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Full-Text Articles in Education

Colored Overlays And The Reading Fluency Of Middle School Students With Cognitive Disabilities, Emily Raymond Sep 2011

Colored Overlays And The Reading Fluency Of Middle School Students With Cognitive Disabilities, Emily Raymond

Master of Education Research Theses

Reading is an essential life skill that is a struggle for many students with cognitive disabilities. This quantitative study will examine the effects of colored overlay on the reading fluency of students with cognitive disabilities compared to students with Specific . Reading Disabilities. The experiment is an ABA design to test for reversal where reading . fluency baselines were collected before and after the application of the treatment of a colored overlay. Data is analyzed through multivariate tests of repeated measures ANOVA. Previous studies have shown colored overlays to be an effective intervention tool for increasing reading fluency rates in …


A Study Of Phonics Instruction: Teaching Phonics Dance To At-Risk Elementary Students To Improve Decoding Skills, Brittany Phipps Sep 2011

A Study Of Phonics Instruction: Teaching Phonics Dance To At-Risk Elementary Students To Improve Decoding Skills, Brittany Phipps

Master of Education Research Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of the Phonics Dance as an effective tool to aid low achieving students in their ability to decode words. Student and teacher perceptions of the Phonics Dance were also investigated to find out if this method is something that students enjoyed and preferred. A quantitative approach was used to determine the effectiveness of the Phonics Dance using a Pretest/ Post-test approach with a control and a treatment group. Thirty-nine students received phonics instruction for four weeks. Students were assessed in their ability to read the sounds and digraphs taught to …


Career College Students' Perceptions Of Portfolios And Their Influence In The Hiring Process, Andrea J. Webb Aug 2011

Career College Students' Perceptions Of Portfolios And Their Influence In The Hiring Process, Andrea J. Webb

Master of Education Research Theses

Two-year college enrollment continues to increase to meet the challenges of our changing economy. Due to this increased enrollment, it has become quite evident that more research in the area of two-year colleges is needed. Many two-year colleges have their students complete a portfolio upon graduation, to assist them in the competitive job market. Does the portfolio really help students get jobs? The contents of this paper follow a mixed-method study that involves surveying graduates of two-year colleges as well as interviewing employers who frequently hire two-year college graduates. Graduates from a number of two-year colleges were asked to complete …


Christian Education In The 21st Century: Renewing A Transformational Vision, Gabriel J. Pethtel Aug 2011

Christian Education In The 21st Century: Renewing A Transformational Vision, Gabriel J. Pethtel

Master of Education Research Theses

The findings of this research include educational concepts synthesized from interviews with several contemporary Christian school leaders including, D. Bruce Lockerbie, Jeff Woodcock, Janet Lowrie Nason, Barret Mossbacker, Bob Gresh, Rick Bernhardt, Randy Ross, Chirs Cleveland, Dr. Jane Duffey, Dr. John Foreman, and Dr. Marck Eckel. The voices of these educators are combined with literary points made by foundational Christian school leaders in years past, such as Frank E. Gaebelein, Roy W. Lowrie, Roussas J. Rushdoony, Cornelius Van Til, and Gene Garrick, to renew a transformational vision for Christian education in the 21st century. Research findings promote a call to …


A Parental Response To Online Progress Reports, Jane E. Miner Aug 2011

A Parental Response To Online Progress Reports, Jane E. Miner

Master of Education Research Theses

For years the academic and social progress of the elementary student has been communicated by paper reports. This project examined the parental response to the introduction of online progress reports in an elementary school. The student information system observed was the free Engrade class management system. The investigation was conducted in a small Christian school with parents of students in grades two through six. Parents were asked if the online communication bettered their understanding of their child‟s development. The literature review shows the value of the communication between school and home. Literature also uncovers the effect of technology on that …


How Have Descriptions Of The Arab-Israeli Conflict Changed In High School U.S. History Textbooks Since The 1950s?, Andrea Smith Aug 2011

How Have Descriptions Of The Arab-Israeli Conflict Changed In High School U.S. History Textbooks Since The 1950s?, Andrea Smith

Master of Education Research Theses

This study is a qualitative and quantitative analysis of textbook content regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict, among three of the top textbook publishers in the United States from the 1950s to the present. The goal of this study was to highlight whether there has been more or less emphasis on particular events over time, and identify major patterns and changes in textbook content on the Arab-Israeli conflict. This thesis also addresses some of the historic, political, social, and educational implications of those changes. The conclusions and recommendations portion of the research contains suggestions for overcoming the limitations of textbook portrayals of …


