Education Commons^™

Jnchc Front & Back Matter, Vol. 20, No 2, Fall/Winter 2019

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Cover

Masthead

Contents

Call for Papers, Editorial Policy, & Submission Guidelines

Dedication -- Art L. Spisak

About the Authors

About the NCHC Monograph Series

Order form

Back cover

December 2019, Lisa Friesen

The CETL Correspondent

Finals are fast approaching, and with it comes entering final grades. This semester entering final grades can be a one-stop process in Canvas. Please check Faculty Commons for information on the process, as well as a quick video, that goes through the process with narration.

Technology As Enabler Of Learner Autonomy And Authentic Learning In Chinese Language Acquisition: A Case Study In Higher Education, Mario Valdebenito, Yalin Chen

East Asian Languages & Cultures: Faculty Publications

Based on the Constructivist approach, meaningful learning only occurs when learners have agency to construct meaning through social interactions. The ability to self-direct, communicate, collaborate, and transfer learning to real-life situations are crucial skills for the 21st century. These skills allow new generations to adapt to this new information era in any field and/or disciplines they pursue; foreign language acquisition is not an exception. In this article, the authors argue that language learning can help learners cultivate such abilities with the aid of a holistic curriculum design and the effective use of technology. The authors also explore how using tools, …

"What Are The Effects Of Goal-Setting On Motivation And Academic Achievement In A Fourth Grade Classroom?", Danielle Mcmillan

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The purpose of this action research was to study the effects of goal-setting as a strategy on student motivation and academic achievement in a fourth-grade classroom. The study was performed at a rural public elementary school in South Carolina, consisting of eighteen students in a general education classroom. This study used a preassessment/post-assessment set-up in order to collect data for math achievement and reading comprehension. An attitude survey was used to collect data on student’s motivation towards academic work. The data shows that the goal-setting strategy had a positive effect on math achievement and motivation towards academic work and may …

The Convergence Of Negotiated Imaginative Play, Literacy Learning And Kindergarten Common Core English Language Arts Standards, Grace Salinas-Casper

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The implementation of strict academic requirements is replacing play as a previously widely accepted developmentally appropriate practice in kindergarten classrooms around the United States, resulting in an imbalance in cultivating the whole child. Research focused on the importance of play in children’s cognitive, linguistic, physical, moral, creative, emotional and artistic development exists. Couched in Vygotsky’s social development theory and the Reggio Emilia principle this ethnographic case study investigates how kindergarteners demonstrate literacy learning, practice and mastery of Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CC.ELA) through imaginative play in a negotiated environment. Research outcomes suggested that negotiated play appears to provide …

Educators’ Practices Involving Deaf Multilingual Learners: A Single Case Study, Mary Christine Thomas

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this single case study was to identify instructional strategies, that takes into account language and culture, used by professionals and educators involved in the instructional process of DMLs at an elementary school in the southeast. The central research question for this study was: What educational assessments and instructional strategies, that takes language and culture into consideration, are used in the education of DMLs? The theory that guided this study was Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory (Vygotsky, 1978, 2012) as it incorporates students’ culture and social interactions with peers and teachers into the learning process. This was a qualitative single …

Students As The Golden Resource: Incorporating Student Voice Into Overall School Culture, Dominick M. Lupo

Dissertations

This study is a program evaluation of AGA Middle School’s current school culture as it relates to being either a student-centered culture or an adult-centered culture. Following the analysis of the program evaluation, this study also set out to gather the voices of the students of AGA Middle School in order to determine the positive relationship building strategies and characteristics that teachers whom have positive relationships with students have in common. Employing a mixed methodology of survey data along with individual student interviews from each grade level (six through eight), this study found that the current school culture committee, the …

The Intersection Of Influential Reading With Writing In Multimodal Contexts, Grace Rusk Kerr

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Numerous studies have touted the importance of teacher self-efficacy on the motivation and achievement of their students (Ashton & Webb, 1986; Bandura, 1994 & 2002; Mojavezi & Tamiz, 2012). When teachers have high levels of self-efficacy (the level at which teachers believe they can affect student outcomes), their students achieve at higher levels and develop increased levels of motivation. By extension, we posit that if teachers have increased self-efficacy regarding their own writing abilities, it will translate into increased motivation and achievement levels for their students in the area of writing. The purpose of this three-article dissertation is to support …

The Impact Of Anti-Bias Literature Small Groups On Children's Understanding Of Themselves, Their Families, And Others, Rosabeth Birky Koehn

