Education Commons^™

It Happened Here: The Civil Rights Movement In Utah, Jace Jones

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This plan B project is a series of lesson plans focusing on the Civil Rights Movement in Utah. These lessons are designed to give students a broad understanding of the Civil Rights Movement as well as the tools and knowledge to understand how the Civil Rights Movement manifested in Utah. To fulfill this goal these lesson plans focus on local and lesser-known history. This will allow students to gain an understanding of how the movement operated in Utah and how it relates to their own lives.

These lessons use the Stanford: Reading Like a Historian framework by the Stanford History …

Racial Conflict In Early Utah: Mormon, Native American And Federal Relations, Raelyn M. Embleton

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This website is for teachers to gain information and sources about Utah history during the early territorial period, specifically relating to conflicts between Mormon settlers, Native Americans, and federal officials. The content and site were designed with the C3 curriculum in mind, as such, at the bottom of this page you can find a downloadable Inquiry Design Model Blueprint. As you teach students this information, the compelling question to have students focus on is: “Does culture and the interaction of cultures shape the development of place?” Each event highlighted on this website is related to the other and demonstrates how …

An Examination Of Co-Teacher's Instructional Practices And Social Validity Following Participation In Professional Development, Jessica Sitton

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Because co-teaching teams often lack the support to continue to implement the evidence-based strategy of co-teaching beyond initial training and coaching sessions, this project studies the affect of training and coaching on teacher implementation and social validity following participation in co-teaching professional development. The Utah State Board of Education – Special Education (USBE-SES), from years 2012-2019, along with the Utah Professional Development Network (UPDN), from years 2014-2019 provided training, support and coaching to secondary co-teaching teams tied to the content areas of secondary mathematics and secondary English language arts (ELA). This project studied the continued use of instructional components specific …

Cybersecurity Education In Utah High Schools: An Analysis And Strategy For Teacher Adoption, Cariana June Cornel

Theses and Dissertations

The IT Education Specialist for the USBE, Brandon Jacobson, stated:I feel there is a deficiency of and therefore a need to teach Cybersecurity.Cybersecurity is the “activity or process, ability or capability, or state whereby information and communications systems and the information contained therein are protected from and/or defended against damage, unauthorized use or modification, or exploitation” (NICE, 2018). Practicing cybersecurity can increase awareness of cybersecurity issues, such as theft of sensitive information. Current efforts, including but not limited to, cybersecurity camps, competitions, college courses, and conferences, have been created to better prepare cyber citizens nationwide for such cybersecurity occurrences. In …

Analysis Of Graduation, Dropout Rates And Trends For Students With Disabilities In Full-Time Online Schools, John Gutman

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Graduation rates of students with disabilities (SWD) have significantly lagged behind those of students without disabilities in public schools. Dropout rates of SWD are higher than those of students who do not have disabilities. Rates of both graduation and dropouts in full-time k-12 online schools are significantly lower and higher, respectively, than those of traditional schools, and even lower and higher for SWD in those programs. The purpose of this study was to review data of three full-time k-12 online schools in Utah, compare graduation and dropout rates of SWD with those of SWD in all Utah public schools, and …

Dual-Language Advocates And Their Arguments: A Comparison Of Utah And New York, Minying Cao

Senior Theses and Projects

This project investigates and compares the arguments that advocates for Spanish-English dual-language programs use to persuade others and gain support in racially diverse New York City vs. predominantly White Utah. In addition, it seeks to understand the challenges that advocate face when attempting to persuade different audiences to support dual-language schooling. The results of this research suggest that he primary argument voiced by advocates was economic. Dual-language immersion programs were defined as an economic asset to benefit both the students and the nation at large. Following the economic argument, a cultural argument was also used to promote dual language immersion …

Paraeducators' Perceptions Of Their Responsibilities Based On The Utah Standards, Mary E. Buynak

Theses and Dissertations

Paraeducators are increasingly involved in the education of students with disabilities. In order for paraeducators to properly work with this population, they must have adequate and ongoing training. Research has shown that paraeducators do not receive appropriate training in order to work with students with disabilities. The purpose of this study is to investigate the self-perceived knowledge of paraeducators working in special education and their level of training need. The study examines paraeducators' work environment, responsibilities, knowledge based on the Utah Standards for Paraeducators and perceived training needs. Ninety-five special education paraeducators working in a large, suburban school district in …

The Academic Preparation And Background Of Public Secondary Mathematics Teachers In Utah 1966-1967, Charles Martin Crittenden

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A random survey was conducted to determine the academic preparation and background of the public secondary mathematics teachers in the state of Utah.

