Education Commons^™

Teaching The Soft Skills Through The Arts: A Supplementary Art Curriculum, Brittany Boverhof

Masters Theses

Soft skills are the ability to work with, for, and among other people, yet we can no longer expect students to develop these skills organically. This research builds on the knowledge that if we want the students we are educating to be successful in employing their own soft skills, then they must be taught. This paper defines soft skills, shows their importance, and introduces practices that are proven to build soft skill ability. I have constructed twelve lesson plans that teach the soft skills through experientialism, working in groups, art, critique, classroom management, and problem solving. This supplementary curriculum provides …

The Pragmatics Of Politeness As Expressed By Native Arabic-Speaking English Learners, Michael Marn

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed in this project was, what are the areas of pragmatic difficulty for adult, native Arabic-speaking English learners when expressing politeness in English in ESL settings? Research of literature on the topic, accounts by cultural informants, and the author’s observations as an instructor of adult, native Arabic- speaking ELs informed five areas targeted for lessons in a pragmatics education seminar designed for this group—compliments, requests, inter-familial communication, communication between the sexes, and euphemisms. The author documents the details of the seminar lessons, which use a variety of student-centered instruction based on authentic language samples as advocated by …

The Benefits And Challenges Of Integrating Self-Assessed Grading Into A 7th Grade Math Classroom, Michael Schramm

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This project documents one teacher’s exploration of self-assessment as a strategy for teaching and learning in middle school math, addressing the research question, “What are the benefits and challenges of integrating self-assessed grading into a 7th grade pre-algebra curriculum?” It explores research relevant to the idea of self-assessment in middle school, focusing on constructivism, self-regulated learning and self-efficacy. It also includes a review of research about the implementation of self-assessment strategies. The author concludes with a curriculum aimed at helping teachers implement self-assessment in their own classrooms. The centerpiece of the curriculum is an outline of a structure and materials …

Teaching And Learning Pragmatics And Speech Acts: An Instructional Pragmatics Curriculum Development Project For Efl Learners, Bridget Borer

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The intent of this curriculum development project is the advancement of instructional pragmatics as a component of interlanguage pragmatic development. The guiding question underlying this project is: What might an instructional pragmatics curriculum for adult EFL learners look like? Pragmatics as a level of linguistics is concerned with language use in context. The research for this project focused on concepts in pragmatics such as Speech Act Theory, especially the expressive speech act of apologizing, interlanguage pragmatics, and instructional pragmatics. This curriculum project was designed for teaching and learning concepts in pragmatics and developing English learner pragmatic competence when performing apologies …

What Is The Rational For Opening Elementary School In Somalia?, Abdikarim Mohamed

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This project explores the research question “What is the rational for opening an Elementary school in Somalia” It creates and builds a new private school for the children in Somalia that will focus on increasing achievement standards to the highest possible levels, by utilizing the STEM curriculum and a comprehensive college preparation with emphasis on science, technology, engineering and mathematics — while ensuring that quality character education is taught through every opportunity, and that all learn responsibility, respect, honesty, and the skills of analysis. The project then narrows down to the focus of planning and outline. This explains different models-finance, …

Instructional Techniques For Improving Students’ Poetry Comprehension And Interpretation In Advanced Placement (Ap) English Literature & Composition, Sheila Stormont

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This capstone seeks to answer the question: “What instructional techniques improve comprehension and interpretation of poetry for students in Advanced Placement (AP) English Literature & Composition?” Instructional techniques for both literacy and poetry were investigated, as was the role of poetry in the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and classrooms, and course expectations set by The College Board. Research culminated in a two-week introductory unit for students in AP English Literature & Composition using Wiggins & McTighe’s Understanding by Design (UbD) framework. This unit is intended to provide a foundation for poetry study, which should continue throughout the rest of …

Fossilization Of L And R Phonemes And Effective Pronunciation Teaching Practices For Adult English Language Students, Sacha Chandavong

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question answered in this paper was, in order to implement effective pronunciation instruction, to what extent does fossilization affect adult learners' ability to acquire another language? The concluding research found that despite adult English learners’ (EL) long exposure to the target language, some ELs find themselves unable to progress in their second language development due to fossilization. Thus, ultimate attainment to achieve native-like comprehensibility becomes difficult, but not impossible. The literature researches the details of fossilization, phonemic awareness, and best approaches for pronunciation instruction in the classroom. The paper includes a complementary curriculum project that comprises /l/ and …

Intervention Curriculum Based Off Of Fastbridge Kindergarten Assessments, Katie Gross

