Education Commons^™

Decolonization Of The Writing Classroom: Creating Space For Decolonial Theory, Tools, Anti-Racist Pedagogy, And Methods To Improve The Emerging Bilingual Student Experience, Desiree L. Brown

Masters Theses

In this thesis, the author addresses the colonial roots of the secondary writing classroom and the origin of standard academic English which enables strict standardized testing and writing assessment requirements that in-turn incite linguistic violence towards emerging bilingual students. The author frames her study within the framework of April Baker-Bell and Asao B. Inoue through a reflective/reflexive study of her teaching in a ninth grade writing classroom in a primarily Hispanic school district in South Texas, which is assessed by the state of Texas through STAAR. This study seeks to identify instances of linguistic violence being perpetuated in the writing …

How Do Staff And Families Perceive The Effects Of After School Programs On The Overall School Experience?, Selena Alonzo

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Connecting With Their Students: Understanding The Impact Of Teachers Using Culturally Relevant Literacy Practices In Elementary Classrooms, Beatrice Acosta

Masters Theses

Despite extensive research indicating the importance of educators connecting with their students, a significant number of teachers fail to associate classroom curriculum with their students’ cultural backgrounds and lived experiences. Even with the best intentions, teachers frequently encounter difficulties in establishing connections with students and seamlessly integrating their diverse cultures and experiences outside of the classroom into lessons. Culturally Relevant Pedagogy is one method teachers use to incorporate their students’ culture into the classroom so that students see themselves in the lessons and become more engaged in their learning. This study was designed to explore teachers’ feelings of cultural competency …

Building Community, Competency, And Creativity In Calculus 2: Summary Of A Pilot Year Of Project Implementation, Jennifer Beichman, Candice R. Price

Feminist Pedagogy

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, instructional modes at our institution moved to fully online and remote, then fully online but on campus, and back to in-person learning in fall 2021. To combat perceived issues in student engagement, we piloted using group projects in place of exams at the natural content break points in Calculus 2.

Experiential Leadership Learning: Narratives Of A Multiple Case Study Of Mexican School Leaders Appointed To Indigenous Schools, Manuel Lopez-Delgado, Argelia Estrada-Loya

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

Training and preparation of school leaders have an impact on the quality of leadership displayed in their readiness for the leadership practice. However, in Mexico the training and preparation processes for school leaders are unclear and lack uniformity. The way of access to headship has promoted that school leaders learn to lead in their role without previous preparation for the position. This paper presents the findings of a study conducted through narratives that analyzed the leadership learning processes of novice and experienced school leaders. The study identified important learning experiences as the receptive observation, malleable observation, practical experiences of leadership, …

Evaluating Principal Effectiveness: A Review Of The Literature, Jerry Burkett

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

The evaluation of a campus principal can be a challenging process due largely to the complicated factors that exist to capture an accurate assessment of a principal’s leadership effectiveness. Generally, principal evaluations are conducted by district-level officials who often do not have the time or the resources to observe campus principals on a regular basis. Further, principal evaluation systems (PES) are designed to improve the practice of principals (Clifford & Ross, 2012; Davis, Kearney, Sanders, Thomas, & Leon, 2011; Fuller & Hollingworth, 2014a; Fuller et al., 2015), and there has historically been an acknowledgment that these evaluations do not always …

The Virtual Counseling Transition And Its Influence On School Counselor Self-Efficacy, Tara Hornor, Lee A. Westberry

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine school counselors’ experiences transitioning to virtual counseling during the Covid-19 pandemic, the factors influencing their sense of confidence, and successes and challenges associated with the transition to virtual counseling. Study participants characterized the transition to virtual counseling as challenging and reported the process decreased their self-efficacy. Participants identified four salient categories of challenges associated with the transition to virtual counseling, including difficulty maintaining accountability and contact with students, decreased work/life balance, diminished sense of connection with students, and lack of preparation to conduct virtual school counseling. Successes resulting from the transition …

Understanding The Impact Of Pedagogical Changes In An Honors Activism Course: A Case Study, Aaron Peeksmease

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

The purpose of this portfolio is to document learning outcomes after initiating three pedagogical changes in an Honors Sociology of Activism course taught at UNL in both the Fall of 2022 and Fall of 2023. The first change was to provide students with prior student work of an assignment to see if student performance on the assignment improved. Findings indicated that providing examples of previous student work did not raise grades on the overall assignment, but did result in stronger projects for that one aspect of the overall assignment. The second change examined the impact of introducing reading quizzes and …

