Digital Commons Network^™

What Works For Dyslexia Training? A Comparative Study Of Three Professional Development Approaches For Elementary General Education Teachers, Kayla Steltenkamp

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

Teachers are the foundational component of the educational system, yet many enter the classroom without adequate knowledge of dyslexia -- a specific learning disability affecting up to 17.5% of the student population. Despite growing legislative mandates requiring teacher training on dyslexia, recent research confirms that misconceptions and knowledge gaps persist among both preservice and inservice teachers, and the question of which professional development models most effectively address those gaps remains largely unanswered. This study compared three two-hour professional development approaches -- simulation only, lecture only, and a mixed-method combining both -- using a quasi-experimental, pre-test/post-test design with 58 elementary general …

“I Want My Students To Be Knowledgeable About Civics”: Supporting Pre-Service Teachers Through A Civics-Focused Plc, Helena M. Sands, Daniela Kruel Digiacomo, Laura Darolia, Carly Muetterties, Stephanie Mobley

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

This study describes a semester-long, civics-focused Professional Learning Community (PLC) with five elementary pre-service teachers (PSTs). Using inductive qualitative analysis of meeting transcripts, reflections, and field notes, three themes emerged: the PLC increased PSTs' confidence in integrating civics across the curriculum, built community through shared practicum experiences, and provided resources that broadened their understanding of civic learning. Findings suggest PLCs offer a promising structure for preparing elementary PSTs to prioritize civic education in their future classrooms.

Thinking Local Through Sources: Implementing Place-Based Education & The Inquiry Design Model, Kelli L. Knight

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

Place-based educational methods are utilized across subjects to connect students with their local communities, and tasking them to grapple and solve real-world issues. Since place-based education (PBE) centers the students’ sense of place, this allows for the social studies disciplines to provide opportunities for place-based practices to take root. Through the use of the Inquiry Design Model (IDM), specifically through source material, place-based methods can be incorporated into the social studies classroom. The purpose of this paper is to provide a practical way in which, both pre-service and in-service, can modify IDMs to make them place-based by using local sources. …

Evaluating The Impact Of The Kentucky Read To Achieve (Rta) Initiative On School Reading Performance, Nicholas Gage, Erin Hogan, Todd Whitney, Terrance M. Scott, Amy S. Lingo

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

Kentucky reading achievement has remained below statewide goals, which prompted a revision to the Read to Achieve (RTA) initiative, a state-level grant-funded program aimed at improving student literacy outcomes. The revision prioritized the professional learning of administrators and K-3 reading instructional staff in the science of reading and the adoption of high-quality structured literacy-based resources and aligned intervention resources. This study uses nine years of panel data (2014–2015 through 2023–2024) from all public schools in Kentucky to evaluate whether the revised RTA initiative had a differential effect on school-level reading outcomes. We employ propensity score matching and a heterogeneous difference-in-differences …

Preparing Teachers Where Teaching Happens: Designing Embedded Assignments In A School-University Partnership, Michael Dicicco, Shawn A. Faulkner

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

School-University partnerships (SUP) allow more opportunities for teacher candidates to bridge theory and practice. Working together teacher candidates gain valuable experience applying concepts in their classes with classroom teacher mentors. However, these partnerships can be complex and highly context dependent. Developing university course assignments for a SUP can be difficult. This article highlights a set of intentionally designed assignments the authors have developed over the last 8 years within an SUP. The goal is provide practical examples for those who are creating their own SUP.

Layers Of Representation: A Multidimensional Book Analysis, Mariah Pfundheller, Nikki Logan, Amy E. Lein, Sydney Bueno

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

This study evaluates how educators interpret the Multidimensional Framework for Inclusive Literature (MDFIL), a tool for evaluating and selecting multicultural literature for their classrooms. Participants self-identified as current, former/retired, or student teachers, or as undergraduates pursuing a teaching license at the time of the survey. Incorporating multicultural literature into educational settings has a positive impact on children's development. Multicultural literature fosters feelings of acceptance, cultural awareness, and empathy among students. By exposing children to diverse cultural perspectives, multicultural literature not only enhances their understanding of their own identities but also cultivates a greater appreciation of others' experiences. The benefits of …

Orca Annual Report 2025-26, Msu Orca

Steeplechase: An ORCA Student Journal

Quick Facts about ORCA in Academic Year 2025-26

• 30 slots filled for Posters-at-the-Capitol
• 443+ students presented at Scholars Weeks with support from 126+ faculty members
• 53 grants awarded
• Dr. Brittany Wood named University Distinguished Mentor 2026

