Digital Commons Network^™

Provision Of Early Childhood Education In The Era Of Devolution In Kenya: A Case Of Two Ece Centers In Machakos County, Kenya., Francis Musyoka Mululu

Master of Education

In 2010, Kenyans voted in a new constitution which devolved a significant number of functions to the newly created 47devolved county governments including early childhood education. With the general elections in 2013 these county governments started their operations with zeal since Kenyans were banking on them to improve their lives through the devolved functions. This study sought to find out the state of provision of early childhood education (ECE) in the era of devolution in Kenya. The study was guided by the following question: ‘In what ways has devolution enhanced the provision of ECE in Kenya?’ The two subsidiary questions …

Successful Secondary Agricultural Programs Outside The Classroom: A View Of Champions, Andrew Bolton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to study select secondary agricultural education programs and determine common traits among these programs which lead them to be successful in a number of different areas including: Career Development Events (CDE) winners, Leadership Development Events (LDE) winners, agricultural science fair winners, chapters of elected state FFA officers, proficiency award winners, national chapter awards, and state fair market show results. This study utilized a modified Delphi approach consisting of three rounds to reach consensus on the importance of traits related to successful SAE and FFA programs. Many traits were identified but the most important traits …

Kihefo Vocational Center: Kabale, Uganda, Jason Matthew Angerer

Construction Management

Journeyman International (JI) is a non-profit organization which acts as a platform for bringing together volunteer Architects, Designers, Engineers, and Construction Managers with humanitarian projects around the world. Kigezi Healthcare Foundation (KIHEFO) a non-profit NGO located in Kabale, Uganda is a client seeking to build a vocational center to educate the workforce of Uganda. The center will include multi-purpose class rooms, a dining hall, rabbit farm, carpentry shop, and living complex. The Architect on the project was Courtney Wedel from Cal Poly. As the Construction Manager on the project my responsibilities include; Design Assist, Feasibility Analysis, Scheduling, Estimating, and Managing …

Using Storytelling To Raise Interest In Vultures, Elise C. Osenga

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

The tradition of oral storytelling is an art that stretches back to humankind's earliest cultures. While storytelling is often considered as a form of entertainment, it has also long been used as a teaching tool as well-- a way of engaging listeners to come to new understanding of their world through subtle means. It is my belief that stories, particularly stories with a clear tie to students' sense of place, can be more widely applied to effectively generate interest in specific scientific topics and help students to form emotional connections with the topics under discussion. The following personal narrative describes …

Final Ma Portfolio, Lindsey Balla

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

This portfolio contains four works completed at the graduate level at Bowling Green State University. The first research paper explores the effects of social media and texting in adolescent students. The second examines Psychoanalysis in the context of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. The third compares the texts Northanger Abbey and "The Grey Woman," and the fourth research paper explores effective methods of providing feedback to student writing at the secondary level. This portfolio is a compilation of work and research completed as a capstone project for MA in English with a specialization in teaching English.

Education Individualized Through Technology, Rachel M. Leers

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis will overview technology in the classroom and the impact as well as the potential that is has individualizing instruction in order to meet the needs of every kind of student. The thesis will consist of thorough research on the subject matter. Technology is a great tool to use for individualizing instruction as it consists of many recourses, it increases communication, increases discussion, has high availability, it is affordable, and consists of a variety of lesson plan ideas to meet the needs of each student. Individualized learning is especially important in the classroom as it increases student achievement, provides …

Deliberative Democracy: A Contested Interactive Space. A Response To "Deliberative Democracy In English Language Education: Cultural And Linguistic Inclusion In The School Community", Esperanza De La Vega

Democracy & Education

This is a response to Liggett’s (2014) call to implement “deliberate democracy” in English language education classrooms. While the concept of participating in deliberate democracy is a solid ideal and worthy of pursuit, I present questions and scenarios that illustrate the complicated nature of the tasks. By sharing my testimonio along with the research, I propose that in order for teachers to guide their students' participation in deliberate democratic activities, they must step back and understand the context of the sociocultural interactive space created in the classroom and whether ELL students are able to and/or prepared to speak in an …

How Do Faculty At The University Of New Mexico Use Humor In Online Teaching, John T. Granato

