Education Commons^™

Investigating The Relationship Between Politics And Education, Alaina M. Winrow

Honors Theses and Capstones

This paper looks into how politics plays a role in the public K-12 education system in the United States, specifically looking at the state of New Hampshire. Federal, state, and local governments provide important resources through funding to schools and create the laws that govern them. However, educational politics can be controversial at times. Within the past several years, there have been more tense school board meetings and divisive laws being passed or considered around the nation. Overall, the divisive political climate has influenced much of the discussion surrounding education and has created more stress for educators, administrators, school staff, …

How Influential Is Petro-Pedagogy On Federal Educational Guidelines?, Cherrie Amor Chavez

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Petro-pedagogy highlights the pervasive influence of the fossil fuel industry within educational frameworks. This phenomenon operates subtly, manifesting in educational content's biases, omissions, and prioritizations. Focused on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), this research employs Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to scrutinize educational directives through a Petro-pedagogical lens. The study aims to unveil the language, power dynamics, and ideological constructs perpetuating fossil-fuel narratives within educational discourse through this lens. The study's significance lies in revealing concealed power structures within environmental and climate change education. The study uses critical discourse analysis to reveal pervasive …

The Collegiate Tennis Effect: Measuring The Impact Of College Attendance On A Tennis Player’S Professional Career, Ian Freer

CMC Senior Theses

Our study examines the influence of college attendance on the professional tennis careers of the 502 American male players who earned a ranking point between 2014 and 2023. Initial analysis suggests that attending college may lower a player’s career-high ranking by 159 spots. However, after controlling for career length, we observe a significant improvement of 214 spots among players with similar junior rankings. Our analysis of career trajectories reveals that college players often start their professional careers at higher rankings and achieve their career-high rankings earlier than non-college players. Additionally, the career-high rankings of the most promising juniors tend to …

La Emergencia De La Inteligencia Artificial En El Aprendizaje Del Español: ¿Una Suplementación O Sustitución?, Sam Goldfein

CMC Senior Theses

Abstract:

The recent emergence of widespread generative artificial intelligence – alongside the sudden demand for an improved online learning experience – questions the validity of current language learning models: could we improve old language learning models with the new, powerful technological capabilities that we’ve suddenly been granted, or is it time to scrap the old practices entirely and embark on a new technological journey void of professors and traditional classroom environments? This thesis stresses the importance of learning languages and specifically emphasizes the advantages of knowing Spanish as a second language in the United States. To determine the best methods …

Increase Foster Student Success Through Resource Pedagogy, Madison Nudo

Honors College Theses

The perception of students in foster care is often negative, potentially leading to significant effects on their educational journey. The purpose of the study is to provide accurate and practical solutions to combat the obstacles that may face students in foster care. By conducting interviews with school personnel and related stakeholders, we propose steps to enhance the education of students who have experienced displacement from their birth homes. This includes shifting the perception of these students to a positive and realistic standpoint, using resource pedagogy to bridge the gap between existing perspectives and emerging ones.

Psychological Well-Being And Music Among Children, Elle Chrampanis

Honors Theses

The purpose of this instrumental case study was to explore how music supports kindergarteners’ well-being in an elementary music classroom through the lens of PERMA, a framework for well-being developed by Martin Seligman. PERMA stands for positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment. An additional goal was to see how applicable this framework was to kindergarteners. Accordingly, a five-week music program was developed and taught at a local elementary school. A typical elementary music curriculum was developed consisting of lessons that included a welcome song, a rhythm activity, a musical storybook, the sequential learning of a song, and a goodbye …

Curriculum, Knowledge, And Power: A Critical Race Approach To Content Analysis Of Social Studies Textbooks, Eliza G. Ray

Honors Theses

This study uses Critical Race Theory (CRT) as a theoretical framework to examine the portrayal of the U.S. Revolutionary War in three 5th grade social studies textbooks approved by the state of Florida’s curriculum standards. Textbooks have been a focal point for political debate, most recently influenced more by politicians than by educators. A qualitative rubric was developed to evaluate the textbooks, examining the extent to which they include a CRT telling of the Revolutionary War. This rubric was informed by the tenets of CRT in educational research as described by Solorzano and Yosso (2002). Consistent themes arose from the …

Understanding Para-Athlete Inclusion In Post-Secondary Athletics, Rayven J. Sample

Honors Theses

This qualitative study utilized thematic analysis of six interviews with elite Para-athletes who were currently enrolled at a four-year undergraduate institution and were actively competing or training in any Para-sport to understand inclusion of Para-athletes within the NCAA. This investigatory research sought to identify barriers present in the NCAA’s structure and advocate for positive change as more Para-athletes desire to access collegiate athletic resources due to increasingly higher standards of performance within Para-sport. Para-athletes discussed five key themes during interviews; “Disability Mindset” or the way athletes conceptualized their presence within the athletic environment; sources of education available to athletics staff …