The survey indicated that there is a wide variance in the teacher mathematics preparation between the three types of public secondary schools. The class B high schools have a smaller percentage of well prepared mathematics teachers than either the class A high schools or the junior high schools.

The following facts were discovered: (1) 22.03 percent of all the surveyed mathematics teachers had between 1 and 15 quarter hours of college mathematics preparation, (2) 5.22 percent had …

Instructional Strategies For Implementing Utah's Early Childhood Core Standards, Mark R. Noyce

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Children who are pre-lingually deaf or hard of hearing are often delayed in the acquisition and development of spoken language. Educators of the deaf and hard of hearing, of necessity, adapt and modify curriculum to ameliorate the delays inherent with hearing loss. Teachers utilize specialized strategies and techniques of presentation to adjust to the language and communication learning needs of children with hearing loss.
Curricula are written to identify the developmental sequence of concepts and skills expected of typically developing children. The Utah Early Childhood Core Standards (UECCS) was established to help prepare children to have the pre-requisite skills and …

Understanding Successful Japanese Language Programs: Utah Case Study, Timothy G. Stout

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Recent world events have caused Americans to reassess national political, economic, and educational priorities, resulting in a shift towards Asia. The schools in response have begun to introduce less commonly taught languages, such as Japanese and Chinese. Many Utah public schools have tried to implement less commonly taught language programs. Some have succeeded, and other others have not. The purpose of this study was to understand how and why some schools were able to successfully integrate less commonly taught language programs, and why others were not.

The results of this study suggest that the factors relating to students’ interests and …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of The Utah Career And Technical Education Introduction Course, Debra Marie Spielmaker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Utah State Office of Education Career and Technical supported this quantitative study that evaluated the gains and outcome evaluations of the compulsory Career and Technical Education (CTE) Introduction course. All public school seventh grade students are required to enroll in this school-year course. The matched pair design used preexisting data to analyze 6,078 pre- and postsurvey responses collected at the beginning of the course and again at the end of the course during the 2011-2012 school year. The evaluation was viewed through a postpositivist lens and used a theory-based evaluation model as the framework for analysis. The research questions …

Identifying Perceptions That Contribute To The Development Of Successful Project Lead The Way Pre-Engineering Programs In Utah, Keith Mcmullin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In public education it is necessary to consider elective secondary educational programs and determine what it takes for the programs to be successful. Indeed, one could ask the question, "Are the classes in these programs giving our students what they need to be successful in life or should they be dropped from the school's registration catalog?" This research answers questions like this in Utah about the very popular pre-engineering program called "Project Lead the Way" (PLTW). The aims of this research was to explore factors that contribute to making successful PLTW programs in Utah.

The PLTW pre-engineering program is a …

The Relationship Between Participation In Extracurricular Activities And Utah's Proficiency Assessments Of Students In A Suburban School District, Everett N. Kelepolo

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to discover whether a relationship exists between participation in extracurricular activities and meeting Utah proficiency assessment standards. This study took place in a suburban school district in the state of Utah.

Throughout the history of public education, economic hardships have wreaked havoc on school systems that depend on public sources of income. Schools today are managing these budget restraints by reducing or eliminating extracurricular programs.

The relationship between academic success and participating in extracurricular activities is found concretely in the research data. However, schools must make budget decisions which place activities and academics in …

Factors Contributing To The Shortage Of Speech-Language Pathologists In Utah Schools, Stephanie Harris

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined factors contributing to Utah's critical shortage of school-based speech-language pathologists. Specifically, this study focused on the following three constructs: (a) stress levels among professionals currently in the field, (b) attrition and the reasons professionals leave their positions, and (c) factors at the university level. Stress among Utah's speech-language pathologists was assessed using the Speech-Language Pathologist Stress Inventory (Fimian, Lieberman, & Fasteneau, 1991). Of the 230 potential participants, 97 completed and returned questionnaires. Results indicated that Utah's school-based speech-language pathologists experience less overall stress than a normative sample of speech-language pathologists throughout the United States; however, Utah's professionals …

Education In Transition: Church And State Relationships In Utah Education, 1888-1933, Scott Clair Esplin

Theses and Dissertations

Utah's current educational systems were largely shaped by a transitional era that occurred during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A time when the region itself moved from territorial to state status, the dominant religion in the area, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), likewise changed in its role in Utah society. Previously dominating most aspects of life, the Church was forced to reevaluate its place in society due to greatly increased secular power and context. Educational changes, as harbingers of larger societal shifts, are illustrative of such paradigm changes. During the four decade period …

Treatment Of Religious Expresssion And Belief In Utah Public Schools: Perspectives Of The Religious Minority, Eric-Jon Keawe Marlowe

