Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

Playable Cases As Authentic Practice In Online Classrooms, Kevin Scott Haws

Theses and Dissertations

Playable cases are a new type of mixed-reality serious game (SG), combining elements of alternative reality games (ARGs) and education simulations to offer an immersive, transmedia story. Participants advance the plot through interactive gameplay and characters with the goal of creating products and experiencing real-world business situations. This study investigates the effectiveness of the playable case Microcore as a tool specifically for online writing instruction (OWI). Fifty students in online sections of a technical communication course participated in Microcore, in which they responded to pre- and post-survey questions and prompts directed at their perceptions about writing, understanding of workplace communication, …

Coaching By Scaffolding: Increasing Teacher Questioning Through Structured Modeling And Feedback, Sarah J. Little

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the effects of the Gradual Increase of Responsibility Model (Collet, 2008) when used by coaches to mentor teachers in best questioning practices in kindergarten through second grade classrooms. The researcher focused on questioning practices after observing missed opportunities to extend student thinking in primary school classrooms during teacher-student conferences in both reading and writing. Vicki Collet’s Gradual Increase of Responsibility Model (2008) was chosen as a coaching model based on the wide range of teacher experiences in the researcher’s educational setting. This coaching model allowed the researcher to scaffold teachers based on …

The Impact Of Individualized Structured Reading Intervention On High School Students In Special Education: An Action Research Study, Nikki Clark

Theses and Dissertations

Reading skills comprise the following three categories: decoding, fluency, and comprehension. All three of these skills are necessary for students to become successful readers in and out of academic settings. Many students in special education read far below their grade level; difficulty reading is particularly challenging for such students because, in addition to limiting academic success, under-developed reading skills compromise students’ academic and functional independence. This study aimed to examine how a structured, individualized reading intervention may help high school students in special education – students who have been diagnosed with one specific disability or a combination of approved disabilities …

The Impact Of Readers Theater On Fluency, Emily Suggs

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study describes a problem of practice derived from the identification of students in fifth-grade who lack reading skills to be classified fluent readers as identified by Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills-Next Edition Oral Reading Fluency (DIBELS Next ORF). This problem of practice led to the development of an action research study, which examined the impact of fluency instruction that used readers theater texts on students’ overall fluency performance.

Through a convergent mixed methods design, the study addressed three research questions that explored the impact of using readers theater texts on students’ overall fluency performance, the …

The Role Of Historical Simulations In An International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program Social Studies Class, Anna Hasenkamp

Theses and Dissertations

This paper presents an action research study as part of a Dissertation in Practice. Based on observations from the classroom of the participant-researcher, Problem of Practice is described: an over-reliance on teacher-centered instructional methods and the mismatch of these instructional techniques to the pedagogy endorsed by the International Baccalaureate. Through the identification of this PoP led to a research focus concerning student achievement, instructional methods, and the use of historical simulations in the social studies classroom. As a result of this research focus, the research question of what, if any, is the possible impact of historical simulations on student achievement? …

The Impact Of Student-Centered Coaching On The Implementation Of Project-Based Learning: An Action Research Study, Wanda Nicole Littlejohn

Theses and Dissertations

The present study describes a student-centered in-service that was implemented with four new teachers. The purpose of the study was to determine the level of confidence the four teachers felt after the coaching sessions. The study took place with teachers who teach in a high poverty school located in Greenville, South Carolina. The teacher-researcher is an Instructional Specialist at the school and she designed a project- based (PBL) learning unit with the teachers for ninth-grade students that was used in the coaching sessions in the fall of 2018. Data sources include: focus group interviews with the teachers; observations in the …

The Impact Of A Science Fair On High School Students’ Feelings Of Self-Efficacy In Stem, Nathaniel P. Wharton

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this present action research study was to describe secondary students’ feelings of self-efficacy in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Through a curriculum linked to a science fair project, the teacher-researcher focused on student-participants’ perceptions of perseverance and task completion linked to STEM courses and postsecondary STEM careers. A Likert scale pretest (n=44) and posttest (n=33) based on Bandura’s model of four categories of self-efficacy (mastery experience, vicarious experiences, verbal/social persuasion, and emotional/psychological states) was administered to middle to low income students at a high school in Pennsylvania in the fall of 2018.). Data was also collected …

Tenth-Grade Student–Participants’ Perceptions Of A Growth Mindset Curriculum: An Action Research Study, Jennifer Jo L. Dufort

