Education Commons^™

Striving To Increase Bipoc Family Participation In Early Childhood Family Education, Ayuko Boomer

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Boomer, A. U. (2023). Striving to Increase BIPOC Family Participation in Early Childhood Family Education. Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) is a public education program designed and available for all parents and families in Minnesota. Despite these intentions, many Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) families remain unaware of ECFE's existence and its significance. The purpose of this study is to understand the current methodologies of parent education outreach and collaboration with other programs, in particular, BIPOC communities, and explore and process what efforts have been made to increase BIPOC participation in traditional ECFE parent education group classes (non-affinity …

The Relationship Of Two Co-Teaching Models In A Second Grade Special Education Inclusion Classrooms: Impact On Student Achievement, Natalie Hoffert

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research questions addressed in this study were: In a second grade special education inclusion classroom, how do the students experience two co-teaching models: station teaching and alternative teaching? Subquestion 1: How does students’ performance on ELA assessments vary depending on the co-teaching model? Subquestion 2: How does student involvement, enjoyment, and perceived sense of understanding compare after each co-teaching model? Subquestion 3: Do the ELA assessment scores and student attitudes correlate positively? The review of the literature included benefits and drawbacks of special education inclusion classrooms, the six co-teaching models, and the second grade Common Core English Language Arts …

Multicultural Picture Books And The Hard Conversations They Invite: Do Minnesota’S Early Childhood Educators Feel Prepared To Talk About Race During Shared Reading Experiences?, Julie Rech

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Influenced by the researcher’s own experiences being confronted with young children’s curiosities about race during storytimes, this work investigates educator attitudes, approaches, and abilities as they pertain to broaching race topics in early childhood classrooms. Specifically this work seeks to understand To what degree do early childhood educators in Minnesota feel prepared to engage in discussions of race during shared reading experiences with their students? It reviews existing literature on bias and attitudes towards race topics within early childhood education, multicultural picture books and critical literacy, and anti-bias and anti-racist education. Employing constructivist and transformative paradigms and grounded in the …

Career Influences Of Environmental Education Field Experiences, Lacey Day

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

As an environmental educator who got her start exploring the various flora and fauna around me, it has always interested me to know whether the same experiences that got me to where I am today have also influenced others to pursue similar careers. This study, because of that initial interest, set out to determine How do environmental education field experiences influence college major and/or career choice in high school students? Through a 21 question, cross-sectional survey, high school students in Allegany County Public Schools were asked a series of questions pertaining to their environmental educational field experiences, their values and …

Translanguaging: The Instructor-Perceived Benefits Of Use In The Adult English Language Learner Classroom, Paul Jonas

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This thesis, seeks to answer the research questions: what are the instructor-perceived benefits of translanguaging in the adult second language acquisition classroom for students who have not had any prior English language experience when learning English as a second language? Additionally, is there an instructor-perceived increase in output and comprehension with adult learners when translanguaging is actively used, and how is it being used? Topics explored during the literature review process included translanguaging, perceived benefits and challenges of translanguaging in the classroom, age-related factors for language acquisition, and non-age-related factors regarding language learning. Six English language instructors of adult non-degree-seeking …

Exploring How Elementary Esl Teachers Experience Learning And Change Related To A Genre-Based Approach To Language Instruction, Angela Froemming

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This study explored how elementary ESL teachers describe their experience learning about genre-based pedagogy, and how they describe change that resulted from learning about this instructional approach. Multilingual learners represent a rising student demographic across the United States (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2021), however, most teachers and administrators have not been adequately trained in language development, so language remains an abstract concept and professional learning experiences related to language development are scarce (He & Bagwell, 2021; Ranney, 2012). Without language-based resources or frameworks, ESL teachers are often underutilized professionals in their schools (Harper & de Jong, 2009). A genre-based …

Dear Education System, It’S You, Not Me: Burnout In Elementary Special Education Teachers, Bernadette Putman-Bailey

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Putman-Bailey, B. (2023). Dear education system, it’s you, not me: Burnout in elementary special education teachers. Burnout is not new to the education system as there seems to be a news article around burnout in the teaching profession and the shortage of teachers nationwide. Minnesota is not immune to this problem, but it is particularly true in special education. Special education teacher positions are the most difficult to recruit and retain for school districts in Minnesota. This research focused on the phenomenon of burnout in elementary special education teachers in urban and suburban areas of Minneapolis. The primary research question …

How Equitable Teaching Practices Impact The Mathematical Identity Of English Language Learners From Teachers’ Perspectives, Xiaomei Segelstrom

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This mixed method research study examined the teacher’s perspectives on how equitable teaching practices impact the math identity of English language learners. A quantitative research survey instrument including five major themes that was generated from the frameworks in the literature review was used, and then followed by semi-structured interviews to address the research question. The data collected from the survey indicated that participants do believe that equitable teaching practices would impact the math identity of ELLs via: conveying high expectations, language support, modifying lessons, mathematical tasks and mathematical tools. Building on the survey results, interviewees furthermore informed that all these …

To What Extent Do 3- To -6-Year-Olds Demonstrate Connection To Nature At A Montessori School In The Upper Midwest, Natasha Yates

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Yates, N. (2023). To What Extent Do 3- to -6-Year-Olds Demonstrate Connection to Nature at a Montessori School in the Upper Midwest.

