Education Commons^™

Building Vocabulary In Secondary Classrooms Using Best Practices, Rebekah Lund, Amanda Johnson

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

Our action research project began with finding a common denominator between a Mathematics teacher (Amanda Johnson) at a rural, alternative school and an English teacher (Rebekah Lund) at a rural, k-12 school. We wanted to research something that was relative to both of our struggles as teachers and the content in our classrooms, which are different in content, but similar in structure. Many of our students come from low-income backgrounds, where education is not always the primary focus. For Amanda in particular and somewhat Rebekah, many of our students are working through problems that are larger than academics, such as …

The Effects Of Visual Arts On Reading Comprehension Of 3rd Grade Learners, Kelsey Gravalin, Kimberly Maki

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The purpose of this research paper was to determine the effect of visual arts on comprehension skills of 3^rd grade students. The research study was implemented in a 3^rd grade classroom with the inclusion of an art teacher for a time period of 8 weeks during the months of April and May. We collected data to assess whether a visual arts project would affect comprehension scores on a quiz. We also collected pre and post attitude surveys and met with 2 focus groups. The results of this research indicated there was a slight increase of comprehension scores when …

The Effects Of The Flipped Classroom Model In A Physical Science Classroom, Patricia Price

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This study was designed to examine the effects of the Flipped Classroom model; this inquisition was conducted in ninth grade physical science classes at a Minnesota public high school. All participants had school-issued iPads. Data sources included student interest and self-assessment surveys, formative and summative assessment data, teacher observations of student participation and a parent survey. Results showed that formative scores were the same during the first unit and one percent higher for the traditional classroom during the second unit. Scores for the third and fourth units showed opposite results. Summative assessment scores during the first two units were three …

The Effects Of Supplementary Reading Activities For Spanish Heritage Learners, Gayle Brownlow

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The intent of the research was to determine if the use of supplementary reading activities involving cultural topics would increase reading proficiency of secondary Spanish heritage learners. Sixteen heritage learners participated in the study: nine girls and seven boys. At the time of the study, two students were in Spanish II, seven students were in Spanish III, six students were in Spanish IV and one student was in Spanish V. The four data sources for this research included the following: a student self-assessment, formative and summative assessments, a survey, and a teacher journal. These data revealed that the reading comprehension …

Student-Authored Word Problems And Their Impact On High School Mathematics Students’ Engagement, Jacob Heidelberger

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

Student-Authored Word Problems and Their Impact on High School Mathematics Students’ Engagement

Jake Heidelberger

May, 2012

Abstract

The focus of this action research was the impact of writing their own word problems on student engagement and attitudes toward word problems. I focused on two sections of Advanced Algebra 2, mostly junior year students, during the linear functions as mathematical models unit of study. Data were collected from preliminary and concluding surveys, daily exit slips, and student interviews. After reviewing the traditional approach to solving word problems, I asked my students to use the problems we worked through as a guide …