Education Commons^™

Examination Of High School Students' Understanding Of Geometry, Brantley Grant Pierce

Master's Theses

Not every student learns geometry instruction the same. Inside today’s classroom, one will find a diverse collection of students with different learning styles, background knowledge, and cognitive abilities. Students with high cognitive skills may sit next to those who struggle to maintain the material of a single subject. It is the job of an educator to accept the students as they are and guide them through a successful academic journey. This process is called Differentiated Instruction. Gregory and Chapman, authors of Differentiated Instructional Strategies: One Size Doesn’t Fit All, state that the term differentiation is a philosophy that allows instructors …

Deliberate Use Of Creative Problem Solving In Art Making, Rebecca Dame-Seidler

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

This project explores the productivity of the Creative Problem Solving (CPS) tools in the visual art making process. The project offered the opportunity for high school student volunteer’s to participate in an after school program called Creative Art Group Experience (CAGE). Volunteers learned and made use of CPS tools to guide their art making. The project researched the effectiveness of using CPS tools in art making documenting volunteer progress and feedback. As an art educator, I had the opportunity to evaluate the impact of using CPS tools with the art-making process. The results of CAGE will benefit how CPS tools …

The Impact Of Extracurricular Activities On Student Achievement At The High School Level, Steven Wesley Craft

Dissertations

The pressure applied on public schools to increase test scores and student achievement are reaching the highest levels ever seen in the United States. School systems are trying to find ways to increase student achievement while dealing with severe budget cuts. Many school systems are exploring the possibility of decreasing or suspending funding for extracurricular activities. This study explored the relationship between student achievement and participation in extracurricular activities. The study focused on the impact that participation in extracurricular activities had grade point average, absentee rate, SAT scores, and success on the Georgia High School Graduation Test. In order to …

Creation Of Post Ap Chemistry Class, Julian Medrano

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The creation of a Post AP Chemistry Class to be taught at the high school level for grade 12 students is discussed. The class is to be taught under the supervision of the University of Texas Pan American professors and taught by an MS Chemistry teacher, in order to better transition students into upper level chemistry courses beyond Chemistry 1401 and 1402.

Differentiated Instruction, Tracy E. Winzer

All Graduate Projects

The advantages of differentiated insh·uction compared to traditional direct instruction were contrasted aud compared in this study. The research examined the need for differentiation in public school classrooms with a wide range of student skill aud ability. The focus of the research was to determine whether or not differentiation is a sound and best teaching practice, and to what extent it should be incorporated into national curriculum instruction. The project centered on the creation of a differentiated unit for au eleventh grade U.S. Hist01y class. The unit is designed to accommodate a mixed-ability classroom by using differentiated instruction strategies. The …

So Tell Me, What's Different But The Skin I'M In? Seven Adolescent Black Girls Making Sense Of Their Experiences In An Online School Book Club Featuring African American Young Adult Literature, Benita Rutonya Dillard

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Believing the claim made by Black feminist research and scholarship that Black women writers and Black female social networks were safe spaces for Black females to come to voice, this qualitative multiple case study examined how seven adolescent Black females enrolled in a public virtual charter high school positioned themselves as they responded to contemporary realistic young adult fiction written by African American female authors in an online single-gendered book club. This study captured participants as some interacted in Tuesday's group and the others in the Thursday's group. Interpretivist methods are used to specifically examine the ways in which the …

A Study Of Digital Communication Tools Used In Online High School Courses, Nathan Putney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the degree to which selected communication tools used by teachers who teach online are positively perceived by their students in improving feelings of self-efficacy and motivation, and which tools may be perceived to be significantly more effective than the others. Students from the Florida Virtual School, a leader in online course delivery for grades 6-12, were surveyed to find their perceptions about how their teachers' use of email, Instant Messaging, chat, the telephone, discussion area, whiteboard, and assignment feedback affected their motivation and success in an online high school course. Correlations were …

Creating Community Among Colleagues: A Call To Collaboration, Thomas J. Knapper

Master of Education Program Theses

Teaching has traditionally been a lonely enterprise. Working in isolation is commonplace. Collaboration among teachers is rare, particularly at the high school level. How can Christian high schools be more purposeful in developing an ethos in which collaboration among faculty is encouraged and expected? Teachers will need to be taught how to collaborate. Teachers will have to develop attitudes of openness and trust. Administrative leadership will need to implement structures and strategies that promote a collaborative environment. Christians are called to live in community with each other. To that end much can and should be done to promote collaboration among …

Limited English Proficient Students And Their Teachers Attitudes Of The Learning Environment In Mathematics Classes, Michelle C. Snider

