Education Commons^™

The Role Of Education In Self-Sustaining Community Development, Leanne Riegel

Senior Honors Theses

Self-sustaining community development strategies, focused on education as a means for change, have great potential to make an impact on worldwide poverty. Instead of a one-time intervention with results that fade over time, the cyclical structure of participatory development will yield increasing results as time goes on. Teaching the community how to improve itself will increase its ability to deal with future problems, and positively impact women, children, and the environment in developing countries. This philosophy and practical strategy could be effective in any geographic location or culture, focusing on education and the ability of the local people to transform …

Comparing And Contrasting Special Education In The United States And Jamaica, Sarah Searle

Senior Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to define, compare and contrast special education services in the United States and Jamaica. Both the United States and Jamaica seeks to provide special education services and resources to students with disabilities. However, protective laws, training, and special services provided for citizens with disabilities range drastically between the countries. This thesis will define disabilities prevalent in the classroom and the services offered for the protection and provision of equal opportunity to all students. Recent laws and requirements for public schools have influenced the trajectory of special education in both countries. As this thesis progresses, …

From Common Core To Charter: The Economic Remedy To Nc Education, Hunter B. Winstead

Senior Honors Theses

Although numerous factors contribute to the decline of North Carolina’s economic prosperity, one of the most prevalent is the waste that occurs through the ineffective funding of education. In the last century, this system has become progressively centralized and bureaucratized which restricts the presence of diversity and hinders economic choice. The purest evidence of this movement is demonstrated through the state’s adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), an initiative designed to serve as a basis for federal entanglement in education. Proponents of CCSS claimed that the system would accomplish a variety of rigorous educational goals; however, none of …

Education From Location, Yvonne Kordus

Senior Honors Theses

In order to have systems of education that will work to promote peoples and societies in regions all across the globe, educators must consider multiple aspects of the culture of each location. Educators should then tailor an education system to meet the desires, strengthen the advantages, and eliminate the challenges in each particular location. Factors of each culture that educators should take into account include resources available, participation in education, major difficulties in social arenas of society, advantages or disadvantages of the physical environment, health conditions, human interactions within the culture, desire to change or maintain societal or cultural norms, …

Preparation For Collegiate Music Theory And Aural Skills Through Repertoire, Caroline E. Dunmire

Senior Honors Theses

Music majors often struggle in first-year music theory and aural skills coursework. These struggles have lead to increased dropout rates among music students. Even those students who succeed in music theory course work often are not able to apply theory concepts to music literature. Some universities have identified this problem and sought to rectify it through offering remedial course work, however the universities should not bear this burden. Success in theory and aural skills is linked to mastery of music fundamentals and basic aural skills. Pre-college studies should focus on these subjects and not place too much emphasis on advanced …

Education Individualized Through Technology, Rachel M. Leers

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis will overview technology in the classroom and the impact as well as the potential that is has individualizing instruction in order to meet the needs of every kind of student. The thesis will consist of thorough research on the subject matter. Technology is a great tool to use for individualizing instruction as it consists of many recourses, it increases communication, increases discussion, has high availability, it is affordable, and consists of a variety of lesson plan ideas to meet the needs of each student. Individualized learning is especially important in the classroom as it increases student achievement, provides …

The Effects Of The United States Government On Educators, Jessica Marie Zollinhofer

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis is an attempt to understand the correlation between the modern day United States government and current educators. The research founded the correlation to a reason, or several reasons, behind the deficit of educators in different fields of education, which included but is not limited to: teacher salary, leaving the field, dissatisfaction. The history of governmental involvement in education was pertinent in explaining where different responsibilities on educators originated from, such as Least Restrictive Environment, standardized testing, etc. The relationship between these two establishments reaches a critical point at teachers and directly affects teacher efficacy and turnover. In conclusion, …

To Build A Better Textbook: Developing A Literature Curriculum For Today’S Christian Schooling, Abby L. Cockrell

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis explores the educational philosophy and the creative process behind the creation of a new textbook and curriculum. The goal of this new textbook and curriculum is to help persuade high school students to view literature as an avenue of life-long learning. The plan to develop this textbook and curriculum is built on five objectives: a recognition of the need for holistic education, the implementation of differentiated teaching methods, the cultivation of student interest, the reflection of diversity within classrooms, and the integration of modern technology. This plan will be proposed in the creation of a textbook for use …

