Education Commons^™

The Impact Of Using History On Learning In Physics Laboratory Settings, Patrick W. Clouse

Dissertations

Integrating History of Science (HOS) into science courses has many benefits. Students demonstrate improved scientific content knowledge, develop their understanding of Nature of Science (NOS), and improve their attitudes towards science. However, barriers prevent instructors from effectively incorporating history into their teaching. The traditions and culture of science instruction, individual teacher attitudes and skills, existing institutional frameworks, and prevailing curricular materials all prevent HOS integration. Preservice teachers may never be exposed to HOS in their science or education courses, meaning they lack experience and knowledge surrounding the benefits of HOS. Therefore, alternative avenues for effective integration should be considered to …

The Impact Of Mentoring: Professional Growth, Reflection, And Retention In Secondary Science Education, Summer M. Landreth

All Dissertations

Teacher attrition threatens the stability of the U.S. education system, with science teachers experiencing particularly high turnover rates. While research has primarily focused on early-career teachers, less is known about the factors influencing mid-career and veteran science teachers’ decisions to remain in or leave the profession. This study explored mentoring student teachers as a potentially transformative experience for cooperating teachers, offering opportunities for professional development, identity development, and enhanced retention. Guided by Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory, the study examined how mentoring may function as a productive experience that prompts critical reflection, revitalizes pedagogy, and reconnects teachers with their professional purpose. …

Language Learning Under Pressure: Rethinking Anxiety, Assessment, And Support In Second Language Classrooms, Bryn C. Cole

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This portfolio examines the role of anxiety in second language acquisition (SLA) and its impact on student performance, assessment, and overall participation. Drawing on both the author’s classroom experience and SLA research, it argues that language anxiety should be understood as a structural feature of classroom environments rather than an individual learner deficit. The paper explores how traditional assessment practices may obscure students’ underlying competence by prioritizing performance under pressure. It proposes two key shifts in response: reformatting assessments as a more flexible and context-sensitive process, and integrating peer mentorship as a form of interpersonal instructional support. Together, these approaches …

Student Study Teams For Child Find: Identifying Barriers In A Rural School District, Malynda Ivory

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This project explores the challenges associated with the teacher referral process for students at risk of academic and behavior difficulties in a rural school. The Student Study Team (SST) plays an important role in identifying and supporting students; yet, teacher engagement with the referral process is inconsistent in my K-4 school. Teacher participation in our school is low.  Referrals mostly occur after parent-teacher conferences, and teacher participation in the lower grades (K-2) is noticeably lower than referrals from our 3^rd and 4^th grade teachers. Many factors, including limited understanding of the SST’s purpose, time constraints, and perceived effectiveness …

A Focus On Student Needs In German Instruction, Elisa E. Remund

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This portfolio serves as documentation of the author’s professional progress throughout the Master of Science of Second Language Teaching (MSSLT) program at Utah State University, shown through teaching philosophy, hands-on teaching experience and practice, and demonstrates the author’s use of pedagogical strategies and theory, including but not exclusive to comprehensible input, the sociocultural method, dynamic assessment, and the output hypothesis. It details the usage of current research-based strategies to increase classroom engagement and student proficiency, such as the IMAGE Model for teaching culture and language, collaborative learning, and dynamic assessment strategies. Furthermore, the portfolio includes a reflection on the benefits …

Effective Science Instruction For Elementary Aged Students With Significant Cognitive And Adaptive Delays, Rabecca L. Juarez

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

In Utah, students begin participating in statewide end-of-year assessments in third grade, with science added in fourth grade. Students with the most significant cognitive and adaptive disabilities participate in the Dynamic Learning Maps® (DLM®) alternate assessment, which measures student performance in English language arts, mathematics, and science aligned to Essential Elements (EE). Despite participation in statewide accountability systems, students with significant cognitive disabilities in a Southwest Utah School District have consistently demonstrated low science performance on the DLM assessment.

The aim of this project was to collaboratively create science lessons for students who participate in the alternate assessment. This project …

Music And Middle School Mathematics, Cheryl L. Hawkins

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

The purpose of this project was to see if music playing in the background while learning essential mathematics skills would make a difference in the learning process of middle school students. For nine weeks I collected data on the scores of the special education students relearning skills they had been previously taught in a general education mathematics class. The students took a baseline assessment, then had 30-40 minutes of instruction spread across two days. They then took another assessment to see what the change was. During the lessons and assessments there was one of three conditions happening, one was silence, …

Implementing Functional Communication Training Through Paraprofessional Preparation In A Self-Contained Elementary Special Education Classroom, Cece Afatasi

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Students with significant cognitive disabilities often experience difficulty communicating their wants, needs, and emotions. When students are unable to communicate effectively, they may rely on challenging behaviors such as aggression or self-injurious behavior to meet their needs. Because paraprofessionals provide much of the daily instructional and behavioral support in self-contained special education classrooms, they play a critical role in implementing evidence-based communication interventions.