Are Elementary Teachers Prepared To Teach A Stem Focused Curriculum: A Needs Assessment Of An Inner-City Elementary School, Erica Willie

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Educator Preparedness To Leverage Assistive Technologies In The Classroom, Sean Masterman

Doctorate in Education

The fourth industrial revolution (4IR) is driving a compelling need for pedagogical change, yet there is disjuncture between the capacity of emerging technologies to address this need and their actual use in the American classroom. These technologies can enable personalization to meet each student’s individualized learning needs. Educator preparedness is the first step toward embracing and integrating the broad capabilities of emerging technologies to help build the future workforce. This qualitative, phenomenological case study assessed the preparedness of middle school general educators in two Minnesota school districts to leverage assistive technologies (ATs) to improve student learning from the perspective of …

Ecological Barriers To Comprehensive School Counseling Program Implementation, Kristi D. Kratsa, Derron Hilts, Jered B. Kolbert, Matthew Joseph, Matthew L. Nice, Laura M. Crothers

Journal of School-Based Counseling Policy and Evaluation

According to the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), schools designated as Recognized American School Counselor Model Programs (RAMP) demonstrate, through evidence, an alignment with the ASCA National Model, widely recognized as the standard for comprehensive school counseling programs (CSCPs). Empirical investigations of the barriers to achieving the RAMP-designation have primarily focused on the intra- and interpersonal characteristics of the schools’ counselors, with little attention to macro-systemic factors. Grounded in McMahon et al.’s (2014) ecological school counseling framework, we investigated whether macro-systemic characteristics including region, institution type, community setting, and program funding significantly and uniquely predict RAMP-designation above and beyond school …

Title: Assessment Of Student Perception Regarding Clinical Training In Undergraduate Dental Programs Using Clin Ed Iq., Sanaa Ahmed, Samira Adnan, Syed Mahmood Haider

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose. Clinical training is essential part of the dental curriculum. Both clinical environment and Teachers are essential factors which affect the acquired clinical skills. The objective was to assess the perceptions of dental students regarding their clinical training. Methods. This mixed method study using Clin Ed IQ questionnaire was conducted on Dental students graduating from both Private and Public sector institutes of Karachi. The questionnaire had four sections, the first three based on various aspect of clinical training, with responses based on 5-point Likert scale. Section four had open-ended items about dental curriculum. Results. For responses of 220 participants related …

Student Athletic Therapists' Knowledge Of Pain-Relieving Medications: A Nationwide Study, Jackie Vandertuin, Dalya Abdulla, Stephanie Lowther, Joshua Collins

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Misuse of pain-relieving medications (PRMs), including opioids, is high among injured athletes. Athletes are increasingly relying on PRMs and as a result, it is likely that student athletic therapists (SATs) have managed athletes who have misused PRMs and may have potentially missed important symptoms placing athletes in harm. While dispensing PRMs is not within the scope of practice of the SAT, recognition and referral are. Previous research has found that SATs feel ill prepared to recognize PRM misuse and feel tremendous pressure to provide correct health information to the athlete. The purpose of this study was to expand on …

Examining Teacher Leadership: Phenomenology Of The Perceived Challenges Of Being A Teacher Leader, Noelle H. Green

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning Infographics

Today’s school leaders recognize that one person, mainly the principal, cannot adequately address the needs of all members of the school community. Many principals rely on teacher leaders to lead alongside them to further school improvement, knowing that the traditional way of thinking of school leadership as being the sole role of the principal is no longer effective or efficient. While K-12 teachers typically have a strong background in child development, psychology, and pedagogy, many lack experience in leading and facilitating adults and have little background in adult learning theory.

The purpose of this research is to determine how K-12 …

The Effects Of A Shared Vision Of Teacher Leadership On Classroom Teachers’ Instruction, Tiffany L. Bockelmann

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning Infographics

Many models of instructional teacher leadership exist in schools with various outcomes for teachers. The aim of this illustrative case study was to understand systemic alignment in a formal teacher leadership system and how this alignment impacted instructional change. This dissertation was framed by three research questions: 1) How do the rationales of teachers, teacher leaders, and administrators regarding teacher leadership in their school align? 2) How does the coherence of a system of leadership impact classroom teachers’ abilities to engage with formal teacher leaders? 3) How does the coherence of a system of leadership impact classroom teachers’ abilities to …

Narrative Inquiry In Practice: A Study Identifying Themes Of Persistence And Barriers In The Educational Journeys Of American Indian Students In Higher Education, Kristina Cirks

