Education Commons^™

Social Emotional Development In Spanish Debate: Curriculum For New Debaters, Caden Salo

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Social emotional learning (SEL) is a critical aspect of ensuring growth and development of the whole student, especially in Dual Language (DL) programming. After-school programs provide a unique environment for fostering social emotional growth on top of academic and behavioral goals. Namely, Spanish debate is an academic after-school program that requires considerable self-management and relationship skills for student success, providing an opportunity for SEL. Thus, through an Understanding by Design (UdB) unit of Spanish debate and extensive literature review, this capstone project aims to answer the following research question: How can effective debate curriculum effectuate belonging and social emotional learning …

Curriculum Promotion Of Students’ Stem Self-Efficacy, Rae Eisenreich

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

As the field of STEM grows and expands, it does the same within classrooms. Self-efficacy in students' STEM experiences and skill building can be promoted by educators. When students do have high STEM self-efficacy, they may be more likely to persevere through difficult tasks and remain optimistic during the learning process. This research is centered around the question: What are the five most critical components of STEM curriculum design that promote students' self-efficacy? After reading and researching, the five areas of criteria to help promote this became apparent: active and hands-on learning, inquiry-based with authentic problem-solving, self-identity and career awareness, …

Fostering Resilience Through Near Peer Mentorship In Elementary School, Bway Paw

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Near-peer mentoring involves pairing students with peers who are close in age but slightly more advanced in experience ensures the students' needs are met in ways that feel supportive and accessible. This capstone project explores how peer mentoring fosters social-emotional resilience in elementary students. The project is designed for a ten-week curriculum using the Minnesota SEL standard, which uses CASEL’s five competencies to be integrated into the classroom. Frameworks that carry this project include Bandura's social learning theory and self-efficacy, Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), Identity-Based Motivation (IBM), along with Masten’s ordinary magic. Research on resilience highlights that resilience …

Middle School Science Inquiry-Based Learning On A Budget, Rosalie Olander

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This curriculum project was based on the question, “How can science educators teach middle school students while promoting quality inquiry-based learning with a minimum budget?” It was inspired by budget constraints forcing teachers to spend personal funds ($500-$750 annually) on classroom supplies. Science teachers are particularly impacted due to specialized equipment needs, and quality inquiry-based learning is often sacrificed due to cost limitations. The curriculum created as part of this project was written with the framework of Pedaste et al.'s (2015) inquiry phases, the National Research Council's (2012) A Framework for K-12 Science Education, and Wiggins and McTighe's (2011) Understanding …

Incorporating Cooperative Learning And Active Listening Skills In Secondary-Level Science Classrooms, Kaveri Kamatgi

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Middle school students are in a key stage of developing their social and emotional skills. Research emphasizes the importance of focusing on effective instructional strategies to support and enhance that development. In science classrooms, this means providing opportunities for cooperative learning and active listening skills, enabling students to interact and consider diverse perspectives while working in lab investigations, problem-based activities, or research projects. According to the NGSS framework for K-12 science education, students are expected to engage in scientific practices that foster scientific thinking skills. To support the development of these skills, this capstone project explored the question: How can …

Using Technology To Support And Engage Writing Of Immersion Students, Yiyu Guo

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Writing is an important communication skill and has an essential role in second language learning. Due to its active and productive nature, writing in a foreign language is very challenging for students especially for Chinese immersion students. Research indicates that integrating technology into writing workshops can significantly impact student learning, fostering skills like planning, writing, and creating digital stories. The capstone incorporates both research findings and writer's workshop lesson plans to answer the research focus: How to bring technology into writing to support and engage elementary Chinese Immersion students. Research concludes that technology presents a powerful set of tools …

Infusing Dakota Values And Indigenous Pedagogies Into Secondary Social Studies Curriculum, Lily Fox

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This project was very meaningful for me both professionally and personally. There was a lot of growth as a researcher, teacher, and person; this growth is reflected in the project as well. I chose Dakota values to be regionally conscious of students that may be in the classroom and their cultures. The project itself shows how Indigenous pedagogies can be applied to content that may not appear to be Indigenous-related. The unit covers the emergence of trade on a global scale (700-1500CE) in a ninth grade world history classroom. Using Understanding by Design’s backward planning model as well as a …

Making More “Math People”: Increasing The Accessibility Of High-Level Math Classes Through Detracking, Aidan Clements

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

One of the most often maligned subjects, mathematics courses are typically strictly tracked by skill level. This project attempts to create more ‘math people’ by designing a curriculum to answer the question: How can differentiation, in-class grouping, and detracking be used to increase the accessibility of high-level math classes? Drawing from a personal narrative, this project reviews literature on the benefits and drawbacks of tracking systems, differentiation, student outcomes, and mathematical mindsets, drawing heavily on work by Jo Boaler (2022). The curriculum is designed with both Understanding by Design and Standards Based Grading framework, and also leverages the flipped classroom …

