Education Commons^™

Multimodal Game-Based Learning In Post-Secondary Education, Nathan A. Vanos

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

In this age of unprecedented technological proliferation, educators have been given a unique opportunity to enhance classroom engagement. That opportunity is multimodal game-based learning (MGBL): classroom instruction through a combination of games and multiple modalities of information. Using today’s 3D systems and virtual reality tools, this concept can be explored to depths never before possible. The aim of this project was to design and implement an application that could be used to evaluate how MGBL could impact student engagement and learning, specifically at the post-secondary level. The application implemented during this work was a 3D and virtual reality Simulator for …

Surveillance And Monitoring Of Amphibian Pathogens And Evaluating The Impacts Of An Associated Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (Cure), Jennifer Perez

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Amphibians are a highly diverse class of vertebrates and crucial for natural ecosystems, inhabiting both aquatic and terrestrial environments at different life stages. However, amphibians are facing devastating declines largely due to the disease chytridiomycosis, caused by the fungal pathogens Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal). This disease can lead to population declines, biodiversity loss, and species extinction. However, resources to study and mitigate this disease are limited and an opportunity to assist in these efforts has been created in the form of a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE). Chapter 1 of my thesis used Roger's Diffusion of Innovations …

(Missed) Connections: How The Textual Communication Environment Caused By Covid-19 Impacted English Composition Instructors' Ability To Communicate And Connect With Colleagues And Students, Alyssa G. Cummings

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.

Blind Accessibility In College And University: Is Online Learning Accessible To All?, Erica R. Hagman

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Increasing technological advancement, coupled with the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting social distancing orders, has amplified the push for online learning and hybrid courses like never before. As education moves online, are the necessary adjustments to accommodate students with varying levels of ability being made? One would think that online learning would be easier to navigate for Blind and Visually Impaired (BVI) students, but is that truly the case? In this study I investigated if the Learning Management System (LMS), Canvas, is accessible to BVI students. I hypothesized that BVI students would have more difficulty accessing classroom material …

Creating Usable And Accessible Courses Through Usability Testing In Higher Education: A Canvas Usability Assessment For Diverse Students, Carrie Schreiner

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.

Assessing Interpersonal Communication In Dental Hygiene Students Providing Geriatric Care, Lasandra Wilson

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Purpose: This study examined the implementation of an educational module regarding development of communication skills between dental hygiene students and the geriatric population. The educational module assessed students’ perceived abilities and confidence in communicating with the geriatric population. Subsequently, a standardized rubric determined if there is a difference between how faculty assess students, patients assess students, and students assess themselves.

Methods: Dental hygiene students from the University of South Dakota participated in the educational module and completed pre and post tests. Voice recordings from student-patient interactions in the clinic setting were evaluated by faculty, patients, and students using a rubric …

Virtual Objective Structured Clinical Examinations As A Framework For Active Learning And Assessment: A Retrospective Analysis Of Dental Hygiene Student And Instructor Perceptions, Kellie Whitcomb

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Purpose: Millennials have unique needs as learners and have come to expect the use of technology in education. Utilizing technology to implement formative virtual objective structured clinical examinations (vOSCEs) may engage millennial students due to the non-linear nature and active pedagogy while also preparing them for provisional or full licensing exams. The purpose of this study was to determine what implications there may be for future formative vOSCE use in dental hygiene programs by assessing dental hygiene student and clinic faculty experience with vOSCEs.

Methods: Research was from a qualitative perspective. The design was a retrospective phenomenological cohort study utilizing …

Teacher And Support Staffs' Knowledge On How To Support Children's Psychological Needs After Hospitalization, Elyssa Hoffman

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.

Understanding Job Roles, Preparedness And Challenges Faced By Academic Advisors In U.S. Medical Schools, Brittney L. Haong

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.

