Education Commons^™

Creating Sustainable Volunteer Programs: Understanding Why United4hope's Church Coordinators Volunteer, Stanley Weber

Student Theses

Abstract Using the Volunteer Function Inventory (Clary et al., 1998), this descriptive research study gathered mean, median, and mode data of 42 United4Hope Church Coordinators (UCC) to further understand why each UCC had chosen to volunteer. This study is significant for U4H since these critical leaders provide leadership without traditional power sources and lead volunteers who can freely choose whether or not to follow. When applying Clary et al.’s (1998) 6-factor clusters, data showed that values (a means to express one’s altruistic and humanitarian values) motivation factors were the most significant factor across the group. This factor was followed by …

Improving Chinese Language Learning Through Collaborative Kahoot Mode, Hongmin Yu

Chinese Language Teaching Methodology and Technology

This study used quantitative methods to assess students' Chinese language learning attitudes and learning habits on Kahoot, a game-based learning platform. Kahoot enables teachers to transform bland Chinese vocabulary memorization into exciting, game-like situations. It makes Chinese language learning fun and interactive. The study aims to compare Kahoot team play mode with individual play mode. Sixty-four fifth graders participated. In the experimental group, students grouped by themselves or teacher to compete with one another. They enjoyed working together to share what they knew and learned from each other. Students were tested prior to the course (pretest) and following the course …

Learning Strategies, Motivation And Learners' Perspectives On Online Multimodal Chinese Learning, Peng Zhang

Chinese Language Teaching Methodology and Technology

This mixed-method empirical study investigated the role of learning strategies and motivation in predicting L2 Chinese learning outcomes in an online multimodal learning environment. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches also examined the learners' perspectives on online multimodal Chinese learning. The participants in this study were fifteen pre-intermediate adult Chinese learners aged 18-26. They were originally from different countries (Spain, Italy, Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico) and lived in Barcelona. They were multilingual, speaking more than two European languages, without exposure to any other Asian languages apart from Chinese. The study's investigation was composed of Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL), motivation …

How Elementary Principals Use The Six Sources Of Influence To Achieve Extraordinary Results, Monette Perez

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify and explore how elementary principals of organizations who have achieved extraordinary results influence employees through personal motivation, personal ability, social motivation, social ability, structural motivation, and structural ability.

Methodology: This phenomenological study identified and explored 12 Southern California public elementary school principals and how they used the 6 sources of influence with their stakeholders to achieve extraordinary results. An interview protocol aligned with the study’s theoretical framework was developed with a thematic team. The respondents were purposefully chosen from principals who have led their schools to attain National …

Teacher Impact On Student Growth Mindset, Cassandra Jennings, Joshua A. Cuevas

Perspectives In Learning

The main goals of this study were to determine if student growth mindset impacted achievement and motivation and to see if gender and ethnicity made a difference in the type of mindset a student possesses. The study was conducted in a suburban middle school in Georgia with a predominantly white population and above-average socio-economic status. Ninety-five students from four 7th grade social studies classes took part in the eight-week study. The results from the study showed that there was no statistically significant relationship between mindset gains and academic gains; however, there was a strong positive, statistically significant relationship between mindset …

Development And Validation Of A Scale To Measure Songwriting Self-Efficacy (Sses) With Secondary Music Students, Patrick K. Cooper

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Social cognitive theory was developed to explain how individuals learn, in part, by witnessing the behavior of others. Self-efficacy is a construct within social cognitive theory which indicates the beliefs that an individual can be successful at a task under specific situational demands. The sources of self-efficacy include self-evaluating past experiences to predict future success, comparing our abilities to those around us, the verbal and social feedback we get from others, and the physiological feelings we experience when engaged in or thinking about the task. Measures of self-efficacy have been shown to be accurate predictors of successful learning outcomes, achievement, …

Exploring The Catalyst Energizing The Kolb Learning Cycle, Marc Behrendt, Krisanna Machtmes

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

This paper reveals an interconnectedness of three unrelated free-standing but validated models: Kolb’s model of experiential learning, Hidi and Renninger’s model of interest development, and National Research Council’s ecological framework of an experience. The physical, academic, and social aspects define the quality of the experience. The interest stimulated by the experience drives Kolb’s learning cycle. The learning cycle will continue as long as interest is maintained. Together, these three models describe the quality of the experience, the cyclic processing of the experience to create knowledge, and the force driving the cycle.

