Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of Elementary Music Scheduling And Vertical Alignment On First-Year Middle School Ensemble Readiness: A Study Of Music Teacher Perceptions, James Mock

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Students entering middle school encounter many changes in how music is taught and organized. During this transition, music students are introduced to a greater emphasis on ensemble performance. These students enter middle school with diverse backgrounds in musical training and knowledge. Additional factors affecting students’ musical development include funding, socioeconomic background, and demographics. Elementary music scheduling and program vertical alignment may also influence students’ preparedness as they enter middle school. To become highly successful in music ensemble performance, students must have appropriate prior musical training before entering middle school.

This qualitative study will examine how elementary music schedules and vertical …

Toward A Post-Modern Daoist Pedagogy: Bridging Complexity And Dao Through Inner Cultivation And Autopoietic Currere, Jie Yu, Jingyu Liu

Journal of Contemplative and Holistic Education

This article first critically examines the call to reenchant the world as it resonates within a middle space between science and mysticism and then connects key ideas from complexity theory and systems thinking on complex adaptive systems with two seminal Daoist texts: the Neiye (《內業》, Inner Cultivation), a proto-Daoist chapter from the Guanzi anthology (4th–3rd century B.C.E.), and the Huangting Jing (《黃庭經》, Yellow Court Scripture), a later Daoist classic (3rd–4th century C.E.). Through this dialogue, the article advocates a post-modern Daoist pedagogy through inner cultivation and autopoietic currere—an autopoietic process wherein curriculum emerges organically through participatory dialogue …

Examining Curriculum Alignment: Utah Core Mathematics Standards And The Mathematics Vision Project/Open Up Resources, Jennifer Suzanne Young

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the alignment between the Utah Core Mathematics Standards (UCMS) and the Mathematics Vision Project/Open Up Resources (MVPOUR) curriculum for Secondary Mathematics I, II, and III, as well as the proportion of Utah secondary students potentially exposed to that alignment through district-level curriculum approval. Using a qualitative comparative case study design, UCMS were systematically compared to MVPOUR topic foci to identify horizontal alignment (standards addressed within the intended course), vertical alignment (standards addressed across courses), combined horizontal and vertical alignment, or lack of alignment. Alignment data were recorded using a spreadsheet-based content analysis and independently coded to support …

Strategies For Classroom Teachers Using Generative Artificial Intelligence, Hoang-Kim Nguyen

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated strategies for classroom teachers using generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI), the challenges high school teachers face when integrating Gen AI tools into the classroom, and how teachers address these challenges. Using a qualitative approach, the study surveyed 26 teachers and conducted five interviews with teachers in two suburban school districts. The results indicated that there are leadership and professional development gaps in Gen AI in high schools. The findings suggested that districts need to provide professional development and leadership on Gen AI to help teachers integrate it into the classroom and prepare students for the Gen AI …

The Standardization Of Teaching: Minnesota Elementary Teacher Perceptions Of Academic Standards In 21st-Century Classrooms, Katie Rotvold

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This sequential explanatory mixed methods study examined how Minnesota elementary teachers’ perceptions of academic standards and assessment influence their instructional practices in the context of 21st-century classrooms. Guided by Ajzen’s (1991) Theory of Planned Behavior, the study explored teachers’ attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control related to implementing academic standards. Quantitative data were collected through an online questionnaire completed by 221 Minnesota elementary teachers, followed by qualitative analysis of open-ended survey responses and semi-structured interviews with four teachers. Results indicated that teachers generally held positive attitudes toward academic standards, perceived strong expectations from administrators and state policymakers to implement …

How Can Implementing A Consistent Social And Emotional Learning Curriculum In An Elementary School Setting Promote Academic Success And Help The Overall Well-Being Of Our Teachers And Students?, Joseph Rydel

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Elementary schools are seeing an increase in students' social, emotional, and behavioral needs, making it more difficult for teachers to meet the needs of their students. While research shows that Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) can improve behavior, academic performance, and overall well-being, many schools still do not have a consistent curriculum to teach these skills. The purpose of this capstone project was to explore how implementing a consistent SEL curriculum in an elementary school setting can improve academic success while supporting the overall well-being of both students and teachers.

