Education Commons^™

Refreshment For The Soul: A Phenomenological Study Of The Student Experience Of Beauty In School, Paul Reiff

Dissertations

Prompted by the ratio-scientific emphasis in the curriculum, I conducted this study to explore the lifeworlds of students to understand their lived experience of beauty in school. This investigation entailed a phenomenological study, the method of which included in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with four high school students. This study aimed to examine the essence of beauty in the lived experience of students in school, to explore the perceptions of students regarding school as a place to appreciate beauty, and to understand the needs of students as a place that develops their aesthetic sensibilities. The findings include the description …

"Let Me Tell You What I See" Creating A Culturally Relevant Arts Based Education Through The Use Of Photography And Storytelling, William Tran

Master's Projects and Capstones

There are many constructs that can hinder the ability of students of color to succeed in a classroom environment. Factors such as the construct of whiteness, microaggressions, the banking method, as well as cuts in arts based classes create a learning environment where oppression occurs on multiple levels. The construct of whiteness creates an environment in which only the ideas, values, lived experiences, and knowledge of whites are considered valid. Microaggressions uphold the construct of whiteness by insulting and invalidating any ideas, values, lived experiences, languages, and knowledge that are outside the construct of whiteness. The constructs of whiteness as …

Lotuses Rising: Fostering Southeast Asian Community Cultural Wealth Through Arts Based Culturally Specific Programming, Rhummanee Hang

Master's Projects and Capstones

This project explores how Banteay Srei, a community organization in Oakland, California, works with young Southeast Asian American women using arts based and culturally specific programming to make visible the community cultural wealth that exists in this community. Through cooking and telling stories about their elders' refuge and resettlement experiences, the young women gain a better sense of their own history, culture, and identity. This intergenerational project allows participants to learn, feel empowered, and begin to heal. The result is a cookbook for the young women of the organization. While this project and program is not meant to be replicated …

Gameful Design In The Development Of Asynchronous Online Discussion Activities: A Case Study, William Michael Trest

Dissertations

This study investigates Gameful Design as a method to improve the development and implementation of Asynchronous Online Discussions in online learning environments. A qualitative methodology, an instrumental case study design, was used to examine the effectiveness of this design method by exploring the experiences of the participants and the meaning they gave to those experiences. Data was collected through observation, discussion transcript analysis, and pre/post-course interviews. Validity was strengthened by triangulation of these sources.

The findings showed that gameful design was an effective method to encourage the development of a connected and engaged learning community within an online class and …

Developmental Assets Supporting High School Graduation Among African American Students, Randall J. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this study was individual and community assets and barriers that African American students living in disadvantaged low income communities encounter in their efforts to complete high school. The research questions were focused on understanding the high school experiences of students who graduated and of students who dropped out. The study was a comparison of the data collected from interviews of former students to the 15 interventions identified as most effective by the National Dropout Prevention Network (http://dropoutprevention.org/effective-strategies/).

Findings suggested that 6 of the 15 developmental assets were effective for enabling African American students to graduate …

How Select Groups Of Preservice Science Teachers With Inquiry Orientations View Teaching And Learning Science Through Inquiry, Peggy Diana Ward

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although hailed as a powerful form of instruction, in most teaching and learning contexts, inquiry-based instruction is fraught with ambiguous and conflicting definitions and descriptions. Yet little has been written about the experiences preservice science teacher have regarding their learning to teach science through inquiry. This project sought to understand how select preservice secondary science teachers enrolled in three UTeach programs in Arkansas conceptualize inquiry instruction and how they rationalize its value in a teaching and learning context. The three teacher education programs investigated in this study are adoption sites aligned with the UTeach Program in Austin, TX that distinguishes …

The Development Of An E-Learning Usability Scale For Higher Education, Zoroayka V. Sandoval

Theses and Dissertations

In order to measure usability in higher education online courses, the E-Learning Usability Scale for Higher Education was developed in this study. After an extensive review of literature, the E-Learning Usability Evaluation Questionnaire developed by Zaharias (2009) was the closest instrument found to be free and available. However, this instrument was designed to measure usability for corporate settings and an adaptation of the items was required for online courses in higher education. The purpose of this study was to design a usability instrument for online courses in higher education from an original instrument designed for corporate settings, and to determine …

Perceptions Of The Effects Of Homework On Student Achievement At A Suburban Middle School: A Program Evaluation, Cody Huisman