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed in this project was, does using specific interventions based off of Fastbridge fall data help students reach the winter benchmarks in reading (set by Fastbridge)? It documents one teacher’s creation of a ten day unit plan that meets the needs of learners in the areas of: letter sounds, onset sounds, nonsense words, and word segmenting. The author documents details of the unit, as well as uses related research literature to show the validity of differentiation within the classroom. She discusses both the successes and limitations to implementing the unit, while concluding the necessity of differentiation within …

Mentor Texts To Teach Grammar And Mechanics: A Curriculum, Beth Hillerns

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Mentor texts are texts that teachers can use with students to model author’s craft - how a text is written. This project addresses the research question, how can mentor texts be used to effectively teach grammar and mechanics in an elementary classroom? The literature review explores the history of grammar instruction, mentor texts in the context of writing workshop, and rubrics for writing assessment. Then the author outlines the development of a curriculum project that utilizes mentor texts to address several third and fourth grade standards from the Language strand of the Common Core State Standards. The paper concludes with …

Exploring Multi-Sensory Curriculum Development: Grades 3-5 Science In A Virtual Environment, Terilynn Stackhouse

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The capstone thesis uses a qualitative research approach to explore the question: What are virtual tools and multi-sensory strategies that can be integrated into curriculum development to support the engagement of learners in science in grades 3-5 in virtual learning environments? The author chose this topic to find and to apply multi-sensory strategies, including technology-rich approaches, in virtual education, and developed a new curriculum unit using current sensory-rich technologies. The goal is to enhance and enrich curriculum, and thereby to increase student engagement in the sciences. Applying these tools in virtual education and using multi-sensory approaches can lead to new …

Nursing Changes Bring Students Back To Dordt, Erika Buiter

The Voice

No abstract provided.

Changes In Teacher Thinking And Action In Response To The Next Generation Science Standards, Angela R. Bowden

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the role of K-12 science teachers’ understandings and perceptions of the Next Generation Science Standards, implementation of the new standards in the classroom, and potential barriers to implementation as reform stakeholders had envisioned. Grounded in the relevant literature and working from the Teacher-Centered System Reform framework, this study employed a quantitative approach to data collection. The TCSR Model framed this study by linking teachers’ demographic and professional profile, teaching experience, professional development, district-level, school-level, and classroom-level contexts and illuminates the dynamic effect the factors have on teachers’ thinking and their practice. The study recognizes teachers’ knowledge and …

Fishing For Answers: Barriers To Secondary Agricultural English Course Adoption, Sydney Arlene Keen

Agricultural Education and Communication

Wamba (2012) said, “...literacy education plays an important role in moving people out of poverty toward greater self-sufficiency post-graduation” (p. 109). Nearly 47% of first-time California community college students are enrolled in remedial English coursework (Student Success, 2015). Further, California high school dropout rates are at 11% due to “school-related reasons…implying a lack of engagement and lack of perceived relevance” in curriculum (Gottfried & Plasman, 2017, p. 30). Literacy in our high school classrooms must be addressed.

Career and Technical Education (CTE) coursework has been linked to lower dropout rates; particularly in grades 11 and 12 (Gottfried & Plasman, 2017). …

Cybersecurity In The Classroom: Bridging The Gap Between Computer Access And Online Safety, Andrew Malecki

Cyber Security Capstone Research Project Reports

According to ISACA, there will be a global shortage of 2 million cybersecurity professionals worldwide by 2019. Additionally, according to Experian Data Breach Resolution, as much as 80% of all network breaches can be traced to employee negligence. These problems will not solve themselves, and they likewise won’t improve without drastic action. An effort needs to be made to help direct interested and qualified individuals to the field of cybersecurity to move toward closing this gap. Moreover, steps need to be made to better inform the public of general safety measures while online, including the safeguarding of sensitive information.

A …

Education And Civil Conflict: The Negative Effects Of Intolerant Curricula In Kosovo, Pakistan, And Sudan, Nicholas A. Jaspers

Dissertations and Theses

Education has long been used as a tool for national identity formation and social cohesion. However, in diverse communities across the globe, the question must be asked: are educational institutions creating citizens with a narrow view of “us vs. them” or an identity built on multiculturalism and acceptance? Through past research, it is obvious that education has either acted as an instigator or mitigator of civil conflict, though to what extent is still largely unknown. In this thesis, I argue that both the extent and quality of education in a country can instigate or, at least, exacerbate the outbreak of …

Imsa 2018 Profile, Office Of College And Academic Counseling

IMSA Profile

The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) fosters the discoverers. The thinkers. The innovators and experimenters. The problem-solvers of the future who can change the world through their life’s work. IMSA innovates the future of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. It creates a strong and diverse pipeline of talented students at its tuition-free residential academy in Aurora, IL for 10th through 12th grade students. IMSA’s mission is to ignite and nurture creative, scientific, ethical minds that advance the human condition.

