Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons^™

Front Matter

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Muslim Fashion Influencers Shaping Modesty In The Twenty-First Century On Social Media, Awa Sanno

Student Theses and Dissertations

The depiction of Muslim women in Western media has been a long-running joke, as they are framed to be oppressed by the burdens of their religion and the hijab. However, Muslim women have used the power of social media to counter that narrative through their large followings as fashion influencers, digital creators, food bloggers, makeup artists, lifestyle bloggers, musicians, and so much more. Specifically, Muslim fashion influencers are changing and redefining the notion of modesty throughout their posted content on social media. Many people in Muslim communities see this redefinition of modesty as a conflict with the "proper" ways of …

Book Review Letting Go Of Literary Whiteness: Antiracist Literature Instruction For White Students, Jeremy Hyler

Michigan Reading Journal

Race, racism, and literary whiteness are at the forefront of many conversations in education today. In Letting Go of Literary Whiteness: Antiracist Literature Instruction for White Students, authors Carlin Borsheim-Black and Sophia Tatiana Sarigianides highlight what should be addressed in our classroom today to address race and racism.

Psychobiological, Clinical, And Sociocultural Factors That Influence Black Women Seeking Treatment For Infertility: A Mixed-Methods Study, Morine Cebert-Gaitors, Peggy Shannon-Baker, Susan G. Silva, Samad Jahandideh, Rosa Gonzalez-Guarda, Eleanor L. Stevenson

Curriculum, Foundations & Reading: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Qualitative Study On Nurse Facilitators Of Mind-Body Skills Groups, Paula D. Blake-Beckford

Mindfulness Studies Theses

The Center for Mind-Body Medicine (CMBM), founded by Dr. James Gordon, provides communities with evidence-based Mind-Body Skills Groups (MBSGs) that foster self-care, self-awareness, and self-expression. MBSGs range from 8 to 12-week series on various mind-body practices wherein group members meet, practice, and reflect on the impact of mind-body skills in their lives. Research has demonstrated that participants in MBSGs have positive outcomes. Healthcare professionals (HCPs), especially nurses, gain resiliency from MBSGs. As facilitators of MBSGs, nurses develop essential skills transferable to clinical and educational settings. MBSGs are therapeutic for adult participants with chronic stress. Prior to this thesis, only one …

Table Of Contents

Early College Folio

Table of Contents, Early College Folio, Volume 1, Issue 2 (May 2022).

Contributors

Early College Folio

Contributors, Early College Folio, Volume 1, Issue 2 (May 2022)

Review: Last Call On Decatur Street By Iris Martin Cohen, Nemesio Gil

Early College Folio

Book Review: Iris Martin Cohen’s Last Call on Decatur Street (Park Row, 2020), a novel set in pre-Katrina New Orleans. Cohen, who grew up in the French Quarter, is a Simon’s Rock alumna.

“Digital By Necessity”: An Interview With Dr. Jane Wanninger, Julia Carey Arendell, Jane Wanninger

Early College Folio

In the summer of 2020, Dr. Jane Wanninger participated in a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Summer Institute hosted by Agnes Scott College to learn about implementing digital storytelling in the classroom, which ironically, had to be completed digitally due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Her experience was the inspiration for this issue of Early College Folio as she pitched her ideas using the phrase “digital by necessity.” Issue Editor Julia Carey Arendell interviewed Jane, captured here, on all that she learned to think more deeply about using the virtual tool of digital storytelling as a teacher, a student, and …

Impacts On Elementary School Students Related To Covid-19 And The Role Of Social-Emotional Learning In Children’S Mental Health, Amanda Davis

Education | Master's Theses

Research has shown that schools provide an ideal universal location for preventing behavioral issues and supporting students’ mental health (Ball et al., 2016; Daunic, et al., 2021; Maras et al., 2015). A large body of research has also connected students’ social-emotional skills and their attainment of academic success (Cook et al., 2018; Durlak et al., 2011). With this research and the gaining popularity of SEL, more SEL programs are being created, implemented, and evaluated. The purpose of this study was to understand some of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on young students' mental health and how teachers have responded …

Career, Academics, Exploration, Shadowing, Application, And Reality Store: Caesars, Brooke Hunstad