Dissertations

The purpose of this program evaluation was to gain a clear understanding of how homework supports or deters the achievement of students, specifically the overall grade a student attains. This document details how students and teachers at a suburban Middle School perceive homework and its effect on student learning. The findings were that many students received failing grades in classes, primarily due to missing homework. The program evaluation used mixed methodology. Using survey and focus group results in conjunction with current literature, the conclusion revealed a need for homework policies that would support student learning without punishing students’ grades. Students …

Implementing Standards-Based Grading In A Suburban Middle School: A Change Leadership Plan, Cody Huisman

Dissertations

The purpose of the Change Leadership Plan was to describe a current issue facing a school district, creating a vision of change to end that obstacle. In the case of this particular change plan, the problem is the traditional grading system at a suburban middle school. The plan advocates for a change to a standards-based grading system. Several steps describing change are examined: describing the current situation, conducting research to support change, and designing a vision of what success will look like after standards-based grading is established. The research conducted was done through both surveys and group interviews. Research participants …

An Exploration Of Student Views On Grading And Learning In An Alternative School Setting, Lisa Heipp

Dissertations

Reducing barriers to learning is vital. High school teachers focus tirelessly on how best to engage students in learning; however, grading, which is a fundamental aspect of a teacher’s responsibilities, may be a significant barrier to learning. This dissertation examines students’ views on grading and learning in an alternative high school setting. The twelve students who are the focus of this research have experienced traditional school settings and an alternative charter school setting, thus they offer a perspective on grading and learning that is more widely informed than the majority of students in schools. This study is motivated by three …

The Effect Of Blackboard Tools On The Community Of Inquiry And Learner Satisfaction With Learning Management System-Enabled Courses, Alice Swift

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Online education has increased in popularity throughout higher education in recent decades, with learning management systems (LMSs) now being used by the majority of higher education institutions throughout the United States (Allen, Seaman, Poulin, & Straut, 2016). The Community of Inquiry (CoI) theoretical framework is composed of interrelated cognitive, teaching, and social presences, which make up a deeper learning experience (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2010). This study sought to further the theoretical and practical application of the CoI by evaluating learner satisfaction with LMS-enabled courses in vocational areas of study and additional course delivery formats (online, hybrid, and web-enhanced). Results …

Measuring The Effectiveness Of A Two-Period Algebra Class: A Program Evaluation, Tracey K. Landry

Dissertations

This paper details a program evaluation of a two-period freshman Algebra course in a two-high school district. The study examines the degree to which the two-period course is an effective intervention for freshman math students as compared to the one-period freshman Algebra course by reviewing student assessment data, student growth indicators, and course enrollment data. In addition to quantitative data, student, teacher, and administrator perceptions of the course inform the investigation into the two-period remedial math class. The paper concludes that the two-period math program is not having the desired impact and should be reconfigured or reconsidered altogether.

Block Scheduling For The 21st Century High School: A Change Leadership Plan, Tracey K. Landry

Dissertations

The needs of 21st Century learners require an overhaul in the way classroom instruction is organized and delivered. This Change Plan outlines how and why high schools may consider modifying the bell schedule to support needed change. The current high school structure was developed at the turn of the 20th Century, over 100 years ago, when the world was much smaller, and the vast majority of students did not go on to college or need advanced coursework to enter and compete in the workforce. Yet, this late 19th century concept is still the basic organizing structure of our modern day …

Going 1:1- Writing Policy To Support The 21st Century Student: A Policy Advocacy Document, Tracey K. Landry

Dissertations

In an effort to prepare its graduates with the 21^st century skills of problem solving, collaboration, technology savvy, creativity, and information literacy and to close the learning gaps between students who have access to technology and those who don’t, this study proposes that District 123 create a policy to support a 1:1 Chromebook initiative. Using Browder’s needs analysis model, the impact of a 1:1 program is analyzed through the educational, social, political, economic and moral frames (Browder, 1995). It is determined that a 1:1 program can transform teaching and learning by giving equal access to technology, by incorporating student-driven …

Benefits Of Incorporating Health And Wellness Education Into The Fifth Grade Curriculum, Allison Brown

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This senior capstone examines the benefits of incorporating health and wellness education for 100 fifth graders from three different classrooms in a local Monterey County elementary school to gain their perspectives about the different aspects of health and wellness. Through the use of literature review, anonymous surveys with students and three fifth grader teachers, the result findings indicate that incorporating health and wellness education into fifth grade curriculum would benefit students to have a better health and wellness.