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was to describe nine tenth-grade student-participants’ perceptions of a growth mindset curriculum based on the educational theory developed by Dweck (2006). The curriculum focused on the core aspects of Dweck’s (2006) theory: (a).understanding brain growth and neuroplasticity, (b) having a productive attitude about making mistakes and experiencing failure, and (c) expending effort and developing perseverance (Dweck, 2006). The teacher-researcher implemented the Growth Mindset Unit in a small high school in a coastal town in southern Maine during the teacher- researcher’s advisory class. The school has a proficiency-based grading system in which students benefit …

Beyond Standardized Test Scores: The Use Of Culturally And Linguistically Responsive Pedagogy To Improve Access To Gifted Programming For Hispanic Students, Virginia G. Pratt

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed-methods action research study was to explore how expanding curriculum in a gifted and talented English/ Language Arts (ELA) class to include a culturally and linguistically responsive strategy might broaden access to gifted programming for high-achieving children of Hispanic descent. The identified problem of practice is that the population of students from Hispanic families at Little Tree Elementary School (a pseudonym) continues to rise, yet Hispanic students are largely underrepresented in the school’s gifted program. This action research was carried out with a fourth-grade gifted ELA class in a Title I South Carolina elementary school. The …

The Impact Of Intelligent Tutoring Software On Geometry Students, Simela Oueini

Theses and Dissertations

This purpose of this paper is to deepen the understanding for a problem of practice in the mathematics educators’ classroom of low retention of information thus leading to poor mathematics achievement. The identification of the problem of practice led to a development of a research focus examining the effects of using intelligent tutoring software in the mathematics classroom and the impact it has on mathematics achievement, student motivation as it relates to self-efficacy, student engagement and attitudes towards mathematics. Using a convergent mixed methods approach (Creswell, 2012), this paper elaborates on the research questions addressing “What effects does the integration …

The Impact Of Jigsaw Learning On Student Engagement In Beginning Students At A Community College: An Action Research Study, Kalina White

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study is to explore the impact of the cooperative learning technique of the jigsaw method on student engagement in the beginning biology laboratory at Northern Community College (NCC). Professorial observations, a student survey, and interviews were used to investigate whether or not jigsaw methods should be adopted at NCC which serves a moderately large metropolitan area in the Northern United States. Data were collected over a 6-week period over the Fall 2018 semester. Over three weeks, one of three sections were exposed to a jigsaw version of the normal laboratory protocol while the other …

An Exploration Of Academic Librarian Self-Efficacy In The Teaching Role: A Canadian Perspective, Kari D. Weaver

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of short professional development interventions, covering core concepts in teaching and learning, on the self- efficacy of academic librarians in the teaching role. The participants in this study were six academic librarians at a large, research-intensive university in Canada for whom instructional work was a requirement of their position.

To examine librarian self-efficacy in the teaching role, the participants completed a standard self-efficacy questionnaire and a semi-structured interview prior to participating in the professional development interventions. The topics covered for professional development included learning theory, lesson planning, classroom management, and …

The Impact Of The Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (Bscs) 5e Model On Middle-Level Students’ Content Knowledge, Michelle Norwood

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative action research study was to describe a middle-level science teacher’s transition to an inquiry-based, progressivist, student-centered model from a traditional, teacher-centered model as well to document the student-participants’ perceptions of the new model. The study population consisted of one-hundred student- participants, three teacher participants, and one administrator participant. Data was collected at Lakeview Middle School (LMS) (pseudonym) in the low country of South Carolina. The Research Question driving the study: How do middle-level students, accustomed to a traditional teacher-centered curriculum, perceive an inquiry-based, student-centered science classroom based on the Biological Science Curriculum Studies (BSCS) 5E …

A Case Study Of School Leaders’ Understanding And Practice In Providing Feedback During The Teacher Observation Process, Karen Allen Benton

Theses and Dissertations

New teacher evaluation reforms in the state of New Jersey and across the country have put an increased emphasis on the role of classroom observations as a method to improve teacher practice. School leaders are expected to facilitate the observation process and provide meaningful feedback that leads to teacher engagement in professional learning that results in instructional improvement and increased student achievement. To meet state mandates for increased number of classroom observations for all teachers and adoption of state-approved evaluation tools, such as the Danielson Framework, districts have increased the work demands of administrators. Yet there has been little guidance …

Teaching Critical Reading: Media Literacy In The High School Classroom, Alisha Reed Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

The present qualitative action research study was conducted to examine student- participant perceptions and performance in a critical media literacy unit in an Advanced Placement English Language and Composition (AP ELC) classroom. Critical media literacy skills and, specifically, rhetorical analysis skills, are tested on the end-of-course AP ELC exam. The teacher-researcher designed a four-week unit, Reading Mass Media, and implemented it with 38 student-participants in two sections of AP ELC taught by the teacher-researcher in a racially and economically diverse rural South Carolina high school. The purpose of the present action research is to describe student-participants’ performance and perceptions …

The Impact Of Drama Pedagogy On Student Achievement, Attitude, And Empathy: An Action Research Study, Deborah J. Gascon

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study evaluated a problem of practice which emerged from the apathy and passive responses of students to reading classic literature in the high school English classroom. Teachers instructed while students received information with little investment on their part. The purpose of this study was to determine how to help students read closer and develop a deeper comprehension and appreciation of literature while expanding capabilities within the affective domain.