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Society’s expectation is that once a student graduates from high school, they will do one of two things; enter the workforce or continue their education. The flaw within this expectation is that rarely do high school students experience what their futures may look like depending on their career path. The focus of this curriculum is to provide knowledge and experiences that can help students reach society’s expectation. The population of focus is middle to high school students, preferably juniors and seniors. Research was collected and a literature review was prepared to support the demand of the curriculum in education and …

Witnessing Engaged Voices: A Feminist Pedagogy Of Inclusion, Alana M. Nicastro, Patricia Geist-Martin

Feminist Pedagogy

When student perspectives, needs, and wants are left out of academic discourse, the discursive structures necessary to encourage, organize, and evaluate their voice are absent. Students then become ambivalent instead of exercising their voice and decisively assessing the value of their contributions. This original teaching activity targets the problematics that constrain voices in the classroom and invites readers and listeners to consider their positionality and action as a commitment to a Feminist Pedagogy of Inclusion (FPoI). In this way, students and professors can deliberately hold a space where the act of witnessing is more than simply observing voice. The intended …

Mindfulness Is When “You Don’T Think At All, You Just Do Whatever You Want Without Thinking Of The Consequences”: Reframing Mindfulness In A Third-Grade Classroom, Emily Colwell

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

This study explored the influences that five minutes of daily mindfulness activities had on third-grade students in a math and science classroom, as well as both student and teacher perceptions of the mindfulness activities. The researcher implemented five minutes of a mindfulness activity daily during a three-week period. Data collection methods included pre-and-post surveys, observations with field notes, student artifacts, and student and teacher interviews. Qualitative data was analyzed using the constant comparative method to look for recurring themes and numerical data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Four major themes emerged including better understanding of what mindfulness is, the role …

Oer In University Language Courses, Jenny Ceciliano

World Languages and Literatures Faculty Publications and Presentations

Open Educational Resources (OER) offer incredible advantages in language teaching and learning. Implementing an OER curriculum can result in benefits that go far beyond controlling costs for students, which is itself a significant step toward improving equity. Drawing on your own experience and expertise as language educators, as well as the contributions of collaborators around the world, it is possible to build a curriculum customized for your unique student group. With thoughtful design, your program can help students achieve desired learning outcomes not just in language acquisition, but also in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). In this talk, I will …

Strength, Beauty, And Resilience: The Impact Of Self Reflection & Exploration Of Memory On Postmodern Feminist Educators, Inside And Outside The Classroom, Maryjo M. Rosania-Harvie

Education Doctorate Dissertations

This study utilizes an autoethnographic methodology, informed by narrative inquiry, to explore the impact of memories on feminist educators. The participants in the study included two of the researcher’s former colleagues and one former student. The study's goal was to examine how the relationships between researcher and participant and the memories they shared impacted them as educators; in the process, the concept of authenticity in educators was examined in relation to the research and the participants’ feminist and postmodern approach. The researcher collected qualitative data through interviews, personal journals, timelining, and an epistolary writing exercise to define authenticity and explore …

Use Of Encouragement In The Classroom To Help Students Succeed [2022], Erin Fieldhouse

Master's Theses

This case study is based on a one student study that used a mixed methods approach seeing the effects of encouragement in the classroom and how it might help a student socially and emotionally. Data was collected throughout a 12-week period based around the findings of field notes and a survey that was implemented into the classroom. Preliminary findings are inconclusive based on students having more difficulties that affect them in different ways. This paper will provided [sic] information about how to use encouragement in the classroom.

Teachers are always trying to find new methods to help their students. …

Encouraging Adolescents To Be Self-Directed Learners: Influences Of Classroom Motivation On Student Outcomes, Katherine Stearley

Senior Honors Projects

Teaching American adolescents in public schools presents a unique challenge: how to foster an instructional environment that simultaneously encourages intrinsic desires for lifelong learning, allows for the development of self-determination and autonomy, and teaches students appropriate academic skills. It was hypothesized that relying mainly on extrinsic motivations would be associated with more problematic outcomes for students while relying mainly on intrinsic motivations would be associated with more desirable outcomes. Additionally, it was hypothesized that schools organized around different educational philosophies would favor the use of different motivational strategies. A literature review was conducted that included a review of theories of …

A Sociocultural Analysis Of Book-Length Works Mentioned In The English Journal, 2010-2020, Elizabeth Price

