Education Commons^™

Social And Emotional Learning In The High School Classroom, Olivia Vandoros

Honors Theses

The focus of my project was to answer the following question: How can social-emotional learning strategies be implemented for all students at the high school level to assist students in developing social-emotional competencies? To answer this question, I used two main sources of information: (1) a review of literature that is relevant to this topic, and (2) interviews with high school teachers who interact directly with students daily. The end goal of this project was to create a resource for teachers using information collected from both sources to make SEL accessible to students in the high school classroom.

Fashion Around The Francophone World: A 20-Unit Lesson Plan For Teaching Students 7-12 How To Discuss Clothing In French, Justin Solheim

Honors Theses

This paper is the directions for a high school French world language curriculum at the novice-low level. The curriculum covers 20 class periods, or four weeks, and it uses a variety of pedagogical techniques and technologies to help students quickly learn and retain French vocabulary and grammar. Each class period is 40 minutes. The lessons use a variety of assessments and feedback to help students improve and allow the teachers to monitor student achievement. The following lessons focus on forming basic sentences and practicing the basics of subject-verb agreement, while teaching the vocabulary for different types of clothing in the …

Alphabet Books Aren't For Babies: The Use Of The Alphabet Book In The Secondary Classroom, Chloe Skye Crane

Honors Theses

The goal of this thesis is to examine the role of alphabet books within the secondary classroom through the lens of research potential, development of cultural awareness, and the educational benefits for the secondary learner as well as three different types of alphabet books varying from least to most complex. The literature review supporting this thesis is broken into five sections: what are alphabet books, a closer look at three examples, the research potential in alphabet books, developing cultural awareness and empathy, and educational benefits (which includes subsections for skills developed). Following the literature review is the text of an …

What We Do For Each Other: Assessing Disparity In K-12 Education Across The State Of Arkansas, Noah K. Sanders

Honors Theses

This thesis observes data and attempts to draw conclusions about disparities plaguing K-12 Arkansas schools inside and outside the classroom.

Bringing Women's Literature Into The Secondary Classroom: A Comprehensive Unit Plan, Mairead Stotz

Honors Theses

Included in this applied knowledge project are details regarding how I developed a six-week unit on women’s literature using backward design, rationale behind my process and text selections, learning targets and Illinois Learning Standards for English Language Arts that are met through the instruction, and a complete set of 30 lesson plans, including assessments, handouts, and additional instructional materials. My goal is to demonstrate what I have learned during my time as an education student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and to emphasize the importance of women’s literature in the secondary classroom.

Key Words: English education, women’s literature, literature circles, …

We Salute You: Student Servicemembers' And Veterans' Perspective Of The University Of Southern Mississippi's Support Of Military Students, Dianna Couch

Honors Theses

There has been an increasing number of veterans and servicemembers attending colleges and universities in the past several years. However, these veterans and servicemembers oftentimes struggle to readjust to civilian life and academia after their years of service. With the increasing number of veterans and servicemembers attending colleges and universities, schools are in a prime position to offer support for this population. However, there has been a lack of research conducted on this growing student population and how to best serve them.

A survey was sent via email by the USM’s Center for Military Veterans, Service Members and Families to …

The Biggest Hoax? Investigating The Work-Life Balance Of Veteran Secondary Teachers In North Mississippi Public Schools, Anna Grace Robinson

Honors Theses

This thesis investigates the struggle with work-life balance among veteran secondary teachers in public North Mississippi schools. Primary research questions include a) How do veteran teachers describe the struggle with work-life balance, b) What coping strategies over their career seem helpful?, and c)What changes could be made to the educational system to better support public school teachers in their pursuit of work-life balance? At what level should those changes occur? Qualitative data was collected by interviewing five teachers from middle and high schools in the North Mississippi region and analyzed to understand emergent themes from the interviews. This research found …

A Collection Of Calculus Lesson Plans: Deriving The 'Why' Behind Derivatives, Kasey Brabec