Young children are born into a world today with a drastically changing environmental climate. When young people develop an emotional attachment and sense of identity with nature, they may be more likely to behave in less destructive ways towards the planet and possibly live with a sense of responsibility and respect for nature. This mixed method study aimed to measure to what extent 3- to 6-year-olds demonstrated environmental sensitivity, awareness, and preferences at a nature-based Montessori school in …

Using Written Self-Assessment To Improve Student Motivation In The Social Studies Classroom, Zachary Robbins

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The main research question addressed in this study was: How do written self-assessment reflections affect student motivation in a social studies classroom? To answer this question, this study reviewed the student motivation literature to explore the causes of intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and amotivation. Based on the existing research, this study then examined the self-assessment literature as one way to improve student motivation in linguistically diverse classrooms. To test the impact of short self-assessment writing prompts at the end of each class on student motivation, a pre-experimental design of eight students (four English learners (ELs) and four non-ELs) in three …

Implementing Tpr And Tprs In The Adult Esl Classroom With Slife Learners: A Teacher’S Diary Study, Ann Gehrt

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This study addresses the question: how can TPR and TPRS be used in the adult ESL classroom to teach vocabulary and reading skills? Adult ELLs with limited or interrupted formal education may struggle to learn English in traditional classrooms that rely on pre-existing literacy skills they have not yet developed, such as reading or taking notes. TPR (Total Physical Response) and TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling) are methods of teaching language that may make use of body movements, gestures, role-play, drama and oral storytelling to make language understandable before connecting it to its written form. TPR has a …

Becoming A Badass: Developing Positive Embodiment In Women, Nicole O'Connor

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Becoming a Badass: Developing Positive in Embodiment in Women Nicole O’Connor Abstract Almost everyone hates their bodies (normative discontent), but women and girls are most likely to engage in extreme behaviors to adjust their appearance. The United States’ history as a heteronormative, white supremacist, patriarchal, capitalist society contributes to myths about weight and health leading to anti-fat bias and harm on fat bodies. A focus on body image has limited the scope of research and Niva Piran’s Developmental Theory of Embodiment offers an alternative framework for healing normative discontent. As a woman living in a large body, the author interviewed …

“The Heart Of My Professional Work”: A Case Study Of Edd Student Experiences And Their Alignment To Program Outcomes And Graduates’ Professional Practice Needs, Khrisslyn Rae Goodman Chien

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Goodman Chien, K. R. (2023). “The Heart of my Professional Work”: A Case Study of EdD Student Experiences and their Alignment to Program Outcomes and Graduates’ Professional Practice Needs. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to learn about the experiences of EdD graduates and how those experiences aligned with the intended outcomes of a program and graduates’ professional practice needs. This research is vital to the field because it connects current scholarship regarding EdD programs with how these programs meet the professional practice needs of participants by developing scholarly practitioners (Gigliotti et al., 2016; Kline, 2016; Rueda et …

Early Career Language Educators Experience Joy And Purpose In The Creation Of Multilingual Classroom Ecologies, Jonell Pacyga

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this phenomenological study was to intensely analyze and interpret the experiences of a select sample of early career language teachers as they reflected on their languaging interactions with their learners. To answer the research question: How do early career language teachers experience the creation of multilingual classroom ecologies?, four individuals participated by collectively providing 14 interviews, submitting 13 bi-weekly journals, and sharing 17 self-selected semiotic images over a two month time period. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Smith, 1996) was then employed using a double hermeneutic to uncover themes in each case by elucidating descriptions and then cohesively analyzing …

Serving Together: A Phenomenological Study Of The School Resource Officer And Principal Partnership, Eric Nelson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Nelson, E. (2023). Serving Together: A Phenomenological Study of the School Resource Officer and Principal Partnership The increased presence of school resource officers (SROs) in schools places them in direct contact with school principals. This study examined how SROs and principals in six Minnesota public secondary schools describe their partnership. Data was collected using a series of semi-structured interviews between pairs of partners representing rural, suburban, and urban school districts. Participants identified challenges related to a lack of partnership vision, role clarity, and critical preparation and training prior to partnering. Participants reported that their partnership increased the sense of safety …

Every Student Succeeds Act Title I And Iii Grant Spending And Equity Work In Minnesota, Sara George