North Oakdale, John Gallagher

All ETDs from UAB

NORTH OAKDALE JOHN GALLAGHER ENGLISH ABSTRACT North Oakdale is a collection of poems about a family, a woman, a man, and their daughter, coping during the first fifteen months of the Covid-19 pandemic. The family experiences an upheaval when they are not able to work due to the lockdown. The dynamics between the man and the woman alter. The family decides to plant a garden and vegetable patch. The woman, as a journalist, tries to freelance but to no avail. The man decides to wait it out and spends most of his time watching their daughter and gardening. As the …

Teachers' Perspectives On The Impact Of Interactive Read Aloud Strategies For Comprehension Skills Of Saudi Kindergarten Students: A Mixed Method Study, Riham Alsultan

All ETDs from UAB

Reading comprehension is a very integral element of encouraging lifelong learning amongst kindergarten students. The main objective of this research is to investigate teachers’ perspectives on the effectiveness of interactive read-aloud (IRA) in improving reading comprehension skills amongst kindergarten students in Saudi Arabia. The study's overarching aim was to determine how interactive reading-aloud strategies employed by Saudi kindergarten teachers during interactive read-aloud time impact Saudi kindergarten students' overall comprehension skills through the perceptions of teachers regarding the effectiveness of these strategies. To achieve this objective, the researcher employed a mixed-method research design, a combination of both quantitative and qualitative strategies. …

“Then Let Them Use Us Well”: How The Folger Edition Of Shakespeare’S Othello Limits Sexuality And Character Agency, Ann Elizabeth Mulherin

All ETDs from UAB

Since Shakespeare’s first folio and quartos were initially published directly after his death in the early seventeenth century, various editors have altered his plays for their desired goals. With this in mind, the primary focus of my thesis centers around the Updated Folger edition of The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, edited by Barbara Mowat and Paul Werstine, which was published in 2017. The Folger edition repeatedly points out that they have tailored their rendition of Othello to allow modern audiences to understand Shakespeare’s language; they present the intention to accurately and helpfully gloss confusing, antiquated, or significant …

Filing The Serial Numbers Off: The Role Of The Author In Fanfiction Published As Original Fiction, Lauren Mcinnis

All ETDs from UAB

With the increase of authors altering and publishing fanfiction as original works of fiction, the practices and attitudes of fan communities cross over into the realm of traditional fiction. Throughout its history, fandom is a community built on the shared love of a piece of media or celebrity. The importance of community appears in fanfiction through Author’s Notes and comments sections; both of which traditionally published novels generally lack. When authors choose to make the transition to traditional publication which provides legitimacy that fanfiction lacks, they must remove most of their own identity and the fan-community that they originally relied …

Early Childhood Educators’ Perceptions, Attitudes, And Beliefs On Use Of The Modern Classrooms Project: A Case Study, Christina Arriagada

All ETDs from UAB

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how early childhood educators perceive the use of Modern Classrooms Project (MCP) in their classrooms. MCP is an instructional model that promotes blended, self-paced, and mastery-based learning with ties to constructivist teaching ideals. Data were collected using a teacher interview, observations, and the review of teacher resources such as lesson plans and student learning paths. Previous research found MCP was effective at the secondary level. Findings of this study showed that early childhood educators found MCP to be an effective instructional model to use in their classrooms. I identified three themes: …

Cultural Connectedness And Native American Mental Health, Sharyn Washburn Hillin

All ETDs from UAB

CULTURAL CONNECTEDNESS AND NATIVE AMERICAN MENTAL HEALTH SHARYN W. HILLIN EDUCATIONAL STUDIES IN DIVERSE POPULATIONS ABSTRACT Recent research has indicated a possible connection between the destruction of Native American culture and communities and mental health disparities among Native Americans in the United States. While numerous studies have been conducted among Native Americans in western regions of the United States that establish a relationship between cultural connectedness and mental health resiliency, no such relationship has been investigated in the southeastern region of the United States, particularly within the state of Alabama. Using a blended ethnographic phenomenological methodology, ten Poarch-Creek Indians in …

Youth Literacy And Social Practices In A Gaming Club, Abdul R. Siddiqui

Theses and Dissertations

One of the growing phenomena of our digital age is the proliferation of digital fan spaces (Gee, 2018). Dedicated to a specific fandom or activity, these spaces have allowed participants to play competitively, share videos with each other, create fanfiction, provide feedback to one another and engage in a host of literacies around something they share an affinity for (Black, 2009; Gee, 2017a). Through advances in technology, access to multiple tools and highly specialized knowledge of specific subjects, youth can now create communities in online spaces where they can engage in complex activities with their friends and fellow gamers without …

