Education Commons^™

Psychological Well-Being And Music Among Children, Elle Chrampanis

Honors Theses

The purpose of this instrumental case study was to explore how music supports kindergarteners’ well-being in an elementary music classroom through the lens of PERMA, a framework for well-being developed by Martin Seligman. PERMA stands for positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment. An additional goal was to see how applicable this framework was to kindergarteners. Accordingly, a five-week music program was developed and taught at a local elementary school. A typical elementary music curriculum was developed consisting of lessons that included a welcome song, a rhythm activity, a musical storybook, the sequential learning of a song, and a goodbye …

Music Education Within An Autism Support Classroom: Building Community And Educational Skills, Emma Lamberti

Honors Theses

The purpose of this action research study was to explore how music education might provide a sense of community, develop educational skills, and discuss general best practices for teaching students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in a middle school autism support classroom. To examine community, educational skills, and best practices, this study completed two cycles of action research. The curriculum in Cycle 1 consisted of typical music lessons for a general music classroom. Interviews with teachers and students, video observations, and researcher reflections after each lesson were used to inform the development of Cycle 2. Cycle 2 retained the overall …

Comparing Time Allocation For Teaching Science As Inquiry In Two Educator Preparation Science Methods Courses, Lori A. Dira

Faculty Journal Articles

How much time an institution allocates to content can indicate its overall importance and intended value to the educator preparation program. For decades there have been calls to integrate more authentic science inquiry experiences into not only undergraduate elementary science courses, but into all elementary educator preparation courses. Many elementary educators do not receive training on effective methods for teaching science, they will not feel comfortable and will likely have low self-efficacy. This study investigated the amount of time allocated to teaching science as inquiry and the knowledge participants had prior to and after taking an elementary teaching science methods …

Trauma-Informed Practices: A Whole School Policy Framework, Nicole C. Reddig, Janet Vanlone

Faculty Journal Articles

State leaders should take action to ensure that teachers are prepared to address the needs of children who have experienced traumatic events.

Strengthening The Partnership Between Academic And Student Affairs, Jacqueline Cetera, Adrienne Jensen-Doray, Katherine Furlong

Staff Scholarship

Why is this partnership and collaboration so hard? The idea of bridging the gap between academic and student affairs is not a new concept. Working to bridge the gap can help strengthen partnerships and shared responsibilities that contribute to both a student’s academic success and life outside the classroom. By attending this session, individuals will take away tangible ideas to partner and focus on academic and out of the classroom partnerships. Presenters will share findings and best practices from Bucknell University.

Cultivating Collaborative Synergy To Promote Equity, Diversity, Inclusion And Justice In The Psychology Curriculum, Jasmine Mena, Milton A. Fuentes, Jose A. Soto

Faculty Journal Articles

Transforming the psychology curriculum to incorporate equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) will necessitate department-wide and coordinated efforts; however, most EDI transformations emphasize changes to individual instructors and courses. Cultivating collaborative synergy to advance EDI transformations will foster and protect the relevance and trustworthiness of psychology and respond to the numerous calls for equity and justice. Collaborative synergy involves forming a community with a common goal, learning from one another, and sharing teaching-related resources. In this paper, we present the EDI Collaborative Curricular Transformation in Psychology (EDI-CCTP) model and discuss the benefits of collaboration amongst psychology departments and programs on EDI …

Test Optional Admissions: Pre And Post Enrollment, Mackenzie M. Turner

Honors Theses

This phenomenological qualitative study explores students’ experiences navigating test-optional admissions when applying to post-secondary education. This thesis examines how test-optional admissions influence students' admissions decisions. The recent policy changes in college admissions practices raise questions about student experiences when making decisions when regarding test-optional admissions. First, this study explores the factors that go into a student’s decision on whether to submit test scores in their college application. Second, this thesis investigates college admission administrators’ perspectives on test-optional policies at their respective universities. Third, this study analyzes where the views of college admissions and student applicants are dissimilar. One important insight …

An Introductory Module In Medical Image Segmentation For Bme Students, Christine Buffinton, Donna Ebenstein, James W. Baish

