Education Commons^™

Engaging In Social Justice With Toddlers, Susan M. Nasiombe

Capstone Collection

This study was created as a way to highlight and begin filling a large void in academic information regarding the ways caregivers engage in social justice with the toddlers they care for. Through an online survey, participants were asked to explain their role and experience as caregivers, give their definition of social justice, share the social justice resources they use to help inform their engagement with toddlers, and list the limitations and barriers they face in achieving their goals in this area. Participants were also asked to assess their value of various elements commonly used to engage toddlers in social …

Youth Character Strengths, Peer Victimization, And Well-Being: Understanding Associations Between Positive Traits, Social Experiences, And Positive Psychological Outcomes, Michael James Frank

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The advent of positive psychology has increased awareness of factors that lead individuals to thrive in life, allowing for a more comprehensive model of mental health service delivery. However, while measurement and understanding of character strengths and well-being have improved over the last decade, the interaction of these factors with social risk factors is not entirely understood. The current study analyzed an archival dataset consisting of self-report data from 425 high school students, to examine the extent to which high school students' specific character strengths (i.e., social competence, self-regulation, responsibility, and empathy) are associated with positive psychological outcomes (i.e., gratitude, …

The Life Of A Moral And Radical Crusader, Anugya Chitransh

Capstones

Narain Kataria has spent most of his life educating the masses about the evils of radical Islam. A prominent member of the Indian-American community in New York, he has many followers. His crusade has affected the people around him and his experience in India has shaped his views. But there is the question about how much influence he actually wields.

Iron Tower, Laura Bult

Capstones

The current state of higher education in prisons in the U.S., as a reflection of our changing attitudes about the purpose of incarceration, as told by the story of Clyde Meikle, a man with a life sentence in Connecticut who is a student in Wesleyan's Center for Prison Education, a liberal arts program.

Rethinking School Discipline, Gwynne Hogan

Capstones

How schools maintain order in the halls can be just as important as what they teach in the classrooms. The way students are disciplined teaches them what consequences their actions will have not just in school, but as they grow into adulthood. This project examines the role of the NYPD in city schools and the impact it has on school discipline. It will also look into one school in Far Rockaway whose principal has managed cut suspensions by shifting attitudes towards discipline.

Escape From Reality, Steven Trader

Capstones

On the first day, students learn how to pick locks. Instructions on day two include how to covertly navigate a city's streets. Then, on day three, students are kidnapped and must escape. This is the general premise of Rift Recon's Art of Escape training course in San Francisco and this is the story of how that program, started by Eric Michaud and Brian O'Shea, came to be.

Two-Way Street: A Parent-Child Approach To Learning Could Close The Nation's Inequality Gap, Rebecca Bratek

Capstones

While most modern school reforms argue that good schools can fix academic barriers kids face at home, many experts worry that investing in childhood education is not enough for society’s poorest children and families. Studies show that if parents’ education or job level is raised, the success of the child is raised, too. Through dual-generation strategies – programs that teach and support parents and children simultaneously – those living in poverty have a better shot at success.

Counterfeit Ed, Meral Agish, Sarah Barrett, Mark Fahey, Audrey Mcglinchy, Jacob Naughton, Oresti Tsonopoulos

Capstones

This investigative project explores the abuses of for-profit colleges in New York City in the context of what federal, state and city bodies have done to regulate these schools. We focused on two for-profits in the city, ASA College and TCI College, whose practices typify the criticisms of for-profit schools: targeting low-income people of color, funding the school from mostly federal student loans and issuing pricey degrees that yield few field-specific jobs.

Battle Over School Choice, Bianca Flowers

Capstones

The debate over school choice continues to intensify among New York's education leaders and communities. As the mounting tension over education inequality and reform permeates though households to the steps of City Hall, one Brooklyn family feels caught in the cross hairs.

