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University of Central Florida

Theses/Dissertations

2019

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Full-Text Articles in Education

Analyzing Faculty Attitudes And Actions Surrounding Distance Education Accommodations And Inclusiveness Based On Udl Principles, Catherine Cash Jan 2019

Analyzing Faculty Attitudes And Actions Surrounding Distance Education Accommodations And Inclusiveness Based On Udl Principles, Catherine Cash

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As distance education continues to increase, it is vital that postsecondary institutions contribute time and resources towards upholding inclusive teaching practices that decrease barriers and increase opportunities for diverse student populations. This study examined faculty attitudes and actions surrounding online accommodations and inclusive teaching practices that were based on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles using the Inclusive Teaching Strategies Inventory (ITSI), which was adapted into the Inclusive Teaching Strategies Inventory-Distance Education (ITSI-DE) to focus on faculty teaching fully online courses. The ITSI-DE measured the following seven constructs: (a) Accommodations, (b) Accessible Course Materials, (c) Course Modifications, (d) Inclusive Lecture …


Defining Effective Teacher Practices Among Students With Emotional Behavioral Disabilities, Zerek Mayes Jan 2019

Defining Effective Teacher Practices Among Students With Emotional Behavioral Disabilities, Zerek Mayes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study examined the lived experiences of special education teachers who worked with students with emotional behavioral disabilities (EBD) across various urban settings and educative environments. Given that the overall percentage of students receiving special education services has increased, the overall percentage of students with EBD served among all school-aged children and youth has remained below 1% (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2018). The current failings of reform efforts to improve the academic achievement of students with EBD brings the roles, responsibilities and practices of teachers and their preparation into view. This study examined the …


A Phenomenological Study Of High School Assistant Principals Who Supervise Special Education, Erin Vacchio Jan 2019

A Phenomenological Study Of High School Assistant Principals Who Supervise Special Education, Erin Vacchio

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study examined the lived experiences of high school assistant principals who lead the Exceptional Student Education (ESE) departments at their respective schools. The role of the school leader is critical and complex. Second to only the classroom teachers, school leaders have the ability to shape the school wide attitude and vision for students with disabilities. Knowing that in the past 30 years, the number of students with disabilities has nearly doubled in size, the expertise of school leaders in special education must also increase. Research on the experiences of high school administrators who serve students with intellectual disabilities …


The Exploration Of Social Anxiety, School Relationships, And Building A Sense Of Community In The Classroom: Molding A Classroom Community., Nicole Hinton Jan 2019

The Exploration Of Social Anxiety, School Relationships, And Building A Sense Of Community In The Classroom: Molding A Classroom Community., Nicole Hinton

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to add a sense of community to a primary level classroom and allow students an opportunity to share their progress with peers. Having a sense of community in the classroom will help the teacher and the students build relationships and reduce the amount of stress and anxiety that students feel, which could impact student learning. This thesis explores programs that have been created to help students build social and life skills that contribute in a community. This thesis also focuses on how the students can make thesis changes within themselves rather than as a …


What Explains Legislator Support For Traditional Public School Education In Florida, Tiffaney M. Green Jan 2019

What Explains Legislator Support For Traditional Public School Education In Florida, Tiffaney M. Green

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This research was conducted to determine what explains legislative support for traditional public education in Florida based on the 2017 and 2018 legislative sessions. Data from the Florida Education Association ratings for each member of the Florida House and Florida Senate for these legislative sessions was used. Information from each legislator and their district was collected and used as independent variables in this research. How does political party, gender, race, ethnicity, age, chamber, family status, leadership, experience, percentage of school age children in the district, region of the district, and population density of the district affect legislator support for traditional …


Willingness To Communicate And International Students' Use Of L2, Michelle Verbitskaya Jan 2019

Willingness To Communicate And International Students' Use Of L2, Michelle Verbitskaya

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Willingness to Communicate (WTC) in the second language (L2) is the "readiness to enter into discourse" which is considered to be the direct precursor of students' communication in L2 (MacIntyre et al., 1998). Oral language is thought to precede written language which creates an assumption that ongoing refining of oral skills may impact writing fluency. In respect to WTC model, there have been several versions that describe the construct (MacIntyre et al., 1998; Wen & Clement, 2003; Matsuoka, 2006). This study references self-efficacy, a cognitive variable in Matsuoka's (2006) proposed model, when analyzing writing as a phenomenon in relation to …


An Exploration Of Integrating Visual Arts To Enhance Narrative Writing In The Elementary Classroom, Diana C. Herrera Jan 2019