Faculty Journal Articles

To support recent trends toward the use of patient-specific anatomical models from medical imaging data, we present a learning module for use in the undergraduate BME curriculum that introduces image segmentation, the process of partitioning digital images to isolate specific anatomical features. Five commercially available software packages were evaluated based on their perceived learning curve, ease of use, tools for segmentation and rendering, special tools, and cost: ITK-SNAP, 3D Slicer, OsiriX, Mimics, and Amira. After selecting the package best suited for a stand-alone course module on medical image segmentation, instructional materials were developed that included a general introduction to imaging, …

Successful Post-Covid Theatre Recruitment And Retention Practices, Biliana Stoytcheva-Horissian, Kevork Horissian, Aaron Scully, Shawna Mefferd Kelty

Faculty Conference Papers and Presentations

In the past several years and especially after the COVID-19 outbreak, recruiting and retaining students has become more challenging than ever before. Even before the pandemic, there has been an increased pressure for colleges and universities to be able to demonstrate tangible educational benefits. This has been especially valid for liberal arts institutions and theatre programs since they are considered to be “less practical and useful.” Often students and their parents focus more on securing jobs rather than exploring interests and passions and seem unable to see the connection between theatre education and other careers.

The panel of presenters brings …

Pre-Service Teacher Preparation In Trauma-Informed Pedagogy: A Review Of State Competencies, Nicole C. Reddig, Janet Vanlone

Faculty Journal Articles

Trauma-informed pedagogy recognizes childhood trauma and its influence on students’ behavior, health, and ability to learn. By utilizing trauma- informed pedagogy, teachers can help children who have experienced trauma build resiliency. To determine if pre-service teachers are being trained in trauma-informed pedagogy, a systematic review of state-level teacher competency policies from all 50 states and Washington, D.C. was conducted. These teacher competencies were coded for the presence of elements of trauma-informed pedagogy. The review has shown that five states require teacher training in trauma-informed pedagogy and far more require training in individual elements, including social-emotional learning and cultural responsiveness.

The Promise Of Labor-Based Grading Contracts For The Teaching Of Psychology And Neuroscience, Jasmine Mena, Jennie Stevenson

Faculty Journal Articles

Introduction: Instructors assign grades to communicate to students how well they are learning the course content. However, students and instructors are often displeased with the process and outcome of grading. Statement of the Problem: We contend that conventional grading inadvertently detracts from student learning and simultaneously replicates systems of oppression in academia. We discuss Labor Based Grading Contracts (LBGC) as an alternative to conventional grading. Literature Review: We review the conceptual and empirical literature on LBGCs as an alternative method of assessing student work and extend its application to psychology and neuroscience courses. Teaching Implications: We present recommendations for implementing …

Where Girls Rule The World: Lessons For Pakistan In The Bangladeshi Educational Phenomenon, Chanze Ahsan

Honors Theses

In tune with the UN's Sustainable Development Goal and the widespread acceptance of education as a fundamental human right, the deprivation of female education in Pakistan presents an alarming assault on its female population. With this, the historical accident that was the separation of Pakistan and Bangladesh serves as a natural experiment into differences between the countries before and after partition. Despite facing two colonizations, Bangladesh has emerged on the other side of history with promising results regarding the elimination of gender disparities in education. How has it managed to do so? And what can Pakistan learn from its journey? …

Yo Soy Rumano (I Am Romanian): An Autobiography Exploring The Effects Of Memory And Trauma On The Formation Of The Self, Andrei Bucaloiu

Honors Theses

I came to the United States from Romania with my parents when I was two years old. This moment of cultural, linguistic, and geographic separation occurred before I was able to consciously recall it, yet it constitutes a traumatic experience, in the Freudian and Lacanian sense, that defines my positionality and serves as a primary space in which I seek to develop who I am. However, regardless of how much I have developed my ability to communicate in English, it is not the language of my emotional affect. At the same time, profound expression in Romanian is not possible for …

The School-To-Prison Pipeline: A Method Of Social Reproduction, Tyler E. Rifkin

Honors Theses

The American public-school system pushes many low incomes and minoritized learners out of school and into the juvenile justice system through its disciplinary practices. The school-to-prion pipeline (STPP) puts a name on this cycle, explaining how zero-tolerance policies are directly or indirectly causing students to drop out of school and leading them into prison. This thesis utilizes existing literature too deeply asses zero-tolerance policies, as well as other apparati of the STPP within schools today. It examines how the STPP discriminates against students based on social class, race, gender, and disability. This project is directed by a theoretical framework of …