Does Being Unaware Predict Being Unskilled? Analyzing The Predictive Ability Of The Metacognition Awareness Inventory, Daniel A. Scheibe

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Students’ perceptions of how well they know information ultimately impact the study choices they make. The more accurate these perceptions are, the more prepared students are to be academically successful. Thus, the current study aimed to find an efficient way to quickly identify students who struggle with this self-assessment, and ultimately classroom performance, using a tool designed to assess metacognitive ability. Participants first completed a metacognition scale designed to assess learning strategies – the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI). Next, the participants were administered a 29-minute lecture followed by a brief exam at the end of the lecture. There were three …

Facing The Horror Of Uncertainty: Using Female Slashers As A Model For Thinking About And Practicing English Literature And Composition, Rose Hall

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.

Beyond Sound: A Descriptive Study Of Fifth And Sixth Grade Children's Listening Perceptions Of Rap And Classical Music, David Camilo Aristizabal Ruiz

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

This action, non-experimental, empirical, descriptive study using a survey technique was aimed at observing the immediate reality of one particular urban school in one cosmopolitan city of the United States of America’s Pacific Northwest. The purpose of this study was to narrate the listening perceptions of 137 fifth and sixth grade elementary aged children while they compared two examples of music: USA east coast rap versus European classical music. Their responses to 24 survey questions were the basis for exploring the idea that social-economic values reflected in bias are affecting their listening perceptions. Moreover, the purpose of this research was …

Turnover Of Outdoor Adventure Education Field Staff, Justin M. Hall

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Outdoor adventure education (OAE) organizations continually struggle with field staff turnover. Little research exists of this unique worker population and their unconventional living and working conditions warrant further exploration of the variables that best drive this phenomenon. The purpose of this study was to explore the strength and direction of the relationships between turnover predictor variables and intent to turnover (IT) of OAE field staff. Per the suggestion of organizational behavior and OAE literature, and conversations with OAE practitioners, five independent predictor variables were chosen; (a) tenure; (b) career development opportunities; (c) sense of community; (d) compensation satisfaction; and (e) …

Stylistic Imitation As An English-Teaching Technique : Pre-Service Teachers’ Responses To Training And Practice, Min Yi Liang

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

This action research case study project examines stylistic imitation as an English-Teaching technique and includes (1) a review of literature about the history of stylistic imitation and current college composition practice, (2) an analysis of the close imitation journals which were written by senior English majors and minors by following the model paragraph from Katharine Anne Porter’s “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” (1965), and (3) writers’ comments and reflections on doing stylistic imitation. Stanley Fish (2005) argued: “[s]tudents can’t write clean English sentences because they are not being taught what sentences are” (as cited in Stodola, 2013, p. 57). Lacking …

Standards For Early Childhood Education, Yasmin Aljouf

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

I have been researching and focusing on a topic that has been of interest to me from the beginning of my undergraduate studies in the field of kindergarten education. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not have its own standards for the early childhood stage. It took from the United States. When I started my graduate level studies, I focused on the perception of Saudi Arabian faculty, graduate students, and kindergarten teachers regarding standards for early childhood education. I designed a survey and published it to faculty in Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University, as well as graduate students and kindergarten …

“Racism Doesn’T Exist Anymore, So Why Are We Talking About This?”: An Action Research Proposal Of Culturally Responsive Teaching For Critical Literacy In Democratic Education, Natalie Marie Giles

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Culturally responsive teaching is a way for teachers to engage in equitable practices while offering a pedagogy of caring in the classroom. It takes a strength-based view of all learners while respecting the heritage, the family, the learners’ needs and wishes as well as offering a rigorous education for all learners. In this action research project, the author provides five original college composition units that contribute to learners’ critical thinking and critical literacy while asking them to (1) clarify values and examine their cultures of origin, (2) identify human rights that matter to them, (3) do a rhetorical analysis of …

“This Is The Oppressor’S Language, Yet I Need It To Talk To You”: A Critical Examination Of Translanguaging In Russian Speakers At The University Level, Nora Vralsted