Keeping The Course: Nursing Student Motivation During A Pandemic, Travis William Storey

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

Nurses have always been at the frontline of any disaster or health crisis to hit the country, yet, as the United States battled the coronavirus pandemic, the nation saw its nursing shortage worsen. The emotional and physical toll faced by frontline nurses often became unbearable, leading to a skyrocketing of occupational and facility turnover. Concern grew that the pandemic would have an impact on nursing students as well, particularly on the supply of new graduate nurses. Yet, even in the face of such hazardous working conditions, nursing students persisted in their academic studies. The purpose of this quantitative non-experimental study …

Finding Fit In The Science Classroom: Applying Self-Determination Theory To Twice-Exceptional Students, John Burrell

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

In line with self-determination theory (Deci and Ryan, 2000; Ryan and Deci, 2017), this thesis explored how practices employed in a classroom between November 2020 through January 2021 affected satisfaction of students’ basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Thirteen twice-exceptional students (gifted and learning disabled) between grades 4-10 participated in this mixed-methods study at an independent school in the upper midwest. Additionally, four of the thirteen students were selected as case studies to be interviewed and observed throughout the study period. This study explored how the implementation of needs-supportive practices, along with COVID-19 mitigation strategies (including distance-learning), affected …

Minnesota School Forest Program: An Evaluation And Exploration Of Implementations, Madisson Weier

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources School Forest Program through answering the following questions: what are the strengths and limitations of the School Forest Program; What are the impacts of individual teacher objectives on the utilization and implementation of the School Forest Program? These questions were investigated using data collected from a survey sent to School Forest Coordinators as well as a data request to the Department of Natural Resources. This study found that participants in the School Forest Program feel that their School Forests add many positive benefits to their classrooms …

Helping Primary School Students Exposed To Stress Or Trauma To Learn In The Language Classroom, Ekaterina Shamaeva

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Perhaps, every teacher would like to see their students thrive academically and succeed in their future careers. However, some learners face challenges which are not related neither to their individual characteristics, nor to aptitude, but to stressful and traumatic experiences in their lives, which represent huge barriers on the way to success. Therefore, the question addressed in this project was how can English as foreign language teachers in Russia mitigate the impact of stress and trauma on primary school learners to facilitate learning in the language classroom? Extensive literature review concludes that the effects of stress and trauma at a …

The Impact Of Self-Set Educational Goals On Increasing Academic Performance In A Middle School Environment, Erin Brown, Alexandra Luthe

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research project aimed to determine whether self-set educational goals increase academic performance in a middle school environment. Students participated in a five-week study which included eleven students in grades 7-8. The researchers conducted this study in February and March of 2021. The students who consented to participate were from two schools: a public middle school in North Dakota and a public charter school in Minnesota. Due to COVID-19, both classrooms were fluctuating between distance, hybrid, and fully-in person models. The intervention used in this study was a SMART goal guide. Data sources included weekly student self-assessments, focus group …

A Multicase Study Exploring The Motivation Of Support Staff In The Office Of The Registrar, April M. Martin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although a large body of research exists within higher education that focuses on factors related to faculty motivation and student motivation, there is limited research concentrated on the motivation of college and university administrative staff. This study examined how job duties, work processes, elements of the work environment, and leadership styles are related to employee motivation, specifically the motivation of front-line support staff who work in the Office of the Registrar. Additionally, I aimed to identify any disconnect between what support staff need and want from supervisors in the Office of the Registrar pertaining to motivation and supervisors’ behavior to …

Effects Of Growth Mindset, Jessica Courtney

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Growth mindset and mindset theory is a topic that is explored around the world and in different levels of education and careers. However, there are contradictive studies and many misconceptions about what growth mindset and interventions can achieve. Research leads scholars to believe that academic achievement may not be a direct result of growth mindset interventions, but it is also proven that motivation and self-efficacy are in fact improved. Research also shows that motivation and self-efficacy are required for academic growth. This literature review contains information about mindset theory, important historical research for mindset theory, assumption, and common misconceptions as …

Using Physical Activity To Improve Reading Comprehension, Jensen Flanigan

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Student reading proficiency lags grade-level expectations in the majority of the United States. Much research has demonstrated the moderating impact of student motivation on reading scores. The purpose of this action research was to study the effects of physical activity on reading motivation and reading comprehension, with a special focus on readers at risk for reading deficiencies as identified by FAST testing. The research was carried out on eighteen third grade students in rural Iowa, seven of whom were at risk for reading deficiency. The use of physical activity had a positive effect on both reading motivation and reading comprehension, …