Benefits Of Implementing Journaling Activities In Physical Education At The Elementary School Level, Ivy Ottmar

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Physical Education (P.E.) is at a risk of becoming obsolete at the elementary school level. This is an important problem that needs to be addressed because children need a daily physical outlet. But, it goes beyond just getting outside and moving. If journaling is integrated into the physical education curriculum, students can use this tool to reinforce what they are learning when they are exercising as well as communicate their feelings about physical education. After conducting literature reviews, interviewing elementary school staff, and implementing a journaling activity, the researcher found that journaling about P.E. was positive and beneficial for the …

Effects Of Obesity In Elementary School Children After No Child Left Behind (Nclb), Victoria L. Moore

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Ever since No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation became adopted into our school system, students’ physical health has suffered. Recently, the number of unhealthy children has grown. One in three children are classified as overweight or obese. This senior capstone project demonstrates the causes and effects of such an issue in regards to both physical education and nutritional education in elementary schools in the tri-county areas of Monterey, Salinas, and Santa Clara counties. The results from twenty-seven survey results and one interview suggest that most teachers feel that there is a need for daily physical education and nutritional education should …

Online Training For Judicial Officers And Court Personnel, Morgan Patten

Master of Education in Instructional Design and Technology Plan II Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to create two online, asynchronous courses: one on domestic violence for judicial officers and one on community supervision of sex offenders for probation and parole officers. These courses will be offered to the court community through the Supreme Court of Ohio Judicial College, which is responsible for providing education to judicial officers, court personnel, and others who serve the judiciary.

These courses were developed in consultation with Supreme Court of Ohio staff, judicial officers, and other subject matter experts. These experts evaluated the courses on at least three occasions and provided substantive feedback. Once …

Progression: Preventing Recidivism Through Post-Secondary Education, Frelimo Omari Amili

MAIS Projects and Theses

In the United States of America there are more people incarcerated than in any other developed country. The majority of people released from incarceration become recidivists. Many people who are incarcerated serve their time and return to the same circumstances that led to their incarceration. First time offenders are often released to much worse circumstances because they now have their options in regards to life essentials such as housing and employment limited by a criminal conviction. Despite these unfortunate realities, the potential within many people affected by this vicious cycle can still be reached.

Many researchers have concluded that post-secondary …

An Exploratory Study Into The Nature Of The Relationship Between Pre-Service Teacher Fixed Factor Characteristics And Edtpa Performance Ratings, Timothy David Gouraige

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This study used a quantitative, analytical, non-experimental, explanatory research design. The study used simultaneous multiple regression analysis and analysis of covariance to investigate the factors that may influence the outcome of pre-service teachers’ performance on the edTPA, and to contribute to the overall knowledge of edTPA as a pre-service teacher performance assessment. The study explored the relationship between pre-service teacher demographic and academic performance characteristics and his or her edTPA summative performance ratings in an effort to determine if a relationship exists between these fixed factors and student performance on edTPA. Additionally, this study used comparative statistics, specifically ANCOVA, to …

Attitudes Toward Adult Education Among Adult Learners Without A High School Diploma Or Ged, Andrea Rose Bennett

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore attitudes toward adult education among adult learners without a high school diploma or the General Educational Development (GED). In this study, adult learners without a high school diploma or GED completed the Attitudes Toward Adult Education Scale (AACES) and selected respondents volunteered to participate in a face-to-face interview in conjunction with the mixed methods section of the study. For this study, I used a 5-point Likert scale to measure the responses on the 22-item AACES survey.

Three hundred and fifty respondents participated in the study. Descriptive statistics and a three-way ANOVA revealed …

Multimodal Assessment In Action: What We Really Value In New Media Texts, Kathleen M. Baldwin

Doctoral Dissertations

As the Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing illustrates, writing teachers at all educational levels can no longer ignore multimodality and the challenges that come with incorporating multimodal writing—texts composed using a combination of sound, images, video, etc.—into the classroom (NCTE, Framework). A chief struggle most writing teachers face is how to evaluate the multimodal texts their students produce, texts that are inherently diverse. In answer to the calls of scholars such as Yancey, Herrington, and Moran for research exploring multimodal assessment in situated classroom practice, my dissertation examines what K-16 writing teachers are and should be valuing in …

Contemplative Practices And Learning: A Holistic Approach To Education In Bhutan, Yang Gyeltshen

Doctoral Dissertations

This study examines the comments, behavior, and products of young student monks, who are exposed to an integrated curriculum of contemplative practices and secular lessons, about whether and how they bring their social-emotional learning from the contemplative practices to bear when learning secular functional skills and knowledge. At the beginning of my self-study, I hypothesized that an integrated curriculum of secular learning combined with contemplative practices would result in deeper learning, based on the research and literature on the connection between affective and cognitive learning. My findings support and do not negate previous research that an integrated curriculum, integrating contemplative …

