Education Commons^™

The Benefits Of Community In The Face Of Disaster: Struggling To Success, Lucian Rothe

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Prologue: The books on language pedagogy and German-speaking literature that filled the tall shelf in my apartment were waterlogged and falling apart. Amidst the ruin of my flooded home, the disintegrating texts I held in my hands formed both the reality of my life and served as a metaphor for the many challenges that appeared for me during my last year of graduate school.

Analytics-Enabled Authentic Assessment Design Approach For Digital Education, Tristan Lim, Swapna Gottipati, Michelle L. F. Cheong, Jun Wei Ng, Christopher Pang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

There are known issues in authentic assessment design practices in digital education, which include the lack of freedom-of-choice, lack of focus on the multimodal nature of the digital process, and shortage of effective feedbacks. This study looks to identify an assessment design construct that overcomes these issues. Specifically, this study introduces an authentic assessment that combines gamification (G) with heutagogy (H) and multimodality (M) of assessments, building upon rich pool of multimodal data and learning analytics (A), known as GHMA. This is a skills-oriented assessment approach, where learners determine their own goals and create individualized multimodal artefacts, receive cognitive challenge …

Cross-Cultural Validation Of A Measure Of Contemplativity With A Chinese College Sample, Maryann Krikorian, Ran Tao, Randy T. Busse

School of Education Faculty Works

The purpose of this article is to present the results of an exploratory cross-cultural validation study of a measure of contemplativity with a Chinese sample. The Scale of Contemplative Practices in Education (SCOPE) was administered to 144 Chinese college students. The results of an exploratory factor analysis accounted for 68% of the variance with a five factor structure, although high correlations among the factors indicate that a single factor may be the best current quantitative measure of contemplativity. Internal consistency estimates were strong for the full scale (.95) and adequate for the factors (.66 to .90). Higher scores on the …

Cite Values Card Game, Sara Vogel, Indranil Choudhury, Aankit Patel, Rafi Santo

Open Educational Resources

The CITE Values Card Game helps you clarify and nuance your answer to the question “Why Computing Integrated Teacher Education?” to expose you to potential purposes for CITE that you may not have thought about before, and to help you narrow down what’s most important to you.

Editors' Notes, Christy Galletta Horner, Sherri Horner, Kristina Lavenia, Marlise Lonn, Audrey Roberts, Brooks Vostal

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

Editors' Notes

The Influence Of Critical Friendships On Secondary Student Teachers Engaged In Collaborative Action Research, Brenda Capobianco, Veronica Mccauley, Paul Flynn

Purdue Center for Early Learning Faculty and Staff Publications

In this study, we explore the following: a) How do secondary student teachers, engaged in collaborative action research, function as critical friends? b) What challenges do they encounter? How do they mitigate these challenges? and c) In what ways did meeting as critical friends influence the student teachers’ learning to conduct collaborative action research? The participants in our study included 38 secondary school student teachers (defined here at grades 9 through 12) in the last year of a two-year Masters program from a large, research-intensive university situated in the West of Ireland. The student teachers were organized into 11 critical …

The Study Of Children With Developmental Language Disorder Beyond English: A Tutorial, Laurence B. Leonard, Mariel L. Schroeder

Purdue Center for Early Learning Faculty and Staff Publications

The main goal of this tutorial is to promote the study of children with developmental language disorder (DLD) across different languages of the world. The cumulative effect of these efforts is likely to be a set of more compelling and comprehensive theories of language learning difficulties and, possibly, of language acquisition in general. Benefits to children and local societies are also likely to accrue. After presenting some of the initial considerations involved in the cross-linguistic study of children with language disorders, we provide examples of the types of questions that might be asked. The examples are informed by our own …

Investigating The Influences Of Summer Experiences On Students' Self-Efficacy In Stem, Olivia Palicki

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Improving high school students’ interest and confidence in STEM is a national priority. Educators and stakeholders in educational policy have pressed for increasing opportunities to engage students in authentic science experiences and focus on teaching 21st century skills. The purpose of this case study was to investigate how a summer research experience may have influenced high school students’ self-efficacy and career interests in STEM subjects and practices as well as identifying what students learned from their experience in the program. Pre/post program surveys were analyzed to measure change in student attitudes towards STEM and to capture students learning outcomes from …

A Scientific Approach To Sight Word Acquisition In Early Childhood, Emma J. Powers

