Education Commons^™

Nigerian Students’ Experiences With Class Rank And Its Implications For Academic And Personal Adjustments: A Narrative Inquiry, Tobiloba Ojomu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Class ranking remains a prevalent practice in Nigerian primary and secondary schools, yet research has not explored how Nigerian students perceive and experience this practice. This study sought to address this gap in the literature by delving into four Nigerian primary and secondary school alumni’s experiences and perceptions of the class ranking practice. Through their unique stories, this narrative inquiry study sheds light on the extent to which class ranking has impacted them. The findings of this study revealed that class ranking had a profound influence on the participants, both within and beyond the classroom setting. It shaped their self-perception, …

Restorative Practices Interrupted, Celeste Kellar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The initial critical event precipitating the problem of practice at my school was the repercussions of the mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Florida on February 14, 2018. This shooting and the resulting legislative mandates of Florida Senate Bill 7026, led to my administrative decision to adopt Restorative Practices at my school, a school for students with disabilities. Restorative Practices purport to encourage the development of positive relationships, repair and restore existing relationships thereby decreasing the chance of a repeated offense and improving school climate (Zehr, 2015). Additional rationale for the adoption was to address the disproportionality …

Social Justice Integration In Stem Content With Early Childhood Education Pre-Service Teachers, Elyse D. Ledford

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Following the social justice education ideal of building from local sources of knowledge the purpose of this multi-case study was to develop describe and explain the ways pre-service teachers examined how pre-service teachers make use of social justice pedagogies in teaching STEM. The study was guided by the following research questions: In what ways do pre-service teachers make us of social justice pedagogies while planning STEM lessons for young children? In what was do pre-service teachers enact social justice pedagogies in STEM instruction for young children? This study explores the experience of three Early Childhood Education pre-service teachers who were …

The Application Of Memes On English Learners' Idiomatics And Motivation, Fatima Azzahraa Raafat

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Students nowadays live in a visually rich world where they continually generate meaning and knowledge through images (Romero & Bobkina, 2017). To satisfy two technology-savvy generations, the Millennial and Generation Z, field practitioners had to generate multimodal environments that include written text, visual images, and design elements from various viewpoints. An effective pedagogy of idiomatics can support second language acquisition (SLA) and idiomatic competence development, that is, idiomatic language and figurative language study (Liontas, 2021, p. 3, 32). Idiomatics should be incorporated into educational programs for SL learners as early in their education as possible (Liontas, 2008). For my study, …

Fostering A Sense Of Online Community: Faculty Reflections Through Narratives, Brittany D. Anthony

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study will explore how MSW faculty describe a community in online courses and what strategies they use in fostering a sense of community within courses from an online Master of Social Work program at the University of South Florida. There is an imperative need to ensure online courses provide a sense of community to support students for success. During the timespan of an online course, strategic pedagogical approaches to fostering a community are essential to enriching the overall learning experience for students. Many studies tend to focus on the challenges faced when building an online community. Still, the …

Crossing Schools, Language, And Migration Borders: The Experiences Of Latinx And Caribbean Emergent Multilingual Mothers In K-12 Public Schools, Michelle Angelo-Rocha

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Anti-immigrant sentiment and "English-only" ideologies have a significant impact on educational policies, practices, and processes. This includes parental engagement, the quality of education and life opportunities offered to immigrant children, and families’ well-being. The purpose of this study was to examine how Latinx and Caribbean mothers in Florida with various immigration statuses (i.e., undocumented, asylum seekers, refugees, international students, and mixed-status) and often with limited financial resources attempt to steward their children through the U.S. educational system. The research question was: How did emergent multilingual immigrant mothers experience the K-12 education system in Florida? The sub-question was: How did schools …

Procedures For Assessment Of The Marine Carbon System And Evaluation Of Access And Ocean Acidification Literacy In The Deaf Community, Loraine Martell-Bonet

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

One major goal of this dissertation addresses the need for improved laboratory procedures to measure chemical changes in seawater caused by the uptake of atmospheric CO2, especially in coastal environments. Due to the proximity of anthropogenic stressors in the coastal zone, the biogeochemical complexity of the CO2 system is more dynamic than the open ocean. My principal research objectives were addressed by developing methods for (1) improving the accuracy of pH measurements over a wide range of salinities and (2) investigating the acid-base properties of natural organics in the coastal ocean.

