Digital Commons Network^™

Instrumental Gendering: A Case Study Of Convent Bajón Tradition In Early Modern Spain, Taylor Danielle Gable

Theses and Dissertations

It is generally accepted by Western music epistemologies that women did not perform on wind instruments during the early modern era. Recent organological and convent research has discovered a female bajón tradition in Spanish convents. This tradition lasted from the mid-15th century through the early 20th century. This document discusses the implications of this tradition and explores why similar traditions did not exist throughout early modern Europe. Capitalism, church law, and early modern medical theories are all discussed to give a fuller context of gender and music performance in the early modern era.

Discussing History Of Mental Illness In A General Genetic Counseling Setting: Patient And Caregiver Interest And Comfort, Alena Faulkner

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: This study explored patient, parent, and/or caregiver interest in and comfort with discussing personal and/or family history of mental illness (MI) with a genetics provider during a general genetics visit.

Methods: Participants were seen for initial genetic consultation through offices of the Greenwood Genetic Center (GGC) October 8th, 2018 through January 31st, 2019.

Following the genetics appointment, participants completed a 38-item questionnaire. Results: Thirty participants completed or partially completed the questionnaire. Most participants had a child being evaluated (n=26, 87%). Overall, 26/29 participants (90%) indicated some degree of comfort with being directly or hypothetically asked about personal and/or family …

The Relationship Between Mindset And Motivation In An Alternative School Mathematics Classroom, Jo Ellen Dowdy

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was to determine the impact of a Khan Academy growth mindset lesson plan on the motivation of at-risk ninth grade students in a mathematics classroom. Data were collected for quantitative analysis of students’ self- reporting of perceptions pertaining to mindset beliefs before and after a mindset intervention and perceptions about motivation in the mathematics classroom. Analysis revealed there was no relationship between mindset and motivation. A minimal decrease in fixed mathematical mindset was determined after a Khan Academy mindset intervention. Increases were found in students’ beliefs in the importance of math, the usefulness …

The Golden Age, Or Trials And Tribulations Of A Working Man, Kaleb Edward Edley

Theses and Dissertations

In my second year at the University of South Carolina, I was tasked with creating a solo show. When first presented with this I was a bit nervous. However, after coming up with my idea, writing my script and beginning to rehearse I found the value in it. It is a freeing experience. It provides the actor with a sense of exploration they wouldn’t normally get with a regular ensemble play or performing someone else’s work. It becomes deeply personal reveals things about you that you might not have known otherwise

Behavioral And Voltammetric Analysis Of Chronic Escitalopram Treatment To The Hiv-1 Transgenic Rat: Implications For Comorbid Hiv-1 And Clinical Depression, Adam R. Denton

Theses and Dissertations

HIV-1 infection is a serious condition affecting approximately 37 million individuals. Between 30% and 60% of seropositive individuals will develop symptoms of clinical depression. These individuals are five times more likely to commit suicide than non-seropositive clinically depressed patients. Dysfunction in serotonergic and dopaminergic transmission has consistently been implicated in the pathogenesis of depression. Specifically, dysfunction in the prefrontal cortex and in the nucleus accumbens core region have been shown to be underlying factors in the trajectory of depression. Given these underlying neurological features, the present research employed behavioral testing and electrochemical recording in an attempt to elucidate the therapeutic …

How Ideology And Pedagogy Impact Technology Adoption In The Classroom, A Causal-Comparative Study, Christopher J. Bernard

All Theses And Dissertations

As the world changes from an industrial driven society to one more focused on services and knowledge, the drive for change within higher education is mounting from both students and employers. With the availability of the vast majority of the world’s knowledge available to an ever-increasing populace via the Internet, students and employers alike are no longer satisfied with the three r’s – reading, writing, and arithmetic. Instead, employers are expecting graduates to be knowledgeable of the three C’s – collaboration, communication, and creative problem solving to negotiate a progressively complex global market.

