Education Commons^™

Improving The Asynchronous Video Learning Model, Michael E. Griffiths

Theses and Dissertations

Online education is popular from a consumer perspective, but there are elements of face-to-face instruction and assessment that are difficult to reproduce online (Bassoppo-Moyo 2006). The difficulty of reproducing valued elements of a face-to-face setting leads to concerns regarding the overall quality of the online learning experience. Videoconferencing is one technology that has been used to incorporate elements of a face-to-face environment. However, videoconferencing over the Internet is fraught with technical difficulties and live discussions remove one of the main benefits of distance education: time flexibility. A more recent development has been to use asynchronous video as a communications method …

Turning Points: Stories Of How Students Get Beyond Antipathy Toward An Academic Course, Cheryl Lynn Morse

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the narratives of 10 students who began an academic course with strong negative attitudes but finished the course with strong positive attitudes. In the beginning of the course, each student exhibited one of these three tendencies: apathetic, compliant, or disillusioned; however, by the end of the course, they exhibited a transformed disposition. This study attempts to answer the question of what the turning points were for their transformation and how they made the change. The findings of this study were that regardless of individual tendencies, the ability to exercise agency was …

The Effects Of Video Self-Modeling On Elementary Students' On-Task Behavior As A Response To Intervention, Anika Kronmiller Bales

Theses and Dissertations

Effective interventions are imperative for students who are at-risk for academic failure. Response to Intervention (RTI), a service delivery framework, is gaining momentum in schools as it aims to provide effective and appropriate interventions of varying degrees. Frequently used in the form of a three-tier process, RTI addresses academic and behavioral deficits for students first at a school-wide level; next, at an individualized level; and finally, at a more intense individualized level. This study examined the effects of video self-modeling (VSM) as a Tier 2 RTI for two students in general education classrooms. Both students exhibited low rates of on-task …

The Effect Of Formative Assessments On Teaching And Learning, Brian W. Radford

Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to improve the learning outcomes at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. Here, missionary trainees aged 19-24 are taught language and doctrine in an accelerated environment. In an effort to improve learning outcomes, the effect of formative feedback provided to students and summary feedback provided to teachers was assessed in a 2x2 factorial design with a separate control group. Four dependent variables were assessed including (a) doctrinal knowledge, (b) knowledge of teaching principles, (c) language grammar, and (d) ability to speak in a foreign language. The results showed that students who received immediate formative feedback outperformed …

Freely Ye Have Received, Freely Give (Matthew 10:8): How Giving Away Religious Digital Books Influences The Print Sales Of Those Books, John L. Hilton Iii

Theses and Dissertations

Lack of access prevents many from benefiting from educational resources. Digital technologies now enable educational resources, such as books, to be openly available to those with access to the Internet. This study examined the financial viability of a religious publisher's putting free digital versions of eight of its books on the Internet. The total cost of putting these books online was $940.00. Over a 10-week period these books were downloaded 102,256 times and print sales of these books increased 26%. Comparisons with historical book sales and sales of comparable titles suggest a positive but modest connection between this increase and …

Contextualized Motivation Theory (Cmt): Intellectual Passion, Mathematical Need, Social Responsibility, And Personal Agency In Learning Mathematics, Janelle Marie Hart

Theses and Dissertations

Student motivation has long been a concern of mathematics educators. Here, I characterize motivation, defined as an individual's desire to act in particular ways, through analysis of students' extended, collaborative problem solving efforts. Grounded in a longitudinal research project in calculus learning and teaching, Contextualized Motivation Theory (CMT) offers a means for understanding the complexities of student motivations in mathematics learning. Students in this study chose to act upon various intellectual-mathematical motivations and social-personal motivations, existing simultaneously, within a supporting "web" of motivations. Students exhibited intellectual passion in persisting beyond obtaining correct answers to build understandings of mathematical ideas. CMT …

Getting Students To School On Time: Effects Of A Praise Note Intervention, Lynnette Christensen, Paul Caldarella, Colleen Densley

Faculty Publications

Our purpose was to evaluate the effectiveness of teacher written praise notes on elementary school student on-time behavior.