Theses and Dissertations

Recorded members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (also known as Mormon or LDS) comprise over 70% of Utah's population. This qualitative study identifies the unique concerns and challenges that members of Utah's minority religions may face in public schools. Semi-structured interviews, designed to elicit rich, detailed information, were conducted with 48 participants (13 leaders, 17 parents, 18 students) from seven different minority religions in Utah. Each interview was audio taped, transcribed, and then analyzed using the qualitative analysis program N-Vivo. Looking at the school institutional treatment (laws, policy, teachers, administrators) of participants' religions, few expressed major …

How Utah Parents Of Utah School Children Judge School Effectiveness, Philip L. Rodgers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

There is a perceived crisis concerning public education in the United States. This has led to an increase in the use of standardized tests for the purpose of measuring school effectiveness. However, the use of standardized tests for this purpose is problematic. Among these problems is the concern that standardized tests may not measure what parents believe are the most important attributes of an effective school. Unfortunately, there is little in the way of empirical evidence regarding parent beliefs in this area.

The purpose of this research was to answer the following four questions.

1. What do parents of school-aged …

Island Of Tranquility: Rhetoric And Identification At Brigham Young University During The Vietnam Era, Brian D. Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

The author argues that beyond religious beliefs and conservative politics, rhetorical identification played an important role in the relative calmness of the BYU campus during the turbulent Sixties. Using Bitzer's rhetorical situation theory and Burke's identification theory, the author shows that BYU's calm campus can be explained as a result of communal identification with a conservative ethos. He also shows that apparent epistemological shortcomings of Bitzer's model can be resolved by considering the power of identification to create salience and knowledge in rhetorical situations. During the Sixties, BYU administration developed policies on physical appearance that invited students to take on …

Service Learning In Business Schools: What The H.E.L.P. Honduras Story Teaches About Building, Sustaining, And Replicating International Initiatives In Graduate Programs, Lisa Mali Jones

Theses and Dissertations

This document outlines the foundation and first year results of the H.E.L.P. Honduras organization, which was formed as a student-based, student-governed international outreach initiative at the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University. Specifically, in its first year the organization focused on providing microcredit and service relief to victims of Hurricane Mitch in Honduras.

After studying the case of H.E.L.P. Honduras, readers should conclude that educators interested in sponsoring sustainable student-run service learning organizations at private universities must address three primary issues: the problem of student selection and turnover, the need for administrative and faculty endorsement, and the need …

Natural-Resources Education In Utah's Public Schools, John J. Van Niel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Several aspects of natural-resources education were explored in this study. First, a statewide survey of science, social studies, and elementary teachers was conducted to determine the current form and extent of natural-resources education in Utah. Returns were received from 51% of the surveyed teachers. The percent of time devoted to natural resources, the factors affecting natural-resources instruction, and the need to improve that instruction were assessed.

Utilizing that information, the Natural-Resources Curriculum Framework was developed. The Framework is designed to provide educators with the essential concepts to be included in a comprehensive natural-resources program.

Finally, examples of classroom support materials …

Evaluation Of Utah's Prereferral Intervention Mandate, J. Ron Nelson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The primary purpose of the present study was to evaluate the impact of Utah's prereferral intervention policy on the numbers of mildly handicapped students receiving special education services. Associated with this purpose, the study was also designed to identify the (a) types of prereferral intervention procedures available in school districts, (b) extent to which the procedures were implemented by schools, (c) effectiveness of the prereferral intervention procedures for maintaining students with handicaps in regular education, and (d) degree of prereferral intervention inservice training. In addition, LEA officials' perceptions regarding the prereferral intervention process were also examined.

It was expected, in …

A History Of The Men's Intramural Program At Brigham Young University, David A. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compile and present an organized and complete history of the Men's Intramural Program at Brigham Young University.

The Brigham Young University Intramural Program had its beginning early in Brigham Young Academy history. The intramural program originated as an outgrowth of the physical education instructional program. Prior to 1954 the intramural program was part of the Physical Education Department and the Chairman of that department gave leadership to the intramural program by assigning part-time directors and student managers to organize sporting events. Since 1954 a full-time director has been employed as Intramural Director. The …

Integration Of Precision Teaching Instructional Materials For Levels K-6 State Of Utah Core Curriculum Standards And Objectives In Math: A Directory For Computer Managed Instruction/Decision Making, Nancy Joanne Christner Williams

