Education Commons^™

The Lived Experience Of Teachers Choosing An Arts-Rich Approach In Turnaround Schools, Jennie A. Moctezuma

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Increased metacognition, social-emotional growth, and career viability are all researched benefits of including the arts as part of core content instruction, with even greater impact for struggling students, English Language Learners, and students with special needs. Some turnaround schools that are federally funded School Improvement Grant (SIG) schools are beginning to implement an arts-rich method of school reform by teaching core content both through and in the arts. This approach is most often presented as a choice in the high-stakes testing environment of turnaround schools. Since teachers have the most direct impact on students, yet a relatively low amount of …

A Narrative Case Study Examining The Influences Of Peer-Led Team Learning On Student Critical Thinking Skill Acquisition And Deeper Process Content Knowledge In A Midsize Texas University Humanities And Social Sciences Program, Daniel E. Pratt

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation will examine the efficacy of peer-led team learning (PLTL) in a humanities and social sciences program, at a midsize Texas university. It will be conducted exclusively within the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS), and the academic subjects to be evaluated include English, history, and philosophy. Its primary function is to disclose whether or not PLTL facilitates in student participants improvement in critical thinking skill acquisition and deeper process content knowledge. Of primary interest in this qualitative, narrative case study is deducing how breakout sessions – supplementary meetings led by student participants, in the absence of instructors, …

Empowering Refugees Through Self-Education, Ayanna Osborne

Master's Projects and Capstones

This project focuses on how to create easier access to education in refugee camps. This is discussed through the ideas of self-directed learning and cooperative learning. As well, the current need for education is explored. Several case studies are provided demonstrating that people without a formal education have successfully been able to seek information and teach themselves. As well, studies are discussed in which individuals have been shown to efficiently seek information and teach one another.

My website provided is still under construction as of 01/2018. It will be completed by the end of the year. Anyone is welcome to …

Perceptions Of Effective Teaching Strategies And Assessments Of Critical Thinking In Radiographic Clinical Practice, Christian Raby

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The following dissertation represents research concerning radiologic science clinical coordinators and program director’s perception of student critical thinking skills, teaching strategies and assessment. The survey used in the study was based on Gosnell’s (2010) model that evaluated critical thinking skills in radiography program director perceptions. Results from the research offers a contribution to the field of radiography in general and specifically in clinical practice. The survey was sent electronically through Qualtrics to 523 clinical coordinators employed at JRCERT accredited institutions. A solid 31.74% response rate was reached with a slightly skewed delineation of facility representation (hospital 18.9%, community college 38.41% …

Best Practices Used By Assistant Superintendents Of Curriculum And Instruction: Improving Teacher Instruction In A High Accountability Environment, Julie Madden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative multi-case study investigated not only the role of assistant superintendents of curriculum and instruction, but the strategies and best practices used by four assistant superintendents of curriculum and instruction and a deputy superintendent of teaching and learning from East Texas in order to improve classroom instruction and support teachers in the high-stakes testing environment. The study sheds light on the role of central office leaders, their views related to the high-stakes testing environment and the impact they have on instruction for teachers and students. The responses given in this qualitative case study were carefully analyzed in order to …

The Impacts Of Explicit Systematic Phonics Instruction On The Areas Of Decoding And Fluency For Students With A Specific Learning Disability In Reading, Marina Hingston

Capstones, Research Projects, and Curricula

The purpose of this embedded, mixed methods action research study was to examine the impacts of explicit, systematic phonics instruction on students with a specific learning disability in reading. A phonics intervention program, S.P.I.R.E., was implemented over the course of four weeks. The participants were two 4th graders and one 6th grader, all who had an identified specific learning disability in the area of reading. Data was collected on decoding accuracy pre and post intervention, as well as on reading fluency using timed one minute fluency drills. In addition, student perceptions of the S.P.I.R.E. program were also gathered using a …

Teaching Reduced Forms: A Curriculum Guide For Junior High English Language Teachers Using Digital Technology Based Activities And Classroom Games, Dion Sanchez

Master's Projects and Capstones

Japanese English language students often struggle with listening comprehension when communicating with native English speakers due to the use of reduced forms. Native speakers use contractions, reductions, elisions, and linking in casual speech which sounds unfamiliar to students who have not been exposed to reduced forms in their classrooms. In order to facilitate improved listening skills and help students with speaking fluency, reduced forms ought to be taught in English classrooms.