To answer this question, I created a project that reviewed …

Finding The Confidence To Speak: Reducing Public Speaking Anxiety In Secondary English Students, Nickolas Johnson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Public speaking is an essential academic, professional, and civic skill, yet many secondary students experience anxiety when asked to speak in front of peers and when assigned a presentation. This capstone project explored the question: How can secondary English language arts teachers develop methods to decrease anxiety around students who struggle with public speaking? The end result of this project is a Google Site resource guide that is designed for secondary English language arts teachers. The site provides background information on public speaking anxiety in the classroom, a bank of low-stakes speaking activities that can be used independently or in …

Recommendations For Improving Soft Skills Training In The Career And Technical Education Curriculum At Sumter Career And Technology Center In South Carolina, Walter Robertson Iii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to improve soft skills training in the Career and Technical Education curriculum at the Sumter Career and Technology Center in South Carolina. The problem was that 8% of the Sumter Career and Technology Center's students participating in work-based learning opportunities, apprenticeships, or internships lack the soft skills required by participating employers. The rationale for this study was that it is critical to improve soft skills training in the curriculum at Sumter Career and Technology Center to improve students' performance in work-based learning opportunities to boost employer confidence and lead to permanent future employment opportunities …

Lesson Plan: Sr. Levadura (Mr. Yeast), Kali Elise Rye

World Languages and Cultures

This project addresses critical microbiology misconceptions concerning microbes and fermentation. Alongside Nuestra Ciencia’s lesson development team, this activity was researched and tested to demonstrate ideal fermentation conditions for yeast. In addition to the hands-on experiment, this project also required an interactive worksheet to be completed alongside the activity. With feedback from undergraduate students, researchers, and professors, the content was shaped to create an engaging, easily comprehensible activity that introduces microbiological concepts to students. As it has progressed, the Sr. Levadura (Mr. Yeast) activity has been implemented in two quarters of SCM 302 (Learn by Doing Lab) where over 400 elementary …

The Impact Of Visual Illustrations On Enhancing Basketball Refereeing Signal Performance Among Students, Mohammed Aboudi Hussein, Dunya Abdul Salam Fadhil Abbas

Modern Sport

The study aimed to find out if using drawings helps students learn how to officiate basketball This study is important because it uses teaching tools to help students understand refereeing better and provide a high-quality education. The researchers used a method with two groups: an experimental group and a control group. There were 22 students in total divided into two groups of 11 The experimental group used a curriculum with drawings for six lessons while the control group used the usual method. The results showed that the experimental group did better than the control group. The results also showed differences …

Curriculum Evaluation For Imagiedu, Madison Leigh Marchand

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

This research examines whether or not ImagiEdu's curriculum aligns with the Indiana Academic Standards for K-8 Computer Science, and to determine if it meets the requirements to be approved as "High-Quality Curricular Materials" by the Indiana Department of Education (DOE). ImagiEdu is an award-winning technology education startup from Sweden, and provides inclusive coding education tools designed to help students imagine their future in the tech world. In this project, the DOE's 2024-2025 High-Quality Curricular Materials Rubric was used to evaluate ImagiEdu's curriculum, including its Scope and Sequence, Teacher Handbook, and over 25 Lesson Plans. The evaluation focused on four main …

Predicting Middle School Students’ Attitude Towards Mathematics By Race And Biological Sex After Participating In Open Up Resources Mathematics Curriculum: A Quantitative Study, Sharonna Laquenette Howell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative predictive correlational design study was to examine how well race/ethnicity and biological sex predict students’ attitudes toward mathematics among middle school students following participation in the Open Up Resources mathematics curriculum. By conducting this study, the researchers filled a gap in the literature by determining whether the use of the Open Up Resources mathematics curriculum, race, and biological sex predicted students' attitudes toward mathematics. Research on the impact of K-12 Open Education Resources curricula on students’ attitudes toward mathematics was lacking. Participants in this study included middle school students in a North Carolina school district. …

