Education Commons^™

The Effects Of Text-Based Gaming On Reading Comprehension For Students With Intellectual Disability, Faith Ihrig

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since the COVID-19 Pandemic, reading comprehension and reading engagement have decreased in the United States. Our world is also becoming increasingly technological, and a large percentage of individuals in the United States, specifically children, are playing video games. There are increasing amounts of video games that target educational skills, such as reading and math, and video games that have been created strictly for entertainment. This study examined the potential effects of playing text-based video games on the comprehension and engagement of 6-8 grade students with intellectual disabilities. A Multiple Baseline Across Participants single case design was used to measure the …

Trends, Challenges, And Evidence-Based Strategies For School Dropout Prevention In Virginia, David B. Naff, Thea Racelis, Regina Frazier, Meleah Ellison, Christina Tillery, Andy Bristow, Audra P. Lancaster, Sabrina Evans, Leah Wiedenhoft, Dina Abdul Rahman, Sharrie Merritte, Karli Johansen, Sooyean Moon, Jean Samuel, Tara Davison

MERC Publications

This MERC research and policy brief explores school dropout prevention by focusing on recent trends and research. It addresses the following questions:

1) What are recent trends in school dropout?
2) What factors contribute to school dropout?
3) What are the consequences and implications of school dropout?
4) What are evidence-based strategies for school dropout prevention?
5) What are federal, state, and division-level policies related to school dropout prevention in the MERC region?

It concludes with a series of key takeaways and recommendations.

Secondary Teaching Thriving: Investigating Secondary Teacher Well-Being And Contributing Factors To Thriving, Ryan H. Nichols

PhD in Education

The purpose of this study was to examine secondary teacher thriving using the PERMA well-being model. This non-experimental, quantitative survey aimed to discover secondary teachers’ well-being and how the dimensions of well-being are predictive of thriving among secondary teachers in the United States. Using a comprehensive researcher-created instrument assessing participants’ sense of thriving and PERMA well-being, the study resulted in statistically significant findings with 55 secondary teachers participating in the survey. Both sense of thriving and the dimensions of thriving were statistically significant in a one sample ttest. Demographics, such as school classifications, years of experience, and geographic locations, were …

A Qualitative Study Examining The Literacy Experiences Of Male Middle School Students Inside And Outside Of School, Ari Raymond Colondres

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

A literacy gap is a difference between a person’s ability to read for understanding and meaning-making and their anticipated ability to read for their grade level. A larger proportion of males are at least one or more years below grade level in reading ability compared to their female peers. This reading difference is called the gender literacy gap. Students over one year below grade level are at an increased risk of dropping out of high school and face the possibility of diminished lifetime earnings. Gender, low levels of motivation, low socio-economic status, low engagement, and school perceptions of literacy are …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Using Social Media For Classroom Instruction In Secondary Schools, Beverlee Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

Much research has been done to explore social media on students and instructors and their perceptions of social media use in higher education, but little research has been done on teachers in secondary education and their perceptions of social media use in the classroom. Due to the lack of research, the purpose of the study was to examine teachers’ perceptions of social media use to improve students’ learning and students’ engagement and if their perceptions varied by selected demographic variables. The study was conducted in three northeast Mississippi secondary schools, a 6th and 7th grade school, 8th and 9th grade …

Lay It All On The Line: The Effect Of Teacher-Student Conferencing In Middle Grades Mathematics Classrooms, Natalie Ostrander

Doctor of Education Dissertations

Increasing math achievement continues to be a commonly talked about subject in the educational setting. This case study observes one classroom teacher who implemented teacher-student conferencing in middle grades mathematics classes. The purpose of this study was to reveal the perceived impact of teacher-student conferencing on student engagement and with student achievement. Through a qualitative approach, perceptual data were collected through teacher journaling, conference logs, observations, and an interview. Research occurred in one school district in southeastern North Carolina with middle grades students in sixth and eighth grades. After the qualitative data were collected by me, data were analyzed using …

Kentucky Public Charter Schools, Pamela Manning-Hamilton

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Kentucky public charter school law was introduced in 2017, the purpose of the new innovative schools were to close the achievement gap among the education system within the state. Charter schools are new-age schools that have a smaller class size, use differentiated instructional strategies that integrate technology to promote engagement, which in turn increases student growth and success. Advantages of charter schools within other states include differentiated environment, culture, and performance. Disadvantages of charter schools involve taking resources from traditional schools, higher resource costs, and demands. The study was approached using a basic qualitative research method. The purpose of the …