Organization, Information and Learning Sciences ETDs

Humor is a ubiquitous experience that facilitates learning, social coordination and wellbeing. This study examined how the faculty at the University of New Mexico used humor in its online courses. The process involved faculty interviews, a focus group of instructional online designers, questionnaires and documentation to collect data, and then used thematic analysis and code development to arrive at its findings. The study found that the humor pedagogy at the University of New Mexico has fallen into disuse for online courses because of (1) a hesitation (fear) to use humor, (2) fear of what students would think, and (3), hesitation …

Turning Guest Speakers' Visits Into Active Learning Opportunities, Vassilis Dalakas

Atlantic Marketing Journal

While guest speakers have a lot to offer, the traditional format of their visits to marketing classes may hinder student engagement. This paper describes an idea used in marketing classes intended to increase active learning and to maximize impact of guest speakers’ visits. It involves creating assignments for the students to prepare prior to a speaker’s visit. As a result, the students end up preparing thoughtful questions, they are engaged in their discussion with the speaker, and they make a more conscious effort to link course material to the insight from the speaker.

Partners In Haiti, Maggie Del Ponte, Christa Cheatham, Montana Campbell, Rachel Stowers, Kelli Teskey

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

In this article, a group of Purdue Students describes their service-learning experience in Haiti. They highlight what they learned about Haitian culture, the country’s need for agricultural and economic sustainability, and how Purdue students contribute to meet these needs. Maggie Del Ponte is a senior in biological engineering, Rachel Stowers is a sophomore in agricultural economics, Montana Campbell and Kelli Teskey are seniors in animal sciences, and Christa Cheatham is a junior in animal sciences.

A Qualitative Study Analysis On How Utilizing A Token Economy Impacts Behavior And Academic Success, Solomon Defrancis Dr.

Dissertations

Utilizing a qualitative study analysis, this study examines how behavior impacts academic success utilizing a token economy with students who suffer from emotional disturbance disorder. Through focus groups of para educators, therapists and teachers on special education settings, there will be a comparative analysis of behavior and academic success. The study will consist of six education sites throughout the Antelope Valley: A kindergarten through eighth grade (Yellen Learning Center), a kindergarten through sixth grade elementary (Valley View Elementary), a seventh through eighth grade intermediate school (Joe Walker) and three high schools that are ninth through twelfth grade (Desert Pathways, Palmdale …

Unraveled Fall 2016, Southern Adventist University

Unraveled - School of Education and Psychology Newsletter

The Fall 2016 issue of Unraveled features articles on the outdoor education masters program, the Psych Lab, a pictorial directory of the December 2016 education and psychology graduates, and spotlights on new faculty and alumni.

Fall 2016, Augustana College, Rock Island Illinois

Tackle Box

No abstract provided.

Resettlement Struggles Of Burmese Refugee Students In U.S. High Schools: A Qualitative Study, Madhavi Tandon Dr.

Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement

This article presents findings from a qualitative study that examined how five Burmese refugee students adjusted and navigated two public school high schools in a Midwestern urban city in the U.S. The purpose of the study was to capture their unique histories and migration stories from which they drew strength as they resettled in the U.S. The present study focused specifically on the barriers faced by them in achieving high school graduation and impediments to higher education. Important findings included lack of navigational capital, linguicism and the intense shame of being a multilingual learner, birth order, and poor health. Other …

Culture Shock: Understanding World Cultures Through Arts Integration, Shelby Wooldridge

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Teachers often have difficulty engaging students in arts and humanities classes. To aid in this struggle, a series of lesson plans applicable for kindergarten through twelfth grade students in music and arts and humanities classes will be presented. These lesson plans will teach students about world cultures, such as West African, Appalachian, and Latin America, through arts integration. In order to reach this goal, there will be a component on student development in order to match the units with students’ developmental levels. From there, the lesson plans will be developed to incorporate all of the art forms, with an emphasis …

Invisible Children: The Effectiveness Of Non-Governmental Organizations (Ngos) In Primary Education In Central America, Megan Skaggs

