Education Commons^™

Teaching The Sun As Simile: Bringing Nature Into Language Arts Middle School Classrooms, Stormy Kage

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

Teaching the Sun as Simile is an essay that explores an interdisciplinary approach to teaching middle school English Language Arts (ELA) by infusing nature and environmental studies. This essay defines emerging concepts of new literacy studies and eco-criticism, literacy, and composition as it relates to ELA pedagogy. Also, it provides an explanation for the importance and relevance of using nature to develop an ecosystem of better readers, writers and communicators in middle school general ed and special ed classrooms.

The Impact Of Character Education Programs On Middle School Bullying Behavior, Kelly M. Amshey

Dissertations

Bullying is recognized as a barrier that must be addressed by schools to ensure that all students have access to educational opportunities. Due to high accountability with limited resources, schools must identify strategies to address issues such as bullying in a manner that provides the maximum benefit to students. Character education (CE) programs, which contribute to the bullying deterrent of positive school climate, may also lessen bullying through explicit teaching of character traits and prosocial skills.

The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a relationship between utilization of character education and prevalence of bullying in middle …

Perceptions Of Restorative Practices Among Black Girls: Talking Circles In An Urban Alternative Middle School., Vanessa Marie Mcphail

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research suggests that Restorative Justice approaches have shown promise in terms of their impact on school climate, student behavior, and relationships. The purpose of this study is to explore Black female students’ perceptions of Restorative Practice (RP) talking circles at an alternative school. The study examined literature on Zero Tolerance, School Discipline Disparities, African American Female students, Intersectionality, Restorative Justice, and Alternative Schools. A qualitative case study method was used for this study, drawing from two sources: (a) face-to-face interviews and (b) observations of the Black female students who attend the alternative school and participate in the talking circles. Analyses …

From Rocks To Amethysts: Combination Innovation To Increase Student Achievement In School, Jason M. Hall Mr.

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

My final project at the International Center for Studies in Creativity applies the Torrance Incubation Model of Learning, Creative Problem Solving, Design Thinking, creativity scholar George Land’s Transformation Theory, and skills I have gained during my work on the MSc in Creativity. My work herein provides new and useful combination innovations that catalyze creative ways of analyzing, operating more successfully within, and improving upon current state, federal and district mandates and programs in public education. This project is middle school based. The core combination innovations are designed to assist school administrators, instructional coaches, and classroom educators in their daily work …

Middle School Outreach Efforts To Involve Immigrant Parents: What Are The Perceptions Of School Personnel And Immigrant Parents?, Marcella Denise Franklin-Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Throughout the years, a concern plaguing the education world is parent involvement. Ongoing research indicates students whose parents and family members are involved tend to experience greater academic achievement and decreased behavior issues (McNeal, 2015). With regard to parent involvement, immigrant parent involvement takes this concern to a new level with regard to the growing racial and ethnic diversity in education (Outley & Skuza, 2019). Guided by Epstein’s six types of involvement and Yosso’s community cultural wealth, this study explores one urban middle school’s outreach efforts to involve immigrant parents. In this qualitative case study, one middle schools’ stakeholders-the principal, …

Effects Of A Writing Instructional Package For Students With Moderate Intellectual Disability., Beth Newberry Gurney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The development of writing skills is one of the most complex competencies that students are expected to master (Saddler, 2013). Limited research has been conducted on the acquisition of writing skills for students with moderate and severe intellectual disability. Even fewer studies have examined the acquisition of sentence construction skills. The current study examines the effects of a writing instructional package using peer tutoring, response prompting, and sentence frames to teach students with moderate intellectual disability to construct sentences related to adapted grade-level social studies content. Four seventh grade students without disabilities were trained to implement the writing instructional package …

"Just Kidding" What Bullies Say, Christina Marie Gumbin

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The focus of this Capstone Project is on how present and past staff members of MM Middle School have addressed bullying in their classrooms and what they think could be done to prevent further bullying. This is an important issue for teachers of any grade because bullying affects children at any age. An argument is made that during middle school, bullies tend to say that they are just kidding without knowing why they are bullying. Consideration of the issue, required obtaining the perspectives of the principal and both current and former teachers. Three themes emerged from an analysis of the …

The Impact Of Structural Supports On The Success Of Students Of Color In The K-16 Educational System, Brandis Jones, Sherry Holmes

Dissertations

Collective Abstract

This collective dissertation contains the efforts of two practitioners in the field of education who possess a shared vision for designing student experiences with the mission of preparing all students for success in secondary and post-secondary education. The researchers believed that by creating structural supports for students in underserved populations, these same students will increase their educational attainment and access to long-term career opportunities. With successful completion of postsecondary education and with increased career opportunities, students can improve their lives, their families’ lives and the lives of members of their community.

