Education Commons^™

Cultivating Community In A Sixth-Grade Classroom: An Action Research Study, Jennifer Weller Wells

Theses and Dissertations

Students who experience trauma bring this trauma to school with them in the form of exaggerated behaviors—acting out or withdrawing, being violent or extremely passive, or exhibiting rudeness or academic difficulty. Because students react to trauma in many ways, there is no one way for teachers to respond. The classroom community is vulnerable to the sheer unpredictability of behaviors. Grounded in ecological systems theory, whole-child theory, and compassionate teaching theory, this study explored my efforts to mitigate the results of trauma and increase the sense of community and well-being in my sixth-grade classroom. During the last few weeks of the …

Navigating Age Of Majority-Related Issues In Special Education: The Current Needs And A Potential Means For Aligning Professional Values With Policy And Practice, Charles Blayne Walters

Theses and Dissertations

The paper that follows serves to collect three articles that investigate policy and practice regarding adult decision-making support for students with disabilities receiving special education services. Each has been led by the author of this multiple-manuscript dissertation, Charles Walters. Following a short introduction to these works as Chapter One, Chapter Two provides a reformatted version of an interview-based study with special education directors at the school district level. It was originally published in Volume 35, Issue One of the Journal of Special Education Leadership and titled “An Exploratory Study of Special Education Director Experiences with Issues Related to Age of …

Increasing Phonemic Awareness In Intellectually Impaired Students By Using Wilson’S Fundations Phonics Program In A Self-Contained Classroom, Theresa Lynne Garcia

Theses and Dissertations

This study aims to investigate if students who have been identified intellectually disabled are able to gain phonemic awareness by using Wilson’s Fundations in a self-contained setting. Most research has focused on students who are not identified as intellectually disabled. In this mixed method action research study, the students were given a first grade reading fluency test and a first grade word reading test for six weeks as the quantitative data. Both instruments were tested using a two-tail t-test, week one’s results were compared to week six’s results on both tests. All five the participants showed growth over the six …

Centering The Teacher: How An Autonomy-Supportive Environment Impacts Arts Educators’ Sense Of Agency And The Collaborative Culture Of Their Education Networks, Kyle Andrew Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

In this action research study, I adapted statewide systems of support for visual and performing arts educators in an effort to promote a positive sense of professional identity and strengthen the collaborative culture of the support systems. Prior to this study, the educator network met monthly for professional learning sessions planned and facilitated by a leader in a non-teacher role. As an action researcher, I restructured the sessions to create an autonomy-supportive environment to foster educators’ leadership skills and promote authentic collaboration. Study participants had autonomy over the planning, aims, content, and facilitation of the networking sessions. A basic qualitative …

Evaluating The Impact Of Personalized Professional Learning On Technology Integration In The Classroom, Angela Bishop Burgess

Theses and Dissertations

Classroom access to technology such as a computer or the Internet does not guarantee a high-level of integration of technology by the teacher or application by the student. Tools that could be used to increase student creation or personalized learning opportunities may instead be used by the teacher at lower levels of use that replace non-technological tools. The purpose of this action research was to implement and evaluate the impact of technology-focused personalized professional learning on participants’ use of and attitudes towards classroom technology. It attempted to show that modeling technology integration in professional learning opportunities for educators could have …

An Examination Of Measurement Invariance With A Multi-Group Confirmatory Factor Analysis Approach, Ruiqin Gao

Theses and Dissertations

This multiple-manuscript dissertation explored the measurement invariance (MI) testing with multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis (MG-CFA) approach from different perspectives. Study 1 explored MI from a theoretical perspective by conducting a systematic review study on MI practices in education. The findings of this study indicated inconsistency in MI practices and showcased the limitations of the MI practices conducted by researchers in the field of education. Study 2 examined MI from an empirical perspective by implementing a cultural MI test of Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaires for elementary school students in the United States and China. The study provided a step-by-step demonstration of …

Why Word Problems Are Hard For High School Math Students: Problem Formulation And Disciplinary Literacy, Emily Charlotte Elliott

Senior Theses

This thesis is an extensive literature review designed to better understand the obstacles high school math students encounter when solving word problems (WPs). While many high school students find math difficult in general, students especially struggle with WPs. Often they are unable to provide correct solutions to WPs even when they are successful in solving computational problems using the same mathematical concepts (Cummins, 1988). Data from the 2007 National Survey of Algebra Teachers suggests that solving WPs is one of the skills that students are most unprepared for when entering Algebra 1 (Hoffer et al.). Additionally, many students try to …

The Fate Of The Language Is The Fate Of The People: A Cultural Analysis Of Language Education Policy In Central Asia, Bethany A. Reeve