The purpose of this professional portfolio was to explore the implementation of Functional Communication Training (FCT) through two related projects. The first focused on preparing paraprofessionals to implement FCT using Behavioral Skills Training (BST), while the second …

Historical Inquiry-Based Lessons In World History Classrooms: Creating Opportunities For Historical Thinking, Melinda Thatcher Lofland

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This Plan B project creates inquiry-based lessons that help students investigate the global tapestry of World History with its vast threads of transregional connections and diverse cultures that color our contemporary world and help prepare them to participate as global citizens. This project uses primary and secondary sources to create evidence-based lesson plans that will help history teachers provide opportunities for students to practice historical inquiry skills in Utah’s world history classrooms. These plans employ current scholarship and best teaching practices while following national and state standards for World History. In addition, these lessons were developed using inquiry-based historical thinking …

History In The Social Studies Classroom: Developing Historical Literacy And Skills Through Inquiry Lessons, Nancy J. Thatcher

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This Plan B project has created a series of inquiry-based lesson plans and activities for World History classrooms that emphasize historical literacy and disciplinary thinking. Rather than producing a traditional research thesis, this project emphasizes applied historical scholarship by translating historical and professional methodology into three classroom ready instructional lesson plans that are aligned with the Utah Core Standards for Social Studies. The project reflects the History MA’s emphasis on disciplinary rigor while addressing the practical needs of public history and education with pedagogical best practices. This project responds to ongoing challenges in World History education, including constrained instructional time, …

From Evidence To Impact: Supporting Sensemaking And Instructional Revision In Stem Classrooms, Bonni Jones

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Science and math literacy is crucial for informed citizenship and economic competitiveness, yet many students leave school without developing the critical thinking skills needed to understand and solve complex issues or pursue STEM careers. This disconnect often stems from traditional teaching methods that emphasize memorization and following steps over authentic reasoning and problem solving. This dissertation addresses this challenge by identifying how teachers in research studies have taught STEM in ways that develop students' ability to think, reason, and problem-solve like real scientists.

By analyzing research on instruction that incorporates modeling, inquiry, and sensemaking, and working directly with teachers, this …

Teacher Experience And Perception Of Feedback Literacy In The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, Carla B. Mills

Dissertations

Writing instruction in schools remains a significant area of concern even after decades of awareness that students are not performing at proficient levels upon high-school graduation. This phenomenographic case study investigated teacher feedback literacy at the secondary level through interviews with teachers of writing-intensive International Baccalaureate Diploma Program courses and document analysis. Areas of feedback literacy strength included teacher awareness of designing positive class environments, attending to the socio-emotional needs of their learners, extensive use of both rubrics and exemplars, and frequent provision of verbal feedback. Document analysis revealed the presence of explicit instruction in written feedback, rubric use, and …

Bridging Borders: Community College Dual Credit Policy And Latinx Student Success In The Southwest Borderland, Daniel Guerra

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Early College High School (ECHS) programs have expanded access to college coursework and accelerated degree pathways; however, less is known about how Latinx students experience the transition from these programs into four-year institutions. This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of eight Latinx students who completed ECHS and matriculated to a four-year university between 2022 and 2024 in a Southwest borderland. The location is geographically isolated along the U.S.-Mexico border with a predominantly Hispanic population. Framed through Community Cultural Wealth and Rational Choice Theory, the study examined how students relied on cultural assets and evaluated educational opportunities while navigating secondary …

Reapplication And Credential Completion Among Non-Selected Community College Health Science Applicants: A Social Stratification Perspective, Donna G. Whitehouse

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reapplication and Credential Completion Among Non-Selected Community College Health Science Applicants: A Social Stratification Perspective by Donna Whitehouse Community colleges serve as primary access points for healthcare workforce preparation, yet thousands of qualified applicants are not selected for competitive admission health science programs each year. Research on what happens to these students following non-selection is limited, and existing studies focus almost exclusively on nursing, leaving allied health programs largely absent from the literature. This study addressed that gap by examining the reapplication behavior and credential completion outcomes among 2,604 applicants to three competitive admission health science programs, Nursing, Occupational Therapy …

Bridging The Gap: A Qualitative Case Study Of Pre-K Teachers' Literacy Professional Development Needs In The Context Of Georgia's Early Literacy Act (Hb 538), Deborah Lissimore

