Education Commons^™

Teacher Perspectives On Content Literacy In Elementary Schools, Jontia Grace

Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership Dissertations

Content area teachers are expected to incorporate literacy strategies in their classrooms, despite the fact that all content area teachers do no attend professional learning communities to learn effective literacy strategies. This study is needed because many content area teachers lack the necessary knowledge and skills about literacy to be successful in the classroom.

The goal of this study was to impact 5^th grade students’ literacy abilities by supporting teacher development by changing their planning, instruction, and assessment practice. This was done by implementing effective research-based strategies in vocabulary instruction, reading and comprehension instruction, writing instruction, and increasing parental …

Thinking Beyond The Text: Examining Teachers’ Dispositions Of Critical Thinking In Elementary Social Studies Classrooms Through The Use Of Socratic Seminars, Jacqueline Hunter

Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership Dissertations

Research shows that students need opportunities to engage in strategies that will enhance their critical thinking skills. With pressure on teachers to prepare students for state assessments, teachers teach to the test, not giving students chances to dialogue with their peers. To produce citizens in a genuinely democratic world, the voices of students is crucial. Socratic Seminar is a classroom methodology that can foster critical thinking skills and cultivate a democratic learning environment. The purpose of this participatory action research study is to examine teachers’ dispositions of critical thinking in elementary social studies classrooms as students think beyond the text. …

The Missing Mirror: A Critical Content Analysis Of Multicultural Children's Literature With Black Male Characters, Wendy Harris

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Education in America is facing many challenges, such as the adoption of common core standards and the demand for highly qualified teachers (Darling-Hammond, 2010). Further, the achievement gap lingers on, with Black males often performing poorly on national assessments of reading proficiency (Tatum, 2005). Although Black males are highly literate, they may feel alienated from traditional school systems and classroom reading selections (Kirkland, 2013). One of the most effective strategies for teachers to bridge the gap in reading is to inspire Black males to get engaged with their books and read for longer periods of time. However, children are …

Student Voice: A Qualitative Study Investigating Students' Experiences And Teachers’ Perceptions Of Instructional Practice Across Learning Levels, Lisa A. Moore

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Dissertations

Using a 360-degree approach, this qualitative case study compared the experiences of students and the perceptions of teachers concerning instructional practice across learning levels in a northwest Georgia high school. The purpose was to use student voice to inform administrators of teachers’ and students’ classroom engagement. Using nine math classes across three learning levels (foundations algebra, on-level algebra, and advanced algebra), the study used open-ended surveys to collect self-reported data from students and teachers to identify common themes of learning and teaching practices. The common themes identified agreements and collaborative strategies between students and teachers at three different learning levels …

Ballot Readability And Plain Language, Roger Poole

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

The goal of this study was to examine the effect that readability and plain language had on voters' responses to Georgia's five legislatively-referred constitutional amendments (LRCA) in the November 2018 election. This study sought to answer the following questions regarding ballot readability and plain language:

1. Do voters distinguish the difference between traditionally composed ballots and plain language ballots?
2. Do voters have a preference between conventional worded ballots and reworded ballot language that improved readability?

Given that partisan lawyers and lobbyists write many state ballot questions, there may be tendencies to compose legislatively-referred constitutional amendments in confusing and unclear language designed …

Teaching The Sun As Simile: Bringing Nature Into Language Arts Middle School Classrooms, Stormy Kage

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

Teaching the Sun as Simile is an essay that explores an interdisciplinary approach to teaching middle school English Language Arts (ELA) by infusing nature and environmental studies. This essay defines emerging concepts of new literacy studies and eco-criticism, literacy, and composition as it relates to ELA pedagogy. Also, it provides an explanation for the importance and relevance of using nature to develop an ecosystem of better readers, writers and communicators in middle school general ed and special ed classrooms.

The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence, Perceived Stress And Coping Mechanisms In The Undergraduate Nursing Student, Marissa Rebello

Master of Science in Nursing Final Projects

Purpose:The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI), coping mechanisms and perceived stress in undergraduate nursing students.

Design:A quantitative non-experimental descriptive design was followed.

