Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

Regulation Of A Shared Focus In Open-Ended Collaborative Inquiry, Simona Pesaresi

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Essential to a flourishing society in a changing environment, knowledge creation has become pervasive across social sectors. Creative work with knowledge and ideas requires dynamic forms of collaboration in which individuals adapt goals as new advances and problems emerge. To prepare students for creative knowledge work, new classroom designs using knowledge building pedagogy engage learners in a process of open-ended inquiry as a community. This type of inquiry involves students taking the responsibility for identifying and pursuing ever-evolving knowledge goals that lead to deeper conceptual understanding through a path not known in advance. However, a major challenge is to understand …

Reality Capture Course Content: Exposing The Next Generation Of Builders To Technology Moving The Industry Forward, Maxwell S. Eisner

Construction Management

This paper discusses the development and execution of lecture and laboratory educational content regarding reality capture technology and workflows. These educational modules were created to cover different use cases for reality capture technology that are currently being used in the construction industry. They also show how reality capture plays a role in the larger virtual design in construction (BIM) process. Importantly, these labs were designed to be completed with the LiDAR scanner on a typical iPhone, which has lowered the barrier to entry for reality capture education and use in industry. While the initial teaching of these courses was done …

Charter School Leaders’ Perceptions Of School Autonomy, Sharon L. Latten-Clark

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This study explored school leaders and how they perceive and use autonomy to operate a school. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to better understand the lived experiences of school leaders and how they perceive and use their autonomy while operating a charter school in New Orleans, Louisiana. There is relatively little documentation on the perceptions of how school leaders feel they use and balance their autonomy when operating a charter school. This study builds upon the current and past research which regards principal autonomy as a driver of the success of charter schools and school quality. …

Integrating Media Literacy Into General Education Core Courses For Undergraduates, Christen Embry

Dissertations

This study aimed to understand the essential nature of media literacy, evaluate pre-developed higher education classes for existing media literacy context, and recommend best practices for incorporating media literacy into an undergraduate curriculum. This mixed-methods study of media literacy in undergraduate college courses explored the presence and absence of media literacy lessons within core classes by auditing 15 online course shells accessed through the university’s Learning Management System (LMS). Specifically, all the courses surveyed included the first skill of media literacy, Access; 33% of the classes included Analyze; 27% included Creation; 20% included Reflection; and 20% included Action. Once the …

Using Online Education To Address The Challenges Of Small, Multigrade Schools, Lori Imasiku, Michael Gayle, Michelle Bacchiocchi, Melanie Kartik

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Teaching The Relationship Between Multiplication And Division Through Differentiated Instructional Strategies, Teagan Vaughan

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This capstone project reports the differentiated instructional strategies that were integrated throughout a math unit. The capstone will report the effectiveness of two instructional strategies that were integrated into a math unit that focused on students’ understanding of the relationship between multiplication and division. The math unit had 12 lessons taught over three weeks between the pre-and post-assessment. I will report how the strategies worked and the effect the strategies had on students learning. I collected and analyzed the pre/post-test data and found that nonlinguistic representations and multi-level questioning are effective instructional strategies for increasing student learning.

Keywords: instructional …

The Empirical Research On University Instructors’ Competencies In Virtual Reality Environment From The Perspective Of Students’ Learning Experience, Jing Ma, Yue Wang, Meng Jiang

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

The integration of virtual reality (VR) and education is a key way to realize the modernization of higher education. Instructors’ competencies directly affect students’ learning experiences and achievements. Based on the IBSTPI competency standards compiled by the International Board of Standards for Training, Performance, and Instruction (IBSTPI), this study developed an instructors’ competencies scale suitable for the VR environment from the perspective of students’ learning experience and conducted an empirical research on the current situation of instructors’ competencies in VR environment. The scale categorizes of instructors’ competencies included six dimensions: establishing and maintaining learning motivation competencies, expressing competencies, questioning competencies, …

Increasing Self-Determination Skill Through Behavioral Skills Training For Individuals With Extensive Support Needs To Examine Reversible Contraceptive Choices., Jennifer Pollard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is a long history of individuals with extensive support needs (ESN) being sterilized without their knowledge and consent. Students with ESN are defined as individuals who need continuous and widespread supports necessary for academic, communication, and/or daily living skills. These individuals typically have more than one diagnosis including a developmental disability (DD), intellectual disability (ID), and/or traumatic brain injury (Kurth et al., 2019; Taub et al., 2017). Part of the reason this is able to occur is due to a lack of education about sexual development and a lack of interventions to build skills related to self-determination or informed …

