Educational Methods Commons^™

Loose Parts In The Outdoor Play Space, Samuel L. Shapiro

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Loose parts play is a play practice that prioritizes a child’s ability to self-direct and intrinsically motivate above all else. It does so by utilizing decontextualized items that are flexible in their usage and allow children to project their own ideas, imaginations, and usages onto the items, rather than by allowing the items to dictate usage to the children. The booklet that Sam Shapiro created, Loose Parts in the Outdoor Play Space, provides a tool that professionals can utilize in support of their own loose parts programs. It provides an overview of the state of play, an examination of what …

Educator Perceptions Of Appropriate Social Media Practices, Amanda Hope Preece

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this qualitative pilot study was to investigate the perceptions of educators regarding appropriate social media practices. Specific elements of appropriate social media use by teachers investigated include understanding of acceptable use policies and freedom of speech, the relationship between social media and professional development, and best practices for educators concerning their social media usage. Purposeful, convenience, and snowball sampling were used to select study participants. Study participants (N=24) were preservice teachers completing student teaching or mentor teachers for Marshall University College of Education and Professional Development. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 teacher candidates and 12 mentor …

An Exploration Of Teacher Perception And Practices Of Using Assessment Data To Improve Achievement Of Equity Student Groups, Laurie Mazelin

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

While utilizing assessment data has been a pervasive practice in educational reform for decades, and teachers are expected to use assessment data to improve instruction, little is known about how the practice of requiring teachers to review test data affects their perception of effectiveness in addressing the learning gaps of student groups. This qualitative phenomenological research study used open-ended, semi-structured interviews to help better understand how the expectations of teachers analyzing and integrating assessment data translates into teacher instructional practice and self-efficacy. This study aimed to explore the shared experience of teachers required to participate in collaborative planning centered on …

The Kids Are Not Alright: Teachers’ Perspectives On Social And Emotional Learning In Diverse Populations, Siobhan Dalrymple

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This dissertation was inspired by the researcher’s own experiences as a K-8 teacher. Reflecting on her struggles with classroom management and meeting the social and emotional needs of students who had experienced trauma, the researcher chose to take a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to studying Illinois elementary school teachers’ self-efficacy and motivation with regard to social and emotional learning (SEL) as influenced by community, district, and school level factors as well as the teachers’ own beliefs and practices. Five teachers in four different Illinois school districts were interviewed for this paper; the researcher also includes data from a pilot study with …

2024 Master's Degree Exit Survey, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Assessment Center Reports

Exit Surveys produced by the SWOSU Assessment Center.

The Effect Of Reading Fluency After Coronavirus-19 Lockdown, Lauren Balogh

Student Research Poster Presentations 2024

This poster's research discusses the impact of the Coronavirus-19 lockdown on students' reading fluency and the effectiveness of the hybrid method. It also explores the struggles students face in meeting benchmark scores after the lockdown.

Investigating The Perceptions Of The Professional Development Experience Of Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (Siop) In A Pk-8th Grade District, Joseph Trsar

Dissertations of Practice

INVESTIGATING THE PERCEPTIONS OF THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCE OF SHELTERED INSTRUCTION OBSERVATION PROTOCOL

(SIOP) IN A PK-8TH GRADE DISTRICT

This dissertation explores the perceptions of staff members who have received professional development in Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) and their motivation to implement the strategies learned during the training. There is an increasing number of non-native English speakers in the Illinois education system and a large emphasis on how to best serve this growing population. Providing educators with professional development in SIOP is one strategy many districts utilize to meet this growing population. This dissertation investigated the experiences of several …

Empowering English Proficiency: A Program To Excellence In The Vietnam Mekong Delta For Advancing English Proficiency For Future Generations, Dang Thai Bao Vy

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

This thesis outlines the three primary strategies for FPT University in Vietnam to implement a successful "Abroad English Semester Program" (AbES) for her undergraduate students. The first strategy focuses on program design, emphasizing a well-structured curriculum that balances language skills and cultural immersion. The second strategy involves student selection, setting clear English proficiency benchmarks and conducting interviews to ensure student motivation and suitability. The third strategy addresses logistics and support, including partnering with universities, providing pre-departure training, and offering ongoing assistance. The key components in this thesis are inclusive of comprehensive program design, language immersion, skill development, student selection, evaluations …