Entremezclando Sueños: Reimagining Education Through Community-Centered Program Evaluations, Cassandra Hernandez

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis fuses Chicane Latine Studies (CLS) and Public Policy methodologies to explore how student-centered organizations can incorporate Decolonial Feminism into their program evaluation pedagogy. In today’s society, the political economy, influenced by structural biases, gravely impacts marginalized communities by overlooking holistic wellbeing as a valid priority. Embodying Decolonial Feminism can help community organizations fight back against systemic inequities and redefine for themselves their existence. A starting point is adjusting how organizations conduct program evaluations. Using Chicana Latina Feminista (CLF) Pláticas, concepts from these pláticas culminated into a collaborative decolonial feminist program evaluation guide called "Entremezclando Sueños." This guide serves …

An Examination Of The Predictors Of Vocational Calling In First-Generation College Students, Rodney Palmer

Dissertations

Problem

Several studies have examined the prediction of calling in college students, but no known study has focused primarily on the development of vocational calling among the vulnerable population of first-generation college students who have a higher drop-out rate than their peers. Examining the composition of vocational calling in first-generation college students, will assist faculty and student development personnel in better understanding the factors that predict a sense of calling for these students, which will improve their overall performance. This study will examine to what extent a sense of vocational calling is predicted by student mentoring, social support, faith/spirituality, civic …

Employees' Perception Of The Management Of The Covid-19 Crisis At Najran University, Saudi Arabia, Noora Nasser Alsuhaibani

Dissertations

Problem

During the COVID-19 crisis, particularly in the context of Saudi education, the ability to physically attend schools and colleges was greatly hindered due to the widespread transmission of the virus and the resulting obstacles. The issues necessitated the use of crisis management strategies. Some Saudi universities are capable of implementing an organized plan both before to and during crisis management, whereas others lack this competence. This is a substantial problem. Several universities in Saudi Arabia effectively managed the COVID-19 epidemic, whereas others did not. Furthermore, prior studies on crisis management indicate that administrators exhibit diverse responses. By participating in …

Perceptions Of High Stakes Testing And Burnout As Predictors Of Quality Of Life Among Primary School Teachers In Trinidad And Tobago, Victoria Patricia Elder

Dissertations

Problem

This study explored how high-stakes testing (HST) and burnout affected the quality of primary school teachers in Trinidad and Tobago. HST refers to school exams often required by government agencies that are used to make key decisions pertaining to students, teachers, and schools (Embse & Hanson, 2012). Burnout is defined operationally as a psychological syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and impaired personal accomplishment induced by repeated workplace stressors (Maslach & Schaufeli, 2017). Quality of life (QoL) is the measure of an individual’s ability to function physically, emotionally, and socially within his/her environment at a level consistent with his/her own …

Maternal Involvement, Parenting Styles And Socioeconomic Status As Predictors Of Academic Achievement Of Standard 5 Students In Trinidad And Tobago, Edison Greenaway

Dissertations

The Problem

Underachievement remains a long-standing issue for the Ministry of Education in Trinidad and Tobago. This has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which deleteriously impacted the education system. School closures became mandatory, and online learning was implemented throughout the education system. The results of the 2022 sitting of the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) exams emphasized the issue of underachievement, with a significant decline in performance. Only 37.06% of students scored above the 50% mark. Familial factors such as parenting styles and parental involvement have been noted in the literature to positively impact students’ academic achievement (Borup et al., …

Examining The Nonprofit Leader From The Servant Leadership Theory : Impacts On Board Cohesion, Andrew Wonders

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

n the context of nonprofit organizations, servant leadership (SL) has been studied on a limited basis. The present study attempted to forge a new path by examining the impact of SL and cohesion in the realm of nonprofit organizations. A total of 91 board members from 32 organizations participated in the study. Five statistical models of mixed effects linear regression were used in the analysis. The first model utilized the eight subscales of SL as independent variables and overall cohesion is the dependent variable while the other four models used overall SL as the independent variable. Each model also had …

Military Faculty Experience Within A Faculty Learning Community And Its Interest In Learning Technology Integration, Jonathan David Zemmer

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the experiences and perceptions of faculty members at an institution of military education participating in a Faculty Learning Community (FLC) focused on educational technology utilization during the 2022-2023 academic year. As the Department of Defense (DoD) emphasizes the importance of technology capabilities and workforce development, understanding faculty experiences in these settings becomes crucial for effective technology integration in teaching and learning. Utilizing a participatory action research (PAR) design, the study collected data through faculty artifacts, researcher reflexive journals, semi-structured interviews, bi-monthly meeting minutes, videos, and presentation materials. The research questions focused on the change of participants' understanding …

Phenomenological Study Of Talented Young People In Ballet In South Korea, Kyung Hyun Park

