Digital Commons Network^™

Educating The Whole Being: Yoga & Mindfulness In Schools, Trang Huynh

LMU Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Universal Design Across The Curriculum: Training For Students And Teachers, Trish Mackeogh, James Hubbard, Kieran O'Callaghan

Research and Innovation - Articles

Providing an inclusive educational setting for children with disabilities is essential if they are to truly benefit from mainstream education. Universal design (UD) provides a framework to develop our classrooms, materials and methods to accommodate diverse learners and students with special educational needs without the need to retrofit or remove the student from the classroom. This paper outlines the theory and the approach of two training courses on Universal Design developed for teachers and students.

A Uganda Case Study: Using Non-Formal Education To Increase The Quality Of Education, Maria E. Mcintyre

MA IDS Thesis Projects

Education is a universal right because it determines a person’s future. Education is becoming more important as the youth population continues to increase exponentially in sub-Saharan Africa. Current research shows that the international community needs to focus on the education sector to improve development. One type of education proven to aid in low-resource countries is non-formal education because it is flexible enough to fit the needs of students in communities. Youth empowerment has become a popular method for non-formal education because of its ability to transform a community. Uganda is a developing country with one of the largest youth populations …

The Life Of A Child Refugee: How Host-Country Schools Can Create Positive Growth, Claire Mcilwain

MA IDS Thesis Projects

The numbers of children affected by war continues to grow as conflicts around the globe begin, continue, and are reignited forcing them from their homes in search of safety. Children currently make up more than half of the worlds refugees. These children are at risk of poor psychosocial development as a result of the traumatizing experiences of their migratory process. Upon arrival to high-income host-countries, children are placed in the school systems, as a primary place of first contact schools can be a place of sanctuary for children and develop positive psychosocial growth. This study seeks to understand the experiences …

Gender Differences And The Effect Of Financial Parenting On Financial Self-Efficacy, R. Lea Hollowell

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Much research has been completed regarding the need for financial literacy over the past two decades. Teaching financial knowledge alone is not enough to improve financial outcomes due to the psychological factors that may result in bad financial decisions despite individuals being aware of financial best practices. Financial self-efficacy, the belief that one is capable of making good financial decisions without being overwhelmed, has been proposed as the conduit between financial knowledge and financial outcomes. Past research has found that males tend to outscore females in financial literacy assessments as well as a variety of types of self-efficacy; however, very …

Grit Literature: Developing A Grit-Building Curriculum To Increase Task Perseverance, Eric Sinclair

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ThisDissertation was designed to examine the effects of a curriculum designed with basic tenets in mind to help students build grit in their academic careers and beyond. Before and after executing this modified curriculum, students performed tests of academic grit and task perseverance to determine whether the curriculum affected their abilities to persist through difficult tasks, specifically revising and editing their own narrative writing.

The Perspective Of Education From Black-White-Biracial Students In Middle And High School, Eric Deville Jackson Ii

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study examined middle and high school Black–White–Biracial (BWB) students perspectives of Education. In order to accomplish this qualitative research study, the research I sought to (a) gain an understanding of how biracial students viewed themselves in secondary public school systems, (b) understand how BWB students identified within the school environment, and (c) learn how their identities affected their learning. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to gain in-depth understanding of the overall Educational viewpoints of BWB students in select rural, urban, and suburban public schools in Indiana. The design of this research included data collection from one-on-one …

Trends In Naep Scores Among 17-Year-Old Students In The Era Of Accountability, Katherine Kyler

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Education has undergone a sweeping renovation throughout the last several decades as part of the school accountability movement aimed to increase student success. High school graduation rates are the highest they have been in decades. School accountability measures continue to be implemented and modified with a goal of increasing student success and closing the achievement gap (Maleyko & Gawlik, 2011). Accountability measures are in place that require data analysis and reporting of information such as graduation rates and standardized test scores (No Child Left Behind Act [NCLB], 2008). While it is important to hold schools accountable, many of the currently …

The Success Of Bottled Water: The Hidden Costs Hurt Us And The Environment, Cassandra Sevigny