Many students struggled on their educational journeys …

Social-Emotional Learning In Middle School: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation Of The Strong Kids Program, Erin Larsen Neth

Theses and Dissertations

Strong Kids is a social-emotional curriculum designed to reduce students' externalizing and internalizing symptoms. Strong Kids has shown promise in elementary school, but this was the first study to evaluate the newly updated version of the intervention in a middle school setting. The curriculum was implemented by two general education teachers with students at-risk for emotional and behavioral disorders. A mixed method design was used to evaluate outcomes with eight middle school students. Overall findings suggest that Strong Kids was effective at improving students' social emotional knowledge and internalizing symptoms; however, there were no significant changes in students' externalizing symptoms. …

Bridging The Gap: Self-Efficacy And The Desire To Continue In Music Education, Janet Levine

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This study sought to explore the problem of student retention in music, specifically between eighth and ninth grade. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there is a relationship between eighth-grade band students’ self-efficacy beliefs and their desire to participate in band. Bandura’s (1977) four sources of self-efficacy (mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, verbal/ social persuasions, and students’ physiological state) were the theoretical framework that guided this study. The participants in this study consisted of 68 eighth grade band students who had at least one year of band experience. This quantitative study used the Music Performance Self-Efficacy Scale, specially …

Gamification Learning For Ipad Engagement In Middle School, Chong Xiong

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The purpose of this action research was to determine if gamification learning would increase iPad engagement. This research was done in a 7th grade urban middle school over nine weeks in the fall of the school year. A regular 7th grade class of 18 students and an accelerated 7th grade class of 34 students participated in the study. Informed data was collected from pre and post survey, checklists, observations, student journals and gamification platform on Classcraft. The literature review examined the how motivated and self-regulated learner skills contribute to their academic success and how these skills can be used when …

Middle School Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Integration Of Technology Into Pedagogy, Joe George Gerez

All Theses And Dissertations

The aim of this qualitative exploratory case study was to examine middle school teachers’ perceptions of the integration of technology into pedagogy. Data collection occurred from analyzing middle school teacher’s experiences, observations, and motivation following a technological implementation initiative into pedagogy. The evaluation of the study data included the analysis of surveys and interpretation of in-depth interviews of teachers. A pedagogical focus on teacher integration of technology supported by the self-determination theory as the research study’s theoretical framework examining human motivation was appropriated to the case study. As educational leaders face significant challenges in understanding the impact of teachers’ perceptions …

Using An Argument Driven Inquiry Model To Develop Scientific Proficiency In The Middle School Classroom, Lorelei Ross

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of argument driven inquiry (ADI) on the development of evidence-based arguments for eight eighth-grade students. This study took place in the third quarter of the 2018-2019 school year. The setting was a public middle school in a suburban county in the Southeast. Through the use of an action research design, qualitative and quantitative data was collected over a six-week period using various instruments. Instruments included a content pretest and post-test, generating an evidence-based argument pre-test and post-test, pre- and post-formal interviews, pre and post science questionnaire Likert attitudinal scale, collection …

The Effects Of Class-Wide Function-Related Intervention Teams In Two Middle School Art Classrooms, Kimberly Davis Monson

Theses and Dissertations

Classroom management is a common challenge in middle schools. Class-wide Function-Related Intervention Teams (CW-FIT) is a multi-tiered intervention designed to decrease problem behaviors at the classroom level (Wills et al., 2010). It is comprised of evidence-based practices such as teaching classroom expectations, increasing teacher praise, and using positive reinforcement in an interdependent group contingency. CW-FIT has shown promise in a variety of school settings, but it has not been tested in middle school art classrooms. This was initial investigation examining the effects of CW-FIT using a single-subject ABAB design in two middle school art classrooms. Results indicated that class on-task …

Sources Of Missed Understanding: A Framework For Diagnosing Comprehension Breakdown, Tarr Jennifer

Dissertations

This research sought to understand how a formative assessment framework created by the researcher (called the Sources of Missed Understanding construct) would be used by teachers to diagnose students’ reading comprehension challenges during authentic reading instruction, and to understand the context and supports teachers needed to use the tool effectively. A design experiment methodology was used to follow the diagnostic processes of five reading specialist candidates, each working one-to-one with an upper elementary or middle school reader during a five week summer university-based tutoring setting, resulting in five case studies and cross case analysis. This study shows that teachers who …

