Educational Methods Commons^™

Crossing The Ohio: Welcoming Students Of Color Into The Honors White Space, Betsy Greenleaf Yarrison

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Honors has long been a space for pushing boundaries and promoting culturally responsive teaching, yet students from underserved and marginalized populations rarely see themselves reflected in the designated intelligentsia of most universities. This essay considers several aspects of boundaries in, and barriers to, the honors experience. Implicit in marketing honors as “value-added” is the boundary between the honors curriculum and the “regular” curriculum from which other boundaries extend. From outmoded enrollment management and admissions policies to curricular and instructional strategies that hold to a pedagogy of whiteness, the author urges honors educators to create paths to student academic success by …

Jnchc 22:1 - Cover, Contents, Call For Papers, Editorial Policy, Dedication To Annmarie Guzy, Editor's Introduction, Ada Long

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Contents

Call for Papers . v

Editorial Policy, Deadlines, and Submission Guidelines . vi

Dedication to Annmarie Guzy . vii

Ada Long, Editor’s Introduction ix

April 2021, Lisa Friesen

The CETL Correspondent

CETL is working on projects to help the semester wind down smoothly! Below are some tips to remember as finals are approaching:

Tier Ii Interventions: Utilizing An Interventionist At The Secondary Level, Sarah Ham

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this action research was to determine the impact of an interventionist conducting Tier II interventions on student achievement. The research setting was a high school English language arts classroom in Iowa where the participants included 58 ninth-grade students. In previous years, interventions were taught by the ELA teacher in the classroom; this action research dictated that an interventionist teach the Tier II intervention lesson to non-proficient students during class. Quantitative data from these participants was collected to assess the impact of an interventionist on student achievement in two reading skills: identifying the main idea and summarizing. Assessment …

The Value Of Play-Based Learning In Early Childhood Classrooms, Brandice Tegrootenhuis

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this literature review is to demonstrate the value of play-based learning in early childhood classrooms and encourage educators and policy-makers to focus more on this developmentally appropriate practice of learning through play in early childhood classrooms. The findings of this literature review are that play is an essential component in all areas of child development. The reviewed research suggests play and academic and social development are closely linked and indicate success in the areas of 21st century skills, literacy and language, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education. The conclusion of this review includes recommendations for …

The Effect Of Project-Based Learning On Student Mastery Of Ngss Practices, Alexander C. Bendlage

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Project-based learning diverges from traditional learning methods of the past by engaging students in the application of curriculum through the creation of products that represent their understanding of important skills and concepts. This research compared the rigor of project-based learning tasks with traditional learning tasks, and examined achievement differences between students taught with project-based learning and traditional instruction. To do so, a group of 81 students participated in a study in which the performance of a control group participating in traditional learning methods was compared to that of students who participated in project-based learning tasks. It was found that on …

The Application Of Adult Learning And Development Theory In The Undergraduate Classroom, Jennifer Flewelling

Educational Studies Dissertations

Instructors in higher education may have a limited knowledge of ways adults learn and develop. That lack of theoretical understanding may have inhibited the pedagogical practice of faculty in the undergraduate classroom. The purpose of this study was to explore how university instructors described their understanding of adult learning and development in undergraduate settings, and to identify factors that influenced the design and implementation of instructional practice as reported by undergraduate faculty. The study employed an explanatory sequential mixed methods research design. An online survey collected quantitative and qualitative data from 95 university instructors in Northeastern Massachusetts. Follow-up interviews were …

Standardized Tests: Effects On Science Education And Diversity In Science, Rachel A. Rucker

Honors Thesis

Standardized tests are ubiquitous in the American educational system. The excessive use of standardized tests has led to a decrease in taught content and has pushed teachers at the high school level to adopt less effective teaching styles that are also extremely common for introductory STEM courses at the undergraduate level. The heavy reliance on ACT and SAT scores for acceptance into college is misplaced, as the ACT/SAT are poor predictors of STEM college graduation. Also, underrepresented students (women, racial minorities, and lower socioeconomic groups) are disproportionately impacted by the heavy use of standardized tests. These students tend to score …

Elements Of Effective, Engaging, And Enjoyable Education Environments, Ivan Harjehausen

Senior Theses

I explore three elements of effective education that promote student development. First, a classroom culture that encourages students to be responsible for managing their own learning rather than relying on the teacher can boost student learning. Two ways of accomplishing this are teachers communicating high expectations for students and teachers normalizing the concept of failure by acknowledging that making mistakes is an essential part of learning.