Senior Theses

With a shared history under the Soviet Union, the five Central Asian republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan have spent the past one hundred years dealing with quickly changing language policy and ethnic relations. Under the policy of the USSR, native languages of Central Asia were repressed, and Russian was introduced as the main language of interethnic communication. After they gained independence in 1991, however, each of the five countries embarked on missions to restore the strength of each of their national languages and de-Russify their political, economic, and educational systems. Throughout the region, one of the main …

Accessibility Of Medical School To Students With Physical Disabilities, Shelby A. Cowan

Senior Theses

This thesis is an exploration of perceived and institutional barriers to matriculation into medical school for students with physical disabilities. Factors such as the lived admissions experience, available accommodations and supportive resources, and legal considerations surrounding a student's disclosure of their disability are examined; however, future work is needed to better access this population of students and empower them to become physicians and use their unique perspective to benefit patients.

The Virtual Classroom: What Can Be Learned From The Covid-19 Lockdown, James L. Nations

Senior Theses

This paper seeks to examine the teaching practices utilized during the initial COVID-19 lockdown in higher education. This forced switch to the virtual classroom forced many professors to make innovative changes to adapt to this change in teaching modality. These changes can now be examined and evaluated for potential future application. By reviewing the current literature, performing an analysis of grades from Fall 2017 through Summer 2022, and interviewing select professors at the University of South Carolina, this paper seeks to illuminate some of the potential issues that arise when adapting in-person curriculums to the virtual classroom as well as …

Institutional Intervention In Dat Preparation Among Undergraduate Pre-Dental Students, Remi Brebion

Senior Theses

The objectives of this project were to study the Dental Admission Test (DAT) preparation experience of undergraduate pre-dental students (UPDS) at the University of South Carolina (USC) and to determine actionable steps to raise DAT scores, increase diversity among pre-dental students, reduce financial burdens associated with the DAT, and improve wellbeing in this population.

A quantitative survey was distributed to characterize and create figures about UPDS demographics, use of advising services, preparation experience, and support for university- sponsored preparation resources. Ten phenomenological interviews were conducted to gain insights about the needs of UPDS. Thematic analysis was performed to identify unifying …

Deficit Thinking In Teacher Course Level Recommendations, Andrew Hogan

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze teacher perceptions of the impact of deficit thinking in student course level placement to derive greater insight into the causes of the over-representation of students of color in lower-tracked classes. This study was conducted as a virtual focus group using Google Meet that took place across 3 meetings in which 6 teachers participated in activities designed to promote dialogue around the impact of deficit thinking in the placement of students into course levels.

This study found that teachers perceived deficit thinking in institutional deficiencies in meeting the needs of students and the …

The Impact Of The Flipped Classroom Model On Elementary Students’ Achievement And Motivation For Learning Geometry, Kimberly M. Smalls

Theses and Dissertations

National and state data show students in poverty perform lower on math standardized assessments than their peers who are not students in poverty. The purpose of this action research was to evaluate the implementation of the flipped classroom model on the achievement and motivation towards mathematics for fourth-grade students at an elementary school in the Southeast United States. Traditional teaching methods such as teacher-led modeling, the use of manipulatives, and small-group math instruction present barriers which have not led to overall academic improvement for these students. This study focused on three overarching questions: (1) Is there a difference in fourth-grade …

The Impact Of Cognitive Coaching On High School English Teachers’ Implementation Of Metacognitve Reading Strategies, Charrai Hunter

Theses and Dissertations

The problem that this action research study addressed was the ineffective facilitation strategies used in professional development for teachers. The purpose of the study was to determine whether reflective practices impact teachers’ instructional decisions. The study used Cognitive Coaching, a reflective coaching model, as its intervention. To gather data the study used classroom observations, coaching conversations, and an eight-question structured survey administered at the end of the study. This qualitative case study included three high school English teachers as its participants and the study was conducted at two different high schools in a suburban school district in the Southeast. The …

A Critical Examination Of An In Class Tabata Based Physical Fitness Protocol On Student Engagement Levels In A Sixth Grade Math Class, Justin R. Kulik

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a Tabata Based Physical Fitness Intervention (TBPFI) on measures of student engagement in a middle school mathematics class. Student engagement was measured with the Student Engagement in Mathematics Scale (SEMS) which a Likert style scale. The results of this survey supplied a numerical rating for the social, emotional, and cognitive engagement of each studentparticipant in the study on days when a TBPFI was implemented and on days when it was not implemented. Additionally, pre- and post-interviews were conducted with the student-participants and the teacher-participant. Finally, researcher observations and rating …

Impacts Of Technology-Enhanced Dual Enrollment Mathematics Course On Rural High School Students’ Intentions Of Going To College, Nicolae Bordieanu

