Education Commons^™

Teaching Students With Adverse Childhood Experiences, Kelsey Bundrick

Senior Honors Theses

Students in every school and at every grade level have had, or continue to have, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), which may be considered traumatic. These experiences inevitably interfere with students’ brain development and learning processes. First, it is important that teachers are informed of the effects that these experiences may have on the lives of their students. Awareness of the problem is the first step toward solving any issue. Second, with knowledge of these findings, teachers must find methods to reach these students. All students deserve an equal chance at a quality education. The purpose of this study is to …

Reforming Illinois K-12 Public Education Through A Four-Pronged Approach, Seth Brooks

Senior Honors Theses

Public education in the United States has produced lackluster results in the past decades. Various forms of school choice have emerged in recent years to combat the poor results seen in the public education system, but these private schools are financially unattainable for many Americans. Bureaucratic overload, city corruption, inequities in funding, and frequent teachers’ strikes have certainly contributed to the destitute state of Illinois’ public education. In this thesis, the attainability of fiscal relief for Illinois families who choose alternative education and the necessity of the state in permitting such alternatives is discussed.

Current school choice policies in the …

Business Viability & Communication Potential Of Modern Education Models, Santiago Frank

Senior Honors Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the education sector at large. This study aims to investigate which current education model best balances the sub-criteria of business viability and communication efficacy in the milieu of our modern context. In this study, five education models have been studied in order to uncover their performance in these two sub-criteria. Each model is analyzed in terms of its objective performance. The results reveal that in-person education provides slightly better scores for communication efficacy as well as much higher student and faculty satisfaction, while online education is incredibly economically viable. While the data is unclear, in …

The Role Of Story In The Creation And Life Of Man, Leah Ginion

Senior Honors Theses

Story was created by God as a vehicle for the revelation and glorification of Himself. Man, made in the image of God, was created as an innate storyteller. The world was created through story, and story is how it progresses and is sustained. As such, story is the foundation of all culture and the most natural and effective method of human communication. Research points to all of man’s stories being derivatives of the Great Story: the metanarrative of Scripture. Exploring man’s relationship with story reveals his place within the metanarrative and ultimately provides evidence for the existence and active presence …

Impact Of Students’ Home Lives On Students’ Academic Performance And Discussion Of Related Strategies For Teachers, Grace Ellis

Senior Honors Theses

Students’ home lives can significantly impact their educational progress and success. Aspects such as the amount of parental involvement, grandparents’ support, family structures, number of siblings, financial stability, socioeconomic status, abusive family situations, and spiritual background can all have a major influence on how a student behaves and performs at school. This thesis provides a description of how these various subjects impact students in their education, and it provides some practical steps that teachers can take based on this information. The thesis is supported by information from scholars, who support the idea that parental involvement, which is directly tied to …

Factors Which Facilitate The Successful Inclusion Of Students With Learning Disabilities And Emotional And Behavioral Disabilities, Mackenzie Gabrielle Nadeau

Senior Honors Theses

This paper examines the different types of strategies, supports, and technologies available to students who are classified with a learning disability (LD) or emotional and behavioral disability (EBD) in an inclusive setting. As the number of students with LD and EBD in a general, inclusive classroom setting is rising, it is necessary to find ways to maximize their educational performance. In an inclusive setting, children with disabilities receive instruction with support and accommodations alongside their non-disabled peers in their neighborhood school. The practice of inclusion promotes social interaction and peer-acceptance among students with and without disabilities, therefore providing opportunities for …

The Development Of Cultural Intelligence (Cq) In The Secondary Social Studies Classroom, Asha Gillette

Senior Honors Theses

Cultural competence is an important skill in our globalized world. Cultural Intelligence (CQ) is a good metric for cultural competence. CQ is used by businesses to improve cultural competence of their employees. There has been a lot of research on the development of CQ in undergraduate business students. Experiential teaching methods are the most effective in improving students’ CQ. CQ is a valuable skill for high school students to learn. The subject most appropriate to include training in CQ is social studies, and specifically World Geography. Pedagogical methods such as cultural interviews used in undergraduate business courses can also be …

Community In Culture: The Role Of Multicultural Education In Elementary School, Michaela Novack

Senior Honors Theses

Racism, bias, and discrimination plagues all areas of society, including the school systems. With the wrong perspective, diversity causes division, and it is impacting students, even in elementary schools. This thesis will examine research about the issue of racism and bias in elementary schools and suggest the solution of cultural integration experiences with practical strategies. It will demonstrate how cultural diversity in instruction encourages students to identify stereotypes, readjust their perspectives of culture, and identify and appreciate their cultural differences. This instruction can be achieved through a variety of methods including virtual field trips, diverse literature, and class activities. The …

