Education Commons^™

The Effects Of Active Learning Technology On Instructors’ Practices And Students’ Engagement And Grades: A Mixed Methods Study, Jeremy C. Van Hof

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Partly in response to university teachers’ changing pedagogies marked by flipping instruction, lecture capture technologies are evolving into active learning systems. Little published research exists on the effects of active learning technology on either teachers or students. This two-phase sequential explanatory mixed methods study details the effects that active learning systems have on instructor practices and on student grades and engagement. Phase one combined quantitative data collection with instructor interviews. Phase one findings show higher student engagement levels correlate with the use of the active learning system only in the presence of very specific, flipped classroom practices. Phase two, a …

Principals’ Perspectives On The Roles And Skills Of School Psychologists, Jill Mccaslin-Timmons

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Despite decades of literature on how school psychologists could be utilized to better meet needs in school, the way a school psychologist is used still varies and schools still admit that they have unmet needs. Teachers and administrators ask for more staff to help support student needs while taxpayers want to know why more staff are needed. The purpose of this study was to develop an understanding of principal perspectives on the roles and skills of school psychologists in order to better understand why roles vary, what barriers exist and what can be done to help both school psychologists and …

Unopa Notes, December 2016

UNOPA Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Unopa Notes, November 2016

UNOPA Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Unopa Notes, October 2016

UNOPA Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Unopa Notes, September 2016

UNOPA Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Unopa Notes, July 5, 2016

UNOPA Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Wilderness Restoration: A Case Study Of Two Place-Based Education Programs, Carolyn Ann Albracht

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Research regarding outdoor environmental education programs for youth tends to be quantitative in nature, examining cause-and-effect relationships between program content and participants’ behavior and attitudes. Some researchers have suggested that programs that help foster an affective connection with nature in its participants may have more lasting and greater impact on participants’ pro-environmental behavior and attitudes than those that take a more cognitive approach. In other words, appealing to youth’s emotional sensibilities may go further than only teaching facts and skills about how to be better environmental stewards. In order to study these affective connections and how they might be fostered, …

Intersecting Asset-Based Service, Strengths, And Mentoring For Socially Responsible Leadership, Lindsay J. Hastings

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

Grounded in a youth leadership and mentoring program, this chapter discusses the value of asset-based community development from the service-learning literature and the concept of generativity from the leadership development literature.

College students are frequently engaged in the community through local mentoring programs, as mentoring youth has become an increasingly popular service-learning pedagogical strategy among many higher-education institutions (Schmidt, Marks, & Derrico, 2004; Wells & Grabert, 2004). While many mentoring programs are designed to build resiliency in at-risk youth, mentoring has been identified as an effective practice in leadership development (Day, 2000; Dziczkowski, 2013).

This chapter will discuss the value …

Factor Analysis Of The Preschool Behavioral And Emotional Rating Scale For Children In Head Start Programs, Cynthia J. Cress, Matthew C. Lambert, Michael Epstein

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Strength-based assessment of behaviors in preschool children provides evidence of emotional and behavioral skills in children, rather than focusing primarily on weaknesses identified by deficit-based assessments. The Preschool Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scales (PreBERS) is a normative assessment of emotional and behavioral strengths in preschool children. The PreBERS has well-established reliability and validity for typically developing children as well as children with identified special education needs, but this has not yet been established for children in Head Start programs, who tend to be at high risk for development of emotional and behavioral concerns. This study explores the factorial validity of …

Examining Bridges Between Informal And Formal Learning Environments: A Sequential Mixed Method Design, Dagen L. Valentine

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Scholarship

The purpose of this sequential mixed method study was to identify schools implementing a technology-based engineering design intervention in a way that connects or bridges formal learning environments of the school-day to informal learning environments such as afterschool programs. Further, this study investigated educators’ decisions that enabled or facilitated bridging between formal and informal learning environments. This cooperation and/or linking between informal and formal learning time is bridging. Participants included public schools (n=16) in Eastern Nebraska that incorporated the Nebraska Wearables Technology (WearTec) program at their school, club or Out-of-School-Time program during the 2015-2016 school year. Three of the schools …

Effects Of Weeding Strategies On Information Resource Management Among Public Libraries In North-Central States Of Nigeria, Tangkat Yusuf Dushu Mr.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study investigated Effects of Weeding Strategies on Information Resource Management Among Public Libraries in North-Central States of Nigeria, the researcher observed that Every library's print collection is limited by the space available, and collections must change over time to reflect changes in the community and in the library's goals, as result, five (5) research questions and objectives were formulated with respect to how unwanted information resources managed, shelf-time period of information resources, effects of weeding on library organisation and services and the challenges of weeding in public libraries. Survey research method was adopted for the study and staff in …