Secondary Dual Language And Immersion Content Teachers And Their Instructional Materials, Curtis Larsen

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Secondary dual language and immersion (DLI) teachers who teach content courses, such as social studies or science, balance two central responsibilities: meeting content-area standards and supporting students’ language development (Cammarata & Tedick, 2012). Managing these responsibilities presents challenges when preparing and using instructional materials in languages other than English (Moate, 2014; Morton, 2013; Skinnari, 2020; Sun, 2017). While existing research shows that DLI teachers expend enormous energy seeking and preparing instructional materials for their content-area classes (Mathieu, 2022), little is known about the factors that guide this work or how well existing materials meet teachers’ needs. This dissertation sought to …

Preferences For Mathematics And Science Education Majors Among Senior High School Students In Bataan, Zydrick L. Avelino

Jurnal Pendidikan Sains

This study examines the factors influencing Senior High School students’ preferences for Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSEd) majors in Bagac and Morong, Bataan, with particular focus on the low interest in Mathematics and Science specializations despite increasing demand for STEM educators. Using a descriptive quantitative design, data were collected from 369 students through a structured survey and analyzed using frequency and percentage distributions. The results reveal a strong preference for non-STEM majors, with Social Studies (42.12%) and English (35.04%) dominating, while Science (15.43%) and Mathematics (7.395%) received significantly lower interest. Personal interest emerged as the primary determinant (58.8%), followed by …

Sparc Grade 2 Integrated Coding-Math Lessons, Spatial Activities And Robot Coding (Sparc)

Spatial Activities and Robot Coding (SPARC)

SPARC-Math Grade 2 Integrated Coding-Math Lessons with related Utah Core Standards and lessons for Spatial and Programming Language and Geometry.

The Long Goodbye Of The History Of Economic Thought Course In Liberal Arts Colleges In The United States, Humberto Barreto

School of Business and Leadership Working Papers

Economists of a certain age will remember a world in which the history of economic thought (HET) was alive and flourishing. Today, that is not the case. One little-noticed consequence of the elimination of HET from graduate programs in the United States is that the HET course is an endangered species at the undergraduate level. It is not, however, extinct. This paper offers a brief history of HET as a course and explores the extent of the diminution in HET courses in the undergraduate liberal arts college curriculum in the United States. Roughly 40% of 146 schools have a HET …

Competitive Dance And The Adolescent’S Body: Considering Pedagogical Approaches To Teaching Competitive Dancers, Catri E. G. Barba

Dance (MFA) Theses

Diving into the past and researching for the future, this thesis explores the development and perpetuation of hyper-sexualized adolescent bodies through the competitive dance scene. Drawing on dance theorists, educational theorists, and embodied research (i.e., the author’s body archive), this thesis explores how the competition gaze is performed for and by a capitalist patriarchy. Specifically, this thesis critically reflects on the author’s career as a young competitive dancer in the greater Los Angeles, California, area during the 1990s and 2000s, as well as a competition dance instructor and K-12 educator for two decades, and how those personal experiences have shaped …

Pre-Service Elementary Teachers' Science Content Knowledge And Confidence: Teaching Science Methods With Metacognitive Awareness Activities, Demetrice Smith-Mutegi, Erika Wise

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Few elementary teachers are confident in teaching science or in their science knowledge. This study sought to address this concern by investigating the impact of a science methods course on confidence and science knowledge for pre-service elementary teachers (PSETs). In this study, 23 participants enrolled in a teacher education program at a Midwest US university participated in a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design. The participants engaged in course content, including metacognitive awareness activities, for a full semester and qualitatively described their confidence within the pre-post assessment survey. Results were analyzed using an independent samples t-test, mean content assessment scores, and paired samples …

