Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

Impacts Of An International Professional Development Program: A Qualitative Study, Marijn W. T. De Waal

Masters Theses, 2020-current

This qualitative study with phenomenological components examined the impacts of a U.S. State Department-funded teacher professional development program, hosted at a liberal-arts university on the east coast of the United States in the spring semester of 2018. An initial review of the public literature revealed that it was challenging to find evaluation data pertaining to this particular program or ones of a similar nature. Through semi-structured synchronous online interviews with five program alumni, the researcher probed if—and if so, how—the professional development (PD) program had made the intended impacts on participants’ (1) teaching methods/curriculum, (2) content knowledge in their personal …

Quality In All Levels: A Model Defining And Measuring Quality In Bioethics Education, Ercan Avci

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Due to the lack of academic studies in the quality assessment of bioethics education, this dissertation aimed to propose a normative model, Quality in All Levels (QAL), to define and measure quality in bioethics education. The QAL model described quality in bioethics education as conformance to the goals and determined these goals as (1) increasing ethical knowledge, (2) improving ethical skills to strengthen ethical sensitivity, awareness, and judgment, (3) developing ethicalbehavior, and (4) promoting cultural competence. The dissertation utilized Avedis Donabedian’s three approaches: structure, process, and outcome to formulate quality standards and indicators in bioethics education. In respect of …

May Agenda, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Meeting agenda.

Global Citizenship Education In Homeschooling Practices And Experiences In Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, And Pennsylvania, Bethany Shackelford

Capstone Collection

Global citizenship education (GCED) has moved to the forefront of U.S. education policy. The core tenets of GCED are knowledge, skills, behaviors, actions, attitudes, and values. Through these tenets, GCED strives to prepare students to be contributing members of society through making positive change. In this study, I examined the extent to which GCED was integrated in homeschooling education in eight families located in four Northeastern states, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

The findings derived from individual interviews and surveys with homeschooling parents and their adult children as well as document analysis demonstrate that seven of the eight …

Threshold Concepts And Transfer: A Curriculum Mapping Tool For First-Year Writing, Kerry Smith

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Writing scholars Adler-Kassner and Wardle, Beaufort, and Devet have placed pragmatic learning goals of transfer at the core of education’s purpose. This thesis shares the assumption of pragmatic learning goals for education and examines these goals for transfer through Meyer and Land’s theory of threshold concepts in the context of first-year composition courses. Covering Meyer and Land’s foundational work on threshold concepts and Thorndike and Woodworth’s groundbreaking research that later informed Perkins and Salomon’s work in transfer, this thesis aims to contextualize this literature within and operationalize it for first-year writing programs’ curriculum course design through the creation and testing …

Motivation And Engagement In The Choral Classroom: Does Repertoire Make A Difference?, Katy Haltvick

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine what motivates and engages students in a choral classroom and ensemble setting. Students were exposed to a variety of music ranging from challenging to more simplistic in nature. In addition, they even had pieces that they may have heard on the radio. The research participants for this study included students in grades 7-12 in a choral ensemble. Students were mixed races, as well as gender. Exposure to music varied depending on age. Older students have been exposed to much more repertoire, as well as much more variety of repertoire in terms of …

Curriculum And Instructional Design: Critical Learning Path And Constructive Alignment, James M. Lipuma, Cristo Leon

STEM for Success Resources

In this article, Dr. James Lipuma describes the Critical Learning Path (CLP) with Constructive Alignment for Learning (CAL).

Swim Instruction For Individuals With Developmental Coordination Disorder, Susan J. Grosse

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Almost every swim teacher has encountered an individual who had difficulty learning to swim, whose movements appeared dissimilar from peers, or who needed to repeat swim course instructional levels many times. That individual might have had difficulty with sport activities, handwriting, and been clumsy in gross and fine motor tasks. Difficulty with coordination and control of movement may suggest a diagnosis of developmental coordination disorder (DCD). Individuals experiencing DCD may feel left out, inadequate, unhappy, frustrated, and embarrassed by his or her ineptness. These feelings may result in an individual withdrawing or refusing to join in and participate in physical …

Staff Training In Aquatics For Individuals With Disabilities: The Quest, Susan J. Grosse

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Trained instructors in general programs have the ability and resources to initiate and follow through with developing water safe individuals who are capable swimmers. Specific staff training to prepare individuals to facilitate aquatic participation for individuals with disabilities is currently extremely limited. The purpose of this article is to examine the barriers to specialized staff training in aquatics for individuals with disabilities, to suggest necessary staff training content, and to propose topics for further research in the area of staff training. Seeking development of quality staff training programs for those working in aquatics for individuals with disabilities is the quest.

