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Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons

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2016

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Articles 181 - 210 of 356

Full-Text Articles in Curriculum and Social Inquiry

The Empathy Project: Using A Project-Based Learning Assignment To Increase First-Year College Students’ Comfort With Interdisciplinarity, Micol Hutchison May 2016

The Empathy Project: Using A Project-Based Learning Assignment To Increase First-Year College Students’ Comfort With Interdisciplinarity, Micol Hutchison

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

Empathy and interdisciplinarity are both concepts that are current and relevant—across professions, in research, and in academia. This paper describes a large, interdisciplinary, project-based assignment, the Empathy Project, which allows students to delve into and increase comfort and skill with interdisciplinary thinking and collaborative learning, while improving the core college skills of written and oral communication, ethical and quantitative reasoning, and critical thinking. As I revised the assignment based on student feedback and results, I found that group conferences and time in class to work collaboratively were beneficial. Additionally, building increased scaffolding into the assignment, including greater student and group …


Beyond Behavior, Craig C. Laupheimer May 2016

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 May 2016

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 May 2016

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 …


Critical Pedagogy And Participatory Democracy: Creating Classroom Contexts That Challenge "Common Sense." A Response To "The Political Nuances Of Narratives And An Urban Educator's Response", Lilia D. Monzó, P. Zitlali Morales May 2016

Critical Pedagogy And Participatory Democracy: Creating Classroom Contexts That Challenge "Common Sense." A Response To "The Political Nuances Of Narratives And An Urban Educator's Response", Lilia D. Monzó, P. Zitlali Morales

Democracy & Education

In this response to “The Political Nuances of Narratives and an Urban Educator’s Response,” the authors applaud Pearman’s critical approach to deconstructing and challenging narratives of heroic figures who single-handedly change the world and agree with him that these narratives restrict the sense of agency that may propel citizens to become actively involved in social change efforts. We argue that it is important to question why these narratives exist and to understand them in light of the hegemonic capitalist structure that exploits the masses in service to the capitalist class. Although we agree with Pearman that democracy is best served …


Neoliberal Ideology And Democratic Learning. A Response To "Challenging Freedom: Neoliberalism And The Erosion Of Democratic Education", Emery James Hyslop-Margison, Andrés Ramírez May 2016

Neoliberal Ideology And Democratic Learning. A Response To "Challenging Freedom: Neoliberalism And The Erosion Of Democratic Education", Emery James Hyslop-Margison, Andrés Ramírez

Democracy & Education

In "Challenging Freedom: Neoliberalism and the Erosion of Democratic Education," the author suggests that the presumed decline of democratic learning in public schooling follows from two primary forces: (a) the metaphysical implications of Cartesian psychophysical dualism that support an ontological understanding of the self as distinct from social influence and (b) a corresponding concept of freedom emerging from this ontology that exonerates individuals from any meaningful level of social moral responsibility. Although we agree in large part with the general argument advanced in the essay, there are some theoretical and historical gaps that we attempt to bridge in this response. …


Perceptions Of A Prescribed Intervention, Daniel J. Dooley May 2016

Perceptions Of A Prescribed Intervention, Daniel J. Dooley

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

In response to New Jersey’s Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act of 2011, districts and schools have been held responsible for strengthening the standards and procedures for preventing, reporting, investigating, and responding to incidents of harassment, intimidation, and/or bullying; consequently, the State has offered little guidance on how to be proactive in preventing instances of bullying in a way the law would support. In response to this legislative mandate, I have created a self-designed intervention, based upon the Five Core Competencies of Social and Emotional Learning, intended to negate at-risk social behaviors including bullying in a subpopulation of fifth through eighth …


An Integrated Strategy For Strengthening Worcester's Regional Food System: Key Roles For Education And Information, Joel Simonson May 2016

An Integrated Strategy For Strengthening Worcester's Regional Food System: Key Roles For Education And Information, Joel Simonson