Honors Theses

The traditional mathematics classroom is led with a focus on procedural understanding, with deep conceptual understanding considered to be unimportant or too difficult to teach within the allotted time. Both levels of understanding are important mathematical competencies, as it is rare for either of them to function well without accessibility to the other. The disparity between conceptual understanding and procedural understanding in the mathematics classroom is no larger than in courses like Calculus. This project is a collection of fifteen lesson plans constructed with an emphasis on conceptual understanding and the connectivity of Calculus. Each lesson plan’s overview contains the …

The Causes And Ramifications Of The Lack Of Women In The Stem (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) Fields, Jill Finn

Honors Theses

Women consist of only 27% of workers within the STEM fields while men make up the remaining 73% (Martinez). Several causes contribute to this drastic difference, with one of the main reasons being the lack of confidence that women have in these subject areas. Their lack of confidence often begins in the elementary and middle school grades as a result of teacher bias, fixed mindsets, and a lack of role models, causing young girls to shy away from STEM and turn toward other interests. However, there are ways to fix this problem and if teachers are willing to put the …

A View Into Secondary Education Mathematics, Thomas Krieger Jr.

Honors Theses

Teaching methods, and the effects they can have on students, are important to consider for a classroom because when teaching you should allow for every student to have an opportunity. Every student should feel encouraged in the classroom, however not every method may allow for that. An important task for a teacher is to find out how to reach their students in their classroom; be it adapting methods or choosing when to implement one item over another. This task differs with every student that enters the classroom as no student is the same. Every students’ differences stem from their academic …

“Kids Are 100% Behind”: The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Elementary And Secondary School Students In Massachusetts, Sydney Rosensweig

Honors Theses

For two years now, the Covid-19 pandemic has continuously impacted all aspects of our society, including K-12 education. The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic is thought to be very harmful and have long-term consequences. Understanding this impact is very important, which is why this study focuses on how the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted K-12 education, specifically how it has impacted academics and behavior while attempting to understand which groups were most impacted. This problem was approached in three different ways. Z-score changes were used to determine the changes by subgroup in the percentage of students failing to meet expectations and …

Two Marching Band Directors’ Insights About Their Bands’ Musical Achievement And Satisfaction In The American Deep South: A Qualitative Analysis, John Klee

Honors Theses

High School marching band is an intricate facet of music education that operates in several varieties across the United States. Depending on the style as well as many external and internal factors of a marching band, marching bands can have goals and definitions of musical achievement that can vary drastically. This qualitative study aims to assist those in the world of marching music education to better understand these distinct types of marching bands on a deeper level. The study gathered detailed perspectives of two directors in juxtaposed marching programs to a view of what drives these bands and directors to …

“A Short History Of An Overlooked Genre: How And Why Horror Can Be An Effective Tool In A Classroom And For Creating Social Change”, Hunter King

Honors Theses

Horror as a genre tends to be overlooked by the public eye, especially when it comes to critical analysis and its value as literature or educational film. As a future English teacher, I have made it a mission to promote literacy, and horror has been a tool that has encouraged me to read, so I figured there must be some connection between the genre and the promotion of literacy. The thesis in whole is able to address why the horror genre tends to spark more interest in readers than other genres, highlighting that the genre is built to unite readers …

Tiny Earth, Tinier Microbes: An Experiential Learning Approach To Antibiotic Discovery, Emily Kassing

Honors Theses

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the greatest global health challenges of the 21^st century as antibiotic discovery has slowed even as scientific knowledge about AMR has progressed. At the same time, science education has turned to active learning approaches like CUREs, or course-based undergraduate research experiences, to achieve educational objectives while engaging students in real-life research. The Tiny Earth Project is a global research initiative that seeks to crowdsource antibiotic discovery by recruiting undergraduate students to screen soil samples for antibiotic producers. The goal of this study was to determine the viability of translating the Tiny Earth programming to …

Justice For All: Social Justice Curriculum For The Young Adult Centered English Classroom, Genevieve Hawkins

