Education Commons^™

Mental Health Of University Nursing Students: A Literature Review, Mackenzie Carpenter

Honors Projects

This paper explores the ongoing issue of mental health, specifically in nursing students. In addition to maintaining good academic status through exams, assignments, and papers, nursing students must also endure the stressful environment of a clinical setting. Through summarizing research and drawing overall conclusions, this paper examines the contributing and alleviating factors to poor mental health in this population. Data was obtained from studies published from 2017 to 2023 in the CINAHL database, and 11 studies were retrieved from a data collection process to be included in this review. Multiple studies show a low deviation in mental health levels, healthy …

Analysis Of Disability Support Resources At Grand Valley State, Calle Faerber

Honors Projects

In order to receive support and accommodations in postsecondary education, students must self-report their disability to the institution they attend. Due to this policy, there are many barriers that students may face in their pursuit of these services. Barriers include fear of negative perceptions of disabilities by faculty or peers, negative perceptions of accommodations, and lengthy documentation requirements. This study aimed to determine the potential barriers for students at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) and what the university is doing to address these barriers. In this study, a total of 28 undergraduate students at GVSU were surveyed and one staff …

Oa And Oer In Education And The Knowledge Market: Presentation And Workshop Materials, Jillian Beckwell

Honors Projects

Are you interested in being able to access reliable information, research, images, and more online without running into a paywall or fee? Are you interested in accessing online textbooks and other class materials without having to spend a single dollar? With Open Access and Open Educational Resources, these scenarios are possible. This presentation will discuss Open Access materials and Open Educational Resources, and their role in educational spaces and within the different Knowledge Market services.

Creating A Generalized Michigan School Constitution, Kurstin K. Frank

Honors Projects

Educational theories in the past have attempted to define, arrange, and design education to benefit society, institutions, and students of all ages. The conversations surrounding those educational theories, however, have consistently neglected to include those that the structures, policies, and purpose of education will benefit the most: the students. This research project was devised to include student voice within the conversations surrounding educational theories through the construction of a Generalized Michigan School Constitution. By delving into those theories of education, the researcher was able to dissect the five most common theories and beliefs within education to be able to decipher …

The Connection Between Pre-Literacy Development And Parent Use Of Strategies, Jhay-Lah Kennell

Honors Projects

The topic of this senior project is to research and develop strategies that parents of preschoolers can use to facilitate development of pre-literacy skills. The outcome will be a set of facilitation strategies embedded in a children's book focusing on phonological awareness skills. Additional, the book includes a method for training parents to use strategies to help their child(ren) develop skills regarding rhyming and blending. The book will be annotated with the specific parent coaching ideas. Overall, the children's book will include a developmentally appropriate storyline with underpinnings of the rhyming and blending skills of phonological awareness. The book will …

Modern Languages, Modern Learning: Tandem Language Programs In K-12 Education, Sarah Cremin

Honors Projects

The following essay will discuss research on the benefits and drawbacks of implementing intercultural exchange by means of Tandem language learning programs in K-12 Schools. One promising outlet to foster global communication and internationalization of learning is Tandem language learning. Authors María Vassallo and João A. Telles share the following definition: "Foreign language learning in-tandem involves pairs of (native or competent) speakers whose aim is to learn each other's language by means of bilingual conversation sessions." The focus of this research is to evaluate the appeal, effectiveness, utility, and reliability of these online programs in the context of today's classrooms.

Compassion Fatigue In Students Completing Fieldwork, Darcy Walker

Honors Projects

This project was completed for students who are entering or actively completing fieldwork in the helping professions. It includes a pamphlet, annotated bibliography, and reflective essay. The pamphlet includes information on the signs of secondary traumatic stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue, as well as ways to prevent and combat them. The annotated bibliography summarizes and analyzes the importance of the sources used to complete the pamphlet. The reflective essay is an honest account of the author's own struggles with secondary traumatic stress and burnout, and the process of combating them while simultaneously completing this project.

