Digital Commons Network^™

How To Be A Nature Detective (1966) By Millicent E. Selsam, Maughn Rollins Gregory

Picture Books

Coming up with the most reasonable explanation of the available clues is something we all do on a daily basis. This book describes animal tracks as clues from which children can make inferences about what kind of animal left them and what they were doing when they did.

Supporting Students In Transition To And From Elementary School, Meleah Ellison, Jamelle Simmons, David B. Naff, Taryn G. Traylor, Meredith Dean, Sooyeon Moon, Jia Jia Liu, Latonja Y. Wright, Cameron Parkins, Jennifer Locasale-Crouch, Dana V. Yarbrough, Audrina Farrar, Obed Amoakoh Boateng

MERC Publications

This report is part of a two-part series focused on supporting students in transition across PK-12 education. Specifically, it explores transitions into and out of elementary school. The report includes a synthesis of recent peer-reviewed literature, analysis of publicly available data (with a specific focus on Virginia and the metropolitan Richmond region), and summary of relevant federal, state, and school division-level policies. It answers the following questions:

1. What are key considerations for supporting students in transition to and from elementary school in the MERC region?

2. How do federal, state, and division policies guide support for student transitions to …

Exploring The Educational Gap Of Virginia English Language Learners: Challenges And Opportunities For Academic Success, Amanda Purcell, Sochitl Rodriguez Kauffman

UROP Posters

English Language Learners (ELLs) in the state of Virginia have significantly lower scores in the Standards of Learning (SOL) assessment exam than those of their English-speaking peers. The SOL measures students’ mastery of knowledge and skills taught in the classroom, and over the last decade, passing rates of the assessment’s core subjects amongst ELLs have continued to decrease and remain relatively low. In the 2023-2024 academic year, the average passing rate for ELLs who took the Writing SOL was only 26%, with Science being not much higher at 29%, and Reading at 33%. For the non-ELL student body, average rates …

Graduate Outcomes Of Australian Hospitality Educational Institutions And Skills Desired By Employers: A Matrix Model, Alireza Amrollahi, Hana Hadinejad, Brent D. Moyle, Nicholas Thomas

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Demand for a skilled hospitality workforce has accelerated post-pandemic. However, limited research has explored the core competencies desired by the hospitality sector and their alignment with graduate outcomes from bachelor’s programs. Consequently, this study uses the Australian accommodation sector as an exemplar case to examine the alignment of skill supply and demand in the sector. An analysis of 28,000 Australian job advertisements reveals that employers seek a combination of soft and hard skills. Soft skills prevalent in job advertisements include communication, customer-orientation, teamwork, and adaptability. Hard skills that emerged include quality assurance, property management, culinary expertise, hospitality proficiency, and safety. …

2025 Merc Annual Report, David B. Naff, Jesse Senechal, Paula L. Ogston-Nobile

MERC Publications

This is the annual report of the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) at Virginia Commonwealth University for the 2024-2025 academic year. It includes vignettes depicting MERC activities in the past year that align with each of its five principles: research, relevance, rigor, multiple perspectives, and impact. It concludes with a discussion of MERC's commitment moving forward.

Role And Evolution Of Islamic Education In Kazakhstan, Yeleukhan Kaliyeva, Albina Duissenbayeva, Aııtmamat Karıev, Bekzhan A. Azhimov

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This paper examines the evolution of religious education and the professional development of clergy in Kazakhstan, with particular emphasis on the establishment of institutions aimed at enhancing the competencies of imams and religious educators. It traces the evolution of the Islamic educational system throughout various historical periods until the present day. Particular focus is given to blending Islamic teachings with contemporary educational structures. The researchers heuristically analyzed the current state of the field, identified the main problems, and suggested prospects for Islamic education for further development. The research utilizes the historical method, which uses primary and secondary data sources. This …

The Inadequacy Of Perpetuating Vestiges Of Segregation In K-12 Curriculum: The Justiciability Of Reviewing Duties To Adequacy In Florida's Education Clause, Soumya Sreerama

American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law

Although the Supreme Court declared segregation the most abusive affront to education and ruled to eliminate vestiges of segregation “root and branch,” those same roots have grown unchecked to remain prominent today. One of the undercurrents of state-sponsored discrimination that has escaped desegregation remedies is the skewed, whitewashed curriculum that permeated K-12 classrooms in Jim Crow America. More troubling, is that those vestiges of an inadequately biased curriculum are still slithering in students’ courses today. Although student movements and education reformists have attempted to counter skewed curricula by supplementing them with separate ethnic studies courses, states like Florida recently passed …