An Exploration Of Integrating Visual Arts To Enhance Narrative Writing In The Elementary Classroom, Diana C. Herrera

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to integrate visual arts to enhance narrative writing. In this study I address three questions: (1) Why should educators integrate the arts in their classroom? (2) How does the content benefit the student's participation? and (3) How can we connect visual arts into narrative writing? To answer these questions, I researched several elementary teachers across the United States who have integrated the arts in their lessons. I also have researched and found multiple benefits to educators integrating the arts in their classroom. For example, a former middle school teacher used visual representation to help …


Application And Comparison Of Active Learning Implementation Methods In Biochemistry Education, Dylan Thibaut Jan 2019

Application And Comparison Of Active Learning Implementation Methods In Biochemistry Education, Dylan Thibaut

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Biochemistry has continued to be one of the most complex and important subjects in science education. The purpose of this research is to investigate active learning implementation methods in a Biochemistry I context to determine the most effective means of preparing current science undergraduates. Two Biochemistry I classes over two semesters were analyzed in this study, with class A using a variable active learning schedule and class B using a consistent active learning schedule. Four aspects were analyzed to determine active learning validity: perception of different active learning properties, standardized final exam grades, class grade, and teaching implementation. The consistent …


The Use Of Children's Literature And Reflective Writing As A Means To Help Primary Elementary Students Cope With Natural Disaster, Connie T. Zenz Jan 2019

The Use Of Children's Literature And Reflective Writing As A Means To Help Primary Elementary Students Cope With Natural Disaster, Connie T. Zenz

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, tsunamis, and earthquakes frequently happen across the world. Many of these natural disasters bring destruction to homes, loss of loved ones, and emotional or physical trauma. For children who are still developing coping skills, these natural disasters can bring them emotional distress because they are unable to processes their experiences in a healthy way. In a review of literature on the topic of bibliotherapy and reflective writing to help children learn coping skills, I discovered a need for these processes to be introduced in normal settings, such as school and home, to help …


An Exploration Of Teacher Perceptions Of The Presence Of Cultural Reproduction In Two Middle Schools, Kaitlyn Montcrieff Jan 2019

An Exploration Of Teacher Perceptions Of The Presence Of Cultural Reproduction In Two Middle Schools, Kaitlyn Montcrieff

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Contemporary challenges to education pose threats that our current educational system remains unable to meet. With the prevalence of school shootings, rapid technological development, threats to mental health, superficial curriculum content, increased testing standards, and continued inequality in classrooms, now more than ever it is imperative to define, explore, and quantify the ways in which the system of education reproduces or replicates norms, values, behaviors, and practices and the effects these possibly have on students and teachers. The purpose of this research is to redefine 'cultural reproduction' into reproduction and replication in order to explore how the education system in …


Teacher Candidates' Civic Attitudes And Civic Knowledge: A Comparative Study, Brian Furgione Jan 2019

Teacher Candidates' Civic Attitudes And Civic Knowledge: A Comparative Study, Brian Furgione

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The foundations of a democratic society are the citizens who engage in its political processes and functions. The democratic skills and dispositions needed to be engaged citizens must be embedded within the school system of that society. In the United States, teachers serve as the delivery system of these skills and dispositions, and it is therefore imperative to understand who these teachers are as citizens. Leveraging survey research and various quantitative measures, the civic attitudes and civic knowledge of teacher candidates in various fields were investigated. Using self-reported demographic information, teacher candidates were compared based on their academic program track, …


Use Of Video-Enhanced Debriefing In Clinical Nursing Skill Acquisition: Indwelling Urinary Catheterization As An Exemplar, Erica Hoyt Jan 2019

Use Of Video-Enhanced Debriefing In Clinical Nursing Skill Acquisition: Indwelling Urinary Catheterization As An Exemplar, Erica Hoyt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nursing students struggle to acquire and maintain clinical psychomotor skills. Hiring agencies bear the cost of retraining graduate nurses inept with skills learned early in their nursing curriculum. Improperly performed clinical skills pose a risk to patient safety, resulting in pain and suffering for the patient. This empirical study aimed to determine if video-enhanced debriefing (VED) improved initial skill validation scores, skill feedback, satisfaction with learning, and reduced skill decay among first-semester, pre-licensure BSN students performing female indwelling urinary catheterization (IUC) in a simulated clinical setting compared to no debriefing. Participants received standard instruction, then video-recorded their IUC skill. Participants …


Cultural Responsiveness And K-12 English Learners: Exploring Policy And Implementation Fidelity, Lauren Raubaugh Jan 2019