Through a convergent mixed methods action research design, the study addressed three research questions that explored how drama pedagogy affected student comprehension, their attitudes toward reading classic literature, and …

The Impact Of A Thematic Unit And Integration On Students’ Achievement In Social Studies, Holness Samuels

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study focused on a problem of practice observed in a Title 1 middle school in rural South Carolina, where seventh-grade students show low academic achievement levels in social studies, evidenced by low scores on teacher-made tests, district benchmarks, and the state standardized test. To address this problem of practice, research questions were formulated: What is the impact of implementing a thematic unit on World War One, an integrated approach, on students' motivation to learn social studies? What impact will the implementation of a thematic unit on World War One have on students’ perception of social studies? and, …

What Is The Impact Of Utilizing An Authentic Study Of An Author’S Life And Literary Works To Increase Students’ Motivation To Read In A Third Grade Gifted And Talented Classroom?, Cherie B. Salem

Theses and Dissertations

This Dissertation in Practice (DIP) utilizes action research methods to answer the question of: What is the impact of utilizing an authentic study of an author’s life and literary works to increase students’ motivation to read in a third grade gifted and talented classroom? Through intentional questioning and inquiry, the following Chapters provide justification of the Problem of Practice (POP), why students who have the ability or will to read, do not have the motivation or desire to read. Does this negative attitude toward reading begin through literacy curriculum taught in our schools today? Literacy curricula in schools today do …

The Role Of Historical Simulations In An International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program Social Studies Class, Anna Hasenkamp

Theses and Dissertations

This paper presents an action research study as part of a Dissertation in Practice. Based on observations from the classroom of the participant-researcher, Problem of Practice is described: an over-reliance on teacher-centered instructional methods and the mismatch of these instructional techniques to the pedagogy endorsed by the International Baccalaureate. Through the identification of this PoP led to a research focus concerning student achievement, instructional methods, and the use of historical simulations in the social studies classroom. As a result of this research focus, the research question of what, if any, is the possible impact of historical simulations on student achievement? …

The Impact Of Project-Based Learning Assignments On The Writing, Communication And Interpersonal Skills Of Students In A College Skills Course, Aungeto Ditze Lockhart Sigman

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was to determine the impact of project- based learning on the writing, communication and interpersonal skills of students in a college skills course. This course was required for students who were enrolled in at least one or more developmental courses. The purpose of this course was to equip the students with skills necessary for success during college and beyond. However, the syllabus for the course did not include any activities or assignments to improve the students’ writing, communication or interpersonal skills. As a result, the students were not successful in completing the final …

The Relationship Between Mindset And Motivation In An Alternative School Mathematics Classroom, Jo Ellen Dowdy

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was to determine the impact of a Khan Academy growth mindset lesson plan on the motivation of at-risk ninth grade students in a mathematics classroom. Data were collected for quantitative analysis of students’ self- reporting of perceptions pertaining to mindset beliefs before and after a mindset intervention and perceptions about motivation in the mathematics classroom. Analysis revealed there was no relationship between mindset and motivation. A minimal decrease in fixed mathematical mindset was determined after a Khan Academy mindset intervention. Increases were found in students’ beliefs in the importance of math, the usefulness …

Democratic Education And An Urban Teacher Residency: A Case Study, Bryan P. Arnold

Theses and Dissertations

Over the course of American schooling scholars note that democratic education and citizenship have not been abandoned, but perhaps marginalized or pushed aside, as test scores and achievement have become the most desired outcomes. Democratic education must move out of the margins and into high priority. The current political climate of increased division and divisiveness could not illustrate this need any more. Another well-documented challenge within the American educational system, particularly in high need areas is the need for highly qualified teachers. Urban Teacher Residency (UTR) programs have offered a possible solution to this growing problem in recruiting, training, and …

Implementing Edward De Bono’S Six Thinking Hats Intervention For Improving Reading Comprehension Skills For Students With Learning Disabilities (Sld), Annaliese Rosalie Hightower (Rollins)

Theses and Dissertations

This study proposed Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats as an intervention to enhance SLD students’ reading comprehension skills. The study described the Six Thinking Hats intervention as a method that used six diverse thought processes. A narrative review further discussed how the compilation of strategies is needed to help improve reading development skills for SLD students. Additionally, the study described several theoretical frameworks for the study: construction-integration model, event index model, and the metacognitive theory.

