Education Commons^™

Teaching English In Earth And Space Science: Content-Based Curriculum Development For Secondary Multilingual Learners, Laura Gislason

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The number of English language learners in public schools continues to increase in Minnesota. Multilingual high school students having a WIDA English language proficiency level below three tend to experience a greater number of academic challenges and experience lower graduation rates. In order to combat these challenges, many high schools provide sheltered content classes co-taught by licensed content and EL teachers. While these courses help students succeed in mastering content standards, English language development is often relegated to incidental acquisition as a bi-product of the learning process. This capstone uses the connections model of content based instruction to answer the …

Using Citizen Science To Create Meaningful Learning Experiences And Enhance The Learning Of Science For Second Grade Students, Rebecca Barton

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Citizen science is a new and growing field of research that brings about new knowledge and understanding through the collaboration of citizens in scientific research. As citizen science continues to grow, it is essential to consider its potential to encourage education and learning opportunities. The capstone focuses on answering the question: How can citizen science create meaningful learning experiences and enhance the learning of science for second grade students? Participation in citizen science projects can assist in developing science literacy, enhance learning, increase interest in science, increase understanding of the scientific process, and connect students with the world around them. …

The Use Of Universal Design For Better Inclusion Of People Who Are Deaf/Hard Of Hearing Or Have Other Invisible Disabilities In Environmental Education, Magill Schumm

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

There are specific auditory and programmatic challenges outdoor and environmental education face due to the realities of non-formal outdoor teaching. While there are often adapted programs for specific disability groups, these challenges can prevent people with invisible disabilities from being fully included in both adapted and non-adapted programs. This capstone sought to answer the question: How can Universal Design be used to create more inclusive environmental education for people who are deaf/hard of hearing and students with other invisible disabilities? The tenets of Universal Design for Learning are offering multiple means of engagement, multiple means of representation, and multiple means …

Utilizing A School Garden To Promote Ecoliteracy In Elementary Aged Children, Kelsie Murphy

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Environmental education is a key component to building ecoliteracy in childhood. Due to the current climate crisis, developing a sense of ecoliteracy in the next generation is essential to slowing the effects of climate change. When students are given the opportunity to interact with nature on a regular basis, the connection between humans and their environment becomes that much stronger. Unfortunately, in the current public education system, little to no importance is placed on teaching science, let alone environmental science. A school garden offers an opportunity to provide students with more outdoor learning opportunities. This capstone uses a combination of …

Integrated Stem Learning Activity: Effect On Student Engagement And Learning, Leslie Deitrich Sauder

Dissertations and Theses

Student engagement in math and science courses decreases starting in middle school and continues throughout high school (Museus et al., 2011). This lack of engagement results in students taking only the required math and science coursework and not advanced coursework that would help prepare them for future careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. Integrated STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) learning activities may be used to promote student engagement and learning. This experimental design study was conducted with students in grades 3-5 in one rural mid-sized school district in the upper mid-west. Student engagement was analyzed using a …

Enrollment In Science, Technology, Engineering, And Math Courses After Enactment Of Texas' House Bill 5, Carlana Cla'shette Allen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Student participation and performance in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) have been an education concern in the United States for years. In 2013, Texas lawmakers passed House Bill 5 (HB5) to support increases in STEM awareness, particularly among ethnic minority and female students. To date, no studies have been conducted on the impact, if any, of HB5 on Texas high school students’ course selections in STEM areas. Further, it is unknown whether the impact that does exist is equally distributed across socioeconomic status (SES), race/ethnicity, and gender groups. The purpose of this nonexperimental correlational quantitative study was to determine …

Associating High School Science, Technology, Engineering, And Math (Stem) Course-Taking With Future Earnings For Non-Stem Employed High School Graduates, Beth Marchant

Dissertations

Problem

Due to the current resurgence of attention given to high school students' taking courses in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), research was needed to examine whether a relationship between the number of STEM courses a high school student, who graduates from high school and works in a non-STEM field, completes and the success of that student 10 years later. One measure of student success, future earnings, can be measured quantitatively and is included in the Education Longitudinal Survey of 2002 (ELS:2002) data set, an ideal source of information to evaluate this issue (Institute of Education Sciences, 2019b).