Second, teachers can model the skills and attitudes they hope to cultivate in students. Children learn by observing behavior of parents then imitating; these same learning mechanisms do not stop in childhood but rather …

Examining The Lived-Experiences Of International L2 Phd Students: A Narrative Study, Sydney B. Basford

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The primary purpose of this qualitative narrative study was to explore the lived experiences of international PhD students who used academic English literacy during their research for their theses/dissertations. The second purpose of this study was to identify ways international PhD students mitigated academic language challenges for their theses/dissertations. This qualitative narrative study was founded on the theoretical framework of constructivism and sociocultural theory created by Vygotsky. The research participants were three L2 international PhD students who lived in America while conducting research for their dissertations or theses. Video recorded semi-structured interviews were conducted with all participants to gather rich, …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Experiences Of Former English As A Foreign Language Students, Nguessan T. Yobouet

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Many people in school settings have been successful in learning foreign languages, including English. While schools have helped provide this opportunity, the increasing rate of student disinterest in foreign languages is evidence that schools have not yet fully achieved their goals in foreign language education. The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of former students who have successfully learned English as a foreign language outside of school. Specifically, this study aimed to describe and interpret the sociocultural dimension of EFL (English as a foreign language) learning. To determine the importance of the sociocultural dimension of foreign language …

The Impact Of A Classroom Calm Down Corner In A Primary Classroom, Clairissa Thompson

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Teachers use social-emotional learning (SEL) practices to help teach students strategies to self-regulate inside the classroom. The practice of mindfulness is an SEL strategy that can be implemented through the use of a classroom calm-down corner to help classroom behaviors. This action research studied the impact of a calm down corner in the primary classroom. Participants included the researcher's class of 23 second-grade students. Students participated in daily mini-lessons for strategies to use in the calm down corner. Data was collected on student behavior and usage of the calm down corner through observations. Negative student behaviors decreased as a result …

Digging Into Your Passion: A School Improvement Plan, Isaac Ryan Heard

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

To help bring choice into a student's learning environment, educators need to find ways to add time into school's daily and weekly schedule. Genius Hour and passion clubs are two ways that allow for students to ask questions and seek answers through project-based learning while utilizing the core skills in each content area. The problem is that the option for having choices is missing from the middle school curriculum. The purpose of this school improvement plan is to create a hybrid of in-school and after-school clubs that provide students an opportunity to dig into their passions while expanding upon their …

The Impact Of Station Rotations In 2nd Grade Reading, Rebecca Draayer

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Selecting a classroom approach which engages students and prepares them for success can be challenging for teachers. Educators have to take into account resources available for instruction as well as the demographics of their classroom. This action research study followed second grade students over a four-month period in a reading classroom that utilized the station rotation approach of blended learning. The reason for selecting the station rotation model of blended learning was to improve students' reading scores. It was a goal of this action research to see if a more active approach to teaching would help improve student reading skills. …

Interdisciplinary Learning And The Effects On Students, Carrie Hubert

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

In order to be an effective teacher, it is important to prepare students for their future in the 21st century. Students are expected to be able to problem-solve and make connections beyond the silos of single discipline classrooms. The purpose of this literature review was to examine interdisciplinary instruction and how it affects student learning. While researching, multiple themes arose including how interdisciplinary learning improves student engagement as well as efficacy. In addition, studies indicate that interdisciplinary methods help students develop problem-solving and higher-order thinking skills. Last, interdisciplinary learning creates opportunities for students to build relationships with both teachers and …

The Effect Of Interleaved Practice In A High School Chemistry Class, Alex Herrington

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Determining practices to produce optimal learning outcomes is a foundational objective for educators. Recent publications have identified the importance of practice sequencing structures (blocked vs interleaved) on learning. While this information has significant value for education, few studies have been conducted in authentic educational environments. This action research involved high school chemistry students (n=25) completing a practice assignment covering mole-mass conversions. One group practiced these problems in a blocked organization while the other was interleaved. Immediately following this assignment, students noted their completion time and rated their perceived difficulty. Three days later, students were given an unannounced interleaved assessment of …