The study used a quantitative approach to answer the research questions that focused on comparing statistical differences between an experimental group and a control …

Seeing Reading In First-Year Composition, Matthew Felumlee

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on a study of reading-into-writing strategies employed by students in two sections of first-year-composition (FYC) that were paired with a support course as part of an accelerated learning program (ALP) at a community college. Each FYC course was comprised of 11 students whom the college had deemed college-ready without the ALP course, and 11 students who were deemed at remedial levels in reading and / or writing and who were subsequently required to enroll in the ALP course. The study employs grounded theory methodology to identify and consider the many factors that influenced how reading was portrayed, …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between High School Seniors And High School Seniors Participating In A Multi-Year, Looping, School-Based Mentoring Program, Devon Alaine Lassetter

Theses and Dissertations

Researchers have indicated that secondary school students were more likely to be truant than primary school students which lead to students dropping out of school and becoming less productive citizens as adults. Researchers have also shown that participation in a school-based mentoring program can positively influence the students and help them make better life decisions. The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent a multi-year, looping, school-based mentoring program has on the attendance data, behavioral data, achievement data, and graduation rate of high school seniors at a rural high school in west Georgia. The researcher conducted a …

A Case Study Of A Technical College's Faculty Perceptions Regarding The Value Of Professional Development Activities, Kermelle D. Hensley

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to investigate technical college faculty members' perceptions of the professional development. Most of the literature was focused on four-year higher educational institutions. For the purposes of this qualitative case study, the researcher addressed the limited amount in the literature about professional development in two-year technical colleges. The researcher investigated faculty perceptions concerning the usefulness of professional development in a two-year higher education institution through survey research design with 8 participants. The main themes were 1) technical college faculty desired professional development; 2) technical college faculty needed for follow up from the professional …

The Effect Of Digital Storytelling On Academic Performance, Interest And Motivation Of Police Cadets In A Law Enforcement Academy, Damon Ing

Theses and Dissertations

The Effect of Digital Storytelling on Academic Performance, Interest and Motivation of Police Cadets in a Law Enforcement Academy. Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), December 2018, 93pp., 6 tables, 83 references, 5 appendices. With increasing criticism concerning police interactions with the public and the use-of-force decisions, the importance of preservice law enforcement instruction is an ongoing concern for both police practitioners and the public. Law enforcement education can benefit from the integration of new instructional strategies that can increase comprehension and long-term knowledge retention transferable into the field. Digital storytelling has been proffered as an effective cross-cultural communication tool and has …

Outcomes Teacher Mentoring Has On Professional Learning And Delivery Of Instruction, Susana A. Zapata-Burguete

Theses and Dissertations

A qualitative study using grounded theory was conducted to discover how educational mentoring was transferred to subsequently transform instructional delivery in the second year of teaching for novice secondary school teachers. The study was conducted in a Deep South Texas public school district during the 2017–2018 academic year. After concluding a year of mentoring, interviews were conducted to reveal how the mentoring phenomena helped transform their present day delivery of instruction. Data was gathered through face-to-face interviews with seven participants. During this second year, the novice teachers primarily relied on both what was learned through their mentoring experiences and networking …

The Role Of Teaching Presence On Academic Achievement In Fully Online Asynchronous And Hybrid Undergraduate Mathematics Courses, Shaghayegh Azadi Setayesh

Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to investigate how mathematics student perceptions of teaching presence differ by course delivery mode and student achievement. Online learning has had a steady growth in higher education, and mathematics courses are also offered in fully online and hybrid modes, but the research on online mathematics learning and academic achievement is limited. In order to contribute to the body of research in this field, the focus of this study was on teaching presence and academic achievement in two delivery modes: fully online asynchronous, and hybrid.

The Community of Inquiry was the theoretical framework of this study, where …

Writing Development Of Emerget Bilinguals: School-Wide Contextual Factors, Alma Rosa Martinez

Theses and Dissertations

The State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) measures Texas public school students’ knowledge and skills in many areas, including fourth grade writing. This system requires that students meet a certain performance standard score in writing to be successful. This state mandate impacts many Texas districts, teachers, and students. Districts must be prepared with necessary resources and tools to meet the writing needs of all students, including emergent bilinguals.

This case study focused on investigating how a bilingual teacher in a bilingual campus taught writing to her emergent bilinguals. Using the writer’s workshop approach, which many districts implement to …