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Teachers have commonly taught sight words through viewing the word as a whole unit and committing it to memory through repetition, but this practice bears little connection to phonics. While this method may work for some, for many students, especially those with specific learning disabilities (SLDs), it is not enough. Through this honors project, the teacher candidate will research new instructional methods based in the Science of Reading, which utilize orthographic mapping, or letter-sound connections, to chunk sight words into recognizable and phonetically regular spelling patterns (Ehri, 2014). To do so, she will investigate a body of evidence from relevant …

Teacher Perspectives On Engaging Sped Students In Stem, Matthew Ripple

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this research is to learn more about the teacher perception of student engagement during STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) activities, specifically for students with disabilities. Additionally, this research enhances the understanding of which accommodations teachers perceive to be beneficial for students with disabilities, specifically during STEM curricula with an engineering component. To accomplish this purpose, the results from eight teacher interviews were analyzed qualitatively, being treated as case studies. Each of the teachers currently teach a STEM class incorporates at least one unit with a design challenge. Seven themes from teacher interview data are identified as …

Dancing Through The Harlem Renaissance: An Inquiry-Based Unit Plan Exploring Movement And Culture, Marina Tsirambidis

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Incorporating movement and physical activity into the K-12, general education classroom has been on the rise. In a study done in 2019, Chloe Bedard deemed physical activity successful within the primary school setting and was determined to examine the benefits of movement integration into the secondary school setting (Bedard et al 2019, as cited in Romar, 2023). Additionally, dance scholars have researched the positive effects of incorporating dance history and movement into the classroom. With these two major advancements in mind, this study will provide a social studies unit that integrates dance movement. This unit aims to teach students about …

The Compass, Summer 2023

The Compass, 2018-

The Compass is an annual orientation guide for VCU students produced by the Student Media Collective in the VCU Student Media Centered. The guide is distributed physically during summer orientation sessions for new and transfer students. The publication includes short articles, illustrations, letters of welcome from students and administrators, comics, and advertisements from VCU and Richmond organizations.

Growing In Stem: Hands-On Education Via Tower Gardening, Jeffrey A. Nowak, Shelby Johnston-Werling

Indiana STEM Education Conference

Sole use of a textbook as the primary source of learning in the middle school setting has been linked to potentially limit students’ conceptual understanding of complex content (Driscoll et al., 1994), while the positive impact of hands-on learning has been well documented (Ekwueme et al., 2015; Satterthwait, 2010). Ideally, when a textbook is used in conjunction with content applied in a hands-on manner, student engagement and understanding of standards-based content are increased. In a grant funded collaboration between the Northeast Indiana STEM Education Resource Center housed at Purdue University Fort Wayne and an East Allen Community Schools middle school …

Students' Perspectives Of Thinking With Algebra, David Feikes, William S. Walker Iii, Natalie Mcgathey, Bir Kafle, Brandon H. Sorge

Indiana STEM Education Conference

Thinking With Algebra (TWA) is a curriculum development project for college students needing introductory/intermediate algebra. Unique guiding principles of the project are a focus on algebraic structure, mixed review, equity, and a classroom approach emphasizing small-group work and whole-class discussion (Feikes et al., 2022). Results are derived from a survey given to one class of fifteen students taking an intermediate algebra summer course. The paper shares both Likert and open-ended responses. Data demonstrates that the students believed that the TWA curriculum was beneficial.

Teachers' Instructional Strategies In Integrated Stem Education, Yousef Alrashdi, Paul A. Asunda

Indiana STEM Education Conference

Integrated Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (iSTEM) education has been regarded as a model that provides students with skills necessary for future careers and enhances the economy of nations. Although there is a considerable body of research on the effective educational approaches in iSTEM education including problem-based and project-based learning, the ways teachers implement these approaches remain ambiguous due to a paucity of consensus about how to effectively use iSTEM approaches in classrooms (Thibaut et al., 2018). Additionally, there is a need for further investigation to understand teachers’ instructional strategies and practices in iSTEM education (Bush, 2019). To fulfill this …

Integrated Stem: Impact Of Engineering Design And Computer Science In Stem Labs, Jason Morphew, Ruben Lopez, Amir Bralin, Ravishankar Chatta Subramaniam, Sanjay Rebello, Carina Rebello

Indiana STEM Education Conference

By integrating physics laboratories with engineering design and computer science, students apply physics principles to ill-structured and complex problems, engage in knowledge transfer, and gain interest in STEM. The introductory physics labs at Purdue have been updated to include engineering design and computer science principles that ground physics in authentic problems. Integrated labs have been evaluated using student perception post-surveys, student course performance, interviews, and case-study observations. Preliminary results indicate that integrated physics labs promote transfer, enhanced metacognitive skills, student interest, and motivation.