The accuracy of pH electrode calibrations is affected when …

Challenging Vocabulary Words In Graphic Novels: A Multimodal Content Analysis, Karyn Z. Mendez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recreational reading is in a decline for upper elementary aged readers, and along with this decline comes consequent declines in students’ ability to make meaning from what they read and their acquisition of different language forms, including the acquisition of new vocabulary words. However, one reading format is increasing in popularity: graphic novels. As graphic novels, along with other texts with both textual and visual elements, become an increasingly prevalent way of reading in the 21st century, it is important to look at the possibilities multimodal texts have for foundational literacy skills, such as vocabulary acquisition. To date, however, the …

The Negotiation Of Emotions: Teachers’ Emotional Expression Management In The Ela Classroom, Erika Watts

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study builds on the concept of teacher emotion management in the classroom, with a specific focus on the English Language Arts (ELA) classroom where emotions play a heavy role in texts and the content taught. I analyzed the perspectives of five current English Language Arts (ELA) teachers using an interview study to ask how they describe their emotions during an emotionally challenging moment in the ELA classroom. Through the narratives they shared, I also explored their perceptions of professionally unacceptable emotions and how they make sense of their experiences navigating those emotions. I used a thematic analysis to conclude …

Time To Check In: The Effectiveness Of Modified Check, Connect And Expect For Children Of Incarcerated Parents, Talia E. Shuman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Parental incarceration affects approximately 3.5% of minors in the United States, or about 1 in every 28 children (Federal Interagency Forum on Children and Family Statistics, 2015). Parental incarceration is considered an adverse childhood experience (ACE). ACEs like parental incarceration are positively correlated with increased risk of injury, health problems, poorer attention and decision-making abilities, and difficulties forming healthy relationships (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020). In addition, children who have experienced parental incarceration are also more likely to show increased internalizing and externalizing behaviors when compared to same-aged peers who do not have an incarcerated parent (Shlafer & …

Predictors Of Growth In Socioemotional Functioning From Kindergarten Entry To 5th Grade For Students With And Without Disabilities, Sydney Shupe

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The link between socioemotional functioning and academic achievement is well established, as is the evidence showing that children with disabilities often develop socioemotional functioning differently than peers without disabilities. However, few studies have considered how early skills are associated with growth of socioemotional functioning for children, and how that may differ for children with disabilities. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effect of academic, social, and behavioral skills at the start of kindergarten on the growth of socioemotional functioning from kindergarten to 5th grade; early socioemotional functioning, academic and cognitive skills were analyzed in a series …

A Queered Exhibition: Lgbtqia+ Artists Expressing Identity And Visibility Through Art-Based Research, Christy D. Paris

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Too often museums, galleries, and art curriculum ignore or erase the lives and art of LGBTQIA+ individuals. This exhibition aimed to make the diverse lives and art from the queer community visible. Integrating queer perspectives and visibility is empowering and creates a sense of belonging. Queering the art world can present alternative perspectives, promote diversity, and provide exposure to a more inclusive experience for all. The aim of this inquiry is to inform institutional practices within museums on queer inclusivity and further scholarship on this topic by engaging with the queer art community and public during an exhibition held in …

