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Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Publication rights to works is granted to Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities, however, full copyright for works published in this journal is retained by the author(s). The author(s) may post their works online in an institutional repository, on their University departmental website, or on their own personal websites

Staying Current In Your Field Of Interest: Tips For Aspiring Students As Researchers, Dor D. Abelman

Health Studies Publications

Undergraduate students are becoming increasingly involved in research. They already posses the skills required to make meaningful contributions to their field of interest. Some important components of their success relates to a student's ability to stay up to date in the research of their field, and to learn practical skills pertaining to the publishing process. This article hopes to help with this through presenting easy-to-follow summary tables and short paragraphs on tips for success. Topics include staying up to date in a practical way, getting involved, reaching out for help, and publication. For students, by students, this report is relatable …

A Comparison Of Online And Face-To-Face Achievement In Physical Science, Lisa F. Mozer

Doctor of Education in Instructional Technology Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This study provided a descriptive analysis of learning outcomes in both online and face-to-face grades 9-12 physical science courses. Archived data from a single school system were used for a comparative analysis of learning outcomes in high school physical science between students enrolled in online classes and students enrolled in face-to-face classes. The study compared two years of summative assessment scores of two student groups and, overall, found equality between the two learning environments. Online learning outcomes and face-to-face learning outcomes were similar for both school years, 2013-2014 and 2014-2015. The overall comparison between learning environments was further examined …

Blended Learning: Perspectives From First Time High School Instructors, Tammy Parlier

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this collective case study was to understand the transitional experiences of first time instructors, teaching a blended learning course at three separate high school sites. Blended learning is defined as inquiry that combines both face-to-face and online modalities (Halverson, Graham, Spring, & Drysdale, 2012). This unique merger between both traditional face-to-face instruction and innovative online learning creates transition and change experiences for instructors as they adapt their practice to satisfy the requirements of the blended learning environment (Guskey, 1986). Data collected through individual interviews, reflective journals, observations, and a culminating focus group interview examined these experiences in …

Going 1:1- Writing Policy To Support The 21st Century Student: A Policy Advocacy Document, Tracey K. Landry

Dissertations

In an effort to prepare its graduates with the 21^st century skills of problem solving, collaboration, technology savvy, creativity, and information literacy and to close the learning gaps between students who have access to technology and those who don’t, this study proposes that District 123 create a policy to support a 1:1 Chromebook initiative. Using Browder’s needs analysis model, the impact of a 1:1 program is analyzed through the educational, social, political, economic and moral frames (Browder, 1995). It is determined that a 1:1 program can transform teaching and learning by giving equal access to technology, by incorporating student-driven …

Using Minecraft To Integrate Common Core Activities Across Elementary School Curriculum, William A J Couling

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Minecraft, an open world sandbox game rich with educational possibility, has been a growing sensation among elementary age children across the US. Though there has been some experimentation in a number of schools across the United States, there has been no mass movement to embracing Minecraft as a virtual learning environment. With advances in the fields of Virtual Learning Environments and the new wave of educational thinking known as the “Maker Movement,” the modern educational field has an opportunity for radical new ways of teaching. Using an elementary school as a model in the Monterey Bay area, I surveyed a …

Psychiatric Clinicians’ Perspectives On Continuing Education (Ce) Programming In Rural Maine, Charles Michael Wakeling

All Theses And Dissertations

There are a variety of barriers that psychiatric clinicians face when attempting to attend continuing education programming. The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological research study was to explore continuing education practices within the health care industry, specifically mental health care, with a focus on psychiatric clinicians’ perspectives on continuing education programming in rural Maine. For the purposes of this research study, mental health care was inclusive of behavioral health care and substance abuse treatment. This study defined the term “psychiatric clinician” to be inclusive of social workers, counselors, and therapists. The participant pool was comprised of 37 psychiatric clinicians employed …

An Examination Of Accessible Hands-On Science Learning Experiences, Self-Confidence In One’S Capacity To Function In The Sciences, And Motivation And Interest In Scientific Studies And Careers., Mick D. Isaacson, Cary Supalo, Michelle Michaels, Alan Roth

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

This study examined the potential relationship of accessible hands-on science learning experiences to the development of positive beliefs concerning one’s capacity to function in the sciences and motivation to consider science as a college major and career. Findings from Likert survey items given before and after engaging in accessible hands-on science laboratories show that students who were blind or had low vision (BLV) were more likely to agree with the following items after engaging in accessible science experiences: 1) I plan on enrolling as a science major in college; 2) My educational experiences, so far, have given me the …