The 5cs Of Openness: Articulating An Open Education Infrastructure (Oer), Richard E. West, David Wiley

Entrepreneurship Faculty Research

Open education needs to evolve to fully realize its potential. Emerging innovations such as generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and open credentials provide exciting opportunities for this growth. In this chapter, we briefly define the key characteristics of open education, describing its history, current opportunities for open education through generative AI, and then articulate an overarching 5Cs framework for open education that can guide research and practice into the future.

An Expository Analysis Of Textbook Usage In Classical Settings For High School Biology, Kristen Bissontz

Master of Arts in Classical Studies

AN EXPOSITORY ANALYSIS OF TEXTBOOK USAGE IN CLASSICAL SETTINGS FOR HIGH SCHOOL BIOLOGY

Kristen Bissontz

Southeastern University, Lakeland FL

The classical model of education has reemerged as a viable alternative to the modern education system. Many of the disciplines taught in a classical school, program or home education scenario appear to align with the classical philosophy with the exception of the sciences. This paper serves to uncover if textbooks are the primary source in classical settings, what resources are utilized, and offers suggestions to better align with the classical pedagogy.

A small sample of classical schools and programs in a …

Building A Pipeline For Transfer And Scholarship Through (Virtual) Honors Research Partnerships, Lauri B. Cockfield

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

Excerpt:

At the start of the 2020 academic year, I was approached by the president of the Barry Goldwater Foundation, who invited the Perimeter Honors College to participate in a new initiative they were undertaking with the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to identify excellent candidates for the Goldwater scholarship from groups underrepresented in STEM. We were already establishing a framework in research that included appointment of a new Research and Scholarship Coordinator in the honors college, a campus-based research showcase, and a new research partnership with an interdisciplinary bachelor’s program. Because one of the goals of these structural changes …

Reaction To Intention: Developing Hybrid Honors Courses In The Wake Of The Pandemic, Megan Woller

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

Applying lessons learned throughout the global COVID-19 pandemic, this chapter considers the shift from the necessary but reactionary adjustment to a virtual learning environment toward an intentional use of online learning in honors courses. Specifically, this chapter draws on my own experience teaching an honors course entitled “Issues in Music History: Music and Gender.” This course was developed in December of 2019 as a face-to-face class for non-major honors students with a focus on discussion, writing, and teamwork via a final project.

For Here Or To Go? (Re)Packaging The Takeaway, Randi Polk

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

In this chapter, I intend to walk readers through my thought process for creating a virtual study abroad course and show how it was informed by lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic as well as current pedagogical trends. I will then discuss the implementation, including what worked and what did not go as planned. Finally, I will show how this course culminated in a student-led conference presentation and how this topic has shaped future thinking for Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) honors regarding global learning opportunities.

Re-Reading Local Spaces: City As Text Tm Goes Virtual, Sara E. Quay, Season Ellison, Leslie Heaphy, Amaris Ketcham, Toni Lefton, Andrew Martino

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

This chapter provides honors program faculty and directors with detailed strategies for running a City as Text^TM (CAT) experience in a hybrid or virtual format. It documents specific ways the traditional CAT institute principles were adapted to a virtual space, including changes made to the institute format, destinations, collaborations, and assignments. A new emphasis on multimedia platforms, central to the virtual institute, are discussed. Finally, a summary of what the facilitators learned in the process of shifting a fundamentally in-person experience to online is shared.

