Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

The Effects Of Implementing A Mindfulness Program In Two Elementary School Math Classrooms, Sara Lilley

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study examined the effects of utilizing trauma-informed social-emotional learning (SEL) teaching practices in two elementary math classrooms located in a Title 1 public school in North Carolina. The classrooms consisted of one third-grade classroom with 18 students and one fifth-grade classroom with 22 students. These classrooms integrated 10 minutes of mindfulness practice which included direct instruction on calming strategies and breathing techniques. This study worked to help foster a learning environment that supported the academic and mental health needs of the student participants and looked at potential relationships between calming strategies and math assessment data. This study …

Bridging The Gap Between Science And Technology: A Descriptive Study Identifying Factors Influencing 6-8th Grade Science Teachers’ Implementation Of Virtual Laboratory Simulations, Coral Nicole Hoesli

Theses and Dissertations

Teachers at a South Carolina middle school in the United States were not implementing virtual laboratory simulations at the same rate as other middle schools in the district. This descriptive research examined 6th-8th grade middle school science teacher perceptions and influencing factors behind the choice to implement virtual laboratory simulations. The study examined two research questions: (1) what are the personal and social factors influencing science teachers’ decisions to implement a virtual laboratory simulation, and (2) what are the structural factors influencing science teachers’ decisions to implement a virtual laboratory simulation?

The National Educational Technology Plan (NETP) and the International …

Young Children’S Reading Experiences In An Online Family Book Club Centered On Multimodal Responses, Ling Hao

Theses and Dissertations

This ethnographic case study explored Chinese American children’s heritage language and culture learning and their multimodal responses to culturally relevant picture books. I focus on six Chinese American families who participated in an online family book club. The children were between four and six years old. In each session, I first introduced Chinese characters or cultural traditions related to the book, and then had an interactive read aloud of a culturally relevant picture book. The children discussed the book with one parent and came up with a question and a connection. The children then responded to the book through creating …

Keep Your Head Up: An Examination Of Out-Of-School Literacy Practices In An Intergenerational Family System, Johnnie D. Bryant-Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

The asset-based qualitative study used a phenomenological approach within a Community Cultural Wealth framework to question the practices of an intergenerational family system in the Southeastern United States. The study investigated the family system’s out-of-school literacy practices and the exposure to culturally relevant literature. The study revealed that an elder who actively participated in rearing school-aged children intentionally introduced culturally relevant literature. Similarly, the study revealed that the primary caregivers did engage their school-aged children in conversations related to social justice and introduced them to culturally relevant texts. However, a child's inquiry into the topic initiated primary caregivers’ introduction to …

The Benefits Of Authentic Learning In English Language Arts Classes, Karissa Marie Connors

Theses and Dissertations

In education, it is important that teaching and learning evolve alongside an ever-changing world. Educators must teach 21^st century skills such as inquiry, independence, flexible and persistent thinking, and student motivation and engagement to help students prepare for the real world after graduation. It is imperative that educators begin to challenge students to learn within class settings that offer opportunities for real-world learning, even if confined to the physical classroom setting. The purpose of this action research study was to examine the benefits of authentic learning opportunities in English Language Arts classrooms while exploring the need for teaching life-long …

Cultivating Cultural Competence To Inspire Social Responsibility In Middle School Students, Jamie Shapiro Blau

Theses and Dissertations

In World Language education, teachers pair linguistic and cultural instruction to prepare students to engage effectively with speakers of the target language. In my French classes, where most students enjoyed dominant racial and socioeconomic identities, I noticed limited cultural competency skills in students, as well as a lack of readiness to engage with diverse cultures. This was unsurprising, as pervasive White eurocentrism permeates American schools, covertly impacting students' social and curricular experiences. Specifically, curricula of World Language courses where the language of study originates in a country with colonial history, such as French, cloud and ignore the linguistic and cultural …

High Ability, Hidden Gaps: Building Quantitative Reasoning Amongst Singapore’S Mathematically Literate, Rebecca M. Nichols

Numeracy

In Singapore, where primary and secondary students routinely top standardized worldwide mathematics examinations, a paradox emerges: when reaching university, many struggle to apply their skills critically in real-world contexts. This commentary examines the challenges and strategies involved in teaching quantitative reasoning (QR) to mathematically literate students in a top-ranking Singaporean university. While these students arrive well-trained in computation and procedural problem-solving, they often lack confidence and flexibility in ambiguous, data-driven decision-making. This article argues that fostering QR education is crucial not only for Singapore but for education globally, as QR skills underpin evidence-based reasoning within and across disciplines. Such an …

Creative Writing And The Common Core, Nathaniel Drenner

Journal of Creative Writing Studies

Review of Imaginative Teaching Through Creative Writing: A Guide for Secondary Classrooms. Edited by Amy Ash, Michael Dean Clark, and Chris Drew. Bloomsbury, 2021.