Explorations Of Border-Crossing Identity Through Dreamscape In Frontera, Mariela Speltz

Steeplechase: An ORCA Student Journal

This analysis examines how Frontera, a graphic novel that follows a young man as he attempts to cross the Sonoran Desert to return to Arizona after being deported, draws upon the mythologically-rich space of the desert to create a dreamscape that explores Mexican-American identity. Featuring visual differentiation, cultural icons, and spiritual figures that interact with the main character, Mateo, the text’s dreamscape serves as a narrative bridge for characters to transcend their individual identity and connect with a communal identity. Specifically, a spiritual jaguar from Aztec mythology, and the ghost of an immigrant who died crossing the desert help Mateo …

Incorporating Sustainable Strategies And Practices Into The City Improvements Plan Of Madisonville, Kentucky To Better Suit It For The Changing World, Cade R. Howell

Honors College Theses

This project aims to make the case for city improvements in Madisonville, Kentucky by using successful strategies implemented by other cities across the region. These strategies include sidewalk improvements, the installation of roundabouts and parking garages, increased walkability and beautification, and a restructuring of the types of cars predominantly used in the area. The strategies would be implemented from least expensive to most expensive, and in a way that gets the communities involved as much as possible. By using these strategies, Madisonville can better prepare itself for a more sustainable future.

Nineteenth-Century Literary Magazines As Short Story Anthologies, Kelsey J. Brazil

Steeplechase: An ORCA Student Journal

This project undertakes an inter-generic study of nineteenth-century literary magazines and classroom anthologies. Based on the workings of genre theory by Julia Kristeva, this inter-generic study argues that the form, ideologemic function, and intertextuality of the literary magazine and anthology are generically similar. This notion has the potential to greatly change the reading of periodical literature from a simple reflection of Victorian times or as a mere container of collected (but isolated) literary pieces into one of cohesive, multi-genre significance. The resulting argument is that a nineteenth-century literary magazine can be a reasonable substitute for a textbook anthology in the …

Inveterate|Hevel, Cameron Neal

B.A./B.S. Practicum Group Exhibit (ART 499)

The impulse to pause at a mirror seems universal; the compulsion to double-check your appearance, to make sure you look alright. This kind of vanity is ingrained in people from childhood, even if it is not conscious. But when does this characteristic become a character flaw?

My work combines wood, metal, and fibers into sculptural forms to help remind us that life is fleeting, and not to waste so much time worrying about appearances. Vanity is a learned behavior shaped by decades of defined beauty standards. My work approaches this in symbolic ways; using materials like hair and pearls, representing …

Through The Lens Of “Kigo”: Understanding Japanese American Wwii Poetry, Grace C. Shields

Honors College Theses

In 1957, nearly ten years after the closing of Tule Lake Segregation Center in Newell, California, the last of the ten War Relocation Authority (WRA) concentration camps to close, author Keiho Soga writes on a piece of paper:

“Untitled”

By: Keiho Soga

Beyond the forbidding fence 

Of doubled barbed wire 

The mountain, 

Aglow with purple,

Sends us its greetings.

In this brief moment of reflection, Soga recounts his time in Sand Island Internment Camp, another of the Japanese American internment camps established during World War II by the United States government after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. …

A Content Analysis Of Media Framing Regarding Name, Image, And Likeness And The Transfer Portal In Men’S College Basketball, Ethan Alexander

Honors College Theses

This study investigates media framing as it relates to name, image, and likeness (NIL) and the transfer portal in men’s college basketball. This study serves as an introductory point for future framing research surrounding NIL and the transfer portal, two topics that have not been thoroughly researched up to this point. While the analysis does reveal previously unrecorded frames, the data and study as a whole serve as foundational tools for future research and are not conclusive regarding these specific topics and their usage within framing research. Through the deductive coding of articles published by ESPN throughout the last five …

Plastic Material Analysis And Bonding In Small Aquatic Vessels, Andrew R. Orr

Honors College Theses

This project presents the design and development of a suitable vessel for small-scale aquatic applications. The developed project is used for a remote-controlled duck hunting system, and the parameters of the design are based on the requirements for the system as a whole. Traditionally, plastics are fabricated using blow molding to create a single seamless form. However, for small-scale prototyping with limited resources, this method of fabrication is unsustainable for short-term, non-industrial design applications. As a result, an existing longer hull is selected and shortened to meet the required project length. The project evaluates multiple initial hull designs, ultimately selecting …

Internal Distortion By Elisabeth L. Roach, Elisabeth L. Roach, Elisabeth Roach

B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498)

I want to make people uncomfortable with my art. I use drawing, photography, and 4D elements to create gross, distorted, and unsettling pieces that stir conflicting feelings within the viewer.  Inspired by Maria Lassnig's abstracted self-portraits, I distort my own image to convey my physical and emotional anguish. Using myself as the subject of the work allows me to express pains and lived experiences directly.