Tinkering Towards Theories: The Role Of Tinkering In Building Scientific Models, Shakayla Moran

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Tinkering and modeling have increasingly gained traction within science education. For this study, I adopt the construct of tinkering, which is usually applied to the development of tangible artifacts and consider how this activity might apply to the development of novel models and theoretical objects in science. Data was collected from student artifacts and coding of transcripts was performed to identify how students design models in science, with a focus on how students engage in tinkering when doing so. Using a multiple case study approach, I examined two cases of undergraduate pre-service science teachers’ development of models of light and …

Teacher Perspectives On Formative Assessment Within A Primary Classroom, Dawn M. Macdonald

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

Research has acknowledged the importance of the beliefs of educators and how their beliefs have implications impacting their classroom practices (Clark, 1987; Doyle 1997; Zhou & Urhahne, 2018; Graham & Pajares, 1997). Teachers’ beliefs have been a significant topic for researchers due to the contribution they provide for the development of teaching and learning (Gilakjani & Sabouri, 2017). Above all, with increasing attention on teacher quality and effectiveness internationally there has been little research looking at the influences between teachers’ classroom practices and their judgments on student learning (Devine, Fahie, & McGillicudy, 2013).

Further research may benefit teachers who are …

Family Writer's Workshop: A Case Study, Alisa Innes

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

Today’s students need to be prepared for a successful future in our competitive world. Families and educators need to work together to provide children with a comprehensive literacy foundation. Currently, there are many school-based and community-based family literacy programs that are being implemented. While these programs are successful, they are missing a crucial component: writing intervention. Writing is a skill that our students will need for higher education and future careers.

The problem for this study was that research is lacking in regards to ways to assist parents who are interested in working on writing with their child outside of …

Creating More Equitable Opportunities In Early Childhood By Highlighting Parent Voice: A Qualitative Case Study, Julie Dawn Sill

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative, single embedded case study, framed on Bioecological Systems Theory, Adult Learning Theory, and a Family-Systems Intervention Model investigates the reasons parents and caregivers of young children enroll in and complete parent education classes during the birth to three-year period, as well as the supports that may contribute to positive early parent-child communication or the barriers that may prevent these interactions from occurring (Bronfenbrenner, 2005; Dunst & Trivette, 2009; Knowles et al., 2020). Convenience sampling was used to recruit adult participants from a community organization in the Southeastern USA whose mission was to improve the school readiness of its …

A Nexus Of Literate Activity: The Design Of Writing Assignments In The Disciplines, Lauriellen Stankavich

English Theses & Dissertations

Writing plays a critical role in higher education as students are inducted into disciplinary practices through different genres, methodological repertoires and argumentation strategies. In Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) initiatives, the instructor serves as an embodied reservoir of disciplinary knowledge and an arbiter of literate practices but most crucially employs the mediating capacities of the writing assignment as a potent pedagogical nexus. In this practice space, the instructor acts as designer of the pedagogical experience—the course as a whole and writing assignments in particular. This study used interviews, survey, and the collection of syllabi and other instructional artifacts to examine …

Who Leads The Emergency Department Debrief?, Allison D. Lane, Ethan Bryce, Marcy R. Milbrandt, Lisa R. Stoneking

Journal of Wellness

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Online Learning On Academic Success Of College Students, Natalie Carbonel

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Online learning has become more prominent in higher education institutions due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic and has ultimately impacted the academic success of college students. The purpose of this capstone is to examine the impact of online learning on the academic success of college students. Through the use of literature review and a survey with 20 students at the community college and four-year colleges, the findings reveal that online learning has negatively impacted their attitude, motivation, self-efficacy and accessibility toward learning. This capstone concludes with suggestions on ways to improve their attitudes and acceptance of the adaptation of the …

