Education Commons^™

Student Preferences About Student-Teacher Communication And Student Perceptions Of Teacher Presence In An Online Middle School, Kyle M. Doty

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The purpose of this non-experimental, quantitative survey study was to determine how middle school students in fully online language arts courses perceived their teachers to be present and what methods of communication with the teacher middle school students desired. The purposive sample was composed of 100 sixth and seventh grade language arts students from a large virtual school in the southeastern United States. Student responses were overwhelmingly skewed, and results from the survey indicated a statistically significant finding. Students in online middle school find their teachers to be present and desire to be communicated with using text messages first and …

Perceptions Of Academic Self-Concept: Testimonios Of Junior High School Latinas, Ernestina Aguilar

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

Eurocentric and marginalizing schooling practices hinder Latino student persistence in US Schools. Furthermore, an intentional focus placed on Latinas uncovers compounding layers of oppression permeating the educational system. Through an analysis of testimonios, this qualitative critical narrative study better understands the schooling experiences and academic self-concept of seven Latina junior high students. Guided by Latino Critical Race (LatCrit) and Intersectionality Theories, it contributes to understandings of how Latina youth experience the transition from elementary to junior high school and how they perceived themselves as scholars. Testimonios were captured through a three-part series of semi-structured videoconference interviews. Data analysis utilized tenets …

A Meta-Analysis Of The Effects Of Problem- And Project-Based Learning On Academic Achievement In Grades 6-12 Populations, Kimberly J. Jensen

Education Dissertations

Researchers and proponents of problem- and project-based learning (PBL) indicate that PBL as a curriculum and instruction approach (Savery, 2006; Schmidt, Loyens, Van Gog, & Paas, 2007) provides an effective way for teachers to respond to students’ needs, provides opportunities for students to actively engage in and take responsibility for learning by engaging in meaningful and relevant work, and provides students opportunities to directly apply their knowledge and skills (Hmelo-Silver & DeSimone, 2013; McCombs, 2010; Parker et al., 2011). Although primary research within secondary (6-12) contexts indicated that problem-and project based learning (PBL) is often superior to traditional, lecture-based instruction …

How Do District Level And Building Level Leaders Collaborate To Implement Mandated Change?, Gwendolyn Zimmermann

Dissertations

This research study examined how school leaders, in particular the associate superintendent of curriculum and a junior high school principal, in the same district collaborated to plan for and implement mandated change. In this research study, the mandated change was that of the State's adoption of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics.

This study utilized a case study methodology. The case study included one case of an associate superintendent of curriculum for the district and a junior high school principal located in suburban Cook County bounded within the timeframe of August 2012 to October 2013. The district identified had …

Teaching Seventh Grade Statistics And Probability: An Inference Based Approach, Tammy Veenstra

Master of Education Program Theses

The Common Core State Standards have provided schools with a new set of required objectives. Specifically in the area of statistics and probability, seventh grade math teachers have new objectives they are required to teach, but they do not necessarily have the required knowledge or curriculum to meet the standards. The Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE) Report and the college introductory level statistics curriculum Introduction to Statistical Investigations were used as resources and revised for the seventh grade level to teach the standards for seventh grade statistics during a three-week statistics and probability unit. Results of …

Balancing Support And Challenge Within The Mentoring Relationship, Tiffanie Joy Miley

Theses and Dissertations

Mentoring is a common element of new teacher induction aimed at easing beginning teachers' entry into the profession and assisting beginning teacher growth and development. Previous research has shown that mentors are comfortable supporting beginning teachers but are reluctant to provide challenge-activities that will help beginning teachers improve their practice. For optimal growth to occur, mentors should balance support and challenge in their work with beginning teachers. This descriptive study employed multiple cases to examine the relationship of two junior high school mentors with their mentees. The mentors in this study work in a school district with an established and …

Virtual Manipulatives In The Classroom And Resulting Articles And Lesson Plans, Cheryl Juliana

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

Upon coming across mathematical manipulatives generated and produced by Utah State University, as a math teacher, I conducted a classroom teaching experiment in three pre-algebra classes with students of various achievement levels. After teaching the entire year using no manipulatives in the classroom, I tested my students with a general, end-of-year, core criterion, or cumulative test. Their scores were noted. The students in the study group were then given opportunities to try several manipulatives offered on the "National Library of Virtual Manipulatives," both as a class, and alone, and then retested. The following paper gives the parameters of the study, …

Integrating Award Winning Literature Into A Constructivist Based Middle School Mathematics Curriculum, Michael Douglas Martone

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to design three independent units that integrate award winning literature and mathematics to be used in middle school mathematics classrooms. Numerous educators have been linking mathematics and literature in their classrooms. Children's literature gives students context in mathematics that can lead to an increase in students understanding of concepts. This project includes three independent units that are aligned with the national standards set forth by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Suggestions for further study on the connection between literature and mathematics are discussed.