Through advances in cognitive science, we now …

The Potential Of Rethinking The Teacher Observation And Evaluation Model, Cheryl L. Lang

All Theses And Dissertations

Today, across the United States of America, ongoing efforts are underway to transform the teacher evaluation system into a useful and manageable tool for improving teaching and learning in the classrooms. Currently, school districts in Maine are required to implement teacher observation and evaluation systems as a method of improving instructional practices in the classrooms. According to Mezirow’s adult learning theory, adults learn best when the learning fits into their frame of reference that has been long cultivated through maturity into adulthood, and they become invested in what they are learning. School districts have an opportunity to make teacher observations …

Oral Academic Discourse: How It Supports Educational Equity For Els In The Mainstream Classroom – A Professional Development Workshop For Mainstream Teachers Of Els, Ciera Nelson-Cheeseman

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Given the growing number of English language learners (ELs) in mainstream classrooms, teachers of these students will need to be increasingly prepared to meet both the content and language demands of these learners. This Capstone project consists of a 2-day professional development workshop for mainstream teachers of ELs. The project seeks to empower participants to combat issues of educational equity in classrooms through awareness of EL academic learning needs and the use of research-based, oral academic discourse strategies. These strategies, which include Productive Talk Moves, have been shown to effectively support the academic language needs of ELs in content-areas classrooms. …

Academic English And Wida Level One Through Three Els In The Mainstream: Professional Development Series For Increased Educational Equity For Els At The Elementary And Middle School Levels, Madeline Hillier

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The guiding question addressed in this capstone project is, how can we ensure that WIDA level one through three English Learners (ELs) are maximizing their learning potential and being provided with equitable learning opportunities in the mainstream? The purpose of this project was to explore and compile available resources related to serving and supporting WIDA level one through three ELs in mainstream educational contexts. The goal of this project was to create a professional development series intended to guide mainstream teachers in beginning to better understand who their ELs are and implement appropriate linguistic supports to ensure they are able …

Nature Play For Urban Elementary Preschoolers: Benefits To Their Development And Connectedness To The Environment, Sharon Smith-Lossiah

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This project identified how nature-based activities can be integrated into nature play for preschoolers that are located at urban elementary schools. In a world that is becoming

increasingly disconnected from nature, there is a growing body of evidence which shows the life- long implications for preschoolers to their cognitive, social-emotional, and physical growth and

development with daily exposure to nature based activities. The literature review for this study defined nature play, its benefits and how it can be incorporated in an urban elementary school. It identified the benefits and barriers that preschool teachers have when providing nature play opportunities at …

Reconnecting Young Children With Nature For Healthy Growth And Development, Suzanne Schiffman

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This project seeks to answer the question of how early childhood educators can help their young students build connections with nature. The literature review for this study focused on educators’ knowledge of child development as it relates to environmental education and outdoor play; curriculum planning, implementing and assessment using Minnesota state standards and developmentally appropriate practices; availability and accessibility of natural play spaces; and environmental literacy of educators. The project is divided into two parts consisting of three interactive slideshow presentations for professional development and three sets of educational support materials. This capstone is relevant for administrators and early childhood …

Social Emotional Learning Curriculum And Manipulatives Designed For Deaf Hard Of Hearing Students From Diverse Home Languages, Meghan O'Donnell

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The population of students that are hard of hearing that come from multilingual homes is a distinct population that has specific needs. The purpose of this Capstone project is on how to better instruct students that are Deaf and Hard of Hearing that come from multilingual homes. After researching and discussing the difficulties and needs of this specific population, including Deaf and Hard of Hearing and English language learner definitions, environmental factors, teacher education, and best practices, the author determined that a way to support this population could be through communication tools for families and others for Deaf and Hard …

Preparing To Successfully Co-Teach For English Language Learners On The First Day Of School: A Series Of Professional Development Sessions, Carter Haaland

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

As the population of the United States continues to grow more and more diverse, schools are adapting to meet the needs of their changing student populations. A common program model for educating English language learners is co-teaching between an ESL teacher and a general education teacher. This paper seeks to answer the questions How can teachers be prepared to successfully co-teach for English language learners on the first day of school? This paper begins by discussing the author’s experience that led to the research question, while also situating the topic in the context of today’s public education system. In order …

A Yoga-Based Curriculum To Help Learners Deal With Anxious Situations, Lacey Jan Weninger

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Through my experience working in education, I have seen the many benefits that yoga can provide children. My observations led to my asking the following research question: What are the elements of a Yoga curriculum that can support learners in dealing with anxious situations? The review of the research literature supported my professional experiences in a variety of areas and the potential value of creating a four-week unit to be integrated into my third grade classroom. For example, it documented that anxiety is prevalent in children today and it does not simply disappear as those children grow into adults. The …

Tending Poetic Gardens: Weaving Poetry Into A Third Grade Curriculum, Mary Beth Youngblut

