Education Commons^™

Using Video Modeling Delivered Through An Ipod Touch To Teach Purchasing Skills To Students With Severe Cognitive Disabilities, Sarah M. Stone

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Video modeling is a recent buzzword in the vocabulary of special educators and other professionals who work with individuals with disabilities. This type of modeling has proven effective in many studies specifically for individuals with autism. Recent studies show the effectiveness of acquiring skills through observing a video recording of a model (themselves or another person) performing the skill correctly. The technique used in this study is video modeling with another individual as the model (VMO). The researchers looked at the acquisition of purchasing skills based on viewing the video model in the grocery store. The VMO was presented using …

Understanding Successful Japanese Language Programs: Utah Case Study, Timothy G. Stout

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Recent world events have caused Americans to reassess national political, economic, and educational priorities, resulting in a shift towards Asia. The schools in response have begun to introduce less commonly taught languages, such as Japanese and Chinese. Many Utah public schools have tried to implement less commonly taught language programs. Some have succeeded, and other others have not. The purpose of this study was to understand how and why some schools were able to successfully integrate less commonly taught language programs, and why others were not.

The results of this study suggest that the factors relating to students’ interests and …

A Longitudinal Study Of English Narrative Discourse Development In Young Spanish-English Bilinguals, Abbie Olszewski

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Producing oral narratives is the best predictor of later literacy functioning. The ability to use performance on oral narratives as a way to identify children who may be at- risk for academic and language problems is helpful for educators. For example, it is likely that children who are identified with language impairments or who are learning English as a second language may have difficulty creating narratives due to the inherent language complexity of creating narratives. Research has demonstrated that similar to English monolingual children, narrative ability has been shown to underlie literacy development for bilingual children. Although there are numerous …

An Evaluation Of A Computer-Based Training On The Visual Analysis Of Single-Subject Data, Katie Snyder

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Federal education policies, such as No Child Left Behind and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, mandate the use of scientifically-proven or research-based curricula and interventions. Presumably, interventions that have a large amount of scientific evidence documenting their success are more likely to be effective when implemented with students in school settings.

In special education, single-subject research is the predominant methodology used to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions. In single-subject research, a target behavior is measured under baseline conditions (i.e., before the intervention of interest is implemented) and intervention conditions. The data for each condition are graphed, and analyzed …

The Evolution Of History: Changing Narratives Of The Mountain Meadows Massacre In Utah's Public School Curricula, Casey W. Olson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Mountain Meadows Massacre is widely considered to be the most violent and controversial event in Utah’s history. This qualitative study investigates how the massacre has been portrayed to Utah’s schoolchildren through the state’s history and social studies curricula, and why curricular narratives of the massacre have changed with time. The study documents changes in curricular narratives of the Mountain Meadows Massacre from the years 1908-2011. It also compares these narratives with four concurrent sources providing narratives of the massacre: (a) public monuments commemorating the massacre, (b) curricular narratives published by Utah’s dominant religious and cultural institution—The Church of Jesus …

Identifying Perceptions That Contribute To The Development Of Successful Project Lead The Way Pre-Engineering Programs In Utah, Keith Mcmullin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In public education it is necessary to consider elective secondary educational programs and determine what it takes for the programs to be successful. Indeed, one could ask the question, "Are the classes in these programs giving our students what they need to be successful in life or should they be dropped from the school's registration catalog?" This research answers questions like this in Utah about the very popular pre-engineering program called "Project Lead the Way" (PLTW). The aims of this research was to explore factors that contribute to making successful PLTW programs in Utah.

The PLTW pre-engineering program is a …

Spanish-Speaking Parents' Negotiation Of Language And Culture With Their Children's Schools, Ronda L. Bickmore

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Latinos are now the largest public school minority population in the U.S. Because of a shift in the states, cities, and counties where Latinos are choosing to live, many schools that did not previously serve substantial numbers of Latinos are doing so now. Additionally, many of the Latinos in these new settlement areas are recent immigrants who speak little or no English. This qualitative study examined how immigrant Latino parents who speak little or no English supported their children in the English-speaking school system of the U.S. It specifically examined how 12 Spanish-speaking parents negotiated language and culture with their …

The Differential Contributions Of Auditory-Verbal And Visuospatial Working Memory On Decoding Skills In Children Who Are Poor Decoders, Katie E. Squires

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study investigated the unique contributions of simple and complex auditory-verbal and visuospatial working memory (WM) in isolation or in conjunction with other skills known to affect decoding such as phonological awareness, orthographic knowledge, and nonverbal and verbal intelligence. Thirty-two second-grade students and 22 fifth-grade students, all identified as poor decoders, participated in this study.