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Talent development occurs throughout an individual’s everyday life in a complex, evolving, and dynamic way. Focusing on the developmental perspective of human talent, this study aimed to comprehensively explore the long-term learning paths of students majoring in ballet in Korea. Six research questions were investigated regarding individual talent profiles in ballet, psychological and social stressors, the role of family and home, peer relationships, educational environments, and socio-cultural context. This qualitative study conducted in-depth interviews with 20 undergraduates and 14 parents about the students’ experiences in ballet. Through reflexive thematic analysis based on a hermeneutic phenomenological approach, six themes emerged as …

The Decline Of Science In The Early Years: A Diagnosis And A Plan Of Action, Jennifer Bentley

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Science instruction in the early years of a student’s education career is essential to a student successfully continuing science in their secondary and postsecondary careers. However, the amount of high-quality science instruction students receive at the elementary level has been steadily declining for two decades, resulting in an inequitable imbalance in those who pursue STEM careers, a lack of critical science literacy in the U.S. populace, and a shortage of qualified employees entering the U.S. economy. Much of the lack of science instruction can be traced to decreased training of teachers to teach science during elementary credentialing programs or the …

Usage Of Peer Mentoring Workbooks: Enhancing The Transition Of College Students With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, Taylor Nicole Grout

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This doctoral capstone project assesses the impact and effectiveness of using peer mentoring workbooks as a tool to enhance the transition of college students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. A peer mentoring workbook was developed using theoretical frameworks to guide its design and identification of primary occupations, roles, and routines of college students. From here, four domains of college student life (dorm living, college social life, classroom management and participation, and community engagement and transportation) were developed to act as a framework for the workbook. Through the usage of Participatory Action Research, key stakeholders provided essential feedback that allowed for …

Exploring The Relationship Between Academic Program Assessment Practices And Institutional Performance, Nicholas T. Christian

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Researchers (Stanny & Bryan, 2021; Tinto, 2012) have claimed without empirical evidence that academic program assessment is important to student success. This study used structural equation modeling (SEM) to identify the relationships between academic program assessment practices and institutional performance based on responses from faculty at U.S.-located four-year institutions of higher education. The theoretical foundations of best practices in program assessment, organizational learning, faculty motivation, and institutional performance were examined and included as the primary variables. Assessment practices in higher education are best summarized by the assessment loop: articulating the intended learning outcomes; selecting appropriate assessment measures; developing curriculum and …

"Stitched By An Indifferent Hand: Recognizing The Marginal In Cormac Mccarthy's 'Suttree'", Michael Wayne Boody

All ETDs from UAB

For centuries, philosophers have been kept busy by the question of what it means to be recognized. In the early 1990’s the Critical theorist Axel Honneth synthesized ideas put forth by Hegal and George Herbert Mead to propose his theory of Recognition, which suggests that society advances forward when humans exercise moral recognition of each others’ positive attributes; only then can people within society achieve a positive-relation-to-self. While Recognition is not greatly applied to literary theory, I believe that we can use it to explain the main character’s interactions with the people in his community in Cormac McCarthy’s Suttree (1979). …

Shakespeare’S Tragic Heroines: Personality And Status Versus Gender, Ryann Grace Howard

All ETDs from UAB

Readings of Shakespeare’s female characters as presentations of ideals – such as innocence – or as characters limited by the innate nature of their gender fail to understand the full personalities and challenges these characters have. The chosen characters are discussed in the pairings of Cordelia and Cleopatra (queens) and Desdemona and Juliet (high-status ladies) to show how this thesis’s chosen female characters are presented through their individual statuses and personalities rather than their genders.

Catching Up To Yesterday: An Argument For A Practical Application Of Creativity For Inspiring Change From A Content-Based Course Delivery To A 21st-Century Skills-Based Delivery, Darren Chapman

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

This project is a creative vision for how college-level courses could be changed to deliver the most important skills students need in the 21st century—moving toward an essential employability skills-based delivery process while training vocational (content) skills. Technology is outpacing humans' ability to adapt and adopt to it, making it increasingly difficult to keep pace with technological change. This has wide-ranging effects on each of us – productively, emotionally, and perhaps physically. Colleges are at the forefront of educating citizens about the working world to improve their productivity, incomes and their sense of intrinsic motivation. However, these same colleges are …

Developing The 21st Century Piano Studio, Brianna Mae Eddy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This study explores the needs of the contemporary piano studio, including business policies, the use of technologies, mental health and neurodivergence in students, and the influence and use of social media. Focused on the needs of both the private-studio piano teacher and traveling piano teacher, the paper offers insight into studio ownership and management with an emphasis on providing experiences that meet the needs of contemporary students. The paper includes a brief history of private piano instruction as well as information for developing studio policies, business issues related to current tax requirements and forms, and resources for financial and general …