Achieving Equity And Excellence: A Multilevel Modeling Of The Relationships Among School Climate, Students’ Motivation, And Achievement With Timss 2019, Yao Yang, Tugce Karatas, Tybresha Ebony Glass

Indiana STEM Education Conference

This study examined the effects of students’ motivational factors and school climate factors on eighth-grade math and science achievement in the U.S. using data from the 2019 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Two-level, cross-sectional hierarchical linear models were developed to analyze the data. The results showed that there was a significant variation in math and science achievement across schools. Only students’ confidence in math and school SES had statistically significant effects on students’ math achievement. School location and school SES had statistically significant effects on science achievement.

Data Quality Checking Guide, Wei Zakharov

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

A data quality checking guide has been developed to facilitate undergraduates on the critical aspects of data quality assessment. The goal is to become competent data consumers and data generators as well. This checking guide encompasses six fundamental dimensions: Data Credibility, Timeliness, Information Completeness, Data Accuracy, Data Consistency, and Data Deduplication. These dimensions are frequently cited in scholarly references on data quality. Each dimension plays a crucial role in ensuring the reliability and usability of data. Scenarios of students' work are also discussed.

Innovation In Quantum Pedagogy, Application, And Its Relation To Culture (Iqparc), Zeynep Gonca Akdemir, Dongyang Li, Muhsin Menekse, Mahdi Hosseini, Erica W. Carlson, Nicholas Dang

Indiana STEM Education Conference

Innovation in Quantum Pedagogy, Application, and its Relation to Culture (IQ-PARC) is a team of Purdue faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students who collaborate and work for the National Defense Education Program (NDEP) for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, outreach, and workforce initiative programs. We promote a STEM-literate workforce by providing learning opportunities for youth to understand basic principles and applications of quantum concepts through a variety of both face-to-face and online activities. This research brief describes accomplished tasks in the K-12 education space (e.g., quantum-infused middle school curriculum unit) and shares upcoming plans within the project timeline.

Teachers' Beliefs As A Tool To Extend The Cognitive Equity Concept, Ana-Maria Haiduc, Rose Mbewe, Signe E. Kastberg

Indiana STEM Education Conference

This research aims to extend the framing of the cognitive equity concept in teaching mathematics during the enacted phase of the curriculum beyond race and culture. Cognitive equity characterizes actions of teachers and curricula makers toward valuing differences in cognitive processes. Since beliefs influence teachers' actions, we investigate their ideas about valuing students' unique mathematical cognitive processes. Framing cognitive equity in teaching mathematics contributes to discovering teachers' equitable practices, thus revealing teachers' ways of making more inclusive cognitive curricular decisions. Future research could focus on framing cognitive equity in learning mathematics within the intended and implemented phase of the curriculum.

Thinking With Algebra: Two Professors' Perspectives, Natalie Mcgathey, Bir Kafle, David Feikes

Indiana STEM Education Conference

This research brief will share insights from using the curriculum, Thinking With Algebra (TWA), a National Science Foundation Project (DUE 2021414). The focus will be on the value of using this curriculum when working specifically with students who have taken Algebra I and Algebra II in high school, but were not prepared for college algebra or precalculus. This curriculum is specifically designed for STEM-track students who place below the level of college algebra when they enter college. The authors have found that TWA helps instructors honor the mathematical knowledge and ideas that students bring into the classroom. The curriculum units …

Investigating Elementary Teachers’ Use Of Mathematics Curriculum Materials, Jueqing Li, Doris Fulwider, Jill Newton

Indiana STEM Education Conference

Investigating Elementary Teachers’ Use of Mathematics Curriculum Materials is a collaborative research project across four universities. The primary goal of the project is to explore teachers’ use of mathematics curricular materials in the context of the proliferation of online resources and the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on curricular coherence, teacher autonomy, and the use of teacher-developed curriculum from sites such as Teachers-Pay-Teachers and Pinterest. We used individual and focus group teacher interviews at several schools representing diverse curricular contexts to explore both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of the teachers’ mathematics curricular decision making. Findings from this study highlight …

Developing Sustainability Related Attitudes And 21st Century Skills Through Informal Learning Opportunities, Shamila Janakiraman

