Educational Methods Commons^™

The Impact Of Common Core Mathematics Professional Development On Elementary Mathematics Teaching Self-Efficacy And The Resulting Effects On Their Student Achievement, Alissa Smith Lee

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this mixed-method study was to examine the impact of professional development on elementary mathematics teaching self-efficacy as well as the influence of teacher self-efficacy on student achievement. Statistical t tests were used to analyze the dispersion of the teachers’ personal mathematics teaching efficacy beliefs (PMTE) and mathematics teaching outcome expectancy efficacy beliefs (MTOE). To develop a broader perspective, a qualitative analysis of interview data was implemented. Unlike the results from the quantitative data, the qualitative data in this study revealed that meaningful participation in professional development increased teacher performance as well as enhanced their mathematical teaching efficacy. …

Design Thinking And Methods In Library Practice And Graduate Library Education, Rachel Ivy Clarke, Ann Rosenblad, Satyen Amonkar

School of Information Studies - Faculty Scholarship

Despite interest in the application of design thinking and methods in librarianship, there seems to be a disconnect between application and education to support it. This study used an online

questionnaire to elicit feedback from library workers in the United States about interest in and use of design thinking and methods in library practice, and the need for design skills and abilities in library education. We found that practicing librarians perceive the relevance of design thinking and methods to library work, although opinions vary based on library and work type. Design thinking and methods were used mostly for space planning …

Teachers And Creativity In The Classroom, Krystal Dawn Flanders

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fostering creativity within the classroom can have numerous positive and lasting effects that support students in becoming adults who are inquisitive, curious, critical thinkers, as well as risk takers (Amabile & Kramer, 2012; Beghetto, 2015; Craft, 2003; Csikszentmihalyi, 2013; Hennessy, 2017; Piirto, 2004; Starko, 2018). Sternberg (2007) argues that, since the world is changing at a faster pace than ever before, students will need to continuously deal with new and unusual tasks and situations. Although the research identifies the importance of creativity in the classroom, the research also finds a trend in teachers' limited understanding of what creativity is and …

Measuring Metacognitive Awareness: Applying Multiple, Triangulated, And Mixed-Methods Approaches For An Encompassing Measure Of Metacognitive Awareness, Andrew J. Hughes

Educational Leadership & Technology Faculty Publications

The article provides an overview of the quantitative analysis of teachers’ metacognitive awareness. The purpose of the overview is to express the need for encompassing measures of metacognition for improving metacognitive awareness in the field of technology and engineering education. The data presented come from using the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory to measure technology and engineering teachers’ metacognitive awareness at the end of 2 specific professional development (PD) programs. The study had a sample size of 21. Participants were combined into 3 groups based on their participation in the PD programs. Group 1 consisted of teachers that actively participated in the …

Curiosity Over Kindness: Discovering The Importance Of Student Assets, Dana Wolfson

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This research explores the argument that it is important to know students well through understanding the assets students bring with them to school. I aim to explore the kinds of assets students bring with them to their experiences at school, why it is important for teachers to get to know and make use of students’ assets, and the methods teachers can use to get to know student assets. Undergirding this exploration of the importance of student assets in school is the through line that the racial, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds of both teacher and student deeply impact the ways that …

2019 Nsse, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Assessment Center Reports

National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) reports produced by the SWOSU Assessment Center.

Using A Discursive Framework To Analyze Geometric Learning And Instruction, Peter Wiles, Rick Anderson

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

In this study we applied a discursive perspective of learning (Sfard, 2008) to a sequence of 21 geometry mini-lessons taught in a fourth grade classroom. From this perspective, learning is defined as changes in mathematical discourse. We first characterize and then compare discourse from the beginning and the end of the mini-lesson sequence. We identify shifts in the discourse that occurred during the sequence. We then discuss how the characteristics of the st geometric discourse informed task design and instruction. This perspective provided a useful means for linking instruction to student learning in an operationalized manner.

Interactive And Accessible Pdfs, Quality Blended Learning Consortium

Open Educational Resources

This tutorial introduces the users to the fundamental concepts on how to create interactive and accessible PDFs, as well as provides guidance on the tools to be used, best practices, and mistakes to avoid. The tutorial includes quizzes for self-assessment.

Eight Weeks And A Poetry Slam: A Poetry Curriculum For Second-Graders, Kate Hest

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This paper presents a rationale and an eight-week poetry reading and writing curriculum designed for second-grade students. At the heart of the curriculum is Owl Moon by Jane Yolen, used as a mentor text to guide students’ exploration of poetry. This central text is complemented by a diverse selection of poems and picture books.

Engaging Struggling Readers: The Significance Of The Aesthetic Response For Comprehension, Amy Won

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This research explores the relationship between aesthetic (emotional) responses to literature and reading comprehension. Bridging theory and practice, it presents a pedagogical approach that integrates comprehension strategies to support and deepen students' emotional engagement with texts.

