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Tools Of The Trade: An Ethnohistoric And Archaeological Investigation Of Late Fort Ancient Bifacial Endscrapers, Kevin Andrew Rolph

Senior Independent Study Theses

The arrival of Europeans to the New World forever changed the social and economic landscapes of Native Peoples who occupied the continents. Colonial institutions profited off the land and those who occupied it. One institution that exemplified this was the Fur Trade. Throughout the North and Northeast colonies, European nations acquired furs from a variety of mammals to meet the trans-Atlantic demand. To maximize profits in the New World many European colonizers turned to Native peoples to aid in their economic endeavors. Native Americans employed trade routes and knowledge of the land to their advantage in the new economic landscape. …

Mother Nature And Menvironmental Politics: Analyzing How Gendered Frames Affect Support For The Clean Air Act, Grace Montgomery

Senior Independent Study Theses

While environmental issues are becoming more significant and frequent, concern for the environment varies. Research has shown a gender gap in environmental concern, particularly in that males see helping the environment as compromising their masculinity (Brough et al. 2016, 568). My I.S. examines whether and how gendered frames shape public support for the United States’ environmental air pollution policy, the Clean Air Act. In order to connect an issue to a frame, an individual will draw upon a relevant schema and apply elements from that schema in order to understand the issue. Gender is an accessible schema that strongly shapes …

La Libertad Y Sus Acontecimientos: Un Enfoque En El Existencialismo Y El Uso De La Libertad Dentro De Artefactos Culturales, Carlos A. Hernandez

Senior Independent Study Theses

Uno de los temas mas prevalentes dentro del existencialismo es el de la libertad. Se puede discutir que la libertad no es posible dentro de nuestra sociedad, pero Savater, autor de “El valor de elegir”, nos indica que la libertad existe dentro de los reglamentos de nuestra sociedad. Savater propone que la acción es resultado de el conocimiento, la imaginación, y la decisión. Dentro de este proceso se puede reconocer los aspectos existencialistas de la voluntad, la ignorancia, la inquietud, y el azar respectivamente. Esta obra se enfoca en los tres aspectos que describe Savater como los puntos esenciales de …

Computer Vision Gesture Recognition For Rock Paper Scissors, Nicholas Hunter

Senior Independent Study Theses

This project implements a human versus computer game of rock-paper-scissors using machine learning and computer vision. Player’s hand gestures are detected using single images with the YOLOv3 object detection system. This provides a generalized detection method which can recognize player moves without the need for a special background or lighting setup. Additionally, past moves are examined in context to predict the most probable next move of the system’s opponent. In this way, the system achieves higher win rates against human opponents than by using a purely random strategy.

Pedagogía Política: Un Análisis De La Enseñanza De La Dictadura De Pinochet Y Los Derechos Humanos En Chile, Emily Elizabeth Xiubei Beuter

Senior Independent Study Theses

As Chileans continue to struggle with reconciling with their past in post-dictatorial Chile, this same struggle plays out in the classroom with the teaching of the dictatorship and human rights. While there is a vast corpus on memory historiography and pedagogy literature, researchers have overlooked the role of teaching in memory formation and the perspectives of those actively forming student memory. This study analyzes how various spheres of education on the dictatorship and human rights reflect larger societal tensions and are themselves spheres of contested memory. Further, I argue for complexity as there are numerous educational spheres who are in …

Delete Your Account: A Methodological Investigation Of Leadership Trait Analysis And Its Ability To Utilize Twitter As Spontaneous Material, Jimmy Hinton

Senior Independent Study Theses

Given the important roles political leaders occupy within the international arena, it is vital that we understand the way they behave. In order to better understand a political leader, it is imperative that we analyze their personality traits. This study investigates the methodological applicability of Leadership Trait Analysis by asking the following research question: Is an analysis of social media an effective way to measure the Leadership Trait Analysis personality traits of international leaders? In order to answer this question, the study utilizes Leadership Trait Analysis to analyze the personality traits portrayed within the traditional spontaneous media (interviews/press conferences) for …