Editorial: Surface Emg And Other Measurement Techniques In Rehabilitation Research And Practice: Are New Educational Programs Needed?, Marco Tramontano, Sheng Li, Roberto Merletti

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Evaluating The Efficacy Of A Serious Game To Deliver Health Education About Invasive Meningococcal Disease: Clustered Randomized Controlled Equivalence Trial, Lauren Bloomfield, Julie Boston, Martin Masek, Lesley Andrew, Donna Barwood, Amanda Devine

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is a serious, vaccine-preventable infectious disease that can be life-threatening. Teaching adolescents about the early detection and prevention of IMD can be challenging in a school environment, with educators reporting they lack confidence or expertise to cover this in the classroom environment. Professional guest educators are an alternative to cover specialist topics such as IMD; however, time and resourcing constraints can mean that these educators are not always available. Serious games may be an alternative to face-to-face education, where complex health information may be delivered via self-directed gameplay. Objective: This study aims to develop a …

Three Essays On Education And Health Economics, Kalvin Mudrow

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The first chapter explores the impact of online education on student outcomes by comparing students pre-2020 school closures to students post-2020 school closures. Using student-level panel data from a large U.S. school district spanning 2017-2023 and two outcome variables, reading tests and end-of-level exams, I estimate the effects on different demographic groups, the dynamics of these effects over time, and how these effects differ across students ages. I find a significant decline in student performance after the move to online learning, with additional adverse effects on students who are classified as low-income, female, special education, or ELL. Mechanisms contributing to …

Multi-Grade Classroom Professional Development And Curated Resources, Angie Marshall

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This project aims to provide educators and administrators with a comprehensive compendium of resources for effectively designing and implementing instruction in multi-grade classrooms. Limited research exists to support teachers who may struggle with the complexities of teaching multiple grade levels within a single classroom setting. Traditionally, educators obtain their teaching credentials, secure employment, and are expected to effectively instruct the students. However, when assigned to a multi-grade classroom, the instructional demands become significantly more intricate and potentially overwhelming.

The objective of this professional development and resource guide is to equip teachers and administrators with a structured resource to enhance the …

The Challenges Of Teaching Fine Arts In Federal Government Colleges In Adamawa State, Nigeria, Muhammad Sani Yahaya, Mohammadu Yahaya Waziri, Nasruddeen Abubakar

Jurnal Sosial Humaniora Terapan

This paper was a survey carried out to identify the challenges of teaching Fine Arts in Federal Government Colleges in Adamawa State, Nigeria. The hypothesis is HO₁: There is no significant difference in the mean ratings of teachers and students on the challenges of teaching Fine Arts in these colleges. The research instrument was made up of a questionnaire which was divided into two sections with parts I to III. The Colleges studied were Federal Government College-Ganye, Federal Government Technical College- Michika and Federal Government Girls’ College- Yola. Eighteen Fine Arts’ teachers and ninety students were purposively sampled. …

Understanding Special Education Teachers’ Perspectives On The Least Restrictive Environment: A Collective Case Study, Taylor M. Hunter

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this collective case study was to understand how special education teachers interpret and navigate the concept of the least restrictive environment (LRE) standard in providing educational support for students with intellectual disabilities and autism. The guiding theories for this study were behaviorism and social cognitive theory. These theories play a vital role in highlighting teacher efficacy skills and learned behavior, which are directly correlated to decision-making. The central research question for this study was: how do special education teachers interpret and navigate the concept of the LRE in providing educational support for students with intellectual disabilities and …

The Teacher Mental Health Crisis: A Mixed Methods Examination Of The Factors Contributing To Teacher Burnout, Minerva Carrasco

Masters Theses (Archived)

For decades, teachers' mental health and burnout have been an issue nationwide (Sewell, 1971). This has been an even larger struggle in the education field in recent years because turnover is high, the COVID-19 pandemic, and districts are struggling to find ways to retain teachers to stay in their profession. There are things that administrators and teachers can do to guide districts to ensure that teachers are comfortable in their classrooms and their school campus. There are coping strategies that teachers can do to prevent teacher mental health and burnout and there are ways that administrators can support their teachers …

Implication Of Generative Ai On Education And Research, Riddhi Gupta

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

The Promise Of Lived Experience: Assessing Race And Merit After Sffa, Taonga Leslie, Claire Comey

Northwestern Journal of Law & Social Policy

70 years after Brown, students of color remain underrepresented in U.S. colleges and universities and in professions like law, medicine, business, and academia, which, in turn, drives inequitable social and economic outcomes. Recent Supreme Court decisions threaten to further exacerbate this inequity by preventing schools from considering race when making admissions decisions and shaping their classes. This article contends that by placing greater emphasis on applicants’ experiences of race, admissions officers can more accurately assess merit, improve services to disadvantaged communities, and achieve the pedagogical benefits of diversity. The article situates the lived experience approach within a well-established tradition permitting …

