Education Commons^™

The Role Of Spirituality In A Rural Second-Grade Science And Social Studies Classroom, Elizabeth C. Pitcock

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

Children’s spirituality unequivocally connects to student experiences in schools due to their relationships with themselves, others, nature, and transcendence. These pillars allow students to enhance their awareness, value, and mystery in relationship with curricular content to become more spiritually sensitive citizens. This action research sought to understand the role of spirituality in a rural second-grade science and social studies classroom. Qualitative and quantitative survey, interview, observation, and artifact data were collected. The data was analyzed through the constant comparative method and descriptive statistics. Themes emerged to produce three primary codes and 18 secondary codes for findings. The study found that …

Understanding Student And Teacher Perceptions Of A Checking For Accuracy Method In Algebra Class, Abigail A. Jameson

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

Mathematics encompasses learning from one’s mistakes and developing accuracy with problem-solving. This action research study analyzed the classroom teacher’s and students' perceptions of a checking for accuracy math method that was implemented in an eighth-grade algebra classroom. Additionally, the researcher wanted to understand how the participants felt about the accuracy method and its influence on students’ attitudes toward math and mastery of math concepts. Student surveys, individual teacher (with student artifacts) and student interviews and focus groups (with individual artifacts) were the qualitative data collected using the constant comparative method. Descriptive statistics was used to collect quantitative data with calculated …

Learning Contracts In A Fourth-Grade Math Classroom, Kaylyn M. Hays

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

This study explored fourth-grade students’ and their teacher’s perceptions of learning contracts in a math classroom, as well as their potential impact on assessment scores. Over four weeks, students alternated between using and not using contracts. During week three, participants completed a survey of Likert scale and open-ended questions; select students and the teacher were then interviewed. Field notes were taken weekly. Initial data was coded with level 1 codes, followed by level 2 codes derived from the first round. Themes were developed through indexing and analytical memos. Findings showed that students’ opinions of learning contracts were mixed: roughly equal …

Guest Speakers In The Classroom: Student Perceptions Of Expertise, Lauren Angle

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

Guest speakers are frequently used at the collegiate level and have clear benefits for students. However, little research has been conducted about the use of guest speakers in a high school social studies setting. The purpose of this study was to understand how participation in an expert guest speaker discussion influenced high school freshmen’s understanding of conflict in the Middle East as well as their perceptions of expertise. Data was collected through student artifacts, surveys, observations, and focus group interviews and analyzed using the constant comparative method as well as descriptive statistics. The major themes of improved knowledge, desired changes, …

Do I Feel Safe At School? A Study Of Student And Teacher Perceptions Of School Safety Measures, Dayton-Turner K. Billington

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

This study examined student and teacher perceptions of current school safety measures. It explored feelings of safety among high school students and their classroom teacher, focusing on their perspectives regarding school safety measures and school resource officers (SROs). Students took a survey asking their thoughts regarding current school safety measures using Likert scale questions as well as drawing a picture and writing a describing paragraph regarding their perceptions of safety. From the survey results, 11 students were selected to be a part of two separate focus group interviews. The qualitative data was analyzed using the constant comparative method, while the …

Optimized Student Grouping For Enhanced Classroom Performance, Kathryn E. Reardon

Honors Theses

Effective grouping methods enhance classroom collaboration and allow for a student-centered teaching approach; however, traditional grouping methods are time-consuming, subjective, and can create inconsistent group dynamics. This project addresses these challenges by employing a data-driven approach to optimize student groups based on academic performance, behavior, attendance, language barriers, and teacher preferences. The minimum viable product is a web application with an algorithm-driven system to group students and a database storage for group results. During the initiation phase, a problem was defined with a proposed solution. During the planning phase, potential design choices and grouping methods were researched and assessed. During …

Bullying Among Students With Emotional And Behavioral Disabilities And Restorative Practices To Heal The School Environment, Elizabeth M. Mattingly

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the involvement of students with emotional and behavioral disabilities in the bullying dynamic and propose restorative circles as an alternative to exclusionary discipline practices. Students with emotional and behavioral disabilities are more likely than other children to be both the perpetrators and the victims of bullying due to their difficulties with emotional regulation and appropriate conflict resolution. Creating a school community that teaches appropriate social behaviors and healthy conflict resolution could reduce the rate at which students with emotional and behavioral disabilities are involved in the bullying dynamic. This paper examines the …