While the use of reduced forms by native English speakers has been recognized as a problem for English students, incorporating reduced forms instruction into an English curriculum involves overcoming …

Teaching Efl/Esl College-Level Learners Through Current Global Topics: Integrated Lessons For Efl/Esl Teachers, Chaiyeon Sylvia Lee

Master's Projects and Capstones

The importance of educating effective English users competent in communicating and interacting in a variety of social settings is highlighted in today’s highly globalized world. Being able to understand and discuss complex global topics related to current cultural, social, and business issues and events has become an integral skill of English learners to achieve greater international connectivity. Unfortunately, many EFL/ESL college-level students, specifically Korean EFL students, do not seem to have sufficient preparation to build English communicative competence and cultural awareness necessary to cope with various situations in which they need to communicate meaningfully and purposefully as effective English users. …

Recreating Resistance: Rape Culture Resistance Through Human Rights Education, Hailey D. Vincent

Master's Projects and Capstones

Sexual violence and rape culture are substantial issues in our society and on our college campuses. The goal of this project is to provide research that investigates rape culture on college campuses as a human rights violation and ways to address it in an intersectional manner through human rights education. The research for this project, conducted through a literature review, provides the ability to look at rape culture through a human rights education lens. In response to the research conducted, Recreate Resistance was created as a pedagogical tool for educators in First Year Experience (FYE) programs on college campuses. Recreate …

The Relationship Between Student Participation In A 1:1 Laptop Initiative And Academic Achievement In A 9-12 Upper Middle Class Suburban New Jersey Public School District, Brian P. Gatens

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The use of laptop computers in 1:1 settings is becoming increasingly prevalent in America’s schools. As greater numbers of students are using this technology, establishing its benefits and costs is paramount, especially in light of so many demanding fiscal situations. This study used quantitative research and analysis to measure the benefits and costs of such an expansive distribution of technology. It seeks to answer the question of the worth of such a large-scale adoption.

This study explored the relationship between the use of a laptop computer on a 1:1 basis for the purpose of academic instruction and its connection …

Can Addressing Language Skills For Fifth Grade Ells In A Multiplication Curriculum Help Address The Achievement Gap In Math? A Multiplication Workbook For Big Kids, Michelle Douglas

Master's Projects and Capstones

Currently, the state of California has 1,332,405 students from grades k-12 who speak a language other than English at home (Caledfacts, 2016). When I started my first year teaching fifth grade with 95% of my students being English language learners (ELLs), I was surprised to see an achievement gap of two to three years in my student’s reading and math skills. I found that my student’s developmental language and math skills contributed to a lack of engagement during math time. Upon further research, I found that these three factors play a role in the wide achievement gaps between ELLs and …

Residential Life Curriculum: Wyoming Seminary, Allie Maxwell

Capstone Collection

This course linked capstone will focus on creating a residential life curriculum that is student centered, increases cultural competencies, and strengthens the community of the Wyoming Seminary Upper School. Many boarding schools have accepted international students into their schools to respond to a growing revenue need while simultaneously adding to a school’s diversity. The shift in student demographics has created a secondary level international education sector without many people specializing in this arena. Additionally, there has been a push to increase residential life resources in schools to help increase student support. With the drive for additional support and a growing …

Anti-Japanese Sentiment Among Graduates Of South Korean Public Schools, Jamal Barbari

Capstone Collection

This capstone paper aims to explore how South Koreans, who have graduated public high school within the past seven years (from 2010 to 2017) view Japan and Japanese people, and what (if at all) information concerning Japan and Japanese people was established and received during their presence in the public school system. Through a brief analysis into the history and intricate relationship between Korea and Japan, introduction into hidden curriculum and its significance in this context, as well as ten personal interviews with South Korean graduates who fit the criteria for this research, this capstone paper offers a distinctive insight …

Reflection Through Revision: A Master's Portfolio, Laura Hoebing

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

This document is a compilation of four essays centered around a theme of reflection and teaching English at a high school level. The essays include pedagogical research on reflective writing, teaching grammar, and standards-based grading in a junior high curriculum, as well as an analytical research essay on the role of the police in two contemporary domestic noir novels.

Pedagogies Of Possibilities: (Re)Designing Teacher Professional Learning To Support The Use Of Digital Technologies In Multimodal Pedagogies, Lori Mckee

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Digital technologies have the potential to expand communication opportunities (Walsh, 2011), but challenges exist in including these technologies in early literacy instruction (Flewitt, Messer, & Kucirkova, 2015). The literature explains that teachers identify a need for support in using digital technologies in their teaching (e.g., Hill, 2010) and professional learning activities are herein key. Still, the research offers differing advice about the formats these activities should take and the types of literacy digital technologies can support. This exploratory multiple-case study was designed to create teacher professional learning (TPL) opportunities to support early primary teachers (kindergarten-Grade 2) in creating and enacting …