Fostering Positive Teacher-Student Relationships In The Classroom, Mandi Lehman

Senior Honors Theses

The research in this qualitative study bases itself on the importance of positive teacher-student relationships in the classroom. Positive teacher-student relationships are critical in furthering students’ growth in the school. Teachers can take the place of a parental role in a student’s life, and positive relationships are essential to make a lasting impact on students. Teachers’ attitudes affect how they understand and build relationships with the students in their classroom, and factors such as closeness, conflict, and dependency affect these relationships. Five elementary education professors were interviewed to gain insight into the specific strategies and attitudes elementary educators need to …

The Importance And Implementation Of Kinesthetic Learning In The English Classroom, Emma Crandall

Senior Honors Theses

This paper examines different educators’ and researchers’ activities for kinesthetic learners and discusses how they can be applied to the English classroom in literature, writing, and language. The first section delves into the difficulty associated with but ultimate importance of including kinesthetic learning activities for both kinesthetic and non-kinesthetic learners due to the benefits of active learning. Subsequently, it looks for synthesis between different types of kinesthetic activities, dividing them into the categories of manipulatives, commonly accepted classroom activities with kinesthetic add-ons, and kinesthetic-centered activities. The ways each activity can be used, including its benefits and disadvantages, are discussed, and …

More Than A Single Story: Culturally Diverse Literature And Social Inclusion In Elementary Classrooms, Amanda Works

Senior Honors Theses

This paper aims to consider the existing literature regarding culturally diverse literature, social inclusion, and children’s literature as mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors. These three concepts form a conceptual framework that supports the research study, which explored the use of culturally diverse literature and any correlation with social inclusion. Four elementary teachers participated in semi-structured interviews focused on two research questions: “What impacts the use of culturally diverse literature in elementary classrooms?” and “Does culturally diverse literature affect social inclusion in elementary classrooms?”. Through thematic, qualitative analysis, the study identified three central themes: (1) levels of choice based on …

Creating A Culture Of Learning: Intrinsic Motivation And Its Practical Value In The Wake Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Paige Hennen

Senior Honors Theses

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, students of all ages were required to rapidly transition to the demands of virtual learning, resulting in general amotivation. These changes have led to poor academic performance, due to the decreased efficiency of learning processes as these students learn to cope with the instability caused by the pandemic as well as school-related changes. Intrinsic motivation, especially when cultivated within the learning process, plays an important role in student academic success and acts as an influence on holistic success in adulthood. Thus, educators must cater to the needs of this generation's students by implementing …

The Greatest Teacher: Modeling Jesus In Urban Education, Harley Rusk

Senior Honors Theses

Several key best practices from urban education research are reflected in the pedagogy of Jesus Christ, providing a practical foundation for Christian educators in urban schools. Related to the prevalence of poverty and trauma are the practices of learning students’ backgrounds to better interpret behavior, which Jesus reflects by healing before teaching, and holding high standards, demonstrated in Jesus’ interaction with the rich man and the Sermon on the Mount. Related to racial diversity are the practices of addressing implicit bias, a crucial part of being Christlike, and connecting instruction to students’ culture, like Jesus did through parables. Christians can …

The Effects Of Charter Schools On Early Foreign Language Education In Public Schools, Cassie Kunz

Senior Honors Theses

Education is a notoriously contentious subject in America. Controversy exists and continues to flare up over what content should be taught, how it should be taught, as well as the cost; foreign language is one such subject. The history of foreign language education in the United States (U.S.) reviews current foreign language policies and practices in the U.S. and other countries, as well as the reasons that proponents of foreign language education argue that it must be improved in the U.S. The charter school approach to education was analyzed in the context of market theory to determine if a correlation …

Music Is The Intervention: The Intersections Of Music As A Therapeutic Activity In At-Risk Youth, Gladys H. Gonzalez Landaverde

Senior Honors Theses

Across the United States, public schools face many discrepancies in the quality and caliber of education that a student can expect to receive. While schools try to address the vast needs of students, many children and adolescents are unfortunately faced with choosing between prioritizing their education and the circumstances faced outside of the school day. The discrepancies in schooling range from the quality in the commonly accepted core curriculum like English and mathematics to the opportunities offered outside of traditional academia like music. Unfortunately, at-risk students are unlikely to have access to music education in the same ease as their …