What Are Information Literacy Skills? Western Australian Primary Teachers’ Interpretations Of The Ict Curriculum, Louise Moroney, Vaille Dawson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Teachers must equip students to navigate an increasingly complex world of unique challenges and opportunities, necessitating the development of a diverse range of transferable skills. These skills are embedded in the General Capabilities (GC) of the Australian school curriculum. Upper primary school teachers’ interpretations of one of the GC, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) learning progressions, was examined, as these skills have become increasingly important with the rise in generative and assistive artificial intelligence. Using an interpretivist paradigm, an exploratory study was used to determine the areas where 36 teachers differed in their interpretations of the learning progression. Data collected …

Analysis Of An Effective Training Curriculum: Solutions Toincrease Participants' Interest In Training Teachingmaterials, Maulidya Husnul Khatimah, Yoto Yoto

Jurnal Pendidikan Sains

This research is important because it analyzes the curriculum as a primary tool for generating and maintaining participant interest. Curricula that are irrelevant, monotonous, or misaligned with participant needs are often the main causes of low motivation and participation. Furthermore, this research encourages the exploration and implementation of more innovative teaching methods and materials in training curricula. External pressure in the form of demands or instructions, rather than internal motivation, drives most training activities. This can reduce engagement and learning effectiveness. To overcome this, training institutions need to design programs that are relevant, flexible, and able to encourage participants' intrinsic …

Growth Mindset In The Mathematics Classroom: Studying The Effects Of A Growth Mindset Intervention On High School Students In A Geometry Classroom, Katelyn Strauss

Mathematics Graduate Theses

Having a growth mindset is crucial to being successful in a mathematics classroom. However, many students believe themselves to be either “mathematics people” or “not mathematics people”. When students believe they are not a mathematics person, they are far less likely to engage in material where they face struggles, and thus they miss out on valuable learning. A review of the literature has show that students have been able to shift their mindset from fixed to growth through a series of interventions. I used a unit in Geometry to see how a growth mindset intervention would affect the mindset of …

Threading Hmong Culture Into Math: Supporting Hmong Elementary Students Through Integrative Practices, Lisa Vang

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question answered in this capstone paper is: “How can educators integrate Hmong culture into their math instruction in ways that support both academic growth and cultural identity?” This paper focuses on the need for culturally responsive teaching in mathematics for elementary Hmong students and the convergence of cultural identity, student engagement, and meaningful learning experiences. This capstone paper includes a literature review that explores culturally responsive pedagogies and practices in classrooms, the importance of cultivating mathematical identity in Hmong students, and the integration of Hmong culture into elementary math instruction. The results of this capstone paper lead to …

The Construction Of Mathematical Reasoning As A Pedagogical Object, Nick Pratt, Julie Alderton

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

This paper explores how policy aims in mathematics curricula appear in classrooms and, crucially, how the resulting pedagogical practice affects the nature of mathematics itself. Whereas there have been many studies of policy and its relationship with teachers’ practices, few have examined epistemological effects; what mathematics becomes as it is translated from an educational, and political, intention into classroom activity. To focus the study, we examine reasoning as a central idea in mathematics, in the English primary (5-11 years) context. Rather than concentrating on best practice, as an objective account of how to teach reasoning, we adopt a post-structural theoretical …

Creative Development And The Repertory Grid Method: Investigating How A Team Of Theater Teaching Artists Describe And Assess The Formative Creative Skills And Dispositions Of Students, Mark Andrew Onuscheck

Theses and Dissertations from DePaul University

This mixed-methods study explores how a team of theater teaching artists describes and assesses the formative creative skills and dispositions of students participating in an after-school theater arts program, and it explores how repertory grid methods may support curricular, instructional, assessment, and feedback practices within such programs. Rooted in personal construct theory and curriculum studies, this research investigates how creative development—often viewed as elusive—is revealed through educators’ language, perceptions, and evaluative choices.   Using repertory grid interviewing and statistical rating protocols, the study identifies how participating teaching artists articulate the “language of learning” related to creative performance, uncovering 68 formative creative …

