Digital Commons Network^™

Design And Development Of Inquiry-Based Materials For Conducting Observational Astronomy Research At Utrgv, Americo Francisco Hinojosa Lee

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this work is to develop instructional materials to enhance the expertise of students in conducting observational astronomy research. The designed instructional units aim to provide students with an adequate knowledge of astronomy and hone their skills necessary in conducting observations, collecting and analyzing data including processing of astronomical images.

The instructional design is anchored on the ADDIE model (Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement and Evaluate). The phases from ADDIE were used as a framework to accomplish the process of developing the instructional materials. After following the ADDIE, it was possible to define performance goals and tasks which were …

Underrepresentation Of Latino Students In Gifted And Talented Programs: How Appropriate Are The Assessments Used For Identification, Deidra D. Tafolla

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examined the possible reasons behind the underrepresentation of Latino students in gifted and talented programs. This study investigated four South Texas school districts and their gifted and talented program matrices, by examining the manuals used to explain and describe the assessments that identify Latino students in gifted and talented programs. A matrix is a design based on a criterion that a school will use to identify gifted students. Carrillo’s (2013) Mestiz@ Theory of Intelligences (MTI) was used to analyze the manuals of the assessments most commonly used by the school districts to identify Latino students and were …

The Effects Of International Curriculum On Students’ Worldview, Abriana Davies

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis discusses the education of students in international schools, particularly elementary-age students, who grow up in international schools, completing their programs and becoming “citizens of the world.” However, this relatability is constantly seen in international students who have attended an international school. It is as though a person’s people-skills and ability to relate well with others skyrockets as they attend a school where differences are not only accepted but celebrated. It is in these places where it is important to use technology well, think critically, stay current in the affairs of the world, be encouraged to follow one’s own …

Teacher Perceptions Of Arts Integration Into General Education Curriculum, Molly Pines

Honors Scholar Theses

In elementary schools, art is often taught as a supplement to general education, and is frequently separated from academic subjects. Traditionally, elementary school students were only exposed to art through with “pullout programs.”” (McKean & Sudol, 2010). However, incorporating arts into the general education classroom, and into academic subjects, can potentially have positive outcomes such as allowing students to . Students who learn with an integrated approach are often inspired to broaden their conceptions of the world, and themselves, and to obtain and use knowledge in an authentic way (Brand & Triplett, 2012).make authentic connections across disciplines. “A common thread …

Hispanic Male Self-Efficacy And Its Effect On Persistence, Jennifer Mendoza Culbertson

Theses and Dissertations

The Hispanic male population has experienced a decline in four-year college enrollment rates and bachelor degree completion within the past ten years. To address this issue, this study focused on Hispanic male college freshman students, self-efficacy, and persistence in a South Texas four-year higher education institution. The study utilized an explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach. For the quantitative analysis, an efficacy survey, College Self-Efficacy Inventory, of Hispanic male students enrolled in mandatory freshman courses was analyzed. A logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine what amount of the total variance in persistence may be accounted for by self-efficacy. Qualitative data was …

In- And Out- Of-School Literacy Practices Of Student Refugees: A Cross-Case Analysis In A South Texas Middle School, Maria L. Mendez

Theses and Dissertations

As the leading U.S. state currently welcoming all kinds of refugees, Texas has a public school system that offers a formal education to refugee students (Bureau of Population Refugees and Migration, 2015). For many student refugees, formal schooling begins in this system. Thus it is important to understand how Texas public schools support the linguistic and academic development of these diverse learners. In order to fill this research gap, this study examines student refugee school-based literacy interactions in the U.S. public school system and how these practices connect or do not connect with the literacy practices these students experience in …

Predicting Academic Success Among Mexican American Learners, Kattie A. Guerrero

Theses and Dissertations

The number of Hispanic students being enrolled in schools have doubled throughout the years. Especially in the Rio Grande Valley where the majority of the population are Mexican American. Previous studies have looked into the risk factors associated with academic failure, but they hardly look into factors that lead to a child’s school success. This study will investigate what contributes to a child’s academic success. The sample of the study was 115 students, grades 5th to 7th grade, all classified as Hispanic. The findings will state a) what variables were significantly correlated to each other b) what variables differed by …

