Education Commons^™

How Participation In A Peer-Led Writing Center Impacts Struggling Students’ Self-Efficacy And Motivation, Laura Peterson

Doctor of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education Dissertations

Many secondary students struggle with writing, both in terms of skill and confidence. This qualitative case study follows six students who have a history of struggling in English Language Arts class as they undergo a tutoring intervention based on the writing center model of peer tutoring. Students were observed in seven writing sessions which took place at multiple stages of the writing process and with informational, narrative, and analytical writing assignments. Through interview and observation, the researcher examines how students’ self-efficacy and motivation shift over the course of the intervention. Students who began with low self-efficacy and low motivation were …

Teachers Re-Imagining Parental Involvement: Using Parents' Funds Of Knowledge In Math Lesson Designs, Enyinnaya Onyeukwu

Doctor of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education Dissertations

Abstract

Students often possess unique extensive bodies of knowledge that they have acquired through social, historical, and cultural backgrounds and experiences from their homes that are valuable in the teaching and learning of mathematics. This study, “Teachers Re-Imagining Parental Involvement: Using Parents’ Funds of Knowledge in Math Lesson Designs” used a qualitative single-case research design, bounded contextually within a church congregation located in a suburban community in the southwestern United States, included six parents of middle grade students and two middle grade mathematics teachers. The study utilized questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis to gather data to explore how Black …

Effects Of Adaptive Learning Technologies On Mathematics Achievement In Low Ses Settings, William Roberts

Doctor of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education Dissertations

Low socioeconomic status is linked to poor mathematical achievement (NCES, 2019 & Barr, 2015). Furthermore, students in rural settings exhibit mathematical incompetencies (Harmon & Wilborn, 2016). One possible remedy is adaptive learning technology (AT). These are computer programs that determine what a student already knows about mathematics (or other content areas) and then identify areas for growth to increase a student’s knowledge about a topic such as Geometry or Algebra 2. Although not necessarily taking a teacher’s place, an AT can aid the teacher by allowing multiple students to be in multiple different places all within the same classroom. This …

Digital Bridges: How Art Educators Build Professional Learning Networks On Twitter, Jennifer Heyser

Doctor of Education in Instructional Technology Dissertations

This qualitative case study explores the experiences of K-12 art teachers in the United States who participate in the #K12ArtChat, as a form of professional learning. Grounded in social constructivist learning, connectivism, and informal learning, this study addressed how and why art educators use Twitter Chats for professional growth and the potential impact of participation on their teaching practices. Five themes emerged from this study: Twitter's role as a professional development art education platform, the fostering of personal relationships and support, active community participation and advocacy, continuous professional development, and any perceived pedagogical shifts. With a significant emphasis on combatting …

Navigating The Digital Realm: Perceptions And Challenges Of High School Educators In Fostering Digital Citizenship, Kristopher P. Daniels

Doctor of Education in Instructional Technology Dissertations

Prior research indicates that researchers and teachers feel that digital citizenship should be an essential part of a student’s education; however, there is a lack of knowledge about teachers’ perceptions of the efficacy and challenges of digital citizenship initiatives. It is unclear which digital citizenship instructional strategies support effective curriculum implementation, enhance students’ safety and learning, and reduce educational disparities. Addressing this gap in understanding is crucial to the ongoing development of digital citizenship education and ensuring that students are adequately prepared to navigate the digital world responsibly. In this dissertation, I examined the perspectives of six Georgia high school …

Perceptions Of Curriculum Alignment And Student Achievement In Us History Courses In An Urban Characteristic Georgia School, Jameka Fields

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Dissertations

This research study examined the perceptions of school leaders on the alignment of curriculum and student achievement. The purpose of this phenomenographic case study, rooted in Leitzel and Vogler’s (1994) definition of curriculum alignment, was to examine school leader and teacher perception of the relationship between curriculum alignment and student achievement as evidenced by document analysis and interviews with individuals who teach and support United States History courses in an urban characteristic Georgia high school. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the school principal, US History teachers, the assistant principal for instruction, and the assistant principal that supports and evaluates US …

Courageous School Leadership: Rural Principals’ Perception And Self-Efficacy In Implementing Culturally Responsive Leadership (Crl), Angela Denise Young

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Dissertations

Many rural school districts face concerns stemming from rural areas’ demographic and economic state— increased student diversity, high poverty, little parental involvement, lack of technological infrastructure, low student achievement, and difficulty hiring and retaining teachers (Gutierrez, n.d.). In increasingly diverse populations, rural school leaders need culturally responsive practices to address the various traditions and needs of the changing demographics of their schools and communities. Cultural responsiveness in schools begins with resilient, courageous leadership. Culturally responsive leadership (CRL) is a concept commonly associated with urban schools; however, there is a pressing need for such leadership practices in rural districts serving diverse …