Brain Breaks And Student Engagement, Allison Kasparek

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this action research project was to determine the relationship between brain breaks and student engagement, specifically on-task and off-task behaviors. The participants included 23 twelve and thirteen-year-old students wh9o attended a middle school in Nebraska. Students participated in a 3-4 minute brain break movement activity during the 10 day intervention period. Brain breaks consisted of GoNoodle mirrored dances or "Would You Rather" guided movement activities. Data was collected by the researcher using a tally-mark system to indicate the occurrence of off-task behaviors. The study found that the implementation of brain breaks did have a positive effect on …

Tcit’S Impact On Various Challenging Behaviors, Emily Krakau

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Preventing and managing challenging behaviors is a responsibility that many educators encounter and is an aspect of the teaching profession that can cause high stress. For a child who exhibits challenging behaviors, there are lasting negative effects that can occur. The purpose of this action research project is to examine the effectiveness of Teacher-Child Interaction Training (TCIT) on reducing the frequency of different types of challenging behaviors in an early childhood setting. With a sample of three preschool aged students, who were identified as having elevated levels of challenging behavior, the teacher researcher observed the frequency for delay/avoidance, aggression, disruptive …

Case Study: Teacher Mindset And Its Impact On Instruction In An At-Risk Classroom, Michelle L. Rice

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The achievement gap between disadvantaged students and their advantaged peers is a problem that has been a concern since the Brown vs. the Board of Education Supreme Court case in 1954. The problem continues to exist, and little progress has been made in closing the gap. Research shows a teacher’s mindset can significantly impact the achievement gap. This mixed-methods case study aims to examine teacher mindsets in at-risk, suburban elementary campuses to determine its impact on instruction. A purposeful selection sample of nine teachers from various levels, experience, and specialties in grades PK-5 took part in the study. The quantitative …

Growing Up Rural: A Sensory Ethnography Of Rural Children’S Perspectives On Time, Space, And Place, Rebecca Tilhou

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

Rural places afford significant differences in learning opportunity than their urban and suburban counterparts, and are often viewed from deficit perspectives, with a focus on the challenges that are specific to rurality. This locally-focused, qualitative research explored how childhood learning and education in a rural, Mid-Atlantic peninsula of the United States are produced by the interactions between and influences of the place’s geography, history, and culture. Through ethnographic and sensory fieldwork and participatory research with children at a place based learning program for youth housed at a public library, I present a deep examination of both formal and informal learning …

Rubrics And Teamwork Development In Online Higher Education Business Courses: Exploring The Connection, Maureen Snow Andrade, Jill Jasperson, Ronald Mellado Miller

International Journal for Business Education

Effective teamwork is important in higher education business courses to prepare students for future professional contexts. Learning outcomes resulting from teamwork include motivation, knowledge retention, deep learning, critical thinking, and professional competency development. Effective teams typically work toward a common goal. When teams know what that goal is, they can collaborate and share their skills to achieve it. Instructors can assist in this process by making assignment goals clear through the use of rubrics that outline assignment expectations and by providing feedback to help students achieve the goals. This study examined the use of teamwork and rubrics in three different …

The Benefits Of Volunteering, Volunteers’ Competencies, And Their Integration Into Business Education, Verena Liszt-Rohlf, Marion Fields, Karl-Heinz Gerholz, Victor Seco, Christina Haury

International Journal for Business Education

During voluntary work, volunteers acquire valuable new knowledge and skills, but they often do not recognize these newly developed competencies, cannot apply them in further education, and fail to make others, including potential employers, aware of them. The classification and validation of these competencies can help to facilitate the transfer of volunteers’ competencies within the volunteer and labor markets; however, the required steps for validation of the acquired competencies are frequently complicated or unclear for volunteers. Additionally, accepted ways of validating are lacking in labor market. This paper starts by presenting the value and benefits of volunteering, especially in a …

2021 Ijbe V1 Front Matter, Tamra Connor

International Journal for Business Education

1. Editorial Board
2. President's Letter
3. SIEC-ISBE International

The Pósa Method: Students' Perceptions Of Hungarian Mathematics Pedagogy, Lauren Seidl

