Educational Methods Commons^™

Layers Of Influence: Examining Teacher Experiences In The Selection And Implementation Of Multicultural Texts In Secondary English, Marine Feron Leabeater

Curriculum and Instruction (Ed.D.) Dissertations

This qualitative collective case study explored high school English teachers’ experiences selecting, planning with, and teaching using multicultural texts. Existing research highlights the benefits of culturally centered theories and models of teaching, and high school English teachers’ first-hand experiences in navigating the systems within which they work while implementing these practices provide valuable first-hand accounts to contribute to research. This study focused on the experiences of high school English teachers as they selected, planned with, and taught using multicultural texts within their complex layers of influence, framed by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory. In semi-structured interviews, teacher participants shared their lived …

Empowering Faculty With Open Education: A Three Week Training In Oer, Ztc And Open Pedagogy At Bronx Community College, Michael Kahn

Publications and Research

This poster defines Open Educational Resources, Zero Textbook Cost courses and Open Pedagogy and the course structure of the 2025 OER/ZTC faculty training delivered at Bronx Community College.

Modern Classical Christian Education?, Donna Lybarger

Master of Arts in Classical Studies

This thesis asks if the ancient tradition of classical education is an education method for the modern world. More specifically, this thesis questions, how might classical education methods be implemented for the acquisition of wisdom in the modern world? The literature review gives a brief history of classical education from the Greeks, and a history of why classical education is again a topic of conversation in the modern world. The three stages of classical education, the trivium, is explained. Classical Christian education is defined noting the method remains the same, but the difference is the nuances of the virtues of …

Expanding Education Skills: Case Study And Content Creation For Theatre Educators At Um, Ren E. Shepherd

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

A love of theatre does not spring into the hearts of people from thin air. It is not something given by the universe, but something cultivated through years of going to performances, researching late at night, and the guidance of theatre educators. Despite the influence of Theatre Educators, they are largely overlooked when considering theatre professionals and their training. This lack of oversight is a nation-wide issue, but by focusing on just the University of Montana, there is a chance for greater understanding and change at a local community level. By employing academic research, surveys of UM faculty and students, …

Theatre Education At The University Of Montana: Providing Innovative Solutions To A Complex Problem, Natalie Renk

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

This paper is part of a larger project that aims to provide solutions to assimilate the University of Montana’s theatre education program with those across the United States by providing budget conscious innovations. The focus of this paper will be the creation of two methods courses: THTR 438: Content for Secondary Theatre Education and THTR 439: Skills for Theatre Education, this paper discussing the former. The latter was designed by my research partner, Ren Shepherd. This course would offer comprehensive coverage of theatre practitioners, both historical and modern theatrical texts, hands on design and budgeting experience, as well as teaching …

Relevance And Reciprocity: Fostering Meaningful Inquiry In The Social Studies Classroom, Christy Cartner

Theses and Dissertations--Curriculum and Instruction

This dissertation investigates the factors contributing to students' perceptions of meaningful inquiry. After using the C3 Framework and designing instruction using the Inquiry Design Model for a decade, I wanted to better understand the students' experience to fine-tune how I implement inquiry in the classroom.

Article 1 was written for Social Education and describes the year of IDM blueprints that I designed to loop the concept of equality through units spanning the social studies disciplines of sociology, history, civics, geography, and economics. Through designing and facilitating these inquiries, I discovered my problem of practice, which was how to better engage …

Beyond Traditional Education: Graduation Rates At An Alternative High School, Kayla Dawn Marie Crook

Educational Leadership Professional Doctorate Dissertations

The study addressed the problem of practice of improving on-time graduation rates for students in alternative education settings. Traditional educational systems often fail to meet the unique needs of students in alternative education programs, which could lead to increased barriers towards on-time graduation. Based on improvement science principles, this research utilized Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles to systematically test and refine prioritized change ideas to mitigate these barriers with the goal of increasing graduation rates at the focus school. These change ideas included improving social emotional learning through teacher coaching, personalizing attendance calls, and developing individualized student success plans. Through rapid iterative …

Motivating Students Through Problem-Based And Project-Based Learning, Dennis J. Moore

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

ABSTRACT

As educators, motivating students can be a difficult task.Sixteen eighth-grade students discuss their perceptions of what makes educational programs motivating. In teacher-centered classrooms, teachers lecture while their students take notes, quizzes, and tests and practice memorization skills in preparation for high-stakes testing. Is this a fair assessment of a student's knowledge, and does this type of instruction fulfill students’ needs for a successful future? Research for this case study focused on students' perceptions of an agricultural program that utilizes problem-based and project-based learning with a sustainability focus.