Using Gamification To Teach Cybersecurity In A Social Science Course: An Experience Paper, Roderick Graham, Medina Williams

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Meta-reviews of gamification suggest that gamifying course instruction can positively impact learners' behaviors and attitudes, leading to improved learning outcomes. However, there is a lack of literature relaying concrete experiences with developing and deploying gamified content. This experience paper contributes to filling that gap by describing the deployment of gamified instruction to students enrolled in a mid-level university social science course. These experiences are organized around four more or less chronological questions the project team needed to answer: (1) why gamify – or what is the rationale for undertaking such an endeavor, (2) what content should be gamified, (3) what …

Drawing Conclusions: A Study On Student Comic Creation As A Formative Assessment, Madeline Wright

Honors Projects

This study explores the effectiveness of comics as an exit ticket to help improve student learning and achievement. Students today are struggling with grasping social studies concepts, and this study seeks to look into the researcher’s creative solution to this issue. While extensive research highlights the effectiveness of comics as an instructional tool, little research has been done on its effectiveness as an assessment tool. The hypothesis of the study is that if students create comics as an exit ticket, then their perceived understanding and engagement in the content will improve. Data was collected by student drawn comic panels/sheets, observations, …

It’S Not Like Riding A Bicycle: How A Steadfast And Committed Effort To Writing Can Contribute To The Development Of Student Writers, Meredith J. Whited

Honors Theses

This work investigates the effect of writing routines in public education. Propelled by the words and ideas of Penny Kittle, Cynthia Urbanski, Ralph Fletcher, and many more, a study was completed with high school aged students to find the correlation between writing routines and levels of writing apprehension. These students were given The Daly-Miller Test as a pretest via Google Forms at the start of the study. After responding to a series of five-minute writing prompts over the course of several days, students were given a post-test of the same survey to determine if changes in writing apprehension had occurred. …

Equipping Teachers To Support Comic Literacy: An Analysis Of The Educational Potential Of Toon Book, Kayla Whitlock, Jewel Yoder Kuhns, Sara Kersten-Parrish Dr.

SANE journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education

Teachers frequently reach for leveled readers to help facilitate their guided reading groups; however, there can be limits in using these leveled readers. One such limit relates to enjoyment and engagement. An answer to this is using TOON books during guided reading time. TOON books are graphic novel leveled readers and were created in response to a need for high quality books for readers of all levels. However, in reading these books teachers need to be aware of the comics form and how those features impact the reading process. In this article, we outline the features common in graphic novels …

Using Social Emotional Learning To Connect Social Awareness And Classic Literature, Erin Anderson

Honors Projects

The following case study explores how social-emotional learning (SEL) teaching strategies enhance seventh-grade students’ engagement with classic literature during English Language Arts (ELA) class. Using S.E. Hinton’s classic novella The Outsiders as a foundation for this research, this study examines whether SEL-based lesson plans help adolescents make deeper connections between literature and their own lives. Two groups of students were compared in the study: one group received traditional, comprehension-based instruction, while the other participated in SEL-based assessments, encouraging perspective-taking and personal reflection. This study utilizes qualitative assessments like character analysis, reflection, and surveys to affirm that students who are exposed …

Teaching About Bodily Autonomy In The Early Childhood Classroom, Alaina Foster

Honors Projects

Research and evidence-based practices for the need to implement instructional materials in regard to elementary bodily autonomy and childhood sexual assault prevention education in the general education classroom.

Pedagogy Of The Taboo As Feminist Pedagogy: Embracing An Invitational Rhetoric Orientation, Mark P. Orbe

Feminist Pedagogy

Within this essay, I highlight a pedagogy of the taboo (Orbe, 2018) as a productive framework to counter anti-DEIA attempts to silence diverse voices in our class rooms and across campus. As an extension of Paulo Freire’s (1990) pioneering work, this orientation to critical pedagogy promotes teaching←→learning that questions authoritative meaning-making as a means to empowerment, liberation, and social justice. Central to this framework is a belief that labeling particular topics (e.g., race and racism; sex, gender, sexuality, sexism) as off-limits constitutes a rhetorical device used by those in power to maintain the status quo which benefits them (Orbe, 2018).