Senior Theses

This study examines the reactions and experiences of students who are educated under the Pósa method, a Hungarian mathematics pedagogy previously employed in mathematics camps designed for gifted students. The focus of this research was to analyze the experiences of students in a Pósa method class in Budapest, Hungary. The holistic approach of gathering historical, qualitative, and analytical data pursued answers to the subsequent three research questions that guided the study: What do the students at Petrik School think about the Pósa method? What do the students in the Pósa method class think about math? What do the students’ and …

Culturally Diverse Student Engagement And Professional Development Needs Of Undergraduate Faculty: A Qualitative Case Study, Christina R. Luther

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

This qualitative single-site case study explored how undergraduate faculty members engaged culturally diverse students and determined the professional development needs of those faculty members to engage culturally diverse student populations. Exploring culturally sensitive practices will enable faculty members of institutions of higher education (IHEs) to engage diverse student populations. Determining the professional development needs of IHEs faculty members will assist IHEs’professional developers to implement training that will enhance the engagement of culturally diverse student populations. Qualitative data were collected through interviews from five undergraduate education faculty members at an institution of higher education (IHE) in the southeastern region of the …

An Evaluation Of Student Perceptions Of Classroom Environment Factors In Faccs Schools, Pamela J. Piorkowski

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The purpose of the study was to evaluate Florida Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (FACCS) high school student perceptions of the relationship between ideal and real classroom environments. The quantitative, non-experimental research design with a survey was used to understand students' overall perceptions of attending five Christian schools and how they perceived the classroom environments. Student perceptions of their classroom environment are a topic of essential importance to the Christian school. The data provided vital insight using nine dimensions measured using a standardized tool, the Classroom Environment Scale (CES), developed by Edison Trickett and Rudolf Moos. Dimensions in the …

A Phenomenological Study On Novice Teachers’ Perceptions Of Instructional Coaching Support, Shameka J. Brown

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Experiencing instructional supportive structures that help teachers to overcome barriers to meeting the diverse needs of their students is vital to the success of novice teachers (Kraft et al., 2018). The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions novice teachers developed while experiencing instructional coaching support. Five novice teachers in elementary Title I schools participated in the study. Two themes emerged from the data analysis and indicated that novice teachers perceived first year success as a result of the instructional coaching support they received. Novice teachers perceived that a collaborative work environment with instructional coaches and …

A Case Study Of Pedagogical Practices That Boost Chinese Students’ Oral English Self-Confidence, Michael D. Knapp

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Practice is necessary for developing oral English proficiency, but many Chinese learners of English lack the self-confidence to practice oral English; furthermore, students’ self-confidence deficiency is perpetuated by insufficient oral English proficiency. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to discover pedagogical practices that break the cycle of the reciprocal effect of deficiencies in oral English and in self-confidence in Chinese adult PhD non-English major students. Six participants who raised their oral English proficiency and self-confidence during their PhD studies described their English learning journeys by responding to interview questions. Analyzation of data from interview responses developed into two …

The Perceptions Of High School Graduates Regarding The Effectiveness Of Their 504 Accommodations, Jackie A. Wyche

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions of high school seniors diagnosed with mental or physical impairments regarding the effectiveness of their 504 academic accommodations. The approach of this qualitative study was transcendental phenomenology. Phenomenology is defined as the qualitative approach to research that encompasses the exploration of lived experiences of the participants. The participants for this research study were high school graduates who had 504 accommodations during high school. Participants for this study contr ibuted by answering open ended questions from an interview guide. In the course of the in depth data analysis, the interviews …

Disrupting The Wise Monkey Approach To Principal Preparation, Ryan Pool

Theses and Dissertations

An antiquated approach to school leadership preparation has resulted in a shortage of leaders equipped to confront the challenges of racism and injustice in our school systems. School districts considering significant investment of financial and human resources in leadership preparation programs would benefit from an elevated understanding of how individuals arrive at a level of conscientization, or critical awakening, regarding issues of social justice. This case study examines one district’s approach to principal preparation, focusing on how specific professional learning interventions influenced participants’ beliefs regarding the transformative responsibilities of a school leader, and the common experiences that occurred between participants. …