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

what extent are non-governmental organizations (NGOs) an effective tool in primary educational development in Central America? To address this concern, this project addressed the results of several months of research in Nicaragua, Guatemala, and at the U.S. NGO headquarters, where interviews with educators, NGO workers, and citizens were conducted regarding the role of NGOs in addressing educational concerns effectively. Interviewees included: Pueblo a Pueblo, Serving Orphans Worldwide, U.S. Agency for International Development, Let Girl’s Learn Program, and varied individuals connected with education or non-profit work in that region. My research analyzed the historical and social structures of Nicaragua and Guatemala, …

A Study Of Chemistry: For Wind Ensemble, Morgan Duff

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Many musicians have a limited understanding of chemistry, while many chemists aren't familiar with details of music theory or composition. Through the composition of a four-part musical work based entirely on several broad areas of chemistry, certain relationships have been shown between music and chemistry. Because of the overlap between certain scientific concepts and many aspects of music theory, it is possible for members of both fields to use what they already know in order to gain a deeper understanding of the other, very different, subject. Because everyone has learning strengths in differing areas, I believe the use of disciplinary …

“Get Married Or Teach School”: Women’S Writing And Women’S Education In Antebellum America, Lindsey Sheppard

Ursidae: The Undergraduate Research Journal at the University of Northern Colorado

Abstract: This article will examine the views expressed by American female writers about the roles of women and purposes of women’s education in the early 19th century. During the antebellum period (1820-1860), the American education system prepared white female students for two roles: to be teachers before marriage and to be ideal wives and mothers. This society believed that women, as wives and mothers, should manage the home and instill traditional American and Christian values in their children. During this period, women wrote a large body of nonfiction articles about social issues, such as education reform, and the roles of …

Prison Bars On Classroom Doors, Cornelius Lee

DePaul Journal for Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Nebraska Libraries - Volume 4, Number 3 (August 2016)

Nebraska Libraries

Editor's letter -- Willa Bitney-Garay

Student spotlights -- Rachel Kenny, Dana Still, and Kristine Woods

La Vista Public Library & Sarpy Center: Serving students and the community -- Rose Barcal

Arbor Day 2016 — Morton-James on Main: Transforming Nebraska City's library for a day -- Tom Boeche and Denise Davis

Technical Services Round Table: Technical services competencies and library science education -- Emily Dust Nimsakont

The Knee Bone's connected to the ...: Educational games from the National Library of Medicine -- Christian Minter

A Study Of Applications Of 3d Animation For Emergency Medicine Pedagogy, Huilong Zheng

Open Access Theses

There is ample precedent for the use of 3D animation in education, though little research on specific applications in the field of medicine. An experiment was carried out to assess the suitability of 3D animation for educational purposes in emergency medicine courses. Two groups of experimental participants were assessed on their ability to respond to three emergency medical situations in simulated test scenarios. Both groups received equivalent information on how to treat the three different medical emergencies. The control group received the information in traditional lecture format. The experimental group instead received the information from a set of 3D animations. …

The Acquisition Of Bare Nominals By Three Populations Of Spanish-English Bilingual Adults, Lauren Elizabeth Miller

Open Access Dissertations

The present study contributes to our understanding of cross-linguistic influence by studying three different groups of Spanish-English speakers’ knowledge of the distribution of definite articles in both of their languages using a battery of tests that require them to draw on different linguistic abilities. These three groups include native English speakers who learned Spanish after adolescence, native Spanish speakers who learned English after adolescence and simultaneous bilinguals who grew up in the United States speaking both English and Spanish from birth. Specifically, this study explores interpretation, production and intuition regarding the acceptability of definite articles in different contexts. Since the …

High School Students' Motivations And Views Of Agriculture And Agricultural Careers Upon Completion Of A Pre-College Program, Andrea K. Scherer

Open Access Theses

Pre-college summer residential experiences hosted by a College of Agriculture have the potential to expose high school students to new career opportunities and fields of study that they may not have considered, and may influence agricultural literacy, perceptions of agriculture, and interest in agriculture. Engaging these students is important for meeting the demand for more students graduating with agriculture degrees prepared to solve 21st century challenges. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the outcomes of two separate pre-college experiences, the Molecular Agriculture Summer Institute (MASI) and the Purdue Agribusiness Science Academy (PASA), and participating high school …

Farmers' Use Of Mobile Phone Technology For Agricultural Information Services In Lilongwe District, Malawi, Benjamin F. Chisama