Storying The Experiences Of A First-Year Teacher’S Mathematics-Related Teacher Identity With A Communities Of Practice Lens, Kelly Jean Navas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This longitudinal narrative inquiry explores the influences on a first-year elementary teacher’s mathematics-related teacher identity, employing a community of practice lens. Identity is a complex concept. In this study, identity is viewed as socially constructed through new experiences. These social interactions can be seen as an individual participates in their communities of practice. A mathematics-related teacher identity intertwines a teacher’s mathematical identity with their teacher identity. This can influence their classroom decisions, as well as their planning and implementation of mathematics lessons. To gain insights into the evolution of this mathematics-related teacher identity, I listened to the stories of Suzie, …

Void Formation In Model Liquids, Polymer Glasses, And Granular Materials, Kai Nan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Soft matter, as a subfield of condensed matter physics, has gained lots of interest from the academic and industrial communities due to its complexity and intellectual challenges. Soft materials, such as liquids, polymers, and granular materials, are widely used in real-world applications like foams, paints, and lubricants. Furthermore, their cost-effective and unique features like extreme ductility also make soft materials suitable for many advanced applications such as bioimplantable devices.

In Chapter 2, we examine thermodynamic cavitation, a transition from liquid to gas that occurs when the ambient pressure drops below the liquid’s vapor pressure. Varying the …

Determinants Of Hormonal Contraceptive Use Among Adolescent Females In The Republic Of Benin, Marlene Joannie Bewa

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Globally, 17 million adolescent girls—ages 15-19-- give birth every year, which affects educational and professional outcomes such as school completion, future employment, and economic empowerment. In Benin, adolescent girls have a substantial unmet need for sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information and services. More specifically, the need for hormonal contraceptive products and services, as well as accurate, age-appropriate, and comprehensive sexuality education, is not met universally.

Objective: This research objective is to understand personal, behavioral, and environmental barriers and facilitators to the access and uptake of modern contraceptive methods among adolescents in Benin. This will inform recommendations for improving …

Selective Framing And Narrative As Anthropocentric Agents In Yellowstone: America’S Eden, Breanna Lee Hansen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Yellowstone: America’s Eden is but one example of nature documentaries tackling the complexities of nature-culture relationships during the age of the Anthropocene. Yellowstone National Park, the first to be named, is a primary example of how our relationship to the natural world developed through conservation and commodification. Yellowstone: America’s Eden demonstrates how film techniques conceal nature as a human construct through selective framing and narrative. By analyzing editing techniques made in the representation of Yellowstone National Park, this thesis bridges anthropocentrism to nature documentaries. Drawing on interdisciplinary research from media studies, environmental humanities, and anthropology, this thesis analyzes the ways …

Evaluating The Accuracy Of Inertial Measurment Units In Detecting Gait Parameters For Lower Limb Prosthesis And Orthosis Users, Bryce Fuller

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A Gait Extraction System (GES) was developed to investigate the accuracy of wearable sensors by producing gait parameters, to be compared against a gold standard motion capture system. Two inertial measurement units (IMUs) were placed in the lower limb region, specifically in the shank region of each leg. The GES uses algorithms to extract the gait cycle from raw acceleration data to produce gait parameters such as stride length, stride time, step length, step time, stance time, swing time and cadence. There were three main trials that consisted solely of a flat road, a road with small hills and a …

Case Study And Fidelity Assessment Development For The Family Intervention Specialist (Fis) Program, Areana Cruz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation involved an in-depth analysis of the Family Intervention Specialist (FIS) program and the development of an FIS fidelity assessment. Three studies were conducted for this analysis. Study one analyzed FIS administrative data from one Managing Entity to determine the extent that the quality assurance measures align with the core program policies and procedures established by the Department of Children and Families. Study two included a content analysis of FIS policies and procedures manuals for alignment regarding implementation practices and qualitative interviews with FIS stakeholders regarding FIS implementation, strengths, challenges, and adherence to established policies and procedures. Study three …

The Relationship Between First-Year Expectations And Persistence For Students Who Self-Identify As Having Not Declared A Major, Shane Combs