Assessing The Relationship Between Screen Time, Academic Achievement, Executive Function, And Emotional Regulation: The Role Of Digital Citizenship In The Upper Elementary Classroom, Katherine Carlson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Recent research has shown that elementary school students are spending time online at unprecedented rates, and that this excessive screen time has negative impacts on the physical and psychological health of children. The research question addressed in this project was: what is the association between screen time, academic achievement, executive function, and emotional regulation in elementary school-aged children? Excessive screen time has been found to negatively impact children’s emotional regulation, but the data regarding the association between academic achievement, executive function, and screen time were inconclusive, resulting in a partial rejection of the hypothesis. The research suggested that screen time …

Combating Burnout: Science Curriculum That Decreases Teacher Workload, Christopher Yauch

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This project produced five days of lesson plans, a document to help assess lessons, and a reminder list which all promote the successful adoption of inquiry-based learning (IBL) into a classroom. The adoption of IBL ideally functions to allow teachers to decrease the overall “workload” or amount of prep time needed to teach traditionally content-heavy courses by way of empowering students to become the center of the learning process. Current research indicates there are noted barriers to widespread IBL adoption, such as lack of administrative support, lack of appropriate teacher training, and commonplace reliance on traditional learning styles. When implemented …

The Literary Games We Play: Science Fiction In The Teaching Of Secondary Science, Luiza Roos

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This project responds to a need for interdisciplinary approaches that merge literacy development with scientific inquiry, recognizing the challenges of engaging diverse learners in complex ecological and evolutionary content. Drawing from research in fiction-based learning (Wong et al., 2024), science fiction and science pedagogy (Bixler, 2007), role-playing games in education (Cheville, 2016), and culturally responsive teaching (Rodriguez & Morrison, 2019), the project aims to make science more accessible, inclusive, and relevant to students’ lived experiences. This capstone explores how science fiction novels, specifically The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi, can be effectively integrated into a secondary science curriculum to …

The Impact Of A Case-Based Learning (Cbl) Intervention In A Medical Spanish Course, Deonna Lavette Reliford

Theses and Dissertations

I implemented a different instructional approach for my medical Spanish course in Spring 2025. This case-based learning intervention utilized two main learning theories of socio-constructivism and situated learning theory in translation and interpreting studies (SLTIS) grounded in the learning design framework of case-based learning (CBL) to answer three research questions. Cases in both Spanish and English were provided for study participants to analyze and discuss. This research study used an embedded mixed-methods action research design (Efron & Ravid, 2020), with qualitative data embedded as the secondary source of data within a study that prioritized the primary quantitative data collected from …

Fostering Peace Leadership Learning And Practice: A Pilot Study Analysis Of The Peace Leadership Development Curriculum, Whitney Mcintyre Miller, Miznah O. Alomair, Kelly Kennedy, Brittnie A. Ferguson

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose

Presented in this paper is a mixed methods pilot study that analyzes the Peace Leadership Development Curriculum (PLDC). The PLDC was designed to teach integral peace leadership concepts embedded in the areas of Innerwork, Community, Knowledge and Environment to students and community peace leaders. Analyzed herein is the impact of the curriculum in terms of participants’ understanding of leadership topics, the frequency in which they utilize these practices, and their perceptions of their importance for peace leadership.

Design/methodology/approach

Study methods include a pre- and post-survey with Likert-scale questions and open-ended response questions.

Findings

Findings from the study demonstrated that …

Transitioning The Cal Poly Quarter Horse Enterprise Curriculum: From Quarters To Semesters, Jacquelyn R. Huebner

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

The Cal Poly Quarter Horse Enterprise began in 1978, when student riders brought Cal Poly-bred horses to futurity events to sell them. In 1996, Gene Armstrong brought the sale to Cal Poly, and ever since, the annual performance horse auction has broken records as one of the highest grossing collegiate horse sales in the nation. This sale not only provides funding for the care of over one hundred horses housed at the Equine Center for educational use, but also provides an opportunity for students to gain experience in starting and training young horses, as well as putting on a dynamic …

Teachers’ Perspectives On The Obstacles To Implementing Inquiry-Based Learning In Secondary Science Classrooms, Gabrielle Gonzales