Impact Of Flipped Learning On High School Students’ Motivation, Cognitive Load, And Perceptions Of Flipped Approach For Learning Science, Lucas Charles Conner

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research was to evaluate the impact of flipped learning using self-paced video on students’ motivation, cognitive load, and science content learning in an Earth Science course at a small rural high school in southwestern Virginia. Scientific interest and proficiency among students in the United States have been low. This has significant implications for students’ future career prospects. At the same time, the predominant method of science instruction, the single-paced lecture, presents its own limitations for student learning and motivation. Single-paced methods can limit the accessibility of instruction for students, limiting the development of critical scientific …

A Mixed-Methods Investigation Into The Factors Impacting Middle School Academic Motivation, Paul Ambrose Hammond Iv

Theses and Dissertations

One of the most important tasks of schools is to foster and grow the achievement motivation of students. However, middle school is a time period which frequently sees a downturn in students’ levels of engagement. In this action research study, the causes of this downturn in motivation are investigated by drawing out the voices of the students themselves regarding their educational experiences and viewpoints. Using the expectancy-value theory as the primary lens, the researcher employed a mixed-methods approach to investigate the causes of declining academic motivation at his school through the perspectives of three students with exceptionally high levels of …

How Can Music Most Effectively Be Used In The English Learner Classroom, Robert Ryden

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Music is an omnipresent part of everyday life. Whether it’s in the background or the foreground, music is everywhere. This capstone project aims to deliver the best answer to the question: How can music most effectively be used in the EL classroom? Effectively using music in the EL classroom involves understanding how to thoughtfully select the right music for the right situation, how to use music to build community and social skills among students, and how music can be used to positively impact the language learning process. Through this project, educators are also given the opportunity to participate in a …

The Effects Of A Shared Vision Of Teacher Leadership On Classroom Teachers’ Instruction, Tiffany L. Bockelmann

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

Many models of instructional teacher leadership exist in schools with various outcomes for teachers. The aim of this illustrative case study was to understand systemic alignment in a formal teacher leadership system and how this alignment impacted instructional change. This dissertation was framed by three research questions: 1) How do the rationales of teachers, teacher leaders, and administrators regarding teacher leadership in their school align? 2) How does the coherence of a system of leadership impact classroom teachers’ abilities to engage with formal teacher leaders? 3) How does the coherence of a system of leadership impact classroom teachers’ abilities to …

A Self-Study Of Need-Supportive Teaching In Elementary Art, Craig Jacobowitz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

I present a self-study of my need-supportive teaching practice. I have long been curious about what it is about my teaching, what I say and do, that motivates students to work harder on their artwork and persevere when they become mired in difficulties. Need-supportive teaching addresses students' basic psychological needs within the classroom setting through high-quality teacher/student relationships and structure. Need-supportive teaching, motivation, and academic resilience are areas I made an extensive study of, as presented in chapter two. In March of 2020, the educational landscape in the United States was altered by the arrival of the unprecedented and novel …

Teacher Led Tier Two Intervention To Increase Student Academic Achievement, Cynthia Shepherd

Education Masters Papers

The purpose of this action research was to determine if the implementation of a tier two teacher led intervention would increase student academic achievement. A small group of ten students in a ninth-grade physical science class participated in the study. Data was collected over a period of three weeks using pre- and post- intervention surveys, an exit slip for self-assessment, researcher observations, comparisons of work completion and grades from previous grading periods, participant performance self-assessment, and a goal setting activity. Results show an inconclusive connection between the tier two teacher led intervention and student academic achievement. This is possibly due …

How Does Different Level Of Questioning Impact Student Performance, Engagement, And Motivation In A 6th Grade Science Classroom?, Mia Bruesewitz

Education Masters Papers

This study was designed to determine how different level of questioning in a 6th grade science classroom can impact student performance, engagement, and motivation. During the study, students were taught three different lessons, balance and unbalanced forces, friction, and mass versus weight. Data was collected in a 6th grade science class of 25 participants and focused on surveys, pretests, exit slips, at-task checklist, and a final summative assessment. The results of the data showed that there was no significant difference in performance, engagement, or motivation in relation to different level of questioning. The data also showed that activities that students …

Impact Of Brain Breaks On Student Engagement, Motivation, And Achievement In A Third-Grade Classroom, Adrianna Gernes

Education Masters Papers

In a third-grade classroom in a highly populated city, a researcher was concerned about her students’ focus level in the afternoon. Students have a long day at school, their brains get exposed to so much information on a typical day, and it is hard to retain the knowledge as well as being able to stay focused and motivated throughout each and every day. This study investigated how brain breaks affect student engagement, achievement, and motivation. For the entirety of a math unit, math instruction was taught incorporating planned brain breaks throughout each lesson. Data was collected from pre-and post- assessment …