Open Access Theses

Mobile phone technology can be a useful tool to provide farmers with relevant and reliable agricultural information for critical farming decisions in developing countries such as Malawi. An increasing number of rural farmers have been faced with information asymmetry challenges due to some pitfalls in the extension systems. In addition, knowledge gaps on farmers’ use of mobile phone technology; their awareness and use of MAIS; and their preferred topics to be delivered using mobile platforms were identified. However, little was known on how farmers were using existing MAIS. This study’s aim was to explore the potential of providing mobile agricultural …

L2 Effect On Bilingual Spanish/English Encoding Of Motion Events: Does Manner Salience Transfer?, Heidi E. Parker

Open Access Dissertations

This study explores the potential effect of a second language (L2) on first language (L1) encoding of motion events. The domain of interest is MANNER and the goal is to investigate if the degree of manner salience can be restructured under the effect of a L2. Slobin (2004, 2006) proposes an expansion of Talmy’s (1985, 1991, 2000) binary typology and observes that the degree of manner saliencevaries cross-linguistically. The two languages investigated in this study, Spanish and English, are at divergent points along the cline of manner salience. In addition, Slobin (1996b) suggests dividing MANNER into tier one (T1) …

Development Of First-Year Engineering Teams' Mathematical Models Through Linked Modeling And Simulation Projects, Kelsey Joy Rodgers

Open Access Dissertations

The development and use of mathematical models and simulations underlies much of the work of engineers. Mathematical models describe a situation or system through mathematics, quantification, and pattern identification. Simulations enable users to interact with models through manipulation of input variables and visualization of model outputs. Although modeling skills are fundamental, they are rarely explicitly taught in engineering. Model-eliciting activities (MEAs) represent a pedagogical approach used in engineering to teach students mathematical modeling skills through the development of a model to solve an authentic problem.

This study is an investigation into the impact of linking a MEA and a simulation-building …

Teaching Food Systems In Alaska, Jessika Beam

Student Projects for Graduate Degrees

The health of Alaska’s food systems relies on the maintenance of food availability, food access, and food utilization overtime to ensure that food security exists. The Teaching Food Systems in Alaska educational modules were created to offer an opportunity to provide expert information and education to Alaska youth on the importance of food systems literacy in Alaska. The educational modules were created to engage youth in the food system. The goal is to inform and educate Alaska youth about food systems in Alaska through the development of a series of educational learning modules organized to address the three primary components …

Equitable Student Engagement: A Correlation Between Personalized Learning, Student Engagement, And Poverty Level, Andrea Yeager Neuzil

Student Work

The student population in classrooms across America is growing increasingly diverse in socio-economic background, schema, and learning styles; however, far too many academic programs are designed for a “one size fits all approach” that does not engage students. Educational leaders who promote new ways to personalize instruction in order to improve student engagement reap benefits far beyond what is expected. The researcher investigates the relationship of personalized learning and student engagement and socio-economic status. Previous studies have demonstrated the impact of student engagement as a means to improve academic achievement, school climate, and family and community involvement. The researcher includes …

Experiences Of Agricultural Education Preservice Teachers Engaging In Critical Friendships, Sable Sellick

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Like educators in other disciplines, agricultural education preservice teachers must find ways to improve as teachers using methods such as reflection or peer observation. Critical friendship combines both, promoting reflection through the use of a critical friend who observes an individual’s teaching and provides constructive criticism to help the individual advance their practice. This qualitative study sought to use the critical friendship concept to assist agricultural education preservice teachers in reflecting on their teaching techniques. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups; one group selected a critical friend in agricultural education, and the other group selected a critical …

Social Learning Remixed: Peer-Based Learning And Social Status In An Online Community Of Practice, Christopher Erin Mikkelson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

People have engaged in peer-to-peer learning within communities of practice (CoPs) for centuries. Thanks to web 2.0 technology, people in the 21st century can now learn together and enact Social status even if they have never met face-to-face. Online communities of practice have since formed around a wide variety of activities, one of which is remixing. Remixing is defined as combining or editing existing materials to produce something new, but leaving each part recognizable as a separate entity. Remixing has recently been recognized as form of digital literacy because users must understand each component to make a good remix. Much …