Nebraska Educator Perceptions On The Quality Of Instructional Feedback In A Secondary Science Classroom, Megan Myers

Student Work

The practice of providing feedback to teachers through the process of teacher evaluation is designed to improve the quality of instruction at the classroom level. However, there is a dearth of literature concerning how instructional leaders can best support teachers, and what types of feedback are beneficial to improvement. Secondary science education presents a unique challenge to instructional leaders as it is rare to have content experts represented at the administrator level. Few supports exist for administrators who are not science content experts, consequently lending little assistance to the science specialists in the classroom, aside from available outside workshops and …

A Multiple Case Study Of Long-Term Success For At-Risk High School Students, Emily Dupree Christensen

Student Work

As a qualitative, multiple case study this research reports on the factors that young adults, in their early to mid-twenties, reflect upon as contributing factors they encountered during their high school and late adolescent years that lead them to or away from success. Individual stories and experiences defined factors that lead to success while aided to gain an understanding of individual perceptions of attaining success. The researcher used emerging themes from each story to find the commonalities that lead to long-term success of at-risk youth and then made recommendations to the field of education by redrawing the notion of supporting …

These Relationships Save Lives:The Association Between The Nature Of Relationships And Experience Of Support In The Workplace For The Amber Alert Training And Technical Assistance Program, Kimberly Rutigliano

Education Policy and Leadership Theses and Dissertations

My research looks at organizational behavior as a resource to beleveraged for human learning. Two theoretical constructs guided this research, Team Member Exchange theory (TMX) and Social Network Analysis theory (SNA). The data for this research were derived from a case study of a subpopulation of the AMBER Alert organizationin Mexico.While no results were statistically significant, there was a weak association between the perceived support on the team (TMX) and the perceived strength of dyadic relationships (SNA) based on measures of outbound degree centrality (r>0.3). Graphical SNA analysis provided a more useful observation for a small group (N=14) than …

A Battle Of Values Global Trends Of Nationalism And Cosmopolitanism In Education Paradigms, James Drennen

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This report explores the global political climate around the Spring of 2018 and how it has affected educational paradigms in Costa Rica, China, Finland, and Turkey.

A Phenomenological Study Of Female Stem Majors Who Have Decided To Become Educators, Porcia Richardson-Spears

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to investigate, identify, and describe the lived experiences that influence female STEM majors to become secondary educators rather than enter a STEM-related corporate profession. This study was guided by Mezirow’s transformative learning theory (TLT) and Lent, Brown and Hackett’s social cognitive career theory (SCCT) as they related to self-awareness, which guides and motivates the behaviors involved in choosing a career path. The research questions for this study were designed to investigate the experiences that prompted females to major in STEM majors and to enter the field of teaching rather than enter corporate …

Mental Mathematics In The Classroom, Linda Li

Honors Projects

The purpose of this action research study is to investigate the impact of mental mathematics in the classroom and how it affects student achievement. Participants are students in a 9^th grade Honors Geometry classroom with a class length of 43 minutes in a suburban setting. An initial survey was conducted to evaluate student confidence and reasoning abilities on a Likert scale. Throughout the research time frame, students were presented tasks requiring mental mathematics as an in-class activity. At the end of the experiment, students were to complete a post- survey to measure growth in areas like number fluency, self-confidence, …

Code4her Spring 2018, Rebeccah Knoop

Honors Projects

CODE4her is a mentorship program with a goal of sparking interest in computer science organized by the BGSU Women in Computing (BGWIC) student organization. Participation is open to middle school girls (grades 5-8), and participants are paired with BGWIC members who serve as mentors.