In problem-based learning (PBL) classes, students are given real-world problems and asked …

Ai In Education: Teaching, Learning, And Thinking With Machines, Mary Strawderman, Jesse Senechal, Eric Ekholm, Jason Vest, Moe Greene, Dawn Johnson, Daniel Case, Oscar Keyes, Yaoying Xu, Robert Godwin-Jones, Kait Donahue, Kim Elmore, Haley Hendershot, Amy Corning, Paulina Guerrero, Samaher Aljudaibi, Justin Thurston

AI in Education: Teaching, Learning, and Thinking with Machines

This collection from the Humanities Research Center (HRC) Digital Technology in Education (DTE) working group arose from questions around how rapidly emerging generative AI tools are reshaping teaching and learning in K-12 and higher education. The contributions, loosely organized around ethics, policy, and practice, adopt a humanities lens to probe how generative AI and other emerging digital technologies impact human values, experiences, and social structures, surfacing their philosophical, ethical, cultural, and societal implications for schooling. From the perspectives of practitioners and interdisciplinary scholars, the pieces showcase various dimensions of AI's creative potential in education, while also questioning its limitations and …

The Implications Of Student-Centered Design On High School Dropout: The Experience Through The Lens Of Students At-Risk Of Dropping Out, Angela R. Alford

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This qualitative study explores the implications of Student-Centered Design on high school completion, particularly for students identified as at risk of dropping out. Grounded in the theory of Student-Centered Design, this research examines how this approach serves as a scaffold for collaborative problem-solving in secondary education and addressing real-world challenges faced by students at-risk of dropping out.

The study uses a qualitative methodology, utilizing a survey and a focus group to gain insight from former students who experienced Student-Centered Design, as well as educators who implemented this approach. By analyzing participant feedback, the research evaluates the effectiveness of Student-Centered Design …

Bridging The Gap: Fostering Emotional Expression Through Teaching Strategies In The Middle School Choral Classroom, Jacob Brown

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This study investigates the impact of teacher-elicited expression strategies (i.e. emotionally evocative metaphor, technical elements through modeling, body of the conductor, understanding the emotional content) on the emotional expressivity of my middle school choral students. Using a mixed-method approach, data was collected through surveys of students' self-evaluations of the expression strategies, and their overall value of expression before and after learning processes that emphasized emotional expressivity. I found that each teacher-elicited expression strategies impacted student expressivity positively. Concrete strategies (i.e., body of the conductor and technical elements through modeling) were highly effective, particularly in my beginner and intermediate choirs, while …

Afghan Students Are More Than Just English Learners, Farilla Saboor

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This thesis examines the strengths that Afghan students and their families bring to U.S. schools and how these strengths are often overlooked. Drawing on my experience as an Afghan immigrant, math teacher, and bilingual instructional aide, I explore how Afghan students, parents, and teachers describe these cultural, linguistic, and relational assets that shape students’ learning and sense of belonging. I use the Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) and Funds of Knowledge (FoK) as guiding frameworks to understand the aspirational, linguistic, familial, social, navigational, and resistant capital present in participants’ experiences (Moll et al., 1992; Yosso, 2005).

I conducted qualitative interviews with …

Beyond The Frame: Unraveling The Influence Of Art In Social Studies Education, Emily Cox

Honors Projects

This study examines the integration of art into social studies education to enhance student engagement, academic outcomes, and meaningful discourse. By incorporating visual literacy and material culture through activities such as analyzing gravestones, it explores how art can connect students to historical and social concepts in impactful ways. Through student-driven analysis and interdisciplinary approaches, the research demonstrates how art integration supports academic objectives, fosters critical thinking, and encourages substantive discussions. The findings highlight art’s potential to enrich understanding, deepen personal connections, and make social studies more engaging and relevant for students.

Diverse Possibilities Of Shakespeare: Teaching Twelfth Night Through A Queer Lens, Julia Ritzler

Honors Projects

This project seeks to understand the ways in which Queer Theory can be applied to secondary language arts education to enhance students' understanding of identity and gender in literature. For the purposes of this project, Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is being used as a case study text. This project includes a thorough analysis of Twelfth Night through a queer lens, a literature review of Queer Theory and educational pedagogy, a block plan and related instructional and assessment materials, a rationale for the block plan, and project limitations and implications for future research. By analyzing scholarly texts and applying the theories within …

Social Justice In Dance: The Exploration Of Dance As A Tool For Promoting, Recognizing And Influencing Change, Michelle O'Konis Linnehan

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to prove that dance could be used as a platform for representation and to foster change within the community and beyond. This purpose aligned with the goal, which was to measure the impact of a structured choreographic curriculum on student engagement with social justice topics. The goal of this study was to answer the following research questions:

Q1 Can dance be a tool in promoting social justice?

Q2 How will students in the classroom respond to an integrated social justice theme through dance and production components?

