Education Commons^™

Effects Of Classroom Arrangement And Design On Student On-Task Behavior In A K-2 Classroom, Chelsea Mcmullen

Education Undergraduate Research

This study was conducted on a K-2 classroom, in which the researchers made changes to the classroom, such as desk positioning and wall décor, to see what impacts they have on the students’ on-task behavior. The researchers measured the students’ perceived levels of on-task behavior using a scale that they created. The scale was numbered 1-3; one meaning that, as a whole, the students appeared to not be on-task, two meaning that as a class the students appeared to be somewhat on-task, and three meaning that altogether the students appeared to be fully on-task. The results were measured based on …

The Impact Of A Classroom-Based Physical Activity Program On Teachers' Perceptions Of Student Engagement, Courtney Lynn Doussett

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to apply a mixed-methods approach using an exploratory case study design to identify the impacts of a physical activity intervention program on student engagement in an elementary school setting. This exploratory case study research examined teachers’ perceptions of student engagement prior to and following implementation of a classroom-based physical activity intervention program, ABC for Fitness. Participants completed the Teacher Assessment of Student Engagement survey of student engagement and behavior, participated in an ABC for Fitness workshop, semi-structured interviews, a question and answer session, a mid-point check-in, and completed daily written behavior incident logs. Results …

Closing The Loop: A Study Of How The National Survey Of Student Engagement (Nsse) Is Used For Decision-Making And Planning In Student Affairs, Jennifer Lee Mccaul

Dissertations

“Closing the loop” is a commonly used phrase in discussing cyclical processes, such as the area of outcomes assessment in higher education. Increased interest in accountability and a shift in accreditation focus have necessitated that higher education institutions are closing the assessment loop and creating a culture of evidence to demonstrate that programs and services are having the intended impact, and using resources effectively. That culture includes both academic and co-curricular elements of the student experience. This research examined if, and to what extent, student affairs administrators use the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)—one of the most prominent instruments …

Student Engagement And College Readiness In Mathematics., Leah White

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between reform practices, student engagement in mathematics class, college readiness in mathematics for high school students, and mathematics teacher Professional Development (PD). Quasi-experimental mixed methodology addressed the research question(s) in a parallel design. Treatment teachers participated in PD where reformed teaching practices were presented, observed, discussed, and analyzed using a Cognitive Apprenticeship (CA) framework. Student’s mathematics readiness was measured distantly and proximally. Student engagement in mathematics class and reform practice implementation were observed, using Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP), and compared across groups to assess treatment effects pre and post …

Brain Labs: A Place To Enliven Learning, Lori Desautels

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

Although emotion and cognition originate in different parts of the brain, they interact and play a powerful role in learning and memory. According to neuroscientists like Eric Jensen, priming the brain for particular states of engagement -- such as curiosity, intrigue, surprise, suspense, a bit of confusion, skepticism, and the feeling of safety -- prepares the mind to learn. Furthermore, incorporating emotion into our instruction and content supports long-term memory. This might not be news to teachers, but not enough students know how to optimize their brain for learning. That's why every child should have the opportunity to explore …

Flipping In A Technological Rich Classroom, John W. Budge

EDL Sixth Year Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore eighth grade students’ perception of a flipped classroom environment. It is difficult to engage and motivate eighth grade students. This study was created in order to determine if a flipped classroom would spark more interest and therefore eventually lead to an increased ability. More specifically, this study investigated how students perceive their learning is progressing in a flipped math classroom, and how engaged are they using the technology compared to the traditional classroom setting. The classroom environment was switched to a flipped classroom at the start of a new unit in October. …

What Can Jesus Teach Us About Student Engagement?, Glenn James, Elda Martinez, Sherry Herbers

Journal of Catholic Education

This article examines Jesus’s teaching methods as described in the four Gospels, highlighting the ways in which He led listeners to participate actively in their learning. We identify similarities between many of Jesus’s techniques and current practices in the field of student engagement, with a focus on applications for instructors in higher education. Several of His approaches, most notably storytelling and the use of analogies, point to recommendations for improving teaching practice by increasing student engagement in the learning process.

Qu'est-ce que Jésus peut nous apprendre sur l'engagement des élèves?

Cet article examine la manière dont les méthodes d'enseignement de …

Teacher Morale, Student Engagement, And Student Achievement Growth In Reading: A Correlational Study, Jenny T. Sabin

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

This research study explored the current state of teacher morale in fourth and fifth grade classrooms in three low socio-economic schools in North Carolina. Additional research questions address correlational relationships among the variables of teacher morale, student engagement, and student achievement growth as measured by the NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey, Van Amburg Active Learning Inventory Tool, and the NC End of Grade reading tests, respectively. This study found no significant relationships among the primary variables of teacher morale, student engagement, and student achievement growth. However, significant relationships were found between increasing student engagement and an increase in the number …

Creating Safe, Strength-Based Classrooms, Lori Desautels

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

Schools are not machines. Schools are a network of human beings who feel, think, behave, and function within a human system that is alive and never static. Inside living systems, we need to feel safe and felt. This system is wired to thrive, even through difficult times. We're here for deep learning, which is profoundly relational, and connection to one another is a prerequisite for our collective emotional, social, spiritual, and cognitive growth and development.