Graves, R. & Hyland, T. (Eds.). (2017) Writing Assignments Across University Disciplines. Bloomington, In: Trafford., Daniel P. Richards

English Faculty Publications

[First paragraph] For the last three years, I have been part of a team of multi-disciplinary faculty that holds a weeklong workshop each semester for approximately twenty teachers. These teachers, migrating to our cozy space in the library from all corners of campus, have applied—they get paid a modest sum, which is not nothing—to attend our workshop in the hopes of improving their ability to integrate writing assignments into their courses. The workshops are part of a larger initiative, Improving Disciplinary Writing, which was borne out of a needs assessment from our regional assessment body. It is designed to bring …

"Content Without Context Is Noise": Looking For Curriculum Harmony In Primary Arts Education In Western Australia, Sian Chapman, Peter Wright, Robin Pascoe

Education Papers and Journal Articles

Arts education in Western Australian primary schools consist of learning opportunities outlined by mandated curriculum. However, assumptions underlying this curriculum involving access, resources and support impact schools’ capacity to implement the curriculum without them being adequately addressed by the written curriculum. Drawing on the policy enactment theory of Ball, Maguire, and Braun (2012), four contextual variables (situated contexts, professional cultures, material contexts and external factors) are used to highlight the differences between the written published curriculum and the implemented, practised curriculum. Drawing on interviews with 24 participants across four schools issues of geographic location, use of arts specialists, appropriate learning …

Meeting The Technology Demands Of The 21st Century Student, Angela Bernier

M.S.Ed. in Educational Leadership Research Projects

This mixed-method research study examines the scale of technology initiatives, funding options, and the implementation of technology in the classroom in grades four and five in schools in the state of Maine. In this research study, an overwhelming percentage of the fifty eight schools that responded to a quantitative google survey, offer one-to-one technology to their 4th and 5th grade students. A high percentage of those schools are funding their technology initiatives with district funds. Forty nine teachers of the represented schools responded to a qualitative google survey, and it was found that technology is being used extensively in the …

Curriculum Change In Undergraduate Strategic Communications Programs: How Strategic Communications Programs Are Adapting To 21st Century Media, Allyson B. Goodman

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The year 2014 has been described by scholars as transformative in how consumers interact with technology and media. Pointing to such digital milestones as the explosion of social media and mobile technology and the decline of traditional television ratings, these scholars have described the evolution as a move from a broadcast era to a postbroadcast era of media. This mass media evolution has opened a digital talent gap between the skills needed by the industry and the abilities of current and potential employees.

Focusing on undergraduate strategic communications programs, this research discusses the current status of new and social media …

The Curriculum Of Cultural Reconciliation At West Virginia State University And The General Education Curriculum, Michael Carpenter Harris Ii

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This qualitative study examined the perceptions and experiences of the faculty and students involved in the creation and administration of the General Education program at WVSU. This study focused on the themes of the creation of the original General Education curriculum that included the Origins and Race, Gender, and Human Identity classes, the redesign of the curriculum due to the state mandate, and how the new version of the General Education curriculum compares to the original. The findings provide insight into strengths and weaknesses of the program, faculty and student perceptions, government policy affecting education, and possible pathways forward to …

Putting Experience To Work: Leveraging Student Attributes And Abilities In The Development Of An Adult Learner Professional Readiness Experience Program, Erin E. Cook

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of the project was to provide an opportunity for adult learners at Gardner-Webb University to collectively engage in professional development within their program of study. Specifically, the program was designed to harness an adult learner’s prior knowledge, skills, and life experiences as an enhancement to his or her future professional work.

At the beginning of the project, no established professional development program was available for adult learners. The development of the Adult Learner Professional Readiness Experience Program (AL-PREP) allowed the aforementioned purpose to align with Gardner-Webb curriculum.