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research aligned with protocols established by the Florida Board of Governors in 2016 to form a new funding model tied to the institution's performance. The literature review highlighted a disparity between students' expectations and the reality of college which could negatively impact persistence, and therefore funding to the institution. This quantitative study utilized the Beginning of College Survey of Student Engagement (BCSSE) to explore the correlation between incoming, undeclared FTIC students' expectations of co-curricular involvement, faculty interaction, and learning support services utilization and their persistence to the end of the second fall semester. The sample consisted of 1,042 respondents …

A Novel Jazz Music Curriculum For Young Children: Results Of A Pilot Study, Jazmin D. Ghent

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Jazz improvisation is known as the highest-known art form concerning improvisation due to its frequency and development of creative ideas (Feldman 1964). Research shows that the art of spontaneous creation can contribute to children’s ability to problem-solve, social and emotional well-being, and academic success into adulthood (Biasutti, 2017; Heble & Laver, 2016; Kiehn, 2003; Kuzmich, 1980; Solis, 2009). Improvisation is crucial for developmentally comprehensive music programs; however, improvisation is scarce in elementary music classrooms and curricula. For this pilot study, a group of 31 children aged 5-8 and considered at-risk participated in a study where they were randomly assigned to …

One Year Impact Of The Advancing Coping And Engagement (Ace) Program On Advanced Placement And International Baccalaureate Student Success, Amanda C. Moseley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Student success hinges on educational settings that feature a well-developed, comprehensive mental health support system (Hoover et al., 2019). Salient pieces of well-functioning mental health supports adhere to Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) principles, including evidence-based practices with incremental intensity (Stoiber & Gettinger, 2015). Adolescents pursuing accelerated curricula in high school, specifically Advanced Placement courses (AP) and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP), display a need for psychosocial support related to the stressors inherent to a rigorous curriculum (Suldo & Shaunessy-Dedrick, 2013b). Suldo and colleagues’ (2018) research on AP and pre-IBDP youth identified malleable predictors of success that became intervention …

Transformation Zone Schools And School Change Processes: Experiences Of Families, Jesse Strong

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

AbstractFor many years schools located within concentrated areas of poverty in an urban school county in south Florida have experienced alarmingly high teacher turnover rates and alarmingly low academic performance scores. In 2015, in a lauded exposé printed by the Tampa Bay Times, five schools, all of which would go on to become part of the Transformation Zone initiative, were featured in a series of articles, entitled The Failure Factories (Fitzpatrick et al., 2015). The purpose of this study was to explore how school policy and process changes enacted from these articles may have affected those students and families. Historically, …

Evolution Of Novice Teachers’ Instructional Visions To Teach Elementary Mathematics: A Longitudinal Collective Case Study, Amber Nicole Brown

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This longitudinal collective case study is about the transformational experiences of three novice elementary teachers, Tammy, Katie, and Michelle, as they moved from an elementary teacher preparation program, at a large research university in the southeast United States, through their first two years of teaching in different elementary school contexts. Situated within literature pertaining to instructional vision and visions of high-quality mathematics instruction (VHQMI), these cases were used to explore the teachers’ perceptions of their visions of high-quality mathematics instruction and how these perceptions evolve over time. The study design prioritizes novice teacher voices as predominant data sources to elevate …

A Culturally Responsive And Sustaining Pre-School: Collaborative Approaches To Curriculum In An Underserved Florida Community, Dana R. Roberts

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The early childhood education and childcare (ECE&C) sector in America “is a textbook example of a broken market” (Yellen, 2021) that operates as a “non-system” (Berlin, 2021). This manifests itself through the low-quality of its teaching cadre (Cassidy et al., 2019). This failure hits disadvantage families hardest (Chafouleas et al., 2016) - a reality that is particularly apparent in St. Petersburg, Florida’s Midtown neighborhoods where one out of every two children attending ECE programs are not meeting State school readiness standards (Florida OEL, 2020). In this study, I propose a culturally-responsive (Gay, 2018), culturally sustaining (Ladson-Billings, 2021c), and equity-based continuous …