Connect 213 - June 2015

Connect

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Exploring Intensive Longitudinal Measures Of Student Engagement In Blended Learning, Charles R. Graham

Faculty Publications

In this exploratory study we used an intensive longitudinal approach to measure student engagement in a blended educational technology course, collecting both self-report and observational data. The self-report measure included a simple survey of Likert-scale and open-ended questions given repeatedly during the semester. Observational data were student activity data extracted from the learning management system. We explored how engagement varied over time, both at the course level and between students, to identify patterns and influences of student engagement in a blended course. We found that clarity of instruction and relevance of activities influenced student satisfaction more than the medium of …

Intentional Depth Of Knowledge And Its Effects On K-12 Student Engagement, John M. Sizemore

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

This research study attempted to identify the impact that cognitive complexity has on student engagement. The primary research questions asked were: What are the effects of depth of knowledge and learning mode on student engagement? Are there interaction effects among depth of knowledge and learning mode and what impact does the interaction have on student engagement? And, are there any variances in interaction effect by educational level (elementary, middle or high school) for depth of knowledge and learning mode on student engagement? This study attempted to determine if cognitive complexity of learning using depth of knowledge (DOK), and learning mode …

3 Things Students Desire To Hear From Teachers, Lori Desautels

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

A year and a half ago, I decided that I needed to return to the K-12 classrooms and really experience ground-level teaching, testing, core standards, differentiating, and emotionally connecting with children and adolescents in ways I had not for many years. I have been and still am an assistant professor in the school of education at Marian University, but the environments, experiences, and my own learning have grown and changed immensely from returning to the classroom 18 months ago.

I asked the university for a course release, taking the lectures, research, and strategies into the early adolescent grades. And three …

Accounting For Student Engagement Through Pre-Service Teacher Assessment, Kelsey C. Odell

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to examine student engagement within a pre-service teacher performance assessment, the Educators Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA). Engagement strategies were selected and used based on the language of rubric seven of the edTPA. This study was completed in an urban fourth grade setting. Data was collected during the English Language Arts content block. Data collection methods included lesson plans incorporating the engagement strategy, student self-reports of engagement through exit slips, university supervisor checklists when observed, and teacher candidate engagement log in which notes were made of the engagement strategy selection process and reaction to collected …

Beyond Good Manners: Gratitude And Student Engagement In Lower Elementary, Vanessa Callaghan

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Service-Learning Courses And Traditional Lecture Courses On Students' Academic Achievement And Level Of Course Engagement, Jamie Rife

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this ex-post facto research was to examine the theory of Experiential Learning in the context of service-learning and its relationship at a university to the academic achievement and student level of course engagement in service-learning courses as compared to traditional lecture courses. An ex post facto research design was utilized to examine the relationship between participation in a service-learning or traditional lecture course on the course grade of the students and level of course engagement as measured by the Student Course Engagement Questionnaire (SCEQ). The study determined that participation in either a service-learning course or traditional lecture …

Connect 212 - April 2015

Connect

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Seven Steps To Engaging At-Risk Students With Text, Jelani Jabari Ph.D.

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Diminishing student engagement with text remains a colossal challenge with children at-risk. In this highly interactive session, participants will explore a seven-step process for engaging students with text as well as techniques for presenting highly engaging literacy lessons. Attendees will walk away with names, reading level, descriptions (and actual samples) of several engaging texts.

Factors That Contribute To High School Drop-Outs Earning Their High School Diploma, Anne M. Gottlieb

Dissertations

What happens to young people that leave or are put out of their high school before they earn their diploma? Some of them attempt to re-enter school and earn their diploma. This study identifies factors that help students re-engage in their educational journeys. Two research questions guide this work:

• What factors prohibit high school drop outs from earning their diploma and working towards a post-high school goal?
• What can schools do to promote the factors that help students graduate and work towards a post-high school goal?

Relevant literature offers information about the dropout epidemic in the United States, what other …

Snapshots Issue 1: How Engaged Are Australian Year 4 Students In Their Reading Lessons?, Nicole Wernert

Nicole Wernert

In order to learn, students need to have some level of engagement in their classroom activities. The Progress in Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS 2011) investigated student engagement in reading lessons via a series of questions about students’ experiences in their reading lessons. According to PIRLS, a third of Australian Year 4 students were engaged with reading lessons, whereas more than half were only somewhat engaged and more than a tenth were not engaged.

Connect 211 - February 2015

Connect

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Incentivizing Your Class: The Engagement-Based Classroom Management Model, Lori Desautels

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

When I think of our most struggling and distracted students, I see how social pain and rejection often hijack their ability to be academically focused and successful. Optimal school performance requires positive emotional connections with those students that we want to prosper while feeling capable and competent.