Implementing Global Citizenship Education: A Case Study Of Exemplary Practices, Opportunities, And Challenges, Judson Kidd

Doctor of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to begin to explore the challenges, opportunities, and benefits of a differentiated curriculum for gifted middle grades students that was based on both state standards and within a global citizenship education framework (GCE). The study used active middle grades social studies practitioners as research participants. The study was guided by two research questions; (1) What are teachers’ practices when building a thematic curriculum based on GCE? (2) What are the teachers’ perceived challenges, opportunities, and benefits of a social studies curriculum based on GCE? Data points for the study included lesson and …

8th Grade Students’ Perceptions Of 1:1 Laptops In Algebra 1, Richard Wilford

Doctor of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education Dissertations

One-to-one (1:1) initiatives in education refer to the practice in which schools provide each student with a personal computing device, such as a laptop or tablet, for students to have access to the internet to complete coursework and access digital course materials. One-to-one initiatives are becoming more popular as more school districts are investing in them as there is an increased emphasis on technology use to support students’ technological skills. This qualitative case study informed by phenomenography aimed to investigate how eighth-grade Algebra 1 students at a school district implementing a one-to-one laptop initiative perceived their learning and engagement in …

Rhetoric Vs. Reality: A Critical Analysis Of Georgia’S Official Curriculum For United States History, Haley Dawkins

Doctor of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education Dissertations

As there has been an increasing focus in education on standards-based instruction and accountability through standardized assessment, it is extremely important to analyze the standards closely. This study sought to explore and understand whose voices, experiences, and perspectives are represented and prioritized in the curriculum through the analysis of state standards and additional curricular resources. Through the lens of Critical Race Theory, this qualitative content analysis was designed to examine three of the curricular resources developed by the Georgia Department of Education to investigate how the Georgia United States History curriculum addresses race, racism, and representations of communities and individuals …

“I Forget To Enjoy The Book”: A Narrative Analysis Of Adolescents’ Perceptions Of Their Real Selves And Ideal Selves As Readers, Brittany Mcwhorter

Doctor of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education Dissertations

In the present study, the researcher sought to understand student perceptions of themselves as readers compared to their ideal selves as readers. This is in response to personal experience with struggling readers, as well as GADOE data showing the magnitude of the issue surrounding struggling readers at Mountain Middle School (MMS). The data collected included student drawings and accompanying interviews. Findings revealed that students placed their perceptions of self within specific classroom situations and settings, which reveals the complexity and contextual nature of perception of self as a reader. Though individual stories and experiences were unique, six major themes emerged …

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy In High School Science: Assessing The Implementation In Title 1 Classrooms, Micah Ducre

Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership Dissertations

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy is defined as, using the cultural characteristics, experiences, and perspectives of ethnically diverse students as conduits for teaching them more effectively (Horowitz et al., 2018). Building relationships with students to understand their backgrounds and experiences to implement the best teaching practices such as accessing prior knowledge and making connections is imperative in a culturally diverse school with students with various learning styles, abilities, and interests. Moreover, the state of Georgia requires teachers to implement instructional practices relevant to students’ culture and learning abilities to receive proficient scores on their yearly evaluations. However, the state must provide its …

“We’Re All Teachers Here!”: The Role Peer Relationships Play In Teacher Leaders’ Influence In Schools, Tamara Bodrick

Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership Dissertations

Over the past decade, teacher leadership has become a critical component of igniting and sustaining local school improvement. Yet, the effectiveness of this distributed leadership model hinges on teacher leaders' ability to effectively influence the practices of their colleagues. The foundation of this influence, just as with students, is developing meaningful relationships. Since the clarity of roles and responsibilities of teacher leaders is not only murky, but also varies from school to school, teacher leadership can be perceived as an added layer of hierarchy or supervision which could hamper the relationship building process. The purpose of this study is to …

Cm-Ii Meditation As An Intervention To Reduce Stress And Improve Attention: A Study Of Ml Detection, Spectral Analysis, And Hrv Metrics, Sreekanth Gopi

Master of Science in Computer Science Theses

Students frequently face heightened stress due to academic and social pressures, particularly in de- manding fields like computer science and engineering. These challenges are often associated with serious mental health issues, including ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), depression, and an increased risk of suicide. The average student attention span has notably decreased from 21⁄2 minutes to just 47 seconds, and now it typically takes about 25 minutes to switch attention to a new task (Mark, 2023). Research findings suggest that over 95% of individuals who die by suicide have been diagnosed with depression (Shahtahmasebi, 2013), and almost 20% of students …