Indiana STEM Education Conference

Informal learning environments, like libraries and museums, are known to improve student achievement and motivation (Bartels 2001). A meta-analysis reports on the strong positive effects of after-school programs on feelings and attitudes and school performance (Durlak et al, 2007). When working on after-school programs, middle and high school students may develop skills like communication, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, information literacy, and digital literacy. Such a program was offered by a 501c(3) organization as an informal learning opportunity. As part of this program, high school student volunteers living in the United States (US) designed and delivered learning experiences for elementary and …

The Miseducation Of The Black Teacher: An Examination Of Anti-Blackness And Deficit Thinking, Chalena Yancey Beasley

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of the phenomenological transformative study (Mertens, 2010) is to understand Black teachers' perceptions of students in predominantly Black, low-income schools. Seven Black teachers took part in this qualitative study in individual virtual interviews. Five of the participants were interviewed in a virtual focus group interview. The interview questions were designed to explore the challenges and successes experienced by Black teachers in educating Black students who live in low-income homes. People who operate from a deficit thinking perspective see students who are culturally different from the affluent culture as less capable (Nelson & Guerra, 2014; Shields, 2016; Walker, 2011). …

Experiences And Perspectives Of African American Male Students On Asynchronous Learning, Nicholas T. Fawaz

Wayne State University Dissertations

This study investigated the experiences of African American male high school students and their reasons for switching to virtual learning programs. In order to gather information, the researcher interviewed students who switched to online learning individually on Zoom. By using this qualitative research method, the researcher was able to learn directly from students about the difficulties they faced in traditional schools and their decision to switch to virtual learning. This study involved nine African American male students ages 14-17. One student was still enrolled in a traditional school while eight students switched to virtual learning. Participants were asked four questions …

A Study Of The Impact Of Accessibility Of Business Intelligence Systems On Needs Assessment Practices, Ruta Joshi

Wayne State University Dissertations

Performance improvement (PI) is a field that employs diverse approaches and techniques across different disciplines. One crucial step in approaching any performance problem is conducting a needs analysis (NA). Studies have indicated that NAs are not conducted as frequently as they should be. With the advancements in technology, we now have access to a vast amount of organizational data that can be collected and generated with the help of business intelligence (BI) systems. These systems also provide quick analysis tools for processing the data. This study aimed to explore the impact of BI systems on the prevalence and effectiveness of …

How Rocks Rock: The Processes That Shape Our World, Jennifer Harrison

Lesson Plans

Have you ever thought about how the rocks in your driveway formed? Or the sand on your beach? How about the diamond in a ring or the charcoal in a grill?

All earthen material is subject to forces that impact its properties, from where we find it, how its structure is made and how it behaves under external pressures. Rocks are defined as any inorganic material found in the natural world (meaning not living material). There are 3 types of rock, and where and how they form is important in their classifications. They are subject to geological processes as well …

Examining K-12 School Leadership Through A Complexity Theory Lens, Mandi Lehnherr

Theses and Dissertations

Observing the connection between complexity theory and the K-12 education field, I conducted an extensive literature review to discover much research had already been undertaken. However, given the pervasive, wicked problems that still exist, there may be gaps in the operationalization of the findings. The purpose of this research is to determine how school leaders understand the complexity of their school system and if examining school leadership from a complexity lens may uncover practices that could create more effective school operations in dynamic environments. Ten school principals and leaders were interviewed. Five major themes were derived from the data: a) …

International Students’ Perception Of The Development Of Their Digital Academic Writing Identity Based On Their Participation In An Intensive English Language Program, Francesca L. Nesfield

Theses and Dissertations

The U.S. economy receives consistent and increasing benefits from international students in higher education, an estimated $41 billion during the 2018-2019 academic year. However, the existing research literature has failed to determine whether Intensive English Language Programs (IELP) adequately prepare these students for college-level composition in digital mediums. The objective of this study is to distinguish the perceptions of how academic digital composition and identity were developed among international students relative to their experiences in an IELP. This dissertation research sought to understand the cultural perspectives of international students around a) their digital writing identity, b) digital composition in academia, …

Exploring Digital Portfolios And Their Effects On Test Scores, Dithmar Kenneth Rualo

Theses and Dissertations

Many educators in the field are looking for ways to grade their students. Many of our youth can learn new concepts and attain academic growth but have difficulties in the traditional lecture-based classroom. Digital portfolio incorporation in our secondary classrooms may be a solution to engaging learners through various interactions using online learning tools, interaction with peers, and their teachers. This exploratory study investigated the current value of digital portfolios in improving academic performance in today’s classroom. Much of the trend was popular ten years ago. The research explored how current educators in the secondary school setting feel about the …