in grades K-12, including an Indigenous-inspired lesson for elementary, middle, and high school art.

Force Of Nature (2024) By Ann E. Burg, Maughn Rollins Gregory

Middle Grades Books

Rachel Carson launched the modern environmental movement with books that combined detailed observations of the natural world, scientific research, and philosophical reflection on humanity’s relationship with nature — all conveyed in poetic language. Ann E. Burg’s fictional biography-in-verse Force of Nature shows how these habits of observation, questioning, reflection, and expression began in Carson’s childhood, and invites readers to follow her lines of inquiry. Can we provide for human well-being without sacrificing the well-being of non-human life? Can we provide for the well-being of certain human populations without sacrificing the well-being of others? Can we indulge our wonder about, and …

Completions 2024-25, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

IPEDS

Welcome to the IPEDS Completions survey component. The Completions component is one of several IPEDS components that is conducted during the Fall data collection period. It collects the number of degrees and certificates awarded by field of study, level of award, race/ethnicity, and gender. The reporting period for the Completions component is during the12-month time period beginning July 1 of the previous calendar year and ending June 30 of the current calendar year; therefore, for this year’s Completions component, the reporting period is between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024. The Completions component is also collecting the number of …

Assessing Stress, Anxiety, And Burnout In Undergraduate Veterinary Technology Students, Dean Ann Daughaday-Provine

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Academic stress, anxiety, and burnout can negatively impact the mental health and well-being of students pursuing degrees in veterinary medicine. This quantitative study was designed to investigate the effects of academic stress, anxiety, and burnout on undergraduate students enrolled in Veterinary Technology programs. This study gained critical insight from current students transitioning through a rigorous curriculum of standards designed by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). The AVMA Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA) has established standards, outlined in policies and procedures, to ensure the quality of assessments and enhancements in veterinary education within accredited Veterinary Technology programs.

The Role Of Grades On Learning In Higher Education, Kindra Schneider

Dissertations and Theses

This study examines grading in higher education from two distinct perspectives: graduate students’ perceptions of a grading scheme that utilizes rubrics and self-assessment and instructors’ perceptions of academic freedom in grading. The first study examined graduate students’ perspectives on a grading scheme utilizing rubrics and self-assessment. Data from focus groups and journals revealed four main themes: the importance of clear expectations, enhanced synergy between rubrics and self-assessment when transparency increased, bias towards rubrics based on more exposure, and mixed feelings surrounding perceptions of self-assessment and its influence on learning. The second study investigated non-tenured faculty’s perceptions of academic freedom in …

Understanding Motivations For Graduate Assistant Unionization At A Large, Private, Elite Research University In The Midwest, Cynthia Shannon-Hutchison

Dissertations of Practice

The right of graduate student workers to unionize at private universities within the United States was reconfirmed in 2021 after years of uncertainty. The focus of this study was to understand specific challenges and desires, beyond wages and benefits, that drove students at a large private research university to organize for collective bargaining. This instrumental case study used constructivist grounded theory methodology to explore the motivations and issues that prompted students to unionize at a large, private, elite research university in the Midwest of the United States. The study provides insights into specific issues that were the platform for organizing, …

An Overview Of Current Education Efforts Within The Ecological Society Of America, Kenneth M. Klemow, Christopher W. Beck, Loren B. Byrne, Carmen R. Cid, Et Al.

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

Education has been and remains an important focus within the Ecological Society of America (ESA). Since the late 1980s, the number of initiatives, sections, and committees devoted to education, especially at the undergraduate level, has increased greatly. The purpose of this article is to identify and describe the education-related initiatives and groups within ESA (as of May 2025), especially to provide information for new members. Education activities within ESA are coordinated by the Office for Education and Diversity Programs (OEDP). The Education Committee, which reports to ESA’s Governing Board, engages in various education-related activities on behalf of the Board. Three …

The Story Of Yosef And The Pharaoh: A Masterclass On Empowerment Of An Autistic Person, Dr. Liliya T. Bakiyeva Wheatcraft

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Pbl On The Academic And Linguistic Development Of English Language Learners In A High School Science Classroom, Mariam Aboudib

Wayne State University Dissertations

The dissertation examines the effects of Project-Based Learning (PBL) on the development of the English Language Learners (ELLs) in the high school science classroom. The increasing need for better teaching methods makes this study important. It explores how PBL improves language learning, scientific knowledge, and academic performance compared to traditional methods. The study includes two groups: Group A learned through PBL, while Group B used traditional teaching.

The research measures students' language skills, engagement, critical thinking, and understanding of scientific concepts. The study collected pre- and post-assessment data using tests, classroom observations, and student reflections. The PSAT exam scores were …

Honors Civic Foundations Faculty Fellows Program, Lauren E. Davis, Kevin D. Egan

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

In 2022–2023, Drexel University’s Pennoni Honors College implemented the Honors Civic Foundations Faculty Fellows Program, a new initiative for faculty development and enrichment grounded in principles of civic education.

Flourishing In The First Year And Beyond: Promoting Personal Wellbeing And Mindfulness In An Honors First-Year Seminar, Christy Tyndall, Jacqueline Smith-Mason

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

Describes students’ experiences in the Virginia Commonwealth University Honors College’s first-year seminar course, Flourishing: The Applied Science of Wellbeing.