Connected In Isolation: A Correlational Study Of Students' Sense Of Connectedness In An Online Course And Their Learning Outcomes, Ben Morrell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, bivariate correlational study is to understand the relationship between online high school students’ sense of connectedness in the course, as measured by the Online Student Connectedness Survey (OSCS) and the students’ standardized End of Course (EOC) Milestone scores. A review of literature revealed a lack of research on high school students and their perception of connection in their online course as it relates to their academic success. The independent variable for the study is the students’ sense of connectedness score as derived from the Online Student Connectedness Score (OSCS). The dependent variable for the study …

Differences In Motivation And Game Scores Between Middle School Students Completing Digital Game-Based Learning Tasks With And Without Supports Of Autonomy And Structure, Joseph Harmon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of autonomy and structure support on intrinsic motivation (IM), the facilitators of IM, and game scores during digital game-based learning (DGBL) tasks. The sample included 222 students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade classrooms. Three instruments from the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) were utilized during the study: (a) Perceived Choice; (b) Perceived Competence; and (c) Interest/Enjoyment. A quasi-experimental static-group comparison model research design was used to test the differences in perceived autonomy, perceived competence, interest/enjoyment, and game scores between four groups of middle school students completing online learning games in …

Differences In Sense Of Community Between Students In A Middle School Virtual Class Versus A Traditional Class, Brandon Ratliff

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined the difference between students’ sense of community in the traditional classroom setting versus the virtual classroom setting with middle school–age students. McMillan and Chavis’s sense of community theory served as the theoretical foundation of the study. A quantitative, causal-comparative design was utilized to determine the effects of the variables. Students at a public middle school in Virginia and a virtual middle school in Tennessee participated in this study. Seventy-eight students participated from the public middle school that constituted the traditional setting, and 60 students participated from the virtual middle school that constituted the virtual setting. The students …

Using A Bci To Assess Attention During An Online Lecture, Ethan Hanner, Marguerite Doman

The Winthrop McNair Research Bulletin

Brain computer interfaces (BCI) use neural signals as input into computer applications. In this study, we demonstrate the use of a low-cost, commercially available BCI to directly measure participants’ attention levels while using WUtopia, and online learning platform developed at Winthrop University. Previous research demonstrated that students using this platform performed better on a post-lecture quiz than those who only viewed the lecture (Grossoehme et al.). We hypothesize that the increase in performance is due to an increase in attentiveness when using the WUtopia platform. We divided participants into the intervention (n = 7) and non-intervention (n = 12) groups. …

Factors Influencing The Selection Of Academic Help Sources, Joan Giblin

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

This study extends the literature on academic help-seeking by identifying factors influencing undergraduate students’ selection of a source of help. Learners engage in intentional decisions to seek help from human and non-human sources to resolve gaps in knowledge. Decision making heuristics provide a theoretical lens to understand these intentional decisions. Previous research in academic help-seeking assumed learners sought only human sources of assistance, resulting in a narrow understanding of how learners resolve knowledge gaps. Methodological trends in help-seeking research consistently favor quantitative, survey based tools with pre-defined options. As a result, the factors that influence the selection of a source …

Two Models For Evaluating Evidence-Based Practices In Autism, Jennifer Lee Suppo Ed.D.

Journal of Research Initiatives

The search for evidence-based practices within the realm of autism has continued to be at the forefront of autism discussions in education. The author describes two models, CEC Practice Study Manual (2008) and the National Standards Report (National Autism Center, 2009), for evaluating interventions as evidence-based practices (EBP) in autism, and compares and contrasts their features. The author applies the National Standards Report model, as it is the most frequently used model when evaluating EBP’s, in an analysis of two interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) that are known to be EBPs, and applies the same model in …

The 'Rules Of Engagement': The Ethical Dimension Of Doctoral Research, Christopher Berg

Journal of Research Initiatives

The pursuit of a doctorate is a rite of passage that requires a student to successfully navigate the transition from “student” to “scholar.” One area of practice, however, that is often marginalized is the role of ethics. Though there is no formal coursework in ethics, its importance cannot be understated. This essay examines the conceptual role of ethics in doctoral research as both an individual reflective essay as well as a broader discussion of ethics in general. The ethical dimension considered is broken down into eight principles or ethical research and practice in doctoral research. The “Eight Ethical Principles” will …