The Effects Of A Mindfulness-Based Intervention On Middle School Students With Special Needs, Michelle Castillo

Education | Master's Theses

Adolescence is a vulnerable period to a child’s emotional and social environment due to the puberty-related changes in hormones, which has an effect on their judgement, impulse control, and emotional regulation. Middle school students face several daily stressors at school, at home, and in their communities. Although adolescents face stressors in and out of school, a mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) can be beneficial. This research focuses on the effects of a mindfulness-based intervention on middle school special education students in regards to their attention and behavior in general education classes as well as their self-perception. While prior studies address the benefits …

Implementation Of Standards-Based Grading At The Middle School Level, Amy Louise Manley

Theses and Dissertations from 2019

The grading practices in education are steeped in tradition. Although the inaccuracies of grading have been written about for over 100 years, schools have been slow to tackle grading reform. This research study is based on a case study which investigated the implementation of standards-based grading from traditional grading in one middle school. This case study was developed to answer one research question: How was standards-based grading implemented in the middle school? The research obtained in this case study will be used with the researcher’s own school community as they transition to standards-based grading. The case study involved semi-structured interviews …

Writing Self-Efficacy And Student Ownership: Exploring Middle School Writing Perceptions Through Increased Ownership In The Classroom, Ruth Clark

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research study explored whether increased student ownership in writing influenced student self-efficacy in writing tasks. Previous literature shows that student engagement often decreases during middle school years when students desire to have more ownership over their learning. Forty-six students participated in this six-week study in a seventh grade writing and language arts class. For this study, students were surveyed regarding their self-efficacy towards writing tasks before and after a series of interventions related to student ownership. The results revealed a measurable decrease in writing self-efficacy within the intervention group of students.

The Experience Of Students With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder During The Transition To Middle School, Hannah M. Berry

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The transition to the middle school setting from elementary school has been the subject of research for decades as data shows a decline in academic success, socio-emotional health and motivation for students. There is a lack of research based transitional programs to support the needs of students at this time, specifically those with special needs. Though the name and specific criteria for students with ADHD has shifted, the impact this neurological disability has on students and learning is comprehensive. Symptoms of this disorder reach and affect each part of the student and their school experience, as well as those around …

The Effects Of Service-Learning On Middle School Students’ Personal Growth, Social Growth, And Citizenship, Kae C. Saelee-Hiraoka

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to describe and explain middle school administrators’, teachers’, and coordinators’ observations and knowledge of the effect of service-learning on students’ personal growth, social growth, and civic engagement.

Methodology: This phenomenological qualitative study based its findings on in-depth interviews, transcripts, and participant artifacts. Six middle school administrators and eight teachers, and coordinators located in Tulare County, California utilizing service-learning in the 2017-2018 school year, or prior, were interviewed. An interview script, which was developed using the research questions, was used to elicit administrators’, teachers’, and coordinators’ observations and knowledge pertaining to the …

Integrating Visual Thinking Strategies Into Art Education: A Curriculum For The Middle School Level, Shelley K. Gibbs

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to expand and demonstrate how the integration of Visual Thinking Strategies into a middle school classroom curriculum could strengthen and benefit students’ critical thinking and art literacy. There is a growing and overwhelming use of technology and images in our world, to which students are exposed daily. By integrating a visual literacy strategy in a visual art setting, students may learn to slow down and think more critically about what they see and understand, not only in art but cross-curriculum.

The Impact Of A Thematic Unit And Integration On Students’ Achievement In Social Studies, Holness Samuels

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study focused on a problem of practice observed in a Title 1 middle school in rural South Carolina, where seventh-grade students show low academic achievement levels in social studies, evidenced by low scores on teacher-made tests, district benchmarks, and the state standardized test. To address this problem of practice, research questions were formulated: What is the impact of implementing a thematic unit on World War One, an integrated approach, on students' motivation to learn social studies? What impact will the implementation of a thematic unit on World War One have on students’ perception of social studies? and, …

Middle School Teachers’ Perceptions Of Project Based Learning As It Impacts First Year Implementation, Stacey Cunningham Whitaker

Theses and Dissertations

Current education expectations require teachers to meet federal and state standards as well as develop 21st century skills like collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving. Preparing students for state testing while also preparing them to be successful in a global society can present an instructional dilemma. Project-based learning has been identified as a possible solution to this problem. Although researchers agree that integrating 21st century skills in daily instruction is necessary, many teachers and administrators have shied away from implementing a project-based learning curriculum (Hmelo-Silver, Duncan, & Chinn, 2007). The identified problem of practice for this present action research study …

