Education Commons^™

Enhancing Academic Support Through A Comprehensive Training Program On Advising Adult Students In Higher Education, Nicole Von Oesen

Culminating Experience Projects

With an increase in the adult student population within higher education, literature continues to show that university academic advisors often lack the proper tools to make the transition for adult students easier. Moreover, the literature reveals that a transition program set in place for adult students can help make the transition into higher education smoother. Adult students endure a multitude of barriers when entering or returning to higher education. Therefore, the purpose of this project is to examine the personal and educational barriers adult students face, while also exploring how academic advisors and universities can be better prepared for adult …

Supporting Admitted Students, Preventing Academic Jeopardy, Bridget M. Baehl

Culminating Experience Projects

The academic success of incoming students has been a growing concern for colleges and universities. The number of students ending up in academic jeopardy has been skyrocketing. While universities have support for academic success, the resources must be more utilized. These supports also tend to work in silos instead of functioning as a community support. This project explains the demographics of college students and the types of support that these students would best benefit from. To adequately support students who the universities are at the most significant risk of failing, colleges need to expand their support services. In response to …

Addressing Mental Health Challenges In Graduate Education, Obed A. Boateng

Culminating Experience Projects

Graduate students face a multitude of stressors that can negatively impact their mental health and wellbeing, including academic pressures, work-life balance issues, and financial strains. However, minimal attention has been focused the needs of graduate student population, and existing support are limited. More so, student affairs professionals and practitioners (SAPPs) often engage and interact with graduate student. Yet, many SAPPs who are interested in helping address graduate students’ mental health needs lack sufficient training to effectively support graduate students experiencing mental health challenges. The purpose of this project is to develop and implement a comprehensive training program to equip SAPPs …

Predominantly White Teacher Education Programs Are Stifling Black Preservice Students’ Teaching Experience: Now What?, Jasmine N. Wilson

Culminating Experience Projects

scholarship theorizes and discusses Black preservice teachers’ experiences in predominantly White teacher education programs as stifling. While many studies have explored ways to improve Black students' experiences in teacher education, few studies have sought to adapt Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ (HBCU) successful strategies to produce and retain Black teachers. In this project I have two goals. My first goal is to highlight the neglect and inequity that Black preservice teachers face in predominantly White teacher education programs. My second goal is to ensure that faculty members in teacher education programs effectively support and prepare Black preservice teachers for long …

College Success Bootcamp 101 (Csb101): A Summer Support Program For First-Year First-Generation College Students Navigating The Transition To College, Leticia Lopez Leon

Culminating Experience Projects

The first-year transitional period of community college students is a pivotal time for determining students' persistence and retention in higher education, particularly for first-generation college students (FGCS) who are the first in their families to pursue higher education. FGCS often belong to underrepresented racial or ethnic groups and may come from low-income backgrounds (Lopez, 2016). Although community colleges are enrolling 40% of first-year FGCS, these students are four times more likely to drop out early on compared to their White peers (Beard et al., 2023; Lopez, 2016; Suzuki et al., 2012). The “open access” mission of community colleges has oftentimes …

A Workship Cirriculum For Student Loan Debt, Cion Swoope

Culminating Experience Projects

For many college students, taking out student loans is a necessary step towards higher education, yet it often leads to accumulated debt that can seem insurmountable. This project intends to investigate the implications of student loan debt, such as homeownership, household debt, and other life goals, and educate borrowers on the potential repercussions. Using Becker's (1993) Human Capital theory, I will examine the investment logic behind student loan borrowing, framing debt as a calculated risk for future gain. This project also uses Crenshaw's (1989) Intersectionality theory to extend beyond the scope of the average borrower and highlight the demographic groups …

Getting Involved: Navigating Rural Student Supports In Higher Education, Lucy Karpukhno

Culminating Experience Projects

Rural students face unique challenges in navigating opportunities to find community and access support in higher education, despite these opportunities being critical to success. Factors such as geographic isolation, limited resources, and unfamiliarity with campus environments can exacerbate these challenges, highlighting the need for tailored interventions to enhance rural student outcomes in higher education. Getting involved on campus and having a sense of belonging has long been cited as important facets to promoting student success. This project seeks to develop a targeted orientation program with informative presentations, inclusive social events, and hands-on opportunities to experience a variety of clubs and …

Helping First Year Residential Students Transition To The Collegiate Environment, Jenna N. Mazurek