Method:The data was collected through a convenience sample. The sample was collected during an undergraduate nursing class where the students in the classroom were asked to participate in the study. The students that chose to participate took a survey that included data collection on demographics, EI scores, perceived stress and coping mechanisms. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) (Cohen et al., 1983), the Brief COPE (Carver, 1997), and …

Refugee Resettlement In The U.S.: The Hidden Realities Of The U.S. Refugee Integration Process, Bienvenue Konsimbo

Master of Science in Conflict Management Final Projects

From the 1946 to the 1980 Act, more than two million refugees have resettled in the U.S. (Eby, Iverson, Smyers, & Kekic, 2011p.). This has made the U.S. the largest of the 10 resettlement countries (Xu, 2007, p. 38). The U.S. department of state (DOS)’ hope is to give “the refugee a leg up on their journey to self-sufficiency” (Darrow, 2015, p. 92). For these millions of refugees, their expectations are to find “employment, education, to provide a better environment for their children, and to integrate into the community” (Xu, 2007p.38).

However, this pre-package deal is not without repercussions or …

Students’ Perceptions Of Factors Related To Transition Planning That Support Their Pursuit Of Postsecondary Education, Nancy Johal Singh

Doctor of Education in Special Education Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to understand the influence that transition planning had on the pursuit of postsecondary education based on the perceptions of students with disabilities. The present study was guided by the following research question: What factors related to transition planning support high school students with disabilities in their pursuit of postsecondary education? A qualitative research design involving case study methods was chosen for the six-month investigation. The essential reason for utilizing case study methods was to provide rich data using a smaller sample size of participants. The participants in the present study included three first-year …

Hashtags And Pins In Education: Digital Native Educators In Digital Habitats., Kelly Pilgrim Cassidy

Doctor of Education in Instructional Technology Dissertations

As technology becomes more ubiquitous in society, education cannot ignore the impact it is having on education. This research seeks to understand how Digital Native educators are using Digital Habitats in their professional practice. By gaining a deeper understanding of how educators use Digital Habitats, including their tools, like hashtags and pins, we can begin to develop ways to incorporate these skills into our teacher preparation programs. The knowledge gained from this study can help administrators, technology leaders and coaches to better understand their Digital Native teachers and how they are using these technology tools in their professional practice. This …

Student Self Perception Of The Benefits Of Service Learning In An Alternative Education Program, Barbara Fuqua

Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to explore the benefits of implementing service learning projects in an alternative education program serving 80% African American students. The study attempted to determine if service learning participation influences students’ learning attitude, learning behaviors and social skills while completing course work in the alternative school setting. The focus of the research was on middle and high school African American students attending an alternative education program in rural southeast United States.

The main question that guided this study was: How do students perceive that service learning influences students’ learning attitude, learning behaviors and social skills …

Coaching For Change: Teacher Perceptions Of The Impact Of Personalized, Reflective Professional Development, Emily Davis

Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership Dissertations

Instructional coaching has become a popular form of professional development in schools. Instructional coaches are often teacher leaders with years of classroom experience but little formal training in working with adult learners. This research examined the experiences of instructional coaches and the supports they perceived were needed for success in a coaching relationship. This research also examined the experiences of the teachers being coached in order to determine teacher perception of coaching as effective professional development. Data analysis explored the themes of objectivity, credibility, listening, and communication within the coaching relationship.

K-12 Community Of Inquiry: A Case Study Of K-12 Online Social Studies Teacher Practice In A Virtual School, Kyle Sanders

Doctor of Education in Instructional Technology Dissertations

Teaching practices, rationales, and roles of experienced online social studies teachers at one fully online high school in the southeastern United States were examined using the descriptive case study method. Three male teachers and one female social studies teacher, all with three or more years of experience in the online classroom, were studied using interviews, observations, and document analysis. The resultant data was then coded according to open and theoretical coding methods. Results demonstrated the teaching practices, rationales, and roles of experienced online social studies teachers. Results led to an adaptation of the Community of Inquiry framework to the K-12 …

Cracked Windows, Broken Mirrors, And Closed Doors: A Critical Content Analysis Of African American Children's Books, Tiffany World