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The State of Utah's Department of Education has developed an objective/outcome based education model, K-12 grade levels, based upon effective teaching research. The model components are 1) a core curriculum consisting of the basic elements essential for every student's educational program; 2) curriculum instruction based upon the mastery of educational outcomes at an appropriate level in accuracy and fluency, with a variety of options for learning; and 3) management systems which eliminate redundancy in the educational process. Two technological systems which have been piloted with some implementation through collaborations are the MID--Project developed at Utah State University and the CORVUS--Project …

Role Analysis Of School Superintendents In Utah, Derwin Don Francom

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of the study was to determine how superintendents in the state of Utah perceived their role as superintendent. It focused on: (1) how superintendents perceived their role as superintendents, (2) what demands were affecting their role, (3) if superintendents in different-size school districts perceived their role differently, (4) how the superintendent-board relationship was viewed by the superintendents, and (5) what the superintendents considered to be the greatest problems facing them in Utah today.

A survey research design was used to collect the data from all 40 superintendents. For the purposes of analysis, the districts they represented were divided …

Competencies Needed For Careers In Ornamental Horticulture In Utah, Dennis George Bahen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of the study was to present descriptive data bout the industry, determine the importance of the competencies needed for job entry, and assess the manpower needs of the ornamental horticulture industry in Utah.

The identified population of 576 ornamental horticulture enterprises was categorized into seven areas of specialization: Arborists (4.5%), Maintenance of Landscapes (10.8%), Landscape Construction (18.6%), Golf Courses (13.5%), Greenhouse Production (5.4%), Florist-Plant Shops (30.9%) and Garden Center-Nurseries (16.3%).

The data were collected by a survey-questionnaire. One hundred and sixteen ornamental horticulture enterprises responded to the survey. This amounted to 38% of the industry sampled and 20% …

The Development Of Selected Vocational Centers And Vocational Schools In Utah, Glade C. Bailey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to collect, describe, and interpret source materials pertaining to the history of the three area vocational centers and the three area vocational schools in Utah. The historical method of research was used, and the collection of data was from personal interviews, research of records, and publications of the six vocational institutions, the Utah State Board of Education, and the local school districts.

The three area centers and the three area schools began as an outgrowth of the 1963 Vocational Education Act and the 1968 Vocational Amendments. These vocational institutions were established to meet the …

A Comparison Of Employer Hiring Practices And Career Opportunities Between Two-Year And Four-Year Accounting Graduates Who Have Full Time Positions In The Work Force Within The State Of Utah, Anita Weston

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was conducted to determine if employers were inclined to discriminate between two-year and four-year educated accountants in making hiring and promotional decisions. In addition, accounting graduates of two-year and four-year institutions were studied to see if there were differences between these two groups in regard to educational programs taken, perceptions of the benefit received from the courses taken, salaries received, and views concerning employer hiring and promotional practices.

This study included three different groups consisting of 39 employers in the private business sector as well as 43 two-year accounting associate degree graduates and 43 bachelor accounting degree graduates. …

The Development And Validation Of An Assessment Instrument To Measure Environmental Education Competencies For Level Iii Of The Elementary Teacher Training Program At Utah State University, Francine Fukui

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to construct and validate an assessment instrument which could effectively measure the impact of implementing an environmental education component to the Level III program of the elementary teacher training program at Utah State University. It was the hope of this researcher that the test would also be administered to Level III students upon completion in subsequent quarters to indicate individual competence in environmental education.

Care was taken in the construction of the instrument to assure content validity of concepts considered important by local, university, and state environmental education reviewers. A preliminary form of the …

Utah History Learning Activity Modules That Enhance Positive Affective Behavior And Develop Critical And Creative Thinking, Katherine Ann Young

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this paper was to produce supplementary curriculum materials which would provide junior high school Utah history students with growth experiences in critical thinking, creative thinking, and positive affective values. These materials were produced in the form of forty separate, self-contained learning activity modules using the study of presentday Utah or Utah history as a focus of study.

Each Utah history learning activity module consists of two parts: (1) information, and (2) learning activities. The activities engage students to work with factual data to solve problems; to explore moral, ethical, or other controversial issues; or to otherwise develop …

An Analysis Of Shorthand Usage As Perceived By Selected Ogden, Utah Business Executives, Normadine D. Kennedy

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A study of shorthand usage as perceived by selected Ogden, Utah business executives was conducted to determine if curriculum changes must be made in Business Education Department programs in order to meet the secretarial training requirements of Ogden, Utah Business. Data were collected by telephone interview from 84 businessmen who employed one or more secretaries. These data were stratified according to type of business and size of business. Secretarial employment was stratified according to shorthand as a job requirement and to shorthand utilization of the job. In addition, utilization of shorthand supplements and substitutes was analyzed. Trends were determined by …