Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

Examining Diversity And The Role And Influence Of Post-Secondary Faculty At A Predominantly White Institution In Tennessee: A Critical Race Case Analysis, Lanell Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative, critical race analysis study is to explore how White faculty conceptualize and apply critical race theory (CRT) and culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) to curricula within a college of education and how the perceptions of their students’ identities influence specific pedagogical decisions. The researcher sought to extend the research on CRT in education by analyzing specific, detailed cases and incorporating purposeful sampling by selecting participants who match specific study criteria, i.e. graduate-level White faculty located in Tennessee who teach in programs of education.

This study was limited to six faculty in a college of education (in …

Virginia High Schools: Academic And Social Climate Performance Measures And Black Public Secondary School Administrators, Tim Duncan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Data have consistently revealed a major problem with disproportionality in several academic and social climate measures for African American students compared to their White counterparts. Black students tend to have lower end-of-course (EOC) testing scores in mathematics and reading, a greater tendency to be suspended from school, lower average on-time graduation rates, and higher rates of absenteeism. The current investigative study examined the role of same race administrators and performance indicators among African American students.

The findings demonstrated that significant differences between Black and White students existed in end-of-course testing in reading and math. The research also indicated significant relationships …

“Finding A Balance”: User, Reader, And Learner Functions In First-Year Composition Textbook Engagement, Travis Vincent Holt

English Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative, multiple participant case study investigates the phenomenon of student textbook engagement in a First-Year Composition course at a private, evangelical four-year university. Shifting away from a dominant history where textbooks served as the primary object of study (Besser et al., 1999; Carr, Carr, & Schultz, 2005; Colby, 2013; Connors, 1987; Edwards, 1984; Faigley, 1992; Gale & Gale, 1999; Hawhee, 1999; Issitt, 2004; Miles, 2000; Ohmann, 1979; Rendleman, 2009, 2011; Welch, 1987), I answered calls (Colby, 2013; Harris, 2012; Rendleman, 2009, 2011) to examine engagement with textbooks in context. Additionally, scholars have dominated discussions of textbooks; thus, the student …

Interdisciplinary Studies Masters Degree In Anthropological & Science Based Education, Robert Porter

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The goal of this project is to develop anthropological and science-based curricula that will emphasize a place-based approach while actively engaging students in their education. I developed two curricula for elementary aged students in San Bernardino. The first curriculum was based anthropologically on the local history of indigenous groups and early San Bernardino history. The second was based on paleontology here in California with a focus on dinosaurs and fossils.

To improve and validate the curricula I sent the examples to educational experts and had them critique the lessons and information provided. Then I used their input to improve the …

Analyzing The Effectiveness Of Different Media To Enhance Mathematical Discourse, Kyle Och

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This qualitative and quantitative study compared the effect of paper-pencil work in a mathematical discourse with problems and prompts presented virtually through various technological tools. The participants of this study were ninth and tenth grade students in two separate blocks of geometry class. These classes consisted of predominantly White students split into class sizes of 26 and 21. Since students were separated into two different geometry classes, one class was given paper problems and discussion prompts while the other received problems and prompts through Desmos Classroom Activities. This way, a quantitative analysis of three data points could be compared between …

Status Of Abortion Curriculum In Genetic Counseling: Survey Of Graduate Programs And Recent Graduates In The United States, Gina Sanchez

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Genetic counselors are trained to help individuals navigate the medical and psychological implications of genetic test results, familial conditions, and ultrasound anomalies. Therefore, familiarity of reproductive options, including abortion, is vital. Previous studies have found gaps in genetic counselors’ knowledge regarding abortion care. Currently, there are currently no recommendations regarding abortion curriculum or education. Thus, this study aimed to assess the state of abortion curriculum in genetic counseling programs in the United States (U.S.) and to examine and compare the satisfaction levels of program representatives and recent graduates. Program representatives and recent graduates were invited to complete an anonymous survey …

An Exploratory Multiple-Case Study Of Nepal’S Science Teacher Educators’ Knowledge And Practices Of Active Learning And Culturally Responsive Teaching, Sunil Pokhrel

All Dissertations

The benefits of implementing active learning (AL) embedded with culturally responsive teaching (CRT) practices are well established: students’ deep learning of science is promoted and the achievement gaps between students of majority and minority backgrounds are reduced. Unfortunately, the acceptance for AL and CRT in Nepal’s science teacher programs is low and implementation is superficial. Using a qualitative multiple-case study, the study examined the understanding of seven Nepali science teacher educators (STE) of AL and CRT practices. The challenges faced by the STEs to implementing these two pedagogies at three of Nepal’s science education-focused Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) programs were …