Unopa Notes, May 4, 2016

UNOPA Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Mixing It Up: Teaching Information Literacy Concepts Through Different ‘Ways Of Learning’, Lorna M. Dawes

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

The new ACRL Framework for Information Literacy (ACRL, 2015) has propelled librarians into new approaches to teaching that concentrate on the concepts and not the procedures or tasks that relate to the effective use of information. It is known that students vary their learning strategies in response to the context of their learning environment (Richardson, 2011) and so it is imperative that instruction facilitates various ways of learning, that can be accommodated in both the small and large classes. Historically librarians have focused on the teaching of the skills: how to search databases, how to find information, how to evaluate …

Serving A Higher Power: The Influence Of Alternative Break Programs On Students’ Religiousness, Elizabeth Niehaus, Mark Rivera

Department of Educational Administration: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between students’ religiousness and participation in alternative breaks (ABs) using both survey and interview data from the National Survey of Alternative Breaks. Findings from this mixed methods study demonstrate the potential for ABs to facilitate religiousness and help students connect (or reconnect) to religious faith, particularly through participation in service with an explicit religious connection, individual written reflection, and interaction with community members.

Evolving Roles Of Librarians: Juggling Print And Electronic Collections While Making Meaningful Connections, Jorge Leon Jr., Barbara Pope

Nebraska Library Association: Conferences

The traditional role of librarians has long been to support the university’s needs through instruction, collection development, and research assistance. Pittsburg State University’s challenge has been to balance our print and electronic collections at a university whose programs sometimes do not draw enough on library resources while also creating meaningful connections with students and faculty. In an effort to increase the relevancy of our collections and create meaningful connections with the university community, we have been actively creating opportunities for patrons to create content in the library. This has allowed users to engage with library resources and services in a …

Color Me Calm: Adult Coloring And The University Library, Heidi Blackburn, Claire E. Chamley

Nebraska Library Association: Conferences

An activity often reserved for children, coloring books for adults rose from hipster trend to global phenomenon beginning in 2013. Adults flocked to the activity for a variety of reasons, including stress relief, socialization, a way to unplug from technology or even as a way to gain social status by appearing trendy. Participants reported enjoying the tactile, interactive nature of the books as a respite from constant screen time. Coloring books became big business for craft suppliers and bookstores by 2015. Coloring books shot to the top of the Best Sellers list on Amazon and were prominently displayed in book …

Effects Of Parent Child Interaction And Language Stimulation On Children's Language Development, Rachel E. Timm, Helen Raikes

UCARE Research Products

Research Questions:

• Does parent positive regard relate to a child’s receptive language development?

• Does language stimulation relate to a child’s receptive language development?

• Does parent bookreading behavior (reading fluency, reading intonation/animation, comfort level, and child involvement) relate to a child’s receptive language development?

Measures:

• Preschool Language Scale-5 (PLS-5)
• Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-4 (PPVT-4)
• HOME Language and Literacy Scale
• Video Codes from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care

Results:

• Positive regard was not significantly related to the PLS-5 or the PPVT-4.
• The HOME Language and Literacy Scale was a significant predictor of the PPVT-4 and was related to the PLS-5 …

Unopa Notes, April 2016

UNOPA Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Rural Civic Action Project Poster, Heartland Center For Leadership Development

Heartland Center for Leadership Development Materials

The final project for the Rural Civic Action Project is to create a poster that includes the Community Capital Mapping activity (CCMA; Keith & Kinsey, 2013). The Community Capital Maps provide an opportunity to evaluate the impact of the projects from the participants’ perspective. Fellows should include one map on their poster: the center of the map should be “Engaging in the Rural Civic Action Program. Also included on the poster is a narrative describing the map.

Unopa Notes, March 4, 2016

UNOPA Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Unopa Notes, Feb. 12, 2016

UNOPA Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Oh What A Tangled Web We Weave: Mind Mapping As Creative Spark To Optimize Transactional Clinic Assignments, Brett C. Stohs

Nebraska College of Law: Faculty Publications

Client assignments are among the most important factors that affect a student's experience in a live-client transactional law clinic. Student "attorneys" are presented with meaningful opportunities to engage with and learn from clients by applying their still-developing professional bona fides to real people with legal challenges. As a result, decisions regarding allocation and distribution of client matters are among the most important pedagogical decisions transactional clinical faculty make. By taking into account the unique and sometimes complex individual characteristics of each client and student, clinical faculty can optimize these allocations and maximize achievement of important objectives. Mind mapping can help …

Paradigm Shift: Sex Education, Mary Grayson-Pattar

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

With LGBTQ+ topics added to sex education at a young age, kids will learn that these topics are normal and cause a significant drop in bullying. Although some might say adding this would worsen the issue, it would teach students and faculty to be more accepting of these topics, and more accepting of LGBTQ+ people. Schools in Lincoln Public Schools and Omaha Public Schools have both been challenged with this topic recently, and reacted to them in different ways. Overall, the main issue of this topic is the current paradigm of our peers.