Teachers' Multiculturalism And Digital Learning Choices For Students With Limited Or Interrupted Formal Education, Jitka Nelsonova Brychtova

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The English language learner environment in U.S. secondary schools is increasingly complex due to the growing numbers of students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE) who require a culturally responsive approach. Teachers are not prepared to meet the needs of SLIFE, especially in the technology-enhanced classrooms. A gap in the literature exists regarding the culturally responsive use of digital learning resources (DLRs) with high school SLIFE. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine whether the teachers’ self-reported multicultural teaching competencies (skills and knowledge) predict the choice of DLRs used with SLIFE. The study was grounded in Vygotsky’s …

Volume Cxliv, Number 21, May 9, 2025, Lawrence University

The Lawrentian

No abstract provided.

2019 Doctoral Nursing Graduate Walks In 2025 After Beating Major Illness, Tehreem Khan

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

Student Perceptions Of Supports And Barriers For Transferring Quantitative Reasoning In Introductory Biology Lab Courses, Joelle Prate, Jeremy L. Hsu

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Quantitative reasoning is a critical skill in biology and has been highlighted as a core competency by Vision and Change. Despite its importance, students often struggle to apply mathematical skills in new contexts in biology, a process called transfer of knowledge. However, the supports and barriers that students perceive for this process remain unclear. To explore this further, we interviewed undergraduate students in an introductory biology lab course about how they understand and report the transfer of quantitative skills in these courses. We then applied these themes to the Step Back, Translate, and Extend (SBTE) framework to examine student …

Ableism And Museum Art Education: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study Of Museum-Based Visual Studio Art Teachers, Elizabeth W. Buck

Doctor of Education Program Dissertations

All people, including individuals with disabilities, who participate in hands-on visual art can experience various benefits. However, visual studio art teachers, especially museum-based teachers, have various backgrounds that do not always include education or training in serving individuals with disabilities. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore how museum-based visual studio art teachers perceived that their training and preparation informed their awareness of ableism and ability to serve students with disabilities in art museums in the New England region of the United States. Twelve museum-based, visual studio art teachers participated in this study through semi-structured interviews. Through …

Infographic: What You Love About Teacher Librarianship, Dominique Russell

Teacher infographics

In our latest annual reader survey, we asked you what you love about your role. In this infographic, we share some of the responses we received from teacher librarians.

2025 May 8 - Academic Council Agenda And Minutes, Academic Council, East Tennessee State University

Academic Council Agenda and Minutes

No abstract provided.

Expanding “Brain Games”: What Have We Learned From A Program Designed To Support Healthy Brain Aging In Older Adults?, Ella Mckinney

Honors Capstones

This study was part of a larger investigation examining the feasibility and impact of “Brain Games,” an intergenerational program designed to provide brain health education and cognitive training for healthy aging adults to maximize cognitive function and quality of life. The purpose of this project was to explore whether and how short- and long-term effects of “Brain Games” were tempered by demographic variables, including cognitive self-efficacy and socioeconomic factors. Study participants included older adults residing in two senior living centers in the DeKalb area. All participants received cognitive training and brain health education via “Brain Games”, which was offered in …

Use Of Mindfulness To Promote The Spiritual And Religious Competencies Of Master’S Level Counseling Students., Luisa Nayhouse

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a two-and-a-half hour training session for master's students in counselor education. The training focused on using mindfulness to enhance spiritual and religious counseling competencies. Utilizing a pre-and post-test design, the quantitative study employed mindfulness to train master's students with the aim of building and fostering spiritual and religious competencies in counseling. Historically, there has been a lack of research on the benefits of such specific mindfulness training related to this subject matter.