Pre-Veterinary Medicine Advising Tips, Samantha Super

Honors Projects

This document provides tips and recommendations for advisors to better help their pre-veterinary medicine students. After reviewing numerous resources and conducting a survey with GVSU advisors and pre-veterinary students, I identified gaps in knowledge and compiled tips and information about preparing for veterinary school to increase the advisors' knowledge for the benefit of current of future GVSU pre-veterinary students. This document discusses the general path of veterinary school, how to advise students on obtaining experiences, regional and national symposiums that students and advisors can attend, things to consider when preparing for and applying for veterinary schools, specific advice for students …

Gender Expansive Students In The Choral Classroom: Awareness & Practices Of Secondary Music Educators, Emma E. Taranko

Honors Projects

In an age of growing diversity, it is essential for educators, both pre- and in-service, to seek out strategies that will assist them in creating a welcoming classroom environment for all learners. It is incumbent upon choral music teachers and community leaders to educate themselves in the diversity that presents itself in their classrooms in order to better service all students. In this study, twenty-five secondary music educators shared their awareness of gender expansive students in their choir classrooms and any strategies they have used to better service their singers. This study was conducted in order to assess which strategies …

An Analysis Of Asexual Identity Clubs And Their Role On College Campuses, Ellen Yope

Honors Projects

Identifying the lack of college asexuality clubs and the positive influence they have on students. Advocating for the creation of asexuality clubs at colleges and universities and the benefits they provide for students, socially and academically.

Denis Diderot: A Secular Hero, Ben Scott-Brandt

Honors Projects

My Honors Senior Project is a biography of Denis Diderot in the form of a children's song. MY understanding of Diderot's life is based on Andrew Curran's book, Diderot and the Art of Thinking Freely.

Songs help us memorize and retain information about the world, and singing songs together strengthens cultural and religious connections. Secular (nonreligious) people need songs, too. Diderot was a philosopher who didn't believe in God. He was an editor of L'Encyclopédie, one of the first encyclopedias, and he snuck in articles that challenged how people think. This was an important moment -- knowledge about the world …

Laker Survival Guide, Clara Bernal

Honors Projects

It was not until her Junior year of college when she became a Peer Mentor for incoming freshman students, that Clara created a mini guide to GVSU's long list of resources for students. She prepared this guide for her mentees as initially what she called, "Things you'll want to use to survive college." Clara wanted to hand her mentees all of the resources she had learned in three years on day one. This list included various academic support resources, places to feel culturally accepted, and resources for non-traditional students. After receiving a lot of positive feedback from her mentees, peers, …

English In France - Linguistic Dominance And Ambivalence, Chloe Kampf

Honors Projects

Whenever English is perceived as a threat to a nation’s language, English proficiency suffers, and France is guilty as charged. Many people know France as a nation with exceptional cuisine, famous artists, and breathtaking countrysides. What many are not aware of, on the other hand, is that France has the least proficient English speakers out of any EU country. Through in-depth research, literature reviews, interviews with French citizens, and analyzations of personal experiences, I attempt to expose the underlining truth behind this intriguing phenomenon.

Food Insecurity Among College Students, Alison Hige

Honors Projects

Increasing collegiate education costs results in students today facing greater financial stress. As a result, students have to make difficult choices of how to allocate their monetary resources. Sometimes, students prioritize educational costs over nutrition and health necessities, impacting an individual’s ability to obtain adequate food resources. The purpose of this project was to explore the prevalence and impact of food insecurity among college students. The project included conducting a literature review yielding 26 pertinent articles from the keywords “food insecurity” and “college students.” Food insecurity affects a student’s physical and mental health, along with negatively impacting their scholastic abilities. …

Career Pathway Through Exercise Science, Renee Cloeter

Honors Projects

College students have many choices for choosing a major that will lead to a profession or post-graduate school following graduation with a Bachelor’s or Associates degree. For many, making this decision can be daunting and time-consuming as it is important to select the right major for future endeavors. Several students change majors multiple times throughout the course of their college careers causing them to remain in school for an extended period of time to complete graduation. Researching and analyzing potential majors as a new student is a part of the process, but some students may skip this step as there …

Club Athletics And Academic Success, Haydn Vandenberg

Honors Projects

The goal of this research is to examine the relationship between club athletics and academic success at GVSU, focusing specifically on how scholarship of club athletes can be improved.

Honors Student Ambassador Kit, Sophia Hall

Honors Projects

The goal of my senior project is to help the GVSU Honors College become more distinctive and distinguished by making it more visible to potential student recruits. Provided here is a kit that gives suggestions about how to present as an Honors Student Ambassador and outlines a template presentation.

The Reality And The Perception Of Greek Life At Grand Valley State University, Katherine Smigelski

Honors Projects

This research was conducted in order to determine whether Grand Valley’s Greek life atmosphere is stereotypical of Greek life around the country, as portrayed in the media, or if the reality is better than the perception. 179 responses were collected from current Grand Valley State University members of Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Association organizations to determine whether their reality of their organizations is accurate compared to the perception of their organizations.

Student Engagement: What Is The Best Way To Motivate Students In The Secondary Classroom?, Michiah Arguello

Honors Projects

In the secondary education classroom, the question often arises: How do we engage our students? Often, we are faced with heads down on desks, glassy eyes, and students who don’t remember content taught to them the day before. How can we engage them? How can we motivate them to want to learn?

