Education Commons^™

Using Inquiry To Raise Engagement During Third Grade Instruction, Andrew Ellingson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this study is to research the effects that using inquiry-based strategies have on independent reading time engagement and reading achievement for third grade students. The research will begin by identifying the level of engagement and reading achievement of a third-grade class. A third-grade class will receive lessons on using the inquiry process, and then they will be able to take control of their learning and will be able to read and create projects based off what they are interested in. This study will examine if these strategies and options will boost engagement for these third-grade students, which …

Inclusion In The Classroom: Addressing Antecedents Of Challenging Behaviors, Justin Heskett

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The study aimed at identifying the antecedents of challenging behavior of a student who was identified as Developmental Cognitive Disability (DCD) in her inclusive secondary classes. This study was directed towards a student and her behaviors to help determine what, if anything, triggered different behaviors in the inclusive classroom. Information was gathered through paraeducators along with her teachers (e.g. general education teachers, special education teachers) observing the student. The information will be presented to administration to create a staff development on inclusion in the classroom. Analyzing the data, some of the triggers for behaviors were deemed inevitable, and some were …

Positive Behavioral Interventions And Supports In An Early Education Center, Karisa Gratton

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

With so many uncertainties in childcare centers all across America (especially in a world of COVID-19), it is crucial to have Positive Behavioral Systems and Supports (PBIS) in place to ensure success in learning environments for all children. Typically speaking, the center that I work in has four classrooms, with each teacher directly in charge of their own students. In a normal school year, teachers also are given the opportunity to interact and work with students from other age groups, giving all children a chance to form relationships with each adult. However, in a COVID-19 world, these interactions are non-existent, …

Why Students Seek Help, Blake Rasmussen

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This project researched why students do and do not seek help in a high school class. Typically, when a student is more confident in their abilities, they are more likely to seek out help from a class teacher. Students who are less confident will conversely avoid looking for help, as they are afraid of what their peers and teachers will think of them for asking for help. This invites instructors to come up with ways to increase confidence and self-efficacy in these learners so they will then feel better about asking for help when needed.

Keywords: Self-efficacy, questions, help

Short-Term Direct Reading Instruction For 2nd Grade Students Using Horizons Fast Track A-B, Emily Dempster

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Children who read proficiently by third grade are four times more likely to graduate from high school (Hernandez, 2011). This school-based project explored the effects of Horizons Fast Track A-B phonics intervention on oral reading fluency (ORF) progress of three second grade students. Students received 40-minute lessons, twice a week for three weeks. Lesson activities ranged from identifying letter sounds to story comprehension. Students were progress monitored weekly at the second- grade level using one-minute ORF probes. It appeared that the intervention was not beneficial for these students. Discussion includes possible changes that could have been made to make the …

Student Success In Virtual Versus In-Person Learning During A Direct Instruction Math Intervention Course, Christina Lindmeier

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Public education has always been thought of as being completed in a brick and mortar setting with students in desks and teachers at the front of the classroom. Students interact with their peers and learn through lecture and hands-on activities. This general understanding was quickly changed in the spring of 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Schools had to shift from in person learning to online learning with little to no planning time. As schools began to transition back in the fall of 2020, school boards had to make the choice of continuing all virtual learning, creating a hybrid learning …

Interprofessional Education (Ipe) And Interprofessional Education Collaborative (Ipec) Competencies Of Clinical And Healthcare Administration Undergraduate Students, Shelly Gompf

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The healthcare industry is dependent on the successful delivery of effective education to undergraduate healthcare students. Curriculum and instruction, experiences both inside and outside of the classroom, significantly contribute to students' successful development. A critical element for successful healthcare delivery is to continue building a sustainable culture for all healthcare workers that will increase skills for improved ethics and values, inter-disciplinary understanding of roles and responsibilities, interprofessional communication, and teamwork. One teaching approach that continues to produce positive results is interprofessional education (IPE). This teaching method, supported by the experiential learning theory, brings clinical stakeholders together to problem-solve and make …

Implementing Mindfulness: The Effect On Student Behavior And Focus At The Elementary Level, Brianna Anderson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The practice of mindfulness is being used with increasing regularity in classrooms around the world. Mindfulness is the idea of being present in the moment without thinking about the past or wondering about the future. Teaching students about practicing mindfulness has several components including breathing, seeing, stretching, and listening. Provided is a literature review and research on the positive effects mindfulness has on a students’ ability to focus, self-regulate, and release anxiety and stress in a Title 1 elementary classroom. Analysis of the data showed a decrease in the frequency of off-task behaviors in four out of six students during …