The study targeted master's level counselor students, with potential applicability to related fields such as psychology and social work. This …

A Study Of Social And Emotional Learning Provision To Kindergarten Students In A Rural School Through The Lens Of Whole Child Development, Shirley Spiegel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this Improvement Science Project was to take appraisal of a rural school district’s current approach for developing the whole child in kindergarten. Three prominent context-based child development theories serve as the framework for this study in determining if there is evidence in practice for support of whole child development, or if those practices or components of the current practices do not demonstrate clear evidence for whole child development, according to the theoretical framework. Conducted through the lens of these whole child development theories, this study centered on the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) provision to kindergarten students …

May 2025 Graduate Council Minutes, University Of Nebraska At Kearney Graduate Council

Graduate Council Minutes

No abstract provided.

Benefits And Applications Of Learning With Virtual Reality, Michael W. Timm

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Education is a fundamental pillar of society. It equips students for employment and interpersonal relations. Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a transformative technology in the field of education. The aim of this paper is to synthesize existing research in order to determine the benefits of utilizing virtual reality in a variety of education settings, such as K-12 classrooms, universities, and workplace training. This paper observes significant benefits of virtual reality in constructivist and experiential learning, gamified learning, and tailored practice. This analysis also finds that virtual reality is advantageous for educational accessibility, particularly for absentee students and impoverished students. …

2025 Undergraduate And Graduate Commencement, Lindenwood University

Commencement Programs

2025 Lindenwood University Commencement program.

“Let Me Be A Bridge”: Language Brokering Among Emerging Adult Latina Professionals In The Midwest, Elise M. Dubord

Faculty Publications

In immigrant families, bilingual children and adolescents regularly act as translators and interpreters for family and community members who are not fluent in the dominant language. These childhood language brokers later shift the focus of their translation activities as they transition into adulthood and develop professional skills. This research explores narratives of language brokering trajectories of three bilingual Latinas who were emerging adult professionals in three cities in Iowa. Based on a series of interviews collected over a 15 month period, this analysis examines how participants described realigning their family language responsibilities while simultaneously transferring their language brokering skills to …

Associations Between Tiktok Use And Undergraduate Nursing Professional Identity, Parker M. Watts

Honors Theses

Background. The global surge in social media usage prompts extensive research into its links with nursing professional identity. College-aged individuals who are in nursing school or are going to be in nursing school in the future must navigate their professional identity as they face heightened susceptibility to subjective opinions about the career of a nurse due to their frequent engagement with social media platforms. Among these platforms is that of TikTok, a platform of which has rapidly gained traction, especially among younger demographics. TikTok remains relatively underexplored in terms of its impact on nursing professional identity. This study seeks to …

Secondary Teachers’ Perspectives About Promoting Belongingness For Marginalized Students, Michelle Cottrell-Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although school belonging supports well-being and academic achievement, marginalized students may experience less belongingness than their peers. Educators contribute to students’ sense of belongingness, but a gap in the literature existed about how secondary teachers perceive the promotion of belongingness for marginalized students. Guided by the ethic of care conceptual framework, the purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore secondary teachers’ perspectives about promoting belongingness for marginalized students. The research question addressed secondary teachers’ perspectives about strategies, enablers, and barriers. The 11 participants were secondary teachers; members of the National Network of State Teachers of the Year or …

Pathways To Physical Education Teacher Education: Understanding Pete Faculty Careers And Lives, Alexander Eugene Kurtzman

Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences ETDs

Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) faculty play a critical role in shaping the future of physical education through teaching, research, and service. However, their career trajectories and professional experiences remain underexamined in the PETE literature. This dissertation combines two studies, one is a mixed-methods study and the second is a qualitative study which explore the complex pathways and socialization processes of PETE faculty. Study 1 investigated PETE faculty members’ perceptions of how prior K–12 physical education teaching experience influences their work in higher education. Drawing on Occupational Socialization Theory (OST) and the Faculty Role Socialization Model (FRSM), data from 53 …

Integrating Music Content Into The Secondary Mathematics Classroom: Facilitating The Process Of Designing Interdisciplinary Lessons, Denae Bumpus

Honors Projects

Many people enjoy music, and music has a multitude of connections to mathematics, so it makes sense for a mathematics classroom to incorporate musical elements into the instruction, but the literature has shown that many math teachers do not have a strong enough musical background to feel confident in incorporating music into the math class. Therefore, this research sought to provide a resource to help secondary mathematics teachers integrate age-appropriate musical applications to their mathematics lessons which connects standards of mathematics into standards of music. Specifically, the paper connects the Ohio Standards of Mathematics for Geometry with the course objectives …