Method …

Perceptions Of College/University Students On High School Science And Stem Courses, Brian Park

Theses and Dissertations

Over the years, the evolution of science along with technology, engineering, and mathematics has been noticeably evident while science education, on the other hand, has shown little development. The research study aimed to investigate future change initiative implementation in secondary science curricula. In addition, the purpose of the research was to learn and examine postsecondary students' perceptions of how well secondary science education prepared them for the postsecondary level plus for schools to utilize the feedback received from students to further improve the quality of science education. The data for the study were collected through semi-structured interviews with 10 college/university …

Enrollment In Science, Technology, Engineering, And Math Courses After Enactment Of Texas' House Bill 5, Carlana Cla'shette Allen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Student participation and performance in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) have been an education concern in the United States for years. In 2013, Texas lawmakers passed House Bill 5 (HB5) to support increases in STEM awareness, particularly among ethnic minority and female students. To date, no studies have been conducted on the impact, if any, of HB5 on Texas high school students’ course selections in STEM areas. Further, it is unknown whether the impact that does exist is equally distributed across socioeconomic status (SES), race/ethnicity, and gender groups. The purpose of this nonexperimental correlational quantitative study was to determine …

Enrollment In Science, Technology, Engineering, And Math Courses After Enactment Of Texas' House Bill 5, Carlana Cla'shette Allen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Student participation and performance in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) have been an education concern in the United States for years. In 2013, Texas lawmakers passed House Bill 5 (HB5) to support increases in STEM awareness, particularly among ethnic minority and female students. To date, no studies have been conducted on the impact, if any, of HB5 on Texas high school students’ course selections in STEM areas. Further, it is unknown whether the impact that does exist is equally distributed across socioeconomic status (SES), race/ethnicity, and gender groups. The purpose of this nonexperimental correlational quantitative study was to determine …

Dual-Country Middle School Science Air Quality Curriculum Guide, Cassandra R. Sendra

Honors Capstones

The focus of this unit is to engage and enrich students’ perspectives on the human impact on Earth in different areas of the world. This unit will allow students to interact and learn about students in another country, learn about the air quality similarities and differences and what could affect the results of testing the air quality in two communities in different parts of the world. The goal of this unit is to have the students understand how humans impact the world around them and to compare their community to another community. The students will be accomplishing this goal utilizing …

A New Direction For Public Understanding Of Science: Toward A Participant-Centered Model Of Science Engagement., Christopher Rickels

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Engaging the public with science is not an easy task. When presented, scientific findings, public health recommendations, and other scientific information filter through the personal values, beliefs, and biases of members of the public. Science communicators must contend with these differences in order to be effective in cultivating a public understanding of science. Given the importance of scientific understanding for living well in a complex world, increasing science understanding through science engagement is imperative. The field of public engagement with science is dichotomized by a public information deficit approach and a contextualist approach. The deficit approach prizes the factual content …

The Perceived Impact Of Project-Based Learning (Pbl) On Middle School Students’ Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics (Stem) Identity And Engagement, Jonathan Olivera

Theses and Dissertations

Despite multiple calls to action, the United States educational system is not producing enough viable contributors in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). These fields continue to grow, and the STEM workforce continues to expand. However, the pool of citizens prepared to enter these professions is not keeping up with the demand. Part of this issue can be attributed to a diminishing interest in STEM by students, particularly during their identity forming adolescent years. Active learning strategies have proven successful in preventing this decline with project-based learning (PBL) being one of the most successful active learning strategies. …

The Best Way To Utilize Makerspace In A 6th Grade Science Classroom, Amanda Mahlstedt

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed in this capstone project is: “How can the MakerSpace model be implemented in a sixth grade science classroom successfully?” This paper follows a sixth grade science teacher's journey into learning more about MakerSpace and how to implement the MakerSpace model in a science classroom. This paper also follows how this learning influenced the creation of a MakerSpace guide intended for educators that are interested in implementing a MakerSpace in their classroom, specifically a sixth grade science classroom. The topics of focus are: what is MakerSpace, what makes it different from other science programs, research behind MakerSpace, …

Citizen Science As Experiential Education In The Modern Classroom, Peter Swan

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Secondary education has grown increasingly dependent on delivering instruction and materials via mobile devices and computers in the 21st century. Research has long shown the effectiveness of “student-centered”, experiential and “place based” learning in the classroom. Citizen science initiatives have been demonstrated to be meaningful ways to teach the nature - and practice - of scientific inquiry. This paper explores the current trends in secondary science education in light of recent societal transformations and investigates the body of literature regarding environmental, outdoor and experiential education. The project then proposes a solution to integrate experiential, citizen science into a modern, digital …