Creating Trauma Sensitive Classroom In The Early Childhood Setting, Janelle Elke

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this study is to ensure that our early childhood classrooms are trauma sensitive for our students that have been exposed or are experiencing trauma. Roughly 26 percent of children in the United States witness or experience a trauma before the age of 4( Briggs- Gowan et al.2010). The study was conducted in three different phases. In the first phase, data was collected on what strategies are presently implemented for students who have been exposed to trauma. In the second phase, strategies, techniques and tools were introduced to help during stressful situations that happened during class. In the …

The Impact Of The Flipped Classroom Model: A Study Of 5th Grade Students, Kyle Petermeier

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this research was to determine whether the flipped classroom can improve the impact on student achievement and increase the enjoyment of math and the attitude toward its’ instruction. The study aims to look at younger students to see if the flipped classroom can make a positive impact in the classroom. Quantitative and qualitative data was used to determine a positive, negative, or null impact on math instruction. Quantitative data includes chapter tests, while qualitative data includes a survey about the feeling towards math. The data indicated that the flipped classroom can have a positive impact on math …

The Impact Of A Freshman Academy On Academic Achievement And Engagement, Victoria A. Honetschlager

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this study was to understand the impact of a freshman academy model on students’ academic achievement, behavioral and emotional engagement by examining factors such as: credits earned and GPA, attendance and behavior referrals, and student survey data. The study examined these factors using existing data obtained from a Southwest metro suburban high school and a statewide triennial student survey. Data from cohorts prior to the implementation of the freshman academy and post-academy implementation were extracted from Infinite Campus, the school’s student information system, and quantitatively analyzed using a causal-comparative design. Welch t-tests revealed that academic achievement indicators …

The Effects Of Collaboration Between A Physical And Health Disabilities Teacher And A General Education Teacher On Students With Disabilities During A Pandemic And Remote Learning, Amber Kurten

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine how student grades are impacted when teachers collaborate on a weekly basis. A group of 10 students with average intelligence would have been used in this study. They would have been split into two groups of 5. With one group, I would have provided weekly collaboration with the teachers. With the other group, I would have provided monthly collaboration. I would have tracked progress by monitoring student grades. The collaboration would have been provided through email, phone, and in-person consultation to resolve student concerns. Only students whose parents had signed informed consent …

The Impact Positive Verbal Praise Has On Violent Behaviors Among Students In A Federal Setting Iv Special Education Placement, Chad Tauer

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine how positive verbal praise impacts the prevalence and frequency of violent behaviors among chosen students receiving special education services at Federal Setting IV sites. This study was conducted over the course of four months, three phases (baseline phase, implementation phase, and termination phase). The subjects of this study are students under the various special education disability classifications of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), Emotional or Behavioral Disorders (EBD), Developmental Cognitive Delays (DCD), Physically Impaired (PI), Other Health Disabilities (OHD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and Severely Multiply Impaired (SMI). Students are chosen at …

Mathematical Discourse: Impacts On Seventh Grade Student Learning And Feelings About Mathematics, Courtney Weston

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The original purpose of this study was to investigate the impacts mathematical discourse has on instruction and students’ feelings about mathematics. The research would have focused on the impacts mathematical discourse has on 40 students in a 7th grade math classroom. Students would have been provided with tasks that foster and encourage discourse during instruction. Student surveys, work samples, and a Discourse Rubric would have been used to determine the impacts mathematical discourse has on instruction and students’ feelings about mathematics. Plans for this study changed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Due to COVID-19, the research was shifted to an …

Progress Monitoring Through The Lens Of Distance Learning, Jeremy Beulah

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Abstract

In this project, the topic discussed is progress monitoring in the lens of distance learning, specifically for those students qualifying for special education services under the umbrella of Emotional Behavioral Disorders (EBD). Additionally, this project focuses on students who qualify for Emotional Behavioral Disorders (EBD), the characteristics of EBD and the procedures and assessments that have students’ qualify for special education services under EBD. The reason why progress monitoring is important for distance learning and what that will look like for students who qualify for EBD will be addressed. Peer-reviewed articles that addressed distance learning and how it might …