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this concurrent mixed methods action research study was to investigate the impact of new technology-enhanced Dual Enrollment (DE) math courses on students’ perception of college courses, the influence the technology-enhanced DE had on students’ intention of going to college, and the students' perception of the technology-enhanced DE math course. Examining student experiences in a technology-enhanced DE course informed all stakeholders as to what degree DE influenced students’ perception of college. The DE experience influenced students' postsecondary plans. The innovation of this action research study was the technology-enhanced DE math course. Software used to practice computational skills, conduct …

Identifying Attributions And Predictors Of High School Dropout In Rural Youth: A Mixed Methods Approach, Karla Swayngim Reed

Theses and Dissertations

Graduating high school is an important educational milestone that is related to better life outcomes; however, high school dropout remains an issue in the United States (US). This mixed methods study began with a qualitative stage using attribution theory to identify the factors rural youth perceive as responsible for their decision to drop out of high school. Focus groups were conducted with youth from a rural area in South Carolina (SC). Seven themes were identified across the two categories of Internal and External Focus. Internal Focus themes included: (a) ability/self-efficacy, (b) effort, (c) plans for the future, and (d) other …

The Impact Of Extended Professional Development In Project-Based Learning On Middle School Science Teachers, Margrett Caroline Upchurch-Ford

Theses and Dissertations

This Mixed-Method Action Research study aimed to implement an extended Project-Based Learning professional development series with middle school science teachers. The professional development series took place during the teachers’ Communities of Practice, offering them high-quality support, active participation, and content-specific conversations.

The study collected data on (a) changes in teachers’ attitudes toward in-district professional development, (b) teachers’ perceptions of students’ 21st-century skills, and (c) changes in science teacher self-efficacy. Findings from this study add to the growing body of research indicating the need to offer teachers content-specific, supportive, and extended professional development opportunities. Additionally, the findings of this study indicate …

The Effects Of Gamified Peer Feedback On Student Writing In High School English Language Arts, Kerise Amaris Broome

Theses and Dissertations

National assessments on writing show that student proficiency is low in part because many high school students lack revision skills. Compounding the problem is that as classroom sizes grow, teachers have less time to give the feedback that students need to improve. Peer feedback shows promise in being able to solve the feedback problem, but it must be carefully structured to be effective. The purpose of this action research was to evaluate the impact of gamified peer feedback in a high school English Language Arts classroom at Southern Charter High School. Three research questions guided this study: (1) What impact …

Implementing Meaningful Problem-Based Learning In A Middle School Science Classroom, Celestine Banks Pough

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was to explore the impact of problem-based learning on science instruction in my eighth-grade college preparatory classroom. Constructivism was the framework for this study. Problem-based learning is based on constructivist principles, and it served as the instructional model for this study. PBL can foster the use of problem-solving skills, critical thinking skills, and communication skills, which are needed in the 21st century. This research study was centered around three research questions. The first question asked about the impact PBL has on students’ science achievement. The second question asked how does PBL impact students’ …

Online Professional Development’S Effect On Teachers’ Technology Self-Efficacy And Continuance Intention To Use Pear Deck, Katherine Shirley Degar

Theses and Dissertations

Districts and schools are spending millions of dollars on technology, training, and professional development each year; however, a disconnect between technology use and good pedagogy remains. The one-shot, sit-and-get professional development model has not provided North Lake Intermediate School’s teachers the necessary skills and knowledge to prepare students for the 21st century through the use of innovative technologies. The purpose of this action research study was to investigate how a TPACK-focused online professional development experience influenced teachers’ development of technology self-efficacy and intention to integrate the technology tool, Pear Deck, and measure changes in their attitudes toward Pear Deck.

The …

Using Podcasts To Bring National Estuarine Research Reserves Into The Classroom For Grades 6-12, Kaitlyn M. Dirr

Senior Theses

In a typical classroom setting, there are significant challenges to exposing students to concepts related to earth sciences and the environment. These challenges are exacerbated when conveying lessons about geographic areas with limited access, such as oceans and coastlines (Louv, 2010). It is now more important than ever for environmental education to improve and adapt to our changing world. Educators may have the opportunity to bring these subjects to life by using media content such as podcasts to introduce students to new places and the scientists, managers and educators that work in those spaces. In the United States, there exists …

Student Engagement Action Research A Focus On Culturally Relevant Instructional Methods, Amia Dixon

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action study was to determine the impact the use of culturally relevant instructional methods (researcher created term) would have on student achievement and student motivation. The use of culturally relevant teaching methods is rooted in culturally relevant pedagogy first introduced by Gloria Ladson-Billings and culturally responsive teaching practices first introduced by Geneva Gay. The study implemented an intervention cycle that modified the fourth-grade curriculum by differentiating lessons based on learning style, incorporating an “activator” that connects to the students’ culture and builds background knowledge, allowing student choice for instructional text, increasing the use of culturally relevant …