Cultural Responsiveness And K-12 English Learners: Exploring Policy And Implementation Fidelity, Lauren Raubaugh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This critical policy analysis and collective case study, informed by ethnographic techniques, involved reviews of twelve Florida school district ESOL policies (included within the 2016-2019 District English Language Learner Plans, required of all Florida districts to complete) whose English learner (EL) populations met or exceeded ten percent (10%) of their total enrollment. A priori coding of these policy documents was conducted using nine criteria pulled from the literature on culturally responsive practice (CRP), which served as the theoretical framework for the study. Subsequent observations and practitioner interviews within two schools from the same district were conducted in order to ascertain …


An Analysis Of The Relationships Between Homework Frequency And Homework Grading Procedures Of Algebra 1 Teachers On Student Outcomes As Measured On The Algebra 1 End-Of-Course Examination, Jonathan Taylor Jan 2019

An Analysis Of The Relationships Between Homework Frequency And Homework Grading Procedures Of Algebra 1 Teachers On Student Outcomes As Measured On The Algebra 1 End-Of-Course Examination, Jonathan Taylor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship, if any, between homework practices of Algebra 1 teachers and student outcomes as measured by the state of Florida's Algebra 1 End of Course assessment (EOC). Algebra 1 EOC scores were collected from the study district's central office. Data on teacher homework practices was collected through a researcher-created survey. Cross-tabulation tables were used to identify variations in homework assignment, homework frequency, homework type, and homework grading practice associated with school (middle or high) and teacher (educational attainment and experience teaching Algebra 1) characteristics. A two-way ANOVA was used to analyze …


An Exploration Of Florida Public School Districts' Language Development Programs For Children Before They Enter Kindergarten, Sharon Ochotorena Jan 2019

An Exploration Of Florida Public School Districts' Language Development Programs For Children Before They Enter Kindergarten, Sharon Ochotorena

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which preschool programs and the 10 research-based components that develop language are present in Florida public school districts. Based on qualitative methods of analysis, the study utilized two primary sources of data collection to answer the two research questions that follow: 1. Of the 67 traditional public school districts in Florida, which have language development programs for children under the age of 5, excluding those subsidized by Part B of the IDEA? 2. How do components of the programs in the sample of school districts that have language development …


The Impact Of Youths' Digital Citizenship Levels On Their Self-Efficacy, Madison Gannon Jan 2019

The Impact Of Youths' Digital Citizenship Levels On Their Self-Efficacy, Madison Gannon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to identify youths' levels of digital citizenship, to identify youths' levels of self-efficacy, and to determine the relationship between their digital citizenship levels and their self-efficacy levels. Their digital citizenship levels were determined based on five factors: 1) Ethics for Digital Environment, 2) Fluency for Digital Environment, 3) Reasonable/Critical Decisions, 4) Self-Identity in Digital World, and 5) Social/Cultural Engagement to Society. Their self-efficacy levels were determined based on three factors: 1) Academic Self-efficacy, 2) Social Self-efficacy, and 3) Emotional Self-efficacy. The study has four major phases. First, an in-depth literature review was conducted on …


A Survey Of Investing And Retirement Knowledge And Preferences Of Florida Preservice Teachers, Richard Thripp Jan 2019

A Survey Of Investing And Retirement Knowledge And Preferences Of Florida Preservice Teachers, Richard Thripp

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

New teachers are facing lower pay and less generous retirement benefits than the prior generation, yet their financial and retirement knowledge, concerns, and preferences have received little attention. To investigate these areas, the author developed a 39-item survey instrument and administered it to 314 preservice teachers in undergraduate teacher education courses at the University of Central Florida, who were primarily female elementary and early childhood education juniors and seniors ages 18–25. Florida public employees are offered an unusual choice between a traditional pension plan and a defined-contribution plan similar to a 401(k) in which they can select their own investments, …


Teaching Online And Cyberbullying: Examining Higher Education Cyberbullying Policies In The Florida State University System, Joseph Raditch Jan 2019

Teaching Online And Cyberbullying: Examining Higher Education Cyberbullying Policies In The Florida State University System, Joseph Raditch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The cyberbullying phenomena has been recorded as affecting students and faculty alike in the K-12 and higher education systems. Cyberbullying in higher education has negative effects to the institution and its stakeholders, including faculty turn over and student suicide. While these responses are highly publicized, the effects of cyberbullying on the online classroom remain relatively untouched by researchers. There are very few resources available to faculty who teach online courses for creating strategies to combat cyberbullying in that context. Furthermore, many states, including Florida, defer conduct policies and their enforcement to the individual institution. While there are many aspects of …