For the second-grade students, a measure of complex auditory-verbal WM was correlated with word attack (reading psuedowords). For fifth-grade participants, there was a negative correlation between a complex visuospatial WM measure and word attack. A measure of simple auditory-verbal WM was correlated to word identification …

Maintaining Spanish In An English-Speaking World, Audrey Constance Juhasz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As the Latino portion of the United States population continues to grow each year, more and more children in the United States leave their Spanish-speaking homes and enter English immersion schools. Throughout their lives, these children are likely to shift language preferences from their home language, to the language of the community. However, maintaining development in their first language would be a benefit to them in multiple ways. Identifying factors within bilingual homes that influence English and Spanish language development in preschool-aged children will help researchers and practitioners encourage families to cultivate the optimal learning environment.

This study endeavored to …

An Ecofeminist Perspective On The Influences That Promote And Restrict Three Early Childhood Educators' Inclusion Of Open-Ended Outdoor Learning, Anne K. Mackiewicz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to explore the influences that promoted and restricted three women early childhood educators' inclusion of open-ended outdoor learning in a Head Start center. With the recorded history of human's impact on nature, along with the majority of women in the early childhood workforce, I chose a theory, ecofeminism, that looked at both the domination of women and nature in the early childhood setting.

The methods included participant interviews, observations, and a study of the site's documents. Four themes were identified as promoting or restricting open-ended outdoor learning. These themes included: (a) participant's attitudes, (b) …

Utility Of An Error Analysis And Performance Deficit Assessment For Selecting Brief Interventions To Increase Math Fluency, Aaron John Denison

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Children who struggle with math fluency are typically not provided with the appropriate motivation and instruction for their needs in the regular education classroom. Because of their lack of math fluency skills, these children can be negatively affected throughout their education and can continually fall further behind their peers. It is clear that children who struggle with math fluency should be provided with interventions specific to their needs in order to thrive in a school environment. Thus, it is critical that school psychologists and researchers develop effective strategies for children who are struggling with math fluency in order to help …

Factors That Influence Secondary Students To Join The Collegiate Ffa, Sara Vanderbos

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Student involvement on college campuses is important for the professional growth, leadership development and learning of today's college student. This research sought to determine the factors that influence former high school FFA members' reasons for joining and participating in the Collegiate FFA.

The study showed that students who are involved in the National FFA at the secondary level are more likely to join Collegiate FFA while attending a university that offers the Collegiate FFA option. These students were actively engaged on campus and were interested in helping others. Collegiate FFA programs, the National FFA, and universities across the country should …

Evaluation Of The Division Of Securities Investor Education Seminars, Kristilyn J. Wilkinson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Investor Education Seminars are taught by the Utah Division of Securities to educate consumers and make them more aware of investment fraud. This research study evaluated the seminar in order to assess the effectiveness of the four classes in helping consumers achieve financial capability. A logic model was used to outline program objectives and to determine the research questions.

Individuals who registered for the seminars were invited to complete three surveys for this study: a pretest, posttest, and three-month follow-up survey. A comparison group that had not yet attended the Investor Education Seminars was asked to complete the same …

"Idilemmas" And Humanities Education: Redefining Technology Literacy Pedagogy And Practice, Steven Richard Watts

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Humanities educators at U.S. colleges and universities face sustained challenges in building effective technology literacy practices. As theories of technology literacy evolve, humanities topics are increasingly relevant in technology discussions, as rhetorical and critical analysis, textual analysis, and student learning theory are deeply embedded in current definitions of technology literacy. As such, humanities scholars have dramatic opportunities to become more involved in technology studies generally, and have a voice in technology policies that affect their institutions and students.