Alternative Application Of Oral History In The Secondary Classroom, Alan English

Educational Considerations

While oral history has been demonstrated to hold potential as a more engaging and rigorous alternative to textbook-centered instruction, it has also failed to replace textbooks as the mainstream methodology in high school classrooms. Here, the author presents oral history data from Jim Walch, a WWII, Korean War, and Vietnam War veteran who “retired” as a Red Cross emergency relief worker as well as sample classroom activities derived from that data. The objective is that these sample activities may be received as more approachable than traditional oral history methodology to secondary teachers who are accustomed to textbook-based instruction. It is …

How Padlet Encouraged Student Collaboration And Engagement In My Virtual Classroom, Annie Yon

New Jersey English Journal

With the growth of virtual classes, it is crucial for teachers to integrate strategies and resources that foster student engagement and build a sense of community in an online environment. One way to augment synchronous and asynchronous communication is to implement an online discussion board, which can provide rich opportunities for students to share insights, ask clarifying questions, collaborate, create multimodal projects, and have their voices heard. By incorporating an interactive discussion board, such as Padlet, as part of class resources, teachers can facilitate discourse among students that transcends the physical boundaries of the classroom, create a motivational environment, improve …

The Effects That A Flipped Classroom Has On Engagement And Academic Performance For High School Mathematics Students, Jordan Geraets

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Flipped classrooms continue to spark educator’s attention and curiosity as an alternative to the traditional teaching and engagement in a classroom, especially during the time of a global pandemic. New, innovative technology has allowed for educators to be able to evolve their classrooms into new learning environments. Research into how flipped classrooms can impact mathematics classrooms and how students engage and perform differently than in a traditional mathematics classroom was expanded on in this study to determine what benefits there could be for students and how effective the teaching model can be in a class where students often struggle. As …

Gradeless Learning: The Effect Of Eliminating Traditional Grading Practices On Student Engagement And Learning, Eric Sanders

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

In order for students to learn at high levels, there must be high expectations and strong feedback. Although traditional grading seems to be an inherent part of the educational system, there are multiple purposes for grades which often causes frustrations for both teachers and students. There is a need to expand the research on grading and its effect on both student learning and motivation. This action research study centered on three research questions: 1) What effect does the elimination of traditional grading practices have on student engagement in learning? 2) What impact does the removal of traditional grading practices and …

Engaging Students In The Virtual Classroom: A Mixed-Methods Study Of Teacher Leaders Creating Connections Through Virtual Learning Communities, Michaine Suzanne Ashley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The core problem that drove this study was high attrition rates and low student academic growth in virtual students when compared to their brick and mortar peers. To investigate this issue, the study focused on one issue related to the core problem: student engagement. The purpose of the study was to determine what pedagogical practices and instructional strategies were utilized by teachers in their virtual learning communities (VCLs) in order to engage students in the virtual classroom. This explanatory-sequential, mixed methods, single case study was conducted through the collection of archival data and through a teacher questionnaire and follow up …

The Motivations Toward Decisions In Delaying To Apply For College: High School Seniors Of Single Parent Households, John R. Leach Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It has been said that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The National Center for Education Statistics reports that 30% of students who graduated from high school do not enroll in college (NCES, 2018). This phenomenological study integrates several instruments to identify the motivational elements of amotivation, autonomy, extrinsic, and intrinsic motivational stimuli. The research data reveal that intrinsic motivational factors play a more significant role in the decision-making process. The participants in this study revealed their extrinsic and intrinsic motivation for postsecondary endeavors by articulating how they perceive decision-making for their actions. Participants of dual- …

Teachers' Instructional Decisions And Student Agency In New Purposefully Designed Learning Spaces, Yanira Oliveras Ortiz, Dalane Bouillion, Lizzy Asbury

Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

Learning that promotes student agency and active, cognitive student engagement has a positive impact on students’ self-efficacy, learning, and achievement. When designing lessons that foster student agency and active engagement, educators must consider multiple variables, including the space where learning will take place. In order to understand how students perceive the impact of spaces in learning and how designed areas are being used by teachers, a qualitative study was conducted at a newly designed energy industry-focused high school. This manuscript presents the students' perspectives related to student agency, the value of learning, students' role in their learning, and how cognitively …

A Phenomenological Study That Examined The Experiences Of High School Teachers Who Build Supportive Classroom Environments That Encourage African-American Students To Graduate, Tressa D. Matthews