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The purpose of this action research study was to explore how sharing anti-bias children’s books in literature small groups in a lower elementary Montessori class affects children’s perceptions of and ability to communicate about themselves, their families, and others, as well as the classmates with whom they choose to associate. The sample studied in this research was a class of 20 children aged six to nine at a private Montessori school located in a small town adjacent to a large Midwestern city. Data was collected through pre and post oral interviews, written reading reflection worksheets, and daily teacher observations of …

Teachers Engaging In Action Research To Increase Learner Agency, Dawn M. Childress

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study is designed to explore the perceptions of teachers in a Northwest Arkansas urban elementary school context as they engage in design-based action research to increase learner agency. It is based on the Carnegie Project on Education Doctorate (CPED) framework that includes identifying a problem of practice and engaging in research to address the problem. A problem of practice was identified in this school setting by an incoming school principal following a principal that had been in the school for many years. The new principal, also the researcher in this study, recognized that there was a low level of …

Bicultural Development Of Students In A Dual Language Program, Quinn Wulbecker

Dissertations

Dual language programs are often viewed as enrichment programs for students of various language backgrounds. This study evaluated the long-term bicultural impact on students who participated in the Hawkins School District (pseudonym) Spanish-English dual language program. The participants in this study were graduates of the Hawkins Spanish-English dual language program who were in college or beginning their careers. These graduates participated in an interview to offer their perceptions on their current level of biculturalism and the extent to which their participation in the dual language program shaped it. The results of this study revealed that biculturalism is a possible outcome …

Teacher Evaluation Practices And Policy Implications: Effective Strategies For Changing Instruction, Scott Grens

Dissertations

This study is a program evaluation of the effectiveness of teacher evaluation practices in a small suburban elementary school district in Illinois from 2017-2019. The primary research question explored in this program evaluation is whether and to what extent the teacher evaluation process is changing teacher practices in Washington School District 25. Employing a qualitative research methodology, with data gathered from teacher interviews, school administrator interviews, and document analysis, this study identified several key components to the improvement of instructional practices for teachers. Policy implications and recommendations highlight the importance of the following: a common instructional framework, staff involvement in …

The Effects Of Tootling Without External Rewards On Whole-Class Lessons In A Lower Elementary Classroom, Anita Lynette Goss

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of Tootling without external rewards on negative behaviors during whole-class lessons in a Montessori lower elementary classroom. Twenty-four students, ranging from six to nine-years-of-age, including five who received outside assistance, were the subjects of this study. The students participated in a self-assessment pre- and post-intervention. The researcher gave lessons on whole-class lesson etiquette, the importance of being a supportive community, and how to report their classmates’ positive behaviors after whole-class lessons using Tootles. The results suggested Tootling without external rewards had minimal positive effect on students’ negative behaviors during whole-class …

Authentic Montessori (In A De/Colonializing World), Lily Schweitzer

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This six-week qualitative action research self-study investigated how critically reflecting upon personal heritage while engaging with decolonial, antiracist perspectives would affect perception and attitudes towards Montessori materials, pedagogical philosophy and methodology. With critical pedagogy as a theoretical framework, the researcher surveyed decolonial scholarship for recommendations. She followed a program revealed by the literature. She took two tests at the beginning and end of the study to establish a baseline of bias. For the first two weeks of the study, she engaged with Indigenous peoples' cultural production. She studied ancestral trauma for the following two weeks. To provoke equal understanding and …

"The Impact Of Trauma-Informed Strategies On Self-Regulation And Sense Of Belonging In Elementary Students", Sakeenah M. Franzen

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The purpose of this action research was to determine the effects of trauma-informed strategies on self-regulation and sense of belonging in elementary students. The research took place over a six-week period in an upper elementary classroom in a public Montessori school in the MidAtlantic. The population included 20 students ages 9-11. The intervention utilized traumainformed strategies such as mindfulness, yoga, community building, a calm box, and solo time. Data was collected through daily observations, a daily log, pre- and post-intervention questionnaires, and student journals. The repertoire of interventions proved to be beneficial in positively affecting self-regulation among students. Some positive …

Impacts Of Growing Technology On Students' Reading And Writing Skills, Jacquelyn Ogborn Corpuz

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Technology has radically changed the ways in which students and teachers function within the classroom. The use of mobile technologies, specifically laptop computers and internet use, has transformed teacher instruction along with student expectations. Given that students have a high exposure to technology in the classroom, especially at the middle school level, this senior capstone examines the impact of growing technology on their reading and writing skills through the use of literature review, teacher interviews and survey, interviews with principals and superintendents, and online teacher survey. The result findings reveal that there are several positive impacts of technology integration on …