California Community Colleges Child Development Laboratory Schools, Shari Yates

Dissertations

Community colleges in California are the primary source for preparing the early childhood care and education (ECE) workforce. The California child development lab school mission is to prepare ECE practitioners, provide a laboratory where college students can study and research child development/education, and offer a service to children and families. There are many benefits that are derived from laboratory schools but many community college lab schools have been reduced and/or closed over the past three years. The purposes of this Delphi study were (a) to examine the most pressing issues, problems and barriers facing California community colleges child development labs …

Digital Finger Painting: A Qualitative Exploration Of The Tablet Computer And Its Artistic Implications In An Early Childhood Setting, Sarah Nicole Ackermann

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to better understand the implications of the tablet computer for learning and, specifically, in the art classroom. A qualitative study was designed following grounded theory measures for data analysis in order to explore timely questions regarding the tablet computer and how young children react to such technology as a drawing tool. An early childhood center was accessed for this research, and 30 children between the ages of three and five years old consented to participate. Four educators and 35 parents were also enlisted in an effort to elicit substantive perspectives regarding the tablet and …

Site Visitation: School Leaders' Perceptions Of A Diagnostic Tool For School Improvement, Mary Shannon C. Chiasson

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This case study explored the use of site-visitation as a diagnostic tool for school improvement. Nine charter schools in New Orleans were selected for the study. Based on qualitative research and systems theory, a within- and cross-case analysis of nine semi-structured interviews with school leaders were conducted. The school leaders’ experiences with the state-run site-visitation model and their use of the findings for school improvement was explored. The findings led to the development of a hybrid accountability model that encompasses the components school leaders believe will lead to school improvement. This study aims to assist educators, policy makers, and researchers …

The Relationship Between Head Coaches’ Influence And Student Engagement Of Ncaa Di Women Basketball Players: Implications For Student-Athlete Success, Kiki Baker Barnes

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) recently passed new legislation highlighting the critical role coaches play in student-athlete success called the Head Coach’s Academic Progress Rate (APR). The APR measure does not calculate the actions of the head coach and is therefore an inadequate measure of coaches’ influence. There are numerous verbal accounts of the influence of the coach on student-athlete success, but there is little quantitative data to support this claim. As a result, this correlational study explored the relationship between head coaches’ influence and student engagement among a sample of 135 women basketball players at National Collegiate Athletic …

Residency Education In Preparing Adolescent And Young Adults For Transition To Adult Care: A Mixed Methods Pilot Study, Janet S. Hess

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: There is considerable evidence that physicians lack sufficient training in facilitating transition from pediatric to adult care systems for adolescents and young adults (A/YA). While several primary care residency programs have introduced health care transition (HCT) curricula in recent years, there are few studies that assess the effectiveness of HCT teaching models.

Purpose: To assess the impact of a residency education program that uses electronic health records (EHR) and other methods to teach residents how to prepare A/YA for transition to adult care.

Methods: In a mixed methods, quasi-experimental research design, quantitative methods were used to measure change in …

A Statistical Study Of The Influence Of Increased Instructional Time On Underperforming Students' Achievement Scores In Grade 7 And 8 Mathematics And English Language Arts, Andrew Trust

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Educational Systems across the country have been put under enormous amounts of pressure to improve student performance in their schools. Recently, New York State has required that struggling students, as defined by results of standardized tests, be given increased instructional time to make up for the deficits that they may possess. This study looked to determine the efficacy of the academic intervention classes being offered within a school district. The study analyzed student test results and performed a logistic regressing in an attempt to determine the odds of a students scoring in the proficient range on standardized exams after receiving …

The Influence Of Higher Education On Promotional Outcomes In The New Jersey State Police, David D. Costantino

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This study examined the strength of four predictor variables (i.e., level of education, seniority, gender and race) found in the archival data provided by the New Jersey State Police to predict the likelihood of promotional outcomes for five separate and distinct participant groups (i.e., Sergeant, Sergeant First Class, Lieutenant, Captain, and Major). Five separate participant group analyses were conducted using binary logistic regression modelling. The participant data examined in this study, which represents a total population sample, pertained to 3,515 enlisted members of the New Jersey State Police considered for promotion during one, or both, of the promotional events held …

Leed Certification Of Campus Buildings: A Cost-Benefit Approach, Erin Ann Hopkins