The Effects Of Problem-Based Learning On Student Engagement In My Mathematics Classroom, Sydney Mcquate

Honors Projects

The main purpose of this research is to see what effects problem-based learning has on student engagement cognitively, behaviorally, and emotionally. Some research has found that problem-based learning increases students' cognitive engagement in the classroom. This research will be conducted over a three week period and analyze student engagement during a traditional unit and a problem-based learning unit.

Factors Affecting Ict Integration During Teaching Practices: A Multiple Case Study Of Three Indonesian Universities, Akhmad Habibi, Rafiza Abdul Razak, Farrah Dina Yusop, Amirul Mukminin, Lalu N. Yaqin

The Qualitative Report

Information and communication technology (ICT) is a strong force for economic, social, political, and educational reforms happening throughout the world including in developing countries. In this qualitative inquiry, we aimed at elaborating factors affecting ICT integration during teaching practices in pre-service teacher training programs (PTTPs) of three Indonesian universities from the perspectives of fifty-five pre-service teachers. The thematic analysis of this study revealed two major themes, barriers and enablers, which affected the integration of ICT during teaching practices. Based on the themes, this study led to the development of a conceptual model of factors affecting the ICT integration. Recommendations are …

Creative Pedagogy And Praxis With Social Media: Applications In And Out Of The Qualitative Research Classroom, Anna Cohenmiller, Nurlygul Smat, Aisulu Yenikeyeva, Kuralay Yassinova

The Qualitative Report

Research methods courses can provide essential opportunities for graduate students to develop themselves as researchers. This article offers insights into the application of creative pedagogy and praxis for a graduate-level qualitative research methods class. Students learned and applied the innovative research method—gender audit as process and method—to understand the gendered nature of University social media accounts. Applying principles of collaborative learning and hands-on practice, students gained confidence in themselves as researchers while examining a contemporary issue affecting higher education institutions.

Life Science - Animal Coats: Seasonal Change, Elizabeth Martinez

Model NGSS Lessons: Kindergarten - 3rd Grade

Animals and plants may be affected by winter. Many survival techniques enable the organisms to survive this season. Hibernation is a survival technique for some animals. Body systems, such as respiration and heart rate, are slowed and body temperature is lowered until conditions are supportive of coming out of hibernation. Other strategies for winter survival include dormancy, living at the bottom of a body of water, burrowing into the ground, migrating, and changing of body coloring to blend in with the snowy landscape. Other animals may change colors to better blend in with the winter landscapes.

Earth And Space Science - Weather And Climate: Graphical Displays, Elizabeth Martinez

Model NGSS Lessons: Kindergarten - 3rd Grade

Weather and climate are related to one another. Current conditions and seasonal descriptions are considered weather, which include precipitation, temperature, wind speed and direction, cloud cover, and barometric pressure to name a few. Each season has its unique features based on weather and amount of daylight. Thirty years’ worth of weather pattern data are analyzed to determine climates.

Annual and monthly temperatures, as well as precipitation data are the basis for climate zones. Landforms, proximity to oceans, and sea level also contribute the traits of the zones.

Latitude is used to geographically delineate climate zones. The higher the latitude, the …

Earth And Space Science - Map It!: Geographical Features, Elizabeth Martinez

Model NGSS Lessons: Kindergarten - 3rd Grade

There are many geographical features on the Earth, each with its own traits. These landforms may have been formed by plate tectonics. If tectonic plates move toward each other, and collide. The land is pushed upward resulting in hills and mountains. Sometimes plates move toward each other and one plate is forced downward into the earth creating deep trenches.