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Bottled water is consumed worldwide as both a matter of necessity and preference. People who need bottled water live in areas with compromised water sanitation, such as developing countries. People who prefer bottled water despite its higher price tag tend to live in areas that already have ready access to clean water, such as developing countries. These preferences for bottled water stem partly from taste and convenience, but are largely driven by advertising efforts by bottled water companies. The preference for bottled water leads to increased sales as well as increased cost. Costs include damages to health and the environment. …

Bullying And The Laws Pertaining To It, Jennifer Levi

Faculty Scholarship

This Article describes the climate of anti-gay sentiment and fear that has made it difficult for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students to come out or to seek support within school communities. The 1970s Miami - Dade Gay Rights Ordinance (the so-called Save Our Children campaign) fostered a climate of silence and invisibility that eventually morphed into overt hostility toward LGBT students across most student populations in the country.

The Author cites contemporary data showing dramatically high rates of hostility, including bullying and harassment, toward LBGT students. She summarizes the steps taken by the U.S. Department of Education to …

Relationships Between Student Grit And Team-Based Learning Preferences In A Master’S Level Occupational Therapy Program, Ron Carson

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

This paper reports the relationship between student grit, defined as the specific characteristic of perseverance and passion for long-term goals, and perceptions of team-based learning (TBL). In a cohort of first-semester, master’s level occupational therapy students (N=29), no statistically significant relationship between grit and positive perceptions of TBL was identified in this retrospective study. Findings suggest that students’ grit levels are not predictive of positive or negative TBL perceptions. For OT faculty wishing to teach using a less-structured "flipped” classroom environment such as TBL, this study suggests that high-performing students may have positive perceptions.

A Community Based Experience To Enhance Occupational Therapy Student Clinical Skills With Clients With Mental Illness, Monica S. Perlmutter, Quinn Tyminski

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Despite the high number of individuals living with severe mental illness and the evidence to support effective interventions, only a small percentage of occupational therapy practitioners work in community mental health settings. To address the need for more occupational therapists in this area of practice, schools must provide educational experiences that facilitate interactions with individuals experiencing severe mental illness to increase students’ competence with this population. The Washington University Program in Occupational Therapy fosters students’ clinical reasoning skills throughout a two semester case-based learning course. For the community mental health module at the end of the 2^nd semester, the …

Why Is Education Important In Ems?, Adriana Goad

A with Honors Projects

In EMS, education is vital. As prehospital healthcare providers, we must constantly be educating ourselves on the advances and changes that are made within our protocols and by research. Frequent renewal deadlines for the licenses we hold are put in place so that we remain competent in our skills and are up to date to the most current of standards. There is another factor to our professional need for education, and that is community education. By educating those around us, we can be a means of prevention. While EMS is our career and passion, we want nothing more than to …

Small Town, Big Future: Preparing Rural Maine Students For College, Elizabeth C. Huber

Honors Theses

While the need for a college degree has increased in the knowledge economy era, acquisition of this degree has remained difficult for low-income and first-generation students. At the same time, college preparatory programs designed for this demographic of student tend to be clustered in urban centers while very little focus is given to disadvantaged students in rural communities. The academic prospects of rural students in regards to higher education are the focus of this project. More specifically, this project explores the ways in which college-cultured programs may address the educational needs of students living in rural communities. By doing in-depth …

Faculty Perceptions Regarding The Inclusion Of Military-Connected Children Into Educator Preparation Curriculum, Brianna Conway, Connie L. Schaffer

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The current study researched university faculty members’ knowledge and perceptions regarding military-connected children in the public-school setting. Faculty members from seven departments at a local university participated in the study. Faculty members completed a short survey regarding general knowledge of military-connected children and their families, as well as their inclusion of information about this population of students into their curriculum. Results suggest faculty members at the university received little to no educational training regarding military-connected children in their pre-service education. Furthermore, many faculty members at the university did not include information on military-connected families in their coursework, but were open …

Research Trends In The Use Of Mobile Learning In Mathematics, Helen Crompton, Diane Burke

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

The use of mobile learning in education is growing at an exponential rate. To best understand how mobile learning is being used, it is crucial to gain a collective understanding of the research that has taken place. This research was a systematic review of 36 studies in mobile learning in mathematics from the year 2000 onward. Eight new findings emerged: (1) The primary purpose of most studies was to focus on evaluating mobile learning. (2) Case studies and experimental design were the main research methods. (3) Most studies report positive learning outcomes; (4) Mobile phones were the mobile device used …