Inclusive sex education in classrooms is a …

Representing Teachers As Criminals In The News: A Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis Of The Atlanta Schools’ “Cheating Scandal”, Theresa Catalano, Lauren Gatti

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

On April 1, 2015, 11 Atlanta teachers accused of changing answers on their students’ standardized tests were convicted of racketeering and sentenced to 5–20 years in prison. Despite ample news coverage, few sources investigated teachers’ motivations for altering students’ responses or explored what the consequences would have been if student scores had not been changed to passing. Moreover, the fact that the teachers’ actions resulted from systemic problems associated with working within a high-stakes testing environment is glossed over and all but lost in the reporting of the “Cheating Scandal” events. The authors conduct a critical multimodal analysis of how …

Representations Of Power: A Critical Multimodal Analysis Of U.S. Ceos, The Italian Mafia And Government In The Media, Theresa Catalano, Linda R. Waugh

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

In September 2008, the collapse of the bank Lehman Brothers led to a financial crisis and the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s, threatening the entire global financial system. Some of the effects of the crisis included evictions, foreclosures and high and prolonged unemployment. Despite the fact that bankers and corporate executives are widely known to bear much of the blame for the crisis (“The origins of the financial crisis,” 2013), very few have actually been convicted of any crime. In addition, recent investigations of the relationship between the New York Federal Reserve and banks such as …

Indonesian Pre-Service Teachers’ Identities In A Microteaching Context: Learning To Teach English In An Indonesian Teacher Education Program, Dwi Riyanti, Loukia K. Sarroub

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

In today’s globalized era, English has become one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. As a language of science and an international means of communication, English has attracted people around the world to learn and speak it. While the global role of English has been viewed in various different frameworks including “colonial celebratory” (Pennycook 2001, 59) and a form of imperialism (Phillipson 1992), English has become a global language because of the power that its speakers have (McKay 2002; Crysta11997). However, with English being a global language, it is no longer solely the property of native speakers …

Moving People And Minds: Dance As A Vehicle Of Democratic Education, Theresa Catalano, Alison E. Leonard

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Engaging today’s youth in civil discussions of contentious issues remains both a crucial element in democratically oriented education and extremely challenging to facilitate. The purpose of this article, which documents and presents pilot study findings from a dance workshop that engaged practicing teachers surrounding the issue of immigration, is to understand how dance can be integrated into the curriculum to prepare students to engage in democratic deliberation. Data collection consisted of pre- and post-workshop interviews with participants and was analyzed based on common principles of democracy and democratic education found in the literature. Findings point to the important role that …

Honors In Practice: A Publication Of The National Collegiate Honors Council, Volume 12 (2016)--Complete Issue

Honors in Practice Online Archive

CONTENTS

Editorial Policy, Deadline, and Submission Guidelines v

Dedication to Patrice Berger — Karen Lyons

Editor’s Introduction — Ada Long

FIFTIETH-ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

Founder’s Award Speech — Bernice Braid

RESEARCH ABOUT HONORS

Evaluating the Application of Program Outcomes to Study Abroad Experiences — Patricia Joanne Smith and Lawrence J. Mrozek

Why Not Honors? Understanding Students’ Decisions Not to Enroll and Persist in Honors Programs — Timothy Nichols, Jacob Ailts, and Kuo-Liang Chang

Effects of Peer Mentorship on Student Leadership — Giovanna Walters and Ashley Kanak

PRACTICAL AND INNOVATIVE IDEAS FOR HONORS

The Challenge of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in …

Combined Iron Deficiency And Low Aerobic Fitness Doubly Burden Academic Performance Among Women Attending University, Samuel P. Scott, Mary Jane Desouza, Karsten Koehler, Laura E. Murray-Kolb

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background: Academic success is a key determinant of future prospects for students. Cognitive functioning has been related to nutritional and physical factors. Here, we focus on iron status and aerobic fitness in young-adult female students given the high rate of iron deficiency and declines in fitness reported in this population. Objectives: We sought to explore the combined effects of iron status and fitness on academic success and to determine whether these associations are mediated by cognitive performance.

Methods: Women (n = 105) aged 18–35 y were recruited for this cross-sectional study. Data were obtained for iron biomarkers, peak oxygen …