While most of my work is figurative, I prioritize texture, color, and contrast over form.  The resulting works are painterly and dramatic like those of Francisco Goya. They reveal the process of their making and …

A Study On Architecture, Daven W. Lewis

Professional Practices (ART 399)

My name is Daven Lewis and I am a multidisciplinary artist who mainly focuses with the mediums of metalsmithing and woodworking. I am currently an undergraduate at Murray State University, with an estimated graduation in the fall of 2027. Through my practice, I make work about modern architecture and its correlation to the loss of craftsmanship found in everyday life, using metal and wood to create geometric sculptures meant to emphasize the forms I see in this architecture every day. Through my work I aim to talk about the increasing industrialization of the world, along with the complacency that coincides …

Perspective On Speech Therapy, Aac Devices, And Community Support: A Case Study Of A Caregiver Of An Adult With Down Syndrome, Ella Harris

Honors College Theses

For someone with a disability such as Down syndrome (DS), they often present with deficits in speech and language. These individuals typically require a caregiver for their physical, mental, and social needs, and their caregiver also often serves as their primary communication partner. This study explored caregiver perspectives on how they facilitate communication including their experiences with speech therapy services, augmentative and alternative communication, and community communication supports. A caregiver of an adult with DS participated in a structured interview to discuss their experiences as a caregiver for an individual with complex communication needs. The data from the interview was …

Art 399 Portfolio Final, Ansley M. Singer

Professional Practices (ART 399)

What inspires me to make my work is my quirky personality and how my mind works. I want people to understand that art does not have to look perfect or that the artist is not good enough. Personally, I have never really felt good enough to be an artist, and I continue to question why I am an art major. My mental health has been a really important part of my art. I use art to work through my emotions. Using clay helps me show the way I want to communicate to people about my art. Nothing has to be …

The Politics Of Sustainability: Corporate Environmental Responsibility And Policy Implications, Andy Tuholski

Commonwealth Review of Political Science

This literature review aims to examine how political factors influence corporate environmental responsibility (CER) initiatives and the subsequent policy implications for environmental sustainability. By synthesizing existing research, it will (a) provide a comprehensive overview of the political dynamics that shape CER and highlight the role of policy in promoting sustainable corporate practices; and (b) offer information for policymakers, corporate leaders, and environmental advocates on fostering sustainable corporate practices through informed policymaking.

Financial Literacy And Kentucky House Bill 342, Rebecca J. Futrell

Honors College Theses

This study examines the correlation between taking a financial literacy class in high school and an individual’s actual financial literacy. It is inspired by the recent Kentucky House Bill 342, which mandates that a financial literacy class be taken during high school. According to recent studies, Generation Z scores the lowest on a financial literacy index among the past three generations. To address this, many U.S. states have introduced mandatory financial literacy classes in K-12 education. In 2025, Kentucky joined the 30 states that mandated a financial literacy class for a high school diploma. The Kentucky House Bill 342 selects …

Professional Blend Xx, Rossie Rf Baker

Professional Practices (ART 399)

Over the years and with lots of considerations photography relating to landscape and nature are crucial to what I as an artist and photographer want to work with.These four photographs were a way for me as an artist to have free range on what I wanted to capture. Not only did I have free range with what I wanted to capture but as well as how I wanted to capture my photographs. At first glance it just seems that there are four photographs of trees. The point is not to just look and see trees but to look and see …

Professional Practices (Art 399), Kara Buchanan

Professional Practices (ART 399)

The National Library of Medicine reports that 1 in 4 girls are sexually abused

before the age of 18, and 81% of women in substance abuse detox centers report sexual abuse in their earlier years. Throughout my work I showcase the naivety and innocence of girlhood and how it can be tainted into hypersexuality and addiction in adult life.