Parental Involvement During College : Student Perceptions And Relationship With College Self-Efficacy, Deepti Marathe

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

With advances in communication technology, reports of frequent parental contact among college students are on the rise. Anecdotal sources label this type of involved parenting as “helicopter” parenting, creating an image of parents who constantly “hover” over their children ready to solve all their problems and to monitor them. This study was designed to measure parental involvement, which includes positive as well as negative parental behaviors. The goals of the present study were: 1) to examine the specific parental involvement that college students experience, 2) explore students’ perceptions of such parenting, and 3) to investigate the relationship between parental involvement …

Latino/A Artist Educators (Laes) And Their Role In Creating And Sustaining Alternative Democratic Spaces In Miami, Deborah Therese Woeckner Saavedra

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This exploratory study utilizes a qualitative, ethnographic approach to locate and contextualize Latino/a Artist Educators (LAEs) in Miami, Florida. Foundational and cutting-edge, it brings together many distinct perspectives to illuminate the power and promise of a newly imagined yet group of individuals to build and sustain alternative democratic spaces. Building on critical educators Paolo Freire, bell hooks, Henry Giroux and Howard Zinn, as well as extending the framework of critical theorists Gloria Anzaldúa, Cornel West and others, this research begins to sketch the influence of the LAEs interviewed in Miami from 2003-2013. As a sociocultural ethnographic study positioned at the …

Ensuring Adolescents In Uttar Pradesh Stay—And Learn—In School, Sapna Desai, Neelanjana Pandey

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Government of India has invested in improving education through two key programs for universal access to, and retention in, secondary education. In Uttar Pradesh, the Population Council found high levels of enrollment among younger adolescents, with limited gender disparity. Retention beyond elementary school, however, was low, and learning outcomes—literacy and numeracy—were poor. This policy brief focuses on two challenges to preparing Uttar Pradesh’s adolescents for the future: universal enrollment and retention in secondary school. The brief outlines recommendations that the government invest in secondary schooling, improve school facilities, support and evaluate quality teaching inputs and curriculum changes, remove economic …

School Related Violence, Sanitation Facilities At School, And Menstrual Hygiene Management: What Is The Evidence For Their Effect On School Attendance And Learning, And How Might Population Scientists Advance This Research Agenda?, Barbara Mensch

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of School Violence On Education In Malawi, Stephanie Psaki, Barbara Mensch, Erica Soler-Hampejsek

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

In response to a global policy effort to increase school enrollment, in 1994 Malawi became one of the first low-income countries to eliminate primary school fees. Since then, Malawi has achieved nearly universal primary enrollment, however enrolling young Malawians in school has not translated into keeping them in school. This policy brief describes the nature and consequences of school violence in rural Malawi—a common experience for both girls and boys. There is little evidence that school violence disrupts schooling as expected, with the exception of sexual violence experienced at school by boys. Violence at home is also common, and may …

The Nia Project: Baseline Report, Eunice N. Muthengi, Emily Farris, Karen Austrian

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The onset of puberty and menarche is a particularly vulnerable time for girls, when external pressures are exacerbated by their lack of knowledge of their bodies, their rights, and the implications of their decisions, and by their inability to manage puberty and adolescence safely and comfortably with appropriate menstrual health and hygiene management (MHM) products. Although several programs have previously been developed to address girls’ MHM needs globally, few have been evaluated, and where evidence does exist the results have been mixed. In collaboration with ZanaAfrica, the Population Council is evaluating the Nia Project, a set of interventions for adolescent …

The Nia Project: Baseline Survey Instruments, Karen Austrian

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This document includes all of the Nia Project baseline survey instruments used to collect data in Kenya, providing a multidimensional description of a sample of the participating girls and the schools they attend. The Project is one of the first randomized controlled trials to explore the role of sanitary pad distribution and reproductive health education—individually and in combination—to improve girls’ educational and sexual and reproductive health outcomes. The study collected data from 3,489 girls from 140 schools in three rural Kilifi subcounties: Magarini, Kaloleni, and Ganze.