Sustainability and Social Justice

Food security and access to healthy food are public health issues that continue to persist in the United States and are ones that are strongly influenced by social and environmental factors. In Worcester, Massachusetts there are many organizations that contribute to alleviating the resulting effects, but do not always have the capacity to reach full potential and expand upon current initiatives. Students can provide existing human resources and knowledge that would benefit all parties. This would allow for organizational capacity development, ultimately impacting local residents, and for students to gain deeper connections to the greater Worcester community while learning vital …


Total Communication Methods For Preschool Children With Autism: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study Of Parent And Professional Perceptions, Leigh Beesley May 2016

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 Grounded Theory Study On Building Positive Teacher-Student Relationships In Christian Schools, Joy Stouffer May 2016

A Grounded Theory Study On Building Positive Teacher-Student Relationships In Christian Schools, Joy Stouffer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this systematic grounded theory study was to understand how teachers and students from open-enrollment Christian schools in Guam and Hawaii described the process of building positive teacher-student relationships. The framework guiding this study was social constructivism and Vygotsky’s (1980), Bruner’s (1997) and Bandura’s (1993) theories on the influence of environmental factors on the perceptions of the teacher-student relationship. The central research question asked how teachers and students described the process of building positive teacher-student relationships in Christian schools. Data collection methods included online surveys, focus groups, and individual interviews. A systematic, grounded theory approach, data analysis, and …


The Effect Of Gender On The Attitudes Of Undergraduates Toward Young-Earth Creationism After Enrollment In An Origins Course, Sean Vinaja May 2016

The Effect Of Gender On The Attitudes Of Undergraduates Toward Young-Earth Creationism After Enrollment In An Origins Course, Sean Vinaja

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Many Christian students graduate from secondary schools and enter Christian colleges with worldviews that are unbiblical or contain unbiblical components, many of which stem from their beliefs regarding origins. Little research has been done to study the effect of gender on the role of a young-earth creationist (YEC) origins course in shaping students’ worldview. Research has shown that males and females respond differently to science and religion instruction; because the origins discussion is an intersection of science and religion, the study of gender’s effect in developing a Bible-based worldview is important so that Christian colleges might more effectively guide their …


College-Bound Students: A Study Of The Relationship Between Religiosity/Spirituality, And Achievement, William Wright May 2016

College-Bound Students: A Study Of The Relationship Between Religiosity/Spirituality, And Achievement, William Wright

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The achievement gap between private and public school college-bound students has continued to widen each year since 1972. The researcher studied the relationship of Christian school college-bound students’ religiosity/spirituality using a validated survey instrument and their achievement as measured on the Scholastic Aptitude Test. The literature implies a relationship, but there is a gap in studying homogeneous religious groups. Therefore, the researcher selected a homogeneous grouping, Texas Christian high school college-bound seniors, as the sample for this study. The researcher obtained permission to use the Religiosity and Spirituality Scale for Youth (RASSY) survey instrument and included demographic and score data …


Uninspired Or Disengaged? A Phenomenological Investigation Of Gifted Middle School Students On Probation, Shanna Baker May 2016

Uninspired Or Disengaged? A Phenomenological Investigation Of Gifted Middle School Students On Probation, Shanna Baker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Since the implementation of No Child Left Behind in 2001 and high stakes testing, the focus in education has been on low-achieving students resulting in gifted learners being largely ignored. Gifted underachievers are often identified as bored or apathetic. Researchers are beginning to examine gifted students’ motivation and engagement, but there is a lack of research examining why gifted middle school students are uninspired to achieve. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand how gifted middle school students in a Georgia school district and their parents and teachers describe the lack of inspiration to achieve. Within the study, …


Comparing The Effects Of Elementary Music And Visual Arts Lessons On Standardized Mathematics Test Scores, Molly King May 2016

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 …


The Complex Life Experience Of First-Generation College Students Who Are Working Adults In The Appalachian Region Of The United States: A Phenomenological Study, Deborah Thurman May 2016