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

There are many benefits to creating poetry-rich classrooms where students experience poetry in a variety of ways. This capstone project addresses the question: How can third grade teachers effectively expose students to the genre of poetry and teach them how to write poetry? This project describes the rationale for a poetry unit, and the literature review addresses the benefits of poetry, its role in the Common Core State Standards, and why teacher modeling is an effective teaching strategy. The project consists of a poetry writing unit to be used with third grade students. Within the unit there are recommendations of …

Personalized Core Vocabulary Books In A Federal Four Special Education School, Carley Hoffman

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The world of special education has progressed through leaps and bounds over the past 25 or more years. Students who were previously underserved or not served at all are being fully included within the educational environment. Through teaching students with moderate to severe disabilities, the author determined that an area of special education that was lacking adequate supports was communication, specifically supports that included the use of alternative and augmentative communication. The area of core vocabulary is part of the best practice systems when supporting students who are non-verbal or are early communicators. Though this strategy was considered by many …

Creating A Love For Writing, Mary Kornmann

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed in this project was, how can primary teachers intrinsically motivate their reluctant writers through narrative writing? It documents how teachers can encourage their struggling writers to write narrative stories. The literature found was focused on motivation strategies, how to identify and teach struggling writers, and effective writing strategies. During the research, there was the idea of interactive writing and how seeing the writing being done by the teacher, before the students try is effective. The research has shown that young writers need scaffolding and modeling to effectively learn how to write different genres. The project is …

Childhood Trauma: What Is It, And How To Help Our Students Heal, Melissa C. Andretta

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Elementary schools are filled with children of varied backgrounds. Many of these children come to school having experienced trauma. It is an educators job to address not only the academic needs of the students, but the social-emotional ones as well. Chapter one of this Capstone gives background information as to why this work is important to the author, and to the field of education. Chapter two sheds light on to research done on childhood trauma, and gives teachers a way to incorporate trauma-sensitive practices into the classroom and larger elementary school setting. Chapter three describes the staff development Capstone project, …

Steam And Social Studies: Creating An Integrated Classroom, Anna Penner

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The purpose of this capstone is to address the question what strategies does the research recommend for supporting social studies educators in integrating Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) practices into their core content? STEAM education has been adopted by many American school districts to help prepare students to be successful in 21st century careers. With a focus on problem-based learning and critical thinking, STEAM education can teach students real world skills. The goals of social studies education include preparing young people to be empathetic, active members of society. When teachers are educated in the best methods of integrating …

Developing An Outdoor Mindful Activity-Based Curriculum For English Language Learners, Krista A. Kulas

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Many English Language Learner (ELL) students have endured trauma which inflicted deficiencies in their cognitive function. The restorative effects of nature combined with mindful activities can be employed to enhance ELL academic success and support emotional needs. This capstone project seeks to answer the question of, how can outdoor activities support the academic and emotional needs of elementary level English Language Learner students? Studies have shown that the cognitive benefits of nature included an improved ability to make decisions, a greater ability to concentrate, can foster reduced stress, and help increase positive self-esteem. Studies also confirm that comprehensive support within …

Developing Global Competence Through Intercultural Communication In Elementary School Students, Frankie Heller

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

As a teacher one of my primary responsibilities - is creating a world that is more compassionate and understanding. To support me in this effort this capstone project will explore the question: What components of a classroom project build intercultural communication between students of different countries, develops their sense of global competence, and promotes a mindset oriented towards peace? Exploring this question supports the development of four lesson plans to be utilized and adapted in elementary school classrooms in the United States and across the world. The lesson plans include formative assessment and each session should take a half hour, …

Entering And Continuing The Journey In The Classroom: Personal Explorations, Professional Learning And Cultivating Emotional Resilience, Jillian Stockmo

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Data shows that Minnesota teachers are leaving the classroom at alarming rates; teacher retention is an issue for both new and tenured teachers that must be addressed for the sustainability and longevity of our schools. The professional development sequence designed for this capstone project focuses on answering the research question: what impact does cultivating emotional resilience in teachers’ professional development have on teacher retention for both new and tenured teachers? Much research has been devoted to teacher retention and attrition, its causes and potential solutions - however research on how teachers can build habits and dispositions that lead to greater …