Preservice Teachers And Perceived Stress: A Comparative Study, Kelsey Evans Jan 2019

Preservice Teachers And Perceived Stress: A Comparative Study, Kelsey Evans

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teachers are being pushed to the brink of burnout and leaving the profession, placing teachers' health and wellness in jeopardy (Daniels & Strauss, 2009; Maslach & Leiter, 2008; Stephenson, 2012; Vladut & Kallay, 2010; Wilkerson, 2009). Yet, it has become increasingly clear teacher stress may start prior to entering the profession (Brown & Ryan, 2003, Darling-Hammond, 2006). The researcher used a non-experimental design to evaluate the perceived stress among pre-service teachers enrolled in internship, and if the coping style of mindfulness had any correlation on self-reported stress levels. The quantitative study surveyed 332 student interns using the Perceived Stress Survey …


An Examination Of A College And Career Preparation Program For Low Socioeconomic And First-Generation Students In An Urban School District, Lucille Gillam Jan 2019

An Examination Of A College And Career Preparation Program For Low Socioeconomic And First-Generation Students In An Urban School District, Lucille Gillam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if the college and career program, in one urban high school setting, was being implemented as intended by the school district. A mixed methods analysis was conducted using student PSAT/SAT scores, interviews, surveys, focus groups, classroom observations and anecdotal notes from the program director. The results were coded to show emerging trends and themes. The results of the analysis showed that portions of the program were being conducted as designed by the school district; however, of the four criteria required to be invited to bet admitted into the program, one was not …


The Stories Of Transition: A Qualitative Exploration Of International Undegraduate Students' Academic Experiences In First-Year Seminar Courses In The United States, Masa Krsmanovic Jan 2019

The Stories Of Transition: A Qualitative Exploration Of International Undegraduate Students' Academic Experiences In First-Year Seminar Courses In The United States, Masa Krsmanovic

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological inquiry was to explore how international undergraduate students enrolled in a first-year seminar (FYS) course perceived and described their academic experiences in a large, public university in the southeastern region of the United States. Guided by Schlossberg's (1984) 4 S Transition Model, this qualitative investigation was conducted through in-depth interviews with 10 international undergraduate students representing different countries and academic majors. The participants' narratives revealed that the academic experiences of international first-year students enrolled in the FYS course can be described as challenging, especially in terms of a) understanding U.S. higher education, b) establishing relationships …


A Trauma-Informed School-Based Mental Health Counseling Intervention To Promote The Social-Emotional And Academic Functionality Of Children Living In Poverty, Mary Perleoni Jan 2019

A Trauma-Informed School-Based Mental Health Counseling Intervention To Promote The Social-Emotional And Academic Functionality Of Children Living In Poverty, Mary Perleoni

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a trauma-informed school-based mental health counseling intervention (TI-SBMHCI) on students enrolled in three Title I elementary schools. This study aimed to examine the impact of a TI-SBMHCI on participants' social-emotional functionality, trauma symptomology, and academic behavior. Counselors-in-training provided a 10-week TI-SBMHCI based off of Bath's (2008) The three Pillars of Trauma-informed Care and data was collected at pretest (first session), mid (fifth session), and posttest (tenth session). In addition, this investigation examined if participants showed greater improvement in academic behavior in comparison to students who did not receive a …


Evaluating Pedagogical Methods That Influence Homework Assignment Completion, Kirk Sawyer Jan 2019

Evaluating Pedagogical Methods That Influence Homework Assignment Completion, Kirk Sawyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

College students enrolled in an online introductory engineering course are not completing their homework assignments at an acceptable rate which impacts them, the instructor, and the college. This research study employed a quasi-experimental evaluation model to assess the effectiveness of two pedagogical methods designed to positively influence student homework completion rates and student attitudes toward homework. Despite evidence that grading penalties encourage students to submit their homework assignments, such strategies have historically been unsuccessful for the course used in this study. The researcher designed two pedagogical interventions, along with a survey instrument, to measure the impact of the interventions on …


The Aftermath: A Culturally Responsive Mathematical Intervention To Aid Students Affected By Natural Disasters, Brianna Kurtz Jan 2019

The Aftermath: A Culturally Responsive Mathematical Intervention To Aid Students Affected By Natural Disasters, Brianna Kurtz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