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions and lived experiences of high school teachers who have created supportive classroom environments that encourage African-American students to graduate. The theory guiding this study was the self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2008) as it explains the psychological needs of students to encourage persistence toward high school graduation. The central question guided the research in describing the experiences of high school teachers who have created a supportive classroom environment at high schools with high graduation rates for African-American students in Southeastern Michigan. The study sought to determine the experiences …

Secondary Mathematics Teachers' And Students' Approaches To Engagement And Motivation For Mathematics Learning In The Classroom, Leenah Bouzid

Honors Theses

Engagement and motivation in a mathematics classroom is an issue that educators and researchers continually examine and analyze to understand and develop ways to maintain or increase. The main goal of this thesis research project is to gain insight and understand what engagement and motivation means in a mathematics classroom by examining secondary mathematics teachers and students. The literature from researchers and educators describe components that contribute to engagement and motivation such as mathematical disposition, which is the attitudes and beliefs towards the subject and learning the subject, self-efficacy, which is about the student’s belief in one’s own capabilities, intrinsic …

Explicit Inclusion Of Fun In Instruction As A Catalyst For Academic Success, Kimberly Tyskiewicz

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Low graduation rates, rising drop-out rates, and increasing apathy and disengagement in learning has prompted the need for new strategies and interventions in education. This case study provides an analysis of the perceptions of high school teachers related to the impact of the explicit, intentional inclusion of fun in direct instruction. The participants included approximately 20% of the faculty in a semirural high school of approximately 1,325 students. The case study involved individual interviews with half of the participants and the other half participating in a focus group conversation. Six participants in each group were observed. All comments and concepts …

Differentiated Homework: Impact On Student Engagement, Gearoid Keane, Manuela Heinz

Journal of Practitioner Research

This paper describes a mixed methods practitioner research study that aimed to enhance student engagement with homework. Based on a comprehensive literature review and data from a pre-study questionnaire, a differentiated homework strategy was designed by the teacher researcher. Students were assigned homework once a week to allow them to balance homework requirements more successfully with out-of-school activities. They were given a choice of three tasks each week, ranging from lower to higher difficulty levels. Task difficulty levels were not stated, nor were tasks ordered by difficulty. Students’ attitudes towards homework improved over the course of the study and completion …

Influence Of A Drama Based Education Program On The Development Of Empathy In Year 10, Western Australian Students, Scott Corbett

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this study was to understand which elements of the drama processes are most conducive to increasing empathy in adolescents. Empathy can have a significant impact on situational and dispositional pro-social behaviour in adolescents. It is positively related to moral development, healthy relationships and problem-solving skills; and negatively related to bullying behaviour, aggression, and victimisation. The practice of Creative Drama, in particular the work of Dorothy Heathcote and Bruce Burton, has informed drama programs that foster empathy in participants. This process, combined with the Actor Training system of Constantin Stanislavski, and the Forum Theatre model developed by Augusto …

Male Educators Implementing Instructional Practices That Academically Engage Students, Kenneth B. Beneby

Theses and Dissertations

Male Educators Implementing Instructional Practices That Academically Engage Students. Kenneth Bernard Beneby, 2019. Applied Dissertation, Nova Southeastern University, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. Keywords: teacher, African American male teachers, academic engagement, secondary teaching profession, pedagogies, African American male students

This phenomenological research explored how a selected group of African American male educators understood their own experiences while implementing strategies to academically engage African American male students. The research explored the public secondary education experiences of African American male educators to better understand their occupational understandings; how having more African American educators were helpful in …

Reach Children By Teaching Children, Not Content: A Road Map To The Whole Child, Christopher Williams

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Teaching children is what teachers want to do, but all too often teachers end up teaching content and the children are left behind in the rear-view. Experience and discuss what it is like to teach using a curriculum map like a road map. Student engagement and positive school culture will be used to show how at-risk students can surpass expectations when they are taught and the subject area content information is used as the vehicle to shape a more positive future. During this session you will experience the ups and downs of the at-risk student and what you can do …

Perspectives Of Student Dis/Engagement In Youth Attending An Alternative School As Viewed Through A Lens Of Respect And Relationships, Daniel Vallee

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study enlists the voices of youth attending an Alternative School in a small town in Western Canada to further theorize what it means to be dis/engaged with/from school. Findings suggest that school relationships with both staff and peers are key to understanding student dis/engagement, and that relationships are understood in terms of their degree of respect or un/fairness.

