Education Commons^™

Evaluating Perceptions Of Student Voice And School Membership Of 9th Grade Students And Teachers, Dan Beck

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Adolescence marks a developmental period of rapid cognitive, emotional, and physical growth where teenagers are tasked with establishing an identity and strong sense of self. Students and parents often report that transition to ninth grade is a formidable social challenge amidst increased academic demands and stress, and some research suggests that females have a more difficult time in the transition to high school than males. Student voice is a range of student opportunities to interact, collaborate, and partner with adults in an exploration of ideas and perspectives. However, student voice opportunities are often only available to a select group of …

Exploring Learning Style Preferences Of College Age Students With Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (Adhd), Denise Nash-Luckenbach

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

ADHD is a persistent neurobehavioral disorder in children with a prevalence rate of 5-10%. Symptoms of the disorder include inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsivity behavior. These symptoms are believed to have a great impact on the child’s cognitive and academic functions and children with ADHD are believed to have difficulty mastering basic academic skills. Historically, ADHD was believed to be a disorder only observed in children, however, it is estimated 66% of children with ADHD continue to be symptomatic as they enter adulthood. Students with a diagnosis of ADHD have higher dropout rates, lower standardized math and reading tests scores, and …

Teaching The Sun As Simile: Bringing Nature Into Language Arts Middle School Classrooms, Stormy Kage

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

Teaching the Sun as Simile is an essay that explores an interdisciplinary approach to teaching middle school English Language Arts (ELA) by infusing nature and environmental studies. This essay defines emerging concepts of new literacy studies and eco-criticism, literacy, and composition as it relates to ELA pedagogy. Also, it provides an explanation for the importance and relevance of using nature to develop an ecosystem of better readers, writers and communicators in middle school general ed and special ed classrooms.

Reflections On Teaching Through Research Writing, Literature Analysis, Expressive Writing And The Graphic Novel, Natalie S. Johnson

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

This is Natalie S. Johnson’s final portfolio for her M.A. in English (with a specialization in teaching). It includes a reflective narrative and four revised pieces: “Information Literacy Study and Teaching Student Writing of Research Papers,” “Notes on Baudelaire, Modernity and The Painter of Modern Life,” “Expressive Writing: A Literature Review,” and “Teaching of Social Constructs Through Graphic Novel Study: Challenge Factors.” The portfolio focuses on research and study that developed Johnson’s classroom pedagogy and philosophy toward improved teaching and learning.

Problem-Solving Versus Solving Problems From The Esl Math Teachers’ Point Of View, Christopher Lacy

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Krulik and Rudnick (1996) defined problem-solving as explaining how math tasks contain the potential to provide intellectual challenges to enhance the mathematical mindset and development. English as a Second Language (ESL) students must learn math, increase their English language use, and grow literacy skills all in one setting. ESL teachers must examine how ESL students solve, make real-world connections, and build upon learned behavior with rigor. The purpose of this qualitative study was to comprehend how math teachers of ESL students apply problem-solving to benefit the overall educational experience of these students. The research question guiding this study asked: What …

Acadecomic: How Visual Rhetoric And Effective Teaching Combine To Create Multiple Literacies, Michaela Vanoeveren

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This article, intended for educators, encourages the use of comics in the classroom alongside traditional alphabetical texts. It uses modern comic theory, as well as various works on visual rhetoric, to prove the benefits of comics, as well as how they can be implemented. Teachers can use this as a guide for their own classrooms to inspire classroom libraries, curricular choices, and student recommendations.

Effects Of Traditional Scheduling Versus Flexible Modular Scheduling On Academic Achievement, Kenny Val Holland

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to determine the effects of gender and traditional or flexible modular scheduling participation on academic performance as measured by ACT Aspire Summative Assessment scores. Scores chosen for this study were from the 2018 10th-grade students in four Arkansas high schools. The samples were chosen from two schools participating in traditional scheduling and two schools participating in flexible modular scheduling. ACT Aspire Summative Assessment scores were used to provide the academic performance data for the dependent variable used in each hypothesis. During the spring semesters of 2018, the ACT Aspire Summative Assessment was administered to …

Perceptions Of Restorative Practices Among Black Girls: Talking Circles In An Urban Alternative Middle School., Vanessa Marie Mcphail

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research suggests that Restorative Justice approaches have shown promise in terms of their impact on school climate, student behavior, and relationships. The purpose of this study is to explore Black female students’ perceptions of Restorative Practice (RP) talking circles at an alternative school. The study examined literature on Zero Tolerance, School Discipline Disparities, African American Female students, Intersectionality, Restorative Justice, and Alternative Schools. A qualitative case study method was used for this study, drawing from two sources: (a) face-to-face interviews and (b) observations of the Black female students who attend the alternative school and participate in the talking circles. Analyses …