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning Infographics

Increasing in popularity, the use of narrative inquiry in qualitative research study offers a unique perspective and context in sharing lived experiences. This article utilizes a narrative inquiry study to improve the knowledge of why American Indian students have the lowest college graduation rates in the United States. These narratives helped define the barriers that have discouraged American Indian students from persisting in higher education. Predominantly, participants identified the lack of financial support, lack of cultural competency, emotional distress, time poverty, afraid to ask for help, afraid to succeed, and navigating through the college processes as barriers to their educational …

Designing Effective Online Courses: Exploring The Relationships Amongst Online Teaching Self-Efficacy, Professional Development, Online Teaching Experience, And Reported Implementation Of Effective Higher Education Online Course Design Practices, Elizabeth Mcmahon

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning Infographics

How best to prepare and support higher education faculty to design and teach effective online courses is a topic of great significance to higher education institutional leaders and faculty developers. This study explored how hours of professional development along with online teaching and learning experiences were related to online teaching self-efficacy and the extent to which participants reported implementation of effective online course design practices. Using a non-experimental quantitative correlational explanatory research study design, data were collected using a questionnaire. Participants included 104 online faculty from a large public higher education system located in the upper Midwest that includes both …

The Effect Of Visual Arts On At-Risk Students, Nicole E. Seidler

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Creation through visual art is demonstrated by a variety of all ages. Visual art-based learning is known to build focus, reduce stress, provide a sense of accomplishment, and spark an increase in well-being. Many people have been known to benefit from the creation of art. With the COVID-19 pandemic back in 2020, educators across the country have noticed an increase of students who are considered at-risk. Many school districts have made it a priority to look at ways of improving these students’ behavior, participation, view on school, or overall well-being. This research study takes place at a rural Wisconsin high …

Implementation Of Implicit Bias Training In A Doctor Of Nurse Practitioner Program, Macdana Selecon

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Background: Implicit bias in healthcare delivery refers to the unconscious mental associations healthcare providers make about patients from various social groups. Numerous studies suggest implicit bias contributes to health disparities primarily amongst marginalized groups. Furthermore, patients report a lower quality of communication from healthcare providers with higher implicit racial bias. In 2021, Assembly Bill 1407 (Nurses: Implicit Bias Courses Act) was passed to address the negative impact of bias on patient outcomes and requires California nursing schools to provide implicit bias training for nursing students.

Problem: All graduate nursing programs do not provide implicit bias (IB) training. As a result, …

Ethnographic Research Of The Impact Of Catalyst Strategies On The Engagement And Relationships Within The Classroom For 6th Graders Versus 2nd Graders In General Education, Casey Poland, Rene Beaird, Amber Keller, Sara Kubicek

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This 2023 study focused on the effectiveness of the Catalyst Approach to classroom management in a second-grade versus sixth-grade classrooms in the same district. The Catalyst Approach is a comprehensive classroom implementation model that includes strategies for getting attention, engaging students, setting up for success, and supporting success. Whole group strategies are emphasized in this approach to aid in building a productive classroom environment (Burns & Brinkman, 2018). Our focus with this study was threefold: to see how the Catalyst Approach affected classroom management, how the Catalyst Approach affected relationships within the classroom environment, and how the Catalyst Approach compared …

An Analysis Of How Teaching Through Invention And Consolidation Phases Affects High School Students’ Understanding Of Algebraic Concepts And Beliefs About Mathematics, Cally Simanski

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This quantitative study used a pretest and posttest quasi-experimental design to investigate how students’ understanding of algebraic concepts compared when they were taught using invention and consolidation phases or traditional direct instruction. It also explored how students’ beliefs and attitudes toward mathematics were affected by learning through invention and consolidation phases through a survey with a Likert scale. The study took place during the 2022-2023 academic year in the Intermediate Algebra II course at a mid-size public high school in Minnesota. The researcher had two sections of the course and taught one through direct instruction and the other through invention …

Re-Thinking Education For Sustainable Development: Key Learning Insights From The Sdsn Usa Transformative Education Summit 2023, Radhika Iyengar, Sumie Song, Deepak Sridhar, Wendy M. Purcell, Ann Nielsen, Iveta Silova, Matthew A. Witenstein, Wen-Wen Tung