Spaced Training In The 5csrtt Proves Beneficial In Early Levels, Rebecca Renee Warren

Senior Independent Study Theses

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by inattentiveness, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. Due to these characterizations, children with ADHD typically exhibit lower academic performance which has been improved by spacing out academic training. Yet no study has performed spacing in an ADHD population. Spaced training involves studying over short periods for multiple days rather than multiple hours in one day, or massed training. Using a rat model of ADHD, known as the SHR strain, the present study assessed how spacing training from 90-trials a day to 45-trials a day in the 5CSRTT would improve performance abilities. Additionally, the impact of spaced …

Laughing Matters: Late-Night Political Comedy Television & Individual-Level Affective Polarization, Nicholas R. Shereikis

Senior Independent Study Theses

This study considers the effects of consuming late-night political humor on audience members’ individual-level affective political polarization. Existing literature suggests that many late-night comedy television programs already influence viewers’ political engagement, including voting likelihood and political talk likelihood. Programming like The Daily Show (TDS) employs satiric critique within broader parodic framework to engage audience members’ political identities. These identities are incredibly emotional and, combined with comedic capacity to provoke anger, exert significant influence over individual behavioral tendencies. Subsequently, it makes sense to consider the affectively polarizing capacity of these shows— measured both by favorability, or ingroup confidence, and social distance, …

Fish Out Of Water: Investigating The ‘Readiness’ And Proficiency Of Beginning Drama Teachers In Western Australian Secondary Schools, Christina C. Gray, Kirsten Lambert, Sarah Jefferson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (AITSL, 2011) stipulate that graduating teachers need to be classroom-ready and able to perform at a ‘graduate standard’. However, recent research indicates that nearly 50% of beginning teachers lack readiness, are overwhelmed with stress, and will leave the profession within five years. This paper seeks to elucidate this disconcerting reality by providing a nuanced focus on the experiences of beginning drama teachers. Findings indicate that while participants in this study began feeling confident and ready for teaching drama; they were largely unprepared for the unwritten requirements of the profession – namely, coping with systems, …

Teacher Biography: Solo Analysis Of Preservice Teachers’ Reflections Of Their Experiences In Physical Education, John E. Haynes, Frances Quinn, Judith A. Miller

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Teacher biography, as a reflective practice, was implemented in the context of Physical Education in a primary teacher education course at a regional Australian university. Second year students were asked to provide descriptions of a critical incident they experienced at the primary or secondary level in a Physical Education or sporting context (N=214). Their responses comprised the data for this study and the Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO) Model was used to determine the levels of complexity of the responses to ‘alternatives for action’ associated with these incidents. More responses were multistructural (48%), than relational (24%), and unistructural (23%), …

Investigating Probability Concepts Of Secondary Pre-Service Teachers In A Game Context, Hem Chand Dayal, Sashi Sharma

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

There is a rich literature on students’ and teachers’ intuitions and misconceptions about probability. However, less attention has been paid to the development of pre-service teachers’ probabilistic thinking in teacher education. Based on this, the second author developed a lesson sequence for teaching probability. In particular, it demonstrates how a game context can be used to explore the relationship between experimental and theoretical probabilities in a collaborative learning setting. The lesson sequence integrates concepts and processes related to probability and is grounded in socio-cultural theory. We trialed the sequence with secondary pre-service teachers. This paper focuses on their understanding …

Initial Education Of Philosophy Teachers In Colombia: Association Between New Public Policy Requirements And National Standardized Tests, Alejandro Farieta-Barrera

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper evaluates the association between new public policy requirements for B.Ed. programs in Colombia —1) demand high-quality accreditation, 2) restrict distance modality, 3) restrict multidisciplinary programs, and 4) increase academic credits in education courses and pedagogical practices— and the outcomes of 1387 B.Ed. in Philosophy students in the National Saber Pro test 2016-2018, in ‘Education’ component. The methodology was multilevel linear regression; the residential region is the level variable, and were included other control variables (gender, age, ethnic minority, socioeconomic index, etc.). The results show that outcomes are associated with pedagogical practices and with non-multidisciplinary programs, supporting new regulations. …

