Digital Commons Network^™

Does Leadership & Academic Coaching Paired With Small Peer Group Interaction Improve Black Male Student Academic Engagement, Self-Efficacy And Self-Esteem?, Kyle Foster

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This project addressed the research question, does leadership and academic coaching paired with small peer group interaction improve Black male student academic engagement, self-efficacy and self esteem? The research supported the creation of the project which looked at core values and sociopolitical identities in African American teenage males. Along with identifying their identities there was some critical reflection and discussion around those identities. In order to spark those discussions, the project consisted of circle discussions, individual reflection, small group reflection and partner discussions. A student curriculum manual was created to use with the students in group. There is also a …

How Educators Can Utilize Culturally Responsive Teaching To Enhance Personalized Learning Opportunities In The Secondary Classroom, Christina J. Strey-Wells

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed by this project is: How can educators utilize Culturally Responsive Teaching to enhance personalized learning opportunities in the secondary classroom? Research has shown that culturally and linguistically diverse students suffer from an opportunity and achievement gap in this country that creates school-dependent learners. This research aims to prove that integrating Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) and personalized learning techniques together in the classroom helps to create independent learners. This paper looks most closely at the theoretical work on CRT of Geneva Gay, Zaretta Hammond, and Gloria Ladson-Billings and focuses on the personalized learning tools of offering students …

Roots And S.T.E.M.: A Greenhouse Science Curriculum, Jaclyne Jandro

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This project addressed the question, how do I design a winter greenhouse curriculum for our high-school aged after-school internship program at Urban Roots that will be highly engaging, increase scientific understanding, and make our interns better farmers? With an exploration into the state of science education in the U.S., available greenhouse curriculum, the benefits of agricultural education, and greenhouse growing practices, and major influences from Larson, Bellevue, and Coleman, a sixteen week greenhouse and science curriculum for high-school aged youth was created. Each week consists of a three-hour, hands-on, inquiry-based lesson with focus on the scientific method and creating a …

Inquiry-Based Learning Science Curriculum For Kindergarteners, Meghan Brady

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This project answers the question: How can teachers utilize inquiry-based learning while assessing success in kindergarten science education? The focus of this project was to explore inquiry to aide students in developing a deep understanding of science standards. Many different research studies were reviewed to explore the importance of science education in early elementary school. The research focuses on the areas of Next Generation Science Standards, inquiry-based learnings, and assessments. The project is a two-week unit designed to instruct kindergarten students in the Next Generation Science Standards of weather, engineering, and Earth systems. The major learnings, limitations, and benefits to …

Creating A Website That Provides Classroom Teachers With Resources And Tools To Develop A Language-Rich Classroom, Elodie Sontgerath

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The guiding question of this project is, How can a professional development resource help classroom teachers create a language-rich environment that can support the development of academic language for all learners? In order to answer this question, I created a website to support language understanding, teaching, and learning in an urban elementary school serving a diverse community of learners. This website is a practical tool for classroom teachers who need to develop a better understanding of what academic language is and acquire strategies to support and develop the language students need to engage effectively in classroom discussions and tasks. Classroom …

Utilizing Text Sets To Teach Critical Literacy: Bringing Literacy Into The Social Studies Middle School Classroom, Brenna C. Balkus

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed in this capstone project was: How can text sets be used in a middle school social studies classroom to teach critical literacy? This capstone project is based on the premise that integrating critical literacy strategies through the use of text sets is one way to address the lack of reading strategies being taught in social studies classrooms. The Immigration Text Set designed for this project focused on the Minnesota State Sixth Grade Social Studies Standards while highlighting the critical literacy strategies of problem posing, alternative perspectives, and seeing beyond the bias. This project developed an electronic …

Learning Science In A Second Language, Alisha Tomsen

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This project addresses the question, how to enrich and expand the vocabulary of kindergarteners in a Spanish immersion program through science lessons and science-focused learning objectives. The project was born from the author’s experience as a language-immersion primary teacher and her desire to create a space for more science in the classroom while also facilitating target language growth. Literature concerning second language acquisition, language immersion education, inquiry-based learning, national science standards, and connections between science and literacy were researched and consulted to create this project. A five-part professional development was created, directed towards primary-level immersion educators that focuses on supporting …

How New Chinese Immersion School Teachers Can Improve Their Teaching Skills And Have A Mindset Of Supporting And Inspiring Students?, Mi Gu