Effects Of Cooperative Learning On Middle School Inclusion Students' State Mathematics Test Performance, Andrea B. Jones

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This research study was conducted to determine whether cooperative learning increased the percentage of middle school inclusion students who performed at basic or proficient levels of mathematics test. A descriptive analysis was chosen to examine mathematics state test performance pre and post the implementation of cooperative learning in inclusive middle schools. Cooperative learning was initiated in the state in the 2011-2012 school year. The data on mathematics state test performance for the selected site were public records on the department of education website for 2009-2013. The results indicated that cooperative learning impacted disabled students' performance positively and to a greater …

Thought Forge: Investment In Critical Thinking, Christian Hampton

M.A. in Leadership Studies: Capstone Project Papers

Critical thinking is an essential part of holistic education. Research shows that it has benefits across curriculum. In both core subject areas and elective subjects alike, critical thinking benefits the development of the needed thought processes. Despite this it is woefully underrepresented in classroom. Thought Forge is a program designed to provide accessible and fun critical thinking curriculum through technology. Designed as a longitudinal difficulty scaffolding program, Thought Forge aims to assess, develop, and reveal critical thinking skills in students of all ages.

A New Vision Of Liberal Education: The Good Of The Unexamined Life, Daniel R. Denicola

Philosophy Faculty Publications

Alistair Miller’s book, A New Vision of Liberal Education, is a dilation of his doctoral thesis, but it is enormously ambitious in aim: “My specific aim in this book is to explore whether aspects of the two traditions [of Enlightenment and Aristotelian ethics] might be synthesised in the concrete form of a liberal-humanist education” (NVLE, 11). Indeed, the arc of Miller’s argument ranges from these contrasting traditions of moral philosophy, through alternate versions of liberal education, to a proposal for curricular content. The book is well researched and proceeds dialectically, as Miller sifts through scholarship on liberal education, moral education, …

Teaching The Next Generation Of Researchers: An Inquiry Into Aviation Research Education, David C. Ison

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

Research in aviation fields has become increasingly important to institutions and their faculties. Expectations to conduct such research have escalated, with tenure and employment decisions often hanging on evidence of research skill and advanced educational attainment. Considering the importance of research to aviation higher education, this study investigated how research skills are conveyed to undergraduate and graduate aviation students. Further, the subjects and methods of instruction were evaluated. This inquiry was guided by content analysis. To bolster the findings of this study, a series of interviews with program directors and faculty teaching research courses were conducted to explore faculty perceptions …

Inquiry-Based Learning: Effects On Student Engagement, Kimberly Wheatley

Honors Projects

Inquiry-based learning is an approach to science instruction that has been around for over 40 years and has many positive aspects, including: critical thinking, student achievement, positive attitudes towards science, and student engagement. Inquiry-based learning has four different levels and is an instructional method that provides a problem or question which allows students to complete an investigation. This action research project will explore how inquiry-based learning affects student engagement and how student’s feel about inquiry. Students were taught with two days of traditional instruction, two days inquiry-based instruction, and then given a pre-survey and post-survey, and observed using an engagement …

Action Research: Using Engaging Vocabulary Instruction In A Science Classroom, Madison Pittman

Honors Projects

The focus of this study is to look at vocabulary instruction and how certain techniques affect student learning. This paper evaluates the work that has already been completed within this field of study of vocabulary instruction, focusing on its impact on students and educators. This paper also provides the phases of an action research project focusing on students using interactive activities for implementing vocabulary instruction into a fourth grade math and science classroom. The data collected from this study determined vocabulary instruction improved the students’ final test scores at the end of the unit in my classroom.

The Impact Of Gap Years On Academic Outcomes For Women: A Case Study From The Missionary Age Change, Margaret Marchant

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Young adults throughout the United States and other countries participate in “gap years,” or time away from school, often for travel, work, or volunteering. This practice is promoted as a way to mature and refocus. However, some worry that it lowers the likelihood of college completion. Previous literature has investigated the academic, social, and personal benefits of gap years with mixed results; however selection into gap years confounds the true impact with unobservable personal characteristics. To overcome selection issues, I exploit an exogenous policy change that lowered age requirements for missionary service, a unique type of gap year, resulting in …

Reducing The Constraints To School Access And Progress: Assessing The Effects Of A School Scholarship Program In Malawi, Stephen Hunsaker

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The study utilizes a causal-comparative research design to compare the educational experiences and outcomes of two student groups – those who did and those who did not receive a needs-based scholarship to attend secondary or tertiary school. We administered surveys to 89 scholarship recipients and 57 non-recipients in the Dowa, Kasungu and Lilongwe Districts of Malawi. Surveys included items to determine group differences across a range of short and medium-term outcomes, including: career aspirations, attendance rate, withdrawal rate, graduation rate, employment status, time unemployed since graduation, and employment quality (using the Tanzanian Standard Classification of Occupations). This study included students …