“So, I Am Back”: Adjudicated Youths’ School Reentry Experiences, Inita S. Knox

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Adjudicated youth face a multitude of barriers when reentering school following incarceration. School administrators and educational personnel know very little about how these students perceive their reentry experiences and what the students identify as needed supports, resources, and barriers throughout the process. This qualitative study used in-depth, semi-structured interviews with photo-elicitation to explore and describe how formerly incarcerated youth perceive their high school reentry experiences. Participants were male adolescents ages 16 to 18 years old. who provided rich and in-depth descriptions of their reentry experiences. Recommendations for policy, practice and future research are provided.

Development And Initial Evaluation Of A Mental Health Training For Pre-Service Teachers, Alexis M. Sánchez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to examine the initial pre-service teacher outcomes for a newly developed mental health training (i.e., Training In Mental health for Educators - Pre-service Teachers [TIME-PT]). For the development of the TIME-PT, an expert panel and a focus group with pre-service teachers were conducted to inform of any changes and improvements needed in the content of the training. In the initial evaluation of the TIME-PT, the training’s factors of professional development were considered, including the training’s understanding and feasibility, participants’ willingness to change, their use of school-family collaboration, and their use of external supports. Initial evaluations of participants’ …

Exploring Novel Two Dimensional Diluted Magnetic Semiconductors And Heterostructures For Spintronics Applications, Thi Hai Yen Pham

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) semiconductors hold enormous potential for modern optoelectronic devices, magnetic sensing, and quantum communications. Long-range ferromagnetism can be induced in TMD monolayers by introducing a small amount of magnetic dopants to form diluted magnetic semiconductors (DMSs), making them promising candidates for applications in ultralow-power and ultracompact spintronic nanodevices. This dissertation research aims to address two contemporary challenges in the fields of nano-magnetism and spintronics: controllability of magnetic dopants in TMD monolayers in the form of MX2 (M = W, Mo; X = S, Se) and understanding the fundamental physical mechanisms that give rise to magnetism …

Saudi Teachers' Perceptions Of Accommodating Diverse Students, Including Those With Special Needs, In Inclusive Classrooms, Ahmed Ali Alqahtani

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

General education in Saudi Arabia has undergone significant transformations since the adoption of full inclusion in schools, resulting in an increase in the number of students with special needs integrated into general education classrooms. The goal of this policy change was to boost inclusivity in Saudi education, but questions have been raised regarding the preparedness of general education teachers to effectively meet the increasingly diverse needs of their students. This study explores Saudi general education teachers' understanding of inclusive practices, their perspectives on the impact of inclusivity on student learning outcomes, and their perceptions of their own preparedness to implement …

A Qualitative Study Of Facilitators And Barriers Perceived By Black Students And Their Effect On Advanced Placement Course Enrollment In High School, Austin R. Cole

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Advanced Placement (AP) classes can provide many benefits to students. The rigorous curriculum gives students an academic challenge to expand their educational abilities (The College Board, 2014). However, students of color are often underrepresented in AP participation (The College Board, 2014). Research has investigated factors among students of color that predict participation and success in AP courses, suggesting that family SES and prior academic achievement (Dixson et al., 2017; Ndura et al., 2003), and racial barriers impact students’ ability to choose to take AP courses (Jeffries & Silvernail, 2017; Walker & Pearsall, 2012). This study addressed a gap in the …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Service Access For Children And Adolescents With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities Across Florida, Alyssa N. Hanley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Businesses worldwide closed to lessen the spread of the virus. Due to an increased need for specialized services compared to the general population, individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) may have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 shutdowns. Without access to schools and centers where services are provided, therapeutic progress was halted. Services, such as special education, occupational therapy, and physical therapy, were paused, impacting access and maintenance for individuals with I/DD. In addition, services that continued did so using modified delivery methods such as telehealth. To investigate the impact of the COVID-19 …