Culminating Experience Projects

The purpose of this project is to address the barriers faced by first-year residential students while making their transition from high school to college. Transitioning to a new environment can be overwhelming, so making sure first-year students feel prepared is an important part of the acclimation process. To make the acclimation period easier, first-year students should make sure they are aware of campus resources, and make sure they have a strong support network. The intervention for this problem is a first-year experience program set at Grand Valley State University called the Becoming a Laker Program. This program is designed to …

Addressing The Teacher Shortage: School-Sponsored Alternative Teacher Certification Programs, Briana Renee Pepke Herr

Culminating Experience Projects

The ongoing teacher shortage in America has created an unprecedented demand for high-quality educators. To address this challenge, the establishment of school-sponsored or company-sponsored alternative certification programs is necessary. These partnership initiatives should involve assigning school or company employees as coaches to candidates, facilitating bi-weekly in-person and online coaching sessions to enhance instructional practices, and offering constructive coursework feedback. The primary objective is to equip aspiring alternatively certified teachers with essential skills, ensuring they are highly qualified while receiving ongoing support. This project highlights the need for school-sponsored alternative certification programs in producing highly qualified teachers capable of meeting the …

Overcoming Bias In Standardized Testing, Paul Riebe

Culminating Experience Projects

The current state of education is one where student and teacher’s futures are dictated by the outcomes of standardized tests, which are inherently biased against students of color. The purpose of this project is to examine the bias in these tests to determine what exactly these biases are, and train teachers to better prepare their students to overcome these biases. For this project, I chose literature that examined the biases found in standardized testing through a number of different topics such as the effect on teacher attrition, the bias found in standardized testing, educational inequity and the meaning of intelligence. …

A Comprehensive Approach For Addressing E-Cigarette Use In High School Students, Michael Ebbert

Culminating Experience Projects

The prevalence of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use among youth has increased at an alarming rate. More teenagers are falling victim to the adverse physical and mental effects of e-cigarette use despite the attempted implementation of various prevention and intervention programs. Teenagers are influenced to use e-cigarettes by their peers, social media, and e-cigarette advertisements. Schools and parents need to work together to end the teenage e-cigarette use epidemic. The comprehensive e-cigarette prevention program will seek to increase the knowledge of e-cigarettes, raise awareness of the harms of nicotine addiction, and build positive peer support influences. The overarching objective of this …

Literacy Across The Disciplines: A Way To Re-Engage Secondary Students, Jenelle Williams

Michigan Reading Journal

In this article, the author describes the opportunities present with leveraging disciplinary literacy approaches, in terms of re-engaging teens with learning. The author also provides several cautions for literacy leaders to keep in mind.

Building A Beloved Community Of Literacy In Professional Spaces, Elizabeth Petroelje Stolle, Jennifer L. Vanderground

Michigan Reading Journal

This article shares the experiences of two literacy teacher educators who sought to create a beloved community for both themselves and the teachers with whom they work within their professional spaces. The authors emphasize the importance of fostering safe, collaborative environments that promote personal and professional growth. Drawing from the principles of the Beloved Community, popularized by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the authors discuss the value of embracing a growth mindset when building such communities. Specifically, the article delves into two different professional development models as effective frameworks for cultivating beloved communities: Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and Learning Labs …

Prioritizing Social Emotional Learning With Interactive Read Alouds, Lindsay Stoetzel, Kelly Vigants

Michigan Reading Journal

The need for social emotional learning (SEL) in schools has never been higher. Yet, teachers need strategic support and training in order to integrate SEL into academic instruction. The literacy classroom provides a perfect venue for SEL integration with strong continuity and overlap between SEL dimensions and literacy standards. In this article, the authors explore how one high leverage literacy practice, the interactive read aloud, can be strategically adapted to intentionally target those SEL skills. The authors provide multiple examples and resources to guide teacher teams to reflect upon and prepare their own interactive read alouds to foster SEL goals …

Awareness & Access Matter: Making Professional Associations Available To Support Literacy Teachers’ Ongoing Pl, Kathleen S. Howe, Suzanne M. Tiemann

Michigan Reading Journal

Literacy professional associations offer members a wide range of support and services and historically play important roles in literacy teachers’ ongoing professional learning. Despite many benefits, membership in professional associations, including literacy groups, has declined. This article explores possible factors for decreases (changes to PL, technology, & generational mix of teaching force), before adding others: two emergent themes (awareness and access) from related survey research with K-12 literacy teachers in a midwestern state. Suggestions are offered to stakeholders for ways to raise awareness and improve access to associations for literacy teachers – an important tool for ongoing literacy professional learning.