Math Curriculum (Algebra Ii) With Focus On Sports, Raychel Figurski

Honors Theses

Learning mathematics is something that is difficult for students to do. This is definitely the case when the students do not get to investigate and really dive deep into the mathematical concepts. This thesis consists of a curriculum set up to promote a greater learning experience for students learning mathematical concepts. The curriculum is set up to cover one unit, or chapter, revolving around the concepts of linear functions. This thesis contains a student copy of a textbook for a unit on linear functions as well as a teacher version. The teacher version contains answers to all questions as well …

Young Children Positioned As Storytellers In The Classroom: An Examination Of Teacher-Child Interactions And The Storytelling Event, Peggy L. Martalock

Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT YOUNG CHILDREN POSITIONED AS STORYTELLERS IN THE CLASSROOM: AN EXAMINATION OF TEACHER-CHILD INTERACTIONS AND THE STORYTELLING EVENT SEPTEMBER 2016 PEGGY MARTALOCK, B.A., UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN MADISON M.A. UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN LACROSSE Ed.D., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Directed by: Professor Claire E. Hamilton Responsive, well-attuned, sensitive, dynamic, and individual interactions between teachers and children in early childhood classrooms support language and literacy development. This study looks at the nature and qualities of teacher – child interactions during Vivian Paley’s storytelling approach when implemented as a curricular activity. This is a microethnographic study conducted from a socio-cultural theoretical framework of two …

Shared Focus/Collective Responsibility: The Lived Experience Of Educators As Members Of A Data Team In A Connecticut Public High School, Abbie-Jean M. Lareau

Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT SHARED FOCUS/COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY: THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF EDUCATORS AS MEMBERS OF A DATA TEAM IN A CONNECTICUT PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL This study explores the experiences of five high school English Teachers in a Connecticut public school acting as an Instructional Data Team as prescribed by the Connecticut Accountability for Learning (CALI) model. Data Teams are teams of educators that participate in collaborative, structured, scheduled meetings, which focus on the effectiveness of teaching as determined by student achievement. Data Teams adhere to continuous improvement cycles, analyze trends, and determine strategies to facilitate analysis that results in action. Data Teams can …

Synergy Between Digital And Traditional Literacy Practices: A Framework For Building A Reading Culture In A Secondary School, Nina Kositsky

Doctoral Dissertations

Integration of digital technologies into the English classroom requires that we rethink pedagogical frameworks within which education occurs. This study examines traditional and digital literacy practices in a high school that committed itself to building a strong reading culture among its students as it digitized its library collection. Through a series of in-depth, phenomenologically based interviews and classroom observations, the researcher focused on identifying factors that foster an interest in literary reading as a personally meaningful literacy experience among 21st century adolescents and explored the following questions: What kind of teaching practices promote this interest? What kind of social environments …

What's Hope Got To Do With It? A Narrative Inquiry Into The Hope Levels Of High School Students Diagnosed With Soft Disabilities, Cynthia Norbeck

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

This two-phase qualitative study was designed to explore the hope levels of high school students receiving special education services for mild intellectual disabilities or emotional/behavioral disabilities using a narrative inquiry approach. In order to better understand how student participants perceived their special education experiences and how their individual perceptions related to their hope levels, the Adult Hope Scale (AHS) was administered to seven students and scored during the study’s first phase. Semi-structured interviews were subsequently conducted with five high school students chosen from the original group for the study’s second phase. Interviews were reported in narrative form and key common …

Kindergarten English Teachers' Perceptions Of Teaching Listening Strategies, Assessment Strategies And The Obstacles They Face, Ghada Yahya Ai Kilani

Theses

Education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has received great interest withrespect to the best practices of twenty first century teaching and learning. The aim has been to adapt worldwide used methods in education. As a result Abu Dhabi Educational Council (ADEC) attracted English native speakers of language to support ADEC’s vision. The focus of this thesis is ADEC kindergarten English teachers’ perceptions of teaching listening strategies used to help English as foreign language (EFL) learners in practicing listening activities. The main purpose is to identify the tools and approaches involved in delivering these strategies and the forms of assessment …

Exploring The Perceived And The Actual Written Feedback Preferences Between Elf Students And Teachers In The Uae, Najah Asad Al Mohammedi

Theses

No abstract provided.