The Impact Of Underqualified Educators On Student Engagement, Autumnbre Moore

Masters Projects

Student engagement is the backbone of academic success, it is often hampered by underqualified educators who don’t have the qualifications to engage with different types of learners. Student Engagement in K-12 Classrooms: Teacher Qualifications, Inclusivity, Attitudes, and Efficacy frames the gaps in teacher preparation within the bounds of cognitivism, constructivism, and connectivism, discussing how much this does not help learning. The results underlined the importance of inclusive practices, strong teacher-student relationships, and effective professional development. It seeks to inform efforts to build teachers up to create engaging and supportive learning environments, especially for marginalized and underserved students.

How White Supremacy Travels Through Time: Anti-Literacy Laws, Dei Bans, And The Issue Of Black Self-Determination In Public Health., Nicole V. Ford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation used a qualitative policy content analysis (PCA) of historical anti-literacy laws and modern DEI bans to answer two research questions: What is the connection between anti-literacy laws and DEI bans? How do anti-literacy laws and DEI bans create an environment that maintains white supremacy? A PCA exercise informed the analysis of historical anti-literacy laws in South Carolina (1834), Georgia (1829), North Carolina (1830), Louisiana (1830), Virginia (1831), and Alabama (1833) and modern DEI bans in Texas (2023), Alabama (2024), and Florida (2023) to find the connection between the laws. Findings from this dissertation illustrate how white supremacy operates …

Gamified Learning: Applying Game Design Thinking In Education, Qiaoxin Deng

ART 108: Introduction to Games Studies

Gamification is an Education Strategy It has gained popularity in recent years. Gamification is a means to foster student engagement and improve their learning journeys. It's about applying game design elements in non-game contexts. This is primarily used in educational settings. Gamification of learning makes it more engaging and fun by introducing rewards, challenges, and competition. By adding rewards, challenges, and competition, gamification makes learning more interesting and interactive (2020).In this essay, I will be discussing the concept of gamification. Its advantages and disadvantages will be explored. It will also give examples, including Duolingo and Quizlet, to illustrate how it …

The World Bank's New Approach To Human Capital Model And Education, Ozlem Kucuk, Cihan Cobanoglu

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

The human capital approach, introduced in 1960, has been used by economists to establish connections between education, skills, and personal income. It resulted in a redistribution of public expenditure by viewing education not only as a cost but also as an economic input, a way to increase revenue in the medium and long term. Human capital theory highlights the crucial role of education in the economy. With the rise of the knowledge society, scientists have debated the potential end of poverty, inequality, and social exclusion. They envisioned a new knowledge economy and a more egalitarian society. The significant increase in …

Where And How Are Undergraduate Students Developing Dispositions Needed For The Geoscience Workforce?, Kaelyn Lagerwall

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Dispositions, such as the desire to learn, work ethic, initiative, and organization, are defined as internal attributes, attitudes, or values that stimulate action. Rather than being intrinsic traits, dispositions can be learned and are considered a dynamic and evolving arrangement of interconnected components. Dispositions are highly desired and valuable to the workforce, playing a critical role in gaining and maintaining employment; they are frequently mentioned in job advertisements for bachelor-level geoscientists. Therefore, it is important to understand where and how geoscience students are developing these dispositions as part of their degree programs. We surveyed faculty in geoscience departments at two …

The Impacts Of Using Geogebra On Students’ Perceptions And Achievement In Learning Trigonometric Ratios, Robert Carlos Trejo

Theses and Dissertations

GeoGebra, a dynamic mathematics software, was used to study high school students’ perceptions and achievements in learning trigonometric ratios. The study addresses a critical gap in the literature concerning the use of GeoGebra for understanding trigonometric concepts, particularly in fostering conceptual clarity and problem-solving skills. Rooted in a constructivist pedagogical framework, the research examines how GeoGebra facilitates interactive and exploratory learning environments that encourage active student engagement and deeper comprehension of trigonometric ratio principles.