A Case Study Of Two Taiwanese Students With Hearing Loss Navigating The English As A Foreign Language Requirement At Their University, Yu Chen

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

Many institutions of higher education (IHE) students in Taiwan now need to meet the English proficiency requirement to earn their higher education degrees. In this case study, I intended to a) provide the opportunity for IHE students with hearing loss in Taiwan to share their opinions, thoughts, and experiences of learning English as a foreign language in higher education institutes; and b) understand how English as a foreign language policies and educational practices contribute to create opportunities and barriers for IHE students with hearing loss. The research question I intended to examine was “what are the perceptions of the lived …

Agony Or Ecstasy: A Mixed Methods Study Of The Accelerated Reader Program And Students' Attitudes Toward Reading, Ladonna Stout Boone

Doctoral Dissertations

The impetus for this study was to determine how Accelerated Reader influences the reading attitudes of fourth grade students of varied reading proficiencies who had been exposed to Accelerated Reader since kindergarten. Interested in students’ attitudes and motivation toward reading, I examined fourth grade students’ reading motivation among two award winning Blue Ribbon Schools in East Tennessee, one of which used Accelerated Reader as the pathway to literacy success while the other did not. Comparisons between the two schools were made in order to determine if there were differences in students’ attitudes and motivation toward reading. This explanatory mixed methods …

Empirical Analyses Of An Urban Early College High School In The Southeastern United States., Sherry Lynn Lawrence, Dinah Lisa Millsaps, Michael Stephen Newman

College of Education & Human Development Capstone Projects

Research shows that too many students are graduating high school ill-prepared for post-secondary success. The purpose of this capstone was to explore early college in relation to student success. We conducted three independent but related studies that incorporated the perspectives of current students, graduates, and quantitative data. The first study investigated how ECHS graduates described their high school experiences, as well as how those experiences contributed to their college readiness and transition to college. The second study, a narrative analysis, sought to understand the lived academic and social experiences of students currently enrolled in an ECHS. The final study took …

Computer Ratio And Student Achievement In Reading And Math In A North Carolina School District, Erica Preswood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This longitudinal research project explored the relationship between a 1:1 computing initiative and student achievement on the North Carolina End of Grade Reading Comprehension and Math tests in the study school district. The purpose of this research study was to determine if the implementation of a 1:1 computing initiative impacted student performance on standardized tests. This study used secondary, longitudinal data to follow a sample of the district’s 2012-2013 3rd grade students through the 2015-2016 school year. The study used student grade level proficiency on the North Carolina End of Grade Reading Comprehension and Math tests for both the district …

Ojos Vendados: An Ethnographic Approach To Understanding How Immigration Status And Language Influence The Identity Of High School Students In The Rio Grande Valley, Ariana Garza

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined oppressive factors Mexican immigrant students, or children of Mexican immigrants, face throughout their lives in RGV. These factors, which are termed “blindfolds” throughout this paper, can have a great impact on these students’ identity. The purpose of this study was to expose students to the blindfolds give them an opportunity to remove them and move past the oppressive measures that may have shaped how they are.

Knowing the implications of these stereotypes can explain why students may choose to be certain ways or do certain things. We can use this information to our advantage as educators of …

Form, Function, And Relevance Of Contemporary Language Resource Centers, Paul L. Sebastian

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation was conducted in order to better understand the interplay between form, function, and relevance regarding contemporary language resource centers (LRCs). Five language centers housed by four different institutions of higher education in the western region of the United States were examined. Two representatives from each of the five centers were interviewed either in-person or over the phone (N = 10). Data were collected in the form of semi-structured interviews, on-site visits, and research journal entries. The data were analyzed using a flexible combination of multi-level qualitative coding, descriptive statistics, and narrative analysis. This study confirms recent findings …

Improving Reading Through Fine Motor Skill Development In First Grade, Tyler West-Higgins

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Children who struggle with learning to read in first grade, fall behind, and have difficulty catching up with their peers. Research has shown students who struggle to read in first grade, also struggle to read in later years. The purpose of this study was to determine if an intervention to enhance fine motor skills to a select group of students in one class room increased their reading abilities. This was a mixed methods research study which assessed the quantitative data from the running record assessments, and the qualitative data taken by teacher-aide during assessment process post fine motor intervention. This …

Critical Success Factors For Agile Project Management In Non-Software Related Product Development Teams, Jeff Totten

Dissertations

The use of agile project management methods in the software development industry is well established and researched. The purpose of this study is to understand whether agile project management methods (Scrum in particular) used successfully in the software industry are also being used in full, or in part, in non-software development industries when managing product development projects.