The Impact Of Climate Change Education In An Outdoor Classroom On Middle School Students' Attitudes And Understandings Towards Climate Change, Kelly Peterson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This capstone paper and project seek to answer the question: how does learning about climate change in an outdoor classroom impact middle schoolers’ attitudes and understandings toward climate change? The most effective methods to teaching climate change include a place-based, multidisciplinary approach with high levels of inquiry and engagement. When students learn outdoors, they also engage in place-based learning that is highly inquiry based. Combining climate change education with outdoor education is an effective way to approach climate change education. Through use of the Learning Cycle and Understanding by Design, a unit on ecosystem dynamics, biodiversity, and ecosystem services was …

Research And The Replication Crisis: A Psychology Course Proposal, Kathryn Fassih

Honors Projects

For my project, I have created a course syllabus and lab manual for undergraduate students to learn more about the replication crisis in the field of psychology and learn how to conduct hands-on research through replicating carefully selected studies.

A Framework For Interdisciplinary Read Aloud Lessons, Lyndsey M. Bensel

Culminating Experience Projects

Science and social studies instruction at the elementary level has diminished in quantity and quality as a result of increasing pressure to maximize English language arts achievement. This approach exchanges short term gains in reading proficiency for long term deficits across many disciplines. Research establishes a strong connection between background knowledge gained through content area learning and the ability to comprehend expository texts. Moreover, deprioritizing science and social studies instruction limits opportunities to explore disciplinary literacy practices which serve as the foundation for acquiring knowledge in different disciplines. The framework for interdisciplinary read aloud lessons developed through this project, will …

Cultivating Student Agency Through The Use Of Authentic Science Practices, John Haug

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This paper examines a needed shift in teaching secondary science students as more states and school districts adopt the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for assessing student skills and knowledge. The eight practices identified by the NGSS offer an opportunity to incorporate authentic science instruction into the classroom. Research supports that students who gain confidence in authentic science practices have a broader and deeper understanding of the nature of science. Research also supports that students who improve authentic practices are more likely to trust scientific findings and be more apt to take action on social and environmental issues. This shift …

How Music Can Be Integrated Into Life Science Teaching In A Way That Enhances Scientific And Musical Learning In Middle School, Erin Hustad

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Research has shown that students who learn interdisciplinary content lessons in school have a better understanding of the interconnectedness of the world they are entering. This paper, and the resultant project, focus on the interconnectedness of science and the arts, eventually ecology and music, in order to teach students both scientific and musical concepts. The project was created using backwards design, in order to ensure students have long term learning outcomes that center both science and music. Students first experience the scientific process and reflect on the similarities between scientific inquiry and artistic processes. Students then explore ecosystems and music …

Utilizing A Culturally Relevant Ecology Curriculum To Help Students See Intersections Between Their Scientific And Cultural Identities, Emma Singer

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The purpose of this capstone was to create a two-week long ecology unit for high school biology students rooted in culturally relevant practices. The project sought to answer the question “How can utilizing a culturally relevant ecology curriculum help students see intersections between their scientific and cultural identities?” Data shows that people of color and women are underrepresented within the sciences. Disengagement and lack of interest in the sciences begins in middle and high school, suggesting students feel the material is irrelevant or disconnected from their lives. To address this gap, this project utilized a culturally relevant lens to create …

Growing Environmentally Literate Youth, Kimberly Harding

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Research has demonstrated that the importance of producing environmentally literate youth is becoming a priority around the world Producing environmentally literate youth through E-STEM Garden-based learning practices will not only allow our students to become environmentally literate but also capable, aware, citizens with the 21st Century skills necessary to tackle today and tomorrow’s problems. The curriculum designed for this project focuses on using garden-based STEM practices to increase young students' environmental literacy. The project involved using the Next Generation Science standards, the learning goals of the proposed Michigan Environmental Literacy Plan, as well as the American Society for Engineering Education’s …

Impact Of Environmentally Focused Chemistry On High School Student Engagement And Scientific Understanding, Libby Barrie

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Research has shown that traditional chemistry teaching methods tend to utilize individualized topic lectures and highly structured labs, with little opportunity for students to draw real world connections between topics. Unfortunately, student motivation to learn science also decreases throughout high school due to a perceived lack of relevance in their everyday lives. The goal of this project was to design an environmentally focused chemistry curriculum that improves the high school student learning experience and answers the guiding question: How can high school science educators improve student engagement and scientific understanding through environmentally focused chemistry curriculum? This project was also developed …