Oral History: A Tool For The Elementary And Middle Classroom, Jessica Keiser

Senior Honors Theses

Modern historical instruction requires educators to cover broad expanses of history and prepare students for standardized testing. In the push to meet state standards and cover the vast curriculum in short periods of time, many educators have begun to teach to the textbook. Much to the detriment of students, this educational practice has favored periodization and content quantity over the development of crucial historical skills. Rather than adhering to popular education trends, teachers can consider implementing oral history projects within their elementary and middle school classrooms. Oral history is a methodology that employs first-hand accounts to teach about key historical …

Gifted Student Burnout, Lillian Clevenger

Senior Honors Theses

Gifted Student Burnout may be part of the occurrence of fatigue that can affect students of all ages. This can range from elementary to high school. Burnout in gifted education is a relatively new area of research, as burnout research in students and the gifted programs themselves are also new. The potential causes and potential solutions will be used to differentiate classroom instruction for gifted students. As gifted students grow and begin to want more control over their learning, instruction will need to be adjusted to help students stay invested in their academics. There are possible outlying effects that the …

The Music Bluetooth Controller: An Intersection Between Technology And Music, Lydia Wu

Senior Honors Theses

The modern musician faces a new challenge: how can technology be used to enhance a performance? This thesis documents the development of a Bluetooth remote controller that will aid today’s performing musicians by interacting with a digital display (e.g., an iPad) to flip musical score pages remotely. At its core, while mimicking a Bluetooth pedal (the current industry standard), this device attaches to the musician’s hand. In its pilot stages, the device has been referred to “MBC” (Music Bluetooth Controller).

Art As Contextualization: Using Visual Communication As Christian Missions In Native American And Alaskan Cultures, Hali Gehring

Senior Honors Theses

Contextualization is an important aspect of Christian ministries and cross-cultural missions to create sustaining churches around the world. There are many forms of communication that use contextualization for religious purposes, such as theatre, story, art, and dance. These important forms of communication can be used with cultural practices to contextualize the Gospel to different people groups. For Native Americans and Alaskans, artistic works that promote cultural heritage are highly regarded. A beadwork piece that explains the Gospel could be a creative way to contextualize to Native American and Alaskans.

Breaking The Cycle: Incorporating A Pedagogy Of Expression In Secondary Ensembles, Autumn Mortenson

Senior Honors Theses

Western music education is caught in a cycle of constant concert preparation. Even though teaching expression is an important standard of music education, it is not often the focus of secondary ensembles. This thesis explores the rationale for teaching secondary instrumental students to think expressively, the benefits of teaching expressive performance, and the methods to successfully incorporate this pedagogy. This project aims to show that the creation of expressive opportunity and responsibility during regular rehearsals would allow the students to further develop these skills without detracting from the quality of public performances. The conclusion of this project will provide ensemble …

A Deeper Look At The Literacy Achievement Gap And The History Of Interventions, Anna Alden

Senior Honors Theses

The literacy achievement gap is a prevalent topic of discussion in the field of education, specifically as it relates to socioeconomic status. This paper reviews programs from the federal, state, and local level that have been implemented to close the gap and analyzes what has been successful in doing so. The findings indicate that an authentic program that includes extensive hands-on activities that promote different type of literacy growth and development that starts early, preferably before kindergarten, and works closely with families to intervene in the lives of at-risk children is most recommended by research. This is consistent with social …

"Read It Again!": Storytelling To Imitate The Great Teacher, Kate Whatley

Senior Honors Theses

The student’s mind is bent on stories, asking mothers around the world to ‘read it again’. These stories preserve information and emotions for centuries. In the classroom, stories enliven motivation and empathy in ways that result in higher academic achievement and social awareness. Learning to use stories as a key instructional strategy will allow for more equitable opportunities in classrooms, encourage mental health and truth telling for the teacher and the student collectively, and allow the academic community to imitate Christ by contributing to the bigger story taking place across time. In application of using stories as teachers, this thesis …

Characteristics Of Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Supporting Increased Eye Contact, Caitlyn Cherry

Senior Honors Theses

One of the most beautiful realities is the fact that no two people on this earth are exactly the same. Everyone has their own unique fingerprint, experiences, personality, strengths, and weaknesses. For people with Autism Spectrum Disorder, the same concept applies. Each case is different because each child is different. While this is inherently true, research shows that many people with ASD struggle with the same or similar social skills, with lack of eye contact being a prevalent issue. This social deficit will inherently affect individual’s ability to read social cues, regulate real world interactions, make connections, build intimate relationships …

