Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons^™

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Journal of Vincentian Social Action

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To Build A Better Textbook: Developing A Literature Curriculum For Today’S Christian Schooling, Abby L. Cockrell

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis explores the educational philosophy and the creative process behind the creation of a new textbook and curriculum. The goal of this new textbook and curriculum is to help persuade high school students to view literature as an avenue of life-long learning. The plan to develop this textbook and curriculum is built on five objectives: a recognition of the need for holistic education, the implementation of differentiated teaching methods, the cultivation of student interest, the reflection of diversity within classrooms, and the integration of modern technology. This plan will be proposed in the creation of a textbook for use …

Beyond Behavior, Craig C. Laupheimer

Scholarship and Engagement in Education

Teaching to engage students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can inspire the whole classroom and make teaching and learning engaging and exciting. Although teachers and students alike face a challenging educational landscape, much can be done to empower students with special needs. Teaching with the whole classroom in mind with an emphasis on hands on, explorative and inspirational learning experiences to accommodate for these students strengthens and causes student engagement and agency. This article highlights the challenges and potential breakthroughs possible for classroom instruction specifically where the ADHD student is concerned and looks towards teaching mindfulness and empowerment as …

The Achievement Gap And Students Living In Poverty: The Role Of Core Self-Evaluation And Transformational Leadership In Teachers, India Harris

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Research has shown that the combination of locus of control, self-efficacy, self-confidence, and emotional stability is a good predictor of life success. Until now, this second order factor, called core self-evaluations (CSE) has only been studied in adults. Findings from this study, showed levels of CSE were significantly and positively connected with academic achievement for middle and elementary aged students. CSE appears to play to a similar role between students and academic achievement as it plays with adults and job performance. In this study, the dimensions of transformational leadership were applied to teacher behaviors and students were grouped based on …

Case Study: Provider For Program To Prevent The Revictimization Of Persons Trafficked For Sex, Janis G. Arlow

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

This case study seeks to identify behavior, skills, and attitudes of a professional providing an effective reintegration program for persons trafficked for sex. New demands on medical and social services were created over the past two decades by legislative changes. Initial research focuses on rescue and unmet primary needs. The service program selected for this study has stepped beyond awareness and rescue efforts to the rehabilitation and prevention of revictimization of trafficked persons. A literature review covers the history of sex trafficking in the United States; the recovery environment; materials, trainings and programs available for professionals seeking knowledge to serve …

The Importance Of Linguistic Diversity Instruction Within Teacher Education Programs, Rhiannon L. Finney

Honors College Theses

The United States is continuously growing, and as it grows it has become more and more diverse. As diversity increases, awareness of culture becomes a more pressing and important manner. So, while schools have often worked to include and encourage multiculturalism and diversity within their boundaries, one major section has been left out of the equation. The importance of linguistic diversity is vastly misunderstood and left out of teacher education programs, negatively impacting young students, particularly those of traditionally marginalized groups. In order to better prepare prospective teachers and to help provide a real social change in an inherently racialized …

Guiding Sixth Grade Language Development In Mathematical Content Acquisition Through Student Centered Siop Instruction, Leah Callister

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Mathematics is considered a universal language for students. However, now common core standards require students to explain their conceptual understanding through words, numbers, and verbal explanations. Student proficiency in the universal language is impeded when they do not speak the primary language. It is difficult for the teacher to teach both the academic language and mathematical concepts, when the vocabulary is not accessible to all students. Conversely it is difficult for students to follow the pacing of the class while having to translate and gain a conceptual understanding of the subject. The purpose of this study is to increase student …

Student Achievement In Response To Intervention Groups, Allison L. Gardenhour

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify components of Response to Intervention (RTI) groups associated with increased student growth on progress monitoring tests. The relationship between student growth scores and fidelity of implementation scores, types of groups, types of interventionists, group setting, group time, and various demographic groups were examined. Seven hundred fifteen students enrolled in reading and math groups in an RTI program at 8 schools in an Upper East Tennessee school system participated in this study. Ten research questions and null hypotheses were analyzed using Pearson correlations, independent t tests, and one-way Analyses of Variance. Results indicated …