Goals, objectives, and data collection methods were established in order to …

Conceptual Framework For A Curriculum In Social Change, Iris M. Yob

Walden Faculty and Staff Publications

Colleges, universities, and many high schools are expressing their mission in terms of creating social change or contributing to the common good. Such a mission suggests that if they are going to graduate students who will fulfill this mission, they will need to consider how they will best prepare students to do this. The conceptual framework for a curriculum in social change in this article offers a holistic approach, taking into account what a student should know, be able to do, and what values and attitudes should be nurtured. To that end, the article identifies three competencies in the knowledge …

Cyaf374: Purposeful Planning—Reflection And Practice In Enriching Students’ Lesson Design, Kelley Buchheister

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This portfolio documents my process of embracing, modeling, and implementing reflective teaching practices to enhance the lesson designs of my prospective early childhood professionals in CYAF374: Curriculum Planning in Early Childhood. Throughout this project I attended to and applied five critical components emphasized in the peer review of teaching project and integrated these ideas within the foundational elements of Japanese lesson study in order to implement instructional practices that would benefit my students. These five elements are extensively discussed throughout the portfolio on multiple levels: (a) understanding the role of reflective practice, (b) identifying goals through backward design, (c) outlining …

Global Climate Change In U.S. High School Curricula: Portrayals Of The Causes, Consequences, And Potential Responses, Casey R. Meehan, Brett L.M. Levy, Lauren Collet-Gildard

Educational Theory and Practice Faculty Scholarship

Broad misconceptions about global climate change (GCC) could hinder efforts to address this large-scale problem, and curricular materials can play a substantial role in what students learn about GCC. This study examines how U.S. high school textbooks and supplemental curricular materials published between 2007 and 2012 portray the causes, consequences, and potential responses to GCC. Our data included text segments related to these topics in five science textbooks, four social studies textbooks, and eight sets of GCC supplemental materials. To analyze these text segments, we conducted several rounds of coding, first categorizing curricula by their acceptance of the human causes …

Introduction To Jesuit Pedagogy In Colonial Brazil. Humanist Education And The Ratio Studiorum, Karl M. Lorenz

Education Faculty Publications

In 1599 the Society of Jesus approved the Ratio atque Institutio Studiorum Societatis lesu (Method and System of the Studies of the Society of Jesus). The document outlined policies and procedures on the administration, curriculum and teaching practices in its educational institutions in Europe and abroad. Part of the Ratio detailed a secondary program of studies in classical languages and literature. The subject of this study is the program of humane letters and the focus of the analysis is the professional behavior of the Jesuit teacher responsible for its implementation. This paper identifies the actions that a Brazilian Jesuit would …

Importance Of Portfolio Building For University Students, Zoë Lauer, Casandra Cox

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

A portfolio is “a digital container capable of storing visual and auditory content including text, images, video and sound” (Abrami and Barrett, 2005, p. 2). Portfolios are becoming a priority for graduates entering creative career fields. Electronic portfolios or e-portfolios are on the rise due to advancements in technology. These e-portfolios give students and graduates the ability to showcase everything they have done inside and outside the classroom in one place. E-portfolios give employers the opportunity to view a potential employment candidate’s skills, experience, and creativity in one place. Portfolios and e-portfolios can also be used inside of the classroom …

A Very Adult Curriculum? How The New Bc Education Plan Reflects The Andragogical Commitments Of Adult Education, Ralf St. Clair

Adult Education Research Conference

Analyzes the recently introduced BC K-12 Curriculum through the lens of andragogy to understand the extent to which the values of adult education have informed policy and practice. Bernstein's code theory is used to frame the discussion.

Dynamics Of Gender Justice, Conflict And Social Cohesion: Analysing Educational Reforms In Pakistan, Naureen Durrani, Anjum Halai

Office of the Provost

This paper analyses the role of national level reforms in the school curriculum and initial teacher education in gender justice in conflict-affected Pakistan, using a multidisciplinary framework applied to multiple data sets from selected teacher education institutions in Sindh. The school curriculum texts analysed potentially perpetuate gender injustice and foster conflict. While teacher education reforms offer the potential for transformative gender justice, gender remains peripheral in initial teacher education curriculum. Furthermore, institutional practices entrench gendered norms. Lecturers’ and teachers’ limited understanding of their role and capacity for transformative gender justice pose challenges to education for gender justice, social cohesion and …

Homeschooling Parents' Perceptions Of Resources For Curriculu Development, Vance Tasker Bradford

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Homeschooling families in the state of Texas face challenges when developing their children's learning curriculum as they attempt to address state mandates with only limited guidelines for developing effective curricula and evaluation strategies to measure student learning. The resulting problem is that homeschooling parents are left to develop their curricula with little guidance. The absence of such guidance may create undue pressure for both the homeschooling parent and their child, while simultaneously creating the possibility of limiting student achievement. The purpose of the project study was to explore the challenges parents face in developing their homeschool curriculum in the state …