“I Actually Felt More Confident”: An Online Resource For Enhancing Pre-Service Teacher Resilience During Professional Experience, Caroline F. Mansfield, Susan Beltman, Noelene L. Weatherby-Fell

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

One responsibility of teacher education is to provide opportunities for pre-service teachers to build skills and strategies to develop confidence for overcoming challenges and build their professional resilience, yet how students learn these skills is not clearly understood. This study examines how engaging with online modules influenced participants’ efficacy and resilience during their final professional experience practicum. Interviews with 13 Australian pre-service teachers revealed that the module content and design reactivated existing knowledge, taught new emotional regulation and coping strategies, encouraged self-awareness and reflection, and built confidence. While further research is needed, participants used their new found knowledge during their …

Reflections On Journaling: An Initiative To Support Pre-Service Mathematics And Science Teachers, Lisa O'Keeffe, Kathryn Paige

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In this article the authors present two different ways in which journaling has been utilised with final year pre-service teacher students (PSTs) in their primary/middle science and mathematics pathway course. Pedagogical practices that model effective teaching and learning in a tertiary setting are an integral component of this course. As teacher educators exploring ways to develop our practices, we introduced journaling as a teaching and learning tool. The first results section of this article focuses on the journaling experiences of PSTs, including the different ways they chose to engage with journaling and factors contributing to their engagement or disengagement. The …

Problem-Seeking In Teacher Education: Empowering Students To Grapple With The Complexities Of The Profession, Julie Ballantyne, Libby Flynn, Tammie Olm-Madden

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Preparing teachers for the realities of the profession is an ongoing concern for teacher education providers. In a climate where the future of teaching is largely unknown and the issues to be faced by teachers throughout their career largely imagined, the ability to identify and solve problems becomes increasingly important. This paper documents an evaluation of a pilot approach to preparing pre-service teachers for the realities of their profession. This approach, which centred on students utilising mobile technologies to problem-seek, was evaluated in terms of students’ perceived preparedness for the profession and their development of problem-solving skills and strategies. Results …

Preservice Teachers As Document Detectives, Lorna Quinnell, Radha Iyer, Bronwyn Ewing

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Literacy today relies on a readers’ ability to analyse text critically. This case study investigated preservice teachers’ critical analysis of media text containing visuals and representations. In particular, the analysis focused on mathematical factors that impact on readers’ interpretation of diverse visuals.

Data was gathered from the 23 preservice teachers, enrolled in the Graduate Diploma program at one Australian university. They participated in a series of mathematics learning sessions focused on the critical analysis of a selection of media items.

The paper argues that the ability to critically analyse graphs and visuals relies on mathematical knowledge and that the ability …

Being And Belonging: Student-Teachers’ Contextual Engagement In Schools, Enda Donlon, Elaine Mcdonald, Sabrina Fitzsimons, Pj Sexton

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

While School Placement is long established as a central component of Initial Teacher Education programmes, there is an increasing awareness that these placement experiences should go beyond the practical activities most directly associated with teaching. This paper considers how engagement in a school placement period with a focus on non-teaching activities contributes to the professional and personal development of student-teachers, and to their sense of ‘belonging’ while on placement. Drawing primarily on the analysis of data obtained from online logs maintained by student-teachers during this predominantly non-teaching placement, it establishes the activities that they engaged in, and their reflections and …

Voices On Data Literacy And Initial Teacher Education: Pre-Service Teachers’ Reflections And Recommendations, Shannon Kennedy-Clark, Vilma Galstaun, Peter Reimann, Taylor Martyn, Kiatin Williamson, Jessica Weight