Back To The Future: Looking At Nostalgic Practices To Conceptualize A More Inclusive Literacy Future (Part 1), Rebecca Witte, Darreth Rice

Michigan Reading Journal

In the first of two articles, the authors, two girls that “Just Want to Have Fun,” reminisce about educational literacy practices of the past, specifically one nostalgic writing practice, dialogue journaling. Using the analogy of a familiar toy from the 1980s, the View Master, they aim to revitalize an antiquated practice using modern theoretical frameworks (reels) that make current classroom practices more inclusive for today’s students. Looking to “reels” of academic (using current state standards), culturally relevant pedagogy (Ladson-Billings, 1995), social emotional learning (Mussey, 2019), and humanizing instruction (Freire, 1968), we support current teachers in analyzing their practices to foster …

Strategies And Resources For Integrating Technology Into The Secondary Education World Language Classroom, Angelina M. Bauer

Culminating Experience Projects

This document is a research-based project that includes a reference manual of strategies for technology integration in the World Language curriculum, as well as an example lesson plan that implements many of the strategies. Many of the strategies and examples can be adapted to fit multiple subject areas. The theoretical framework upon which the project is constructed is a combination of TPACK and several of Stephen Krashen's Theories of Second Language Acquisition.

The Shocker, Grand Valley State University

The Shocker

Literary publication collecting writings and art from the Thomas Jefferson College "Make-It" program and via student submission.

Making Space For Adolescents Of Refugee Background In Public Libraries, Danielle S. Dejonge

Culminating Experience Projects

Refugee adolescents go through multiple transitions that affect identity while settling in their new country of relocation. The ability to recognize the complexity of identity in a healthy way is fostered by safe spaces of belonging that encourage agency. Libraries, as spaces already effectively serving diverse populations including refugee youth, have the resources to be a safe space for these adolescents. One resource that has been trending in libraries is a makerspace. Makerspaces offer multimodal activities, whether they be arts-based or STEM-based, that not only encourage critical thought, but also allow for development of belonging and agency for healthy dynamic …

Investigating The Curricular Practices Of Social Innovation Master’S Programs In The United States, Ty M. Krueger

Culminating Experience Projects

The study of social innovation in higher education has increased as more schools add undergraduate and graduate programs on the broad topic. Discussion on what should be included as part of social innovation education has been occurring for decades, but there is little determination as to what could be considered as standards or even a baseline for curricular practices. This research aims to look at how current graduate programs for social innovation are defining the topic, what courses they include in their curriculum, what teaching methods are used in the delivery of these topics, and how the topics and teaching …

Strategic Morphology Interventions For Vocabulary Knowledge In Reading Comprehension, Danielle Marie Sharpe

Culminating Experience Projects

Many adolescent students have been shown to fall behind gradually as they reach

secondary grade levels. This has been researched as the effect of socioeconomic factors,

lack of immersive vocabulary backgrounds, and gaps in elementary years. Extensive

research has shown the benefits of morphology instruction in secondary students in

bridging vocabulary gaps, yet many schools have yet to provide them with the support to

comprehend difficult texts across content areas. This project explores the possible benefits

of offering adolescents the extra support and resources that can leverage reading

comprehension across content areas within secondary education. Through the use of

implementing …

Strategic Morphology Interventions For Vocabulary Knowledge In Reading Comprehension, Danielle Marie Sharpe

Masters Theses

Many adolescent students have been shown to fall behind gradually as they reach

secondary grade levels. This has been researched as the effect of socioeconomic factors,

lack of immersive vocabulary backgrounds, and gaps in elementary years. Extensive

research has shown the benefits of morphology instruction in secondary students in

bridging vocabulary gaps, yet many schools have yet to provide them with the support to

comprehend difficult texts across content areas. This project explores the possible benefits

of offering adolescents the extra support and resources that can leverage reading

comprehension across content areas within secondary education. Through the use of

implementing …

Sharp Stick Grasps At Autistic Women’S Liminal Vulnerability, Meaghan Krazinski

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

This film analysis of Sharp Stick by Lena Dunham critically explores how the film uptakes representations of the ideas around the vulnerabilities of Autistic women in popular culture, and yet does not explicitly name them as such. This liminality is critical and plays into the intersectional analysis that the author engages around the way vulnerability and Autistic identity is interpreted and read. The author draws upon McDermott's (2022) "neurotypical gaze" in an analysis that shows how traditional tropes around Autistic women’s vulnerability are social constructions that are brought into relief by stereotypes around race, gender, and ability. The author uses …

