Education Commons^™

A Culturally Relevant Opening Weeks Curriculum: Seeking To Engage All Students To Succeed In The Middle School Science Classroom, Altringer Nicholas

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this project was How can a culturally relevant opening weeks unit help all students to succeed in the middle school science classroom? Topics explored in the literature review include challenges, themes, engagement of all students, gaps between students of color and their white peers, students of color and disproportionality trends in discipline, youth positions as hip-hop or survival mode, social construction of black inferiority, curriculum as windows and mirror, culturally responsive classroom management, using citizen science and student-driven investigation, restorative practices and restorative circles in the science classroom, shared responsibility for the classroom community, and …

Perceptions Of Adult-Child Collaboration In Toddler Environments In A Midwestern Montessori School, Anne Estes

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate adult perceptions of adult-child collaboration in two Montessori toddler environments and how it affects language, independence, and social interaction development. The study took place in one Midwestern Montessori school. The study was conducted on perceptions of adult-child collaboration through an electronic survey and intensive interviews. Five Montessori toddler assistants took the survey and two Montessori toddler guides completed intensive interviews. Once data were collected, qualitative theory methods were utilized to code, evaluate, and analyze all data. After data were re-analyzed, new theories and insights emerged surrounding how adult-child collaboration in a Montessori …

Getting More Young Children Outdoors By Supporting And Encouraging Their Teachers, April Greibrok

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This capstone thesis used an Explanatory Sequential Mixed Methods (ESMM) research design to answer the question, How do we support and encourage teachers to take their early childhood classes outdoors? While anecdotally, and through literature review, there appear to be barriers to outdoor activities, e.g., policies and regulations, or lack of safe clothing or equipment, there also is an abundance of research on the benefits of having children spend time in nature, or with natural elements. In the early childhood setting the mixed method survey research identified actual-stated common barriers to spending time outside with a class. An initial quantitative …

What Middle School Teachers Can Learn From Athletic Coaches, Christopher Lutz

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this study was: How can implementing athletic coaching techniques improve academic and social success for students in a middle school setting? Topics explored in the literature review include student safety, student relationships with adults, student relationships with peers, setting high expectations for students, motivation of athletes, and working as a team. A mixed methods approach was used to detail how the author implemented goal setting and groupwork strategies in his middle school math classes over 9 weeks of a school year. Results of both strategies are discussed and recommendations for interested educators are suggested.

Effects Of Evaluative Praise Versus Behavior Descriptive Praise On Intrinsic Motivation And Behavior, Stacie Mccormack

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The author’s research inquiry was: what is the impact of behavior descriptive praise and evaluative praise on intrinsic student motivation and behavior? The literature states that using evaluative praise can cause a ‘fixed mindset’ where a child is fearful of trying new tasks, and confused on the desired behavior of the educator. Moreover using behavior descriptive praise allows children to view effort and working hard a positive aspect of learning, while the educator is able to easily establish clear expectations for the students. This study took place over a four month period with two different third grade art classes. Through …

Will An Environmental Focused Genius Hour Affect Students’ Attitudes Toward The Environment?, Claire Opsahl

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine if an environmental focused Genius Hour will affect students’ attitudes toward the environment. Over an eight week period ninth grade students in an Honors Civics class self-selected an environmental topic to research, write a research paper and present their findings. The study was completed in a suburban high school setting. The study Quantitative and qualitative data was gathered using student interest surveys and the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) Likert Scale Survey. The participants were surveyed before completing their Genius Hour project and after completion. The results of the survey show that an …

The Aspect Hypothesis And Its Application In The Comprehension Of Perfective Telic And Imperfective Atelic Situations In Leveled English Language Learners: Insights Into The Link Between Comprehension And Production, Collin Klagmann

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The motivating factor for this research was to determine if predictive meaning-based tenets of the Aspect Hypothesis can be applied to the comprehension of perfective telic and imperfective atelic situations, and to assess the role lexical aspect plays in the attribution of perfective –ed to telic and imperfective –ing to atelic predicates for English language learners in WIDA proficiency Levels 2, 3, 4 and Exited. Student’s preference for aspectual attribution, and ability to notice completedness were measured. Results suggest that the perfective is more salient in a telic context, and is therefore acquired first. However, the salience of the imperfective …

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy And Student Motivation: An Applied Study Of Their Relationship In Fourth Grade English Learners, Joy Mcclain

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this paper is: How are feelings of motivation observed in and

reported by English learners when they are educated in culturally relevant ways? Using Ladson- Billings’ definition of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, Ryan and Deci’s self-determination theory

of motivation, and Gonzalez’ definition of culture as lived experience, the author conducts classroom research with fourth grade English learners in an urban setting in the American Midwest. Student surveys, teacher observations, and field notes are used for the duration of two co-taught lessons that can be classified as being culturally relevant. One lesson introduces the metaphor to students …

Examining The Effectiveness Of An Esl Teacher Observation Tool, Hetal Ascher

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This research investigates the effectiveness of a teacher created ESL teacher observation tool. This paper argues that although commonly used tools such as the Charlotte Danielson Framework (2013) exist, they do not fully meet the needs of ESL teachers. A mixed methods study was conducted in order to compare the Charlotte Danielson (2013) rubric to the ESL Teacher Observation Tool in terms of language related feedback. Principals from a Midwestern school district conducted evaluations based on a video clip using both tools, and subsequently, principals were interviewed. The ESL Teacher Observation Tool appeared to yield more language-instruction related feedback in …

How Can Fluency Instruction Using Readers' Theater And Paired Reading Impact Reading Comprehension In The Third Grade Classroom?, Angela Koski

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this capstone was, how can fluency instruction using readers’ theater and paired reading impact reading comprehension in the third grade classroom? It documents one teacher’s experience of implementing Readers’ Theater and Paired Reading in an attempt to increase fluency which can impact comprehension. The project integrates whole group, small group, and partner activities with a third grade class. The author details her review of best practices in reading instruction, implementation of Readers’ Theater and Paired Reading for fluency instruction, and the results seen from adding explicit fluency instruction. She describes the successes seen in teacher …

How Do Educators Avoid Teacher Burnout?, Rebecca Hibbard

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Chronic stress can lead to burnout in teachers, causing teachers to leave the profession prematurely. In the face of the stress of teaching, some educators burnout while others thrive. By looking to teachers who effectively seem to avoid burnout, this study examined the question: How do educators avoid teacher burnout? A review of the literature related to teacher burnout revealed the roles that both environmental (external) and personal (internal) factors play in teacher burnout and included strategies for how teachers and teacher leaders can respond to symptoms of burnout. This study utilized an initial survey to identify participants for follow-up …

The Most Effective Methods Of Small Group Reading Instruction In Upper Elementary Grades, Nicole Snoberger

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this thesis was, what is the most effective way to group students for reading instruction in the upper elementary classroom? This work documents one teacher's experience of grouping students in two main ways, trying to determine if one way is more effective than another. Students were grouped based on reading level using a common text during part of the research. Students were also grouped based on their reading strategy need, using self-selected books during the remaining research time. The goal was to determine if one grouping method was more effective. While the research and data …