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The purpose of study was gain insight into pre-service teachers’ experiences in using classroom data to make learning and teaching decisions. The qualitative study is based on the reflections and recommendations of three pre-service teachers’ that participated in a data-driven decision-making intervention whilst on an immersive 10-week professional learning experience. This study is underpinned by an action research framework. There are many understandings of action research, here the approach is understood to be a systematic investigation into one’s own practice with the aim of improving teaching and learning. From the thematic analysis of the reflections, several recommendations were put forward …

Examining Teacher Agency Among Teacher Educators: An Action Research In Vietnam, Tung Ngoc Vu

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Teacher agency is an important topic in educational research, but its theoretical observations have not filtered down into practical Vietnamese teaching contexts. The action research project described here showcases a training-based intervention for teacher educators in various disciplines at eight universities in Vietnam. The intervention aimed to develop teaching skills and increase knowledge for teacher educators by helping them explore their students’ learning needs and facilitate their professional development. This study occurred within the context of changing Vietnamese political, cultural, economic, and social ways of being. Eight Vietnamese teacher educators of different cultural backgrounds, and working across a variety of …

Teacher Crisis: Critical Events In The Mid-Career Stage, Katie Cawte

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

To understand the ways in which teachers in the mid-career stage might be retained and maintained in the classroom and the profession, this article identifies the critical events in the journey of the mid-career teacher. The findings of a qualitative study that drew on narrative inquiry are used to explore the reasons why 20 mid-career teachers in Queensland, Australia, exited or remained in the classroom and/or profession. The article concludes with a profile of the mid-career teacher which helps to understand how to provide and/or develop job satisfaction and motivation and retain the knowledge, experience and skills of experienced teachers.

Entangling Our Thinking And Practice: A Model For Collaboration In Teacher Education, Peta White, Jo Raphael, Shelley Hannigan, John Cripps Clark

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Collaboration is a key component of our practice as teachers and teacher educators and there is a need to develop generative models for collaboration among teacher educators. We have created and tested a model of collaboration. Data were drawn from: recordings of monthly group meetings; discussion threads and documents on our leaning management site; individual interviews with all members of the group conducted three times across the project; and reflections on these interview transcripts by individual annotation and group discussions. The model includes a collaborative overarching research project and, nested under this mantle, a series of focused research projects conducted …

Local Wisdom In Regenerative Teacher Practices, Sue E. Smith, Jon C. Mason, Majella Bowden

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In this article, teacher professional practice is conceptualised within a regenerative framing as a synthesis of intercultural perspectives drawn from wisdom traditions, placing ethics-in-action alongside reflection-in-action. Regenerative practice foregrounds the need for renewal connecting professional learning with lifelong learning. Global sustainability agendas also inform this endeavour, reminding us of our connectedness within living ecosystems while ‘local wisdom’ is considered a primary source to inspire regeneration. Ecological models of education are therefore explored to determine the nature and scope of regenerative practices. Isolation imposed by the global pandemic provided opportunity to reflect upon our own practices and how these inter-relational constructs, …

Responding To Policies That Involve Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Students And Content: An International Pre-Service Teacher's Experience, Roxana Aguilar Alonso

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Using auto-ethnography, I write my story as Mexican international student in the role of pre-service teacher in Australia. I focus on exploring my socio-political status and its relationship to assuming a position to respond to education policies about working with students from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds, and teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander content. I argue that assuming a position to respond to these policies as international pre-service teacher is overlapped with a multi-layered process in which epistemological deliberation occur as a consequence of being in a state of constant position shifting. Anzaldúa’s Coyolxauqui imperative and Martin’s Relatedness …

Supporting Pre-Service Teachers In Becoming Reflective Practitioners Using Conversation And Professional Standards, Ondine J. Bradbury, Angela Fitzgerald, Justen P. O'Connor

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

A significant goal of teacher education is to support the development of reflective practitioners. This intention, however, is not easily achieved when after-the-fact recall and reporting are key features of pre-service teacher learning rather than critique and contemplation. This research reports on a small-scale pilot study evaluating a novel approach to help pre-service teachers develop reflective skills in order to both understand and address the requirements of the profession. The approach involved a set of Conversation Cards with a series of question-based prompts directly linked to the APSTs and designed to enhance reflective conversations. Focus group interview discussions unveiled the …