Using Github In Large Software Engineering Classes: An Exploratory Case Study, Miroslav Tushev

LSU Master's Theses

GitHub has been recently used in Software Engineering (SE) classes to facilitate col- laboration in student team projects. The underlying tenet is that the technical and social feature of GitHub can help students to communicate and collaborate more effectively as a team as well as help teachers to evaluate individual student contribution more objectively. To shed more light on this, in this case study, we explore the benefits and drawbacks of using GitHub in SE classes. Our study is conducted in a software engineering class of 91 students divided into 18 teams. Our research method includes an entry and an …

Best Practices In 21st Century Learning Environments: A Study Of Two P21 Exemplar Schools, Susan Brown

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study is to identify and describe best practices related to 21^st century skill development in two elementary schools outside of California that have been recognized as exemplary by the Partnership for 21^st Century Learning (P21).

Methodology: This qualitative phenomenological study sought to investigate and understand the experiences of those associated with the phenomenon of exemplar schools, namely teachers, staff and parents in these elite elementary schools, as the elementary level sets the foundation for 21^st century learning. Two schools were selected for the study based on the criteria that they had …

Unraveled Spring 2018, Southern Adventist University

Unraveled - School of Education and Psychology Newsletter

The Spring 2018 issue of Unraveled features articles on the Outdoor Leadership Program, the Southeastern Psychological Association conference, a pictorial directory of the 2018 education and psychology graduates, and an alumni spotlight.

Thorium And Molten Salt Reactors: Essential Questions For Classroom Discussions, Gregory A. Dilisi, Allison Hirsch*, Meredith Murray*, Richard Rarick

2018 Faculty Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Oral History Conversation With Nick Sandoval, Kristina Overman, Parker Shultz, Courtney Coddington, Roc Beas

Philosophy 332: Business Ethics

No abstract provided.

Metacognition And The Utility Of Pathway Maps In Introductory Chemistry, Kayla Schwartz

Honors Projects

Students historically struggle in introductory chemistry courses. This experiment was designed to test a hypothesized method to increase student success which utilized metacognition, reflection, and the creation of pathway maps. An introductory chemistry course at BGSU was given two sets of pre-assignments, pathway map assignments, and post-assignments which was related to the topics they were learning in class. The pre-assignments and post-assignments were used to determine if there was a change in understanding before and after the pathway map assignment was completed and the pathway map assignment was based on a question that was given in the pre-assignment. The students …

Factors Affecting The Number And Type Of Student Research Products For Chemistry And Physics Students At Primarily Undergraduate Institutions: A Case Study., Birgit Mellis, Patricia Soto, Chrystal D. Bruce, Graciela Lacueva, Anne Wilson, Rasitha Jayasekare

2018 Faculty Bibliography

For undergraduate students, involvement in authentic research represents scholarship that is consistent with disciplinary quality standards and provides an integrative learning experience. In conjunction with performing research, the communication of the results via presentations or publications is a measure of the level of scientific engagement. The empirical study presented here uses generalized linear mixed models with hierarchical bootstrapping to examine the factors that impact the means of dissemination of undergraduate research results. Focusing on the research experiences in physics and chemistry of undergraduates at four Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs) from 2004–2013, statistical analysis indicates that the gender of the student …

Teaching For Deep Learning In A Second Grade Literacy Classroom, Treavor Bogard, Annamary Consalvo, Jo Worthy

Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

From a New Literacies Studies (NLS) perspective, deep learning involves the acquisition of social and cultural competencies valued within a disciplinary community, not merely propositional displays of what one knows. Drawn from a year-long qualitative inquiry, this case study examines how one exemplary second-grade literacy teacher taught toward deep learning, using a pedagogy of multiliteracies (New London Group, 1996). Selected episodes of instruction were analyzed in two phases. Initially, data were examined for evidence of three main competency sets of deep learning--cognitive, inter-personal, and intra-personal (National Research Council, 2012). In the latter phase, analysis focused on the teacher’s pedagogical stances …