The Van Hiele Analysis Of Curricular Materials: A Comparative Study, Vinay Kumar Kalyankar

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study is to investigate K-8 geometry curriculum standards and textbooks for their effectiveness in preparing students for high school geometry. The basis for the study is van Hiele theory pioneered by the Dutch educators and researchers of geometric understanding in adolescents, Dina van Hiele Geldof and Pierre van Hiele. Another driving force for this dissertation is research into mathematics textbooks and curriculum standards of school mathematics as seen in CCSSM and state specific standards documents, both of which influence the mathematics students have the opportunity to learn.

The K-8 geometry curriculum standards and textbook instructional segments …

Supporting Parents In Title I Schools: A Qualitative Study Of Parent Engagement, Vanessa Sanchez

Master's Theses

This qualitative study focuses on how to improve parent engagement in Title I schools from parents’ point of view. The purpose of this project is to understand parent involvement in a Northern California school and how to improve it. This paper offers insights from parents’ perspectives how parents view the education process. The focus is on their experiences and how to support all parents. The lenses of the study is viewed through a critical pedagogy and social cognitive theory. All five of the parents being interviewed had suggestions on how to improve parent engagement in Title I Schools. The three …

An Evaluation Of School Culture And Its Impact On Student Achievement, Jeremy Johns-Klein

Dissertations

The purpose of this evaluation was to examine if a school’s culture impacts student academic achievement due to initial low attainment on state assessments and low graduation rates. The data collected provides both quantitative and qualitative information using a teacher survey, a teacher focus group, administrator interviews, and school achievement data. The results of the study indicate a need for stronger trust between teachers and administrators, increased professional development to support teaching and learning, and improved partnerships with the parents/guardians of the students. An additional result is that the school’s culture for learning can impact the achievement levels of the …

The State Of State History: Teacher Perceptions Regarding The Place And Purpose Of State History In K–12 Social Studies, Shay Hopper

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Social studies, history, and state history courses, in general, have long been broadly considered the least significant of the four core content courses in K – 12 education. State history is required and/or taught inconsistently throughout the 50 states, and in some cases, not at all. Teacher preparation and on-going support to teach state history in K – 12 education are also inconsistent and often disregarded. The purpose of this exploratory qualitative survey and interview study was to investigate teacher perceptions regarding place and purpose of state history in K – 12 social studies, and to identify teacher dispositions toward …

Examining The Educational Experiences Of Community Day School Graduates: A Narrative Inquiry, Willie J. Jones Iii

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Community day school graduates enter society with decisions about college, career, and work. Community day schools operate as a non-traditional education system that provides a separate and often unique education to many disenfranchised students, with lessened accountability protocols to assess whether these systems prepare graduates for life after high school. The number of community day schools and enrollment is declining, due in part to excessive changes within the law and stricter guidelines required to be met.

Student Discourse And Problem Solving In A High School Mathematics Classroom, Natalie J. Chism

MSU Graduate Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore the problem-solving process and discourse in three high school Algebra 2 classes and analyze how discourse might be used to facilitate the problem-solving process. High school Algebra 2 students in this study were asked to engage in discourse with their peers in order to reach conclusions in open-ended problem-solving tasks. The teacher acted as the facilitator and encouraged students to act as the mathematical authorities. On two different days, students were given two different real-life problem-solving tasks and asked to reach possible conclusions to those tasks. Three research questions guided the study: …

The Pedagogical Impact Of Secondary Science Teacher Efficacy On Blended Learning Implementation: A Phenomenological Study, Allison Willemin

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

As new pedagogical approaches, such as blended learning, are implemented in classrooms, it is important to properly prepare the teachers to ensure fidelity of implementation. The descriptive phenomenological study examined the influence of secondary science teacher efficacy on overcoming obstacles and sustaining the Blended Learning pedagogical approach at a high school in the southern United States. Using purposeful sampling based on specific criteria nine teachers were selected to participate in the study. Through two interviews and a focus group, the researcher collected data based on the participants’ shared experience of implementing the flipped classroom instructional model. The data was themed …

The Impact Of Structural Supports On The Success Of Students Of Color In The K-16 Educational System, Brandis Jones, Sherry Holmes

Dissertations

Collective Abstract

This collective dissertation contains the efforts of two practitioners in the field of education who possess a shared vision for designing student experiences with the mission of preparing all students for success in secondary and post-secondary education. The researchers believed that by creating structural supports for students in underserved populations, these same students will increase their educational attainment and access to long-term career opportunities. With successful completion of postsecondary education and with increased career opportunities, students can improve their lives, their families’ lives and the lives of members of their community.