Teaching Special Education In The Es/Fl Classroom, Melinda Koerth

Senior Honors Theses

English language learners (ELLs) are growing in number in the United States school system. With this increase in population comes the task of providing quality and appropriate education for these students. A great part of this responsibility falls on instructors of English as a Second/Foreign Language (ES/FL) courses. As with every other content area, the possibility of having students with disabilities and disorders in the classroom exists. However, in the context of language acquisition unique obstacles and pitfalls exist which are particular to this field. Providing services for ELLs with special needs is a major concern in the realm of …

Self-Efficacy And Goal Orientation And Their Association With Academic Achievement, Ellie S. Karle

Senior Honors Theses

Much research has been conducted in order to determine the most significant variables associated with student academic achievement. This study explored the association among student goal orientation, self-efficacy, and academic achievement measured by GPA in a sample of undergraduate students from a large evangelical university. The trichotomous model for goal orientation was utilized including: mastery goals (motivated by a desire to master a task or subject), performance-approach goals (motivated by a desire to perform well in comparison with to others), and performance-avoidant goals (motivated by a fear of failure). Data were analyzed using two-way analysis of variance for the fixed …

Engaging And Inclusive Education: A Case Study, Haley C. Mclean

Senior Honors Theses

The goal of education is to enrich the lives of the students entering the classroom in such a way that sees them leaving after the school year as better and more developed students eager to continue learning. However, there has been a disconnect between educators and the population of their classrooms that requires modifications and special attention. In part, this is because it is time consuming and difficult to make sure that every student, including the handicapped students, is having his or her needs met. In order for classrooms to be effective, there has to be an inclusive environment that …

Game-Based Selective Attention Intervention: Effect Of Blink On Selective Attention For Street Youth In Zambia, Brittany S. Richard

Senior Honors Theses

The following study was conducted to evaluate the effect of a game-based intervention in the form of a card game, Blink, on selective attention for a sample of street youth in Zambia, Africa. Based on previous research suggesting that selective attention and executive functioning may be modified by game-based interventions in various populations and contexts, this study sought to employ a card game intervention for selective attention. The study was conducted with a repeated measures design, with a paired sample within-groups t-test adapted from the TEA-Ch Sky Search measure of selective attention, and the card game Blink as a …

Minecraft In The Math Classroom, Aaron J. Hultstrand

Senior Honors Theses

The spread of technology is creating the need for teachers to evolve and adapt their strategies within the classroom. Teachers must continually improve upon their technological integration in order to teach students ever more effectively. Game-based learning has recently gained prominence as a plausible use of technology in the classroom. This thesis will discuss the classroom implications and application of game-based learning. Specifically, the use of the video game Minecraft in the high school math classroom will be examined. The potential of Minecraft as an effective teaching tool to advance the quality of student learning will be examined through a …

Evaluating English-Learner Inclusion As An Effective Educational Strategy For English-Learner Students, Grace Dreyer

Senior Honors Theses

The United States of America has experienced unprecedented growth in the percentage of English Learners students enrolling in schools across the country. While federal guidelines and policies have been implemented within the past fifty years to hold school systems accountable for effectively education LEP students, there is no mandated model for educating English Language Learners. The massive number of students speaking foreign languages is a relatively recent issue, and government policy allows schools to operate with considerable flexibility; consequently, a variety of self-contained and English-inclusion strategies have emerged. Reducing costs and a number of other factors have led more school …

Online Curriculum For Evangelism Training For Adults With Special Needs, Sidney A. Carmichael

Senior Honors Theses

The purpose of this project is to address the discrepancy between Liberty University’s mission to train all individuals to be Champions for Christ and the lack of access to higher education for individuals with disabilities. My role in this project will be to come alongside the School of Education (SOE) in helping to write the curriculum, create the activities and manage the creation of a new online program that teaches Bible foundations and evangelism strategy. This project will be developed after consulting literature of best practices for teaching adults with disabilities using online technology. The outcome of this project has …

Nonstandard Languages: The Outcasts Of The Language Revitalization Movement, Whitney Snowden

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis compares the failures of the creolization movement with the success of the language revitalization movement and seeks to determine which elements are missing from the former to make it as successful as the latter. Education policy, identity, and language ideology are all examined as contributors to the future success of creole inclusivity in education and society, as well as the potential benefits such a movement would include. Specifically examined are Siegel’s research on creole education and Armstrong’s work on language ideology.