Honors Theses

This project is a curriculum-based approach to exploring the integration of social-justice texts, topics, and themes into the secondary English classroom. Discussion of such topics will take place in the context of teaching the contemporary novels The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed, two young-adult novels that discuss how the teenage experience is impacted by instances of racism and police brutality. This examination of race in modern society will be accompanied by supplemental texts, included but not limited to Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine and NPR’s podcast “On the Shoulders …

The Effects Of Fictional Literature On Real-World Perceptions Of Students, Dylan Dowty

Honors Theses

The ways in which fiction affect the perceptions of high school students’ realities are many, and they vary widely depending on the book read. While lessons can be learned from every fictional book, certain types of books are more beneficial and relevant for students. Young adult literature, while often overlooked, is a significant source of students’ perspective shifts and metacognition. Every book has a lesson that it can teach students, but contemporary young adult literature deserves to be taught in schools alongside the classics in order for students to make personal connections with the texts they read and take an …

20 Things, Reann Parker

Honors Theses

20 Things is a short young adult novel that explores a variety of topics and themes, from mental health, recovery, and self discovery to race, love, and friendship. Beginning with a high school girl named Halle waking up in a hospital after a suicide attempt, the novel is a coming of age story about the help Halle receives and what she goes through in trying to find reasons to keep living. The novel is divided into ten chapters: “Waking Up,” “Going Home,” “Arriving,” “Being Honest,” “Keeping the Faith,” “Soul Searching,” “Willingness,” “Maintaining,” “Checking In,” and “Living.” Each chapter represents the …

Math Anxiety From All Angles, Katie Harmon

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to display the causes and impacts of math anxiety for students, especially in secondary education, and how to prevent math anxiety or help students with math anxiety. Three main groups, teachers, parents, and students, are discussed in this thesis. Overall, research is used to emphasize the significance and relevance of math anxiety and the ability of teachers and parents to help prevent the development or increased intensity of math anxiety for individual students.

Providing Windows, Mirrors, And Sliding Glass Doors: Incorporating Diverse Short Fiction In The High School English Classroom, Emily Koonce

Honors Theses

My thesis serves as a starting point for English educators wishing to incorporate diverse fiction into their classrooms. This guide, which includes an introduction, notes on cultural responsiveness, background on each author, discussion guides, and standards-aligned activities using short stories. My thesis is not meant to be an end-all-be-all for inclusion but rather a starting place for helping students feel seen, heard, and connected.

Queering Secondary Education: An Inquiry To The Necessity Of Queer Studies For All Students, Ashlign D. Shoemaker

Honors Theses

In the current state of secondary education, queer studies are appallingly underexposed. The subject matter is often completely disregarded due to a perceived discomfort around themes and content regarding LGBTQ+ sexualities. This process of elimination is a disservice to all students as they continue their education and move on to the adult world. Queer studies must be included for all students to ensure a society of empathy and understanding. Including the queer identity in the secondary education, classroom gives LGBTQ+ students the usable past that is essential to their wellbeing and mental health, and it provides exposure and understanding for …

Motivation In The Mathematics Classroom, Evan Thornton-Kolbe

Honors Theses

Mathematics has always seemed to be an unpopular subject amongst primary and secondary students in the United States. This project seeks to identify the roots of these attitudes and examine them in ways that allow for personal reflection, community building, and student advocacy. An individual’s access to educational resources and equitable treatment play a large role in shaping their mathematics learning identity. This topic was examined via traditional research methods for the written paper portion and also includes a set of lesson plans for teachers to use. These lesson plans utilize the ideas discussed in the paper portion to provide …

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 …

Young Adult Financial Literacy And Its Underlying Factors, Emily Meyers

Honors Theses

This thesis discusses the current state of financial education and young adult financial literacy in the United States. Financial literacy is the level of personal finance knowledge an individual requires to make beneficial financial decisions. The United States faces a financial literacy crisis in young adults evidenced by failing scores of assessments administered by the Jump$tart Coalition, a leader in researching financial literacy in young adults. This thesis presents research and analysis of personal finance assessment scores from students of Franklin High School, Massachusetts. Assessments were administered to personal finance, business, and history students. The majority of students failed the …