Multisensory Phonics Instruction In Struggling Readers, Amanda M. Dixon

Theses and Dissertations

This paper describes a problem of practice that arose from a lack of consistent, systematic phonics instruction within a small rural school with a large percentage of students not mastering skills in a way that builds the needed foundation for reading. To address this problem, action research was conducted through a mixed methods approach to determine the impact of multisensory Orton-Gillingham based reading instruction on a small population of students’ phonetic development and how this specific type of instruction affected their attitudes about reading. In an attempt to collect quantitative data, this study was guided by two research questions: How …

Implementation Of Digital Flashcards To Increase Content-Specific Vocabulary Knowledge And Perceptions Of Motivation And Self-Efficacy In An Eleventh-Grade U.S. History Course: An Action Research Study, Jill Lee Steinmeyer

Theses and Dissertations

Text- and document-dependent courses like high school U.S. History require students to have strong content literacy and vocabulary skills. Traditionally, content-area courses neglect vocabulary skills and those that do address vocabulary often teach words in isolation without context. Students needing more content comprehension skills frequently need more motivation and higher self-efficacy.

Three research questions were used to evaluate the impact of digital flashcards on learning content-specific vocabulary and student perceptions in an eleventh-grade U.S. History course: (a) How and to what extent do digital flashcards affect eleventh-grade U.S. History students’ learning content-specific vocabulary knowledge?; (b) How and to what extent …

Preparing In-Service Elementary Teachers To Support English Language Learners: A Qualitative Case Study Of A Job-Embedded Professional Development Using Tpack, Rachel Theresa Lopez

Theses and Dissertations

Nation-wide, the number of English Language Learners (ELL) in our classrooms continues to increase. Twenty percent of students enrolled in California public schools are ELLs, the highest percentage in the nation. With the continuously growing number of ELLs in our classrooms, our mainstream teachers must be prepared to teach content and meet the unique linguistic needs of these students. At Sotomayor Elementary School in the Central Valley of California, 38% of the students enrolled are ELLs. Despite high numbers of ELLs, the district sees minimal evidence of intentional planning for Designated English Language Development (D-ELD), or instruction specifically targeted to …

Teacher Observations As Professional Development Opportunities, Ashton Carrie Padgett

Theses and Dissertations

This research project sought to understand how the complexities and challenges of offering high-quality professional development district-wide impacted teachers’ ability to implement their new learning. The literature posits that to be considered effective, professional development must include six distinct design elements: (1) Data driven, (2) Incorporates active learning utilizing adult learning theory, (3) Supports collaboration, (4) Context-Specific, (5) Feedback-centered, and (6) Supported by principal leadership (Darling Hammond et al., 2017, p. 4). While each of these design elements seems appropriate and rooted in best practices, when planning professional development, the scheduling and unique circumstances of secondary schools makes incorporating these …

Supporting Lgbtq+ Ela Students Through Action Research, Nicole Mustaccio

Theses and Dissertations

English Language Arts curriculums traditionally include canonical authors such as Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes, and William Shakespeare. However, educators may not discuss the writers’ nonnormative sexuality. Moreover, educators may avoid teaching literature from a queer perspective, whether due to discomfort with LGBTQ+ terminology or because of a lack of professional development opportunities related to queer authors and queer theory.

In response to this problem of practice, I conducted this action research study to change the heteronormative culture at my high school. By providing professional development to fellow English Language Arts teachers, I sought to encourage the inclusion of LGBTQ+ authors …

When They See Us: The Lived Experiences Of Tenured Black Male Faculty At Research 1 Institutions, Quintavis Marquel Cureton

Theses and Dissertations

Numerous research studies have been conducted on the experiences of Black faculty, faculty of color, and Black female faculty in the academy. However, there is still a lack of knowledge about the lived experiences of Black male faculty, especially the lived experiences of tenured Black male faculty at Research 1 (R1) institutions. There remains a dearth of research that examines and amplifies voice to the experiences of tenured Black male faculty. It is essential to understand how Black male faculty have navigated their way through earning the rank of tenure at an R1 institution. This research provides a roadmap for …

Stories From North Carolina Teachers Of Color: An Inquiry Of Racialized Experiences In The Workplace., Deborah Stephanie Harrison

Theses and Dissertations

Growing educational research shows that teachers of color are finding themselves working in racially hostile schools through experiencing racism from their White colleagues in explicit and inexplicit ways. There is a need to further categorize how North Carolina teachers of color are experiencing racism in the workplace and identify how they are affected by it through experiential knowledge and analysis underpinned by critical race theory. Through action research, this study’s goals incorporated the implementation and evaluation of a collaborative book as a method of intervention on the effects of racial trauma. The collaborative book presents full counternarratives of teachers of …