Q3 How will these topics be interpreted to …

A Qualitative Study Of Iranian Efl Teachers’ Perceptions Of A Digital Diversified Education, Seyed Mohammad Reza Marvasti Zadeh, Azizollah Dabaghi Varnosfadrani Advarnosfadrani, Mohammad Amiryousefi

The Qualitative Report

Because Iran is a country of learners of diverse languages, socio-economic classes, genders, and ages, digital diversified education seems appropriate to address needs in English language education. However, there is a notable gap in research on teachers’ perceptions about this type of education. To fill this gap, this study aimed to investigate the perspectives of Iranian teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) regarding a diverse digital education. Data were collected via an open-ended survey with 30 EFL teachers, both male and female, who were selected through convenience sampling. Analysis revealed several key themes, including the utilization of diverse …

“Kematz'ib' Para Gritar” Innovative Technologies In Revitalizing The Mayan Languages: Empowering Youth Through Poetry - A Narrative Study, Héctor De Jesús Palala Martínez

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This dissertation explores innovative approaches to preserving and revitalizing the linguistic and cultural heritage of Mayan-speaking youth of Guatemalan descent in rural Nebraska. It delves into the intersection of technology, artistic expression, and cultural practices, emphasizing the revitalization of Mayan languages in Abya Yala (the Americas), particularly emphasizing the Guatemalan and the Mayan diasporas in Nebraska.

The research investigates the roles of digital humanities, culture-based education, and poetic expressions in language preservation/revitalization efforts among Mayan youth and unaccompanied minors in transnational educational settings. Central to the study is an academic initiative for transnational Mayan high school students integrating poetry and …

Understanding How Social Media Influences Student Engagement Within The Classroom: Middle Grades Students' Perspectives., Anthony Dawyne Myrks-Brewer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigated the concept of student engagement and participation through the lens of middle school students. Studies and research show that overall student engagement amongst middle school-aged students is the most unengaged period throughout students' K-12 educational journey. Today's students live in a completely different generation from their guardians and parents due to the technology component, including smartphones making the element of social media more accessible. Social media is a platform that helps people communicate through various applications, and middle school students engage and participate in various social media applications daily. Student engagement is a critical component within education …

Joyful Learning: Station Rotation Activities In A High School English Class, Annie Yon

New Jersey English Journal

Alfie Kohn, an American author and lecturer in the areas of education and human behavior, asserts in his essay “Feel-Bad Education” that “joy has been in short supply in some classrooms because students tend to be regarded not as subjects but as objects, not as learners but as workers.” He explains that students are forced to sit through prefabricated lessons in a sterile classroom, whose purpose is not to promote thinking, much less the joy of discovery, but to raise test scores. In other words, richer thinking cannot come from monotonous multiple choice exams or never-ending worksheets but from “an …

Teaching Writing: Fostering Joy In Writing Through “Commentarying”, Ellin Kim

New Jersey English Journal

For over 15 years, the author taught at an after-school English Language Arts center. Initially emphasizing perfection, enthusiasm waned. A graduate course changed the author's views on writing, stressing personal reflections. Implementing this, students' perceptions shifted, using "commentarying" to foster understanding and engagement in discussions on topics such as racism.

Finding Joy Through Vulnerability In The English Classroom, Darlene Calderon, Kayla Sullivan, Emily R. Smith

New Jersey English Journal

Moments of joy in the English classroom feel tragically few and far between, often snuck in during pauses in the "real" curricula. This practitioner-oriented piece shares vignettes from our classrooms that illustrate ways in which we--as English teachers--have nurtured moments of joy in of our lessons by centering our and our students' vulnerability.

“It’S Not My Immediate Instinct”: Perceptions Of Preservice Teachers On The Integration Of Popular Culture, Melinda S. Butler, Eva S. Arbor, Nadine Bravo

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

Popular culture curricula integration provides educational benefits for students (Morrell, 2002; Petrone, 2013); bridging students’ out-of-school popular culture knowledge with their in-school literacies promotes learning, engages students, and values students’ background knowledge (Dyson, 1993, 2021; Marsh, 2006; Morrell, 2002; Petrone, 2013). Therefore, teacher educators may consider the addition of popular culture education into preservice teacher’s preparation for teaching (Petrone, 2013). In this qualitative study, researchers were interested in asking the following questions: What popular culture texts did preservice teachers consume as children and adults? and How does preservice teachers’ previous popular culture text consumption factor into decisions to include or …

Collaborative Professional Development Featuring Innovative Curriculum Materials, Cory Callahan

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Here I synthesize two research investigations (Callahan, 2018, 2019) that comprise a continuing line of inquiry into the potential of innovative curriculum materials and sustained collaboration as a professional development program to help in-service teachers understand and implement a complex model of social studies instruction. This article features an original innovative curriculum material and specifically explores the question: To what degree can a collaborative professional development program featuring innovative curriculum materials help social studies teachers understand and implement a powerful social studies approach? Findings suggest the professional development program and its innovative curriculum materials helped teachers promote substantive pedagogical thinking …