The Nia Project—Brief, Eunice N. Muthengi, Emily Farris, Karen Austrian

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This brief provides highlights from the Nia Project conducted in Kenya. The study found that while gaps exist in girls’ capabilities, particularly knowledge and attitudes related to menstruation and reproductive health, the Nia Project has the potential to bridge those gaps. The Project is one of the first randomized controlled trials to explore the role of sanitary pad distribution and reproductive health education—individually and in combination—to improve girls’ educational and sexual and reproductive health outcomes. The findings of this study will make a critical contribution to filling an evidence gap in the field of menstrual health and hygiene management, and …

Education Or Quality Of Teaching? Implications For Australian Democracy, R. Scott Webster

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The argument being made here is that democratic life is more likely if educators actually ‘educate’, rather than comply with quality of teaching approaches as promoted by the Australian federal government. Engaging with some philosophy of education can assist educators to resist being seduced by notions such as ‘quality teaching’, ‘evidence-based’ practices and ‘impact’ and to exercise the intellectual and political resolve necessary to ensure educational practices promote democracy (Biesta, 2010a) and are not surrendered to the control of non-educators. Blake et al. (2000, p. xiii) identify that philosophy is usually avoided in discussions regarding quality, evidence-based approaches and accountability …

Pranayama Meditation (Yoga Breathing) For Stress Relief: Is It Beneficial For Teachers?, Stevie-Jae Hepburn, Mary Mcmahon

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The effects of stress can have a significant impact on an individual’s personal life, relationship with colleagues, job satisfaction and career prospects. If unmanaged, stress can be the trigger that drives talented, motivated teachers out of our classrooms and into other professions. Yoga and meditation have been prescribed as a form of complementary alternative medicine for the treatment of stress, anxiety and depression. The current exploratory, mixed-methods case study aimed to determine if the participants in a five-week pranayama meditation (yoga breathing) course experienced a degree of stress relief. The course included one 60-minute weekly meditation class focusing on breath …

The Effects Of Education Narratives On High School Persistence Among Navajo Girls, Nancy Catherine Carre

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Dropout rates among American Indian students have not shown significant improvement since the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001. While extensive research exists on the dropout phenomenon, no studies were found that addressed why some Navajo girls leave school and the role education narratives play in their decision. Accordingly, this study examined the narratives shaping federal and Navajo education policies in order to understand how these influence school programs. The research questions dealt with three elements that could induce Navajo girls to leave school, the institutions and programs offered by federal and tribal government entities, …

Technology-Based Professional Development For Teaching And Learning In K-12 Classrooms, Nijia Byrd

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In an urban Georgia school district, teacher satisfaction surveys revealed that technology-based professional development was not equipping teachers with the skills or support needed to implement technology into their teaching practices. The purpose of this mixed-methods case study was to explore teachers' experiences and perceptions of technology-based professional development and its effect on self-efficacy. Guided by Piaget's constructivist theory, this study was based on the perspective that teachers often construct knowledge rather than gain it. Guiding questions explore the experiences teachers have had with technology integration in daily teaching practices, their self-perceived competency level and self-efficacy regarding technology, their attitudes …

Therapeutic Alliance And Adherence To A Plant-Based Eating Plan To Treat Chronic Disease, Michiel A. Zyl, Lesley M. Harris, Rachel Hale

Social Work Faculty Publications

Background: Systematic reviews show that a plant-based diet offers many benefits to patients with a variety of chronic illnesses. However, more research is needed to show how plant-based diets are successfully prescribed by physicians and what supports are essential for adherence. The primary research questions in this study were: Is therapeutic alliance correlated with adherence to the eating plan?; Does a change in therapeutic alliance result in a change in adherence?; and How do patients view the doctor-patient relationship and adherence? Methods: This multiple methods feasibility study combined cross-sectional pre-post and six-month follow-up survey, a focus group and case study …

The Supper Effect: Community Engagement As A Path To School And Community Change In A Small Rural Town, Quixada Lea Moore-Vissing

Doctoral Dissertations

Though American public education has promise for leveling inequality and empowering youth, ineffective schools create opposite results. Multiple partners have entered the realm of school reform, including private funders, corporations, foundations, nonprofits, and universities. These reform efforts often overlook the local wisdom and unique needs present in the community each school serves. The United States Department of Education has endorsed school reform methods that engage schools and community in simultaneous school-community change processes, framing communities and schools as partners in educational change. To inform such school change processes, this dissertation is a constructivist grounded theory case study that examines the …