Predicting And Perceiving Teacher Effectiveness Of Novice Teachers, Kristen Carlson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

“What makes a good teacher” is a question that many people interested in education try to answer, whether they are school administrators, education faculty, parents of a K-12 student, or politicians. For several decades, policy makers have been searching for ways to measure teacher effectiveness, primarily through student standardized assessments. Recently, there has been a resurgence of interested educators and education researchers who are working to find alternative ways to measure teacher effectiveness instead of relying solely on the individual students’ standardized assessment scores. This study sought to predict novice teacher effectiveness through performance assessment and to determine how novice …

The Theory Of Dispositions In Filmmaking And Leadership, Kyja Kristjansson-Nelson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Inclusive media arts education should be accessible for all young people so that they can be successful citizens of this media-rich, media-saturated world. Issues surrounding access and exclusion are complex. What barriers contribute to exclusion within media arts education programs? The purpose of this study is to determine how best to create more inclusion in media arts education through leadership practices. More specifically, how do we become more inclusive in filmmaking practice, and what is the role of leadership in that endeavor? This study strives to determine how leadership best serves a highly successful inclusive media arts organization, and to …

How Teachers Of Different Content Areas Use And Define Rubrics, Abigail Bremer

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This study serves to fill a gap in the research with regard to what we know about the actual implementation of rubrics in secondary classrooms. By discovering the connections between a secondary teacher’s content area and the ways they use and identify rubrics, this study begins the work of clarifying academic language and implementing practices that will be significant to the growth and development of all students. A qualitative case study, this research began with a survey that included responses from teachers in each core content area: mathematics, science, social studies, and language arts. Three hundred thirty-seven secondary teachers from …

Full-Service Community School Intervention: Case Study Of Somali Parent-School Engagement Within A Rural Midwestern School District, Anne Leland

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

ABSTRACT

Current research has recognized considerable benefits of parent and family engagement with their children’s schools. However, research shows many systemic and individual barriers to effective parent and family engagement. Located in a rural Minnesota setting, Faribault Public Schools (FPS) has a large population of Somali refugee parents with limited English proficiency. Based on data from FPS, children from these families are falling behind in school. The FPS system has acknowledged the need to enhance engagement with these families to more effectively support their children’s success in school.

The purpose of this quasi-experimental, qualitative case study was to characterize Somali …

Exclusionary Discipline Disparities: A Case Study, Isaac Lundberg

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Over several decades, what has come to be known as the discipline gap has been widely studied and well-documented. The discipline gap, or, the difference in rates of referrals, consequences, and exclusions exists for many marginalized populations and has been linked to the school-to-prison pipeline phenomenon and, furthermore, to achievement gaps in educational outcomes. In 2017, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights identified 43 school districts across the state who show significant discipline disparities. This study explored the issue in one of those school districts, seeking to identify causes and implications of the trend in order to make policy recommendations …

Summer Literacy Academy: Evaluating The Impact Of Supports, Book Choice, Incentives, And A Focused, Literacy-Based Summer Learning Program On Reading Outcomes For Rural, Middle School Students, Kathrina Oconnell

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This research explores the effect of the equitable provision of resources and a literacy-focused curriculum on summer learning loss for middle-school students. Using the faucet theory, this mixed methods sequential exploratory study was designed to provide school-year resources during the summer months, for students in grades five through eight, in a rural, socioeconomically disadvantaged school district. Transportation, breakfast, lunch, books, and a literacy-focused enrichment program were provided for all students, and book choice and attendance prizes were used to increase student motivation. The pragmatic approach of the study incorporated both quantitative (e.g., literacy outputs, registration, attendance data, reading observations, and …

Diagramming Academic Equity: Exploring Educator Perceptions Of Using Student Data To Institute Equitable Academic Programming In Public Secondary Schools, Matthew Dass

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

By viewing Adams’ Equity Theory through an educational equity lens, the author intends to demonstrate which data educators feel are most important when designing education plans that offer all public secondary students equitable access to school curricula and resources. Creating equitable educational plans for all students is vital to ensuring students are granted access to the curricular resources necessary to both achieve their respective academic potential, and stimulate engagement through integrating individual student interests into academic planning. Consequently, this study seeks to establish specifically which data points educators feel are most important when instituting equitable education programming for students, and …

Family Engagement In Schools: A Training For School Staff, Noah Brenden

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Family engagement in schools is examined concerning its benefits, characteristics, common barriers, and how it can be developed. There is a consensus that increased family engagement leads to a better overall educational performance from students. Family engagement literature does well in describing the benefits, characteristics, and common barriers to family engagement. However, to gain a complete understanding of how family engagement in schools can be promoted, further research needs to look at various measures that have proven to be effective.

