Education Commons^™

Teaching Communication: Helping Students To Learn And To Love A New Language, Jacob Fredrickson

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio represents many hours spent in classrooms (as a student and as a teacher), in the library reading and writing, and spent in quiet contemplation. My views on teaching languages and on education in general have grown and changed. What a tragedy it would be to pass through a graduate program and not to have one’s views evolve and grow. Most importantly, this portfolio represents that growth and the ideal that, as an educator and as a human being, time on this earth ought to be spent growing, learning, and striving for something better.

Training Paraeducators To Use Behavior Management Strategies: Implementation And Evaluation Of A Brief Targeted Intervention, Aubrey Whiting

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Training paraprofessionals to be highly qualified providers of services to students with disabilities is a requirement of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA), although many special education paraprofessionals still lack the skills and knowledge to work with students with special education needs – particularly those who engage in disruptive behaviors. This project evaluated the use of one module of a 10-week online paraeducator inservice training (Morgan et al., 2004) that focused on behavioral interventions. Five paraprofessionals who currently work at a public school for students with significant behavior problems in a rural school district in the Western United …

Implementation Of Effective Instructional Routines, Praise Statements, Response Opportunities, And Error Correction Through Professional Training, Coaching And Observation, Sallie Richardson

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Professional development opportunities can range from a single workshop to long term ongoing training. Research shows that an inspiring and informed teacher is one of the most important school related factor influencing student achievement. The best professional development for new teachers is ongoing, experiential, and collaborative, while providing an opportunity for practice, reflecting and mentoring for successful development. Most professionals involved in professional development would agree that the goal of staff development is to produce a change in participant’s knowledge, behaviors, understanding, skills, values, and beliefs (Hord, S. & Monk, B. 1997). The purpose of this creative project was to …

Distance Collaboration: A Study Of Professional Conversations Between Isolated Church Education System Teachers, Zachary J. Cowan

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This qualitative research reports on the experience of eight single person faculty seminary teachers as they participated in four collaborative structured discussions with a colleague, while using distance technology. The structure of each discussion consisted of discussion of a selected talk or article, the giving and receiving of feedback on a lesson plan, and the discussion of other ideas, concerns, problems, and questions. Data was also gathered in an exit interview. Constant-comparative analysis was used to discover patterns and themes from observations notes and the exit interview. There are several implications from the data. The reason articles were selected for …

Teacher Perception Of Social/Emotional Skills Of Preschool Children And The Relationship To Common Core Standards, A. Mi'kel Price

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Sampson is a 4-year-old preschooler. It is difficult for him to make friends, understand simple social settings, and interact with peers. He struggles to interpret incoming contextual information (such as talking to a peer about the blocks they are playing with), has difficulty comprehending non-literal/figurative expressions (such as jokes and irony), and implicit messages (such as when a child does not want to play with him). Sampson’s difficulties increase his risk of social isolation and lower self-esteem.

This vignette offers a glimpse into the challenges faced by children with low social/emotional skills. The social use of language, often referred to …

Assessment Of Morphosyntactic Development Of Preschool Children With Hearing Loss Using The Clinical Evaluation Of Language Fundamentals-Preschool Second Edition, Angela Anderson

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

It is recommended that children with HL are assessed using standardized assessments normed on hearing peers (Houston & Caraway, 2009; Joint Commission on Infant Hearing (JCIH), 2007). However, as these assessments are more commonly administered to children with HL there is reason to further investigate the sensitivity of these assessments particularly in their ability to identify weaknesses specific to HL. The CELF-Preschool 2 (Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals – Preschool (Wiig, Secord & Semel, 2004)) has been found to be a valid tool for diagnosing language impairment in normal hearing children (Spaulding, Plante, & Farinella, 2006). However, this assessment has …

Development And Preliminary Evaluation Of A Transition Planning Guide, Shalee Thompson

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Transition planning for students with disabilities is often a difficult process for students, their families, and their teachers. Families are often unsure of how best to help their student and often feel unheard by the professionals with whom they are working (Defur, Todd-Allen & Getzel, 2001.) Teachers are also unsure of how to best implement transition planning strategies in the classroom (Thoma, Pannazzo, Fritton & Bartholomew, 2008). Transition planning is often poorly aligned with the desired end outcomes for students (Thompson, Fulk & Piercy, 2000) and parents and teachers lack systematic guidance in decision making for transition planning.