Challenging The School Boundaries: Exploring Challenges And Opportunities In Homeschooling Engineering Education, Luis Montero-Moguel, Cynthia Lima, Guadalupe Carmona, Verónica Vargas-Alejo

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

Homeschooling sparks controversy regarding the quality of education when compared to the traditional schooling system. However, homeschooling rates have doubled nationwide since the pandemic, especially among minorities. Funding and curricular material resources may be limited for homeschooling families, especially those from diverse backgrounds. Therefore, this essay discusses the need to expand the current boundaries of engineering education to include homeschooling communities. Drawing from our homeschooling experience, we present three recommendations that respect the cultures and unique characteristics of homeschooling to promote engineering practices in these communities. Our proposal challenges negative perceptions of homeschooling, enhancing our understanding of its unique characteristics …

Awake And Alive: An Investigation Into Content For A Music Course Incorporating The Sciences, Harrison Boraas

Masters Theses

The purpose of this qualitative, instrumental case study was to identify the content for an interdisciplinary course about music and the brain that educates collegiate students about the benefits of lifelong music engagement. Despite increasing awareness of musical relevance to the human brain, many institutions of higher learning continue to teach music as its isolated area of study without connecting it to other fields that could benefit from incorporating it or vice versa. The sample size consisted of four to seven experts that were either community experts or Liberty University faculty in the fields of science, medicine, or music within …

Comparative Data Science Education Policy And Management: United States And Europe, Torbet Mcneil

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

This study examines what “good” curricula and administration for undergraduate data science are by surveying and interviewing U.S. and European data science educators and administrators. Many U.S. and European higher education institutions have embraced data science education with a kind of inertial sensibility, i.e., it is inevitable that data science education needs to be offered to students. Information and data affect so many areas of knowledge that higher education administrators feel they must assure students are “ready” for the world they are inheriting. Academic capitalism and isomorphism theories help elucidate social and market forces influencing higher education decision-making. Topics to …

2025-2026 Ursinus College Course Catalogue, Office Of The Registrar

Ursinus College Catalogues, 1869-Present

A digital copy of the 2025-2026 Ursinus College Catalog. It contains details of the curriculum, departmental requirements and courses of instruction as well as the Open Questions core requirements, experiential learning and the Common Intellectual Experience (CIE). Academic policies, special opportunities and scholarships, off-campus programs and graduation requirements are also outlined.

The Effectiveness Of Pre-Packaged Literacy Curriculum: A Document Analysis Of The Culturally Responsive Tenets In Pre-Packaged Literacy Curriculum, Grace Ghazzawi

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The introduction of the Common Core State Standards in 2010 sought to standardize educational expectations across the U.S., aiming to promote equity by ensuring all students received a high-quality education. However, educational disparities persist, particularly for historically marginalized students, leading to a continued achievement gap in literacy, especially among low-income students of color. While pre-packaged curricula have emerged as tools to align instruction with the rigor of the Common Core State Standards, their effectiveness in addressing the diverse needs of students from marginalized backgrounds remains uncertain. This study explores the intersection of pre-packaged literacy curricula and Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) …

Mathematics Student Teachers' Curricular Reasoning During Planning, Erika Breann Miller

Theses and Dissertations

Teaching is a complex practice, in part because of all the decisions teachers make daily. This is especially true for student teachers who have little to no prior teaching experience to inform them about the decisions that need to be made in the classroom and how to reason through all those decisions as they plan and enact the lessons. Secondary mathematics student teachers were introduced to the Instructional Pyramid (Dingman et al., 2021) which organizes and maps teacher’s mathematical reasoning onto four elements of a classroom—teacher, student, mathematics, and curriculum—to examine which curricular reasoning aspects they use while planning mathematics …