Education Commons^™

Type Vs. Turnout: Correlations Between Types Of Higher Education Institutions And Student Voter Turnout, Janea Mccoy

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Voter turnout in the youth demographic has been the subject of increased attention and research in the past several years, with many questions left unanswered. The 18-25 age demographic can play a crucial and impactful role in elections. However, many young adults do not vote. Higher education has often been viewed as a catalyst for civic engagement amongst this age demographic, with correlations between enrollment in higher education and increased rates of voter turnout being evident. Given there is much variation between different kinds of institutions, however, this raises the question: what types of institutions and their respective characteristics correlate …

Strategic Morphology Interventions For Vocabulary Knowledge In Reading Comprehension, Danielle Marie Sharpe

Masters Theses

Many adolescent students have been shown to fall behind gradually as they reach

secondary grade levels. This has been researched as the effect of socioeconomic factors,

lack of immersive vocabulary backgrounds, and gaps in elementary years. Extensive

research has shown the benefits of morphology instruction in secondary students in

bridging vocabulary gaps, yet many schools have yet to provide them with the support to

comprehend difficult texts across content areas. This project explores the possible benefits

of offering adolescents the extra support and resources that can leverage reading

comprehension across content areas within secondary education. Through the use of

implementing …

Enhancing Inclusion: Neurodiversity In The Workplace, Micah Cox

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Neurodiverse individuals have long been viewed negatively, particularly in the workplace. Many recruiters or hiring managers have never considered the benefits that hiring a neurodiverse candidate could bring to their organization, rather looking at the additional costs of accommodation. The results of analyzing several case studies show that companies who incorporate neurodiverse candidates into their labor pool have seen increased productivity, creativity, process innovation, and cost reductions. This paper reviews several case studies combined with data obtained from interviews with a neurodiverse individual and a direct support care professional to develop a list of methods to be used in the …

Ethnographic Research Of The Impact Of Catalyst Strategies On The Engagement And Relationships Within The Classroom For 6th Graders Versus 2nd Graders In General Education, Casey Poland, Rene Beaird, Amber Keller, Sara Kubicek

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This 2023 study focused on the effectiveness of the Catalyst Approach to classroom management in a second-grade versus sixth-grade classrooms in the same district. The Catalyst Approach is a comprehensive classroom implementation model that includes strategies for getting attention, engaging students, setting up for success, and supporting success. Whole group strategies are emphasized in this approach to aid in building a productive classroom environment (Burns & Brinkman, 2018). Our focus with this study was threefold: to see how the Catalyst Approach affected classroom management, how the Catalyst Approach affected relationships within the classroom environment, and how the Catalyst Approach compared …

An Analysis Of How Teaching Through Invention And Consolidation Phases Affects High School Students’ Understanding Of Algebraic Concepts And Beliefs About Mathematics, Cally Simanski

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This quantitative study used a pretest and posttest quasi-experimental design to investigate how students’ understanding of algebraic concepts compared when they were taught using invention and consolidation phases or traditional direct instruction. It also explored how students’ beliefs and attitudes toward mathematics were affected by learning through invention and consolidation phases through a survey with a Likert scale. The study took place during the 2022-2023 academic year in the Intermediate Algebra II course at a mid-size public high school in Minnesota. The researcher had two sections of the course and taught one through direct instruction and the other through invention …

Decodable Readers Versus Leveled Text, Taylor Leitch

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

A student’s ability to read fluently is an extremely vital skill, necessary to allow them to succeed both in an academic setting and in everyday life. To guide those developing readers in increasing their independent reading fluency, abilities educators must have the correct instructional methods and tools that are developmentally appropriate to provide meaningful instruction. This quantitative action research project explores the use of decodable readers versus leveled text for students who are still developing the phonemic skills and recognition needed to read fluently. A decodable reader allows a student to explicitly practice one phonemic skill to mastery before adding …

Implementation Of Positive Behavior Interventions And Supports (Pbis) And Its Impact On Middle School Students’ Academic Success And Problem Behaviors, Brittanie Watson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) has been implemented across the United States in the effort to help diminish problem behaviors and increase academic success. Schools across the country are reporting an increase in numbers and intensity of problem behaviors. In addition, academic success after the COVID-19 pandemic has decreased in some school districts across the United States. Therefore, districts are looking for an intervention to help increase academics and decrease problem behaviors. With school districts already implementing PBIS, research studies and analyses are needed to ensure that the outcomes expected of PBIS are occurring. In addition, with the little …

Recognizing Teacher Burnout: Utilizing Teacher Retention Strategies To Help Work Life Balance Of Educators, Meghann Downer

