Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

Inquiry-Based Learning: Effects On Student Engagement, Kimberly Wheatley

Honors Projects

Inquiry-based learning is an approach to science instruction that has been around for over 40 years and has many positive aspects, including: critical thinking, student achievement, positive attitudes towards science, and student engagement. Inquiry-based learning has four different levels and is an instructional method that provides a problem or question which allows students to complete an investigation. This action research project will explore how inquiry-based learning affects student engagement and how student’s feel about inquiry. Students were taught with two days of traditional instruction, two days inquiry-based instruction, and then given a pre-survey and post-survey, and observed using an engagement …

An Evaluation Of The Efficacy Of Preschool Participation Upon Kindergarten Readiness, Simone Sellers

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore whether children who attended a full day of preschool were better prepared for kindergarten than those who attended a part-time program or no program at all. Two levels of the independent variable, preschool participation, were utilized: (a) full-time participation and (b) part-time or no participation. Readiness rates among children who attended a public preschool in a large school district in Florida were examined using standardized academic achievement scores as dependent variables. When looking at kindergarten readiness, males who attended preschool scored higher academic levels than males who attended no preschool. However, …

A Guide For The Development Of Theoretical Understanding And Practice Of Teaching For Artistic Behavior: A Response For 21st Century Art Education, Lisa Van Plew-Cid

Masters Theses

Education in the 21st century is restructuring to meet the needs of an increasingly technological society where learning objectives need to focus more on learning abilities rather than knowledge acquisition. Creativity and authentic learning have been identified as new learning objectives for the 21st century. Throughout the history of education, art education has maintained relevance through the integral role it plays in meeting the learning and developmental needs of our students. Teaching for Artistic Behavior (TAB) offers both a philosophy and practice for relevant 21st century art education.

Through research and deep reflection on my ten year practice as an …

Changing The Music: Understanding Educational Obstacles For Youth In Foster Care, Amie J. Stearns, Iyc

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Due to increased tendency of children in foster care placements to perform poorly in school and to become involved with the juvenile justice system, there is a dire need for school districts to improve support systems for this vulnerable student group. This presentation may be of most interest to conference attendees as it explores the specific barriers which may hinder educational success for youth in foster care.

Flipped Classrooms In The Humanities: Findings From A Quasi-Experimental Study, Bryce F. Hantla

Christian Perspectives in Education

This quasi-experimental study explored the effects of flipping the classroom on perceptions of students in humanities settings. This control-matched study examined the effects of the flipped classroom on seven subscales from a satisfaction inventory. Out of 130 students, n = 62 (47.7%) completed the study. Flipped classes reported a more ideal classroom environment on Innovation and Individualization (p < .001). Additionally, flipping provides instructors more time to focus on deeper learning strategies than traditional courses.

Designing Learning With Citizen Science And Games, Karen Schrier

The Emerging Learning Design Journal

This emerging trends article introduces concepts such as citizen science (the inclusion of non-professionals in scientific knowledge production) and knowledge games (games that enable players to solve real-world problems through crowdsourcing and collective intelligence activities within a game). The article shares the strengths and limitations of using citizen science and knowledge games in the classroom, as well as initial tips and guidelines for bringing these types of experiences to the classroom.

An Exploration Of The Factors That Motivate Gifted And Talented Rural Students To Engage In Stem, Issabella Baldwin Zurek '18, Takudzwa George '18, Clinton Oshipitan '18, Robert Luo '18, Amy Wang '18

Student Publications & Research

Research Questions:

• What motivates rural students to pursue STEM?
• How can we use these factors to engage more rural students in STEM?