Total Communication Methods For Preschool Children With Autism: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study Of Parent And Professional Perceptions, Leigh Beesley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental, phenomenological study was to explore experiences of using a total communication system with preschoolers diagnosed with autism as explained by their parents and teachers. The research focused on the experience specifically relating to functional communication and social interactions. Determining resources that parents and teachers need that may have made the employment of the strategies more successful, was of importance to this study in order to determine implications, or future needed research. The participants in this study, determined by purposive sampling, included parents, teachers, paraprofessionals, and speech therapist located in an elementary school setting. The study …

A Phenomenological Study Of Middle School Teachers’ Implementation Of Formative Assessment Practices In A Semi-Rural Northwest Georgia District, David Thacker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to understand middle school teachers’ implementation of formative assessment (FA) practices. The study used a transcendental phenomenological design to understand these practices, centering on the teachers’ lived experiences with the phenomenon of FA practices. Four essential questions guided the research and concentrated on middle school teachers’ implementation of FA practices, perceptions about FA theory and its practices, the obstacles hindering implementation, and beneficial resources and professional learning experiences. The study focused on the lone concept of FA practices and the shared lived experiences that shaped meaning for the participants, 17 middle school teachers as …

Put Me In Coach: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study Examining School Wide Positive Behavior Support Coaches' Experience With Program Implementation, Kimberlie Rieffannacht

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe lived experience during School Wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS) implementation for School Wide Positive Behavior coaches in Pennsylvania public schools. Participants, identified as co-researchers throughout this study, included 11 SWPBS coaches selected from seven elementary schools who are implementing the program with fidelity, as defined by Pennsylvania Positive Behavior Support Network (PAPBS, n.d.). The literature surrounding the SWPBS program is largely quantitative and does not include the coaches' experiences. Thus, this research filled an important gap in the literature on the crucial issue of providing positive behavior support that is …

Parental Involvement In Elementary Children’S Religious Education: A Phenomenological Approach, Peter Bunnell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The issue of parental involvement in religious education is an important one for the family, the church, the Christian school, and society. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe parents’ concepts and practices of involvement in their children’s religious education as evangelical Christian parents in Midwestern communities. This research addressed four research questions: (a) What are evangelical parents’ concepts and practices of involvement in their children’s religious education? (b) What informs evangelical parents’ concepts and practices of involvement in their children’s religious education? (c) What content do evangelical parents consider important to their children’s religious education? (d) Why …

The Correlation Between Student/Instructor Rapports, Student Perceptions Of Instructor Effectiveness, And Course Grade Expectations, Erin Yezbick

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The researcher attempted to determine if a correlation exists between student/instructor rapport, student perceptions of instructor effectiveness, and course grade expectations for freshman general education courses at a career college in the Great Lakes Region of the United States. Previous studies have determined that rapport affects motivation (Bergström, 2010; Frisby, Berger, Burchett, Herovic, & Strawser, 2014; Legg & Wilson, 2009), perceptions of teacher effectiveness (Giles, 2011; Kozub, 2010), and evaluation scores (Barth, 2008; Kowai-Bell, Guadango, Little, & Ballew, 2012). The researcher asked the following research questions: Is there a relationship between student/instructor rapport, as measured by the Professor-Student Rapport Scale …

Academic Intervention: Acceleration And Remediation, Barbara Franklin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Eighth grade math students must pass a standards based test to be promoted to the next grade. Students who were at risk of failing the state’s annual test faced impending retention. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to see if an intensive nine-week (55 min per day) remedial Math Connection (MC) class for 67 suburban, eighth grade students identified as at risk of failing, could significantly increase the scores; concurrently, at this Title I school, they were compared with 122 eighth grade students who were not identified as at risk of failing. The dependent variable was measured using the …

An Analysis Of Social And Demographic Variables And Student Graduation Success, Lisa Taylor

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

he dropout population does not reflect an equal representation of all student subgroups (Kena et al., 2015). There are many negative outcomes that often coincide with the decision to drop out, such as lower overall lifetime income as well as emotional and physical fitness (Chapman, Laird, Ifill, & KewalRamani, 2011). This dissertation examines how graduation success varies by the social variables of school engagement, students’ closeness to parents, and self-esteem and the demographic variable of race through the lenses of the social development model (Hawkins & Weis, 1985), the school membership theory (Wehlage, 1989), and the self-determination theory (Deci, Vallerand, …

Comparing The Effects Of Elementary Music And Visual Arts Lessons On Standardized Mathematics Test Scores, Molly King