Game-Based Learning In Science: Can Video Games Simplify Organic Chemistry?, Rachel Israel

Senior Honors Theses

Organic chemistry has been taught in the same way for decades, and students still have difficulty understanding and comprehending the subject material. Perhaps it is time to change the methods by which this subject is taught. Video games have been successfully used in education to create learning environments that increase student motivation and engagement as well as challenge students and promote collaboration. It is difficult for students to maintain a growth mindset in organic chemistry within the classroom. However across different genres, video games create a unique environment where an individual is encouraged to try again when they fail. This …

Second Language Learning Anxiety And Language Mindsets, Brielle Marlow

Senior Honors Theses

In the field of teaching English as a second language, second language learning anxiety (SLLA) arises frequently in students. This anxiety is defined as a situational anxiety that is mainly due to communication apprehension, a fear of negative evaluation, and test anxiety; however, its definition is not limited to simply the fears students face. SLLA influences language acquisition in overwhelmingly negative ways. Reduction of SLLA should be teachers’ primary goal, which is possible when teachers shape language mindsets for the benefit of student learning. Language mindsets are learners’ view on whether their language abilities are fixed or able to be …

Poetry Beyond The Page: A Case For Spoken Word Poetry In Florida's Secondary Classrooms, Sarah Matherly

Senior Honors Theses

Florida’s B.E.S.T. Standards, Florida’s most recent K-12 educational standards to promote literacy, lack the rising art of Spoken Word Poetry. However, Florida’s Department of Education should integrate Spoken Word into Florida’s Secondary curriculum. Spoken Word Poetry, by its definition, holds researched benefits that align with the B.E.S.T. Standard’s poetry recommendations and literacy-centered goals. In light of such benefits, Florida’s Department of Education should consider various Spoken Word poets and poems to include in Florida’s Secondary Curriculum, as well as explore the resources and integration methods included in this thesis for both teachers and students.

Investigating The Prevailing Worldviews Of American Public Education: A Brief Analysis And History, Chester Walker

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis investigates whether the philosophies and worldviews underlying U.S. public education contradict or purposefully undermine Biblical Christianity. It provides readers with an understanding of the Biblical Christian worldview to enable them to analyze and contrast prominent worldviews of public education. Pragmatism and Marxism run rampant in public education today. Both strongly oppose fundamental tenets of the Biblical Christian worldview. To determine any purposeful anti-Christian agenda, the author examines the men behind the worldviews. Christianity maintains that ideas and practices in education originate from deeply-held, personal beliefs, which are passed on to students. Education is a means of discipleship to …

Teaching Lexical Stress: Effective Practice In A Mandarin Ell Context, Ethan Oliver

Senior Honors Theses

Current trends in teaching pronunciation to ELLs (English Language Learners) point towards a "top-down" approach. This refers to putting emphasis on the overarching prosodic features of English rather than the proper pronunciation of consonants and vowels. One of the most integral prosodic features in English is stress. Both lexical stress (stressed syllables within a word) and sentence stress (stressed words within a sentence) play an important role in the prosodic pronunciation of English. However, some languages, such as Mandarin, lack stress in their prosodic systems, instead employing features such as tonality. These languages both have overlap in their fundamental prosodic …

American Sign Language Interpreting For D/Deaf Individuals With Disabilities: A Qualitative Study And Practical Guide, Emily Mason

Senior Honors Theses

American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting for d/Deaf individuals with disabilities (DWD) is a complex task, and one which lacks an adequate research-base to inform best practices. Using the foundation of existing literature on closely related topics such as the field of ASL interpreting, educational interpreting, education of DWD individuals, and research about specific disabilities occurring with d/Deafness, I compiled a literature review and created a theoretical conceptual framework concerning this topic. In further investigation of this subject, I also conducted a qualitative study through online questionnaires sent out by email to ASL interpreters located through snowball sampling. The data collected …

A Spectrum Of Tech: An Integrated Literature Review Of Technologies To Target Social Skills In Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Taylor Caldwell

Senior Honors Theses

Students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often have limited social or communication skills and, thus, need extra assistance in learning when and how to engage in appropriate interactions with those around them. However, because there are several different individual skills (e.g., joint attention, emotional expression, etc.) that fall under the categories of social and communication skills, and there are even more options of devices and programs to choose from within assistive technology (AT) and instructional technology (IT), it may seem daunting to find the right technology to meet a specific child’s needs and to determine whether that technology procedures lasting …