Many students struggled on their educational journeys …

Knowledge And Desires Of Parents Of Middle School Students With Intellectual Disability Regarding Inclusive Education Laws And Practices In South Korea: Qualitative Case Study, Yunji Jeong

Special Education ETDs

The purpose of this study was to examine the knowledge and desires of parents of middle school students with ID regarding inclusive education practices and laws in South Korea. I interviewed seven mothers of children with ID who attended South Korean middle school. Three themes emerged including (a) mother-teacher communication, (b) particular knowledge that suppressed further desires for inclusive education, and (c) culture-based advocacy for inclusive education. I discussed these findings based on Confucianism, collectivism, social and medical models of disability, and Rawls’s theory of justice. The mothers neither knew about inclusive education laws nor valued the laws. Instead, they …

Interdisciplinary Collaboration In Exemplary Counseling-Enriched High School Programs: Integrating College & Career Readiness And Mental Health Wellness For Students With Emotional Disturbance, Amira S. Mostafa

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed methods multiple-case study was to describe how interdisciplinary collaborative teams support the college and career readiness and the mental health wellness of adolescents with emotional disturbance. A secondary purpose was to explore how team members describe and rate the importance of their interdisciplinary collaboration using the four essential elements (reflection, flexibility, newly created roles, and interdependence) based on the model established by Mellin (Mellin et al., 2010). Lastly, this study sought recommendations from team members on improved practices supporting adolescents with emotional disturbance.

Methodology: An explanatory sequential mixed methods multiple-case study design explored the …

The Influences Of The Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) And Law Enforcement Against Drugs (L.E.A.D) Programs On Middle, Intermediate, And Upper School Students In The State Of New Jersey In The 2016-2017 Academic Year, Renzo Accursio Trapani

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Research on the effectiveness of the two most widely utilized school-based prevention programs in the state of New Jersey, Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) and Law Enforcement Against Drugs (L.E.A.D.). Research was conducted using the New Jersey Department of Educa- tion School Violence, Vandalism and Substance Abuse Reports for the 2016-2017 academic year to measure the influences of either program on students in public school districts throughout the state. Using District Factor Groups A-J, three-hundred four middle, intermediate, and upper schools using either programs were analyzed, with the only statistically significant variable was a relationship between enrollment and the variables …

Explicit Inclusion Of Fun In Instruction As A Catalyst For Academic Success, Kimberly Tyskiewicz

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Low graduation rates, rising drop-out rates, and increasing apathy and disengagement in learning has prompted the need for new strategies and interventions in education. This case study provides an analysis of the perceptions of high school teachers related to the impact of the explicit, intentional inclusion of fun in direct instruction. The participants included approximately 20% of the faculty in a semirural high school of approximately 1,325 students. The case study involved individual interviews with half of the participants and the other half participating in a focus group conversation. Six participants in each group were observed. All comments and concepts …

Leading Organizational Change: A Qualitative Examination Of Experiences Of Traditional Public School Principals, Nikeshia Leatherwood

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The Every Student Succeeds Act has set the course for new accountability measures for school and system leaders. How principals lead organizational change might be key to the success their schools experience and the achievement results of their students. This phenomenological study examined the professional experiences, leadership trainings, and strategic initiatives of traditional public school principals who led organizational change efforts that resulted in two academic rating increases within a three-year period. Five principals, representing elementary and high school, were interviewed to collect data on their experiences of leading successful organizational change. Using Moustakas’ (1994) phenomenological method, rigor was established …

Implementing The Flex Model Of Blended Learning In A World History Classroom: How Blended Learning Affects Student Engagement And Mastery, Kristin N. Davis

Theses and Dissertations

In the following action research plan, an explanatory sequential mixed methods research study of the implementation of the Flex model of blended learning in a World History classroom is presented. The study and its findings are used to measure mastery of, engagement with, and understanding of historical concepts presented in a six-week unit on the Enlightenment and the various revolutions this period in history caused. Data collection and analysis, including data from pre- and post-tests, Likert scale surveys, exit tickets, and student artifacts, are discussed. The pre- and post-tests were analyzed quantitatively using descriptive statistics (minimum and maximum score, average …

High School Social Studies Teachers' Perceptions And Practices Using Workshop Model: A Qualitative Action Research Case Study, Joseph Marangell

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research case study was to examine how a job-embedded professional development approach influenced high school social studies teachers' perceptions and practices related to a workshop model of instruction. Three research questions guided this work: (1) How do teachers' perceptions related to the workshop model used within social studies classrooms change over time? (2) How do teachers' practices related to the workshop model used within social studies classrooms change over time? (3) How do teachers' perceptions of disciplinary literacy and the workshop model influence their classroom practices?