On September 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria struck the island of Puerto Rico. The damage was extensive, and many people found themselves to be natural disaster refugees. As a result, schools in Central Florida saw an influx of new students who had their educations interrupted by the disaster and now were resuming school in a new language of instruction. These students not only faced linguistic challenges but also academic differences due to the high prevalence of poverty and the effects of neocolonialism in their previous schooling. This mixed methods study implemented an intensive intervention in probability to aid students in developing …


A Comparative Study Of Two Models Of Presenting Phrasal Verbs, Nagham Majeed Jan 2019

A Comparative Study Of Two Models Of Presenting Phrasal Verbs, Nagham Majeed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Learning phrasal verbs (PVs) is of vital importance in both written and spoken English, especially for those English learners who must use English as a second language (ESL) in their daily interactions with proficient speakers. This study focused on two particles (out and in) in exploring a more effective model for presenting PVs in an ESL context. PVs are the focus of this empirical study because they are an essential component of English vocabulary but are typically regarded as very difficult for ESL students to master. This study used a quasi-experimental design to compare the effect of instruction through image-schematic …


Developing And Validating The Secondary Literacy Professionals Needs Assessment Matrix, Analexis Kennedy Jan 2019

Developing And Validating The Secondary Literacy Professionals Needs Assessment Matrix, Analexis Kennedy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a needs assessment matrix for secondary specialized literacy professionals that identified the professional learning needs of literacy coaches. This tool was developed in order to inform school districts and secondary specialized literacy professionals about the types of professional learning support they will need for them to effectively meet the literacy needs of teachers in secondary schools. The Secondary Literacy Professionals Needs Assessment Matrix (SLPNAM) was created using a variety of methods. A synthesis of literature regarding school improvement, adolescent literacy, 21st century skills, adult learning, literacy coaching and the 2017 …


The Push Out: A Disproportionality Study On Discipline In The State Of Florida, Manouchka Pierre Jan 2019

The Push Out: A Disproportionality Study On Discipline In The State Of Florida, Manouchka Pierre

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This mixed method sequential exploratory study was conducted to emphasize and investigate disproportionality in discipline, noting the prevalence of the issue of equity and the salience of FL as context. This study applied the extant model for investigating disproportionality in a setting where such an investigation is highly relevant due to Florida's statistical positioning in the area of student discipline. This study investigated for potential biases that guide differences in the rates that males and Blacks experience exclusionary discipline within the 67 regular school districts. The analysis from this study, which used relative rate ratio and policy analysis, presents results …


Discovering Latent Gender Bias In Children's Stem Literature, Christine Herlihy Jan 2019

Discovering Latent Gender Bias In Children's Stem Literature, Christine Herlihy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A mixed method, exploratory, sequential research design was conducted to investigate the presence of latent bias in early childhood STEM literature content, applying a non-biased, sociocultural, STEM identity, theoretical framework. A survey of children's perceptions of gender and a content analysis found unintentional bias. Exploratory findings confirmed 102 children were gendering images. An examination of the relationship between the participants' gender and how the participant gendered AND preferred the images indicated differences existed between boys and girls. Children preferred images perceived as matching their own, with statistical significance. Girls were found to prefer images less than boys AND they were …


Supporting Learning In 3d Virtual Environments: The Impact Of Intergenerational Joint Media Engagement, Robert Michlowitz Jan 2019

Supporting Learning In 3d Virtual Environments: The Impact Of Intergenerational Joint Media Engagement, Robert Michlowitz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Studies have indicated that intergenerational relationships can assist children to learn more efficiently by providing support. As new forms of media have emerged and become pervasive in our society, it is important to understand how children use them to learn. Just as television coviewing has been observed by past researchers to aid youths to learn with parents and grandparents, three-dimensional virtual learning environments (VLE) are being investigated for their potential. This study seeks to examine the potential learning impact on children, ages 8 to 13, encountering a three-dimensional virtual learning environment with their grandparents. The primary research question this study …


Perceived Factors That Contributed To The Success Of College Students With Dyslexia, Jessica Doyle Jan 2019

Perceived Factors That Contributed To The Success Of College Students With Dyslexia, Jessica Doyle

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this pilot project was to determine the factors or supports that college graduates perceived as helping them to thrive and attempt higher education, despite having a learning disability, specifically dyslexia. Based on the literature review, this pilot study examined the four main kinds of support that most students receive while growing up; including family support, peer support, teacher support, and support from other programs and resources. The specific research question explored: What encouraged or discouraged these now adults in their pivotal growing years in regards to dyslexia? This pilot study used a mixed-methods research design which included …