Developing An Outdoor Learning Area And Guidebook For The Elementary Grades, Jordyn Kern

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Research has shown that outdoor education has major benefits for school-age children (Yildirim & Akamca, 2017). These benefits include increased academic success, better social-emotional development, better physical development, and better mental and physical health (Suttie, 2018). The guidebook designed for this project focuses on how to increase those five things in children across the country. The goal of the guidebook is to increase outdoor education within classrooms throughout the United States and eventually, the world. The guidebook is geared towards elementary school teachers but can be adapted to fit any grade, time frame, and experience level of the teacher. The …

How Using Multidisciplinary Approaches To Mainstream Education Can Increase Diversity In Environmental Education And Improve Students’ Environmental Literacy, Nathaniel Nordberg

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

For there to be solutions to environmental issues people of diverse perspectives need to be able to critically think and collaborate together to work through possible solutions. Historically, environmental education has been missing many voices from the BIPOC communities in finding creative solutions to environmental issues. This Capstone Project had the driving question of, Can increasing diversity in environmental education improve students' environmental literacy? The literature reviewed showed that environmental education cannot be a stand alone curriculum. Instead, it needs to be a multidisciplinary approach to the curriculum that allows students to critically think about real world issues that society …

A Menu About Me: A Next Generation Science Standards Aligned 9-12 Life Science Curriculum Adapted For Students With Limited Or Interrupted Formal Education, Madeline Carras

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

In order to face the challenges of a rapidly changing world, it is imperative that thinkers with diverse backgrounds and perspectives are supported in the development of their scientific skills and voice. However, very few, if any, high school life science curricular resources are available that are specifically adapted with the assets and needs of students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE) in mind. The widely adopted Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are uniquely designed to center the learner’s authentic thought process and pre-existing funds of knowledge–a framework which also happens to be aligned with the strengths of SLIFE …

An Examination Of Attachment And Aspirations In Diverse Rural Youth: The Role Of Peers And Teachers, Gresi Bonomo Irdam

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three studies that examined diverse rural youths’ educational and rural aspirations. These studies have the potential to inform rural communities, educators, and parents by providing novel understandings of how peers and teachers in mathematics and science classrooms influence diverse rural youths’ rural attachment, and aspirations (i.e., educational, rural residential, community, and proximity). Thus, the purpose of this dissertation was to investigate rural teachers and their diverse students from White, African American, Hispanic, and Native American backgrounds. In particular, the studies within this dissertation examine how teachers’ social connectedness to their rural communities relates to their teacher …

The Effects Of A Video-Enhanced Intervention Package On The Science Practices Of Students With Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Kailee Liesemer

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Students with intellectual disabilities (ID) and neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) often experience barriers to accessing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) instruction in the general classroom. The current research guiding equitable STEM education for this population lacks scope, primarily targeting vocabulary or content knowledge instead of the cross-curricular application of science practice skills in STEM. Using single-case research designs, the current paper examined the efficacy of an intervention package used to teach science practices in STEM education to students with ID and NDD. A multiple probe across participant design revealed that the intervention package was effective in teaching two students with …

The Role Of Science In Elementary Education, Emily Moran

Education | Master's Theses

The role of Science in education has evolved over the years. Although it is currently considered an important subject, there is a gap in knowledge involving the level at which Science is incorporated in elementary education and how teachers view the subject. Since the introduction of the Next Generation Science Standards, there has been a shift towards creating more equitable learning opportunities that include inquiry based and three-dimensional instruction (Britton, Iveland, Schneider, Tyler, & Valcarcel, 2016). Recent studies show that many teachers struggle to incorporate science standards and concepts and lack confidence in cohesively integrating science into their lessons (Nadelson …

Science Teacher Attitudes And Perceptions Of Disciplinary Literacy And Think-Aloud Effectiveness – A Case Study, Patricia Mueller

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The ability to read is the most important skill in a person’s life. Learning to read is emphasized in elementary school with the belief that mastering this skill early will result in the ability to read most texts in secondary school. As a student matriculates through school, secondary teachers are focused on teaching their content while integrating literacy skills when necessary or maybe not ever. This research focuses on science teachers and their attitudes about literacy integration, specifically using the think-aloud reading strategy to teach disciplinary literacy. It builds upon the work of Shanahan and Shanahan (2008, 2010, 2011), Ness …