Fostering Critical Thinking Through Simulation: An Integrative Review, Sarah Knapp, Raymonta Green

Master of Science in Nursing Final Projects

Over the past decade simulation has become a staple of nursing education with increasing use during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both manikin-based and virtual simulation are used to increase the preparedness of nursing students for their roles at the bedside. With the increasing experience-complexity gap, it is important that students enter the workforce prepared to effectively care for patients. Simulation allows students to work with a patient scenario without the possibility of injury; in simulation, mistakes are opportunities instead of harm. This integrative review searched the literature questioning if in pre-licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing students, do virtual simulation and …

Origins Of Great Traditions, Joseph J. Reidy

KSU Distinguished Course Repository

This course is a systematic examination of five centers of civilization in Afro-Eurasia during their defining moments. The course focuses on the historical contexts that gave rise to China’s classical philosophies, India’s transcendental world-view, the Judaeo-Christian-Islamic synthesis, African mythoreligious systems of thought, and Latin-European culture in the West. The course’s content emphasizes cross-cultural influences and connections.

Integrity, Confidentiality, And Equity: Using Inquiry-Based Labs To Help Students Understand Ai And Cybersecurity, Richard C. Alexander, Liran Ma, Ze-Li Dou, Zhipeng Cai, Yan Huang

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Recent advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have brought society closer to the long-held dream of creating machines to help with both common and complex tasks and functions. From recommending movies to detecting disease in its earliest stages, AI has become an aspect of daily life many people accept without scrutiny. Despite its functionality and promise, AI has inherent security risks that users should understand and programmers must be trained to address. The ICE (integrity, confidentiality, and equity) cybersecurity labs developed by a team of cybersecurity researchers addresses these vulnerabilities to AI models through a series of hands-on, inquiry-based labs. Through …

Sports Information And Media, Chad Goebert

KSU Distinguished Course Repository

This class is designed to familiarize students with the field of sport information including mass communication, print media, broadcast media, sports news releases, interviewing, and public relations. Emphasis is placed upon the gathering, managing, and delivering information about sport organizations, teams, players, and coaches to the public.

Building A Diverse Cybersecurity Workforce: A Study On Attracting Learners With Varied Educational Backgrounds, Mubashrah Saddiqa, Kristian Helmer Kjær Larsen1 Helmer Kjær Larsen, Robert Nedergaard Nielsen, Jens Myrup Pedersen

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Cybersecurity has traditionally been perceived as a highly technical field, centered around hacking, programming, and network defense. However, this article contends that the scope of cybersecurity must transcend its technical confines to embrace a more inclusive approach. By incorporating various concepts such as privacy, data sharing, and ethics, cybersecurity can foster diversity among audiences with varying educational backgrounds, thereby cultivating a richer and more resilient security landscape. A more diverse cybersecurity workforce can provide a broader range of perspectives, experiences, and skills to address the complex and ever-evolving threats of the digital age. The research focuses on enhancing cybersecurity education …

Social Media Marketing, Tyra M. Burton

KSU Distinguished Course Repository

This Social Media Marketing course explores the many realms of social media and includes case studies, discussions, interactive exercises as well as articles from the current literature. We will examine the changing role of social media in the promotional marketing mix, the role of the consumer in social media, online communities, how social media impacts both marketing and consumer lifestyles, how to measure the ROI of social media, and the metrics of social media.

Teaching Reading And Writing In The Elementary Grades 3-5, Debra J. Coffey

KSU Distinguished Course Repository

Teacher candidates in this course will explore the relationship of reading, writing, speaking, and listening in the context of the diverse elementary classroom, grades 3-5, They will use practical, research-based strategies for assessment, instruction, management, and differentiation of reading comprehension and writing composition. Throughout literature circles with culturally responsive novels and field experience, they will use technology and a wide range of resources to extend literacy skills for all learners.

2023 - The Fourth Annual Fall Symposium Of Student Scholars

Symposium of Student Scholars Program Books

The full program book from the Fall 2023 Symposium of Student Scholars, held in November 2023. Includes abstracts from the presentations and posters.