Four Years Vs. One Semester: Music Information Literacy Delivered In Different Time Frames, Taylor Greene

Library Presentations, Posters, and Audiovisual Materials

How much does the time elapsed between instruction sessions affect retention of music information literacy concepts? This poster will demonstrate the two methods of delivering the Music Information Literacy course at Chapman University and discuss the benefits and pitfalls of each model. Starting in 2014, music students have been required to take four courses in Music Information Literacy which were delivered in 90-minute sessions over the course of four academic years. The Performing Arts Librarian, who has taught the course since its inception, noticed a lack of retention from some students and hypothesized that the timespan of delivery was a …

Cybersecurity In The Classroom: Bridging The Gap Between Computer Access And Online Safety, Andrew Malecki

Cyber Security Capstone Research Project Reports

According to ISACA, there will be a global shortage of 2 million cybersecurity professionals worldwide by 2019. Additionally, according to Experian Data Breach Resolution, as much as 80% of all network breaches can be traced to employee negligence. These problems will not solve themselves, and they likewise won’t improve without drastic action. An effort needs to be made to help direct interested and qualified individuals to the field of cybersecurity to move toward closing this gap. Moreover, steps need to be made to better inform the public of general safety measures while online, including the safeguarding of sensitive information.

A …

Confirmation Basics, Terri L. Elton, Lisa Kimball, Gordon Mikoski

Faculty Publications

This article moves the findings of The Confirmation Project research from theory into practice. Three members of the research team highlight three themes (purpose, design, and leadership) and walk congregational leaders through a process of discovering how these ideas can help them find a way forward that is meaningful to their congregation.

The Curriculum Of Cultural Reconciliation At West Virginia State University And The General Education Curriculum, Michael Carpenter Harris Ii

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This qualitative study examined the perceptions and experiences of the faculty and students involved in the creation and administration of the General Education program at WVSU. This study focused on the themes of the creation of the original General Education curriculum that included the Origins and Race, Gender, and Human Identity classes, the redesign of the curriculum due to the state mandate, and how the new version of the General Education curriculum compares to the original. The findings provide insight into strengths and weaknesses of the program, faculty and student perceptions, government policy affecting education, and possible pathways forward to …

Nsu Doctor Of Education (Ed.D.) With A Concentration In Curriculum And Teaching 2019, Nova Southeastern University

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice College Archive

No abstract provided.

E & I Academics - A Business Plan, Rosalyn Mccoy

Senior Honors Theses

Starting a school presents many difficulties, but a business plan provides a method by which to work through many of these issues. The following business plan for Encourage & Inspire Academics, hereafter referred to as E & I Academics, explains many aspects of the proposed business from operations to competition to target market. E & I Academics is a proposed business that will offer both afterschool tutoring and homeschool tutoring services to families who wish to invest in a quality education for their children. E & I Academics will offer more personalized services than a typical public school and will …

Place Based Science & Climate Change Lessons For Middle And High Schoolers, Maizie Smith

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

These lessons were created for middle and high school aged students living in western Montana. They combine scientific inquiry and place based knowledge to teach climate change concepts.

Nsu M.S. In Educational Leadership [No Date], Nova Southeastern University

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice College Archive

No abstract provided.

Universal Design For Learning (Udl) As A Structure For Culturally Responsive Practice, Krista James

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

Alaska is rich with cultural and ethnic diversity. In fact, it is one of the three most diverse parts of the country. Culturally relevant practice both needed and required in Alaskan schools. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework that may assist educators in this endeavor. While UDL provides a framework for implementing instruction, the Alaska Cultural Standards for Educators tell us what best practice looks like for our diverse student population, especially our Alaska Native students. This article explores examples of implementation of the Alaska Cultural Standards for Educators within a UDL framework.

Traditional Grammar For A Modern Classroom, Madison Jones

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project explores the different methods currently being used to teach grammar in a secondary Language Arts classroom. Additionally, the research identifies the relevance of sentence parsing, a traditional grammar method. Finally, the project offers a set of materials that would tangibly allow readers to take the results of the research and apply traditional grammar practices into a modern-day classroom. While there are many different current methods being used to teach grammar, this paper ultimately makes an argument that traditional grammar still can play a powerful role in the classrooms of tomorrow.