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, causal-comparative study was to compare the effect elementary music and visual arts lessons had on third through sixth grade standardized mathematics test scores. Inferential statistics were used to compare the differences between test scores of students who took in-school, elementary, music instruction during the same semester state standardized mathematics tests were administered and those who took in-school, elementary visual arts instruction during the same semester standardized mathematics tests were administered. The students attended seven elementary schools in the same North Alabama school district. The research questions were: (a) Does participation in elementary school music lessons …

A Multiple Case Study Of Challenges And Successes Experienced By Founders And Directors Of Nature-Based Preschools In The United States, Alexandra Barnett

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Nature-based preschools are defined as educational settings in which children spend three or more hours per school day in natural environments such as woods, meadows, and beaches (Knight, 2013). The purpose of this qualitative, multiple case study was to obtain a deep understanding of the challenges and successes of nature-based preschool (NBP) founders and directors in the United States and to develop recommendations for those interested in establishing and operating NBPs in the United States. A rich description of the phenomenon of founding and directing NBPs was developed by first answering the primary research question: “What can be learned from …

Facilitating Literacy Acquisition In At-Risk Second-Grade Students Using A Rhythmic Intervention: A Case Study, Deborah Jones-Gensel

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this intrinsic, holistic case study was to describe and analyze the impact of a rhythmic intervention designed to support literacy skills in second-grade students at-risk of failure of state mandated reading assessment. The theories used to guide this study were Finkelstein (2001) and Hunt’s (1966) disability theory, and critical realism posited by Bhaskar and Danemark (2006). Critical realism, as applied to disability theory, reflects a unique combination of needs a person with disability faces: socio-economic, physical, biological, psycho-social and emotional, psychological, cultural, and normative. Research suggested musical instruction could be used to teach literacy skills as a …

Delirium Education Program For Critical Care Nurses: A Mixed Methods Study, Meredith Padilla Padilla

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Approximately 10-30% of hospital admissions develop delirium where nearly 30-40% of the delirium cases are preventable. Non-detection rates by acute care healthcare workers were reported at 72-75%. Hence, it is crucial for hospitals to develop delirium education programs focused on early recognition and prevention. Thus, the purpose of this mixed method study was to develop and evaluate the effect of a delirium education program (DEP) on improving critical care nurses’ knowledge and self-confidence in identifying delirium and the associated risk factors. In the quantitative strand (Phase I) of the study, both the intervention and control groups completed the online pre-tests …

Grant Writing In Higher Education, Amos Bean

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

The primary aim of this capstone was to elicit feedback from public health and grant writing practitioners and funders in order to gather data that can be used to supplement teachings and readings for a course in the Muskie School of Public Service Masters in Public Health (MPH) graduate program. Two overarching questions served as the basis for this endeavor. The primary question for public health and grant writing practitioners was, “What are the most important lessons you have learned that you think graduate students who are writing their first proposals should know?” The primary question for funders was, “What …

Reflective Assessment, Feedback And Academic Achievement In High School Mathematics, Nalline S. Baliram

Education Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of metacognitive strategies and content-specific feedback on student achievement in high school mathematics. Participants in the study consisted of a convenience sample of honors geometry students in grades 9 and 10 in a private high school located in Daytona Beach, Florida. Beyond answering the specific research questions raised in the study, an additional aim was to contribute to the growing body of knowledge pertaining to effective ways to use metacognitive instruction and provide effective content-specific feedback to improve student achievement and learning.

A quasi-experimental, nonequivalent control-group design with repeated-measures was …

Pre-Service Elementary School Teachers’ Perceptions Of Mathematics Education Experiences: A Phenomenological Study, Christine Mcelhaney

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the perceptions about mathematics of pre-service elementary school teachers at a small private university in the Midwestern United States. The theoretical framework used for this research study came from Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory, including the component of teacher efficacy. Because mathematics is a fundamental subject for students to develop skills necessary for various 21st century careers, this qualitative phenomenological study sought to examine how pre-service teachers perceived their ability and confidence to teach mathematics. I limited the choice of participants to elementary pre-service teachers who had not yet completed any mathematics …