Escapando Las Trampas: Teacher Preparation For Mexicanas, Larissa Perez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Developing Maestras face and overcome linguistic, academic and cultural forms of gatekeeping while trying to navigate through our current education system. For this Capstone Project, the impact that gatekeeping has on developing Maestras and how it affects their academic and professional aspirations was investigated. This is an important issue for developing Maestras, the University of Gringolandia as well as for the education system of Nepantla county. The success of developing Maestras Mexicanas closes the racial gap and directly impacts the student success rate within Nepantla county. The literature and data results analysis indicate that the gatekeeping practices that keep Mexicanas …

Implementing Mindfulness To Promote Mental Health In Elementary School Students, Kathleen Dunlap-Demarco

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The practice of mindfulness has been around for thousands of years, however; the practice has just become more common in the Western world, and especially in the classroom. The purpose of this paper is to discover how implementing mindfulness promotes mental health in elementary school students. In order to find out just how mindfulness promotes mental health in the elementary classroom, the research that was done involved an extensive literature review on the topic of mindfulness, surveys and interviews with local teachers in the Tri-County area, and also reached out to teachers to be interviewed more in depth. The results …

Monological Practices, Authoritative Discourses And The Missing "C" In Digital Communities, Vicki A. Hosek, Lara J. Handsfield

Faculty Publications - College of Education

The purpose of this study was to examine teacher decisions surrounding opportunities for student voice, experiences and beliefs in digital classroom communities. The teachers’ decisions reflect monologic rather than dialogic teacher pedagogies which prompted the authors to ask the following question: What led to these teacher-centered practices in digital environments? Authoritative discourses in school policies and a missing connection between critical pedagogies and teachers’ technology practices are examined in light of teachers’ decisions to engage in monologic and/or dialogic teaching practices. The authors propose professional development and research that emphasize pedagogy that supports student voice as foundational to practices involving …

A Case Study On The Differences In Scores Of Undergraduate Students In Traditional, Online, And Hybrid Classes, Patricia Ruth Kuhn

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this research was to ascertain whether there are variances in academic performance between students taking an educational technology course in traditional, online, and hybrid learning environments. As a secondary goal, the study assessed the differences in academic performance of male and female students in these classes.

All students in this study held an undergraduate status of junior or above. They had earned a minimum of 45 hours and had a minimum 2.75 overall GPA. These students also passed the certification test for state educators and had been accepted as teacher candidates of the College of Education …

The State Of State History: Teacher Perceptions Regarding The Place And Purpose Of State History In K–12 Social Studies, Shay Hopper

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Social studies, history, and state history courses, in general, have long been broadly considered the least significant of the four core content courses in K – 12 education. State history is required and/or taught inconsistently throughout the 50 states, and in some cases, not at all. Teacher preparation and on-going support to teach state history in K – 12 education are also inconsistent and often disregarded. The purpose of this exploratory qualitative survey and interview study was to investigate teacher perceptions regarding place and purpose of state history in K – 12 social studies, and to identify teacher dispositions toward …

Modeling Grace And Courtesy In A Montessori Classroom And Its Influence On Children’S Social Behavior, Minhui Zhang

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

It has long been known that teachers have a large influence on students, however, little is known about the effect that teachers may have on students’ ability to develop positive social behaviors. Accordingly, there is a need to collect data regarding the effect that a teacher modeling grace and courtesy may have on how students interact with their peers and teachers. Therefore, the purpose of this action research is to analyze the effects of intentional teacher role modeling of grace and courtesy on children’s social behaviors. A classroom of 24 lower elementary, mixed age children from five to eight years …

The Relationship Between Using Conceptual Language And The Depth Of Student Understanding Of Dynamic Addition And Multiplication In 4-9-Year-Old Montessori Students, Quinn Moncada, Karin Riggs Woessner

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This study aims to bring clarity to the relationship between procedural mathematical work and abstracted math learning when carrying in addition and multiplication. To explore this relationship, researchers employed both quantitative and qualitative data tools that unearthed the nuances within this specific process of math learning. Participants in the study included twenty-nine students from two different schools in different mixed age groups including ages three-to-six-years-old and six-to-nine-years-old. Students participated in a six-week intervention process, working on dynamic addition and multiplication using conceptual mathematical language to support the process. The findings indicate an overall two-point increase across learning variables post intervention. …

Admission Criteria: A Focus On Using The Interview, Vanessa Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The growing number of candidates for allied health programs and the continued quest for identification of ideal candidates increases the pressure for allied health programs to continually improve their selection process. Despite past and recent research and the significant amount of literature on admission criteria for selective allied health programs, there is limited research on faculty perceptions of the interview as part of the admission criteria.