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

The author critically reviews the TESOL practice known as translanguaging which incorporates the student’s acquired language(s) within the syntax of the target language (TL) as a means to foster understanding. It is suggested that the learner’s entire linguistic repertoire better fosters the learner’s understanding of the material. Within the last 20 years, the practice has gained popularity, and proponents’ advocacy for incorporating home languages within the writing classroom has come to be understood as a necessity for student success. Leonard (2014) identifies students' drawing upon all of their linguistic resources as "rhetorical attunement" and argues that multilingual writers become better …

Export Control Awareness: The Initial Discussion & Necessary Considerations Of Engaging In Export Control Practices At Eastern Washington University, Michael G. Watts

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

This research project examines export control policy in the United States, mainly the 1976 Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) as it relates to research practices in higher education. The goal of this project is to raise awareness of the current export control regulations, examine the importance of academic freedom in higher education, illustrate Eastern Washington University’s (EWU) growing research potential, and offer guidance for if or when EWU engages in export control related practices. In support of these goals, EWU’s 2018-2023 strategic plan, international student population, strength of STEM programming, the faculty …

Proposed: Technical Communicators Collaborating With Educators To Develop A Better Efl Curriculum For Ecuadorian Universities, Daniel Jack Williamson

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

This policy and action research in the form of a case study of language policy in Ecuador posits, with a pragmatic view, that students’ backgrounds, prior knowledge, and learning objectives should significantly impact curriculum development. Applying principles of information development, such as conducting usability studies and generating appropriate user profiles, technical communicators produce user-friendly documentation. Pairing technical communicators with educators to collaborate in the parallel processes of information development and curriculum development may yield instructional materials more useful to students than currently available materials are. An etic perspective is appropriate for this study for it does not presuppose what the …

A Literacy Narrative Of A Female Saudi English Teacher And A Qualitative Case Study: 12 Multilingual Writers Identify Challenges And Benefits Of Daily Writing In A College Composition Class, Ghassoon Rezzig

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

The author begins this thesis with her literacy narrative and practices what Kirsch and Royster call “strategic contemplation” about the material conditions of her mother’s life leaving school at 12 to marry and to raise 12 children. Her mother’s illiteracy is not the focus, however. Rather it is her mother’s strengths and her commitment to educating her children—all of whom earned college degrees before her mother died. The case study that follows emphasizes that developing English writing skills among multilingual speakers is considered a hard task. In order to improve academic writing, writers must make a tremendous effort and practice …

Comparing Literate And Oral Cultures With A View To Improving Understanding Of Students From Oral Traditions: An Autoethnographic Approach, Carol Lee Anderson

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

In his book Orality and Literacy, Walter Ong describes the difference between cultures that have never been exposed to literature and those that have been highly influenced by literature and literacy. He suggests that such learners have a different “consciousness” as a result of their life experience. This notion is later confirmed by research on brain structures that shows preliterate people having developed very different structures from those of highly literate people. In this paper, I describe my own process of becoming literate in a highly literate culture. By comparison, I cite my 34-year experience living with a people group …

Understanding The Potential Effects Of Trauma On Refugees’ Language Learning Processes, Charis E. Ketcham

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

In the 21st century alone, millions of refugees have been displaced from their homes, often through compounded traumatic experiences. Many of these refugees have resettled in foreign countries where they are forced to quickly learn a new language in order to survive in their new home. As teachers of English in the USA seek to assist refugees in adult language learning or K-12 contexts, it is critical to consider what traumatic experiences students may have encountered or are encountering, what the potential effects of these traumatic experiences on students’ language learning processes might be, and how an awareness of these …

The Academic Performances Of Community College Transfer Students At Eastern Washington University (Ewu), Amanda S. Lee

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

This thesis assesses the academic progress of transfer students at Eastern Washington University. Over %60 of college graduates attend multiple institutions (United States Department of Education, 2006) and more than %70 of Washington students attend a technical or community college before entering a 4-year institution. (HEBC, 2011) This makes transfer students an extremely valuable and important population to universities across the United States. These students run into different issues then average freshmen do, such as loss of credit which can impact their time to graduation and have a negative financial impact. Transfer student success falls heavily on receiving and having …

Creating A Sustainable Mentoring Program, Laura L. Sanchez

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.