Utilizing Project-Based Learning To Increase Engagement And Performance In The High School Classroom, Alan English

Prairie Journal of Educational Research

Abstract

Project-based learning was incorporated into a high school American History course unit where students were expected to write an original history of the Vietnam War based exclusively on primary sources. Throughout the school year, students working as a collective unit worked to raise funds at school events for the purpose of surprising a class guest speaker, a Vietnam veteran, with a sponsored flight to Washington D.C. through Kansas Honor Flights. In addition to creating an experience of civic participation, student engagement (as measured by rate of completion of the project) and performance (as measured by average grade on the …

Tapping The Voices Of Learners For Authentic Student Engagement, Bryan Bronn

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the problem of practice of the decline in student engagement from the perceptions of secondary school learners as they proceed throughout their educational experience. According to researchers, learners who are engaged—meaning those who are committed and connected in active relationships with teachers, other learners, the learning environment, learning interests and ideas, the curriculum, and learning goals, are more likely to enjoy and be in control of their own learning [student agency]. This study is significant because of its potential to provide new understandings of the problem of a decline in student engagement …

Mirrors & Maps: Using Ya Literature To Navigate Risks In Adolescent Life, Lesley Roessing

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

YA literature allows adolescents to mirror themselves in books, safely discussing problems in their lives through conversations about how characters handle/mishandle problems. Novels provide maps to navigate risks and issues experienced by teens. The presenter, a former middle-grades teacher and author of No More “Us” and “Them,” teaches Bibliotherapy and will share Young Adult novels/memoirs and strategies that focus discussions on risks contemporary adolescents face.

Staying Connected: Measuring The Impact Of Technology Integration On Student Engagement And Achievement At The Middle Level, Jaclyn M. Swayne

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Knowing how technologies impact student engagement and achievement is vital. The present study validated and added to the existing knowledge in determining to what extent specific levels of technology integration impact student engagement. It also addressed how specific levels of technology integration impact student achievement in middle level English Language/Arts and mathematics classrooms using 1:1 tablet technology. The descriptive study with statistical analysis provided quantitative evidence to educational leaders on the extent to which increasing levels of technology integration can increase student engagement. This evidence was generated using classroom observation data and Fisher’s exact cross-tabulation analysis. The study also provided …

Engagement’S Mediation Of The Relationship Between Personalized Learning And Achievement, John-Patrick Grant Clark

Dissertations

The present study investigates the effect of engagement as a mediating variable on the relationship between personalized learning and achievement. Personalized learning involves instruction and learning that is individualized to the student by means of several components. These components include goal-oriented mastery learning, flexible pacing, ongoing formative assessment feedback, and the incorporation of personalized information. The literature suggests that each of these components, both individually and as a whole, have a positive correlation with achievement. Engagement may mediate this relationship given that it involves the students’ willingness to involve themselves in the learning process through the use of certain behavioral, …

Students’ Experience Of Flow In A Critical Literacy Unit In A 6th Grade English/Language Arts Classroom, Barbara E. Mcclure

Doctor of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to measure students’ experiences of engagement as conceptualized by flow during a critical literacy unit in a 6^th grade English Language Arts class. A total of 61 respondents replied to an 18-item survey consisting of 14-Likert scaled items, one identifier, two open-ended questions, and one multiple-choice question three times a day for five days. In addition, respondents completed a 7-item survey consisting of one identifier, three demographic questions, and three Likert-scaled items. All respondents were sixth grade students at a middle school just outside of a large city in the Southeastern United States. …

Keeping Students In By Sending Them Out: Retention And Service-Learning, Iris M. Yob

Center for Faculty Excellence Publications

This review of recent literature examines the research on the impact of service-learning on student retention. The theoretical framework of the review draws on both Tinto’s model of student attrition and Knowles’s theory of adult learning, which together suggest that academic and social integration, active participation and engagement in learning, and application and relevancy of the subject-matter under study are key factors in student success. The role of these factors has been confirmed in a growing body of research around learning experiences in general and, as this review shows, particularly in service-learning experiences. Suggestions are made for how future research …

Where Is The Learning In Smaller Learning Communities? Academic Press, Social Support For Learning, And Academic Engagement In Smaller Learning Community Classrooms, Christopher Michael Fischer

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

The extent to which Academic Press and strong social relationships impact Academic Engagement in smaller learning communities (SLCs) situated in large comprehensive urban high schools was investigated. Data were collected through classroom observations, student questionnaires and focus groups with teachers and analyzed using descriptive statistics, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), and content analysis of focus interview transcripts. Findings from the survey data confirm those found in much of the existing literature, namely that students experiencing high levels of Academic Press were more often the most academically engaged. This finding was also confirmed for African American students in high Academic Press …