Urban Literacy: Learning To Read The City Around You, Leanne Claire Serbulo

PDXOpen: Open Educational Resources

This book introduces students to the basic concepts of urban studies. It is an interdisciplinary text that was developed for lower-division undergraduate students. The book is organized into thematic chapters that explore different aspects of urban life, such as the environment, housing, and culture. Each chapter introduces a new way of conceptualizing the city, presents core theories and concepts, and provides examples and case studies from cities around the globe to illustrate the ideas presented in the text. At the end of each chapter, there are review questions and a series of interactive field activities where students can apply the …

The Effect Of Constant Time Delay And Sentence Frames On Correct Word Selection For Sentences Constructed Using Technology-Aided Instruction During A Story-Based Lesson, Thai Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of an intervention package that included constant time delay (CTD) and sentence frames on correct word selection for sentences constructed using technology-aided instruction (TAI) during and following a story-based lesson (SBL) for participants ages 6-8 who have intellectual disability, developmental delays, and autism (IDD). A multiple probe across participants design was used to evaluate the efficacy of the intervention. Probes were conducted during baseline, intervention, generalization, and maintenance phases to determine the effectiveness of the intervention on correct word selection for sentence construction. Results indicate a functional relation between the …

Pedagogy After A Pandemic: Predicting Continued Elementary Teacher Usage Of Educational Technology After The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jessica Freeland

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

Elementary teachers around the world were recently faced with transitioning to hybrid or virtual teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a situation that teachers had never been in before and one in which they had not been trained. Due to the availability of educational technology, teachers were able to adopt new programs, often having to seek out training on their own, in order to successfully deliver instruction. This study aims to determine how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected teacher use of educational technology, what factors predict the continued use and frequency of use of educational technology once the …

Design Of A Freight Transportation Outreach Curriculum, Breanna Stoesz

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

This project is centered around finding a solution to the shortage of truck drivers within the freight industry. Specifically, this project aims to lessen this shortage by ensuring potential future drivers are aware of the benefits of the industry and are encouraged to consider this career path for themselves. By producing an engaging and educational freight transportation curriculum for middle and high school students to go through in outreach programs, these students would have an increased likelihood of joining the trucking profession and encourage others to become informed about the profession as well. In addition to the direct driving role, …

Teachers’ Perspectives Implementing Inquiry-Based Learning In The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program, Constance Marie Bahn

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program (IBPYP) curriculum for students ages 3–12 is implemented using inquiry-based learning. There is a lack of understanding about primary international teachers’ perspectives about their implementation of inquiry-based learning in this setting. The purpose and research question of this basic qualitative study addressed the identified lack of understanding about international IBPYP teachers’ perspectives in an urban setting in the International Baccalaureate Africa, Europe, and Middle East region about their implementation of inquiry-based learning. The Reggio Emilia approach served as the conceptual framework of this study. Data were gathered from 11 participants through semistructured interview questions, …

Writing For Research In Brazilian Schools: The Landless Workers Movement's Education Of The Countryside, Ana Maria Doll Ghelere Portas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This thesis, “Writing for Research in Brazilian Schools: The Landless Workers Movement’s Education of the Countryside,” examines pedagogical practices of rural areas in Brazil. More specifically, I analyze writing practices of high school students in public schools co-governed by the state and the Landless Workers’ Movement (MST), a grassroots social movement that has fought for agrarian reform in Brazil for over 40 years. I analyze research papers developed in the social movement's research program: autobiographies written by students in their first year of high school and research papers written in the two final years. My analysis looks for connections between …

Teaching For Career Success: An Agricultural Industry Perspective Of Preparedness Needs For Diverse Workforce Development, Madelaine Giebler

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research examined agricultural graduate preparedness needs through the lens of agricultural industry professionals. In the rapidly changing industry environment, continual review of agricultural curriculum needs provides relevant curriculum recommendations for academic programs. This study came at a time when agricultural curriculum was in need of review. Methodology for this study involved a qualitative mixed methods approach employing survey and interview responses. A total of 121 industry professionals, identified through the University of Arkansas Bumpers College Career Development Center, were contacted with the survey link. A total of eighteen individuals completed the surveys, and of those eighteen survey respondents, eight …

Students' Perceptions Of Foreign Professors At A Historically Black College And University (Hbcu), Caleb D.E Butiko

Dissertations (2016-Present)

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of gender, teaching styles, student cultural awareness, professor’s accent, and ethnicity on students’ perceptions of foreign professors at a Historically Black College and University. Multiple regression was used for the analysis of this study. The predictor variables were analyzed through a pilot study to ensure that they were related to the dependent or criterion variable, as required of multiple regression models. Two hundred students participated in this study, during the Fall semester of 2021. All the subjects completed a questionnaire on students’ perceptions of foreign professors. The results revealed that …