Media Quiteracy: Why Digital Disconnection Belongs In The Media Literacy Curriculum, Katie Day Good, Michelle Ciccone

Journal of Media Literacy Education

In this essay, we introduce media quiteracy, which we use to conceptualize and describe the valuable learning that can happen through the refusal to take up new media or the act of pausing or ceasing its use. We see media quiteracy as an active and generative approach to learning and argue for its inclusion in the media literacy curriculum. We trace the history of critical engagement with technologies within education and then articulate what media quiteracy can look like in practice. We surface and discuss three potential obstacles to teaching media quiteracy, which include the ways in which it …

Centering Relation In Media Literacy Practice, Paul Mihailidis, Bobbie Foster, Shannon Burth, Srividya Ramasubramanian, Melissa Tully, Patrick Johnson

Journal of Media Literacy Education

As calls for media literacy in formal and informal learning spaces continue to grow, educators’ understanding of media literacies and their purposes remains complex. In 2021, the authors of this paper led a multi-methods research project on media literacy education in the United States, focusing on impact and equity. Findings showed that educators share a commitment to equity and justice but are unclear on how to incorporate them into their work. In response, our research team developed a field guide that maps out equitable media literacy practices for classrooms and communities. In this study, we detail the findings from 11 …

Assessing Media And Information Literacy: Scale Development And Measurement Among College Students, Erlis Cela, Alban Tufa, Melsena Danglli

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Media and Information Literacy (MIL) is a topic discussed by many authors in recent years. Several authors have developed measurement scales and validated them mainly among students and teachers who have media and information literacy knowledge. Although no evidence is tracked for any research conducted, MIL has been an unexplored field in the Western Balkans region. This article delves into developing and testing a scale for measuring the level of Media and Information Literacy among students in Albania. Firstly, it employs an exploratory qualitative approach, with the use of focus groups, the results of which contributed to the design of …

Measuring Adults’ Media Literacy Skills And News Media Literacy Knowledge In The Context Of Age, Gender, And Education Level, Agnese Davidsone, Vineta Silkane, Ianis Bucholtz

Journal of Media Literacy Education

In this study, we examine the relationships between self-reported media literacy skills, actual knowledge of news media literacy, and three sociodemographic factors: age, gender, and level of education. Data were collected through an online survey among a national sample of adults (n = 871) in Latvia. A significant positive correlation was found between all self-reported media literacy subscales and the knowledge subscales of news media literacy. Age was moderately negatively related to self-reported media literacy skills and weakly negatively related to news media literacy knowledge. The level of education was weakly positively correlated with both media literacy skills and …

Cognitive Diagnosis Of Media And Digital Literacy Knowledge Schema In Mexican High School Students, Janneth Trejo-Quintana, Guadalupe E. Morales-Martinez, Betsabe Hernandez-Alvarez

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This research explored the mental representation of media and digital literacy (MDL) in 242 Mexican high school students through a definitional task based on the natural semantic networks technique. The participants defined ten target concepts related to MDL, using verbs, nouns, and adjectives as definers, and then they rated each definer with a scale from 1 to 10. The smaller the number, the lower the quality of the definer to conceptualize the target, while the higher the rating, the higher the quality of the definer to define it. The participants showed a beginner level in MDL despite their daily navigation …

Exploring Online Search Behaviors For Information Literacy Education, Luca Botturi, Loredana Addimando, Martin Hermida, Azza Bouleimen, Chiara Beretta, Silvia Giordano

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Information Literacy education is challenged by an ever-changing and complex environment. The design and development of current and effective Information Literacy education requires a thorough understanding of how young people search information online, which mainly happens with generalist search engines. The present study involved a voluntary sample of 152 young people (age group 16-20), who were asked to solve four different information tasks. We collected 595 search stories, each containing the sequence of navigation actions performed while solving a single information task, enriched with automatic metadata. We used cluster analysis to identify emergent search behaviors, and statistical analysis to observe …

Provision Of Brand Information And Critical Reasoning Predict Advertising Literacy, Eugene Zheng Yao, Alexandra List

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This study investigated students’ critical reasoning about commercials, as an aspect of advertising literacy. Critical reasoning was examined under two different experimental conditions. That is, students were tasked with watching four different commercials with 1) brand information provided or not, and 2) asked to engage in critical reasoning or not. The commercials chosen used various production techniques (e.g., socially conscious marketing) to mask their persuasive message. Students provided with brand information within commercials had significantly higher critical reasoning scores when viewing two, out of the four, commercials, and significantly higher overall Analysis of Persuasive Intent (API) scores and brand recall. …

Effects Of Wikipedia Knowledge, Algorithm Awareness, And Reading Comprehension On Undergraduates’ Preference For And Use Of Lateral Reading Strategies To Evaluate Information, Arshia K. Lodhi, Patricia J. Brooks, C. Donnan Gravelle, Jessica E. Brodsky, Maryam Syed, Donna Scimeca