Not-So-Compehensive Health Education: Teacher Attitudes Toward Heteronormative Sexuality Education, Sarah Elizabeth Burnham

Theses and Dissertations

Drawing upon queer theory, this study investigated health teachers’ interactions with the heteronormative sexuality education curriculum as prescribed by the 1988 South Carolina Comprehensive Health Education Act (SC CHEA). A survey composed of Likert-type and open-ended response items measured three constructs: the amount of preparation to teach health education, self-efficacy in teaching sexuality education, and teachers’ levels of alignment with, or rejection of, heteronormativity. A convenience sample of middle and high-school teachers in SC public schools responsible for teaching health education yielded 181 responses. Descriptive statistics of the respondents precedes non-parametric analyses of correlations between constructs and among constructs and …

Contexts Of Cultural Diversity Professional Development In Schools, Hillary Parkhouse, Jesse Senechal, Julie Gorlewski, David Naff, Zoey Lu, Ashlee Lester

MERC Publications

This report is part of a larger MERC study on Professional Development for Success in Culturally Diverse Schools.The goals of the larger study are (1) to understand the landscape of diversity within the schools in the MERC region, (2) to consider the implications for school policy and professional practice, (3) to review the current models of professional development that support teachers and other school professionals in regards to issues of cultural diversity, and (4) to develop and test models of professional development that have positive impacts on teacher practice, student outcomes and overall school success. With these goals in mind, …

A Comparison Of Restorative Justice Ideology Between Administrators, Teachers, And Parents, Renée J. Alger

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers suggest that restorative justice processes in schools are a successful alternative to traditional punishments for school discipline, and are used for both reactive and proactive responses to behavior issues. However, the processes are not sustainable if the administration implementing restorative justice do not promote a restorative justice ideology (RJI), and if all systems that impact the student are not aligned. Therefore, study was conducted to compare the level of restorative justice ideology between groups of administrators, teachers, and parents with a validated restorative justice ideology survey instrument that includes cooperation, restoration, and healing, and an accumulative score for RJI …

Descriptions Of Differentiated Instruction In Mathematics In A Title 1 School District, Sheril Bulley-Simpson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In an urban Title 1 school district, the average number of Grade 3-5 students who scored proficient or advanced on the state standardized assessment was 37.3% below Grade 3-5 students countywide and 19.4% below Grade 3-5 students statewide. Low mathematics scores may indicate a gap in practice that affects student achievement. The purpose of this descriptive case study was to examine teachers' descriptions of instructional strategies implemented to mediate instruction for students who struggle in mathematics. This study was based on the conceptual framework of Tomlinson's differentiated instruction (DI), a means of accommodating the varied ways that students learn. The …

Improving Health Literacy Assessments In Pediatrics, Kristina Michelle Wright

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Low health literacy (LHL)--when patients do not understand their treatment or medications--has been linked to poor healthcare outcomes. Nurses need to know how to assess health literacy (HL) and teach pediatric patients and their families to help ensure that patients and family members can understand and follow health education messages. Evidence-based HL tools were obtained from a literature search and used to create a nursing staff education program on pediatric patient HL assessment and education. The project answered the practice-focused question that asked whether a staff education program on HL assessment and management would improve nursing knowledge of HL for …

Reflection And Evaluation Of The “Healthy Me, Healthy Earth” After-School Program, Mary K. Sherman

Honors Theses and Capstones

The “Healthy Me, Healthy Earth” program was an eight week after-school program for first through fourth graders at the Woodman Park Elementary School in Dover, NH conducted during the Fall of 2017. The program used a cost-effective, food system-based curriculum to promote health and environmental literacy to students who participated. An interdisciplinary approach was used to assess the knowledge, attitude, and behavioral changes of the students. There was a noted improvement in comprehension of food system concepts.