Authentic Learning In A Middle School Classroom: A Case Study, Andrea Ballard

All NMU Master's Theses

The purpose of this case study is to explore and investigate how authentic learning is experienced in a middle school classroom within a K-12 public charter academy in the rural Midwestern United States. This was a qualitative case study, which allowed the researcher to observe the phenomenon of authentic learning as it unfolded in the classroom. The term authentic learning describes student-directed learning that involves real-life problem solving in unique contexts, over an extended period of time (Rule, 2006). The study follows a teacher’s journey through planning, implementing and reflecting on authentic learning and teaching. The case study also identifies …

Development And Implementation Of Comprehensive Sexuality Education Programs For Middle School Students, Minta Trivette

College of Nursing and Health Sciences Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Project Publications

Background: Sexual activity in adolescents carries population health risks such as pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection. Comprehensive sexual health education programs can be an effective strategy to help young people delay initiation of sexual intercourse, reduce the number of sexual partners, and increase condom and contraception use. As of the 2018/2019 school year, Burlington School District (BSD) middle schools did not have a comprehensive sexual health and safe relationship education program.

Purpose: Development and dissemination of comprehensive sexual health and safe relationship curricula for Burlington School District (BSD) middle schools.

Methods: This educational intervention was aimed at middle school health …

Identifiable Factors That Influence Teacher Retention In Four Title I Middle Schools: A Multiple-Case Study, Adair Blanton Mckay

Education Dissertations and Projects

Student success has suffered a great deal and continues to suffer in the Title I middle school setting. Staffing problems in these schools account for part of the cause. This study examined four Title I middle schools that experience difficulty retaining teachers. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2016), between 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, approximately 8% of teachers moved, another 8% of teachers left the profession, and approximately 84% of teachers stayed at the same school. The percentage of movers from high-poverty schools is double that of movers from low-poverty schools. The goal of this study was to serve …

Cyberbullying And The Middle School Adolescent: Educator Perceptions, Kalani Crognal Lafrancis

Education Dissertations and Projects

Victimization and perpetration of cyberbullying are ongoing threats to school systems across the United States. Cyberbullying is a vast problem for adolescents, due to constant access and availability of technology via the online environment. This mixed methods study was based on the theoretical framework of Bandura’s (1989) theory. This study investigated the perceptions of middle school educators concerning cyberbullying via educator surveys, focus groups, and interviews to gather mixed methods data. This study took place in four middle schools in upstate South Carolina within District X. One hundred three educator participants took the survey, 12 educators participated in focus groups, …

Teachers' Effective Behavior Support Survey Scores And Student Behavior Referrals, Sadie Deramus Harris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Urban middle school teachers have experienced the severe challenges of discipline problems, which have contributed to writing more principal's office discipline referrals. The effective behavior support (EBS) program has been found to promote positive behavior in the classroom and change students negative behavior into positive behavior. Guided by the Problem-Behavior Theory (PBT), the purpose of this quantitative nonexperimental study was to examine the relationship between the teachers' effective behavior support and office discipline referrals of urban middle school students. Years of teaching experience was the mediating variable. The researcher used archival data collected from teachers who used the effective behavior …

Middle School Mathematics Teachers' Perceptions Of Opportunities And Challenges, Shelby Eversole

Masters Theses

This study investigates the perspectives of opportunities and challenges of middle school mathematics’ teachers. To gain these perspectives, an ethnographic study was conducted by interviewing four middle school mathematics teachers in central Illinois. The results of this study imply that teachers of different backgrounds and teaching environments have varying perspectives about challenges and opportunities in the classroom. Limitations of this study include but are not limited to, the researcher having one year to conduct the research, only four teachers from two schools being interviewed, interviewees teaching different grade levels, no rural setting involvement, one educator having little teaching experience, teachers’ …

Students’ Perspectives Regarding Their Emotional Engagement In Middle School Learning Environments, Brendan Joseph Mccormick

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examines emotional engagement as a vital component of creating optimal learning environments for mid-adolescent students. Through a qualitative research design, seventh and eighth grade student volunteers from Cornfield Middle School shared perspectives on their emotional engagement experiences in middle school learning environments. Thirty-four students participated in three rounds of data collection—an open-ended survey about flow experiences, a homogeneous focus group discussion, and a follow-up survey. The results from each data collection procedure were coded and arranged into themes of positive and negative emotions experienced in certain academic contexts.

The results show that the CFMS students experienced a range …