With my work, I express difficult feelings and scenarios through a childlike, girly,

and whimsical lens. In scenarios of child sexual abuse and early addiction, there is a complicated combination of guilt, nostalgia for a time that never really existed, and …

Olivia Hargis Art399 Portfolio, Olivia Hargis

Professional Practices (ART 399)

The works displayed were all created with the rural aspects of my life in mind. Each of these pieces are personally significant but more important than that, they serve as a mental bridge for anyone who grew up in the country. The mudpie is a childhood past time for so many children who grew up on farms, having fun with what materials they had available to them. The heroic form serves as a decorative object, with the form developed from the idea of a seated hummingbird feeder. This unique form, floral design, and simple color palette elevate the surface of …

Teaching Exercise: A Survey On Educational Aids And Self-Efficacy, Joshua I. Eaton, Lucas Morgan, Matthew Hermes

Honors College Theses

HEPs are an important part of therapeutic treatment because they allow for greater exercise stimulus than can be achieved from supervised exercise alone. 94.7% of physical therapists reported prescribing HEPs to their patients. However, patient adherence to these plans can be as low as 35%. Lack of HEP adherence likely leads to sub-optimal clinical outcomes in physical therapy patients. Self-efficacy is improved in patients by supplementing HEPs with instructional aids, especially in the form of videos instead of pictures or descriptions, because they act as a form of vicarious experience. It is possible that improving self-efficacy through vicarious experience could …

Diverse Directions - Callie Bowland, Callie E. Bowland

B.A./B.S. Practicum Group Exhibit (ART 499)

My ceramic works explore stress, masking, and how they affect the body over time, in addition to what can be considered the true self, and how society reacts to it. They all feature an element of abstract, twisting flesh.

Reliquary uses it as a very literal interpretation of inner beauty, turning flesh and bone into an ornate vessel, playing with the parallel of the human body as a vessel for the mind. It also poses the question of what makes up a person, by contrasting the corporeal flesh and bone with a mask- like face–are we the physical body itself, …

Art399-01-Sp26 - Final Portfolio/Promotional Packet, Lisa A. Greene

Professional Practices (ART 399)

I am an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary artist deeply committed to the exploration of creative expression across a myriad of media. Emulating the spirit of a modern polymath, my work is a tapestry woven from diverse influences. My journey of creating my work fills me with immense joy. It empowers me to confidently express my unique approach to artmaking in a spontaneous and energetic manner. I hold a profound affection for the tactile experience of painting on canvas. This has evolved into a process akin to sculpting clay directly on canvas.

In my recent work, I have delved deeply into the …

Mammalian Biodiversity Of The Easley Conservation Stewardship Area, Grayson C. Belt

Honors College Theses

Monitoring wildlife is an important part of conservation and is particularly vital for newly acquired conservation areas to provide a baseline of what is present. In 2025, the 22 ha Murray State University Easley Conservation Stewardship Area (MSU ECSA) was established following a donation to the university by Melissa Easley. I conducted a survey using trail cameras at the ECSA in fall 2025 and winter 2025/26 to record mammalian diversity. The survey consisted of two subprojects: a mesomammal subproject of 18 knee height trail cams and a small mammal subproject using 15 custom small mammal bucket cameras. I uploaded all …

Callie Bowland - Various Works, Callie E. Bowland

Professional Practices (ART 399)

My ceramic works explore stress, masking, and how they affect the body over time, in addition to what can be considered the true self, and how society reacts to it. They all feature an element of abstract, twisting flesh.

Reliquary uses it as a very literal interpretation of inner beauty, turning flesh and bone into an ornate vessel, playing with the parallel of the human body as a vessel for the mind. It also poses the question of what makes up a person, by contrasting the corporeal flesh and bone with a mask- like face–are we the physical body itself, …

Technology-Supported Literacy Instruction In Elementary Classrooms (K-5): Perspectives Of Student Teachers In Western Kentucky, Ila B. Shirrell

Honors College Theses

The use of technology in elementary classrooms (kindergarten–fifth grade) has increased significantly with the goal of enhancing instruction. Additionally, educational technology is being used to improve literacy skills, reading recovery, and comprehension. This study examined how technology supports literacy development and instruction in elementary classrooms by drawing upon the perspectives of current student teachers. Student teachers from Murray State University, placed in third through fifth grade classrooms in Western Kentucky, were interviewed. The interviews assessed how technology was used for literacy instruction, including the extent of its effectiveness and potential challenges. Responses were transcribed and analyzed. The themes of evidence-based …

Subzero: Original Music For Piano And Live Electronics, Frank Newton

Honors College Theses

Subzero is a set of three compositions for piano and live electronics inspired by themes of nature and human perception. The term “live electronics” in a musical context refers to the use of technology to generate or trigger sounds in real time during a performance. These pieces were written specifically for use with a computer music program I designed using Max/MSP to respond to and accompany the performer. Subzero combines acoustic and synthesized sounds to examine three subjects of the natural world and how we, as humans, react to them. The compositional process of the set was informed in part …