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question in this article is to find out how new Chinese immersion school teachers can improve their teaching skills and have a mindset of supporting and inspiring students. The project consists of a literature review and a website. Based on large amount of literature review and intensive research, conclusion have been drawn to answer the research question, The research conclusions are presented in a well-designed website aiming to help new teachers who are in transition to teach in Chinese immersion school in U.S. The findings are combined into four representative aspects: social ideologies, patterns of teacher-student interaction, classroom …

Cultural Capital And English Language Learner Educational Outcomes, Maddie Kiley

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Through researching cultural capital, I was able to identify how cultural capital is developed and its impact on English Language Learners’ educational success. The underlying guiding question addressed throughout this project was: How can teachers be informed about cultural capital and its impact on students’ educational outcomes? Although there is a vast selection of research in the field, there has been little resource creation and implementation in response to what research would suggest as it relates to a teacher’s role in cultural capital development. To assist teachers in increasing English Language Learners’ capital, an activity resource was developed. The intent …

Student-Led Book Clubs Support Reading Engagement In Primary Grades, Cassie Torbenson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Torbenson, C. Student-Led Book Clubs Support Reading Engagement in Primary Grades This Capstone project was created to support primary grade teachers in learning about student-led book clubs as a format of literacy instruction. The author set out to answer the question: how can student-led book clubs support the development of reading engagement in primary grades? As an elementary teacher responsible for creating an engaging classroom, the author feels strongly that when students are able to make meaningful connections from school work to real life, learning is more authentic and therefore supports students in building skills for lifelong learning. One intriguing …

Scaffolding Kindergarten Writing For English Language Learners, Katlyn Carson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Decades of research has documented the achievement gap between English Learners (ELs) and non-ELs in U.S. schools. According to some measures, one of the areas in which ELs struggle most is writing, an area which is often ignored especially in early childhood and kindergarten classrooms. Furthermore, many teachers report that they feel underprepared to meet the needs of ELs in their classroom. This capstone project addresses the particular challenge of teaching writing to kindergarten ELs and answers the question: What information and strategies would support elementary teachers when scaffolding writing curriculum and instruction to meet the unique needs of ELs? …

The Impact Of Critical Reading Strategies On Reading Comprehension Among Middle School Students, Jolynn E. Mcalpine

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Research has demonstrated that there is a positive correlation between the use of critical reading strategies and reading comprehension in students. This capstone project was created as a resource for educators to increase the number of critical reading strategies that are used in the classroom to essentially increase reading comprehension among students. The research question addressed in the project was, How can using a variety of critical reading strategies and increasing the frequency of their use impact reading comprehension among middle school students? Reading is the basis for many components of learning and positively contributes to academic success. The literature …

Black Males And The Literacy Gap: How Can Professional Development Help Support Literacy Development Of Elementary Black Males In A Western Suburban School District?, Keenan Jones

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The guiding question addressed in this project was how can professional development help support literacy development of elementary Black males in a western suburban school district? This project was intended to provide going professional development for educators addressing the Black male literacy gap. The achievement gap amongst Black and White students has been well documented by many in the world of education. Data also shows that there is a gap between Black male and White male students in our American classrooms. Four-two hour sessions were created for this professional development.The first session is to explain what the literacy gap is, …

How Can Effective Curriculum Be Developed For Elementary English Language Students?, Lauren Lau

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question that this capstone addresses is, how can an effective curriculum be created for elementary English language learners, with the project emphasizing on creating a writing curriculum for third grade English language students. This capstone looks at effective teaching strategies and the four content areas that need to be developed for language proficiency for English language learners. This capstone also discusses the struggles that some school districts with finding an appropriate curriculum and the funding to purchase one. The writing curriculum that is developed for the project uses the information from the research to form a strong basis …

Supporting Early Childhood Students’ Communication Skills Within The Classroom, Emma Creger

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed by this project is What teaching strategies are recommended for early childhood teachers to implement into their practice to support all students’ communication skill development? The purpose of this exploration is to identify effective strategies for early childhood classroom teachers to reference and utilize when supporting their student’s communication skills. This project reviews studies conducted by well-known researchers in the field of childhood development and references professionals within the field of Speech and Language Pathology in order to create a digital resource compiling receptive and expressive communication strategies to be used with early childhood students. The …

Analysis Of Textbooks For Beginning English Learners In Middle School, Tristan N. Weinmaster

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Research shows that it takes an average of 5-7 years for English learners to achieve academic English proficiency (Demie, 2013). Students who begin learning English in middle school have exactly 5-7 years remaining in school to achieve proficiency. This project analyzes three textbooks intended for beginning English learners in middle school in order to answer the question: Which textbook or textbooks can be recommended as a solid textbook for grammar instruction for beginning English learners in a middle school? The three textbooks were systematically analyzed for explicit instruction, samples of language, and activity types included, as well as the adherence …