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

No comprehensive study has been done within the higher education sector to see if Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification makes sense economically. This study helps fill the gaps in the literature by providing construction costs and energy and water costs for a sample of campus LEED-certified buildings within the United States. Finding out if campus greening makes sense economically from a full lifecycle standpoint can help address possible upfront green premium barriers. This study found that there is an upfront green premium for LEED-certified campus buildings. However, when looking at LEED-certified campus buildings from a building lifecycle …

District Within A District: De Facto Segregation And White Flight Into And Out Of The School District Of University City (1967-1991), Carlos Javier Diaz-Granados

Dissertations

This auto-ethnographic study explores the impetus behind racial transition in the school district of University City between 1967 and 1991. Factors contributing to the exodus of White families and the influx of Black families are examined through a lens of Critical Race Theory. Exclusively White through the mid 1960’s, The School District of University City was nearly 80% Black by the mid 1980’s. A great deal of this transition was related directly to neighborhood patterns occurring in and around the community. Extensive research for this study utilized the oral histories of former students, parents, staff members, board members, and community …

Schisms In Schooling: Domains Of Power As Seen From Our Students, Kristen Michelle Taylor

Dissertations

This study investigated the dynamics of power available to students who are assigned to participate in small group instruction as an intervention to low academic scores. It proposes that student experiences of the phenomenon of small group instruction are not currently present in the research literature concerning low student performance in public education, and therefore the research literature is incomplete. A case study was conducted at a public school in St. Louis, Missouri, which resulted in a case of two teachers and five students recruited to participate. Through document analysis, classroom observations, and participant interviews, the participants provided data from …

Engaging Fyc Students With Quality Work Design, Candace Deal

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

Students learn at deeper levels when engaged with their work; however, engaging students in writing is one of the biggest challenges all composition teachers face. This qualitative study asked Kennesaw State University students to describe the work in English 1101 and English 1102 that they found meaningful and engaging. The data collected was then aligned with research about engaging students in grades K-12 based on the work of Phillip Schlechty. Results from this study reveal that many of the same engagement qualities identified by Schlechty have application in the FYC classroom for engaging students and improving learning.

Bibimbap: Identity Construction In Korean Third Culture Kids During Higher Education, Megan I. Beard

Theses and Dissertations

Amidst increasing interconnectedness and transmigration of the 21st century, a number of families are leaving South Korea for business, work, or education; their children are raised as Third Culture Kids (TCKs)—children who accompany their parents abroad. This study used the lens of cultural globalization to examine how Korean TCKs used their life experiences to inform their identity construction, especially during higher education. Participants were Korean students and recent alumni from universities in Korea, the United States, and abroad who had spent at least three childhood years living outside Korea with their families. Data were collected through a series of unstructured …

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: Study Abroad To Teaching Internship, Melanie G. Keel

Theses and Dissertations

Culturally relevant pedagogy (Ladson-Billings, 1995a; Gay, 2010) and culturally sustaining pedagogy (Paris, 2012; Paris & Alim, 2014; Ladson-Billings, 2014) are urgent needs in classrooms because of the diverse student population teachers serve. This research is grounded in critical race theory (CRT) (Delgado & Stefancic, 2001; Bell 1995) and culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) (Gay, 2010; Gay & Howard, 2000; Ladson-Billings, 1995a & 1995b) as lenses to interrogate a White pre-service teacher’s internship in the United States and a study abroad (Cushner, 2007; Keengwe, 2010; Malewski, Sharma, & Phillion, 2012) experience in Ecuador. During a 25 day study abroad that included daily …

The Role Of The Learning Community In The Professional Development Of Literacy Teachers, Abbey Spoonmore Duggins

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study explored a learning community in action. The purpose of this study was to investigate the professional conversations that teachers in a learning community had and the impact of those conversations on the practices and beliefs of the individual teachers in the community. Specifically, the study sought to discover how and why facets of professional learning transferred (or did not transfer) into classroom practice. The researcher spent five months with a learning community comprised of six middle school literacy teachers and attended their learning community meetings, visited their classrooms, and videotaped them teaching. Each classroom visit was …