Shades Of Black: Topics Of Self-Love And Appreciation, Natasha Harris

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This Integrative Master’s Project presents a curriculum designed to support the development of student-led affinity groups for African American or Black students attending predominantly White schools.

Tanglewood Trail Walking And Voucher Program, Kelci Marie Mchugh

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

Rural Appalachian populations have greater rates of obesity and chronic diseases attributed to lesser consumption of fruits and vegetables (F/V) and physical inactivity. Barriers to F/V consumption and physical activity include poor access and affordability. To help overcome these barriers, a community-initiated walking and farmers market F/V voucher program was implemented.

Participants were encouraged to walk (1.2 miles roundtrip) to the local farmers market to redeem a $10 voucher which could only be spent on F/V. The 16-week program (June – Sept) included 121 participants. Data was analyzed by creating two groups, low-engagers and high-engagers that differed significantly in the …

Flipping The Jane Austen Classroom, Lynda A. Hall

English Faculty Articles and Research

The contemporary Austen classroom might appreciate cultural and racial diversity, examine popular culture’s distortions of the original texts, and consider multimodal ways of reading. This paper reflects on a course that “flipped” the research process in order to “find” Austen and her works in the popular culture and to evaluate our understanding in the twenty-first century. Students discovered the commodification and distortion of “Jane Austen” and conducted research for creative projects to learn more about the social, cultural, and historical contexts of the written texts.

Pogil Beyond Stem, Sue Joyner Guillaud, Margie Ruppel

Library Faculty Publications and Presentations

This chapter focuses on POGIL's extension and application in non-science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, building on the foundations of POGIL previously discussed in this book. The theory, process, guided inquiry, and evidence of student success are applicable to non-STEM disciplines; however, each discipline may require a few adjustments in content and delivery. Many non-STEM disciplines rely heavily on process skills, which are paramount to the POGIL process. Details on applications to the fields of second language (L2) learning and information literacy serve as case studies, with evidence of learning enhancement and similar foundational learning theories.

Honors Value Added: Where We Came From, And What We Need To Know Next, Hallie E. Savage

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

The pressure is on, and growing greater when it comes to defining, disseminating, and defending the value of higher education generally and the reasons for funding it (Harnisch 2011). Complaints abound regarding the rising costs of higher education, and many legislators and the public are demanding accountability. Funding cuts are forcing many colleges and universities to prioritize and to evaluate what merits support and what does not. As a part of a large array of undergraduate programs, honors programs and honors colleges face increasingly greater pressure to justify their existence.

That said, honors programs and colleges are in a good …

Community College Honors Benefits: A Propensity Score Analysis, Jane B. Honeycutt

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

According to Morgan and Badenhausen (2015), honors education began in the United States in 1921 when Frank Ayedelotte became president of Swarthmore College. At that time, Ayedelotte initiated an interdisciplinary curriculum that stressed critical thinking and active learning. Almost a century later, the National Collegiate Honors Council (2013) defines honors education in terms true to Ayedelotte’s original vision:

Honors education is characterized by in-class and extracurricular activities that are measurably broader, deeper, or more complex than comparable learning experiences . . . [and] honors experiences include a distinctive learnerdirected environment and philosophy. (para. 2)

Similar to four-year university honors programming, …

Proving The Value Of Honors Education:The Right Data And The Right Messaging, Bette L. Bottoms, Stacie L. Mccloud

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

Administered within over 1,500 honors colleges and programs in two- and four-year institutions worldwide (National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) 2017; Scott and Smith 2016; Wolfensberger 2015), honors education serves the best interests of students and adds quality to the academic mission of host institutions by promoting the highest intellectual standards. Necessarily differing in form and content, all honors programs and colleges share the goals of identifying and supporting the most talented students as they achieve success in college and as they learn how to prepare not only for successful careers, but also for lifelong learning and meaningful civic engagement (Humphrey …

Demonstrating The Value Of Honors: What Next?, Jerry Herron

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

Our professional organization, the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC), has provided a good general definition of honors education while at the same time recognizing the “diversity of honors experiences across many institutions of higher learning.” Here’s how the definition reads, in part, from the NCHC website:

Honors education is characterized by in-class and extracurricular activities that are measurably broader, deeper, or more complex than comparable learning experiences typically found at institutions of higher education. (NCHC 2013)

Reflecting On The Context Of A Teaching Philosophy, Judith Platania

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

Teaching experience is only valuable when we reflect on our practices as professors. This reflection should expand our realization of the challenges we face in the classroom.As faculty, we have an obligation to our students and to ourselves to participate in continued assessment of our teaching philosophy.Not only is it important to do so from a pedagogical perspective, it reminds us of our responsibility to inform our students through evidence-based practices and the science of our respective disciplines.