Benefits Of Implementing Culturally Responsive Teaching In Latino Elementary Classrooms, Lisa Hernandez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The benefits of implementing culturally responsive teaching strategies into the elementary classroom empowers students intellectually, socially, emotionally, and politically by using cultural references to impart knowledge and skills. Culturally responsive educators see themselves as part of a community of learners and desire to learn collaboratively. This capstone investigates the relationship between culturally responsive teaching and its effect on predominantly Latino elementary school students’ learning. Teachers who use culturally responsive teaching strategies see culture as an asset which can be used to enhance academic and social achievement. This study not only defines, but also highlights effective teaching strategies that reflect a …

The Benefits Of Implementing Sports And Exercise Psychology On Latino Students, Veronica Gomez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The benefits of sports and exercise psychology have extensively been researched and documented for over twenty years. Yet, a large section that targets Latino students is missing due to the lack of resources that prevent them from receiving them. This acts as barriers that incapacitate the Latino students. The purpose of this capstone is to examine the benefits of implementing sports and exercise psychology for Latino students. In other words, this capstone examines the impact that sports and exercise psychology could have on Latino students. Through extensive research, literature review, student surveys and teacher interviews, the findings reveal that only …

Teaching Life Skills Communication To Students In Special Education, Sara Sang

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Effective communication for High School Students with disabilities are important for when they are in their teen years and post graduation. Communication helps these students gain better relationships and conversations for their future.

My Journey As An Elementary Science Teacher: From Linear To Authentic, Johanna Lynn Esparza

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to provide a personalized narrative of one science teacher’s use of reflexive teaching as an agent of change. This dissertation is about a journey of change in instruction fostered by a change of identity as a science teacher, using the butterfly cycle as a metaphor. This dissertation narrates the identity evolution of the teacher. This study has relevance because the process utilized by the teacher provides a method of self-examination and identity construction for other elementary science classroom teachers who want to improve their science practices. This study also has relevance because it describes …

Latinas In Stem Education: Paying It Forward, Evangelina Guillen

Theses and Dissertations

Hispanic female students are the minority population when it comes to taking higher level classes in the Science Technology Engineering and Math fields. According to Hinojosa, Rapaport, Jaciw, and Zacamy (2016), “STEM fields are defined here as majors in computer and information sciences, engineering and engineering technologies, biological and biomedical sciences, math and statistics, physical sciences, and science technologies” (p. 3). Traditionally, more boys enroll in STEM courses than girls. Hispanic and minority students, specifically Hispanic women, have been underrepresented in STEM education fields and careers. Why does STEM education matter for Hispanic female students? Because it gives Hispanic students …

The Impacts Of Using Geogebra On Students' Perceptions And Achievement In Learning Geometric Transformations, Veysel Karatas

Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to contribute to the literature by examining the impacts of using GeoGebra on students' perceptions and achievement in learning geometric transformations. This study contributes to mathematics education and learning environments supported by GeoGebra. This study reviewed the literature on social constructivist learning theory and students' achievement in geometric transformations and perceptions of using GeoGebra. Nonequivalent control groups and a correlational research design were used to answer the research questions.

The participants were selected in six geometry classes from 9th-grade and 10th-grade students (n = 131). The method of selecting participants from the population was a convenience sample. …

A Correlative Study Of K-12 Teacher Technology Acceptance In A Post Covid-19 World: Determinants Of Behavioral Intention, Maria Ing

Theses and Dissertations

The shift to emergency remote teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020 forced educators across the globe to heavily rely on technology for the continuity of teaching and learning. As educators return to face-to-face instruction with increased access and expectations to implement technology in their classrooms, it is important to evaluate factors that impact teachers’ acceptance of technology. The Unified Theory of Technology Acceptance (UTAUT) provides an instrument that can be utilized to measure factors that may determine teacher behavioral intention to integrate technology into their classrooms. In this quantitative survey research, K-12 teachers …

Exploring The Path To Becoming A Female, Hispanic Stem Educator: A Phenomenological Inquiry, Cristina Saldaña

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study sought to understand the lived experiences of the participants to identify factors that contributed to their decision of becoming a secondary STEM educator. Participants were identified through criterion sampling, which ensured that the participants were (1) female, (2) Hispanic, and (3) and teach mathematics, science, or engineering (subjects in the STEM field) at the secondary level (e.g. grades 9-12). Through a phenomenological approach, the participants participated in two interviews. The resulting narrative data was then coded and analyzed through an iterative process. The resulting codes were then analyzed to determine any emergent themes. Four themes and five …