The formation of new crust and volcanoes are just two features caused by moving plates. As plates move away from one another, water may accumulate resulting in lakes, streams, and rivers. As these water shapes expand, they may change into features …

Self-Efficacy And Its Effect On Student Achievement In Reading And Math, Morgan Van Hulzen

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research study investigated the degree of relationship between elementary teachers’ self-efficacy in math and reading and student achievement in math and reading in an elementary school in southeast South Dakota. The participants were 279 students in grades three through five along with 13 third through fifth grade teachers. Using NWEA Growth Map Test data, a comparison in student achievement in math and reading was made between students with highly self-efficacious teachers and students whose teachers reported low self-efficacy. The findings of this research did not show a significant difference between math or reading scores of students with teachers …

Technology Use In The Classroom, Danny Mooers

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research study investigated students’ perceptions about the use the use of technology in the classroom. The participants were English Language Arts students at a high school in Iowa. The participants included 33 freshman, 28 juniors and 15 seniors. Students were given a survey to gauge their perceptions of how the use of technology in the classroom impacted their engagement and allowed them to meet learning targets. Additionally, the survey examined students’ perceptions regarding the benefits and limitations of technology in the classroom. The results of this study suggest that students perceived the use of technology to be more …

The Classroom Environment: Effects On Learning, Motivation, And Behavior, Angela Pierotti

Master of Education Program Theses

This research study examined the effects of flexible seating on student learning, motivation, and behavior. Two classes of fifth graders participated in the study, so that there was an experimental group and a control group. Each group consisted of 23 fifth graders. The experimental group had flexible seating in their classroom for a period of three weeks. The options included bean bag chairs, floor cushions, exercise balls, and patio chairs with cushions. The control group had desks and chairs for their seating. Both groups took pre- and post-tests to determine student knowledge in the areas of reading and math. The …

Embracing Écriture Inclusive Students Respond To Gender Inclusivity In The French Language Classroom, Rebecca Lynn Garbe

Honors Program: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

In 2017, the French Academy published a declaration opposing the official integration of écriture inclusive into the French language for fear that it would put it in “péril mortel.” Specifically, the Academy targeted a newly proposed punctuation, le point milieu, or the middot, that would allow those writing in French to express both the masculine and feminine endings of words with a dot between the two. This addition would disrupt traditional gendered interpretations within the language and make space, not only for the goals of French feminists, but also for visibility of non-binary French-speaking people. The Academy argued, however, …

The Perceptions Of Professionals, Faculty, And Students Regarding The Implementation Of An Agricultural Communications Degree Program In The United Kingdom, Abigail Taylor

Agricultural Education, Communications and Technology Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of professionals, faculty, and students regarding the implementation of an agricultural communications degree program in the United Kingdom. It aimed to gather detailed opinions to aid in the planning of future agricultural communications disciplines. This study used a qualitative approach in the form of interviews. Interviews were designed to gain in-depth opinions on four different research objectives. Subjects were pooled from three different subject groups: Professionals, faculty, and students. Subjects expressed that writing and journalistic skills were extremely important for agricultural communications graduates to possess. Interpersonal skills were also useful. …

Experiences Of Implementing Developmental Education Redesign In Mississippi Community Colleges: An Administrators’ And Faculty’S Perspective, James Rush

Dissertations

Each year, after graduating from high school or after a number of years in the workforce, millions of students in America make the choice to further their education. Students who enter higher education are faced with the decision of choosing from a diverse pool of institutions that provide an array of services to meet the needs of a changing society. Many students entering institutions of higher learning are in need of some developmental instruction or course in order to complete their degree and/or training. Because of the integral part that developmental education plays in higher education, the cost versus effectiveness …

Adding It Up: The Effects Of Math Curriculum On Third And Fourth Grade Act Aspire Math Scores In Arkansas, Rebecca Cook

Theses and Dissertations from 2020

Over the last 62 years, mathematics reform has occurred due to a political push after results from a major survey or report were released stating that the United States scored lower than other countries. With each reform effort, teaching methods were changed to match the new initiative. Math curriculum was a key point in each of these reform efforts. In 2015, Arkansas adopted ACT Aspire as the statewide assessment, and in 2017 Arkansas adopted Arkansas State Standards. Although Arkansas adopted ACT Aspire and Arkansas State Standards, Arkansas does not require school districts to adopt a curriculum. The purpose of this …

Alternative Learning Environments As A Tool For Student Success For Struggling Learners In Northwest Arkansas School Districts, Steven Lee Watkins

Theses and Dissertations from 2020

Educating all students is the foundation of education. However, an epidemic is sweeping throughout America’s schools that is threatening the very underpinning of our society. The number of students that leave school each year without a high school diploma is placing an immense personal and economic burden on the student, as well as the economic impact on society. Alternative learning environments have emerged as an intervention to provide a foundation for success for the struggling learner. This quantitative study was conducted to evaluate the perception of high school alternative learning students and high school alternative learning teachers’ perceptions of program …