The Complex Life Experience Of First-Generation College Students Who Are Working Adults In The Appalachian Region Of The United States: A Phenomenological Study, Deborah Thurman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

he purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe and understand the complexity of life experiences for first-generation college students or recent graduates who are working adults in the Central and South-Central Appalachian region of the United States in light of the construct resilience and how purposefully selected students continued study despite difficulties. In this study, information gathered was synthesized regarding three issues: first-generation students, working adult students, and the influences of Central and South-Central Appalachian regional culture. The theory used to guide this study is resilience as it relates to the educational persistence of working, adult, first-generation college …


Facilitating Literacy Acquisition In At-Risk Second-Grade Students Using A Rhythmic Intervention: A Case Study, Deborah Jones-Gensel May 2016

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 …


The Relationship Between Science Classroom Facility Conditions And Ninth Grade Students’ Attitudes Toward Science, Angela Ford May 2016

The Relationship Between Science Classroom Facility Conditions And Ninth Grade Students’ Attitudes Toward Science, Angela Ford

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Over half of the school facilities in America are in poor condition. Unsatisfactory school facilities have a negative impact on teaching and learning. The purpose of this correlational study was to identify the relationship between high school science teachers’ perceptions of the school science environment (instructional equipment, demonstration equipment, and physical facilities) and ninth grade students’ attitudes about science through their expressed enjoyment of science, importance of time spent on science, and boredom with science. A sample of 11,523 cases was extracted, after a process of data mining, from a databank of over 24,000 nationally representative ninth graders located throughout …


The Importance Of Linguistic Diversity Instruction Within Teacher Education Programs, Rhiannon L. Finney May 2016

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 May 2016

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 …


Csusb Study Abroad 2011: My Chinese Summer, Tomasz B. Stanek May 2016

Csusb Study Abroad 2011: My Chinese Summer, Tomasz B. Stanek

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

This 2011 study abroad analysis written on a sojourn to Xian and Beijing is a product of several constructs: culture shock, intellectual curiosity, cross-cultural comparisons and interviews performed by the author. The reflections are multifold and mostly concern school visitations, architecture, tourist sites, and travel in general and read as commentaries of a blogger on his sojourn. The article concludes with an intellectual observation that implied challenges connected to cross-cultural examination, especially when comparing schooling, education, and pedagogical issues.


Student Achievement In Response To Intervention Groups, Allison L. Gardenhour May 2016

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 …


How To Decolonize A Classroom, Celeste C. Hayes May 2016

How To Decolonize A Classroom, Celeste C. Hayes

Capstone Collection

This study is gathered from personal reflections of my time and experience with the Vermont Workers’ Center organization in Brattleboro Vermont USA. As a Community Organizer I highlight my internal and external work on projects specific to racial justice, and its use in organizing and educating members in the Southern Vermont region. The challenges as an active and involved community member of color, living and working in the context of a predominantly white setting has inspired me to curate a model and theory to “decolonize” or unlearn the prevalence of white supremacist culture in our educational spaces.


A Phenomelogical Study Of Reclassified Elementary School English Learners’ Perceptions Of Their Educational Experiences, Fernando Betanzos May 2016

A Phenomelogical Study Of Reclassified Elementary School English Learners’ Perceptions Of Their Educational Experiences, Fernando Betanzos

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to provide an insight into how former English learners’ educational experiences allowed them to attain English language proficiency and meet grade level standards in English Language Arts. This study was informed by the theoretical frameworks of Albert Bandura’s social learning theory, and Lev Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, as they pertain to English learners. The data collection procedures included student semi-structured interviews, elementary school principal semi-structured interviews, and review of site documents such as student work samples, report cards, attendance records, discipline records, state standardized test scores, Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment scores, and English …


Teachers’ And Administrators’ Perceptions Of The Under-Representation Of African American Males In Gifted And Talented Education Programs, Roy Sermons May 2016