Comparing Nebraskan And Finnish Education Policy And Its Impacts On Mathematics Teaching, Elizabeth Tyler

Honors Theses

For two decades, Finland has been in the education spotlight as they consistently receive high international exam scores while spending less money, less time teaching, and putting students through fewer hours of school. This study aims to investigate the related policy that may help explain these seemingly paradoxical findings in the education sector. More specifically, this study examines how related policy impacts math teachers in their day to day work. This research includes an extensive literature review that explores several facets of the education system in both Nebraska and Finland in order to better understand existing policies. This background is …

Title Ix And The Responsibility Of Leadership In Collegiate Athletics, Regan J. Mccomb, Chelsea Kaunert

Honors Theses

Typically, when we hear about Title IX, we think of scholarship dollars, ratio of men’s and women’s sports, and equal funding, but in the past several years we have seen a shift in focus to sexual misconduct. Studies have repeatedly shown that sexual assault rates on college campuses are not on the decline. With one in five college students graduating a victim of sexual misconduct, we must now demand more of those we consider leadership in the university setting. Recently we have seen a trend of prominent women, including female athletes, speaking out about their experience with sexual assault. We …

Solvation Of Isoelectronic Halide And Alkali Metal Ions By Noble Gas Atoms, Carly A. Rock

Honors Theses

Alkali metal cations (M+ = Li+, Na+, K+, and Rb+), as well as their corresponding isoelectronic atomic anions (X− = H−, F−, Cl−, and Br−) were solvated with argon atoms (i.e., M+Arn and X−Arn where n=1−6). Full geometry optimizations were performed using the MP2 electronic structure method with a series of correlation consistent basis sets augmented with diffuse functions on argon and the anions (aug-cc-pVXZ) and weighted core valence basis sets were used for the cations (cc-pwCVXZ) that include the appropriate pseudopotentials for K+ and Rb+ (cc-pwCVXZ-PP). The basis sets for a particular cluster are, hereafter, simply denoted as XZ …

Lumos Literacy: Utilizing Harry Potter As A Guide For English Language Learners, Kayla Punt

Honors Theses

This research paper and project looks at teaching literacy in a 9^th grade Standard English classroom with accommodations for high-level English Language Learners through JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. It explores three schools of thought surrounding ESL education: transitional bilingual education, developmental bilingual education, and two-way immersion, and then uses this information to guide a full unit plan, complete with assessments, a lesson map for 20 days, and two appendixes of lesson plans. Drawing inspiration from Parker Palmer (1997), Lourdes Ortega (2013), and Kylene Beers (2003), the unit focuses on the engaging elements of Harry Potter …

Music Education For Mental Health: Creating A Participatory Music After School Program, Nicole A. Shively

Honors Theses

This thesis project, titled “Music Education for Mental Health: Creating a Participatory Music After School Program,” consists of a research paper and curriculum guide for the creation of a nonprofit after school program that will use music education to help youth with depression and anxiety. This program provides participatory music experiences to students in a supportive, cathartic environment. The paper details the research behind the psychological benefits of music, the activities that would be done with the students, and why there is a need for this program in current society. The curriculum guide consists of the addressed national music education …

Differences In Enrollment Trends Between Traditional And Nontraditional Animal Related Courses In Secondary Education, Jennifer Lopez

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Using Their Own Voices: Exploring The Writing Of English Language Learners In A Mississippi Middle School, Gabrielle Lynn Vogt

Honors Theses

In the United States, and particularly Mississippi, the number of K-12 English Language Learners is growing rapidly. Writing scores are on a national decline, and ELLs are struggling to acquire the language and literacy skills to become proficient writers in English. However, there are various instructional approaches that provide ELLs the opportunity to use and expand their writing skills beyond a basic ability. Despite this, little is being done to give ELLs the opportunity to express themselves and their identities while also acquiring stronger writing skills. As a preservice teacher, I developed a mixed methods research study that explored the …