However, critical research, classroom teaching methods, and curricula in ICT literacy have fallen behind current needs, and many institutions struggle to define …

Sensitivity Of Human Choice To Manipulations Of Parameters Of Positive And Negative Sound Reinforcement, Joseph Michael Lambert

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to determine whether altering parameters of positive and negative reinforcement in identical ways could influence behavior maintained by each in different ways. Three undergraduate students participated in a series of assessments designed to identify preferred and aversive sounds with similar reinforcing values. Following reinforcer identification, we conducted parameter sensitivity assessments for both positive and negative reinforcers. Parameter manipulations influenced behavior in the same way across reinforcement processes for two participants. However, for one participant, the way in which parameter manipulations influenced behavior differed according to the reinforcement process. Our results suggest that, for at …

Using Writing To Explore Human-Environment Interactions: An Integrated Approach, Lindsay Prettyman

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

This Honors Thesis includes a literature review on integrated curriculum for a third grade class. It also includes 22 lessons which, along with the literature review, explore the idea of integrating inquiry based social studies with language arts, especially informational narrative writing in the classroom Other subjects are integrated as well, including math and science. The curriculum development was, in part, pilot tested at Edith Bowen Laboratory School. It uses McTighe's Backward Design curriculum model and focuses on the settlement of the pioneers in Cache Valley.

Student Engagement In Lds Seminaries, Thomas P. Aardema

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This qualitative study examined student engagement in seminaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). This study sought to answer the following question: "What are seminary teachers, who have been identified by content experts as having high levels of student engagement, doing to generate high levels of student engagement in their classrooms?" Ten LDS Seminary teachers were selected as participants for this study. The findings from this study were organized around the concepts of: competence, school membership, clarity of purpose, fairness, personal support, caring, authentic work, extrinsic reward, intrinsic interests, sense of ownership, connection to real-world application, …

Research Into The Characteristics Of Effective High School Principals: A Case Study Of Leadership Practices Used In The High School Setting, Gregory G. Wilkey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study came about largely due to my own personal belief in the centrality of the role the high school principal plays in the life of a young adult. I believe most people think of the school principal solely as an administrator who deals with personnel, discipline, facilities, events, transportation, parents, and so forth. While those are some of the responsibilities of a high school principal, I see the role of a high school principal with a much broader perspective. In addition to being an effective school manager, today’s high school principal must be a strong and visionary leader who …

Citizenship Education And Foreign Language Learning: Deconstructing The Concept Of Good Citizenship Embedded In Foreign Language Curricula In China And America, Juanjuan Zhu

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Under conditions of globalization and massive social, economic and political changes, the world in the last two decades has witnessed a wave of revived interest in
citizenship and citizenship education as well as the emergence of foreign language education as an important but under-researched site for the education of citizens. In this study, I critically examined the concept of good citizenship embedded in current foreign language curricula in China and the U.S. to see what it means in the two different contexts. I conducted a comparative critical discourse analysis of four data sets: (a) foreign language policies and/or curriculum standards …

Assessing The Importance Of Sequencing Laboratory Welding Practicums, Malcolm Riley Rose

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to determine if having fewer operator-controlled variables during welding will improve secondary students' ability to meet weld quality standards for an AWS 1F test. Two different welding processes, Gas Metal Arc Welding and Shielded Metal Arc welding, were used in the research. The population of this study (N = 71), participants were randomly assigned into one of four treatment groups. The study was conducted over six class periods. Participants completed a welding pretest, taught safety procedures followed by welding instruction of both GMAW and SMAW process. Practice sessions were given for each welding …

Effects Of Integrating Mathematical Concepts Into An Animal Science Curriculum, Andrea Rae Clark

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Nationwide, mathematical scores have been a topic of concern among elementary and secondary educators for many years. Teaching contextualized math has been found to be effective and includes providing a direct application to real-life scenarios rather than teaching linear equations and algebraic principles outside of their application.

A study was conducted measuring the effects of integrating mathematical skills in an animal science curriculum. All students were taught a unit of instruction about animal nutrition and feeding. The control group received a typical nutrition unit and the treatment group received the same unit of instruction with the addition of mathematical skill …

Teaching Languages Communicatively: The Journey Of Becoming An Effective Teacher, Indira Garrido

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio is a compilation of various papers written throughout my studies in the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program at Utah State University. These papers are the result of research and reflections on the most relevant and important topics I have learned during these two years of study. My journey through the MSLT program has been an experience of growth as I reflected on my own teaching practices and what research demonstrates as the most effective approaches for language teaching.