Curriculum and Instruction Undergraduate Honors Theses

Between 2010 and 2020, the book-length works mentioned in the English Journal were recorded in order to assess societal and professional trends reflected in the uptake of these books in pedagogical articles. The data shows a continued heavy presence of canonical literature, particularly Shakespearean plays, as well as an increase in diverse perspectives, a higher respect for new genres such as Young Adult Literature and the Graphic Novel in the classroom, and a pushback on two popular novels, To Kill a Mockingbird and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Identifying The Racial Implicit Biases Of Pre-Service Teachers And Analyzing Their Impact On Students, Lauren Lagan

Curriculum and Instruction Undergraduate Honors Theses

Implicit biases reflect the unconscious beliefs and viewpoints held against populations of people that influence our interactions with others. The adverse impact of educators’ implicit biases on students influences disciplinary actions, setting expectations, and perpetuates the opportunity gap. Due to the implicitness of these biases, people are often unaware they exist, but the impact is apparent in disproportionate disciplinary and graduation rates of diverse populations of students. Pre-service teachers are entering the profession with limited understanding of how implicit biases form, how they are present in schools, and the negative effects of implicit biases on the lives of students. The …

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 …

Examining The Experiences That Motivate High School Students To Read For Leisure, Umair Farooq

International Graduate Program for Educators Master's Projects

In my role as a high school principal, I feel that reading is an essential tool for gaining a better grasp of the world around us and enhancing one's academic skills. As is the case with many others in my area, and before starting this research, I was worried about the decline in motivation to read for leisure that generally begins in the high school years (Brozo et al., 2014). Students' enjoyment of reading can be stifled by schools' use of forced reading practices, the selection of texts that do not match their identity, and a lack of knowledge of …

Representation Of Women & Bbia Composers In The Teaching Music Through Performance In Band Series, Alicia M. Turnquist

Honors Thesis

One problem seen in music education curriculum today is the underrepresentation of Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian (BBIA), and female composers in the band ensemble repertoire. Throughout history, these composers have been excluded in the curriculum causing an overrepresentation of white non-Hispanic male composers. Some music education organizations are beginning to address this issue but, few, if any, have addressed the problem in the band classroom setting. This project examined the repertoires selected in the first ten volumes of the Teaching Music through Performance in Band series to examine how representative the composers included in the series were to the K-12 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Developing And Evaluating A Psychoeducation Booklet About The Mental Health Effects Of Discrimination, Margarita Manzano, Ellalandra Arakelow, Aldona Chorzepa, Leigha Clarke, Skylor Loiseau, Dawson Hughes, Theodore Macgowan, Elizabeth Brondolo

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

Discrimination has been consistently linked to depression. Despite evidence suggesting that individuals targeted for discrimination want to discuss discrimination-related stress, research suggests that therapists are not engaging in these conversations. There are limited psychoeducational materials available to support conversations about race-related stress and mental health, and there are limited data on their effects. This paper describes the development and initial evaluation of a new psychoeducational booklet which provides information about discrimination and depression. The information provided is based on social cognitive models of the relations of discrimination to depression. We provide a description of the development of the psychoeducational materials, …

Providing Immunizations In The Early Stages Of The Covid-19 Pandemic; A Community Pharmacist And Student Pharmacist's View, Nicole Yioupis, Sophia Villa, Noelle J. Ryan-Bloom, Carmela Avena-Woods

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

This article describes the experience of a community pharmacist and two student pharmacists early in 2020. It shares their unique experiences in providing novel vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic while completing their Community Pharmacy Advance Pharmacy Practice Experientials (APPEs) at St. John’s University, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Having the ability to participate in vaccination clinics, serving various communities, during an unprecedented time had a positive impact not only the community they served, but the experience also helped to cultivate them as future pharmacists.

Discrimination, Acculturative Stress, And Academic Achievement In Emerging Adults, Rebecca Steele, Amanda Rosado, Nancy Hernandez, Elizabeth Brondolo

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

Researchers report an association of racial discrimination to academic achievement for racial/ethnic minority students. Racial discrimination is manifest on multiple levels, including interpersonal discrimination, discrimination in schools, and societal and cultural discrimination. Researchers have generally focused their efforts on examining the effects of one type of discrimination on academic achievement. Further, mediators of this relation have not been fully explored. In a sample of 78 college students, we found only interpersonal racial/ethnic discrimination, and not school-based or societal discrimination was negatively associated with GPA. However, the effects did not hold once controlling for demographic factors. We examined two potential mediators …