For this study, interviews were conducted with fifteen allied health faculty members who teach in a program with selective admissions. The interviews consisted of seven open-ended questions and were audio-recorded, then transcribed through Temi.com. …

An Evaluation Of A Sixth Grade Intensive Mathematics Program And Impacts On Student Achievement, Tammy Dery

Dissertations

The purpose of thisevaluation is to analyze anIntensive Math program’s quality and design, as well as, address the impact of the program to determine whether the intensive mathematics class, and the use of computer-based support,impacts student achievement. The program design incorporates a two-prong model of teacher-directed and computer-based intervention. The relationship of the intensive mathematics curriculum implemented with struggling learners and closing the mathematics achievement gap are evaluated through the analyses of student data, the quality of implementation and program usability and teacher and teacher leader perspectives. The findings indicate that small groups and individualized attention for students is vital …

Perceptions And Experiences Of Online Learning And Synchronous Communication, Michelle Fry

Dissertations

Abstract

High-quality and effective online education is essential to the continuous growth of higher education. As online higher education grows in professional programs, it is especially pertinent to investigate learning designs for their effectiveness in supporting the acquisition of professional skills. Drawing upon the Community of Inquiry (CoI) and the Practice-Based Teaching (PBT) frameworks, this research investigated the effectiveness of one online graduate program designed for practicing teachers to learn new skills (i.e., diagnostic assessment and differentiated instruction) in teaching reading to elementary students. The learning design introduced a new component of virtual presence (i.e., synchronous communication) at strategic points …

Exploratory Learning Activities In The Physics Classroom: Contrasting Cases Versus A Rich Dataset., Campbell Rightmyer Bego

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In exploratory learning, students engage in an exploration activity on a new topic prior to instruction. This inversion of the traditional tell-then-practice order has been shown to benefit learning outcomes, especially conceptual knowledge and preparation for future learning, but not always. In three studies, the current work examines whether the type of exploration activity impacts learning mechanisms and outcomes, on the topic of gravitational field in undergraduate physics classrooms. Activities using either contrasting cases (CC) or a rich dataset (RD) are compared in two instructional orders, explore-first (EF) and instruct-first (IF). Learning outcomes measured procedural knowledge, conceptual knowledge, and performance …

Using Behavior Economic Nudges To Facilitate Client Follow-Through In Financial Coaching, Charlene Hurst

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While benevolence-based programs have been a large part of meeting immediate financial needs of the poor, they lack the relational aspect needed to facilitate long-term behavior change. Recently many social service organizations have adopted financial coaching as a promising replacement for benevolence programming. The field of coaching has dealt with its own challenges. Most coaching practitioners surveyed in 2016 and 2019 acknowledged lack of client follow-through as their number one challenge. Behavior economics offered nudges as a solution. Nudges are cues placed within the physical environment to prod clients toward behavior change. A quantitative field study was conducted to evaluate …

Selected Performance Indicators Of University-Model Schools, David Herndon

Dissertations

University-Model® schools seek to blend attributes of homeschooling with traditional schooling by transferring a significant portion of classroom time to a satellite classroom, typically the student’s home. Proponents suggest the model lends itself to better prepared and well-balanced graduates due to the forced ownership required of students in terms of time management, the development of independent study habits, increased balance of family life, and subsequent parental guidance; however, very little research exists to validate these claims. These tenants of the model are in line with recent research and theories suggesting a more holistic approach, beyond academic metrics, to ensure college …

Middle School Student Attitudes Toward Science, And Their Relationships With Instructional Practices: A Survey Of Chinese Students’ Preferred Versus Actual Instruction, Gavin W. Fulmer, Hongjia Ma, Ling L. Liang

Education Faculty Work

This study explored relationships between students' attitudes toward science and their preferred versus actual experience of cooperative, constructivist-oriented, or direct instruction. The sample consisted of 1334 Chinese middle school students in physics and chemistry classrooms. Results showed that students report experiencing more direct instruction, very little constructivist-oriented instruction, and a moderate amount of cooperative instruction. Attitudes toward science were positively related to cooperative teaching strategies like group work in class or developing small-group projects. There was no significant effect of constructivist-oriented instruction or of direct instruction on students' attitudes. Whereas previous studies demonstrated positive impacts of constructivist teaching on student …