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The research problem for this study was that teachers are inconsistent in using inquiry-based instruction in secondary science classrooms. Guided by Vygotsky’s theory of constructivism, the purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore teachers’ perspectives of the obstacles to implementing inquiry-based instruction in secondary science classrooms and what they believe will be needed to allow them to overcome these obstacles. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 certified, current Grade 8 to 12 teachers within the United States who had experience and familiarity with inquiry-based instruction. The data were analyzed through thematic analysis with open coding. The five themes …

Connecting Through Context: A Culturally Relevant Mental Health Resource For K-12 School Counselors, Erica Knebel

Master's Projects and Capstones

This field project, Connecting Through Context: A Culturally Relevant Mental Health Resource for K–12 School Counselors, explores the intersection of decolonial theory, culturally relevant pedagogy, and school-based mental health practices. Rooted in both personal and academic experiences, the project addresses the significant gap in culturally responsive mental health resources for immigrant and refugee students, with a personal emphasis on those from Southeast Asian backgrounds. With nearly 27% of the U.S. student population being immigrants, traditional Western mental health models, centered on talk therapy and medication, often fall short in effectively supporting culturally diverse students. Through a literature review grounded in …

Teacher Autonomy And Decision Making On Curricular Book Choices, Melanie D. Koss, Kathleen A. Paciga

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This article reports findings from an email survey of 748 U.S. PreK–8 teachers. The survey invited teachers’ reflections on their autonomy in selecting children’s literature for classroom instruction and classroom libraries. In this descriptive study, researchers used frequency counts, cross-tabulations, and examination of text-based responses. Data were analyzed across three constructs of teacher autonomy: capacity, self-direction, and freedom. Findings show teachers feel well equipped to select quality literature, have more self-direction in literature used for read-alouds and inclusion in classroom libraries than for instruction, and report recent sociopolitical events in the United States have stifled their feelings of freedom. Internal …

Building Motivation And Confidence In Elementary School Students, Alyssa I. Perez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This capstone project aims to explore how growth mindset, motivation, and self-confidence are key components to student success, especially during elementary school years. My capstone results highlight that consistent encouragement, a proactive classroom environment, and self-efficiency skills significantly contribute to improved student attitudes and engagement.

Other Others At The Border: An Autoethnographic Inquiry, Clover Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation critically examines the concept of multiple otherness in online learning environments in Hispanic Serving Institutions. Hispanic Serving Institutions may unintentionally perpetuate practices and curricula that exclude and decenter the needs of older, disabled, or geographically diverse black women who may not identify within the university’s focus. Despite their missions to servingness of a stated population, Hispanic serving institutions must examine existing curricula that primarily cater to the dominant minority group they have tasked themselves to serve. By investigating existing curricular practices, this research seeks to maintain the integrity of minority-serving institutions while encouraging inclusivity for all students. By …

Mapping Teacher And Librarian Perspectives Through A Qualitative Descriptive Study Of Book Bans In South Carolina, Jennifer Gallman

All Dissertations

This study analyzed findings from four data collection pieces with Critical Discourse Analysis, in which participants met in focus groups to discuss their experiences with book bans and curriculum censorship. The five focus groups included Upstate middle school English teachers, Upstate high school English teachers, Upstate middle school librarians, Upstate high school librarians, and participants from the Midlands and Lowcountry of South Carolina. There were two primary research questions and two sub-questions: (1) What do educators and librarians in grades 6-12 say about how power functions in engaging or challenging current curricula and book censorship trends?; (1a) How do middle …

The Effects Of Implementing A Project Based Learning Framework Into A 5th Grade Science Unit On Force And Motion In A Population Of Disadvantaged Students, Kristy Martin

Theses and Dissertations

Providing quality education that meets the needs of diverse populations and economically disadvantaged students is imperative in today’s educational environments. This research study investigates the effects of implementing a project-based learning (PBL) teaching approach as part of a fifth-grade science unit on force and motion. The implications on engagement, motivation, and student achievement on standardized tests were analyzed through a mixed-methods research approach. This study is grounded in the theoretical approaches of Constructivism and Social Interdependence Theory. Both concepts support PBL and explain the positive impacts noted by the research. The participants included 56 fifth-grade students, that were primarily African …

Thematic Geo-Inquiry In Seventh Grade Geography, Rebekah Driscoll Austing

Theses and Dissertations

With the growth of globalization, geography is an important subject for students of the 21^st Century to understand. Being adept in geography will aid our future generations to be able to use geographic skills to answer complex world issues. Unfortunately, geography has been a long-neglected subject of social studies; often considered boring and not worthwhile with teachers using teacher-centered curriculum methods and memorization. A teacher’s job is to provide appropriate experiences, materials, and context for students to construct and connect knowledge that is useful and beneficial to them. Through a constructivist lens, inquiry-based thematic units can be used by …