Why Do Japanese People Not Speak English? Japanese Elementary Students In A Bilingual School, Steven B. Rohrer Aug 2011

Why Do Japanese People Not Speak English? Japanese Elementary Students In A Bilingual School, Steven B. Rohrer

Master of Education Research Theses

Japanese schools have invested much money and effort in teaching English, yet why do most Japanese people not speak English? Their reticence has been attributed to various factors including communication apprehension or language anxiety. In this study, qualitative, phenomenological interviews were conducted with 24 Japanese upper elementary students at a bilingual international school in Japan to investigate influences on their willingness to communicate in English. Through open coding of the students’ responses, four themes emerged. Intrinsic factors which made students reticent to speak in English were internal stress and the perceived difficulty of English speaking. Social groups and identity issues …


Parents’ Perspective Of The Young Marines As A Youth Leadership Program, Rebecca Van Deusen Jul 2011

Parents’ Perspective Of The Young Marines As A Youth Leadership Program, Rebecca Van Deusen

Master of Education Research Theses

Despite the number of youth development programs, little is clear about the essence and structure of the Young Marines through the eyes of the parents. Drawing on both the literature and the data gathered through in-depth interviews from parents, this study aims to examine parents’ views, their understanding and perspective. Data collected for this study comes from one primary source: Young Marines, Quantico, VA. Through a phenomenological study, the researcher’s participants give insight, knowledge, and descriptive life experiences about the Young Marines. Materials provided by the National Young Marines website was beneficial and necessary as no data represents the Young …


An Action Research Study On Using Cooperative Learning During Graphic Design Classroom Crits, Anise V. Simpson Jul 2011

An Action Research Study On Using Cooperative Learning During Graphic Design Classroom Crits, Anise V. Simpson

Master of Education Research Theses

The author of this action research study surveyed both graphic design students and graphic design instructors about their critique experiences to discover instructors and students both identified a lack of student participation as well as the issue of students getting hurt feelings and becoming discouraged as common critique concerns. The author designed and implemented a treatment called Design Structures to increase student participation during crits. To improve the quality of experience of design students during crits, the author incorporated cooperative learning strategies developed by Spencer and Miguel Kagan (2009) into the Design Structures treatment. The author used the experience sampling …


A Historical Analysis Of Attitudes Toward The Use Of Calculators In Junior High And High School Math Classrooms In The United States Since 1975, Sarah Banks Jun 2011

A Historical Analysis Of Attitudes Toward The Use Of Calculators In Junior High And High School Math Classrooms In The United States Since 1975, Sarah Banks

Master of Education Research Theses

This thesis explored the history of calculator usage in mathematics classrooms in the United States since 1975 with a focus on the attitudes of parents, educators, and national organizations. The influence of historical events, people, organizations, research, and trends was explored in depth. Studying the changes that calculators have brought to mathematics curriculum and how educators have reacted in the past will help to explain why math curriculum and school systems have adopted the attitudes and policies about calculators that they currently hold. This study found similar attitudes and reactions by parents and educators toward calculator usage in contrast to …


Using Mnemonic Strategies To Teach Letter-Name And Letter-Sound Correspondences, Janet S. Shaeffer Apr 2011

Using Mnemonic Strategies To Teach Letter-Name And Letter-Sound Correspondences, Janet S. Shaeffer

Master of Education Research Theses

The critical role of acquiring alphabet letter names and sounds as a foundation to literacy is pursued successfully with a class of kindergarteners, using two mnemonic treatments, one using pictures and jingles, and the other using music with a kinesthetic element.


Technology Integration: A Research-Based Professional Development Program, Tori R. Faulder Jan 2011

Technology Integration: A Research-Based Professional Development Program, Tori R. Faulder

Master of Education Research Theses

This research-based thesis project explains the governmental acts and policies, investors, and other stakeholders who have worked to promote, question, and explore the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the classroom. Research suggests that best-practice ICT integration requires using ICT alongside constructivist pedagogy. However, ICT integration is a complex phenomenon involving a significant number of factors. Teachers have often taken the blame for a failure to effectively integrate ICT in their classrooms due to their integral role in effective integration. This research project attempts to ensure that teachers will be equipped, empowered, and encouraged to include ICT in …