Using Inquiry Based Experiential Learning To Teach Mindfulness To Students And Teachers, Jordan Fullam, Kurt Kowalksi

Q2S Enhancing Pedagogy

These artifacts from a faculty learning community (Q2S Enhancing Pedagogy Stipend) are focused on developing inquiry based approaches for teaching mindfulness to preservice teaching candidates in the College of Education, CSUSB students at large, and K-12 teachers working in local schools. We created a series of experiential learning activities that will ground the teaching and science of mindfulness in students’ own firsthand experiences with mindfulness practices. In this approach, students will be asked to reflect on their own brief experiences practicing mindfulness in class, or other settings, in order to examine its potential usefulness for themselves, teachers and K-12 students. …

A Compilation Of Written Instructional Practice Reflections On The Acue (Association Of College And University Educators) Course In Effective Teaching Practices, Sheryll Go

Q2S Enhancing Pedagogy

This is a compilation of written instructional practice reflections on The ACUE (Association of College and University Educators) Course in Effective Teaching Practices, from January – April 2020. This online course has prepared Nurse Educators like me in gaining a foundation in evidence-based teaching practices that increase student motivation, engagement, and learning. The attached assignment include reflections from completed modules.

Peer Coaching At An Independent School, Lindsay Anderson

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research study investigated the effects of peer coaching on an independent school’s culture, professional development, and growth mindset. The participants were eight middle scholar teachers, including the researcher. Each participant volunteered to be a part of a peer coaching pilot team in the spring semester of the 2018-2019 school year. Throughout the course of the pilot program, the participants were surveyed and interviewed independently on the topics of school culture, professional development, and growth mindset. As a team, the participants engaged in pre-observation, observation, and post-observation meetings as well as a final interview to debrief the pilot peer …

Loose Coupling In Curriculum Reforms: Rural Teachers´ Perceptions Of Peace Education In Post-Conflict Colombia, Pedro Pineda, Markus D. Meier

Peace and Conflict Studies

Previous research has shown how peace education (PE) mutates according to socio-political and curricular/didactic traditions, but we still need to know how PE disseminates at the school level. We surveyed teachers from 12 rural schools of the violent Amazon region of Colombia where a national Law made PE mandatory in schools and universities. Teachers working on schools affected by the armed conflict have high expectations about PE. Respondents identified PE with 21 didactic elements: (a) Approaches: values education, citizenship education, critical pedagogy; (b) Pedagogical principles: diversity and pluralism. (c) Learning processes: peaceful conflict resolution, promotion of a “life project”, political …

Physical Science - Magnetic Cars: Forces And Motion, Patrick Young

Model NGSS Lessons: Kindergarten - 3rd Grade

Any moving electrical charge surrounds itself with a magnetic field. The electrons moving around within atoms are no exception. In most materials, the electrons are spinning and moving in random directions and their individual fields cancel out, leaving the material with no overall magnetic field. In some materials, however, the electrons can be organized so they all spin and move alike. Now their individual magnetic fields add together to produce an object with an obvious overall magnetic field.

Such an object, called a magnet, has a field with two poles, north and south. Like polls repel each other and opposite …

Speak The Speech: Lessons In Projection, Clarity And Performance, James Hagerman

Masters Theses/Capstone Projects

This study compared two classes and their responses to a controlled curriculum versus an experimental curriculum based on teaching high school students in acting classes to project and speak with clarity during onstage performances. The experimental group had fifteen days of instruction, extensive feedback and an additional two lessons, while the control group participated in two out of the four lessons and had eight days of instruction with limited feedback. The driving question of this study was, “How do you get teenagers to project and speak with clarity on stage, so the audience is not left asking, ‘What did they …

Sustainable Journalism Education: A Curriculum Review And Revision Of The Winona State Journalism Program, Doug Westerman

Leadership Education Capstones

This report seeks to understand the current state of the journalism program at Winona State University (WSU). Through faculty interviews, a survey of students, and a review of journalism curriculums throughout the country, the report concludes with curriculum recommendations, in the hope of assuring, maintaining and sustaining the WSU journalism program in the ever-changing news ecosystem.