Navigating Without Knowing, Elizabeth M. Hodge, Bhibha M. Das, Tim Christensen, Teal Darkenwald, Gerald Weckesser, Wayne Godwin

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

This chapter examines the process and outcomes of how honors college faculty at a southeastern university shifted their introductory freshmen seminar from a traditional face-to-face format to an online one. These shifts included using technological resources, innovative pedagogy, and social media to foster a sense of community within the honors college. The chapter provides several examples grounded in Chickering and Gamson’s “seven principles of good practice,” which readers can utilize to improve teaching and learning. An overview of the course design using Canvas as the learning management system along with pedagogical examples grounded in the nationally recognized Quality Matters standards …

Money Doesn’T Grow On Trees: How Financial Literacy Is Learned And Developed Within American Childhood, Nate Lewis

Soaring: A Journal of Undergraduate Research

Financial literacy refers to the ability to process and utilize economic information to make informed decisions for their wellbeing. Given concerning indicators of financial outcomes within the United States, it is crucial to understand how and when strong financial behavior is developed. Efforts to enhance financial education have explored incorporating financial concepts into children’s literature and games. Yet, research indicates that financial literacy is far more rooted in the habits learned from one’s family, despite the emphasis often placed on schooling and socioeconomic status. It is therefore evident that efforts to promote financial literacy must always involve empowering family members …

Empowering Diverse Learners: A Comprehensive Approach To Differentiated Instruction (Di) And Culturally Responsive Teaching (Crt), Sujeong Lee

Education | Graduate Culminating Projects

Empowering Diverse Learners: A Comprehensive Approach to Differentiated Instruction (DI) and Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) explores the integration of DI and CRT to create inclusive and equitable educational environments. This project aims to transform classrooms into spaces celebrating students' cultural heritage and addressing diverse learning needs. The primary objectives are to develop inclusive classroom activities, curate practical resources, and design professional development modules. A central feature of this project is the interactive Padlet, "Teacher's Hub: Effective Teaching Resources", which provides a dynamic platform for educators to access and share valuable resources, lesson plans, and strategies for implementing DI …

Changes In Values And Perception Of Life: Natural Disaster Devastates A Mountain Community, Sharifullah Baig, Abida Begum

Professional Development Centre, Gilgit

The mountain communities of Karakorum and the Himalayas in Pakistan are frequently experiencing climate change-induced natural disasters, which are inflicting irreparable losses to their generation's old value system and socio-economic life. Focusing on the value system, this small-scale study explored the change in values and perceptions of a disaster-affected mountain community about natural hazards and its implications for their future lives. Twenty participants from the affected community, including local political activists, religious leaders, teachers, and youth activists, were thoroughly interviewed. The study explored significant deviations from their traditional values of connectedness to each other and with their ancestors' land. The …

The Song Of Life: Listening To Self, Others, Nature, And God (The Divine), E. James Baesler

Communication & Theatre Arts Faculty Publications

“Listening to the SONG of Life” is a pedagogical framework that conceptualizes listening as a multi-sensory experience in four contexts: Self, Others, Nature, and God/Goddess (the Divine). L-SONG (Listening-SONG) is an instrument developed to measure student learning in four contexts during a listening course.

Student Use Of Anchors And Metacognitive Strategies In Reflection, Anu Singh, Heidi A. Diefes-Dux

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Context: Self-regulation, a skillset involving taking charge of one’s own learning processes, is crucial for workplace success. Learners develop self-regulation skills through reflection where they recognize weaknesses and strengths by employing metacognitive strategies: planning, monitoring, and evaluating. Use of anchors assists learners’ engagement in reflection. Purpose or Goal: The purpose of this work was to gain insight into students’ use of anchors when reflecting on their learning. The two research questions: (1) To what extent do students link their self-evaluation and learning objective (LO) self-ratings to their reflections? and (2) What dimensions and level of metacognitive strategies do students use …

Incorporating Sex-Diverse And Gender-Inclusive Perspectives In Higher Education Biology Courses, Breanne N. Harris, A Kelsey Lewis, Sam L. Sharpe, Teri J. Orr, Christopher T. Martine, Chloe C. Josefson

Faculty Journal Articles

Inclusive teaching is teaching in a way that reaches all students in the classroom; this is beneficial for everyone, particularly for those with minoritized identities. Instructors play a critical role in scaffolding how students are exposed to and learn science content in the classroom. In this manuscript, we discuss how biology instructors can make their classrooms more inclusive with regard to sex and gender diversity content. Many topics in biology are based on androcentric, heteronormative, and oppressive framing, even though those lenses are more reflective of our own history and culture than they are of the diversity we see in …