Linguistics As The Basis For Phonological Instruction, Christen Johnson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this research study is to determine if teachers of emergent literate students have been trained in linguistics—the anatomy, air flow, and voice of phonology—as part of their literacy instruction and to what extent those strategies are employed while teaching. The basis for this inquiry lies in the understanding that phonology is a science conceived from linguistics which illustrates and explains how sounds are created and produced within the oral structure. This body of information lends itself to an extremely developmental and authentic scope and sequence for teaching phonetics to students. These teachers must be aware of and …

Word-Slam Stories As Venues For Stimulating Learning And Developing Agency With Urban High School Students, Elite Ben-Yosef, Limor Pinhasi-Vittorio

The Qualitative Report

Word-slam was used with our high school urban students as instrument and method to elicit engagement with learning and develop agency through personal storytelling. The word-slam text (as it appears on YouTube and in hard-copy format as well) was chosen due to its being a personal story and an alternative, artistic and critical form of text that our students could relate to directly as the format and content were relevant to their lives and experiences. By using the text as a mentor text and studying the author’s craft together, students were able to write, rewrite and develop their own word-slam …

Garden-Based Learning In Worcester, Massachusetts: Addressing Science And Health Curriculum Gaps Through Summer Youth Programming, Julia Groenfeldt

Sustainability and Social Justice

This research examines the role of experiential garden-based “food citizenship” education for improving school year health and science curriculum retention and to further influence broader social and environmental awareness. Studies demonstrate the importance of these educational models to teach children the processes of food production to consumption. Through new knowledge on food systems education, children will learn to become more mindful and conscious consumers that will ultimately impact personal health outcomes as well as broader global sustainability. Education is a key component to the emerging alternative food network (AFN) that is challenging the modern agro-industrial food system. This research provides …

The Effects Of Simulations On Global Empathy, Chad Raymond, Stephanie Jacques, Alisia Medeiros

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

The learning outcomes for college curricula typically emphasize the development of a greater understanding of and empathy for people who come from diverse cultural backgrounds. In this research project the Alexandrian Inventory, a pretest/posttest survey instrument, was administered to undergraduate students to examine which simulations used in two courses were associated with the greatest changes in students’ global empathy. An analysis of the data did not reveal a clear, statistically significant association between the simulations and empathy indicators.

Promoting Global Empathy And Engagement Through Real-Time Problem-Based Simulations: Outcomes From A Policymaking Simulation Set In Post-Earthquake Haiti, Chad Raymond, Tina Zappile, Daniel J. Beers

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

We introduce a real-time problem-based simulation in which students are tasked with drafting policy to address the challenge of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in post-earthquake Haiti from a variety of stakeholder perspectives. Students who participated in the simulation completed a quantitative survey as a pretest/posttest on global empathy, political awareness, and civic engagement, and provided qualitative data through post-simulation focus groups. The simulation was run in four courses across three campuses in a variety of instructional settings from 2013 to 2015. An analysis of the data reveals that scores on several survey items measuring global empathy and political/civic engagement increased …

The Relationship Between Satisfaction, Motivation, And Caseload And Teacher Retention, Corbett Hawks

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Teacher retention has long been a major issue in the educational sector. In today’s schools, effective teachers are a necessity for meeting the fluctuating needs of society. The purpose of this quantitative, correlational, predictive study was to examine the relationship between satisfaction, motivation, and caseload in relation to teacher retention for elementary special education teachers in southwest Virginia. This study incorporates the Three C’s of Education theory (Sher, 1983) and the influence of characteristics, conditions, and compensation. Non-experimental research with a correlational design was implemented along with the criterion variable (retention) and the predictor variables (satisfaction, motivation, and caseload). Participants …

The Self-Reported Relationship Between A Teacher's Perception Of Learner Characteristics For Students With Disabilities And A Teacher’S Use Of Differentiated Instruction In Georgia Public Schools, Shannon Knight

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative multivariate correlational study was to determine if there is a significant relationship between a general education teacher’s perception of learner characteristics for Students with Disabilities (SWD) and a teacher’s use of Differentiated Instruction (DI) in the general education classroom, grades 6-12. Since previous studies did not clearly support any significant benefits in utilizing segregated instruction for the teaching of students with exceptionalities, it was vital to identify research-based methods to facilitate the education of all students in the general education classroom. Sustained by research on student achievement, the proper and comprehensive implementation of DI has …

Dear Officer Bogash: Policing Black Bodies On College Campuses, Jordan S. West

Journal of Critical Scholarship on Higher Education and Student Affairs

Students' Critical Reflections on Racial (in)justice