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The ongoing shortage of special education teachers coupled with an increasing attrition rate has prompted many researchers to investigate why teachers are choosing to leave the field. Multiple studies (Lehmann 2008, et al Cheng 2022, et al Bryant 2023) have been conducted to determine the rates of attrition at multiple levels in education. Results of studies (Hughes 2012, et al Robinson 2019, et al Ogakwu 2022) indicate that there has been a statistically significant relationship between job satisfaction and burnout among special education teachers. This project provides a literature review focused on special education teacher burnout and attrition along with …

Standards Based Inclusive Preschool Curriculum, Bridgette Leigh

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Abstract

The purpose of this project was to create an inclusive preschool curriculum geared toward all children ages 3-to-5 years-old. The curriculum demonstrated scripted and detailed instructions on how to conduct lessons in the developmental areas of cognitive and social-emotional. Those developmental areas were selected due to the research indicating the highest need areas for young children. In addition, the curriculum addressed: the Minnesota state educational standards for preschool age children, early childhood indicators of progress (ECIPs), and individual education plan (IEP) goals and objectives for young children who have special needs. The curriculum gives example case studies and ways …

Manipulating The Distance Of Inter-Letter And Inter-Word Spacing To Improve Reading Accuracy And Speed In The Dyslexic Student, Jon Roemmich

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Abstract

Recent research studies have shown that increased inter-letter and inter-word spacing has a positive effect on the reading speed and accuracy of students with dyslexia. A few of these studies also included the use of increased font size. Research that has included using fonts designed for dyslexics in addition to increased font size has not produced favorable results in increasing reading accuracy and speed. In relationship to previous research our results have shown that a .5 inter-letter and inter-word spacing has a marginal positive effect on reading accuracy and speed. The use of .3 and .7 inter-letter and inter …

Video Coaching For First-Year Special Education Teachers, Katherine Gadient

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Topic:

Video Coaching for First-Year Special Education Teachers

Abstract:

There is a shortage of special education teachers, especially in rural areas (Hopkins, 2023). School districts have attempted to address this shortage by hiring people on a variance and providing them with a specific timeline to obtain a special education teaching license (Tier Requirements, n.d.). Based on my school district and my experience, many of these teachers are hired without formal training in education and/or experience teaching in a special education setting. They may not have background information regarding due process and may need guidance on special education paperwork as well …

The Impact Of Mindfulness On Perceived Stress And Academic Performance Among English Language Students In Central Asia, Laurie Wolfe

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The current study investigated the effectiveness of mindfulness training in reducing stress and increasing academic performance among Uzbek English language students. The researcher partnered with four English faculty at Tashkent State Pedagogical University (TSPU) to conduct a quasi-experimental study using a convenience sample of sixty 2^nd year students studying English as a foreign language. One group of students (n = 30) received mindfulness training while the acted as an active control group (n = 30) and received study skills training. Both groups received 20-minutes training in their English classes, four days a week, for 4-weeks. All participants …

P-12 Teachers' Perceptions And Knowledge About Students' Mental Health And Their Willingness To Provide Mental Health Supports Within Their Classroom, Tamara Engel

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

P-12 students are experiencing higher rates of mental health needs, which generates a growing concern among teachers, parents, and educational leaders. Students with mental health challenges may struggle socially, emotionally, behaviorally, and academically and become at a risk for lower academic achievement, reduced graduation rates, and increased school suspensions and expulsions. While most of the literature is qualitative and has consistently identified schools as the ideal location to provide targeted mental health supports to students, teachers have reported having insufficient knowledge, skills, and resources to provide these supports to students. This correlational study aimed to move forward the quantitative methodology …

Strategic Morphology Interventions For Vocabulary Knowledge In Reading Comprehension, Danielle Marie Sharpe

Culminating Experience Projects

Many adolescent students have been shown to fall behind gradually as they reach

secondary grade levels. This has been researched as the effect of socioeconomic factors,

lack of immersive vocabulary backgrounds, and gaps in elementary years. Extensive

research has shown the benefits of morphology instruction in secondary students in

bridging vocabulary gaps, yet many schools have yet to provide them with the support to

comprehend difficult texts across content areas. This project explores the possible benefits

of offering adolescents the extra support and resources that can leverage reading

comprehension across content areas within secondary education. Through the use of

implementing …

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy In High School Science: Assessing The Implementation In Title 1 Classrooms, Micah Ducre

Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership Dissertations

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy is defined as, using the cultural characteristics, experiences, and perspectives of ethnically diverse students as conduits for teaching them more effectively (Horowitz et al., 2018). Building relationships with students to understand their backgrounds and experiences to implement the best teaching practices such as accessing prior knowledge and making connections is imperative in a culturally diverse school with students with various learning styles, abilities, and interests. Moreover, the state of Georgia requires teachers to implement instructional practices relevant to students’ culture and learning abilities to receive proficient scores on their yearly evaluations. However, the state must provide its …