The Effects Of A Makerspace Curriculum On The 4c'S In Education, Staci Novak

Graduate Research Papers

Makerspaces are becoming more common in schools K-12 as well as at the university level and encourage educators to think differently about learning. This review examines how a makerspace curriculum impacts the way in which learners apply the 4 C’s (creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication). Thirteen peer-reviewed research studies published between 2014 and 2018 were selected for analysis. The reviewed research studies indicated that students who participate in makerspaces tend to use their creativity to problem-solve, are communicative and collaborative with other makers, and tend to use critical thinking skills when presented with an obstacle. Recommendations for implementation of …

A Summary Of Literacy Skills And Improvement Methods From The Perspective Of A Future Teacher, Emma L. Taylor

A with Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

2019 Bachelor's Degree Exit Survey, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Assessment Center Reports

Exit Surveys produced by the SWOSU Assessment Center.

2019 Master's Degree Exit Survey, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Assessment Center Reports

Exit Surveys produced by the SWOSU Assessment Center.

History And Current Practices Of Assessment To Demonstrate Value Added, Patricia J. Smith

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

With more than 1,500 honors programs currently in operation and hundreds of millions of dollars being spent throughout American institutions, external pressure is building for accountability in honors programs (Scott and Smith 2016). Today’s society “expects colleges and universities to graduate students who can get things done in the world and are prepared for effective and engaged citizenship” (Keeling et al. 2004:5). Doyle (2004) also has noted the increasing scrutiny of higher education:

the attention given to higher education’s success at fostering student learning has increased in recent years. The rapidly rising cost of higher education and the increased attention …

Adding Value Through Honors At The University Of Iowa: Effects Of A Pre-Semester Honors Class And Honors Residence On First-Year Students, Art L. Spisak, Robert F. Kirby, Emily M. Johnson

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

Activities that take place early in students’ college career can strongly influence their academic engagement and success. Two experiences that honors programs may provide during the initial phases of the undergraduate experience are pre- or earlysemester programs and honors residence halls. This study compares honors students who lived in an honors residence hall and/or took part in a pre-semester academic, credit-bearing class upon entry into college to their honors peers who did not elect these options. It tracks the degree of the students’ subsequent engagement with the honors program and also several measures of their academic success, such as grade …

Contributions Of Small Honors Programs: The Case Of A Public Liberal Arts College, George Smeaton, Margaret Walsh

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

The Keene State College Honors Program began as the vision of a former college president to attract more high-achieving students to this particular public liberal arts college. In the fall of 2007, after the college had secured initial funding, a small cohort of twenty first-year students were selected for the honors program by admissions staff for their achievements and promise. The numbers were intentionally small, but the goals were ambitious for a rural college that serves a high percentage of first-generation college students (43%). The students selected for admission into honors would enroll in an honors-level writing course and live …

Introduction: The Demonstrable Value Of Honors Education, Andrew J. Cognard-Black

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

In May of 2016, a small cadre of scholars was called to the campus of Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, for the Honors Education Research Colloquium, a two-day meeting focusing on the future direction of research in honors education. The participants were assembled by Jerry Herron, who at the time was president of the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC), close on the heels of a decision by the NCHC Board of Directors in June of the previous year to make research—along with professional development and advocacy—one of three strategic priorities.

After a day of presentations, in turn, by each …

The Value Added Of Honors Programs In Recruitment, Retention, And Student Success: Impacts Of The Honors College At The University Of Mississippi, Robert D. Brown, Jonathan Winburn, Douglass Sullivan-González

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

In a recent essay, M. Roy Wilson (2015), President of Wayne State University, and Jerry Herron, Dean of the Honors College, discuss the value added of honors programs in terms that should be familiar to numerous constituencies associated with honors education. Wilson and Herron write about honors education largely in terms of the experiences it provides students:

the [honors] college is not tied to any particular academic discipline; instead, it represents the virtues of a liberal education that reaches across departments, schools, and colleges. For our students, the aim is to integrate the specialized—and essential—knowledge of the disciplines into a …

Honors Education Has A Positive Effect On College Student Success, Dulce Diaz, Susan P. Farruggia, Meredith E. Wellman, Bette L. Bottoms

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

Over 1,500 U.S. universities and colleges have honors programs or honors colleges to provide extra support for their most prepared students (National Collegiate Honors Council 2018; Scott and Smith 2016). Honors programs typically provide additional financial support, faculty mentors, smaller class sizes, and other benefits compared to what institutions can typically offer all of their students. Students involved in an honors program usually earn higher GPAs compared to highly motivated students not in an honors program (Pritchard and Wilson 2003) and are more likely to stay in college and graduate within four years (Cosgrove 2004).

The additional success of honors …

Teaching Visual Literacies: The Case Of The Great American Dust Bowl, Mary F. Rice, Ashley K. Dallacqua

SANE journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education

Teachers and students require a range of tools to engage with visual texts. Using The Great American Dust Bowlby Don Brown (2013) as an exemplar text, we outline four conceptions of visual literacy: rhetorical, instructional, industrial and visuo-spatial and discuss their use in our literacy education practice. In addition, we provide a brief model of a second text, The Arrival (Tan, 2013) and a list of suggested texts for students at different levels (elementary, middle, and high school). We argue that these tools have the potential to deepen conceptions of visual literacies and empower teachers and students to understand …