The study employed a quantitative approach to evaluate the efficacy of GeoGebra. Quantitative data focused on student achievement in solving trigonometric ratio problems through pre- and …

Benefits Of Teaching Pre-Literacy In Waldorf Education In Early Childhood, April Guerrero

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This senior capstone research project examines the benefits of teaching pre-literacy in Waldorf education in early childhood. In Waldorf Education, literacy development incorporates differentiated instructions that fosters cognitive and social emotional learning of their students. Through the use of literature review and several teachers in various grades of Waldorf schools, the result findings revealed that pedagogical practices around literacy instructions promote critical thinking skills, nurtures children’s creative expression, and imagination. Literacy curriculum in Waldorf schools allows students to create tangible evidence of self-expressions and communication skills. Given its emphasis on holistic curriculum, it allows teachers to engage with their diverse …

The Impact Of Single Parent Households On Middle School Students, Erik Puga

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This research explores the influence of single-parent households on the academic achievement of middle school students in Salinas, CA, with a particular focus on East Salinas, an area marked by economic challenges. Grounded in my personal experience growing up in a single-parent household in Salinas and shaped by my journey through the Alisal district pipeline, this study seeks to uncover the specific barriers and strengths that middle school students from single-parent families encounter. By examining socioeconomic pressures, parental involvement, and emotional well-being, I aim to identify how family structure affects students’ educational trajectories within the community. This research strives to …

Computational Modeling In A Calculus-Based Physics Lab: Students’ Problems And Successes In Physics 2060, Abigail Sophia Flowers

Masters Theses

In the past few decades, computational modeling skills have become essential for students who want to pursue careers in physics or engineering. This issue of how to incorporate these skills into students' learning has become an important one because students in these degrees are already required to take several cognates outside of their chosen major. In 2018, Western Michigan University’s physics department decided to take on this issue by reformatting their introductory calculus-based physics labs to include computational modeling within the labs. The labs were first run in the Fall of 2018 and then were improved in spring 2019. When …

Early Childhood Educators’ Perceptions Of Changes In Student Executive Function Skills And Challenging Behaviors Post-Covid-19, Sofia Cicero

Honors College Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic greatly impacted children’s lives in a number of ways, including their educational and social lives. Many children had to switch to online learning platforms or follow social distancing rules. There is a lack of research exploring the lasting impact that the isolation period left on young children, specifically those in early childhood (3-7 years old). The purpose of this study was to explore if teachers perceived changes in student executive function skills and challenging behaviors after the pandemic. In addition, play-based learning has been shown to improve executive function and behavioral outcomes, and this study also attempted …

African American Males In Rural Elementary Schools During The Pandemic: Experiences, Challenges, And Strategies For Success, Jessica Lewis

All Dissertations

The present study experimentally examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on elementary African American males living in rural areas. The qualitative study used a phenomenological approach to examine students' perspectives, as understood by the parents and educators (N=10). Using semi-structured interviews and thematic coding, the researcher suggested strategies for successfully closing instructional gaps and meeting the needs of this population moving forward.

The theoretical frameworks that triggered this exploration were Intersectionality, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and Conflict Theory. The researcher used the theories as a lens to answer the following research questions: (1) How much has COVID-19 revealed the …

Plato's Republic: The Role Of Education In Democracy, Darlene Marie B. Berberabe

Budhi: A Journal of Ideas and Culture

This paper will take a closer look at how Plato’s Republic is relevant in today’s world, specifically to education and de mocracy, and how his very philosophy as represented by dia lectic is the essential method of education that will enable and empower the people for a democracy. The ability to engage in Socratic elenchus, to stand up to the test of the dialectic, was intended as an exercise in the art of investigating truth, rather than to inculcate any particular set of principles, doctrines, or opinions. For democracy to work, the people in whose hands the power of the …

A Python Pipeline For Rapid Inversion Of Gravity Data Aimed At Early Career Researchers: Application To The Lost River Fault, Idaho, Bradford C. Mack

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Gravity data and modeling can be used to create a 3D view of basin and fault geometries, a valuable tool for seismic hazard assessment. Additionally, access to a high-speed, easy-to-use modeling workflow will enable more researchers to supplement their work with a new method and allow students to be exposed to modeling earlier in their academic careers. The primary goals of this work are to create a widely usable 3D gravity and basin model, to create an introduction to modeling teaching module for undergraduate geology students, and to apply the model to the northernmost two segments of the Lost River …

A Contexted Learning Experience: Instructional Strategies For Effective Teaching For Primary And Intermediate Students From Diverse Ses Environments, R. Suzanne Legg

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The aim of my three-article dissertation was to investigate the methods employed by effective teachers to promote academic progress among all students, regardless of their socioeconomic status. Each article addressed perspectives on effective teaching strategies aimed at closing the opportunity gap from three different contexts. These contexts were 1) a focus group consisting of primary teachers, 2) a focus group consisting of intermediate teachers, and 3) personal reflections from observations of both focus groups pertaining to COVID-19. Recent scores from the Programme for International Student Assessment (OECD, 2023) revealed a growing disparity in academic achievement between students from higher socioeconomic …