Keywords: Family engagement, characteristics, schools, barriers, benefits

The Effects Of Multiple Accommodations On Student Engagement And Work Completion In Fifth Grade Students With Reading Disabilities, Allison Ternes

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of several accommodations that may benefit fifth grade students who have been identified with a reading disability in the general education classroom in order to increase engagement and work completion during English Language Arts instruction. Data was collected through teacher surveys, teacher interviews, and on-task/off-task observations. Surveys were conducted prior to the study, mid-study, and post-study. Teacher interviews were conducted at the planning meeting biweekly and observations were completed prior to the study, mid-study, and post study. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the study was not able to be conducted …

A Study On Early Intervention Referrals And Eligibility Of Prenatal Drug-Exposed Children, Holly Nelson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this study was to see what the developmental trend was among children who were prenatally exposed to drugs and early intervention services. There is not much research-based data that has been collected on this topic, even though in 2004 federal legislation was passed to improve early intervention service access for drug-exposed infants. This study was motivated by scientific evidence that maternal substance abuse and prenatal drug exposure has detrimental effects on the fetus and prolonged effects on children. This study collected data on how many prenatally drug-exposed children were referred for early intervention services and how many …

Math Problem Solving Discussions: Increasing Communication For Students With Autism, Anna Benson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this research study was to report the effect social scripts have on the ability to increase communication and understanding during partner work in math for students with autism. The study was made up of 9 participants, all of whom were enrolled in the same special education pull out math class. Data was collected through observations to identify the frequency of scripted and unscripted communicative questions and responses, along with understanding of the math activity. Data was also collected through a survey at the beginning and end of the study to obtain student feedback on social scripts and …

The Comparison Of Video Modeling And Task Analysis To Teach Daily Living Skills To Non-Verbal Students With Developmental Disabilities In A Transition Program, Kasey Anderson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the comparison of using video modeling and task analysis to teach independent living skills to students in a transition program. Two non-verbal students with developmental cognitive disabilities participated in this study. The students were taught daily living skills that are part of a functional curriculum (e.g., loading and unloading the dishwasher, brushing their teeth, washing their face, sweeping, and cleaning a table). The first student (Student A), was shown a pre-recorded video of the task being performed and asked to perform the task. The second student (Student B) was presented with a …

A History And Contemporary Analysis Of The Standard Adult High School Diploma Program In Minnesota, Ray Michael Ades

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This research project, which focused on a competency-based, secondary credential option for adult learners, known as the Minnesota Standard Adult High School Diploma, investigated the development of this credentialing option from its inception prior to 2014 legislation through present implementation. Three research questions, which centered on the circumstances that instigated, the process that developed the implementation of the Minnesota Standard Adult High School Diploma, which is referred to as the quintain in this study, and the perceived impact upon Adult Basic Education programs guided this multiple case study. Group interviews and document analysis were employed to answer the aforementioned questions. …

Reflection's Impact On Student Learning, James Dahlgren

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this study was to see if the process of reflection has a positive impact on student learning. Students wrote reflections before and after assessments, which allowed them to think deeply about what they were doing well, what they needed help on, and how they were going to receive that support. Students also wrote reflections periodically throughout the year. In these reflections, students evaluated their study habits, work ethic, willingness to ask for help, and anything that hindered their success in the past. Students wrote reflections during class and were read by the teacher to access quality so …

Using Mindfulness Techniques In Elementary Schools: Training For Staff, Mariah Linnell

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Mindfulness is a state of mind focused on drawing attention to what is happening in the present moment. Students at all levels, whether it be elementary, middle, or high school can experience numerous academic, personal and social, and behavioral benefits from practicing mindfulness. The training presented in this project will address the need for elementary school staff to be using mindfulness techniques when working with the diverse range of students. The objective is that this training will result in the education of school staff on mindfulness and how to effectively implement these techniques with students, which will have a positive …