Interagency Barriers And Facilitators In Transition Planning For Students With Disabilities, Deanna Lynn Taylor

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This study examined the barriers and facilitators identified by both vocational rehabilitation counselors and special educators in four states (Florida, Maryland, Oregon and Utah) regarding collaboration in transition planning. Two survey questionnaires were disseminated: one to vocational rehabilitation counselors and one to special educators in that requested information on perceptions of the level of knowledge on transition planning and activities, level of satisfaction, and open-ended questions for suggestions on how to improve collaboration between the two groups. The surveys were nearly identical and were designed to explore barriers that the two disciplines experience working with each other as well as …

Technology And The Self-Directed Iep: Improving Meeting Participation For Students With Severe Disabilities, Crystal Ann Stringham

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Students with a Specific Learning Disability (SLD) often experience challenges when transitioning to postsecondary education institutions after high school. A unique challenge involves filling out forms in order to registered for college. One of several components to a successful transition to postsecondary settings requires students to complete application forms. The purpose of this project is to examine the effects of direct instruction (DI) on increased performance of filling out college application forms of students with SLD in a special education classroom. Participants included eight high school students, ages 17 to 18, with a SLD. The intervention in this study involved …

An Educational Transition: Post-Secondary Correctional Education - A Qualitative Case Study, Greg Bartholomew

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Administration of post-secondary correctional education (PSCE) programs within state was vastly changed through legislation enacted in 2009. This study examined the transition of a PSCE system formerly facilitated by higher education to the current system administered by the State Department of Corrections (SDC). This qualitative case study involved multiple perspectives from five different stake-holding groups or five socials units: state legislators, county law enforcement personnel, university personnel, state higher education administrators, SDC personnel, and technical college personnel. A thick, rich description of the transition was obtained by relying on multiple perspectives offered by informants.

The stakeholders’ “display of multiple, refracted …

The Effects Of Simultaneous Script-Training And Fading Procedures On The Mand Variability Of Children With Autism, Kristen N. Kelley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Individuals with autism often display rote and repetitive responding across behavioral topographies. One area that is often affected is the individual’s verbal repertoire. In an attempt to build and expand verbal repertoires, script and script fading procedures have often been implemented to teach individuals new and varied verbal behavior. Script training and fading procedures have also been used specifically to remediate deficits in an individual’s mand repertoire. Researchers have examined the effects of script training and fading procedures on the variability within an individual’s mand repertoire. This line of research is of great importance since a lack of variability in …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of The Utah Career And Technical Education Introduction Course, Debra Marie Spielmaker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Utah State Office of Education Career and Technical supported this quantitative study that evaluated the gains and outcome evaluations of the compulsory Career and Technical Education (CTE) Introduction course. All public school seventh grade students are required to enroll in this school-year course. The matched pair design used preexisting data to analyze 6,078 pre- and postsurvey responses collected at the beginning of the course and again at the end of the course during the 2011-2012 school year. The evaluation was viewed through a postpositivist lens and used a theory-based evaluation model as the framework for analysis. The research questions …

The Use Of Family And Consumer Sciences County Extension Faculty To Provide Emergency Preparedness Education In The Western Region Of The United States, Sara A. Beck

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The number of people affected by natural and man-made disasters is increasing, often-catching people unprepared, despite the fact that there is information available to help negate their effects. An effective means to disseminate information crucial to the mitigation of natural and man-made disasters is FCS Extension faculty in regional and county offices across each state. Previous research has indicated that education and training can have a positive correlation with resiliency of individuals, families, and communities. In this study, FCS county Extension faculty in the Western Region of the United States were surveyed to determine the best practices used and perceptions …

Emotional Intelligence In Medical Laboratory Science, Travis Miles Price

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Medical laboratory scientists (MLSs) are responsible for performing highly complex biochemical analyses on samples collected from patients in hospitals and clinics. The performance of these tests often involves little patient exposure on the part of the MLS and as a result some have wondered about the role soft skills, like communication, conflict resolution and empathy, play in medical laboratory science. The aim of this study was to explore the importance that medical laboratory administrators place on these types of skills, collectively referred to as emotional intelligence (EI), as well as to assess how satisfied they were with the demonstration of …

Integrating Mathematics And Other Content Disciplines In The Elementary Classroom, Jessica Billingsley

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Curriculum integration is a growing trend in education. Researchers look at integration to alleviate the demand on educator’s time to teach while still meeting all core standards, whether they are state standards such as the Utah Core Standards or other standards such as Common Core State Standards. For my honors project I looked at curriculum integration applied to the elementary classroom setting. Having researched integration examples and best practices I created three lessons that were taught during my student teaching. My lessons met all Common Core State Standards and Utah Core Standards. Through an action research qualitative study I reflected …