Free: Why Authors Are Giving Books Away On The Internet, John L. Hilton Iii, David Wiley

Faculty Publications

With increasing frequency, authors in academic and non-academic fields are releasing their books for free digital distribution. Anecdotal evidence suggests that exposure to both authors and books increases when books are available as free downloads, and that print sales are not negatively affected. For this study we interviewed ten authors to determine their perceptions of the effect free digital distribution has on the impact and sales of their work. In addition, we examined the sales data of two books over a two year period of time, in which one book was freely available for the second year. All of the …

Effects Of Teacher-To-Teacher Written Praise On Teachers' Perceptions Of School Community, Julie Nelson, Paul Caldarella

Faculty Publications

Research exploring school improvement and professional development suggests that teachers want to work collaboratively in professional communities.

Social And Emotional Learning In Kindergarten: Evaluation Of The Strong Start Curriculum, Paul Caldarella, Lynnette Christensen, K. Richard Young, Thomas J. Kramer, Ryan H. Shatzer

Faculty Publications

Social and Emotional Learning promotes competence by teaching skills: Recognize and manage emotion; Develop care and concern for others; Make responsible decisions; Form positive relationships; Handle challenging situations effectively.

Effect Of Prompted Reflection And Metacognitive Skill Instruction On University Freshmen's Use Of Metacognition, Dana Lynn Erskine

Theses and Dissertations

Research in metacognition has long demonstrated that applying metacognitive strategies improves students learning and performance. Incoming college and university freshmen are not typically trained in using the metacognitive skills that could enhance their academic performance and their satisfaction with the college experience. This study attempted to assess first-year university students' metacognitive awareness and usage at two levels: (a) After direct and specific metacognitive training, (b) after engaging in weekly metacognitive reflection assignments. Six classes of university freshmen were studied in terms of their use of metacognitive skills and strategies as they progressed through their initial semester. Four of the six …

The Four R’S Of Openness And Alms Analysis: Frameworks For Open Educational Resources, John L. Hilton Iii, Aaron Johnson, Jared Stein, David Wiley

Faculty Publications

A significant movement in education concerns the use of open educational resources. By "open" it is generally meant that the resource is available at no cost to others for adaptation and reuse in different contexts. However "open" is not a simple dichotomy; rather, there is a continuum of openness. We discuss four separate aspects of reuse and demonstrate how these describe different levels of openness. We discuss how the licensing and technical aspects of open educational resources affect the relative openness of an OER. Implications for those creating open educational resources are discussed.

Representing Multi-Parent Organizational Structures For Use In High Performance Computing Resource Scheduling Algorithms, Lloyd T. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

Historically, organizational structures of many universities and corporations have followed a strictly tree-based, hierarchical model. These organizations are defined with no more than one parent organization, and typically resource requirements for the organization could be derived from the parent organization. In recent years, however, many institutions have created interdisciplinary research groups which incorporate multiple fields of research across multiple campus organizations. For example, at Brigham Young University, there exists a biophysics research group, a child organization of both the Department of Biology and the Department of Physics, making it unclear how to define its resource requirements in the context of …

Annotated Bibliography: Education In Nauvoo, Marnie Hopkins

Student Works

Sources used for a Masters Project by Marnie Hopkins titled, "History of Latter-day Saint Education in Nauvoo 1839-1845."

Social And Emotional Learning In The Kindergarten Classroom: Evaluation Of The Strong Start Curriculum, Thomas J. Kramer, Paul Caldarella, Lynnette Christensen, Ryan H. Shatzer

Faculty Publications

There has been increasing interest in the promotion of social and emotional learning in schools, and research has shown positive outcomes. However, relatively few studies have been conducted in kindergarten classrooms or considered the feasibility of kindergarten implementation. This study examined the effects of Strong Start on the social and emotional competence of 67 kindergarten students, using a time-series design. Four kindergarten teachers taught the ten Strong Start lessons in their classrooms. Results indicated gains in students' prosocial behaviors and decreases in internalizing behaviors, as rated by teachers and parents. Implementation integrity and teachers' ratings of social validity were high, …

Encouraging School Planner Use To Improve The Academic Performance Of Secondary Students, Darlene Anderson, Lynnette Christensen, Paul Caldarella, K. Richard Young

Faculty Publications

Our research aim is to improve students' time management, homework completion, and academic grades as a result of using the planner and applying organizational skills.