A Media Literacy Curriculum For The Adolescent Learner, Chris Lopez

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to develop a media literacy curriculum for teachers of young adolescents. Media literacy is a new, evolving field of study that teaches students to become critical consumers of today's media. Media have often been blamed for the ills of student learning, critical thinking, performance and/or behavior skills. In the review ofliterature, the author investigated media's impact on the adolescent learner, the need to teach media literacy, and recommended curriculum that would benefit the adolescent learner. The curriculum unit is designed to be a useful teaching tool for teachers of adolescent and preadolescent learners who …

John Sedgwick Junior High School Physical Science Curriculum Alignment At The South Kitsap School District With The Essential Academic Learning Requirements And National Science Standards, Iva Scott

All Graduate Projects

Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) lists curriculum alignment as one of the Nine Characteristics of High Performing Schools. With an increased emphasis on educational accountability and assessment of student learning, school districts are placing heightened emphasis on state and national learning standards. Physical science curriculum alignment consisted of matching curricular standards with information and skills being taught in the classroom and assessed through utilization of various forms of testing, including Washington Assessment of Student Leaming in Science, which is currently being developed. This project provides a format for development and utilization of district curricula that is aligned with …

Comprehension And Vocabulary Strategies Using Related Tradebooks With Social Studies For Bilingual And Bicultural Middle School Students, Jennifer Suzanne Tindall

All Graduate Projects

In many schools, students from ethnic minority groups are immersed in secondlanguage reading curricula with minimal attention to their native language literacy (Droop & Verhoeven, 2003). These children face the challenge ofleaming to read in languages that they have not mastered orally. As a result, these second-language students can then experience considerable gaps in their understanding ofreading because reading instruction in any language strongly builds on oral language proficiency. For these reasons, second-language literacy learning is an enormous issue in our schools today (Goodman, Goodman, & Flores, 1984). This is why the author chose to research effective reading instruction for …

Integrating Expeditionary Learning Philosophy And Principles Into The Middle School Social Studies Curriculum, Paul Andrew George

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to create a handbook of activities for eighth grade social studies teachers that are based on expeditionary principles, philosophy and pedagogical practices. A review of the literature focused on the academic and social implications of integrating expeditionary philosophy and practices into an academic enviornment. A model learning expedition was provided accompanied by various forms of assessment strategies and methods.

Integrating Technology Into A Seventh Grade Curriculum, Carrie Lynn Petersen

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to create a curriculum guide that served to integrate a seventh grade classroom with computer technology to enhance the existing block curriculum and facilitate student learning. This project takes place at Forks Middle School in Forks, Washington. Attention was placed on providing strategies for managing technology in the classroom. In order to incorporate technology into the classroom curriculum, the guide included the development of original technology based lessons and a modification of existing classroom assignments. Infusing technology into a standard curriculum required several adaptations. Those included using a scaffolding lesson planner to target essential …

Increasing Parental Involvement Through Internet Instruction, David Allen Chaplin

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of the project was to develop a curriculum of Internet instruction for parents of Washington Middle School students. Through a review of the current literature it was found that the recurring lack of communication between parents, students and educators was identified as a barrier for involving families in their students' education. To overcome this barrier four sessions of instruction and practice were developed to increase the families' ability to communicate with their children's educators. The sessions introduce the basic layout and function of computers, the Internet, using email for communication, skills vital for finding information on the internet, …

Assessment Of Seventh Grade Students' Attitudes Towards Writing, Frances Downey Gregory

All Graduate Projects

Eleven students in seventh grade were pretested regarding their attitudes towards writing, using the Knudson Writing Attitude Survey for Children. A writing workshop based on the Nancie Atwell model was implemented for one month with the group. The students took the Knudson Survey again as a post test after the workshop. Results varied, with some of the students' attitudes remaining the same, some improving, and some declining. Suggestions for further research include studying the impact of specific teaching methodologies on writing self-efficacy beliefs, designing surveys to assess only self-efficacy beliefs, and studying the reasons for the drop in self-efficacy beliefs …

Social Skills Curriculum For Middle School Students At Risk, Eric Franz

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to develop a social skills curriculum for an effective After School Program for students at risk. To accomplish this purpose, current research and literature related to students at risk, motivational strategies, and alternative programs to assist them were reviewed. Additionally, on site visit to an actual program in the Yakima School District were conducted. At-risk students have a high potential for dropping out of school due to the lack of motivation and other factors. Students at risk live marginally outside of the socially excepted norm for adolescent youth. School systems need to have programs …

A Literature Review Of Parental Involvement In Public Schools From 1994-1999, Barbara Gohl Keene