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Internet users are bombarded with information and need strategies to evaluate its trustworthiness. Expert fact-checkers rely on lateral reading, which involves investigating sources, finding better coverage, and tracing information back to original contexts. This study contrasted college students’ preference for and use of lateral reading to evaluate online content, and examined factors associated with variation in preference and use. Undergraduates (N = 483) often selected lateral reading as the preferred strategy for evaluating content (multiple-choice items) without demonstrating use of lateral reading (open-response tasks). Use of lateral reading was associated with higher Wikipedia knowledge, algorithm awareness, and reading comprehension; …

There's A Method To This Physics Madness, Hanna J. Ross

Physics and Astronomy Presentations

Physics tends to be seen by the general public as scary and unattainable, especially for students who are non-STEM majors. However, at Ursinus College (as well as many other institutions) the professors employ the use of specific problem-solving strategy instruction to mitigate these fears and further general problem solving skills. This study reviews previous experiments evaluating the merit of this strategy and analyzes its results as it relates to Physics on Screen, a physics class at Ursinus geared specifically towards non-majors.

Developing A Hypothetical Learning Trajectory For Loops In Integrated Math-Cs Lessons (Poster 27), Anahita Ashineh, Jody E. Clarke-Midura, Deborah Silvis, Jessica F. Shumway, Joseph S. Kozlowski, Camille M. Lund

Spatial Activities and Robot Coding (SPARC)

https://aera25-aera.ipostersessions.com/Default.aspx?s=37-77-1B-1F-D5-4D-5A-16-54-EC-62-88-D3-40-E9-03

"We Had An Amazing Idea, But Then Someone Already Had It": Norming "Novelty" In Early Childhood Computer Science (Poster 31), Deborah Silvis, Ana Ashineh, Jody Clarke-Midura, Jessica Shumway

Spatial Activities and Robot Coding (SPARC)

https://aera25-aera.ipostersessions.com/Default.aspx?s=BF-36-33-8A-0D-DF-81-2C-B8-C6-4F-C6-21-5F-A2-FC

Addressing The Accounting Pipeline Leak: Academic And Socioeconomic Barriers To Entry, Retention, And Belonging, Karlene Deng

Honors Theses

Many undergraduate students express an early interest in accounting, yet the actual number who later go on to matriculate into the profession is significantly lower. Despite efforts by educational institutions and the accounting industry to attract students to the profession, accounting programs experience high attrition rates. Using a survey-based approach, this research provides insights into factors that influence students to (1) enter university as declared accounting majors, (2) switch into accounting during their time at university, or (3) leave the accounting program. Additionally, this study examines the role of academic and socioeconomic backgrounds in shaping these decisions. By pinpointing potential …

Tracking And Increasing Digital Literacy Skills In Secondary Education, Joseph Elsen

Masters Projects

Some students in secondary schools struggle to perform at proficient levels in their digital literacy skills. These skills are grouped into multiple categories and can be applied to a wide range of interdisciplinary subjects. Students should understand and be analytical about the technology they use, be able to create new content in a creative way, and can collaborate with a global audience in an ethical way (Pangrazio, et. al. 2020). Because of the wide range of disciplines and rapidly changing technology, the definition of being digitally literate has changed in the last twenty-five years. Students with lower digital literacy skills …

Promoting College And Career Ready Readers And Writers: A Guide For English, Science, And Social Studies Teachers To Support Instruction Of Sat Reading And Writing Skills, David Fitzpatrick

Masters Projects

In Michigan and across the United States, student scores on the Evidence Based Reading and Writing section of the SAT have been steadily declining. This project responds to this decline by developing a set of resources for skills-based literacy instruction that English language arts, social studies, and science teachers can use to revise their approaches to teaching literacy skills. Highly effective curriculum design and literacy instruction strategies were reviewed to design guides, templates, and models for practicing high school teachers at all grade levels to adapt in order to improve literacy instruction in their classrooms. By scaffolding literacy skills across …

The Impact Of Rubric-Based Feedback On Efl Writing Proficiency: Exploring Revision Skills, Learning Transfer, And Cognitive Overload, Ahmed Abdelraheem Elyan

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

This study explores how rubric-based feedback influences the writing development of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners, with a particular focus on their revision practices, learning transfer, and the challenges they face with cognitive overload. The research was carried out in a high school context in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), aiming to understand the real impact of structured feedback on students’ writing performance.
Twenty Arabic-speaking students participated in the study, completing four essay writing tasks over eight weeks. These included a pre-test, two feedback-supported drafts, and a post-test. Their essays were assessed using an analytic rubric designed to …