Participants included two high school Modern World History teachers …

The Story Of Growth: A Case Study Of New Jersey Underperforming Underprivileged High School, Michelle L. Shelton

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Socioeconomics has been a factor that exposes the disparities in student achievement across communities within the state of New Jersey, and as a result of the disparities, in 1985, the Education Law Center filed the first ruling of Abbot v. Burke; this case ruled that significant funding be provided in an effort to ensure that underprivileged students within these underperforming districts receive public education in accordance with the state constitution. However, despite the funding efforts, since 1985, (87%) of the 31 school districts identified as Abbott not only remain underprivileged, but they also remain underperforming. Therefore, to remedy the underperformance …

Promoting Inclusion In A "Struggling School": Supporting Co-Teachers Through Critical Appreciative-Inquiry Based Professional Development, Louis Olander

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation explores the extent to which the beliefs and practices of teachers who work in a “struggling” school can be shifted towards inclusiveness through an action research based professional development program. The school was struggling in that it was charged with the education of children who are marginalized by a range of social forces while simultaneously accountable to institutional priorities. Broadly speaking, these institutional priorities preferred behaviorist punishment and technocratic approaches to meeting student needs, devaluing and decontextualizing students’ proficiencies as test scores and special education labels, in turn impeding inclusive change. Over the course of four months, an …

Class Matters: School Affluence And Other Predictors Of Attainment For Wealthy And Poor Students, Alison Brockhouse

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Public schools in the United States are becoming increasingly segregated by socioeconomic status. Though the educational consequences of socioeconomic segregation are well researched, segregation is often ignored or exacerbated by education reform. To learn more about the wider implications of socioeconomic segregation, this study utilizes theoretical frameworks derived from Max Weber’s theory of social stratification to analyze over 10,000 students’ experiences from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Education Longitudinal Study (ELS) 2002, 2004, and 2012 waves of data collection. More specifically, this research explores the impact of attending an affluent high school on long-term educational attainment. It finds …

Investigating The Design Of An Aesthetic Mathematical Experience, Maryam Koozehkanani

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In this thesis, I am going to share my analysis of an aesthetic mathematical experience which happened while I designed and created a pop-up math story. My aim in analyzing this experience is to better understand it and to make a model for other educators who are seeking to design aesthetic mathematical experiences. My research question is: What factors come into play when an educator immerses herself in the process of designing an aesthetic mathematical experience? My research uses qualitative analysis with a focus on narrative inquiry. My focus is on my personal experience designing a mathematics curriculum experience for …

Robotics In Japan: A Program Design For The Experiment In International Living, Allison Barnes

Capstone Collection

“Robotics in Japan” is a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) based program design for The Experiment in International Living (The Experiment). This design is for a four-week program for high school students. It is grounded in The Experiment’s mission and basic program structure. The purpose of Robotics in Japan is to add a STEM-based program to The Experiment’s portfolio in one of The Experiment’s most popular and marketable countries. In addition, this design adds a computer and technology theme, an area within STEM that has even less representation in The Experiment’s portfolio. In this paper, all necessary aspects to …

The Teaching Of Writing: Methods, Resources, Plans, And Analysis, Katelyn Knochenmus

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

As a culminating project for an MA in English on the individualized track, this portfolio is woven together with the theme of composition instruction. Beginning with a wide scope, the first selection is a reflective overview of writing instruction methods. The second piece in the portfolio, an annotated bibliography, offers many resources for teachers and tutors to better reach reluctant writers in particular. A unit plan for creating dynamic sentence variety through the use of grammar as a tool is the third selection. Lastly, the portfolio concludes with a narrower analysis related to one particular aspect of teaching writing: the …

Nailing Jell-O To A Tree, Jayson Lozier

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

This portfolio contains papers addressing writing instruction, women's studies, queer theory, and literary analysis. “Mr. L 2.0 or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love English Composition” details the implementation of more effective techniques to teach writing in the secondary English classroom. “Educating Women in Afghanistan: Power, Revolution, and Rebellion” examines the feminist struggles around education and the efforts of the Afghan Institute of Learning to bring about change. “Out of the Closet and into the Classroom: Introducing Queer Reading Strategies to the Secondary English Classroom” examines the importance of queer theory and queer reading techniques in high school …