Recent Trends In Medical Education To Sustain An Effective Practice - A Systematic Review, Sharon Pricilla Jeevan Kumar Leela Ms., Amtuz Zehra Dr, Ayesha Siddiqhha Mukthar Ms

International Journal of Health and Allied Sciences

Learning processes in medical practices in medicinal schools put more emphasis on the hard sciences than they do on developing soft skills like empathy and communication. For this reason, the medical humanities emerged to provide a "different" take on the creative process. Medical ethics, the doctor-patient relationship, clinical research, mental illness, and professionalism are just a few of the topics that have been utilized to discuss in medical school. A strong connection between classroom learning and clinical experience is crucial for medical school graduates. Students graduating from a medical program are expected to have experience with patient care, clinical procedures, …

Valproic Acid Loaded Niosomal In Situ Gel: A Novel Approach For Epilepsy Treatment, Rutuja Bastapure, Akshay Gawali, Gopal Lohiya, Kranti Satpute, Mahesh Birajdar, Sameep Sonvane

International Journal of Health and Allied Sciences

Valproic acid is an antiepileptic medication that is primarily used to treat epilepsy and bipolar disorder. This investigation was designed with three objectives in mind. First, improve the solubility and bioavailability of the BCS class II medicine valproic acid; second, make it easy to give the drug to an epileptic patient during an episode; and third, lower the dosage for long-term treatment. Niosomal formulations were optimized using various Tween and Span range ratios. The formulations were made using the ether injection method. The formulation's morphological characterization, entrapment efficiency, viscosity, and particle size were evaluated. Valproic acid niosomes prepared with Tween …

Use Of Objective Tools For Early Detection Of Parkinson’S Symptoms, Brett Weinstein, Alex Rothstein, Danny Chan, Andreana Zazzarino, Brianna Singh, Meredith Fagan, Dominique Torres, Charles Siguenza, Rosemary Gallagher

International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by asymmetrical motor symptoms that are difficult to detect early, thus the need for more sensitive tools. People with early PD (PwPD) participate in high level physical activity, are susceptible to injury, and in need of exercise professionals (EP). However, assessment tools used by EPs for healthy populations may be underutilized in PD. We suggest these tools can quantify early lower extremity (LE) motor impairments otherwise not found during the Five Times Sit to Stand test (FTSTS), commonly used to assess LE strength and function in the rehabilitation setting. PURPOSE: Examine LE asymmetry, force and …

Validity And Reliability Of The Wattbike For The Wingate Anaerobic Test, Bernie F. Acevedo, Alex Rothstein, Michele Aquino, Christian Maia, Robert M. Otto, John Petrizzo, John Wygand, Amerigo Rossi, John Handrakis

International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings

The Wingate Anaerobic Test (WAnT) is widely recognized for assessing anaerobic power and capacity. While the Lode cycle ergometer has been validated for the WAnT, the Wattbike's validity and reliability require further investigation. PURPOSE: To evaluate the validity and reliability of the Wattbike for conducting the WAnT by comparing its performance metrics in the "30-second test" setting to the WAnT on the Lode cycle ergometer. METHODS: 11 participants (male = 7, female = 4; age: Mean = 23 yrs 2.9 yrs; height: Mean = 171.5 cm 8.7 cm; weight: Mean = 76.8 kg 13.9 kg) ± ± ± Familiarization trials …

‘I Don’T Know Which Fire To Put Out’: Exploring The Lived Experiences Of First Year Teachers In Title I Schools, Crystal P. Glover, Erin Hamel, Koti Hubbard

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

For many early childhood and elementary educators, the early years of their professional career can prove to be the most challenging. Not surprisingly, approximately 30% of teachers leave the classroom within the first five years (Sutcher, Darling-Hammond & Carver-Thomas, 2019). That rate is even higher (~50%) for teachers in Title I schools (Miller, 2018). Despite a plethora of research regarding the causes of teacher attrition, very little has been done to specifically investigate the experiences of beginning teachers in Title I schools. This study seeks to identify and document the factors that positively and negatively affect those experiences.