Using an online survey instrument, data was collected from 329 non-software/IT global practitioners to identify in what industries and work functions agile project management methods are used, to find the independent variables that have a significant relationship with project success, and to determine …

Program Models, Pre-Service Teachers, And Emergent Bilingual Instruction, Hannah R. Meineke

Theses and Dissertations

It is estimated by the year 2030, over 40% of the K-12 population in U.S. schools will be children whose first language is not English (U.S. Census Bureau, 2007; Shin & Ortman, 2011). This situation has potential academic consequences for emergent bilingual students (EBS) attending schools without adequate accommodations. The issue of teachers who are underprepared to meet the needs of EBS contributes to the academic consequences absorbed by this K-12 population, and to the social and cultural cycle of oppression for this marginalized group. Thus, integrating knowledge, skills, and dispositions (KSDs) beneficial for meeting the needs of EBS becomes …

Supporting Narrative Writing Proficiency And Engagement In A Montessori Upper Elementary Classroom Through The Writing Workshop Model And 6+1 Traits Of Writing, Kirstin A. Nordhaus

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research project set out to determine the effects of daily writing workshop lessons, including the 6+1 Traits of Writing vocabulary, on student writing proficiency and engagement. An upper elementary classroom of 17 students, consisting of nine fourth graders and eight fifth graders, in an independent, suburban Montessori school participated in this study. Students completed a five-week narrative writing unit from Calkins, Ochs, & Luick’s (2017) Up the Ladder curriculum. The teacher-researcher collected data through observation, writing prompts scored using a 6+1 Traits of Writing rubric, student feedback forms, Bottomley, Henk, & Melnick’s (1997/1998) Writer Self-Perception Scale, and small …

The Effects Of Collaboration On Teacher Empowerment, Brittany Kay Feinauer

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The purpose of this action research project was to measure the effects that collaborative curriculum planning had on three early childhood classrooms in a private Montessori school. The study population included six early childhood teachers who collectively designed a curriculum and helped collect data for the first seven weeks of the intervention. Each participant filled out a teacher feedback form which was based on Spreitzer’s (1995) psychological empowerment scale to measure changes in perceptions of four different aspects of empowerment: meaning, competence, self-determination, and impact. The primary researcher also analyzed data from individual teacher journals, notes from weekly discussions, and …

Turning Point Career Exploration, Iliana Cardoso

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

According to the 2016-2017 Community Action Plan, Monterey County has a youth homicide rate of 23.32 per 100,000 in population compared to the California average of 8.06 per 100,000 (Monterey County Action Plan, 2017). Due to unstable homes, poverty, gang violence and other traumatic past experiences at-risk youth are at a higher exposure to unhealthy life challenges. Life-skills lessons can provide an opportunity for this adolescents to become a positive asset to their communities. This capstone focuses on providing the guidance, support, encouragement and readiness for the youth to find employment and become successful. The project “Turning Point Career …

Young Adult Literature And Empathy In Appalachian Adolescents, Kelsey R. Kiser

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Based on recent research concluding that fiction can increase empathy, this project examines how multicultural young adult literature may encourage empathy in Appalachian adolescents. Empathy encourages prosocial behaviors, but evidence suggests that young adults’ ability to empathize has declined in recent decades. In addition, Appalachia in particular is still a relatively homogenous region as it is majority white, protestant Christian, and heteronormative. Because of this, young adults in Appalachia may encounter few diverse perspectives in real life; multicultural young adult literature can provide diverse perspectives with which teenagers can empathize in a region where they might not have similar opportunities …

Consistent Coaching And Alignment: A New Way Of Work For College Readiness System Staff, Christie L. Mcmullen

Dissertations

As an answer to a missing system of interaction and accountability between College Readiness System (CRS) Staff and school systems across the country, a coaching framework was created. This framework provides a repeatable, consistent model for CRS staff members to use with each school implementing CRS across the nation. This paper outlines the new coaching framework, the need for having a framework and the process for getting all stakeholders to support the new system. This process would be applicable for implementing any type of change within a large non-profit organization. This change leadership project includes ways to get organizations to …

Transforming The American Education System: A Program Evaluation Of A School District’S 1:1 Chromebook Pilot, Michael Marassa

Dissertations

The focus of this program evaluation is to determine the impact of a Google Chromebook 1:1 program on the learning process and educational experience for students and teachers. The participants attend two high schools of a high-performing public-school district in an affluent Chicago suburb. The following research questions guide the program evaluation:

• What is the measurable relationship between academic performance and engagement and the 1:1 Chromebook program?
• What changes in instructional practice occur with the implementation of 1:1 Chromebooks?

A literature review presents current research in areas that explore 21st Century Skills, Tony Wagner’s Global Achievement Gap, constructivist instructional pedagogy, …