Workshop To Improve Parental Involvement For Somali Esl Parents, Adan Ali

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The guiding question addressed in this project was how can schools improve the involvement of Somali ESL parents? The aim of the project was to use a workshop model to discover further ways of improving the relationship between the school and the families. Somali ESL parents were targeted for this project because of cultural differences that limit their understanding of the American school system thus leading to low parental involvement. The project's content was influenced by parental involvement literature and Epstein's framework about the Six Types of Parental Involvement. The workshop content was delivered though facilitator-led presentations and group discussions …

Greek Mythology Vocabulary Building, Samantha Levinson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The guiding question addressed in this Capstone is: How will the use of task-based vocabulary activities to support literacy development affect the vocabulary acquisition of elementary Korean English language learners? It documents one teacher’s curriculum development of two units that offer a new perspective to ELL vocabulary acquisition by building vocabulary using morphological training then access and build on background knowledge through practical applications which lead to higher comprehension. This project explores a) the role that task-based curriculum plays on literacy development focused on the development activities that supports the vocabulary development of elementary Korean English language learners using Greek …

A Necessity For Social And Emotional Learning In Kindergarten The Teaching Of Self-Regulation Through Literacy, Kirsten M. Pinkerton

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed in this capstone project was: How can kindergarten teachers begin the year using a text set to teach the social and emotional learning skill of self-regulation? This capstone project was identified through the author’s experience observing many kindergarten students struggling to positively interact with their peers due to ill-developed social and emotional skills. The Self-regulation Text Set Unit lesson plans designed for this capstone project incorporate the teaching of social and emotional learning skills through literacy instruction. This project developed a text set unit with 13 lesson plans and accompanying texts to be used by kindergarten …

English Learners And Academic Speaking, Pamela Magistad

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This project sought to answer the guiding question; what educational strategies develop elementary EL students’ academic English speaking skills? The project documents the creation of a curricular unit designed to provide EL students with ample opportunity to speak academically. The guiding question originated from the author’s observation that her EL students were speaking infrequently within their mainstream classrooms, and also further musings regarding the prevalence of this infrequency along with the importance of and best practices for academic speaking. From the project, the author concluded that 1) EL students in both mainstream and EL classrooms often are not given opportunities …

Perspectives On American History: An Integrated Social Studies And English Language Arts Curriculum For Fifth Grade, Sara Ibis

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Social studies instruction leads to higher civic participation, like voting and volunteerism. Though the research supports high-quality social studies instruction for students of all ages, elementary social studies has taken a significant drop in instructional time over the last 20 years. This capstone uses the research of leading thinkers on social studies instruction, curriculum best practices and culturally relevant teaching to answer the question: How can I develop an integrated social studies and English language arts curriculum for fifth grade? Research shows that curriculum integration can be an effective way to deliver social studies content to elementary students. To encourage …

Substituting Traditional Homework With Outdoor Experiences, David Czepa

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Research has expressed that traditional homework has more negative effects associated with it than positive ones. Scholars have also concluded that frequent exposure to the outdoors greatly helps in the social, emotional, physical, cognitive, and educational development of students of all ages, especially younger ones. This project takes time to answer the question: How can creating and substituting outdoor experiences for traditional homework increase the time students choose to spend outside when not in school? The curriculum designed for this project focuses on utilizing academic instruction during school hours to expose and educate children on the wonders and sophistication of …

How To Make A Read-Aloud Engaging To Students In A Multi-Age Setting, Katie Cates

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Children’s literature as a read-aloud is a purposeful way for children to engage with books. This capstone explores the question: How can teachers make read-alouds engaging to students in a multi-age setting? While the story is being read, students actively listen and visualize the story by using their imagination. Teachers also ask a wide variety of questions to allow students to share their prior knowledge, ask questions, and support each others’ learning. By listening to and discussing multiple perspectives, students are able to critically think about the text. Engagement in this way can also help students better connect on an …

Medicare-Centered Curriculum For Limited English Proficient Beneficiaries, Jenny L. Chalupnik

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Medicare is the primary health insurance for retirees and those with disabilities in U.S. Currently there are tens of millions who access Medicare and its rate is projected to increase in the future. Medicare is composed of different Parts and there are rules for eligibility. Within the respective Parts a retiree needs to choose various options and as an additional layer, those Parts are offered by different insurers. Further, Medicare beneficiaries need to understand how the different Parts of Medicare work together and are financed, and who is responsible for paying for the different components and Parts. Retirees also need …