Are Audience Response Systems Worth The Cost? Comparing Question-Driven Teaching Strategies For Emergency Medical Technician Education, Lauren M. Maloney, James P. Dilger, Paul A. Werfel, Linda M. Cimino

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: As Emergency Medical Technician educators develop curricula to meet new national educational standards, effective teaching strategies validated for course content and unique student demographics are warranted. Three methods for answering multiple choice questions presented during lectures were compared: a) Audience Response System (ARS, clickers), b) hand-raising-with-eyes-closed (no-cost option), and c) passive response (no-cost option). The purpose was to determine if using the ARS resulted in improved exam scores. Method: 113 Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) students participated in this cross-over, block randomized, controlled trial, which was incorporated into their Cardiac Emergencies and Pulmonary Emergencies course lectures. Students took …

8917: Athletic Training Student Application Of Quality Improvement During Clinical Education: A Report From The Athletic Training Clinical Education Network, B. C. Jones, C. E. Welch Bacon, J. M. Cavallario, S. E. Walker, R. C. Bay, B. L. Van Lunen

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

Context: A component of quality improvement (QI) is the ability to reflect on the effectiveness of one's practice. Past research has demonstrated that QI is more frequently implemented in patient encounters (PEs) in which athletic training students (ATSs) are assisting the preceptor. As one of the core competencies, QI will be a required curricular content component in all professional athletic training programs in 2020.

Objective: To assess whether ATSs are integrating concepts of QI during PEs as a part of their clinical experiences.

Design: Multisite, panel design.

Setting: Three Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education-accredited professional athletic training programs …

Empowering Refugees Through Self-Education, Ayanna Osborne

Master's Projects and Capstones

This project focuses on how to create easier access to education in refugee camps. This is discussed through the ideas of self-directed learning and cooperative learning. As well, the current need for education is explored. Several case studies are provided demonstrating that people without a formal education have successfully been able to seek information and teach themselves. As well, studies are discussed in which individuals have been shown to efficiently seek information and teach one another.

My website provided is still under construction as of 01/2018. It will be completed by the end of the year. Anyone is welcome to …

Walking The Tightrope Of Visibility, Leigh Patel

Occasional Paper Series

This essay cautions projects of visibility that are twinned with intersectional analyses. Arguing for a deliberate rupture in schooling’s categorical logics and a historical analysis of the cultural force of individual identity, I caution that the individual identity tendencies of modernity hold some risks for the substantial and long-standing imperatives of intersectional analysis. I ground this argument in Audre Lorde’s work and how it is often sampled insufficiently.

Introduction: Reading And Writing The T/Terror Narratives Of Black And Brown Girls And Women: Storying Lived Experiences To Inform And Advance Early Childhood Through Higher Education, Jeannine Staples, Uma M. Jayakumar

Occasional Paper Series

Staples and Jayakumar introduce this issue of the Occasional Paper Series that speaks to the #SayHerName social justice initiative. The movement aims to expose the experiences of Black and Brown girls and women who are subject to police violence in society and various violences in schools. In response to this movement, this issue includes stories of Black and Brown women from early childhood education through higher education.

The Relationship Between Student Participation In A 1:1 Laptop Initiative And Academic Achievement In A 9-12 Upper Middle Class Suburban New Jersey Public School District, Brian P. Gatens

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The use of laptop computers in 1:1 settings is becoming increasingly prevalent in America’s schools. As greater numbers of students are using this technology, establishing its benefits and costs is paramount, especially in light of so many demanding fiscal situations. This study used quantitative research and analysis to measure the benefits and costs of such an expansive distribution of technology. It seeks to answer the question of the worth of such a large-scale adoption.

This study explored the relationship between the use of a laptop computer on a 1:1 basis for the purpose of academic instruction and its connection …

What Should We Make Of Standards?: Barbara Biber Lecture, Vito Perrone

Occasional Paper Series

In a lecture dedicated to Barbara Biber, Perrone offers a brief perspective on her work and then discusses the Standards movement at the time - 1999. This essay offers a criticism of the movement and how it is far removed from the individual learning experience. Standardization dominated educational discourse at the time and continues to do so now.