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

George, S.G.K. Every Student Succeeds Act Title I and III Grant Spending and Equity Work in Minnesota (2023) The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was introduced as part of President Johnson’s array of suggested civil rights and antipoverty reforms in 1965. ESEA funding was intended to be a supplemental funding source to provide more equitable conditions for all learners in the United States. The last two re-authorizations of the ESEA, No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), have entrenched a focus on student achievement as determined by performance on standardized tests. This research had …

Increasing Engagement And Effectiveness Of Independent Reading In The Kindergarten Classroom, Sarah Swanson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this study was: What are the most effective and engaging methods for independent reading in the kindergarten classroom? Additionally, this study addressed the subquestion of: What are the benefits and disadvantages of reading traditional books and books on a digital device for young readers? The literature topics that were researched and reviewed included history and current trends in independent reading, academic success, motivation and engagement, technology, and effective independent reading strategies. For this study, a mixed methods approach was used to collect both qualitative and quantitative data within the kindergarten classroom. At the beginning of …

Teacher-Student Relationships And Student Behavior, Cassandra Ostergard

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This study addresses the question to what degree do students believe they change their classroom behavior based on teacher-student relationship? This topic is important because it delves into the motivations behind student behavior. This question is tied to past research regarding student-centered learning, teacher-student relationships, and student outcomes related to different classroom factors. The primary method of data collection in this study was a twenty question survey given to four classes of 7th grade students. One student from each class was also interviewed about this same topic. Overall, it was found that teacher-student relationships have an impact on student behavior, …

The Impact Of Universal Learning Strategies On Teacher Burnout In A Project-Based-Learning Secondary School, Benjamin Tuthill

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This study addresses the question: how do universal learning strategies impact teacher burnout at a project-based-learning secondary school? Interventions against teacher burnout frequently emphasize psychological strategies such as mindfulness exercises and cognitive-behavioral therapy despite inconsistent evidence that these practices have a significant impact on measurable burnout. This study presents an alternative and explores the impact of pedagogical practice on teacher burnout. Recent studies suggest that decreased workload and increased teacher/student autonomy lead to decreased levels of burnout; as a result, this study measures the impact of universal learning, a low-workload, high-autonomy pedagogy most prominently studied in the work of political …

Improving Science Literacy Using Photographic Documentation Of Laboratory Activities, Mary Radus

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Digital photography is a valuable educational tool which has been shown to improve language acquisition and vocabulary usage. Photography can also be used to enhance hands-on laboratory activities in high school science classes. This study examined the impact of photographic documentation of lab activities on students’ literacy in science. In this convergent, mixed methods investigation, 9th grade biology students took photographs during a lab activity, which they used to create collaborative photo projects based on the activity. Changes in literacy were measured by assessing the students’ usage of scientific vocabulary terms before and after the photo project, and assessing the …

Exploring How School Choice Affects The Distribution Of Educational Resources In Ramsey County Minnesota, Craig Wiltzius

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated how school choice affects resource distributions, mainly the socio-economic status of students, and the potential impact this has on equity in Minnesota’s education system. The literature review outlines the origins and history of school choice and discusses court cases related to school choice in Minnesota. The literature review explores the benefits of competition in an educational marketplace and also examines how school choice sorts students. Additionally, the literature review considers the importance of socio-economic status to educational outcomes. The research methodology was quantitative and involved graphing the distribution of socio-economic status as measured by the percentage of …

Measuring The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Minnesota Superintendents: “We Did Our Best While We Weren’T At Our Best”, Ann Ertl

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Ertl, A. (2023). Measuring the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Minnesota Superintendents: “We did our best while we weren’t at our best” This dissertation explores the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Minnesota superintendents and contributes to the literature on the pandemic’s impact on education. By employing a statewide survey and grounded theory approach, the research investigates the lived experiences of superintendents during the pandemic and addresses gaps in understanding the specific effects on this group. The central research question focuses on how two years of the pandemic influenced the day-to-day work of Minnesota superintendents. The study’s findings highlight …

When You Look Into The Mirror And See Nothing: Psychic Disequilibrium And Its Relationship With Impostor Phenomenon In Hmong Women Leaders In The United States, Mai Nhia Xiong-Chan

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Xiong-Chan, M. (2023). When You Look into the Mirror and See Nothing: Psychic Disequilibrium and its relationship with Impostor Phenomenon in Hmong Women Leaders in the United States.

Hmong have made considerable educational and socio-economic strides in the United States, post immigration after the Vietnam War. This has been achieved through significant challenges such as language, culture, discrimination, poverty and racism. This phenomenological study focuses specifically on Hmong women leaders in the United States and, through qualitative research, examines how psychic disequilibrium and impostor phenomenon have impacted their journeys. Using thematic analysis this study focused on the following research questions: …