Challenges In The Workplace Pertaining To Sexual Orientation: Narratives Of Two Music Teachers, Tyler J. Trepanier

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Despite laws protecting employees and the prevalence of Title IX training for administrators, staff, and faculty at many institutions, LGBTQ music teachers may still face difficulties in the workplace based on their identity. This investigation involves two case studies exploring the perceptions of music teachers in the USA regarding the challenges faced in the workplace pertaining to their sexual orientation. This empirical, descriptive study used interview technique, with the report written in a narrative style. Both teachers reported discrimination from administrators in the early stages of their careers. The first was bullied by a student spreading rumors, despite not being …

Informal Science In The Classroom: How Informal And Formal Educational Institutions Support Science Instruction, Kellie Michelle Crawford

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Science education has seen a major overhaul with the implementation of ideas from the NRC’s (2012) report, A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. At the same time, we have seen a rise in the number of formal educational facilities partnering with informal facilities to bring these practices to students. This study explored the effect these blended approaches had on both student attitudes and their achievement in science content areas. To do this, surveys were designed to assess these areas in upper elementary students participating in a one-year blended science program. First, the literature was …

Blended Learning Among Adults In Saudi Arabia, Tumadher Abdulrahim Ekhmimi

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Abstract The study was carried to determine the effectiveness of blended-learning among adults in higher education. The focus includes distinction between e-learning and traditional learning, features of blended-learning, contribution of technology in blended-learning, blended-learning and educational achievement and the relationship between blended-learning and student satisfaction. Saudi Arabia has not embraced the concept of blended-learning and adults studying in college are unable to successfully finish their studies since they haven't the flexibility that blended-learning offer while they are working or taking care of their families. Blended-learning environments facilitate and support the education system due to efficient and timely feedback compared to …

Strategic Contemplation As One Saudi Mother’S Way Of Reflecting On Her Children’S Learning Only English In The United States: An Autoethnography And Multiple Case Study Of Multilingual Writers At The College Level, Razan Alansari

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

This thesis is two single case studies that represent the emic and etic views of the parenting choices of the researcher as well as 12 multilingual writers who were not parents but who offered their opinions in simulated journals that appear unedited in the thesis. The mother/researcher of two boys discusses the challenges she faced when trying to introduce the heritage language, Arabic, to her children, one of whom was born in the United States. Both were raised in the United States outside their home country for almost seven years while the parents were government scholars earning degrees. This is …

“If You Wanted Me To Speak Your Language Then You Should Have Stayed In Your Country”: A Critical Ethnography Of Linguistic Identity And Resiliency In The Life Of An Afghan Refugee, Logan M. Amstadter

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Nasreen and her family had not wanted to leave their native Afghanistan, but when the Taliban’s violence forced them to seek refuge in Iran, Nasreen found herself a teenager on the outskirts of Tehran. Discrimination, lack of opportunity, and an unwelcoming environment compelled her to make the dangerous overland journey from Iran to Turkey along with her husband, her brother, and her two sons. Now, they have asylum in the United States, where Nasreen is thriving—earning a degree at a community college and translating for other members of her community. Refusing to dwell on the past and enduringly optimistic about …

One Size Does Not Fit All: Exploring Online-Language-Learning Challenges And Benefits For Advanced English Language Learners, Renee Kenney

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Research has shown that traditional pen-and-paper methods of learning and teaching do not sufficiently reach all students with varying learning backgrounds, styles, and preferences. Thus, a shift toward multimodal instruction has occurred in which traditional methods are augmented by the viewing, listening and watching of a variety of technologies and media. This thesis explores how to implement multimodality within online spaces, utilizing social media platforms as instructional spaces for English Language Learners. The research presented shows that employing these platforms may supplement in-class work to give students opportunities and space to utilize English rhetorical tools, cultivate and express their second …