Supporting Teacher Retention Through A Trauma-Informed Lens, Nicole C. Reddig

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the relationship between trauma-informed practices and teacher burnout and turnover. For the past decade, schools across the United States have seen high levels of burnout and turnover amongst their educators. At the same time, young children are experiencing high levels of exposure to traumatic events in childhood, affecting their behavior, social and emotional health, and ability to learn. While teachers play an important role in the support system for these students, they are also at risk for experiencing secondary trauma and burnout. To mitigate the effects of trauma, trauma-informed practices have been introduced in schools to respond …

I Know You Are Trying To Help Me, But …”: Complexity In Supporting Immigrant Youth And Communities Through Schooling, Ramona Fruja, Evelyn Baca

Faculty Contributions to Books

No abstract provided.

Integrating L1 In L2 Classrooms: The Case Of Arabic As A Foreign Language In Us Universities, Martin Isleem

Faculty Journal Articles

For many years, instructors and scholars of the Arabic language in American high- er education schools have debated two pedagogical questions: (1) whether or not non-standardized Arabic varieties, Spoken Arabic, should be integrated with Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) in the foreign Arabic classroom, and if so, (2) what that integration should look like (see Al-Batal, 2017). One of the prominent claims of those favoring MSA in the classroom is that MSA is the more prestigious language variety and therefore better represents Arabic literature, religious tradition and culture (Ryding, 1995:226) However, in the last two decades there has been an evolving …

A Comparative Analysis Of Chinese And American Cinematic Depictions Of The Female Adolescent Life Transition, Lily Li

Honors Theses

The thesis examines the representation through film of the ways social systems in Western and Eastern societies impact female adolescents’ growth. My study focuses on the transition from childhood to adolescence, from a relatively "naive" state to a reflective state of mind, filled with uncertainty about oneself and the future. In this process, there are emotions of confusion, insecurity, struggle, anxiety, and intergenerational conflicts. Some crucial factors such as friendships, family relationships, and societal pressures are influential in adolescents' formation of their personalities. This transformational process is universal across all cultures, as every adolescent experiences the transition from youth to …

Food Insecurity At Bucknell University: A Look At Student Experiences And Contributing Factors, Emma Curtin

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the prevalence of food insecurity at Bucknell and examines the contributing factors. Two research questions frame the present study: 1) What factors contribute to food insecurity on Bucknell’s campus? And 2) How do students at Bucknell experience food insecurity? Additionally, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on college student food insecurity is explored. The theoretical framework used in this thesis is Bourdieu’s theory of social reproduction. This framework coupled with a phenomenological approach to analyzing the data are the most appropriate for the present study because food insecurity is a systemic phenomenon, maintained by institutions but lived …

The Effects Of Higher Education On Socioeconomic Mobility: A Comparative Analysis Of Outcomes At Bucknell University, Katrien Weemaes

Honors Theses

Income inequality and the lack of higher-education opportunities across the United States often correlate with families' socioeconomic status. In this honors thesis, the following questions will be examined: How does the social mobility of Bucknell Students compare with students from other national universities? How do a student’s race and financial aid status affect their ability to achieve social mobility? How has the rate of social mobility through Bucknell changed in recent years? How does a student’s current family socioeconomic status affect their ability to achieve high-income success upon graduation? Does the level of accessibility to Bucknell change when socioeconomic status …

Predicting Students' Mathematical Thinking In A Technology-Mediated Environment, Lara Dick, Jennifer Lovett, Allison Mcculloch, Cynthia Edgington, Stephanie Casey

Faculty Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Helping Student Success And Student Retention, Xiaoyan Liu, Kevork Horissian

Faculty Conference Papers and Presentations

While the idea of predicting student success and student retention is not new, our approach is slightly different. This presentation shares how to aggregate multiple pieces of information to create a holistic picture of first-year retention and student success. We illustrate four stages of this process, which include Aggregation, Inquiry, Results, and Action. Two tools for generating actionable information are demonstrated. The Dashboard of Student Retention includes interactive calculations of retention rates and attrition rates for the last six years. Clearinghouse data are included to show where our students transferred. The Dashboard of Identified At-Risk Students is a tool that …