Instructional Systems Design: The Diffusion And Adoption Of Technology: (Volume 2), Cassandra Celaya (Author), Pamela J. Downing (Author), Jessica Shifflett (Author), Debbie Gdula (Author), Tracie Barr (Author), Miguel Ramlatchan (Author & Editor)

University Administration Bookshelf

Instructional designers, instructional systems designers, and other educational technologists are, by their nature, innovators. These professionals apply and extend the applied science of learning, systems, communication, and instructional design theory to help students learn. Technology in some capacity is used to make the connections between subject matter experts, teachers, instructors, and their learners. It is common for instructional designers to seek new tools, techniques, and innovations for the improvement of learning, access, quality, and student satisfaction. However, the adoption and diffusion of new educational technology and innovation is a complex process that depends on many variables. Understanding these processes and …

"I Have To Be On Their Side": A Pedagogy Of Kindness, Linda Hoeptner Poling, Juliann B. Dorff

Journal of the Arts and Special Education

The contemporary expectation for visual arts teachers to meet the needs of all learners was explored in this 2011 case study conducted in a secondary visual arts classroom. Exploring ways that care for students manifested, specifically through a pedagogy of kindness, in a classroom designed to meet the needs of students experiencing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHA) and/or autism is revisited and contextualized in our post-COVID reality, where care in education is a central concern. The authors outline how one visual arts educator developed a pedagogy of kindness resulting in the need for specific teacher dispositions. Teacher-student relationships are also discussed within …

Thai Parents’ Reasons For Sending Their Children To Premium-Fee International Schools: Strategies For Establishing International Schools, Issara Wongcharoensin

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

The study investigates the factors influencing Thai parents’ decisions when selecting international schools in the Bangkok Metropolitan Region. It examines how parents’ preferences for educational outcomes shape their choice among UK, US, or IB programs. Key findings reveal that dissatisfaction with Thai public schools drives many families to enroll their children in international schools. These institutions are valued for their supportive community atmosphere, opportunities for foreign college placements, and superior infrastructure. Preferences for different programs reflect distinct priorities: UK programs are preferred for their extracurricular activities, punctuality, and academic reputation; US programs for their emphasis on critical thinking, multiculturalism, and …

“Community Thinking Spaces”: Exploring The Openings And Possibilities Of A School-Based Intergenerational Community Of Practice, Lucy A. Robins

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This exploratory case study examines the possibilities of creating generative, collaborative, intergenerational learning communities within a traditional public 6-12 school in the United States, as an antidote to the ideologies of adultism, systems of whiteness, and settler colonial logics. The study is situated within a single public school site, where I have been a science teacher and teacher leader for the past eight years. The school, which self-identifies as a “progressive” public school, serves to reify the history of schools as sites for control through what I term a “we know best” ideology. This ideology serves to dismiss and devalue …

Perceived Factors Impacting Teachers’ Pedagogical Decision-Making Pertaining To The Use Of Pbl In The Classroom: A Dissertation, Amanda Slaughter

Dissertations

There is a consistent body of research evidence citing the potential of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) as a viable instructional tool to raise student engagement with challenging content (Saye & Brush, 2017; Strutchens and Martin, 2017; Wynn, 2015). According to the National Council for the Social Studies, “The primary purpose of social studies is to help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world” (NCSS, accessed 2023, March 1, para. 2). Scholars like Engle (1960) called for instructional strategies that raised the …

White Paper: Embracing Responsible Use Of Chatgpt In Education, Monica J. Weir

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

This white paper presents challenges and opportunities for integration of ChatGPT, an artificial general intelligence (AGI) model developed by Open AI, in education. Drawing parallels to prior technological innovations in education including handheld calculators, the author asserts that the primary solution lies in guiding students to develop skills for responsible use of available resources. While debates surrounding the use of ChatGPT and plagiarism, misinformation, and ethics are valid, this paper stresses the importance for open conversations and growth mindset. The proposed solution includes a responsible use policy for ChatGPT in the classroom, which emphasizes critical thinking, collaboration, continuous feedback, ethical …

Developing Alternative Grading Strategies, Brian M. Sackett

Masters Projects

Traditional grading strategies may not accurately reflect student knowledge. Educators are beginning to develop more accurate and efficient methods for grading students. These alternative methods include; standards based grading, content based grading, portfolio assessment, narrative feedback, and minimum grading. These grading strategies focus more heavily on content mastery, rather than non-academic variables such as student behavior. This project will provide a thorough training session to teachers to give them the confidence to implement the new alternative grading strategies. The goal of this project is to have a lasting impact on students’ academic success as well as their motivation and engagement. …