The Celtic Way: Order, Creativity, And The Holy Spirit In The Celtic Monastic Movement, Fiona Leitch

Senior Honors Theses

The Celtic monastic movement lasted hundreds of years and is responsible for much of the spread of Christianity to the West. Much of the movement’s success can be attributed to the Celtic Christians’ understanding of the importance of the role of creative culture and order as well as an openness and responsiveness to the leading of the Holy Spirit. It is these three things working in tandem that influenced the success of the Celtic monastic movement. Although the movement ended a thousand years ago, it can offer guidance and wisdom for carrying out ministry today. A case study of Cuirim …

Integrating Outdoor And Nature-Based Play In Community Programs, Alissa Visscher

Senior Honors Theses

With the intent of determining best practices and recommended methods of incorporating outdoor and/or nature-based play in community programs, this thesis reviews existing literature and documents the results of four different community organization interviews. Each of the organizations provides family and child community programs and incorporates outdoor recreation in their programming. The author posed a series of six questions and found that some of the participant’s responses were congruent with previous research while others provided new information. Their observations were both unique to their organization and relevant to similar programs. With that said, the author was unable to identify a …

The Budding Musician: A Method For Developing Cognitive And Physical Proficiency At The Piano, Lauren M. Hartburg

Senior Honors Theses

A comprehensive piano curriculum involves physical performance development alongside musicianship training. This thesis will discuss the decline in music literacy alongside research supporting the benefits of a creative, holistic, flexible music education program. These items will then be applied to developing an elementary piano curriculum. A four-volume piano method emphasizing theory and musicianship in the context of performance literature is outlined and level one is presented in detail.

Order Of Acquisition: A Comparison Of L1 And L2 English And Spanish Morpheme Acquisition, Kyle A. Mcferren

Senior Honors Theses

This paper examines the order of acquisition for grammatical morphemes in Spanish and English first and second language learners. Brown’s first morpheme order study, conducted in 1973, laid the foundation for what would become one of the most common types of study conducted within the field of second language acquisition. The four orders of acquisition relevant here are examined and compared in order to support the roles of salience, morphophonological regularity, complexity, input frequency, and native language transfer in first and/or second language acquisition. The conclusion is that these five determinants work interdependently in determining the difficulty of acquiring a …

Teaching Conceptual Understanding Of Mathematics Via A Hands-On Approach, Jessica Korn

Senior Honors Theses

Given the current developments in the field of mathematics instruction in the United States, conceptual understanding and a hands-on approach in mathematics are two topics of importance. Conceptual understanding of mathematics is often lacking but characterizes the core of what mathematics actually is. Using a hands-on approach presents an effective way to teach conceptual understanding of mathematics. In order to argue this, a presentation of the underlying theories of mathematical understanding and pertinent approaches is given. Then follows an investigation of three studies pertinent to using a hands-on approach in teaching conceptual understanding of mathematics: one related to implementation (Gürbüz, …

Bibliotherapy: An Approach To Treating Mental Illness In The Classroom, Erin M. Curry

Senior Honors Theses

The prevalence of adolescent mental illness has increased at an alarming rate over the past two decades. Due to a lack of accessible mental health care and the stigmatization of mental illness, parents of children with these disorders are often reluctant to seek help. These children often resort to negative self-coping methods among which include substance abuse, violence, and suicide. These negative self-coping methods have a harmful, lasting impact on the individual as well as the surrounding community.