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study described the attitudes of students who are limited English proficient (LEP) and their teachers toward the learning environment within their mathematics classes. Data collected via a student survey, student and teacher interviews, and classroom observations were analyzed in this mixed-method study to investigate these attitudes. Accuracy of the findings was confirmed via triangulation. A population of 79 students was chosen through purposive sampling methods that included LEP and non-LEP students in algebra and geometry classes. Students were administered a 30-item questionnaire using the What is Happening in This Class? survey. Scores provided from the survey's six scales were …

Social Competence Of High School Students Enrolled In Online Physical Education Courses, Deborah M. Ware

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to assess the social competence of high school students enrolled in online Physical Education courses. Additionally, the demographic information regarding students who enroll in online Physical Education courses was examined. The subjects for this study included sixty students taking one of two Physical Education courses at the Florida Virtual School during the spring 2005 term. The entire curriculum of the Florida Virtual School is presented online and students live throughout the entire state of Florida. Therefore, the entire study was administered online. The assessment instrument used was the Teenage Inventory of Social Skills created …

A Model Service-Learning Curriculum For Rainier Beach High School, Seattle, Washington, M. Karen Harrington

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to develop a Service-Learning Curriculum for Rainier Beach High School, Seattle, Washington. To accomplish this purpose, a review ofrelated literature was conducted. Additionally, related information and materials from programs throughout the United States was obtained and analyzed, along with related materials from Seattle Public Schools.

The Literacy Experiences Of Ninth-Graders And Their Teacher In An English Language Arts Workshop, Elizabeth Scanlon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The question guiding this qualitative study was: What are the literacy experiences of ninth-grade students in an English language arts workshop classroom? This study is an autoethnography and it chronicles six months in my ninth grade English classroom where I played the role of observant participant. It examines the process of reading and writing and how my perspective as a reader and a writer shapes my curricular decisions and influences my students as readers and writers.

An Analysis Of The Implementation Of Differentiated Instruction In A Middle School And High School And The Effects Of Implementation On Curriculum Content And Student Achievement, John P. Burns

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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A Guide To Motion And Newton's Laws For General Science, Roger F. Hume

All Graduate Projects

This project provides activities in motion and Newton's Laws of motion. Besides instructions on how to perform the activity, a list of student selfassessment questions is provided to encourage further inquiry. The activities are also aligned with the Essential Academic Learning Requirements for the State of Washington. These activities are designed to supplement curriculum already being taught.

Inservice Workships: Freshman Focus Curriculum Implementation, Rachel Elizabeth Rief

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to create workshops to help teachers implement an existing Freshman Focus Curriculum. It was specifically intended for use at Eisenhower High School in Yakima, Washington. The workshops include ways to help teachers organize, prepare for and teach the curriculum which was written to help freshmen transition into high school. The workshops include lesson plans as well as supplemental materials needed to effectively teach the curriculum.

Leadership Curriculum For The High School Student, Ruth Elaine Miller

All Graduate Projects

The need for a high school leadership curriculum for a small rural school district was studied. The review of literature showed that students should be provided the opportunity to learn leadership skills that focus on the individual, family, school and community. By working with peers and adults, leadership students will have the opportunity to work in real-life situations which address service-learning, character education, and school-to-work in aligmnent with the national and state standards.

High School Block Scheduling As A Stimulus: A Multiple-Site Case Study, William H. Phelps

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify the processes that have been used for implementing the alternative scheduling plan of block scheduling in high schools. The study attempted to discover what professional development activities were used for the change, if teachers altered instruction, and what additional staff development was needed. The qualitative method of case study research was selected for the study. The investigator chose five public high schools, representing city and county systems and different professional development budgets and types of instructional support. Central office administrators who were responsible for the implementation of block scheduling, principals, and a …

A Model Curriculum Integrating Values/Morals Education Into Secondary Level Language Arts Instruction, Wilma J. Eads

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of the project was to develop a model curriculum integrating values/morals education with language arts instruction. To accomplish this purpose a current literature search regarding values/morals education and related language arts instruction was conducted. Additionally, related information from selected schools was obtained and analyzed.

Supplimental Activities/Lesson Plans For General Math, Jacklyn Sue Long

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of the project was to develop supplemental activities/lesson plans for ninth grade general mathematics. The activities/lesson plans make use of manipulatives, cooperative learning and real life situations. Some of the activities/ lesson plans are developed into projects.

Schema Theory And Application For The Content Teacher, June Allen Carpenter Darling

All Graduate Projects

Schema theory, research, and implications for the classroom were studied. Based on research, teacher resources, and curriculum demands, instruction was designed for a secondary teacher of United States History. During a workshop, four secondary teachers from three districts reacted to research and instruction. A video tape was developed showing schema theory concepts, related research, application for the content teacher, and reactions from secondary teachers. Implications for the content teacher are discussed.