Factors Related To Teachers, Students, And Schools And Reading Achievement Of Middle School Students, India Danielle Elliott

Dissertations (2016-Present)

Low reading achievement is an issue that plagues school systems across the United States. It is well established that students, teachers, and school styles have an impact on students’ reading ability and performance. This study aims to determine whether student and teacher demographics along with school-related factors significantly predict reading achievement in middle school. Specifically, this study investigates student gender, student ethnicity, teacher gender, teacher ethnicity, school curriculum, and school schedule as it relates to middle school scores on the reading component of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) test. To test whether or not three hypotheses …

Hbcu Athletic Administrators' Perception Toward Creating A Graduate Level Curriculum For Directors Of Athletics, Kevin Granger

Dissertations (2016-Present)

The purpose of this study was to investigate historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) athletic administrators (i.e., Directors of Athletics, Senior Women Administrators, Commissioners) perceptions of curriculum development and design of a graduate (doctoral) level curriculum for athletic programs. Few studies were reported in the literature of researchers investigating variables affecting the operation, effectiveness and curriculum development of athletics at HBCUs. Athletics curriculum continues to be debated amongst this discipline’s educators. Athletic directors (ADs) in institutions of higher education are the chief administrators of their respective athletic departments. Davis (2002) explains that ADs are consequently praised for the success or …

Effects Of A Mindfulness-Based Intervention On Students' Academic Engagement, Frequency Of Disruptive Behavior, And Overall Mood States., Leah Riggs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research into the prevalence of childhood trauma indicates that adverse experiences continue to negatively impact children and youth across the country. Current research is expanding the concept of trauma to include many children’s’ ongoing fear and worry surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and experiencing the death of grandparents or other family and community members due to the virus. Symptoms of trauma may manifest in the classroom as behaviors that are attention seeking, defiant, destructive, hyperactive, disruptive, or all of the above. One emerging practice for meeting the needs of children who have experienced trauma is blending classroom behavior management and academic …

Science Teachers' Perceptions Of Culturally Responsive Teaching In Majority Native American Schools In Oklahoma, Michelle Childress

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Native American students have consistently scored less than their white peers on high school academic achievement tests, have the lowest high school graduation rates, and have the lowest college enrollment rates. Research has evidenced challenges and struggles Native American children are faced with that negatively effects their success in the classroom. Native American students often encounter a disconnect between their home and school life resulting in difficulties of navigating two opposing worlds. When Native American students are associated with negative stereotype’s indicative of Native American culture as opposed to the dominant culture, this creates a conflict between their cultural identity …

Increasing Social Awareness Skills In Kindergarten Students, Chloe Dennis

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Social awareness is a key component of social-emotional learning and is often underrepresented in kindergarten curriculum. Students who struggle with social awareness are at a greater risk for antisocial behaviors, low academic performance, diminished self-efficacy, low motivation, and low adaptability. Jean Piagets’ cognitive-developmental theory places kindergarten-age students in the preoperational stage of development. At this stage, children are egocentric, exhibit centrated thought, and struggle to use perspective and empathic skills. Kindness, problem-solving, and maintaining positive relationships are all rooted in social awareness and require students to move away from egocentric thinking. I designed a three-part lesson on acts of kindness …

Nature-Based Education For Elementary Students With Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder, Kayleigh Morrison

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

There are several advantages to including a nature-based curriculum and outdoor learning into state standards, and the consequences of students who do not have access to outside learning and activities can be severe. The term “Attention Restoration Theory” (ART) was coined by psychology professors Rachel and Stephen Kaplan in 1989 and claims that exposure to nature can improve mental fatigue and concentration. This senior capstone examines Kaplan’s Attention Restoration Theory and academic studies rooted in its philosophy as it applies to nature-based curriculum and outdoor learning. There are certain advantages for students who are exposed to a nature-based curriculum and …

Increasing Access To Intervention Services At Rancho San Juan High School, Bernardo J. Lopez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The United States is experiencing an increasing number of youth suffering from high levels of stress. This capstone project was implemented at Rancho San Juan High School (RSJHS). This newly built public high school is located in the far northside of Salinas, CA. The purpose of the capstone project was to support RSJHS’ Wellness Center to provide students with counseling services that can help them academically, emotionally, and socio-economically by addressing barriers of inefficiencies in access to services. Specifically, the project consisted of the development of a standardized intake process for the intervention specialist. A standardized intake form was created …

Impact Of Positive Classroom Environment On Elementary School Students’ Learning, Marisa Contrada