Teachers’ And Administrators’ Perceptions Of The Under-Representation Of African American Males In Gifted And Talented Education Programs, Roy Sermons

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological case study is to explore the reasons for specific perceptions by urban middle and high school teachers and administrators about the underrepresentation of gifted African American male students in educational programs for the gifted and talented. Perceptions about gifted African American male students are generally defined as the views, thoughts, and patterns of educators pertaining to the characteristics of gifted students, recommendations for admission into gifted and talented education programs, and social and psychological factors that impede the enrollment of urban African American males into such programs. The phenomenological case examines social, cultural, and psychological …


Stay Woke: Creating A Path Towards Critical Consciousness And Self-Awareness, Florcy Romero May 2016

Stay Woke: Creating A Path Towards Critical Consciousness And Self-Awareness, Florcy Romero

Sustainability and Social Justice

This paper examines a social justice based curriculum that was designed to promote a process towards critical consciousness and self-awareness in youth of color. This was done through a participatory paradigm infused with observational data. The findings indicated that in order to direct youth of color towards a path of critical consciousness and self-awareness, certain elements were required. These elements focused on shifting away from traditional styles of teaching and instead emerging in creating an environment that prides itself in diverse knowledges, engaged pedagogy, and connecting the personal within the political and social context


A Phenomenological Study Of Teachers’ Lived Experiences Providing Interventions For Students Diagnosed With Adhd, Timoth Garner May 2016

A Phenomenological Study Of Teachers’ Lived Experiences Providing Interventions For Students Diagnosed With Adhd, Timoth Garner

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the lived experiences in the public school setting of teachers involved in providing interventions for students diagnosed with ADHD. The theories guiding this study were Theory of Reasoned Action (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980), Human Ecology or Bioecological Systems Theory (Bronfenbrenner, 2005), and theory of self-efficacy (Zimmerman & Bandura, 1994; Zimmerman & Martinez-Pons, 1990; 1992). The study followed the theory, concepts, and methods of the phenomenological research model that allowed participants to provide a personal perspective and reflection on their experiences. The following four research questions guided the study: How do teachers …


Put Me In Coach: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study Examining School Wide Positive Behavior Support Coaches' Experience With Program Implementation, Kimberlie Rieffannacht May 2016

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 …


A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study On The Perception Of Second Language Acquisition And Personality Type By Adult Second Language Learners In A Formal Learning Environment, Rebecca Shisler May 2016

A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study On The Perception Of Second Language Acquisition And Personality Type By Adult Second Language Learners In A Formal Learning Environment, Rebecca Shisler

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to describe the perceived experience of second language acquisition for adult second language learners in a formal learning environment at the Community College of Virginia (a pseudonym) and to describe how these learners perceived that their personality type either enhanced or inhibited their experience of second language acquisition. All students who were enrolled in an introductory-level Spanish course at the Community College of Virginia were invited to complete a preliminary questionnaire to determine their initial eligibility for the study. Prospective participants who met the initial eligibility requirements of the study took the …


The Effects Of Microblogging On Middle School Students' Engagement And Critical Thinking, Sondra Singleton May 2016

The Effects Of Microblogging On Middle School Students' Engagement And Critical Thinking, Sondra Singleton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of microblogging as an authentic real-world technology in a middle school classroom in response to the 2010 Department of Education’s call to provide students with more relevant digital experiences. The non-equivalent control group, pretest-posttest design study was used to determine if microblogging used in a writing activity affected middle school students’ engagement and critical thinking. This study was important as it addressed the heretofore understudied middle school sector. This research used a convenience sample of 119 sixth-grade and seventh-grade language arts students in a suburban northwest Florida public middle school. …


A Phenomenological Study Of Middle School Teachers’ Implementation Of Formative Assessment Practices In A Semi-Rural Northwest Georgia District, David Thacker May 2016

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 …