Experience-Based Dialogues In Secondary English-As-A-Second-Language Classrooms, Carlina V. Lobos

All Graduate Projects

An informal study was conducted to explore the effectiveness of experience-based dialogues in the promotion of oral language use in secondary-level English-As-A-Second-Language classrooms. The twenty-one dialogues field-tested in the project were developed interactively, by teacher and students, in the sociocognitive context of each of the learner's background knowledge, experience and immediate communication needs. Experience-based dialogues are a method of language teaching and learning that focuses on the communicative act rather than on isolated or discrete grammatical items. An overview of the results of the informal study was presented here. Strategies for teachers to develop and implement, using this approach, were …

Teach The World: Lessons About The Real World, Robert David Paine

All Graduate Projects

This project is a compilation of 24 personalized cultural geography lessons about the real world. It was developed utilizing travel and living experiences which occurred to me during a 20-year period of my teaching life. The focus of the lessons is the removal of the students from their place and a gaining of perspectives of other people in other places. The lessons are suitable for secondary students and concentrate on the areas of geography, economics, planetary degradation, culture, and religion. Research can be found which supports the study of global education as a basis for a more enlightened and productive …

Metacognitive Prereading Activities To Enhance Reading Comprehension, Katherine Laws

All Graduate Projects

This study investigated metacognitive prereading strategies content area teachers might utilize for process emphasis reading comprehension. The literature review showed the shift in reading comprehension instruction from a word based emphasis to an interactive process emphasis, described content area reading instruction and metacognition. A selection of metacognitive prereading activities was included for use by teachers in content area classrooms. Implications of using the activities were discussed.

Supplimental Functional Reading Materials For Secondary Moderately Retarded Students, Kimberlie Ann Baglau

All Graduate Projects

Reading materials were compiled that would help secondary moderately retarded students develop reading skills needed to function at a more independent level than in the past. Materials were developed in the form of worksheets. These worksheets were designed to be supplemental materials to be used to reinforce the learning of functional sight words. Materials were produced for two types of functional reading: reading labels on medicine bottles and reading bus schedules.

A Comparative Study Of Student Directed Dialogue Journal Writing And Teacher Directed Dialogue Journal Writing, Yolanda Paez Bailey

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this study was to compare student directed dialogue journal writing with teacher directed dialogue journal writing. Eleven students in the student directed group wrote about self-generated topics while 12 students in the teacher directed group wrote on topics selected by the teacher. Data were analyzed in the areas of amount of writing generated, types of language functions, topics and the ability to stay on topic, level of technical improvement, types of questions posed by students and teacher, and attitudes towards writing. The results revealed that both student directed dialogue journal writing and teacher directed dialogue journal writing …

Evaluating The Effect Of Project H.O.P.E.: An After-School Study Hall, Eugene Joseph Schmidt

All Graduate Projects

The effectiveness of Project HOPE, an acronym for Helping Our People Educationally, was tested to determine if improved academic achievement would result from an after-school study hall. Intended for ninth grade students that fall behind because of uncompleted daily work and missed assignments, Project HOPE was created to give students "a last chance." It was thought that daily work scores would rise and that students would realize an overall increase in their final course grades. The actual experiment was run from November 19, 1984 until January 17, 1985. The experimental group was the writer's tenth grade English class. Despite improvements …

A Supplementary Unit For The Average Level High School Geometry Course, Theresa Lynn Hulbert

All Graduate Projects

A set of worksheets were created to supplement high school geometry textbooks. The worksheet~ focus on the needs and abilities of the average or below average high school geometry students. The supplement consists of additional problems in areas where books are lacking, proofs with some of the statements or reasons filled in, and review problems.

A Curriculum For Death Education In The High School Family Life Program, Karrin J. Lewis

All Graduate Projects

The intent and purpose of this study was to develop curriculum, resources, evaluation and teacher preparation for a death education class, and to teach that curriculum as an elective, semester class for high school students at Washington High School in Tacoma, Washington, in order to demonstrate the feasibility of such a class becoming a regular part of the high school family life program.

A Study Of Zillah High School's Individualized English Program For The School Year 1969-1979, Seth T. Tweedy

All Master's Theses

This thesis suggests curriculum and structural changes in the high school English classes at Zillah High School, Yakima, WA based on current research in education.

An Application Of A Revised Morrissett's Curriculum Analysis System To A High School English Program, Eldon Richard Loewe

All Master's Theses

The problem presented in this thesis is threefold. Taken together, these items present the bulk of work for any person attempting curriculum evaluation at the local level:

1. Meaningful evaluative information must be obtained. Instead of glib and generalized assumptions about what ought to be, one should achieve specific information relevant to the researcher as well as his departmental colleagues.

2. The information must relate to other studies so that a larger curriculum analysis will result. If the soundest method of national evaluation is to create concrete building blocks locally, these individual studies must mesh to provide something larger and …