Education Commons^™

Implications Of Inclusive Postsecondary Education Programs (Ipses) On Quality Of Life For Young Adults With Intellectual Disabilities, Sarah K. Eggleston

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Students with intellectual disability (ID) who are aging out from qualifying for special education services through the public school system often encounter difficulty in the transition to early adulthood. While students with disabilities in Virginia have access to employment and transition services to aid them in seeking job placement, some students with ID still carry aspirations of going to college like many of their peers without disabilities. College is an experience that allows emerging adults to gain independence, social skills, pivotal identity development, and opportunities to explore academic and professional interests, while increasing their qualifications for more competitive employment. In …

Analyzing Motivation And Sense Of Belonging Belonging In Cs1 Review Sessions, Cory Longenecker

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

The Computer Science Department at James Madison University has a Teaching Assistant program which aims to help students succeed in early-level Computer Science courses. Part of this program is a review session, the Fourth Hour, which provides students extra help on the concepts taught each week in class. Historically, attendance at this review session has been low. Because of this, the study aimed to increase attendance by motivating students through interventions, primarily offering quiz retakes to students who attended. Additionally, this study looked at the reported sense of belonging for participants who attended.

We made three conclusions from survey data …

Student-Led Success: Improving Attendance And Learning At Fourth Hour Review Sessions, Andrew C. Gilbert

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

This research continues the work of Gilbert et al. [1] by translating the “Fourth Hour” review session materials from Java to Python, keeping the focus on common misconceptions in the literature, continuing to use Peer Instruction (PI), and addressing two issues in the previous study: low attendance and short-term learning outcomes during the session. [2] The “Fourth Hour” is a review session designed to support students taking CS1 who may have missed class or need to review the previous week’s material. This review session is an hour long and is offered twice a week with the same material so more …

Intergenerational Trauma In The Developing Student And Interventions Used, Malea G. Laquihon

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

The purpose of this review was to identify studies that focus on supporting students with intergenerational trauma (IGT) and the interventions used to minimize the effects of this type of trauma. To do this, we conducted a systematic literature review that identified 16 articles addressing IGT and its impact on school-age children or their parents. In the results of this systematic review, the authors of 12 studies reported the interventions had a positive impact on the participants in their studies. Limitations of the current review, the literature base, and implications for future research are presented.

Integrating Ethics And The Opioid Crisis Via Simulation: An Ethical Debriefing For Nursing Students, Raigan A. J. Shackelford

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Over the past three decades, opioid medication misuse and abuse has skyrocketed. The increase in improper use has created the need for more frequent exercise of ethical reasoning skills in practice. This study was designed to determine the effect of an ethics-centered debriefing exercise following a standardized simulation scenario concerning opioid misuse/abuse on nursing students’ value of and perceived confidence in ethical reasoning skills. 18 senior level BSN students at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA, participated in an ethics- focused debriefing exercise following the simulated scenario. The debriefing was constructed using the ANA Code of Ethics and James Madison …

A Pilot Study On The Impact Of Teaching Assistant Led Cs1 Study Sessions Using Peer Instruction, Megan E. Gilbert

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

James Madison University’s Computer Science program strives to be a student-centered learning environment with a focus on creating a community for undergraduate success. National data reveals computer science has the lowest student retention rate compared to other STEM majors. The National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) has compiled a list of ways to retain students in Computer Science. In particular, NCWIT calls for collaboration indicate that “a sense of belonging, or a feeling of fit, is important for supporting student interest and persistence.” One aspect of creating community is the department’s longstanding commitment to provide undergraduate teaching assistants …

Savoring The Moon: Japanese Prints Of The Floating World, Madison B. Dalton

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Guided by the Director of the Madison Art Collection and Lisanby Museum, Virginia Soenksen,I served as the Curatorial Assistant for the Lisanby Museum’s forthcoming exhibition Savoring the Moon: Japanese Prints of the Floating World. The exhibition will highlight the Madison ArtCollection’s impressive Japanese woodblock prints in the ukiyo-e style. Ukiyo-e translates to“pictures of the floating world.” This style proliferated in Japan during the Edo period (1603 - 1868) and Meiji period (1868 - 1912), with visual themes that ranged from flora and fauna, Japanese ceremonies, kabuki actors, mythology, courtesans, and cultural pastimes. The estate of Charles Alvin Lisanby gifted over …

Expectation Gaps Between High School Mathematics Courses And College Calculus, Lauren M. Godfrey

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

As a tutor at the Science and Math Learning Center (SMLC) at James Madison University (JMU), I have seen a disconnect between students’ preparation from their high school math classes and their application of particular topics in higher level math classes (i.e. Calculus I). As a future high school math teacher, I wanted to investigate the expectation gap between high school and college math classes. I observed a Calculus I class during the first week of classes to determine the students’ initial struggles. I finally landed on the topic of logarithms and specifically the rules associated with them. I conducted …

Generating Acoustic Projections Using 3d Models, Jake A. Brazelton

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Raytracing is used in commercial graphics engines most commonly for lighting effects, but it also has many uses when it comes to acoustic simulation. Adopted directly from these computer graphics programs, the formulas presented herein enable the visualization of acoustic intensity levels throughout a 3D space using Python 3 and the OpenGL library. In addition to visualization, they also provide the ability to calculate the reverberation time and critical distance of an enclosed space in relation to its size and material makeup. The described application bundles all of these components together in a Qt5 application that allows users to view …

The Third Teacher: An Analysis Of Aesthetic And Intentionality Of Space In The Classroom, Madeline F. Brown

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

The Third Teacher—a concept central to the Reggio Emilia approach to education, states the physical environment plays a vital role in learning. Early education theorists, such as Loris Malaguzzi and Maria Montessori, emphasize the idea of a prepared classroom environment; however, modern day classrooms are seemingly arranged without much intention. Because of this, current classroom spaces are not in alignment with research from past theorists, resulting in compromised student achievement. This thesis answers the question, “How can educators purposefully and practically utilize the classroom space to maximize student learning?” on the basis of lighting, seating, organization of materials, color scheme, …