Understanding The Instructional Decisions Of Middle-School Mathematics Teachers: Three Case Studies, Alissa Lockwood

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study aimed to explore how middle-school mathematics teachers make instructional decisions in the absence of a required curriculum. While the school site has an adopted textbook, many of the mathematics teachers view this resource as invaluable. Better understanding the decision-making process of mathematics teachers at the school site can provide critical information to better support the teachers. The research question that guided this action research was: How does it seem that middle-school mathematics teachers make instructional decisions? This sequential two-phase qualitative study examined decision-making from a 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade mathematics …

Enhancing The Development Of Critical Thinking Skills Through The Implementation Of Trauma-Informed Project-Based Learning, Megan E. Coleman

Masters Projects

Many students struggle to develop critical thinking skills, which are considered essential skills in life. While research supports the need for the development of these skills in young adults, many educators struggle to be successful in helping students develop these skills. Project-based learning (PBL) has been shown to be a successful tool in navigating the development of these skills, but research over the years has shown that teachers face many barriers in its implementation. In addition to the challenges of curriculum, students also face barriers in their development of these skills due to the exposure of trauma. Because of the …

Are We Ready? A Phenomenological Study On Teachers' Perceptions Surrounding Readiness To Teach Diverse Communities And The Responsibility Of Teacher Preparation Programs, Ja'niece Tiara Whitehead

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to discover teachers’ lived experiences in their teacher education programs in regard to levels of preparedness to effectively teach racially, linguistically, and gender-diverse students. The theory guiding this study was Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT), which refers to teaching students customs, characteristics, experiences, and perspectives as tools to enhance instruction and understanding of the complexities of society as well as the awareness that students dwell in varying circumstances. The central question directing this research study asked, “What are the lived experiences of teachers and their teacher education programs with diverse communities?” Participants of …

Bringing Different Disciplines And Competitions In Your Classroom, Eric Chan-Tin, Mohammed Abuhamad

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

It is well-known that cybersecurity does not belong only to computer science/engineering. Other disciplines such as Psychology, Criminal Justice, Sociology, and Political Science can have a great impact in cybersecurity research and education. Students taking only courses are at a disadvantage and should be encouraged to participate in cybersecurity competitions to obtain real-world skills. This lightning talk will look at incorporating two aspects in an interdisciplinary cybersecurity program/curriculum: 1) different disciplines and majors such as Psychology, Criminal Justice, Political Science, Sociology into the cybersecurity program; and 2) including cybersecurity competitions as an integral part of the cybersecurity classroom and curriculum. …

You Can Never Have Too Many Flowers: Nature As A Support For Survivors Of Genocide, War, And Conflict, Adam Hettler

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

One in five children around the world are surviving war or other violent conflicts. The trauma of disruptions to community, safety, and loss of friends, family, and home can have wide-ranging and life-long impacts on children who survive. While impacts will vary from individual to individual, the trauma can impact mental health, feelings of safety, relationships, ability to learn, and many other aspects of their lives. Many educators in the US and globally are working with refugee students or other students who are navigating the impacts on their brains and bodies of different traumas. This project seeks to answer the …

Incorporating Indigenous Knowledge Systems In Environmental Education: Creating Culturally Responsive Curriculum To Foster A More Inclusive And Holistic Approach To Science Learning, Emilie Potocki

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This project explores how elementary science curriculum can be adapted to become more culturally responsive (CR), with a particular focus on integrating Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) into 4th-grade instruction. Grounded in the belief that many Indigenous cultures have long held deep ecological knowledge and sustainable practices, the curriculum seeks to challenge the dominant, Eurocentric framework of traditional science education. Research highlights that culturally responsive teaching not only affirms students’ identities but also improves engagement, academic achievement, and long-term retention of scientific concepts. However, few curricular models at the elementary level meaningfully incorporate Indigenous perspectives in ways that are respectful, authentic, …

Curriculum Internationalization: Aligned With Equity And Social Justice? Considerations And Perceptions From International Graduate Students In Canada, Siyin Liang

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Incorporating Technology And Engineering Literacy Into The 4th Through 8th Grade Educational Experience, Robert Beauchamp

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This capstone project addresses the lack of technology and engineering literacy education at the elementary and middle school levels. The purpose of this capstone project is to help educators at schools without a STEM focus improve the technology and engineering literacy of their 4th through 8th grade students. The project was designed to create a series of practical and engaging professional development sessions tailored to educators with limited time and resources. To achieve this the existing standards and research were reviewed with a concentration on the ITEEA Standards for Technological and Engineering Literacy (STEL), the impact of experiential learning in …