Education Commons^™

An Examination Of Educator Perspectives On Career And College Pathways For Black, Indigenous, And Students Of Color With Disabilities, Rachel Anne Herrick

Dissertations and Theses

Black, Indigenous, and students of color (BIPOC students) in high school, who are dually experiencing the socially constructed labels of race and disability (BIPOC-SWD), are not provided with equitable access to Career and College Pathway (CCP) programs, which contributes to a lack of preparedness and success within postsecondary settings. Despite school reform policy efforts that incorporate Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP) and Career and College Readiness frameworks, BIPOC-SWD perpetually have lower achievement rates, poorer postsecondary outcomes, and are less prepared for careers or college.

Utilizing a Disability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit) lens, this comparative case study was used to examine educator …

The Impact Of Using Pow+ Tree With High School Students With Adhd: Story Writing And Perceptions, Katie Page Kroeze

Dissertations and Theses

Only limited research has been completed that examines the impact of teaching outlining on improving ADHD students’ writing skills and perceptions about writing. An abundance of research demonstrates high school students with ADHD struggle with writing and organization skills. This study investigated the impact of using the POW + TREE outlining strategy on high school students with ADHD preparing a composition and how using this strategy impacted a high school student with ADHD’s perception of writing. To answer the first research question, high school students with ADHD were given the task to write an Opinion Story without the use of …

Analyzing The Academic Achievement Of Secondary Virtual Learners During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Case Study, Christina Kaye Board

Dissertations and Theses

Secondary students from a mid-sized school district in the rural Midwest who had chosen an asynchronous learning environment during the COVID-19 pandemic were analyzed to determine predictors of academic achievement and perceptions of their learning during the pandemic. An explanatory, mixed methods case study was conducted to sequentially analyze quantitative data and qualitatively analyze their experiences. Archival data from 288 students [F(7, 281) = 20.87, p < .001] was used predict grade point average (GPA) during virtual learning (M = 2.43, SD = 0.89) using a multiple linear regression (R2 = .326). This study was done to determine what factors help educators understand the variables that aide in student achievement while virtual learning. Predictor variables included race/ethnicity, sex, socioeconomic status, grade level, past attendance, past GPA, and number of parents/guardians in the home. Significant predictors were grade level, past GPA (M = 3.05), and sex. The focus of the qualitative research was on access to technology, digital literacy, attitude, motivation, and social connectedness prior to, during, and post-virtual learning. Four themes emerged. Results from this study suggest that schools should consider the type of virtual environment they provide, instructional design that includes social interaction, and professional development for staff prior to implementation of a virtual learning environment to increase achievement.

High School Students’ Nature Of Science Understandings And Scientific Argumentation Skills In The Context Of Socioscientific Issues, John Michael Williams

Dissertations and Theses

Today’s high school graduates are required to digest and interpret massive amounts of information related to science. National standards documents in science education promote the development of skills to effectively evaluate the credibility of scientific information, with the goal of producing citizens capable of making scientifically informed decisions after graduation. These skills include the ability to make reasoned arguments based on evidence (Scientific Argumentation [SA]) and an understanding of how scientific knowledge is generated, validated, and communicated (Nature of Science [NOS]). While the importance of these skills is not in dispute, the few studies that have examined the connection between …