Leading Online Professional Development For Instructional Technology Coaches With Effective Design Elements, Janet Cowart

Doctor of Education in Instructional Technology Dissertations

Online professional development became a necessity during the pandemic for educators, including Instructional Technology Coaches, to continue to gain knowledge to improve instruction. In this study, Instructional Technology Coaches participated in an online professional development series of synchronous and asynchronous sessions called Pathways. Two theoretical frameworks were used to support the research: Adult Learning Theory with an emphasis on the Theory of Computer-based Instruction for Adults, and TPACK. The seven characteristics of effective professional development created by Darling-Hammond et al. (2017) provided a foundation on which design elements to include in Pathways. There were 10 design elements that were implemented …

Music In Society, Heather Hart

KSU Distinguished Course Repository

This course examines the role of music in society through a study of musical works within their cultural and historical contexts. Course assignments develop skills in critical analysis and global perspectives as well as an understanding of the creative process.

“I Was Told There’D Be Homebrew”: Using Open Resources To Build No Cost/Low Cost Ttrpg Events, Nathaniel Bareford

All Things Open

While tabletop role-playing games (TTRPG) like Dungeons and Dragons 5e are more popular than they have ever been, access barriers still exist for some players hoping to get into the game. The cost of game materials such as rule books, dice, and miniatures (or "minis") can prevent some people from playing. This presentation gives an overview of open resources and low-cost/no-cost materials that librarians, educators, community event planners and others can use to eliminate barriers and welcome all gamers to the table. We will describe how Wizards of the Coast’s open gaming license and System Reference Document, virtual tabletop systems, …

Open Access Scholarship: Amplifying Reach, Enhancing Collaboration, And Empowering Education, Yvonne Earnshaw, Matthew Schmidt

All Things Open

In this presentation, we highlight three benefits of leveraging open educational resources in academia. Our experiences as open access advocates and key contributors to OER projects will be supported by compelling analytics, highlighting the potential of open access publishing. We will first discuss how OER increases impact and visibility in that it liberates research from paywalls, granting unrestricted global access. This wider reach leads to greater readership, amplifying the influence of research within and beyond academia. Next, we will discuss enhanced citations and collaboration, highlighting how open access fosters a culture of knowledge-sharing and community across disciplines, thereby reducing the …

Characterizing The Adolescent Male Reader: A Narrative Inquiry Into The Reading Lives Of 12th Grade Boys Enrolled In Ib Language A: Literature, Marsha French

Doctor of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education Dissertations

The problem this research seeks to understand is the intersection of the gender achievement gap in reading and the gendered practices of “the school” as a powerful social institution. This project draws upon the studies of the 1990s-2000s in order to discover the potential impact of the social, cultural, and political movements and shifts that began in 2017. Most earlier research into adolescent male readers was conducted from a deficit perspective. This study explores the reading lives of boys who are positioned at the end of their K-12 public schooling career and are finishing their second year in IB (International …

What Should Professors Know About Expensive Textbooks?, Charlene Martoni

All Things Open

Last year during Open Access Week, Georgia State University Library asked its students, "What should professors know about expensive textbooks?" and "What have you done when a textbook was too expensive?" Applying open pedagogical approaches, these questions were displayed on white boards at library service desks on each campus. Students were encouraged to respond to the first question in their own words, and they were asked to respond to the second question by selecting one of five responses. Responses were analyzed and anonymized, and they were then used in faculty professional development to demonstrate the local impact of expensive textbooks. …

A Framework For Teaching Computational Thinking In Primary Schools: A Namibian Case Study, Maria M. Ausiku, Machdel C. Matthee

The African Journal of Information Systems

Several professional development programs have been designed to train in-service teachers on a computational thinking (CT) curriculum, but few researchers have examined how these affect primary school teachers' self-efficacy and knowledge of CT in emerging economies. This study's objective was to create a framework for the professional development of primary school in-service teachers for the teaching of CT (referred to as professional development for primary computational thinking - PD4PCT) to be integrated into teachers' professional development programs. An initial framework was refined after implementing it at a Namibian school with a group of 14 teachers from five different disciplines (social …

Leveraging Vr/Ar/Mr/Xr Technologies To Improve Cybersecurity Education, Training, And Operations, Paul Wagner, Dalal Alharthi

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

The United States faces persistent threats conducting malicious cyber campaigns that threaten critical infrastructure, companies and their intellectual property, and the privacy of its citizens. Additionally, there are millions of unfilled cybersecurity positions, and the cybersecurity skills gap continues to widen. Most companies believe that this problem has not improved and nearly 44% believe it has gotten worse over the past 10 years. Threat actors are continuing to evolve their tactics, techniques, and procedures for conducting attacks on public and private targets. Education institutions and companies must adopt emerging technologies to develop security professionals and to increase cybersecurity awareness holistically. …