“In Lantite, No One Can Hear You Scream!” Student Voices Of High-Stakes Testing In Teacher Education., Alison L. Hilton, Rebecca Saunders, Caroline Mansfield

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article investigates pre-service teachers’ experiences of undertaking LANTITE, a high-stakes literacy and numeracy test for initial teacher education students. In this mixed methods study, 189 initial teacher education students from 28 Australian universities participated in an online questionnaire, with 27 students going on to take part in semi-structured telephone interviews. Indicative findings give voice to those most impacted by the implementation of LANTITE in 2017, revealing student concerns about the processing and return of results, and test anxiety. This study provides a unique insight into the experiences of completing this high-stakes test.

Teachers And Research Practices: Perspectives From English Language Educators In A Philippine University, Veronico N. Tarrayo, Philippe Jose S. Hernandez, Judith Ma. Angelica S. Claustro

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Given the paucity of studies regarding research practices of teachers, particularly English language teaching (ELT) practitioners in the ASEAN region and in the Philippines, this study explores the research practices of English language teachers in the Philippines. Using purposive-convenience sampling, a total of 49 teachers of English from a Philippine university were asked to answer a survey. To validate the data, pertinent public university documents were examined, and interviews with the university research heads were conducted. Findings suggest that the teachers were cognizant of the link between teaching and their own and their schools’ research practices. This research also reports …

The Teachers’ Role In Student Engagement: A Review, Megan Pedler, Tony Yeigh, Susan Hudson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Student engagement is considered to be a malleable, multi-dimensional construct which combines the three dimensions of behavioural, emotional and cognitive engagement. Importantly, the literature reveals a solid understanding of how teachers influence student engagement, highlighting the teacher’s role as paramount to ensuring students are able to experience meaningful engagement. This review includes Australian state educational frameworks, and considers the impact these may have on teaching as a profession. All states and territories include some, or all, of these dimensions in frameworks that address students’ engagement and wellbeing. However, variations in terminology, structure and definition make it challenging for the teaching …

Evidence-Based Reasoning Processes In Education: A Model To Support Interventionist Practice., Natasha Ziebell, Jemma Skeat

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The Evidence-based Reasoning model is a systematic inquiry into student learning to determine what interventions are required in classroom contexts. The four step process includes noticing students who need additional support in their learning, the use of assessment data to establish an evidence-base, and subsequent interpretation that leads to decision making. The reasoning process is supported by collaborative practice models both within and beyond the teaching profession. The evaluation of interventions is integral in determining the impact that interventions have on student learning.

Population Demographics: Predictors Of The Relationship Between Alcohol Use Disorder And Major Depression, Mei Grace Behrendt

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This thesis examines both biological and social explanations of alcohol use disorder (AUD) and major depression (MD) through a thorough review of current literature. Using multiple logistic regression analyses exploring the sociodemographic and alcohol use factors that contribute to reporting of major depression symptoms with data from the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, this thesis demonstrates how there are health disparities that exist among different demographic populations. Specifically, certain demographic characteristics such as racial or ethnic identity, gender, and socioeconomic status may contribute to increased risk of developing and reporting episodes of lifetime and past year major …

Curriculum For Hippotherapy For Children With Autism, Brenna Schulte, Kristy Weissling

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Innovative effective forms of allied health therapies across disciplines including occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy are being continuously researched and implemented for people with a variety of disabilities. One form of therapy increasing in popularity is Hippotherapy (HPOT). There is a variety of terms related to hippotherapy. More broadly, Equine Assisted Therapy (EAT) is the use of horses to promote physical and mental health and can be utilized for a wide variety of disabilities, such as ADHD and Autism, as well as physical disabilities such as cerebral palsy. HPOT occurs when OT, PT, and ST professionals utilizes horse …