Doctor of Education in Elementary and Early Childhood Education Dissertations

ABSTRACT

There is a current shortage of culturally responsive African American children’s books. Culturally responsive literature provides a positive influence on children of all races and researchers have indicated that picturebooks that are diverse and culturally responsive can affirm cultural and social identities (Crowley, Fountain, & Torres, 2012). The purpose of this study was to examine how the life experiences of African American families are currently being depicted in recently published children’s literature. This study employed a qualitative research design to explore the topic of African American families in children’s literature. The study examined how African American families are represented …

Use Of Pope Engagement Index To Measure Cognitive Load Of Physical Modeling Activities In Organic Chemistry, Jenifer Calvert

Master of Science in Chemical Sciences Theses

Understanding how students learn and process information is critical to developing physical modeling activities that facilitate student learning by decreasing cognitive load in the working memory. Optimizing cognitive load during physical modeling activities in organic chemistry is the key to effective and efficient learning. Using EEG (electroencephalogram) and eye tracking technologies, researchers measured and recorded the cognitive processing of participants while they completed a chiral physical modeling activity. Analysis of the data using the Engagement Index developed by Pope et al provided information necessary to develop curriculum that does not undermine student learning due to excessive cognitive load.

Designing Visually Interactive Learning Modules To Promote Students' Critical Thinking In Mathematics, Linda Vu, Ying Xie

Master of Science in Computer Science Theses

This Innovative Practice Full Paper presents our study of promoting critical thinking and achievement in mathematics with the use of technology via easily accessible resources. We believe that creating easy-to-use learning modules that are accessible for students everywhere is a great way to help students comprehend abstract logic process in problem solving. More specifically, we developed a series of learning modules that interactively visualize and illustrate the steps of Geometry proofs by using GeoGebra, a dynamic learning platform for mathematics [5, 10]. Survey study shows that our interactive learning modules are beneficial in promoting students’ learning interests and ability of …

Voices From The Margin: A Qualitative Study On The Perspectives Of Economically Disadvantaged, Black Students Identified As Learning Disabled, Nadine Duncan

Doctor of Education in Special Education Dissertations

This study explores the perspectives of four economically disadvantaged, Black students who have been labeled as learning disabled and placed in the Special Education program. The voices of the students interviewed are used to develop unique, first-hand understandings of the cause of disproportionality among poor, Black children in Special Education with a learning dis/ability. Results from the data collected through individual and group interviews suggest that students do not regard themselves as dis/abled as they find themselves capable of learning and executing non-academic tasks that relate to their lived reality. Therefore, I argue that a historical, and therefore systemic, devaluation …

Advancing School Environments Through Research Synthesis In Design, Callan Hoeve

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

While schools are still being constructed based on antiquated research and design strategies, this thesis project aims to take advantage and respond to all three of these areas of research: well-being, safety, and learning environment design.

The project began with the analysis of a newly constructed school that follows antiquated research methods: East Cobb Middle School. This proposed project will use the same site in it’s state prior to the current school’s construction in order to compare the proposed school design to the current one. This will reveal how the three areas of research can influence a cost efficient design …

Thinking Outside The Toolbox: A Teaching Resource For Vocational Writing, Dustin Ledford

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

This capstone project combines elements of contextualization, professional writing, and process pedagogy to create a course design for teaching writing in the technical college/vocational school setting. With this course design, students are asked to complete a variety of scenario-driven, workplace-related writing tasks that teach fundamentals of college composition including research, critical thinking, and process-based writing. With this sample curriculum, students write from realistic scenarios from the healthcare industry, especially tasks from the medical office environment. The goal of this course design is to model and promote new practices for teaching writing in vocational settings to better engage students in these …

The Relationship Between School Climate And Graduation Rates From A Control Perspective: Comparing Georgia Public High Schools, Nathan Hand

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to contribute to the body of literature regarding decisions school leaders make when developing strategic plans to improve student outcomes. This study investigated whether there is a significant relationship between the school’s climate and graduation rates for public high schools in the state of Georgia when controlling for potential covariates. Like most states, Georgia legislatures have increasingly placed more responsibilities on schools to graduate students on time. For this study, "on time” refers to students who graduate within a four-year cohort, beginning when students enter the ninth grade. Research over the last decade suggests …