A Student's Guide To Strengthening An Online Learning Community, Richard E. West

Faculty Publications

Students usually have plenty of experience with online social technologies, but they lack understanding about how to use these tools and methods for course learning. This article is designed to help college students who are anxious about participating in an online learning community or do not know how to build one effectively. With ideas derived from research and practice, this guide has been written to inform online students about learning communities, the benefits they offer, and how students can assist in building a successful online community.

Resisting Technological Gravity: Using Guiding Principles For Instructional Design, Jason K. Mcdonald

Faculty Publications

Instructional designers face tremendous pressure to abandon the essential characteristics of educational approaches, and settle instead for routine practices that do not preserve the level of quality those approaches originally expressed. Because this pressure can be strong enough to affect designers almost as gravity affects objects in the physical world, the metaphor of technological gravity has been proposed to describe why designers choose one type of practice over another. In this essay, I discuss how designers can develop guiding principles to help them resist technological gravity. I describe three types of principles, in the areas of what instruction is, …

Oklahoma Elementary Classroom Teachers' Attitudes And Perspectives Of Elementary Physical Education, David C. Barney, Sarah Ehrlich

Faculty Publications

Physical education is an academic discipline that has not been given the respect it deserves both in the school setting and among the general public. As a result of the lack of respect physical education has in the educational community, it is one of the first content areas to be eliminated.

Physical educators need to gain support so they can demonstrate to administrators and parents the value of physical education on a student's overall education. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to obtain and better understand Oklahoma elementary classroom teachers' attitudes and perceptions towards elementary physical education, and thus …

Our Top 12 "Key Instructional Elements" That Help To Build An Excellent Lesson And High Quality Physical Education Program, Robert S. Christenson, David C. Barney

Faculty Publications

One of the most fundamental issues in teaching, arguably the biggest, is discovering the most effective lesson elements for each group of learners. This includes a solid curriculum, performance objectives, age-appropriate pedagogical ingredients, ability-level activities and assessments focused on measuring learning to create a great lesson. When these elements are blended artistically with a variety of classroom management skills, necessary equipment, instructional support resources, behavior management rules and high expectations in a nurturing environment, the teacher has created the best possible learning atmosphere for each individual student.

Below, the authors have identified twelve important instructional elements for teachers to incorporate …

The Effect Of Middle School Physical Education Curriculum On Student Attitudes, David C. Barney, Joe Deutsch

Faculty Publications

Middle school physical education can serve as an important tool in shaping students opinions and behaviors regarding lifelong physical activity. The curriculum in middle school physical education is one component that can positively or negatively affect a student's attitude toward physical activity throughout their life. The purpose of this study was to investigate the middle school physical education curriculum and its effect on middle school students' attitudes and perceptions towards their physical education class. It was found that middle school students do like the curriculum they participate in, mainly consisting of team sports.

The Role Of Inspiration In The Helping Professions, Kari A. O'Grady, P. Scott Richards

Faculty Publications

This qualitative research study examined the ways that helping professionals experi- ence inspiration, as defined as divine guidance or influence, in their therapeutic work. It also explored their beliefs about how helping professionals can seek inspiration in their work. Open-ended survey questions from 333 respondents from a diverse range of religious and professional backgrounds were qualitatively analyzed. The themes ex- tracted give insight into the ways that these helping professionals have experienced inspiration in their work and about how helping professionals can facilitate a spiritual space in the therapeutic context.

Practical Approaches To Learning And Self-Managing Social Emotional Behavior In Elementary Schools, Paul Caldarella, Lynnette Christensen, K. Richard Young, Darlene Anderson

Faculty Publications

Children often acquire maladaptive coping strategies (i.e. externalizing and internalizing behaviors). Problems often persist, less treatable if not addressed early (before age 8). 20% of students have emotional or behavioral problems while only 5% receive services.