Assessing The Role Of Motivational Factors In Facilitating Artists’ Personal And Professional Development, Ece Gurler

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

Various factors exert influence on an artist’s impetus. If artists can learn about different ways to use these both external and internal factors to facilitate their personal and professional development, their creative process and productivity will be affected positively. According to the research, individuals display three types of orientation during the exploration and development process -and so creative process: The desire to be effective (White, 1959), autonomous (DeCharms, 1968), and related to significant others (Deci & Ryan, 1991). Effective-oriented personalities tend to be motivated by extrinsic rewards or punishment, whereas autonomously oriented people are more intrinsically motivated. However, understanding the …

The Motivation And Attitude Of Arab Heritage Children And Their Parents’ Perspectives Toward Learning Arabic, Nada Naji

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the unstable circumstances in the Middle East in the last decade, a large number of immigrants from Arab origins immigrated to non-Arab countries. This immigration created a new generation of Arab heritage learners who want to learn the Arabic language as a heritage language for different reasons. This study investigates the motivation and attitude of Arab heritage children between 10 and 16 years of age and their parents’ perspectives toward learning Arabic as a heritage language in host countries. 143 participants (92 parents, 51 children) living in 17 different non-Arab countries have participated in this study. The method …

The Effects Of A Shared Vision Of Teacher Leadership On Classroom Teachers’ Instruction, Tiffany Bockelmann

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Many models of instructional teacher leadership exist in schools with various outcomes for teachers. The aim of this case study was to understand systemic alignment in a formal teacher leadership system and how this alignment impacted instructional change. This dissertation was framed by three research questions: 1) How do the rationales of teachers, teacher leaders, and administrators regarding teacher leadership in their school align? 2) How does the coherence of a system of leadership impact classroom teachers’ abilities to engage with formal teacher leaders? 3) How does the coherence of a system of leadership impact classroom teachers’ abilities to implement …

Flipped Classroom Effects On Upper Elementary And Middle School Student Motivation Inside And Outside The Classroom, Katarina Kuhlmann

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This action research study focuses on the effects the Flipped Classroom Model has on student motivation in the classroom, as well as at home. Two research questions are utilized in this study and the two research questions are the following: How does the Flipped Classroom Model (FCM) enhance student motivation at home, as well as in the classroom? What obstacles can educators and students face pertaining towards motivation with the Flipped Classroom Model (FCM) and how can they overcome those challenges? The study on the Flipped Classroom and student motivation took place in a 5^th grade classroom consisting of …

Effects Of Student Choice On Student Motivation And Engagement Within An Elementary Classroom, Sarah Theesfeld

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this research is to determine the effects of allowing student choice on student motivation and engagement in an elementary classroom. Specifically, the study will focus on student engagement during reading instruction and motivation to participate when they are offered choice in reading materials versus when they are not offered choice in reading materials. Students will provide information about their thoughts on lessons; when they are able to choose their reading materials versus when they are chosen for them. This study aims to determine best teaching practices for student engagement and motivation during reading instruction. Student feedback and …

Gradeless Learning: The Effect Of Eliminating Traditional Grading Practices On Student Engagement And Learning, Eric Sanders

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

In order for students to learn at high levels, there must be high expectations and strong feedback. Although traditional grading seems to be an inherent part of the educational system, there are multiple purposes for grades which often causes frustrations for both teachers and students. There is a need to expand the research on grading and its effect on both student learning and motivation. This action research study centered on three research questions: 1) What effect does the elimination of traditional grading practices have on student engagement in learning? 2) What impact does the removal of traditional grading practices and …

Inter-Relationships Among Several Person-Related Attributes In Reading And Metacomprehension: Complexity And Educational Implications, Lin-Miao L. Agler, Larisa K. Alfsen

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Reading is one of the most basic academic skills. An accurate monitor of one’s text comprehension (i.e., metacomprehension) is essential for effective reading as it guides learning and choices of appropriate strategy used to maximize overall understanding. The processes of reading comprehension and metacomprehension are affected by text-related, task-related, and reader- /person-related factors. One of the two purposes of this report is to provide a brief review of consistent research findings on the interrelationships among several person-related variables and the complexity of those associations in reading and metacomprehension. The person variables discussed include personality, motivation, goal orientations, self-regulation, reading strategy …