This project …

High Cognitive Test Item Development And Implementation, Ashley Salisbury

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

In secondary math classrooms there has been a movement toward discovery and problem solving based instruction. This type of instruction requires teachers to teach on what is often considered a higher level of cognition and allows students to discover more ideas and concepts on their own as opposed to traditional lecture style. Teachers with well thought-out examples, questions, and activities provide students with tools to solve problems on their own requiring students to make mathematical discoveries and connections. These skills not only benefit students in their math class but are analytical skills students can use throughout their lives.

With this …

Second Language Teaching And Learning: The Roles Of Teachers, Students, And The Classroom Environment, Martin Briggs

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio is a compilation of the concepts and practices that the author believes constitute effective second language teaching. It is centered on the author’s teaching philosophy, which is based on the teacher’s roles as facilitator and the students’ roles as active participants in a student-centered, communicative classroom. The author claims that as teachers and students understand and carry out their respective roles, student proficiency in the target language will increase. In support of this teaching philosophy, three artifacts are included that discuss the following: 1) The use of television commercials and other media from the target culture to facilitate …

Picture Books And Literacy Development For Children Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing, Lichelle Slater

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

In the past decade, research has focused on children’s literature and how it can facilitate literacy development (LaCour, McDonald, Tissington, Thomason, 2013; Lee, 2010). Although current research has identified the importance of age-appropriate literacy development for children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH), few studies have explored the character representations depicted in current picture books, and their cultural and individual impact on children who are DHH. To gain a better understanding of the availability of books in which deafness or hearing loss is addressed, or books in which children who are DHH are featured characters, a search of …

The Mainstream Kindergarten Teacher's Perspective Of Pragmatic Skills Of Children Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing Aligned With Common Core Standards, Marianne Ingram Huish

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Pragmatics, or social/emotional skills are learned early in life by most typically developing children (DeLuzio, Girolametto, 2011). According to the American SpeechLanguage-Hearing Association (ASHA), social/emotional skills involve three major communication strategies. These include 1) using language for different purposes such as greeting, informing, requesting, 2) changing language depending on the relationship with the listener, and 3) following conversational and storytelling rules such as taking turns in conversation, staying on topic, using non-verbal signals, and maintaining appropriate body position and eye contact (ASHA, 2013). Social/emotional skills among children entering into the mainstream kindergarten setting, according to early childhood core state standards, …

An Investigation In The Use Of Memorizing As A Learning Method When Teaching Measurement In A Technology Education Classroom, Joseph R. Porter

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The Utah State Office of Education (USOE) has indicated in the objectives for many courses that students need to be able to identify measurements on a conventional ruler including 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, and 1/16-inch increments (Utah State Office of Education Career and Technology Education Division, 2012, p. 2). This objective is present in Career and Technical Education (CTE) Introduction, a required class for all Utah seventh graders, and is repeated in most of the CTE Technology and Engineering courses offered in the state. In conference with many other technology teachers, it has been observed that although they have taught this …

Dual Language Learners Home Literacy Environment: A Training Workshop For Head Start Professionals, Kerry A. Shea

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Given that demographic statistics in early childhood settings show an increase in the number of children who are Dual Language Learners (DLLs), it is necessary to provide early childhood education professionals with information and skill-building opportunities regarding how to best serve DLL children. Head Start, a federally funded preschool for children and families living in poverty, provides services for an increasing number of DLLs. Head Start professionals are in need of effective professional development about DLLs and their families. This study examined the effects of a training on Head Start professionals' knowledge and skills for working with DLL families. Participants …

The Development Of An Instrument To Measure The Self-Efficacy Of Students Participating In Vex Robotics Competitions, Trevor P. Robinson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A research study was conducted in the Technology and Engineering Education program at Utah State University. The purpose of the study was to develop a survey instrument to measure the self-confidence of students who have participated in the VEX Robotics Competitions. The survey instrument developed was tested to be appropriate and consistent in measuring the self-confidence of middle school and high school students in the United States. The process to ensure that the survey instrument was appropriate utilized an investigation of the tasks completed by successful VEX Robotics teams through an occupational and task analysis. The investigation utilized expert coaches, …

An Investigation Of The Change In Motivation Of Fifth-Grade Students On Writing Activities After Being Taught Computer Programming Using Similar Teaching Strategies, Raymond E. Boyles

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The implementation of collaboration and the use of graphic organizers in the teaching of programming and writing in the elementary grades have proven to be effective instructional strategies. There is evidence that shows the students who are motivated to program and perform well in this content area are not necessarily representative of the students who are motivated to write. Since the organizational skills required in the two content areas are similar, there may be an opportunity to motivate students who engage in computer programming to become more motivated in writing. As a result, the purpose of this study was to …