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

When students are asked if they like school or not, their answer is typically negative for the reason that they don’t feel comfortable in the classroom. Classroom environment is where their mindset could be changed. Classroom environment has not been a prominent topic of discussion. This senior capstone research report was designed to shed light on the importance of classroom environment. Through the use of literature review, classroom observations, teacher interviews, and anonymous student survey, positive classroom environment has a tremendous impact on students learning. This senior capstone examines the importance of classroom environment as well as strategies in creating …

The Impact Of One Can Impact The Majority: Benefits Of Social And Emotional Learning, Melissa Perez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

For my 2022 senior Capstone Project, I chose to focus on looking at the benefits of implementing and teaching Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) skills to today’s students, their families and educators. Social and Emotional Learning involves teaching students: self awareness, self management, responsible decision making, social awareness and relationship skills. With these skill sets, communities that are composed of students, families and educators, can create beneficial impacts amongst each other as a butterfly effect. One teacher was interviewed on how they incorporate social and emotional learning into their classroom and what they think could be done to improve it. …

A Multiple Case Study: Exploration Of The Writing Instruction Practices Of Veteran High School English Teachers, Victoria Lindemann

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The gift of literacy can be the greatest equalizer in a society or used as a weapon to marginalize. As writing instructors, it should be our job to help our students find their voice – to give voice to the voiceless (Friere, 1970). More research must uncover the influences beyond the classroom and how those influences inform veteran teachers’ decisions about their writing practices and instructional designs, specifically on how teachers engage students in writing. It is the writing of our thoughts and ideas that shares a piece of ourselves with the world around us.This study explored how experienced English …

Math Identity Experience Of College Students In Developmental Courses: The Effects Of Chronological Multicultural Mathematics, Jonah Shulman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The present grant funded study by the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects investigated the effects of a chronological multicultural mathematics (CMM) framework on math identity and math achievement of student participants enrolled in two virtual post-secondary developmental math courses (N=9). The students were selected due to an inability to pass previous developmental courses or the placement exam to earn entrance into credit bearing math courses. An exploratory mixed methods case study utilized interviews, reflections, surveys, classwork, and grades to arrive at conclusions. Student participants were exposed to supplemental additions to the curriculum that provided elements of past (founders and …

The Impact Of Webquest On Improving Grade Nine Students English Writing Skills In Public Schools In Qatar, Abdelkarim Ibrahim Chaabane Mr., Abdelkarim Ibrahim Chaabane Mr.

Multidisciplinary Studies Theses

Despite the tremendous efforts that have been exerted in Qatar to improve the teaching of EFL writing, EFL teachers still fail to deliver adequately and the learners’ writing proficiency remains below expectations. This study is an attempt to investigate the impact of WebQuest on improving grade nine EFL students’ writing skills to inform teachers and policy makers for future intervention and improvement. The data is from fifteen male students who study at a preparatory school in Qatar. They were selected based on opportunistic convenience sampling strategy (Duff 2008). The participants took a pre-test and a posttest about writing a descriptive …

The Iwar Range + 21 Years: Cyber Defense Education In 2022, Joseph H. Schafer, Chris Morrell, Ray Blaine

Military Cyber Affairs

Twenty-one years ago, The IWAR Range paper published by CCSC described nascent information assurance (now cybersecurity[1]) education programs and the inspiration and details for constructing cyber ranges and facilitating cyber exercises. This paper updates the previously published work by highlighting the dramatic evolution of the cyber curricula, exercise networks and ranges, influences, and environments over the past twenty years.

[1] In 2014, DoD adopted “cybersecurity” instead of “information assurance.” [34:1]

Authorial Agency: Investigating Composition Pedagogies Under A New Lens, Tyler Hurst

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This essay considers the work of three prominent composition scholars through the lens of authorial agency, which I define as a form of agency that focuses on the individual voice and self-determination of students in the writing space. Though the concept of agency has been previously considered by composition scholars, this contribution might aid in understanding various pedagogical approaches by analyzing how authorial agency is already being engaged within composition pedagogies and investigating how authorial agency aids teachers in understanding their pedagogy so that students learn to take back control of their own authoritative voice and self-determination. By re-investigating …

Experiences Of Asian American Women In Distance Education Doctoral Programs: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Cathy Vu

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

It is well documented that doctoral attrition is a concern, and research into subgroups of doctoral student populations is needed. Researchers have begun to examine the experiences of women in distance education doctoral programs, but the experiences of women from Asian backgrounds have not been the direct focus on any research to date. This transcendental phenomenological study described the persistence experiences of Asian American women pursuing distance education doctoral studies. Tinto’s (1975) theory of student integration served as a foundation for understanding how an individual’s academic and social integration affects persistence. In addition to Tinto’s theory of student integration, Berry’s …