Two-Way Cultural Transmission In Study-Abroad: U.S. Host Families And Japanese College Students In Short-Term Homestay Programs, Ramona Fruja, Joseph L. Murray, Junko Torii

Faculty Journal Articles

This study addresses a gap in the study-abroad literature, examining both student and host family experiences of two-way cultural transmission. Interviews, participant observation and reflective journals revealed both parties sought authentic cultural experiences, but implicit forms of cultural transmission in homestay rendered preconceived notions of authenticity elusive. This discrepancy held potential for growth in cultural understanding. The authors explore implications for program design and interpretation of outcomes.

Frustration And Inspiration: A Model For Working Class Identity Development, Travis Arment

Master’s Theses

Social identity development, the process by which people come to understand their social identities, has been written about extensively in regards to diverse populations. Currently, theories revolve around ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, and other aspects of the human experience. There is, however, an obvious gap in theoretical work involving social class identity development. Specifically, this thesis will examine working class identity development. The goal is to provide a foundation for studying the ways in which members of the working class both understand and come to terms with their position in society. Building on crucial identity development theory, data will …

First-Generation Etc: Agency, Inequality, Practice, Habitus, And Reflection, Jon Hunsberger

Master’s Theses

This autoethnography explores the author’s first two years transitioning and acclimating to a selective college as a first-generation student from a working-class background who attended rural public schools. Grounding itself in post-structural theory, this thesis first explores how the author experienced upward social mobility in contrast with structuralist theories that suggest he would reproduce his social-class origins. Second this thesis concludes that the relative degree of legitimization the author’s agency received is itself informed by structural inequality and a world that advantages certain cultural embodiments, dispositions, actions, and ways of being over others. Agency is seldom explicitly acknowledged in literature …

Why Do I Have To Know This? Engineering In A Globalized Society, Caleb Cunningham

Honors Theses

Through a pilot comparative study, this thesis examines the problem-solving of chemical engineering students and chemical engineering faculty. Specifically, the thesis examines the extent to which individuals include global factors (cultural, social, environmental, and economic) into their engineering solutions as specified by ABET. Several hypotheses were investigated in this pilot study: (i) having a study abroad experience would increase the likelihood that participants included the global factors of interest, (ii) the type (PUI, Research Intensive, Unique) of institution students attended would impact how individuals approached the problem, (iii) students with similar career aspirations would approach the problems similarly, (iv) having …

Planting The Seed: How To Teach Yourself Digital Tools, Claire Cahoon

Bucknell University Digital Scholarship Conference

Technology is constantly evolving, and information professionals evolve with it - but how do we start teaching ourselves new skills? Constantly updating your repertoire of digital skills can be a daunting task, but don't despair! During this workshop you'll hear about techniques that will help you start learning a new digital tool in your area, then we'll work as a group to find motivation, strategize, and get started on learning. Everyone will leave with a plan to teach yourself a skill of your choice, complete with goals, plans to find help, and learning resources shared by fellow participants. This workshop …

Teacher Education And Refugee Students, Ramona Fruja, Kevin Roxas

Faculty Contributions to Books

No abstract provided.

Strategic Planning And Democracy, Jennifer Thomson

Bucknell: Occupied

Jennifer Thomson, assistant professor of History at Bucknell University, interviews Ellen Herman, associate professor of Geology at Bucknell, and two anonymous guests about the strategic planning process underway at Bucknell, 2018-2019. The group discusses the lack of transparency in the identification of priorities and the top-down approach to governance. Guests also identify labor issues and the feeling of being strategically beleaguered by meetings and electronic communication. They express concern over references to sustainability concepts, which are specific only to economic sustainability, and they analyzed the way the strategic plan addresses problems with the Greek system and its impact on student …

When Assessment Is Surveillance, Jennifer Thomson

Bucknell: Occupied

Jennifer Thomson, assistant professor of History at Bucknell University, interviews Steve Jordan, professor of Biology at Bucknell University. The pair discuss administrative decisions on campus that contribute to feelings of powerlessness, of automation, and of surveillance.