Bridging Music And The Early Childhood Curriculum In Listening And Spoken Language Programs For Children Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing, Whitney Wright

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Music is an integral aspect of human life. Its impact weaves through arts, culture, communication, recreation, and education. In addition to benefits of enjoyment and entertainment, music is a vital component of early childhood educational settings. Educators routinely utilize music as an embedded component of instruction to meet both group and individual needs of young children in early childhood classrooms. In fact, specialized musical instruction can be particularly beneficial for children with disabilities, including those who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) (Gfeller, Driscoll, Kenworthy, & Van Voorst, 2011). Children who are DHH are at significant risk for speech, …

Utilizing Literacy Kits During Home Based Intervention To Foster Development Of Familiar Language, Tara Beckert

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Children who are deaf or hard of hearing tend to be delayed in the development of spoken language. The ability to communicate effectively is an important skill children need to succeed throughout their educational experiences. Many of the language concepts children learn are acquired through incidental exposure, such as overhearing. Children with hearing loss often miss language concepts learned through incidental exposure due to poor listening conditions. Early intervention has been shown to be effective in helping children who are deaf or hard of hearing acquire spoken language, especially when there is parental involvement in early intervention. Likewise, early literacy …

Increasing Teacher Instructional Behaviors While Engaged In Direct Instruction Through The Use Of Videotaping, Linda Olson

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

First year special education teachers enter an extremely complex and challenging profession. Even those who come from strong university preparation programs need substantial coaching to become effective in the many responsibilities of a special education teacher. Among the crucial targets of this kind of coaching program are basic, essential, effective teaching skills. This creative project took place within the context of a broad mentoring program developed by the author. It focused on evaluating one component of that program: video-supported coaching on essential effective teaching skills. The teaching skills here were: (a) providing frequent opportunities for student responses (OTRs), (b) error …

Religious Educators' Experiences With Self-Directed Learning In Professional Development: A Qualitative Study, Brandon D. Porter

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In 2012, Seminaries and Institutes of Religion (S&I), a division of The Church Educational System of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, introduced a self-directed professional development program that allowed educators to obtain two certification credentials by completing 12 certification projects per credential. The purpose of this study was to obtain an understanding of the experiences of seven S&I educators with self-directed learning in doing certification projects.

Personal and contextual factors influenced how self-directed learning for purposes of professional development was experienced by the participants in this study. Understanding program requirements, expectations, and processes, and possessing sufficient motivation …

Examining The Impact Of Different Virtual Manipulative Types On The Nature Of Students' Small-Group Discussions: An Exploratory Mixed-Methods Case Study Of Techno-Mathematical Discourse, Katie L. Anderson-Pence

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined the influence of different virtual manipulative types on the nature of students' techno-mathematical discourse (TMD) when working with a partner. The research used a concurrent mixed-methods design using identical samples to compare and synthesize the results. For this study, six fifth-grade students participated in nine sessions of mathematics instruction using virtual manipulatives. The study compared three virtual manipulative types: combined (multiple representations, open environment), pictorial (single visual representation, open environment), and tutorial (multiple representations, structured environment). Students' levels of discourse in generalization, justification, and collaboration were measured as well as students' use of physical and computer gestures …

The Development And Evaluation Of A Planning Guide And Inservice To Assist Middle School Personnel In Serving Students With Disabilities Via 504 Plans, Aimee Miller

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 specifically prohibits the discrimination of individuals with disabilities who participate in federally funded programs, including public education. Public education is a major recipient of federal funds and has struggled to apply the law to their practice. As the Office of Civil Rights (the administrator of Section 504) became more rigorous in enforcing this legislation, schools became more frustrated with the vagueness of the requirements and the eligibility standards. To date, schools still lack explicit direction and instruction on how to help students that may qualify for added accommodations, but do not qualify …

Common Themes Associated With Teacher-Identified Obstacles To Implementing Change In Mathematics Instruction Attributable To Participation In Mathematics Professional Development, Ronald A. Twitchell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study had three purposes: first, explore any common phenomenon of secondary mathematics teachers’ experience in secondary mathematics professional development (MPD); second, determine if there were positive changes in teacher attitudes after completing secondary MPD; and finally, if a positive change in teacher attitude was identified, describe the shared experiences in secondary MPD to in a way that cannot be revealed through ordinary observations. It was the intent of this study to identify positive changes in teacher attitudes not to measure their magnitude. This study implemented a mixed methods design using descriptive statistics and categorical analysis on data from pre- …

An Investigation Of The Interaction Of Beliefs And Behaviors In The Classroom, Jennelyn Talbot

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This project emerged from previous research on beliefs, influences on behaviors, and beliefs interaction with reform. Previous research stated connections existed between teacher beliefs and teacher behaviors but criticized the use of broad, general constructs and traditional methodologies. This study challenged the portrayal of beliefs as isolated and static and attempted to understand connections between beliefs and behaviors. Utilizing qualitative methodologies, this study investigated the following research questions.