Literate Change Agents Working In Oral Communities: Navigating Paradigm Shifts, Regina Marie Manley

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This research documents the experience of 12 local leaders implementing an oral curriculum over 13 months in Karnataka, India. These leaders were Change Agents interested in influencing a community with new information. They created audio materials referred to as “content” in their group’s mother tongue: In a Kannada-Telegu mix for the Madiga group (a Scheduled Caste); in Vaagri Booli for the Hakkipikki group (a Scheduled Tribe); and in Kannada for the Kannadiga group. The first two languages are unwritten. The Kannada language is the official language of Karnataka state. The oral curriculum followed the Spoken Worldwide® model. Each team of …

The Importance And Implementation Of Kinesthetic Learning In The English Classroom, Emma Crandall

Senior Honors Theses

This paper examines different educators’ and researchers’ activities for kinesthetic learners and discusses how they can be applied to the English classroom in literature, writing, and language. The first section delves into the difficulty associated with but ultimate importance of including kinesthetic learning activities for both kinesthetic and non-kinesthetic learners due to the benefits of active learning. Subsequently, it looks for synthesis between different types of kinesthetic activities, dividing them into the categories of manipulatives, commonly accepted classroom activities with kinesthetic add-ons, and kinesthetic-centered activities. The ways each activity can be used, including its benefits and disadvantages, are discussed, and …

Violin Performance Influences Of Fritz Kreisler, Walter Daniel White

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study explores elements contained or implied in the question of what can the modern performer of violin literature learn and apply from the life, creative output, and career of Fritz Kreisler, a successful performer and composer of a past era. It is now the twenty-first century, and Fritz Kreisler, who lived from the final quarter of the nineteenth century beyond the first half of the twentieth century continues as a name widely recognized and associated with excellence in violin performance. His name is legendary among violinists, and he left a lasting legacy in the compositions that he created for …

K-5 Elementary Alternative Program: A Case Study, William E. Scheuer Iv

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this case study was to examine how the K-5 elementary alternative program All Students Can Thrive (ASCT) used student-centered learning practices to influence the whole child. There is a lack of research on K-5 elementary alternative programs, such as ASCT, and specifically those that integrate student-centered learning practices to influence the whole child. Literature does not contain universally accepted interventions that are effective in the elementary alternative setting to help students return to the mainstream classroom setting better prepared to display appropriate behaviors when a student is removed from a mainstream classroom setting due to disruptive behaviors. …

Latinx Parents’ Experiences Accessing Their Children’S Instruction And Resources Amidst The Covid-19 Pandemic, Elisa Coy Clark

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this case study is to build awareness of the Latinx school parents’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. This case study also explores how one’s cultural intuition can help advocate for the Latinx parents and their school children during a novel time. To find this information, I interviewed 7 parents and found the emerging themes that helped answer these two questions. In this case study I found that school families encountered a language barrier, struggled with computer literacy, were expected to help provide instruction, and that some parents were able to support their children after receiving teacher support. …

A Case Study Of Practitioner Perceptions On The Online Transition Of Student Support Services At A Mississippi Community College, Christopher M. Bagwell

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

The study explored how practitioners perceived the transition to online student support services at a Mississippi community college during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study utilized the qualitative research approach of a single case study to gather data. Data was collected through open-ended surveys designed to acquire and interpret perceptions on an array of research questions. Forty-one administrators and staff participated in the study. The researcher employed hierarchical coding to narrow the data into themes. Subsequent rounds of coding and peer review were conducted to develop two principal themes of technology and institutional/personal preparedness. Kotter’s Change Model was utilized to evaluate …

The Impacts Of Supporting Productive Struggle Teaching Practice On Students’ Conceptual Understanding, Procedural Fluency, And Strategic Competence: The Case Of Quadratic Functions, Sumeyra Karatas

Theses and Dissertations

This quasi-experimental design study aimed to examine how exposure to supporting productive struggle teaching practice impacts students’ conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and strategic competence when solving high-demanding quadratic functions problem solving tasks. Results suggested that students in the supporting productive struggle teaching practice group performed significantly better than students who received facilitated instruction in every three strands of mathematical proficiency (i.e., conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and strategic competence). By examining the effectiveness of supporting productive struggle teaching practice, this study offers insight into the conceptions and strategies teachers can implement in their classrooms to improve students’ mathematical proficiency.