Perceptions Of Curriculum Alignment And Student Achievement In Us History Courses In An Urban Characteristic Georgia School, Jameka Fields

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Dissertations

This research study examined the perceptions of school leaders on the alignment of curriculum and student achievement. The purpose of this phenomenographic case study, rooted in Leitzel and Vogler’s (1994) definition of curriculum alignment, was to examine school leader and teacher perception of the relationship between curriculum alignment and student achievement as evidenced by document analysis and interviews with individuals who teach and support United States History courses in an urban characteristic Georgia high school. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the school principal, US History teachers, the assistant principal for instruction, and the assistant principal that supports and evaluates US …

Courageous School Leadership: Rural Principals’ Perception And Self-Efficacy In Implementing Culturally Responsive Leadership (Crl), Angela Denise Young

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Dissertations

Many rural school districts face concerns stemming from rural areas’ demographic and economic state— increased student diversity, high poverty, little parental involvement, lack of technological infrastructure, low student achievement, and difficulty hiring and retaining teachers (Gutierrez, n.d.). In increasingly diverse populations, rural school leaders need culturally responsive practices to address the various traditions and needs of the changing demographics of their schools and communities. Cultural responsiveness in schools begins with resilient, courageous leadership. Culturally responsive leadership (CRL) is a concept commonly associated with urban schools; however, there is a pressing need for such leadership practices in rural districts serving diverse …

How Participation In A Peer-Led Writing Center Impacts Struggling Students’ Self-Efficacy And Motivation, Laura Peterson

Doctor of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education Dissertations

Many secondary students struggle with writing, both in terms of skill and confidence. This qualitative case study follows six students who have a history of struggling in English Language Arts class as they undergo a tutoring intervention based on the writing center model of peer tutoring. Students were observed in seven writing sessions which took place at multiple stages of the writing process and with informational, narrative, and analytical writing assignments. Through interview and observation, the researcher examines how students’ self-efficacy and motivation shift over the course of the intervention. Students who began with low self-efficacy and low motivation were …

Teachers Re-Imagining Parental Involvement: Using Parents' Funds Of Knowledge In Math Lesson Designs, Enyinnaya Onyeukwu

Doctor of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education Dissertations

Abstract

Students often possess unique extensive bodies of knowledge that they have acquired through social, historical, and cultural backgrounds and experiences from their homes that are valuable in the teaching and learning of mathematics. This study, “Teachers Re-Imagining Parental Involvement: Using Parents’ Funds of Knowledge in Math Lesson Designs” used a qualitative single-case research design, bounded contextually within a church congregation located in a suburban community in the southwestern United States, included six parents of middle grade students and two middle grade mathematics teachers. The study utilized questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis to gather data to explore how Black …

Navigating The Digital Realm: Perceptions And Challenges Of High School Educators In Fostering Digital Citizenship, Kristopher P. Daniels

Doctor of Education in Instructional Technology Dissertations

Prior research indicates that researchers and teachers feel that digital citizenship should be an essential part of a student’s education; however, there is a lack of knowledge about teachers’ perceptions of the efficacy and challenges of digital citizenship initiatives. It is unclear which digital citizenship instructional strategies support effective curriculum implementation, enhance students’ safety and learning, and reduce educational disparities. Addressing this gap in understanding is crucial to the ongoing development of digital citizenship education and ensuring that students are adequately prepared to navigate the digital world responsibly. In this dissertation, I examined the perspectives of six Georgia high school …

Digital Bridges: How Art Educators Build Professional Learning Networks On Twitter, Jennifer Heyser

Doctor of Education in Instructional Technology Dissertations

This qualitative case study explores the experiences of K-12 art teachers in the United States who participate in the #K12ArtChat, as a form of professional learning. Grounded in social constructivist learning, connectivism, and informal learning, this study addressed how and why art educators use Twitter Chats for professional growth and the potential impact of participation on their teaching practices. Five themes emerged from this study: Twitter's role as a professional development art education platform, the fostering of personal relationships and support, active community participation and advocacy, continuous professional development, and any perceived pedagogical shifts. With a significant emphasis on combatting …

Implementing Global Citizenship Education: A Case Study Of Exemplary Practices, Opportunities, And Challenges, Judson Kidd

Doctor of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to begin to explore the challenges, opportunities, and benefits of a differentiated curriculum for gifted middle grades students that was based on both state standards and within a global citizenship education framework (GCE). The study used active middle grades social studies practitioners as research participants. The study was guided by two research questions; (1) What are teachers’ practices when building a thematic curriculum based on GCE? (2) What are the teachers’ perceived challenges, opportunities, and benefits of a social studies curriculum based on GCE? Data points for the study included lesson and …

Effects Of Adaptive Learning Technologies On Mathematics Achievement In Low Ses Settings, William Roberts