1. What insight can be gained on the nature of beliefs through analysis of consistent and inconsistent behaviors?

2. How do teacher’s beliefs interact with behaviors?

This research adopted a methodology that …

E3: Emotions, Engagement, And Educational Digital Games, Ani Aghababyan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The use of educational digital games as a method of instruction for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics has increased in the past decade. While these games provide successfully implemented interactive and fun interfaces, they are not designed to respond or remedy students’ negative affect towards the game dynamics or their educational content. Therefore, this exploratory study investigated the frequent patterns of student emotional and behavioral response to educational digital games.

To unveil the sequential occurrence of these affective states, students were assigned to play the game for nine class sessions. During these sessions, their affective and behavioral response was recorded …

Strong Marriages In The African American Community: How Religion Contributes To A Healthier Marriage, Lucy K. Shirisia

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined how religion contributes to or strengthens strong African American marriages. In order to understand how religion contributed to their marriages, five couples who talked extensively about religion in their marriage were selected out of the total sample of 39 couples and were presented as case studies. Six themes surfaced across all five case studies in answer to the research question: couples consistently practiced their religion, religion was the foundation of the marriage, religion strengthened personal growth, couples had exemplars for a strong marriage, couples turned to religion during difficult times, and religion transcends race. These findings indicate …

A Qualitative Study Of Women High School Principals' Career Life Histories, Jan Bradshaw Hansen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Gender inequalities in the workplace continue to plague aspiring career-directed women. In public education, it is established that there are fewer women high school principals than there are men. In a profession predominantly employing women, the question remains, “Where are the women high school administrators”? This study examines the sociopolitical genders systems and psychological dynamics that perpetuate gender inequality. It then discusses the encumbered or constrained choices women make that are burdened or made more complicated by gendered sociopolitical or psychological dynamics. This study explored the unintentional career journeys of seven women high school principals and analyzed their career life …

Social Communication For Students With Autism: Effects Of Multiple Scripts On Conversational Exchanges Within Social Dialogue, Angela M. Christensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience difficulty in both communication and social skills. These difficulties make it challenging for students with ASD to participate in basic social exchanges within many different situations and environments. This study examined how training four adolescent male students with ASD on social scripts would affect their ability to participate in brief social conversations during their work training. The study involved training sessions where the students memorized up to 9 scripted statements and practiced using them in typical back-and-forth social conversations. It also involved generalization sessions where the students were observed to see if …

Effects Of Digital Video Feedback Package With Elementary-Aged Males Identified With Behavior Problems, Jenifer Buist

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Classroom teachers are constantly trying to find the answer to those many behavior situations that arise on a daily basis in schools. In this study, we looked at the benefits of using a digital recorder in the classroom to help students become more “aware” of their behaviors. The study was done in a rural, public elementary school with three males that ranged from third grade to fifth grade. Each of these three boys has been identified as students with either specific learning disabilities or emotional disturbances. This program was run by the resource teacher and a trained paraprofessional.

The methods …

Training Staff Members To Conduct And Implement The Multiple Stimulus Without Replacement (Mswo) Preference Assessment Using Video Modeling, Heather M. Merkley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

For many educators, finding enough time to complete all that is require of them is a daily challenge. Those in special education have the added burden of making sure that their staff members are highly trained in the skills required to work effectively with students. There are many different ways to train staff members, one of which is using a video model. This study looked at the effects of video modeling alone on the training of staff members to use the multiple stimulus without replacement preference assessment. The participants in this study were paraprofessionals who work with preschool students who …

The Effects Of A Treatment Package Combining Contingency Contracts And Video Prompts On Social Skills In Students With Intellectual Disabilities And Autism, Breana Broadhead Fausett

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many students with intellectual disabilities and autism struggle to have meaningful social interactions with their peers. Research shows that using video modeling can increase social skills in students with disabilities, but it has never been studied in comparison to or in combination with “IF….THEN…” behavior contracts. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of video prompts on elementary-aged students with disabilities to increase appropriate social interactions with their peers through filming the creation of an “IF….THEN…”contract. The participants are four elementary-aged students with intellectual disabilities and autism who have target social skills deficits. The targeted social skills …