Dissertations

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how school-based pre-K teachers in Georgia perceived their literacy professional development needs within the context of the Georgia Early Literacy Act, House Bill 538, and to examine the role of teacher leadership in supporting their professional learning. Although the Act established evidence-based literacy requirements and professional learning expectations for kindergarten through third grade educators, comparable supports for school-based pre-K teachers were not clearly defined. Participants included five certified pre-K teachers employed in a Georgia public school district. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and researcher field notes, with member …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Experiences Of African American Female Leaders In Public K-12 Schools In Georgia, Tyisha Davis

Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how the intersectionality of race and gender shapes the leadership experiences of African American women in public K–12 schools. Despite comprising a significant portion of the educator workforce, African American women remain underrepresented in school leadership positions nationally, warranting deeper examinations of their professional pathways and daily realities. This qualitative study employed interpretative phenomenological analysis, guided by an intersectional framework, to understand the lived experiences of 10 African American female educational leaders across K–12 settings in Georgia. Principals, assistant principals, instructional specialists, and a superintendent engaged in semi-structured interviews analyzed through …

Perceptions Of Family Involvement And Its Influence On High School Attendance: Voices Of Families And Mathematics Teachers, Amber Phillips

Dissertations

Chronic absenteeism continues to be a growing concern in high schools, particularly in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic. Although family involvement has been widely studied in elementary and middle schools, less is known about how families and mathematics teachers experience school-based family involvement at the high school level. This qualitative case study explored those perspectives at a rural high school in Northwest Georgia. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with five families and five upper-level mathematics teachers, and a focus group was conducted with eight mathematics teachers. Interview and focus group transcripts were analyzed using structural and focused coding to …

A Systematized Review Of Parent Experiences With Special Education Placement In Rural Communities, Madeline Bishop

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Parents of children enrolled in special education programs often face unique challenges, particularly in rural settings where access to resources and communication with school personnel can be limited. This systematized review explores how rural school systems can best support parents during the special education process. A systematized review of articles published between 2005 and 2025 was conducted. A thematic analysis of 20 articles revealed 3 themes following the review: benefits and barriers to rural special education, professional relationships, and parents’ strain and appreciation. Overall findings highlight the importance of the experiences between parents and school personnel regarding special education. Limited …

Supporting Every Student: Optimizing School-Based Mental Health Services For Students With Intellectual Disabilities, Sarah K. Eggleston

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Youth with intellectual disabilities (ID) are at considerably greater risk of developing mental health problems compared with the general population; however, their needs are less likely to be identified, and they often face barriers to accessing quality mental health care. School-based mental health professionals (SBMHPs) are uniquely positioned to support students within their natural learning environments, where many common barriers to service provision have been removed. The present study examined the current state of practice among SBMHPs in Virginia in identifying and supporting the needs of students with ID, as well as SBMHPs’ training experiences. An online cross-sectional, mixed-methods survey …

Students With Borderline Intellectual Functioning: Dropping The Label And Reducing The ‘Line’, Samantha M. Sitzman

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Students with Borderline Intellectual Functioning (BIF) often experience significant academic and social-emotional difficulties while remaining ineligible for many formal special education services, creating challenges in identifying and supporting this population within school settings. This convergent mixed methods study examined school psychologists’ perspectives regarding the challenges experienced by students with BIF, the interventions commonly used to support them, and the systemic barriers associated with service delivery. Twenty-two practicing school psychologists in Virginia completed a researcher-developed survey containing quantitative and qualitative items. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and qualitative responses were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Findings indicated that school psychologists …

Building Culturally Responsive Attendance Practices To Decrease Chronic Absenteeism, Alyssa R. Serville

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

This Improvement Science Dissertation in Practice explored how a professional learning series for an attendance team that introduced a meeting protocol and an MTSS system, incorporating evidence-based culturally responsive intervention strategies, impacted participants’ mindset, practices, and group self-efficacy in addressing chronic absenteeism. The problem of practice at the center of this research, contributing to a high rate of chronic absenteeism, was the lack of proactive and responsive practices by the school for addressing its root causes. The focus of this research is on understanding school-level practices for addressing absenteeism, by investigating the true root causes that may not currently be …

From Passive To Active Learning: How Building Thinking Classrooms (Btc) Strategies Shape Teacher Perceptions Of Student Social-Emotional Development, Diane Maria Leja

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

This qualitative Improvement Science Dissertation in Practice examined how Building Thinking Classrooms for Social-Emotional Learning (BTC-SEL), an instructional approach adapted from Liljedahl's (2021) mathematics framework, could strengthen SEL instruction in Connecticut elementary schools. The study addressed a persistent problem of practice in which traditional SEL delivery fails to engage the students most in need of support, particularly Black and Hispanic/Latino students, students with disabilities, and students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Grounded in engagement theory, cognitive load theory, and social constructivism, the three-month intervention supported six elementary teachers across three Connecticut districts, including schools from District Reference Groups I and D …