Bibliotherapy, which harnesses the meditative power of books, can teach helpful coping skills to students with mental illness. When effectively utilized in …

Success Against All Odds Lessons Learned From Successful, Impoverished Students, Amanda L. King

Senior Honors Theses

The effects of poverty on students’ education have been well documented and a positive correlation can be seen between these effects and their academic success. What is unclear, however, are the exceptions to this correlation. How do students from low-socio-economic status (SES) families succeed despite the seemingly insurmountable odds they face? The literature from a wide variety of longitudinal—and interview-based studies from the past three decades suggests that character traits such as persistence, determination, and curiosity are key to their success. Schools with a majority student body from low-SES homes have found success in meeting and exceeding state standards through …

The Correlation Between Self-Efficacy And The Academic Success Of Students, Emily E. Taylor

Senior Honors Theses

Research reveals that gifted students at Springfield Middle School in Williamsport, Maryland possess stronger levels of self-efficacy than average students. For the purpose of this study, the term “gifted students” refers to students who are enrolled in above-grade-level classes at Springfield Middle School. Students must score high in tests and interviews in order to be placed in above-grade-level classes. According to Albert Bandura’s social cognitive theory, increased levels of self-efficacy contribute to a person’s ability to complete a task. Using the Children’s Perceived Academic Self-Efficacy subscale from The Morgan-Jinks Student Efficacy Scale (MJSES), the study conducted at Springfield Middle School …

An Examination Of Research To Practice Gaps In Education: Whole Language, Learning Modalities, And Brain Gym, Elizabeth Strohman

Senior Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the documented research to practice gap in education by discussing three recent trends in education that gained momentum with little to no empirical support: (a) whole language reading instruction; (b) modality-based instruction; and (c) Brain Gym. This thesis examines the trend in education toward embracing unsubstantiated strategies by spotlighting these three educational trends and offers recommendations for addressing the research to practice gap in the field of education.

An Argument For The Great Divorce In The Public School Ninth Grade English Classroom, Taylor Isom

Senior Honors Theses

C. S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce (1946) can provide a useful supplement for ninth grade English instruction because of its quality as a literary work, the ideas it represents, its commentary on enduring human questions, and its connections to its historical context. At its core, the book reflects on recurring philosophical and religious ideas in a way that simultaneously links to and transcends its time. It also exhibits hallmarks of literary excellence, such as formal consistency and a comprehensive view of its themes. The Great Divorce’s skillful use of literary elements suits it for instruction, adapting form to purpose. …

English In South Asia And Pedagogical Implications, Brittany R. Ehret

Senior Honors Theses

English at present maintains a significant role as a second or foreign language in the region of South Asia as well as globally. In a discussion of this topic, it is important to explore a brief history of the expansion of English and its origins in South Asia. It is also essential to provide a background of South Asian English and its unique linguistic characteristics as well as its use in different contexts of South Asia. The perspectives of linguists and educators who are native to the region of South Asia should be included as much as possible in this …

Art And Symbolism: The Technique Of Applying Hidden Meaning And Communicating Specific Ideas Through Art, Andrea C. Macbean

Senior Honors Theses

Symbolism is an artistic style frequently used in the arts. Through the course of art history, it was its own artistic movement as well. The incorporation of specific symbols, shapes, colors, or identifiable images communicates to the viewer an intended message or statement. Frequently, symbolism appears to be hidden or initially unperceived by the intended audience. In some works, symbolism is so abstract that it needs explanation or clarification to be understood completely by the viewer. This thesis will analyze a few techniques of symbolism that can be incorporated in a work of art to communicate truth, entice thought, point …

A Balanced Literacy Approach To The Classroom, Kayleigh M. Siaulys Mrs.

Senior Honors Theses

In recent years, educators and researchers have become conflicted and outwardly concerned over low language arts test scores. Students from various backgrounds with different learning styles are not reaching literacy and language arts goals of the 21^st century. To fix this present conflict, a new system has been formulated, officially known as the balanced literacy approach. This system incorporates all necessary elements to learn the English language appropriately by combining two or more approaches into the curriculum. Using these various approaches collectively, students will have the opportunity to learn the structure of the English language and will receive instruction …

State Tuition Tax Credits: A School Choice Policy Recommendation, Andrew M. Butler

Senior Honors Theses

Public schools are afflicted by a litany of ailments ranging from the methodological to the practical. Public schools operate on a conflicted educational philosophy, are rife with inefficiencies, and result in educational monopolies. A state tuition tax credit system is the most advantageous policy option available in regards to education reform and school choice initiatives. This paper will examine some of the 11 state tuition tax credit programs currently in operation as well as other school choice options, and identify problems inherent in the public school system. State tuition tax credits are a superior educational policy option as compared with …