Doctor of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education Dissertations

Low socioeconomic status is linked to poor mathematical achievement (NCES, 2019 & Barr, 2015). Furthermore, students in rural settings exhibit mathematical incompetencies (Harmon & Wilborn, 2016). One possible remedy is adaptive learning technology (AT). These are computer programs that determine what a student already knows about mathematics (or other content areas) and then identify areas for growth to increase a student’s knowledge about a topic such as Geometry or Algebra 2. Although not necessarily taking a teacher’s place, an AT can aid the teacher by allowing multiple students to be in multiple different places all within the same classroom. This …

8th Grade Students’ Perceptions Of 1:1 Laptops In Algebra 1, Richard Wilford

Doctor of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education Dissertations

One-to-one (1:1) initiatives in education refer to the practice in which schools provide each student with a personal computing device, such as a laptop or tablet, for students to have access to the internet to complete coursework and access digital course materials. One-to-one initiatives are becoming more popular as more school districts are investing in them as there is an increased emphasis on technology use to support students’ technological skills. This qualitative case study informed by phenomenography aimed to investigate how eighth-grade Algebra 1 students at a school district implementing a one-to-one laptop initiative perceived their learning and engagement in …

Rhetoric Vs. Reality: A Critical Analysis Of Georgia’S Official Curriculum For United States History, Haley Dawkins

Doctor of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education Dissertations

As there has been an increasing focus in education on standards-based instruction and accountability through standardized assessment, it is extremely important to analyze the standards closely. This study sought to explore and understand whose voices, experiences, and perspectives are represented and prioritized in the curriculum through the analysis of state standards and additional curricular resources. Through the lens of Critical Race Theory, this qualitative content analysis was designed to examine three of the curricular resources developed by the Georgia Department of Education to investigate how the Georgia United States History curriculum addresses race, racism, and representations of communities and individuals …

“I Forget To Enjoy The Book”: A Narrative Analysis Of Adolescents’ Perceptions Of Their Real Selves And Ideal Selves As Readers, Brittany Mcwhorter

Doctor of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education Dissertations

In the present study, the researcher sought to understand student perceptions of themselves as readers compared to their ideal selves as readers. This is in response to personal experience with struggling readers, as well as GADOE data showing the magnitude of the issue surrounding struggling readers at Mountain Middle School (MMS). The data collected included student drawings and accompanying interviews. Findings revealed that students placed their perceptions of self within specific classroom situations and settings, which reveals the complexity and contextual nature of perception of self as a reader. Though individual stories and experiences were unique, six major themes emerged …

Teach Me How, Asmy Fayad

Capstones

In Teach Me How, director Asmy Fayad shows how the new generation are being educated on gender identity. Some parents believe that their kids should learn about gender identity at an early age either at school or at home. These parents take their kids to events such as the Drag Story Hour at the libraries or parks, for them to learn about gender identity and interact with Drag Queens. However, other parents are against this type of education because of their own beliefs that would be explored.

Beyond The Bell: Rebuilding Care, Civic Learning And Creativity Within Youth Spaces, Michelle R. Haapala

Culminating Experience Projects

The purpose of this research is to investigate high school age students’ opportunities within formal classroom settings to engage in care, civic learning, and creativity within a suburban, publicly-funded charter school. This study used thematic analysis and coding methods to organize and find patterns in the qualitative data from surveys distributed to education professionals at Canton Preparatory High School in Canton, Michigan. The goal is to establish a foundation of the perception of care, civic learning, and creativity within school environments and classroom settings. Overall, education professionals rated these categories positively, but with a closer investigation, a disconnect is found. …

The Impact Of Police Training Curriculum And Its Relationship To The Overall Performance Of Police Officers, Harvey A. Barnwell

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This study explores the potential existence of an implicit, hidden curriculum in basic law enforcement training that may impact students' values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. The hidden curriculum refers to what students learn from their school environment, teacher and peer relationships, and the education system. If such a curriculum exists, it can influence the overall performance of police officers. A qualitative-based phenomenological design was employed to examine shared experiences to achieve this goal. The research instrument consists of semi-structured questions posed to six Newark Police Officers for no more than 60 minutes. The study will explore how a hidden curriculum …

Subversive Self-Care: Black Women Faculty And The (Im)Possibilities Of Healing In Higher Education, Hermenia Butler

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

In the backdrop of pervasive violence and oppression against Black women in higher education, Black women faculty (BWF) at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) have endured relentless race and gender discrimination for decades. This long-standing injustice has spurred an examination of the healing practices of four BWF working at PWIs through the sharing of their stories. This research study is guided by two central questions: (a) What are the racialized lived experiences of BWF at PWIs? And (b) What are the (im)possibilities of (racial) healing in higher education? The study is grounded in the theoretical framework of Black Feminist Thought, providing …