When Teachers And Parents Work Together… An Approach To Developing Critical Life Skills For All Students, Paul Caldarella, Lynnette Christensen, K. Richard Young, John Wilkinson

Faculty Publications

Problem behaviors at home and at school can be prevented or corrected. Children naturally want to please their parents or the teachers they like. Adults are seen as a trusted source of help. Children will respond more positively to modeling. Students are more willing to spend time with positive adults.

Multiple Intelligences In The Gospel Classroom, John Hilton Iii

Faculty Publications

In a worldwide training broadcast, Elder W. Rolfe Kerr taught, “We cannot expect our students to learn all that we hope they will learn by just hearing a concept or principle one time. Multiple presentations, utilizing various approaches, often appealing to multiple senses, increase the likelihood of our students actually learning and internalizing the concepts we teach.”

History Of Latter-Day Saint Education In Nauvoo 1839-1845, Marnie Hopkins

Student Works

Understanding the history of education within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is essential in order to comprehend the full history of the Church, its people and culture. As the records of the Church have continued to be explored, members and non- members alike have been enriched by the lives of the early saints. Historians have made wonderful progress to provide the common reader with access to the records and history of the Church. However, there is still a substantial amount of research to be performed. One major gap in the research can be found during the Nauvoo …

Parent Involvement In School-Wide Social Skills Instruction: Practice And Perceptions Of A Home Note Program, Michael B. Adams, Sue A. Womack, Ryan H. Shatzer, Paul Caldarella

Faculty Publications

If students are to become proficient at using social skills, parents must be involved in teaching and reinforcing these skills at home. Parent involvement is associated with increased student success, especially when it includes a two-way exchange of information between home and school. As the traditional family has changed, new methods of eliciting parent involvement are needed. This article presents a description and evaluation of a school-wide home note program used to encourage generalization of social skills taught in school to home settings. Teachers (n = 20), parents (n = 107), and students (n = 383) at an elementary school …

Reliability Of Pre-Service Physical Education Teachers' Coding Of Teaching Videos Using Studiocode Analysis Software, Keven Prusak, Brigham Dye, Charles R. Graham, Susan Graser

Faculty Publications

This study examines the coding reliability and accuracy of pre-service teachers in a teaching methods class using digital video (DV)-based teaching episodes and Studiocode analysis software. Student self-analysis of DV footage may offer a high tech solution to common shortfalls of traditional systematic observation and reflection practices by increasing the amount, timeliness, and accuracy of performance feedback. What is yet to be determined is whether students can reliably and accurately analyze such footage. Using Studiocode software, student analyses were compared to those of experts to determine coding reliability and content accuracy. The results of this study indicate that with less …

The Civil Behavior Of Students: A Survey Of School Professionals, Keely Wilkins, Paul Caldarella, Rachel Crook-Lyon, K. Richard Young

Faculty Publications

Many authors regard education as a way of increasing civility in society, and some have implemented interventions to improve civility in schools. However, very little empirical data exist on the extent and nature of students' civil behavior. The present study systematically gathered data from 251 school professionals regarding their perceptions of students' civil and uncivil behaviors. Participants perceived students' civil behaviors as occurring more frequently than uncivil behaviors; however, they also indicated a need to increase civil behavior in schools. They provided suggestions on how to accomplish this goal, which include providing direct instruction, modeling civil behavior, incorporating positive behavior …

Implications Of Civility For Children, Keely Wilkins, Paul Caldarella, Rachel Crook-Lyon, K. Richard Young

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this article is to review the literature exploring various definitions of civility, along with reasons why civility is vital to children and adolescents in any community. The authors examine definitions and components of civility in both historical and current contexts. The need for increased civility in modern society is described. The authors also explore the relationship of civility education to character and moral education and outline civility interventions suggested in the literature. Finally, suggestions are given for methods and strategies that have been found to be successful in bringing civility into schools.