Beyond The Bell: Rebuilding Care, Civic Learning And Creativity Within Youth Spaces, Michelle R. Haapala

Culminating Experience Projects

The purpose of this research is to investigate high school age students’ opportunities within formal classroom settings to engage in care, civic learning, and creativity within a suburban, publicly-funded charter school. This study used thematic analysis and coding methods to organize and find patterns in the qualitative data from surveys distributed to education professionals at Canton Preparatory High School in Canton, Michigan. The goal is to establish a foundation of the perception of care, civic learning, and creativity within school environments and classroom settings. Overall, education professionals rated these categories positively, but with a closer investigation, a disconnect is found. …

The Effect Of Reading Habits On Academic Success, Taylor Hicks

Culminating Experience Projects

The goal of most students is to achieve academic success. In order to be successful, students must form healthy reading habits because there is a positive correlation between academic success and reading habits. The more students read, the greater their chances of performing well academically. By participating in frequent reading, students will, not only perform well in school, they will also expand their vocabulary, improve their writing skills, and sharpen their critical thinking skills. We are in the midst of a literacy crisis, though. Students are choosing other avenues for entertainment instead of reading. This could potentially have detrimental consequences. …

An Analysis Of The Efficacy Of Disciplinary Methods, William Hewitt

Culminating Experience Projects

The practice of punitive discipline is the most common response to misbehavior in American school systems, despite having no evidence to support its continued use. However, there is research that demonstrates its active harm to students in multiple capacities. Punitive discipline has been found to only exacerbate students’ behavior issues, as well as negatively impact their academic performance. Additionally, research has pointed out that punitive discipline impacts students of minority demographics at a significantly higher rate than students belonging to majority demographics. More research in the way of alternative restorative policies, such as Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), is …

Culturally Responsive Education: Creating A Safe And Inclusive Environment For Lgbtq+ Students, Kassidi M. Adams

Culminating Experience Projects

This paper explores research that discusses the impact of a culturally responsive education and lack-of for LGBTQ+ students and recommends a solution to ensure all students are safe and represented in schools. The research cited varies in their definitions and uses of the term LGBTQ+. This paper will use the term LGBTQ+, an abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and more communities; however, the abbreviation used in the referenced research may be shortened to LG, LGB, LGBT, or LGBTQ to reflect only specific communities included in LGBTTTQQIAAP (VandenBos, 2015). This paper will also focus on inclusion, which refers to …

Empowering All Learners: The Role Of Cultural Responsiveness In Elementary Literacy Education, Meghan Claire Arbury

Culminating Experience Projects

Instructional strategies used by teachers impact student literacy performance. Students’ literacy skills can improve when teachers incorporate culturally responsive teaching practices that are also high-quality in nature. There is a particular need for these methods to be adopted in elementary classrooms in order to make learning accessible and equitable for diverse learners. Literacy skills are highly social and students’ backgrounds experiences are pivotal connections around which knowledge and understanding are constructed. In the Northwest Michigan region, as well as nationwide, performance disparities among cultural groups are reflected in literacy achievement data (“Grades 3-8,” n.d.), solidifying the need for change to …

Narrowing The Achievement Gap: Culturally Responsive Teaching For African American Students, Haylee Batzer

Culminating Experience Projects

It is no surprise to educators that classrooms are filled with children of all different backgrounds. Most teacher preparation programs try their best to prepare educators to teach students of diversity and support inclusion in the classroom. However, educators are still finding themselves lacking the skills needed to incorporate culturally responsive teaching (CRT) into their classrooms. Students of all backgrounds need inclusive practices to be successful. It is important to all students that they feel supported and seen in the classroom, without these practices schools start to see a decline in graduation rates and an increase in dropout rates. Many …

Social Emotional Learning Resources And Evaluations For Kindergarten Students, Jacquelyn Becker

Culminating Experience Projects

Kindergarten is looking very different these years because of the increase in requirements and standards. The push is affecting teachers and students. Teachers are having to use scripted lessons and focus on test preparation instead of teaching based on the students developmental needs. Students are being pushed and given less time to play and explore while they are in school. The lack of free play and the push academically, students are starting to show negative behavior and acting out while they are in class. This project focuses on the benefits of play and teaching social emotional learning (SEL) skills for …