Rural Community-Based Organizing For Social Change, Alexandria V.S. Romano

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed in this capstone was, How can community organizers design and facilitate a series of workshops to develop rural leaders for social change in southeast Minnesota? In my effort to pose a solution to this question, I collaborated with other

community organizers to design educational activities and facilitation techniques used in four in- person, two-hour long sessions that would engage rural community members in social

investigation, reflection, and action. I analyzed literature detailing the rise of alternative learning models in U.S. adult education, social theories centered around liberation which drove the

popular education approach to critical inquiry, …

Nature Journal Activity Guide - Grades 3-5, Jennifer Ann Hengel

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

If we want adults that are stewards for the environment, we need to include nature in education when they are younger so they can understand and appreciate the natural world. This need prompted the question, How do we utilize nature journals for school-age children to increase students’ understanding and appreciation of the natural world? Prior research has pointed to the benefits of teaching nature to youth, as well as the benefits of journaling in education. Nature journaling covers both sides of this equation, and helps foster sense of place and experiential learning. This capstone project was an activity guide similar …

Using Reading Fluency Assessment To Target Intervention In The Middle-Level Mainstream Ela Class, Ashley Gaschk

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Secondary English language arts teachers are often responsible for teaching reading, writing, and language standards in a single class hour. Although the goal is to have all students reading at grade level, all too often that is not the case. Many secondary teachers are not trained to identify or provide the best interventions to help their struggling readers, many of whom are several grade levels behind in reading achievement. The capstone reviews the literature to answer the research question, How can middle-level English Language Arts teachers use reading fluency assessment to better know their students and target reading interventions in …

Utilizing Culturally Relevant, Multimodal Text Sets In Older Adolescent And Adult Learner Classrooms, Tamara Twiggs

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

There are negative consequences for older adolescents and adults who lack a high school diploma. Statistically, in families with low literacy rates, there is a direct correlation to poverty rates, incarceration, and a negative impact on the children of those without a high school credential. Building a classroom curriculum utilizing culturally responsive, multimodal, thematic text sets, incorporating Critical Literacy via a social justice lens, and integrating an inquiry-based learning model increases learner engagement and motivation in the classroom, leading to the likelihood that students will achieve their high school credential. Since much of Andragogy theory is highly applicable to both …

Effectively Teaching Metacognitive Strategies Across Content Areas To Enhance Comprehension, Jessica F. Johnson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question answered in this project is: “Does the use of metacognitive strategies contribute to increased reading comprehension?” Although often comprehension strategies are the focus of reading instruction, there is an ongoing need, based on research, to explicitly teach and model metacognitive strategies in the classroom setting, leading to independent student use. The benefits of teaching metacognition across grade levels, specific strategies and teaching structures to use, as well as cross­curricular connections and integration are included in this project. The Metacognitive Teaching Framework (MTF) (Kelley & Clausen­Grace, 2007) serves as a basis for the interdisciplinary six­week curriculum unit, which …

Using Novels In The Science Classroom To Increase Literacy In Middle School Students, Elizabeth Mae Das

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Literacy in science is an important aspect of a student’s education. However, it is often not explicitly taught by teachers. The material chosen for reading is typically from a textbook, boring, and difficult to comprehend for most students due to the large number of low occurrence vocabulary words and sentence complexity. This is especially true of ELL students who are still developing their general vocabulary. This project was chosen after working in a school with a student population of over 90% ELL students who are mostly below grade level in reading. The research question for this project was how does …

Seeing Through The Racist Smog: With A Reading Curriculum Based On Culturally Responsive Teaching And Warm Demander Pedagogy, Maren Swann

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

There are countless articles about the Achievement Gap, but few offer concrete solutions. While the teaching force is “whitening,” the percentage of students of color is increasing. A small group of researchers have offered two new pedagogies as a way to help students of color and low-income students succeed: culturally responsive teaching and warm demander pedagogy. While there is literature on these two theories of pedagogy, there are few unit plans. This author created a 3rd grade reading unit entitled Readers Workshop Activist Book Review Unit using culturally responsive teaching, warm demander pedagogy and Wiggin’s and McTighe’s “backwards design” curriculum …

Authentic Science Curriculum In An Alternative High School Setting, Julia Brunner

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Research has shown that when students are exposed to authentic inquiry-based curriculum they are more motivated and engaged in the content they are learning. The curriculum designed for this project utilizes Carol Ann Tomlinson and Jay McTighe’s theory of the need to integrate differentiation and the curriculum model of Understanding by Design. Students in Alternative Learning Programs (AEPs), often have negative experiences within education. Apathy and learning gaps are huge obstacles that need to be overcome in this setting. The project involved creating a curriculum that allowed for individualized learning and more student autonomy in their learning. Using the MN …