When students and teachers feel this connection, we are all responding from the higher cortical regions of the brain, and our dopamine reward centers are activated by these feelings, these positive emotions. Our interactions with students are intimately connected with our own feelings and agendas. When our efforts in the classroom meet with …

National Survey Of Student Engagement Findings At A Historically Black Institution: Does Student Engagement Impact Persistence?, Mondrail Myrick, D. Jason Desousa, Donald Mitchell Jr., Ph.D.

Executives, Administrators, & Staff Publications

How can historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) improve student degree completion rates? To the credit of HBCUs, many students who otherwise would not have had an opportunity for college access and success have enrolled and graduated with degrees. In practical numbers, HBCU enrollment increased from 223,000 to 324,000, or by 45%, between 1976 and 2011 (National Center for Education Statistics, 2011). Today, HBCUs enroll 9% of all African American men and women in American higher education, although they continue to enroll diverse populations. In spite of the increase in college-going rates, fall-to-fall retention, and six-year graduation rates, students at …

Introduction To Student Involvement & Academic Outcomes, Krista M. Soria, John A. Gipson, Donald Mitchell Jr., Ph.D.

Executives, Administrators, & Staff Publications

Even as access to higher education has widened considerably over the last century, diverse college students (i.e., first-generation, low-income, and racial minorities) face greater challenges regarding their access to college, choice of college, sense of belonging, and success in graduating from college (Choy, 2001; Fischer, 2007; Hossler, Schmit, & Vesper, 1999; Karabel & Astin, 1975; McDonough, 1997; Mauk & Jones, 2006; Mortenson, 2007; Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005; Paulsen & St. John, 2002; Smith, 2009; Walpole, 2007). According to Rendón, Jalomo, and Nora (2011): While traditional theories of student retention and involvement have been useful in providing a foundation for the …

Energy And Calm: Brain Breaks And Focused-Attention Practices, Lori Desautels

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

When presented with new material, standards, and complicated topics, we need to be focused and calm as we approach our assignments. We can use brain breaks and focused-attention practices to positively impact our emotional states and learning. They refocus our neural circuitry with either stimulating or quieting practices that generate increased activity in the prefrontal cortex, where problem solving and emotional regulation occur.

Development Of The Quantitative Reasoning Items On The National Survey Of Student Engagement, Amber D. Dumford, Louis M. Rocconi

Numeracy

As society’s needs for quantitative skills become more prevalent, college graduates require quantitative skills regardless of their career choices. Therefore, it is important that institutions assess students’ engagement in quantitative activities during college. This study chronicles the process taken by the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) to develop items that measure students’ participation in quantitative reasoning (QR) activities. On the whole, findings across the quantitative and qualitative analyses suggest good overall properties for the developed QR items. The items show great promise to explore and evaluate the frequency with which college students participate in QR-related activities. Each year, hundreds …

Program Evaluation Of Bridges To Success Program, Michael Cory

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the alternative education model, the Bridges to Success Program, and the program’s impact on teachers teaching within the program in a middle school in the Upstate of South Carolina. The Bridges to Success Program was initiated in September 2009 for at-risk students in eighth grade with a history of poor attendance, behavior issues, and low math and reading academic performance.

The evaluation model used was the Logic Model. The research questions set the framework for this study. Research questions focused on short-term outcomes that evaluated how teacher knowledge of …

Students In Action Initiative, Theresa Ryan, Ziene Mottiar, Bernadette Quinn, Catherine Gorman, Kevin Griffin, Ruth Craggs, Deirdre Quinn

Teaching Fellowships

The Students in Action Project in the School of Hospitality Management and Tourism was established in 2012 as a way of engaging students and working with stakeholders in a destination. The overall aim of the project was to immerse students in an active collaborative learning environment within the destination to identify ways in which tourism could be enhanced. In the 2014/2015 academic year the project involved over 300 students from a variety of programmes and modules working with local stakeholders in Wexford Town. To date the project has been successful in its aims to develop staff, student and community engagement …

Students In Action: A Destination Based Learning Approach To Student Engagement, Ruth Craggs, Catherine Gorman, Kevin A. Griffin, Ziene Mottiar, Bernadette Quinn, Theresa Ryan

Books / Book chapters

No abstract provided.

Investigating Principals’ Instructional Philosophical Orientation And Their Students’ Level Of Engagement A Case Study, Loujeania Lee Maynus

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this case study was to investigate principals’ instructional philosophical orientations (IPOs) and the students’ level of engagement in Kanawha County Schools (KCS). The district was in the fourth year of analyzing student well-being, hope, and engagement data through Gallup Surveys (Gallup, 2014) in an effort to help move the system forward. This study considered the differences between the principal and student engagement levels by analyzing the principals’ instructional philosophical orientation holistically and within each of four families of instructional models. This study described the principals’ preference for the instructional models and compares these preferences to student engagement …