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to see how parental involvement affected student achievement and how educators could involve parents at the middle grades and junior/senior high levels. American families and our society have changed dramatically over the past twenty-five years. These changes have had exciting effects on educational processes in schools. It has become a challenge to involve parents in the educational process, especially during the middle, junior and senior high school years. Parents are far more involved in their children's early childhood education than in their later years of schooling (Pryor, 1995). Involvement drops off dramatically when children …

The Design And Development Of A Model Program That Integrates Arts, Social Studies And The Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements For The Seventh Grade Students And Manson Secondary School, Kenneth L. Nelson

All Graduate Projects

Relatively little research was encountered which attempted to measure the effectiveness of an integrated curriculum over a more traditional course of studies. The results that were articulated seemed to indicate that students in classrooms using an integrated curriculum approach did as well or better than students experiencing a more traditional approach. This was especially true in the area of conceptual understanding. The purpose of this project was to design and develop a model program that integrated Language Arts, Social Studies and the Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements for the seventh grade students at Manson Secondary School.

The Practice Of 7th And 8th Grade Retention In Illinois Public Schools, Steve Bianchetta

Masters Theses

This study was conducted to investigate the practice of grade retention in Illinois public schools with a combined 7th and 8th grade enrollment of at least 100 students and a district student population of less than 1700 students. A sample population of schools was obtained by dividing Illinois into three geographic areas and randomly selecting 30 schools from each area. The northern area consisted of schools north of Interstate 80. The central area consisted of schools between Interstate 80 and Interstate 70. The southern area consisted of schools south of Interstate 70.

Principals in each of the sample schools were …

The Faculty Handbook, Jerry L. House

All Graduate Projects

This project presents a faculty handbook prepared for the staff at Tahoma Junior High School in Maple Valley, Washington, The handbook was designed with two main purposes in mind: 1) to establish two-way communication among staff members as well as staff and administration; and 2) to render the educational process more efficient. The handbook includes fifteen major sections dealing with such topics as duties, rights and responsibilities, school policy and procedures, evaluation, and scheduling. It also includes copies of the forms a teacher will be confronted with through the school year. It was found that a handbook is a credible …

A Six-Weeks Individualized Curriculum Guide In Construction Technology For Junior High School Students, Dan R. Deetz

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The problem of this study was to develop a six-week self-contained module for teaching Construction Technology on residential house framing to junior high school students. The unit covered various areas of construction involving framing procedures. Three important areas of study have been developed. They include floor framing, wall framing and roof framing.

A Study Of The Homemaking Activities Of Boys In The Junior And Senior High Schools At Norfolk, Virginia, Charles Don Mcadams

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

No abstract provided.

A Study Of The Student Orientation Program In The Nine Junior High Schools In The Highline School District, Kenneth Teller

All Master's Theses

It was the purpose of this study (1) to discover the existing practices of conducting orientation programs for new students entering the nine junior high schools in the Highline School District, and (2) to determine to what degree these programs are meeting the needs of these students.

Significance Of Occupational Information In The Junior High School Guidance Program, Asael Wayne Blanchard

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

The purpose of this report is to determine what should be done by counselors to facilitate students in making future plans and appropriate goals, to determine if it is known what should be included in an occupational guidance program for junior high schools, and to set up guidelines for developing such a program.

The objective will be to search through present literature to determine what is known about junior high school vocational guidance programs in terms of content, objectives, procedures, feasibility, and success. This material will then be analyzed and used in setting up guidelines for counselors' and administrators' use …

A Survey Of Selected Middle School Programs In Washington, Oregon, And California, Kenneth L. Van Diest

All Master's Theses

It was the purpose of this study (1) to determine if the reasons for implementing middle schools have been justified by practice; (2) to determine the major problems principals have encountered with the middle school; and (3) to provide recommendations for school districts considering the adoption of a middle school program.

Effectiveness Of The Problem Solving Method In Coaching Junior High School Basketball, Robert Duane Pederson

All Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare two methods of instruction in coaching selected eighth grade boys in selected basketball skills.

A Proposed Plan For A General Business Course At Sunset Utah Junior High School For Ninth-Grade Students, Renae G. Bodily

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

According to Maze, "A society that guarantees the social and political freedom of its members, through democratic means, and which extends this freedom into the realm of economics, may be expected to place a heavy responsibility upon its members to protect these freedoms through the exercise of sound choices among alternative means to desired ends." The educational means by which the individual learns of these alternatives must be provided.

A Study Of Two Groups Of Superior Students At The Logan Junior High School, Rudgar H. Daines

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Educators have long been aware of the varied needs, abilities, and interests of children. They have tried to provide proper curriculum, materials, and methods to meet the wide range of abilities that exists in every classroom. Despite the attempt of the schools to provide for the particular needs of the individuals, the gifted students continue as a neglected segment in our schools. Because of other pressing educational problems, the awareness of their needs has been somewhat pushed into the background, and only through the present demand for greater leadership in our country and for the optimum use of our manpower, …