How Discourse And Collaboration Can Be Used In Mathematics Classrooms To Promote Engagement And Learning, Emily Elsner

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Educators are always looking for ways to promote engagement and achievement for their students. One thing secondary mathematics teachers can do to encourage engagement and achievement is to have students collaborate with each other on group-worthy tasks and engage in mathematical conversations and discourse. Chapter one of this Capstone gives background information as to why this work is important to the author and the author’s personal experiences with collaboration and discourse in mathematics. In chapter two, lots of research and literature is reviewed on the topics of mathematical mindsets, discourse, and collaboration. This chapter gives teachers ways to have students …

Activity Modifications For Growing Up Wild™: Supporting Young Learners With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Valerie Coduto

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Studies have showed that young children spending time outdoors have many positive impacts on their overall physical, social/emotional, and cognitive health. The benefits of nature contact have also been demonstrated for children with developmental disorders, but current mainstream nature-based curriculum provides no activity modifications for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In 2018 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated one in 59 children is diagnosed with ASD. ASD is a developmental disability characterized by significant communication, social, and behavioral difficulties. Research has demonstrated that the more nature children are exposed to, there are positive gains in cognitive functioning, …

Identifying The Components And Interrelationships Of Smart Cities In Indonesia: Supporting Policymaking Via Fuzzy Cognitive Systems, Hendra Sandhi Firmansyah, Suhono Harso Supangkat, Arry A. Arman, Phillipe J. Giabbanelli

Open Access Fund Publications

Multiple Indonesian cities currently aim to qualify as “smart cities.” Previous research on defining smart cities (e.g., the implementation-oriented maturity model) tends to focus on components over interrelationships, is challenging to apply to a specific context such as Indonesia, and offers limited support for policy-relevant questions. In this paper, we propose to address these shortcomings to support policymakers in identifying concrete action plans in Indonesia specifically. Our approach clarifies interrelationships for the context of use and supports structural (e.g., what aspects of a “smart city” are impacted by an intervention?) as well as what-if policy questions. We started with a …

Reviewing The Concept Of Green Hrm And It Practices Application ( Green Staffing): A Review From Literature Background And Testing The Prospective Of Construction Sector In Egypt And Uk, Safaa Shaaban

Business Administration

Green HRM has become one of the most critical topics in the Business world and sustainability. Many researchers and studies indicate that environmental green staffing associated strongly with the success of financial and marketplace components. The Green Human resource in green-oriented organisations plays a significant part in shaping the culture of suitability in their organisation. Shaping the practices and applications of the HR with the green view and applications will have an effect on all HR decisions and through all the activity of shareholders viewpoint. Currently, all the work gives more attention to the relationship between GHRM and organisation sustainability. …

Retrospective Study Of Patients With Hyperphenylalaninemia: Experience From A Tertiary Care Center In Pakistan, Sibtain Ahmed, Hafsa Majid, Lena Jafri, Aysha Habib Khan, Zeba Zulfiqar Ali, Bushra Afroze

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Objective: To assess the clinical and biochemical features as well as outcome of perphenylalaninemia patients.
Methods: The descriptive retrospective study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised data from January 2013 to February 2017 of plasma amino acid analysed at the Biochemical Genetic Laboratory of patients with phenylalanine levels >120 umol/L. Medical charts of patients registered with the Metabolic Clinics were reviewed, while outside referrals were contacted by telephone to collect data on a pre-structured questionnaire. Data was analysed using SPSS 21.
Results: Of the 18 patients, 13(72%) were males. Overall median age was 606 days …

Raised Levels Of Ifn-Gamma And Il-13 Are Associated With Pre-Diabetes Amongst Newly Diagnosed Patients With Tuberculosis, Zahra Hasan, Muhammad Irfan, Qamar Masood, Owais Ahmed, Shoaib Rao, Umme Salama Moosajee, Naseem Salahuddin

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Objective: To investigate pre-diabetes and diabetes in newly-diagnosed tuberculosis patients and to assess the association of serum cytokine levels with diabetes status.
Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted at Indus Hospital and The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi from May to November 2015, and included patients of either gender aged 18 years or more with a confirmed diagnosis of tuberculosis who were either newly diagnosed or had received up to 1 month of anti-tuberculosis therapy were included. Patients were enrolled from among those presenting to the clinics at Indus Hospital, Karachi, and the Department of Medicine, Aga Khan University Hospital …