Saving Ourselves From Infection: A Theraputic Model Of Peer Led Education, Jessica Tkacs Way

West Chester University Master’s Theses

The purpose of this action research is to explore non-hierarchical peer led education as a means to end the Hepatitis C epidemic, promote empowerment and self-esteem in current injection drug users, and create a more global understanding of power structures that perpetuate opioid use so that those living with addiction are better able to educate, organize and fight for structural change. The current healthcare system is not able to test, treat or educate those most at risk for Hepatitis C infection or reinfection - people who inject drugs. The United States is currently in a losing battle with opioid addiction, …

2023-2024 Ets Proficiency Profile, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Assessment Center Reports

ETS Proficiency Profile reports produced by the SWOSU Assessment Center.

2023-2024 Annual Student Assessment Report, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Assessment Center Reports

Annual Student Assessment Report produced by the SWOSU Assessment Center.

Through The Looking Glass: Honors In Virtual Reality, Betsy Greenleaf Yarrison

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

Within the context of the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the author discusses the potential role of virtual reality technologies in honors programs in instiitutions of higher education.

Reimagining Honors Curriculum: Delivered Through Technology Utilizing Our Alumni Community, Mollie Hartup, Amy Cossentino, Lexi Rager

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

This chapter describes our thought process and the practical steps we took as we created a new course. It also provides student, faculty/ staff, and alumni perspectives on our triumphs and tribulations throughout the year. We hope that by sharing the early results of our efforts, other honors colleges or programs also looking to reimagine their first-year experience will benefit from the lessons we have learned.

Exploring Incoming Honors Students’ Beliefs About Online Courses, Kristy Spear, Pavlo D. Antonenko

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

This essay highlights the findings of a 2018 longitudinal mixedmethod explanatory sequential design study conducted at a large research institution with this purpose in mind. The study explored incoming honors students’ beliefs about online courses and how beliefs changed after the first semester of college coursework. Beliefs about online courses were deconstructed using the Community of Inquiry framework (Garrison, Anderson, and Archer 88), a questionnaire aligned with this theory (Arbaugh, Cleveland-Innes, Diaz, Garrison, Ice, Richardson, and Swan 135), and semi-structured interviews. The findings, highlighted in this essay, provide valuable insight into design and instructional strategies that support online learning and …

Online Faculty Professional Development And Community As Nexus, John Zubizarreta, Beata M. Jones, Marca V. C. Wolfensberger

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

Our goal is to share ideas and experiences related to the design of dynamic, interactive professional development opportunities that focus on learning skills for managing remote or online teaching but more importantly that create a relationship-rich sense of community. Our Honors International Faculty Learning Online (HIFLO) model is a successful example in honors, but it offers reasonably adaptable strategies that can be used in future virtual professional development ventures inside or outside of honors. No matter what other topics may be addressed in later Honors International Faculty Institute (HIFI) or HIFLO seminars, the essential principle of community will always be …

International Virtual Exchange During And Beyond The Pandemic, Ian Mcintosh

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

The first goal of this chapter is to describe the virtual class. The second is to demonstrate just how easy such exchanges are when using technology such as the CN (Course Networking), which is like Facebook for academia. This software, plus the use of What’s App for free mobile calling, allowed students from both countries to get to know one another and explore course topics well beyond what can be delivered in a classroom setting. Finally, I will share information on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and some of the impressive discoveries made by the students in their respective …

Online Education, Honors, And The Engaged University: Modeling Experiential Learning For Fully Online Students At Fort Hays State University, Kevin S. Amidon, Gregory Atkins

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

This essay outlines the principles upon which the Fort Hays State University Honors Online initiative will be based and proposes ways of achieving successful honors outcomes in student-centered ways that are appropriate and meaningful to both on-campus and online cohorts. We propose a structure guided by a Community of Inquiry (COI) framework that respects and reflects the social, cognitive, and academic needs of diverse students as individuals and groups. This results in a concentric curricular model in which the student’s academic major field provides a broad, encompassing space for inner fields of co-curricular experiential learning and service. Honors staff work …