Experiential Learning In Child Life Education, Amanda L. Lockett

All Dissertations

Child life specialists support children and families during healthcare experiences and other stressful life events, making it important for child life students to develop both knowledge and practical skills before entering the profession. This study explored how current child life students and recent graduate experienced hands-on learning activities in their child life education. Through interviews, a survey, and follow-up reflection, participants described how activities like role play, case studies, realistic scenarios, activity play plans, and teaching plans influenced their learning and professional development. Participants shared these experiences helped them learn to apply what they learned in the classroom into real …

"I Feel Really Jazzed Up": Using Lesson Study To Improve Teacher Morale In A Rural High School, Caitlin Blackwell

All Dissertations

Providing teachers with relevant professional development that uses current research is essential for school success; however, many schools struggle to implement professional development that teachers find beneficial. This study examined how providing on-going teacher-led professional development impacted teacher morale through the implementation of Lesson Study, a cyclical framework for professional development. Using improvement science tools, it was hypothesized that participation in Lesson Study would improve teacher morale by utilizing teacher autonomy and efficacy; however, the study found that collaboration was the driver for improving morale while supporting teacher autonomy and efficacy. Data collected in this study indicated that teacher morale …

Cash, Cleats, And Carpools: A Multi-Method Investigation Of Resource Allocation In Families With Youth Athletes, Emily Susan Delisle

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The current thesis is an investigation of time and financial resource allocation in families with youth athletes. Study 1 used a survey questionnaire to explore how the number of athletes in a family impacted the way parents allocated time and financial resources to their oldest child’s youth sport participation. Results indicate that an increase in the number of athletes in a family does not decrease parents’ time or financial commitments to their oldest child’s youth sport participation. Study 2 used interviews to explore how nine parents with multiple athletes experienced the intersecting demands of time, finances, and family life while …

Investigating Factors That Affect Students' Help-Seeking Strategies In A University-Level Foundational Mathematics Course, Randall I. Haws

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Quantitative literacy, or the ability to understand and use mathematical information, is an important skill developed in college. However, required math courses can be a major obstacle for many students, and those who struggle to complete them are more likely to leave school without earning a degree. Understanding why some students seek help while others do not is key to improving student success.

This study explores how students in a university-level foundational mathematics course (college algebra) seek help and what factors influence their use of available support services. A total of 118 students completed a survey about their help-seeking behaviors, …

Exploring The Experiences Of Teacher Assistants Who Remain In A Rural Michigan Head Start Program, Melissa Thiebaut

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in this study was the approximately 35% attrition rate of teacher assistants (TAs) in a rural Head Start program. Grounded in Bakker’s job resources and job demands theory, the purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the experiences of TAs who chose to remain working in a rural Head Start program and the factors that influenced their decisions to stay. Data were collected by conducting semistructured interviews with 12 TAs from one Head Start program. Data analysis involved a deductive data analysis method with two categories, job resources and job demands, being predetermined by the …

Final Master's Portfolio On Writing Transfer, Clarence Snell

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

This final portfolio shows how gauging student interest can help to transfer their knowledge from subject to subject, whether it be by using Resident Evil to help with ethics or creative writing to help with grammar. The first essay goes into detail on the ethics of Resident Evil: The Official Strategy Guide, written for the original 1996 game. It elaborates on the guide and the game itself, using framing systems like that of Kant to gain a deeper understanding of the source material. Then, the second essay explains how creative writing can help students learn grammar, showing how both …

At Risk Students: Ensuring A Successful Transition Into High School, Angela Espada

Education Theses and Dissertations

This Improvement Science Dissertation in Practice concentrated on the persistent problem of freshman course failure at a large, diverse, Title I high school serving a military-connected community in Central Texas. Although intervention programs existed, an increasing number of ninth-grade students were consistently failing one or more courses during their first year of high school, which revealed several gaps in the campus’s system of support. The Improvement Science framework and two Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles were used to examine the factors contributing to freshman course failure and to assess the interventions implemented to improve academic success as students transitioned into high school. …

Praise That Empowers: Training Preschool Teachers To Linguistically Adapt Behavior-Specific Praise For Hispanic Students, Claudia Abril Ochoa

Dissertations

Children’s engagement in early ages is critical for promoting behavioral, academic, and social-emotional outcomes. However, engagement in classroom activities may be difficult for young children who have not mastered the primary language used in early childhood education settings (i.e., English). Research regarding engagement in English Language Learners (ELLs) in preschool settings, as well as cultural and/or linguistic adaptations of classroom interventions to serve this population is limited. Behavior-specific praise (BSP) has been an effective strategy to improve behavior in preschool classrooms. The current study used a multiple-baseline design across three Head-Start teachers to test the efficacy of in situ training …