Toward A Theory Of Safe Passage: Agentic Practices Of Women Writers Who Teach, Lillian Gordon Reeves

Theses and Dissertations

Past studies show that narrative is an effective tool for guiding teachers to develop teacher identity, to recognize their practical knowledge, and to engage in teacher transformation, especially during initial teacher training and the early years of their career. Consequently, other researchers have identified how narrative studies inform what we know about teachers’ identities, their practical knowledge, and their transformations during initial training and early career teaching. However, we do not know how narrative functions in the experiences of teachers beyond initial teacher training and early career teaching. This study intends to fill this gap in the research. In this …

My Classroom Management Plan: The First Two Weeks Of School, Hannah Burkhart

Honors Projects

As a pre-service teacher in one of the best teacher preparatory programs in the country, I learned many of the theories behind classroom management and discipline. After spending time during student teaching in my own classroom, however, I needed a more immediately useful solution than theory could provide. After investigating varied classroom management approaches and styles, I discovered the work of Harry and Rosemary Wong who inspired the creation of my own classroom management plan: a step-by-step guide of best practices and approaches to respond to daily issues and routines in the classroom. While I have heard that “the best …

Telescopes And Spyglasses: Using Literary Theories In High School Classrooms, Danielle M. Rains

Honors Projects

This handbook is structured in a way that can be directly applied to the classroom. The theories are organized and ordered to build on one another; the skills that your students learn from one will help them complete the tasks of the next. Each chapter provides information about the theory, how to conduct a reading following the theory’s guidelines, and how to introduce the theory to your students.

Culturally Relevant Teaching: A Case Study On Teaching Statistics In The High School Setting, Lashaune Natae Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Public school enrollment is increasing for African American, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaskan Native students. However, minority and immigrant children tend to perform lower academically than White, middle-class students. Hence, there is a growing need to reform pedagogical practices for underachieving student populations to have improved chances for school success. Culturally relevant teaching is an effective approach to addressing the social and academic needs of minority students. The purpose of this study was to examine culturally relevant teaching in high school statistics classrooms of predominantly African American students. Using a qualitative case study research design, this study examined two …

A Legal Analysis Of Court Cases And Administrative Investigations Related To Violations Of The Clery Act: Getting Good From The Bad And The Ugly, Tiffany Nichole Richardson

Theses and Dissertations

College brochures paint pictures of beautiful campuses, diverse student populations, renowned professors, and the best educational programs. What colleges never include in those brochures are the ugly crime statistics. In 2012, higher education institutions reported 41,708 liquor arrests, 20,486 burglaries, 4,837 forcible sex offenses, 951 hate crimes, and 31 murders. The reporting requirement, along with other regulations, has been required of institutions of higher education since 1990 under the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, yet so many colleges and universities are facing lawsuits, investigations, settlements, and fines for failing to comply. This legal …

Which Student Characteristics Correlate With Discipline Referrals? A Case Study Of A Diverse, High-Poverty Rural School District In The South, Jeannie Baltimore Monson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the correlates of discipline referrals in a diverse, high-poverty rural school district. The framework is based upon the Diamond (2004) study which, like this research, was built on the notion that socioeconomic inequality is a major factor for disproportionality in student discipline. This study identified the assets and deficits of the sample population and analyzed them in relationship to the referrals accrued. This study was conducted in a small, rural, southern school district. Of the population, approximately 78% are on free and reduced lunch and is made up of Caucasian students, 53%, …

Exploration Of Implicit Bias On Multidisciplinary Team Members When Referring African American Students For Special Education Services, Twana Romona Fletcher

Theses and Dissertations

The disproportionality or overrepresentation of African American students in special education is a longstanding problem that continues to be prevalent today. There are numerous reasons why this phenomenon continues to persist including but not limited to implicit bias among multidisciplinary team members (MDT). One function of the MDT is to decide if a student needs to be referred for special education services. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the decision making processes of the MDT members to determine if implicit bias impacted their decision to refer an African American student for special education services. This qualitative study …