Journal of Contemplative and Holistic Education

This paper summarizes key learning insights from the 2023 U.S. Summit on Transformative Education organized by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network USA. Over 400 members from higher education institutions, non-governmental organizations, think tanks, students, and teachers, joined the online event held February 23-25. The Summit created a bridge between social justice issues with an historical lens and sustainable development. Learning insights include those shared by session speakers, dialogue among participants during thematic conversations and regional networking forums, comments made by attendees on session Jamboards and the Zoom Chat function, and post-Summit feedback. A high-level thematic review was undertaken to cluster …

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy In High School Science: Assessing The Implementation In Title 1 Classrooms, Micah Ducre

Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership Dissertations

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy is defined as, using the cultural characteristics, experiences, and perspectives of ethnically diverse students as conduits for teaching them more effectively (Horowitz et al., 2018). Building relationships with students to understand their backgrounds and experiences to implement the best teaching practices such as accessing prior knowledge and making connections is imperative in a culturally diverse school with students with various learning styles, abilities, and interests. Moreover, the state of Georgia requires teachers to implement instructional practices relevant to students’ culture and learning abilities to receive proficient scores on their yearly evaluations. However, the state must provide its …

Perceptions Of Curriculum Alignment And Student Achievement In Us History Courses In An Urban Characteristic Georgia School, Jameka Fields

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Dissertations

This research study examined the perceptions of school leaders on the alignment of curriculum and student achievement. The purpose of this phenomenographic case study, rooted in Leitzel and Vogler’s (1994) definition of curriculum alignment, was to examine school leader and teacher perception of the relationship between curriculum alignment and student achievement as evidenced by document analysis and interviews with individuals who teach and support United States History courses in an urban characteristic Georgia high school. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the school principal, US History teachers, the assistant principal for instruction, and the assistant principal that supports and evaluates US …

Implementing Global Citizenship Education: A Case Study Of Exemplary Practices, Opportunities, And Challenges, Judson Kidd

Doctor of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to begin to explore the challenges, opportunities, and benefits of a differentiated curriculum for gifted middle grades students that was based on both state standards and within a global citizenship education framework (GCE). The study used active middle grades social studies practitioners as research participants. The study was guided by two research questions; (1) What are teachers’ practices when building a thematic curriculum based on GCE? (2) What are the teachers’ perceived challenges, opportunities, and benefits of a social studies curriculum based on GCE? Data points for the study included lesson and …

Letter From The Editor In Chief, Jeffrey Lee

Transform

The TRANSFORM journal is a space for leaders, mentors, researchers, and practitioners of transformational leadership to be seen, heard, and valued; it is a place for making connections. Relationship-building is central to transformational leadership at all levels of an organization; this fundamental truth is a trending topic in literature. Otherwise, however, leadership can be an isolating experience.

As an ethnographer, I believe the best way to launch an academic, peer-reviewed journal is to do what I do best: storytelling. I want to share my thoughts on transformational leadership through a story in the form of a letter to my younger …

Beyond The Bell: Rebuilding Care, Civic Learning And Creativity Within Youth Spaces, Michelle R. Haapala

Culminating Experience Projects

The purpose of this research is to investigate high school age students’ opportunities within formal classroom settings to engage in care, civic learning, and creativity within a suburban, publicly-funded charter school. This study used thematic analysis and coding methods to organize and find patterns in the qualitative data from surveys distributed to education professionals at Canton Preparatory High School in Canton, Michigan. The goal is to establish a foundation of the perception of care, civic learning, and creativity within school environments and classroom settings. Overall, education professionals rated these categories positively, but with a closer investigation, a disconnect is found. …

Learn Twice Invited Brief: Experiential Learning, Daniel Holland, Jim Cannon

Huntsman School of Business Teaching Scholarship Series

This article provides a review of the concept of experiential learning, an overview of the theory, its benefits, and a range of examples both inside and outside the classroom. It concludes with a discussion of the steps that teachers can take to create experiential learning opportunities.

Review Of Student Agency In The Classroom: Honoring Student Voice In The Curriculum, Clyde Barnett Iii

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

A review of the book Student Agency in the Classroom: Honoring Student Voice in the Curriculum by Margaret Vaughn.

The Effect Of Reading Habits On Academic Success, Taylor Hicks

Culminating Experience Projects

The goal of most students is to achieve academic success. In order to be successful, students must form healthy reading habits because there is a positive correlation between academic success and reading habits. The more students read, the greater their chances of performing well academically. By participating in frequent reading, students will, not only perform well in school, they will also expand their vocabulary, improve their writing skills, and sharpen their critical thinking skills. We are in the midst of a literacy crisis, though. Students are choosing other avenues for entertainment instead of reading. This could potentially have detrimental consequences. …