In this study, I will examine five procedures determined by educators to enhance student engagement. In each section, I will discuss the procedure, discuss what the procedure’s steps are and how to approach it, and share a way I have utilized this procedure and reflect on its effectiveness. …

Creating And Conducting Intergenerational Learning In Higher Education, Andrea Lauren Holt

Honors Projects

The creation, conduction and revision of a one of a kind intergenerational course taught in the Grand Valley State University Fredrick Meijer Honors College. Elders and Traditional Honors College Freshman came together in a mixed classroom in order to bridge the gaps of communication and misunderstanding between generations.

The Impacts, Implementation, And Sustainability Of Service Learning In The Classroom, Amber Gerrits

Honors Projects

This honors senior project focuses on service-learning in the classroom. Specifically, it uncovers the benefits, harms, and common potential challenges that service learning educators face when implementing community engagement activities in their schools and classrooms. The three areas surrounding this pedagogy research were: (1) impacts of the practice, (2) logistical implementation in the classroom of such projects, and (3) a look into how to suitably sustain this type of involvement for students in a post K-12 education setting.

To ascertain the answers about the impacts of service-learning, literature was compiled into a review, which unpacked terminology and answered the big …

Tatyana Markus: Hero Of Ukraine, Ariana L. Martineau

Honors Projects

A dramatized telling of the story of Tatyana Markus, a young Jewish resistance fighter from Kiev, Ukraine. Under a false identity, she personally killed dozens of Nazis during WWII. Along the way she lost many people she cared about until she was captured herself. Tatyana has gone on virtually unknown throughout the world, so this play is an effort to spread word about this brave, amazing girl who was only in her early 20s. I think the themes are very relatable to today's society with the struggle of whether to stand up to injustice, or stand by. Especially since she …

Tuition Toss Up: An Economic Analysis Of Public And Private University Tuition And Fees, Alex Nannetti

Honors Projects

In a society where post-secondary education is a near necessity, examining the true cost of university is an important factor to consider when determining the benefits of higher education. While the long run career benefits of a bachelor’s degree are undeniable, the exponential rise in university tuition is a concern for many. This paper examines public and private universities ranked in U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges Ranking: National Universities Ranking and analyzes their fiscal and academic differences. Using economic analysis, the following attempts to determine if public or private universities are a better overall investment when considering the …

Design Thinking Toolkit, Jonathan Cook, Jaclyn Ermoyan

Honors Projects

“Design an experience that supports your mission or major”

Students often get lost in the day-to-day grind of going to classes, completing assignments and studying for their next exam. This activity asks students to take a deep breath to reflect on why.

First-Year Honors Students And Academic Probation: What Went Wrong?, Brad Mueller

Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

Project Summary And Developmental Programs For Ishew, Lindsey Lequia, Dallas Rohraff

Honors Projects

On a seemingly normal day during my study abroad in Ghana, we noticed that the sun was shining in a sky that seemed to have no clouds. We were taking a trip to visit the water source of a community that contained nearly 1,000 people. Although it amazed us to think that that many people were fetching water each day from a river, we understood that others do not have access to the purified, city water that we are fortunate to have at home. When we pulled into the community, the reality of their lifestyle contrasted with what we had …

The Lonely Robin: A Children’S Book To Target Liquid Speech Sounds, Kelsey Meints

Honors Projects

The purpose of the project was to write and illustrate a children’s book for readers aged 8-10 years old. The plot was meant to engage children so that they can relate to the characters, and learn about significant real-life themes. Words were selected very carefully for the story. The book primarily focuses on words with the /l/ (e.g. lake) and /r/ (e.g. red) English phonemes. An appendix at the end of the book classifies target words according sound and syllable position. The author’s goal is that this book can be used as a tool for joint reading and independent practice …

Evidence-Based Phonics Game, Kaleigh Cammenga

Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

University Students Pursing Stem Degrees At Liberal Arts Institutions, Anna G. O'Leary

Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

Assessing Predictors Of Work Engagement In Full-Time Undergraduate Students With Part-Time Jobs, Megan Wertheimer

Honors Projects

Past research has shown that work engagement is beneficial for employees and employers. It is linked with performance, job satisfaction, motivation, employee health, and well-being. We tested whether social-support, conscientiousness, generalized self-efficacy, and work/school congruency would be predictive of work engagement of full-time undergraduate students at Grand Valley State University. Findings showed that work/school congruency and perceived organizational support significantly predict work engagement. These results have implications for how student workers and their employers should seek to increase engagement.