Static Course Modules? Zap! Librarians Create Interactive Online Lessons, Julie Hartwell, Heather Healy

SIDLIT Conference

Tired of voiceover PowerPoints? Looking for more than just another video link? NLA to the rescue! The New Literacies Alliance (NLA) is a project that creates interactive, online, and open access lessons addressing basic concepts of information and related literacies. Student scores on activities and assessments are captured using SoftChalk. The lessons are institution and LMS agnostic, allowing users from any organization to deploy the lessons in their online environment. Discover how librarians and instructors freely embed these lessons into their courses and collaborate remotely in the creation of new lessons. The session examines planning for initial lesson use, differing …

Assessment: Anything, Anywhere, Anytime Using Jotform, Ayyoub Ajmi

SIDLIT Conference

One of the challenges of online education is the lack of real-time feedback. JotForm is a web-based form builder used to track and evaluate student progress through an entire class rather than at the end of it. Forms can be embedded into existing learning materials and learning management systems. I will demonstrate some JotForm features suitable for online education and assessment and share how the UMKC School of Law is using JotForm to assess, engage, and communicate with students. Hands-on training will be provided on how to build your first interactive forms.

The Relationship Between Online Classroom Incivility And Sense Of Community Of Online Undergraduate Students, John Spohn

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Incivility is not just bullying and physically threatening students. Uncivil behaviors include more mild forms of classroom disruption, including plagiarizing, posting terse responses, and continually asking for extensions for assignments. A student’s motivation for learning can be hampered, when subjected to incivility causing classroom disruptions. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between student incivility in the online learning environment, as scored by the Incivility in Online Learning Environments instrument, and the student’s sense of community, as measured by the Community Classroom scale. This quantitative study seeks to extend Tuckman’s model (1965) of the Theory of Group …

Ireach Blended Learning Model And Reading Lexile Growth Of Freshmen In Maryville City Schools, Whitney Ann Schmidt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Maryville City School system has implemented the first year of the iReach blended learning model for which all students in the school district have access to either a laptop or an iPad to support their learning every day. The availability of research on the impact of iReach is limited because the blended learning instructional model is relatively new and has not yet been subjected to numerous research studies. The purpose of this ex post facto quasi-experimental quantitative study was to compare student reading Lexile growth data collected through the use of the Reading Comprehension Assessment before and after iReach …

Best Practices In Online Pedagogy: A Pearson Correlation Analysis Between Teaching Evaluation Scores And Transactional Distance Scores In Online Graduate Courses, William Angrove

All Theses And Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to discover how four universally recognized best practices in online pedagogy affected teaching evaluation scores in online graduate courses. The four best practices in online pedagogy are: Course Organization and Presentation, Learning Objectives and Assessments, Instructor-Student Interpersonal Interaction, and the Appropriate Use of Video or Multimedia. The researcher modified these best practices from the Jaggars and Xu (2016) Online Course Quality Rubric. The study utilized Dr. Michael G. Moore’s (1973) theory of transactional distance to understand the relationship between teaching evaluation scores and transactional distance. University instructional designers assessed and …

The Relationship Of Organizational Identity And Alumni Participation Interest Among Online, Non-Traditional, Undergraduate Students At A Southeastern Private Religious University, Mary Hendrick

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Colleges and universities depend heavily on alumni participation in the areas of financial contributions, positive advertising, and student recruitment. As higher education institutions increase the number of fully online programs, it is important to ensure that students feel a sense of connectedness to the university. The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a correlation between non-traditional, online, undergraduate students’ sense of connectedness to their college and their subsequent interest in alumni participation after graduation. This research provides information that would fill a gap in the literature on the correlation between perceptions of identity when related to …

Infographic: How Are Teachers Using Networked Technologies?, Rebecca Vukovic

Teacher infographics

From online videos to digital comics and video games – there are countless different ways teachers can use technology to support their lessons. So how are teachers using networked technologies in the classroom? Find out in this Teacher infographic.

A Preliminary Investigation Of Maine Virtual Charter School Costs Relative To The Essential Programs And Services Funding Model, Amy F. Johnson Phd, Fleur Hopper, James E. Sloan

School Funding - Essential Programs and Services (EPS)

In 2015, the Maine State Legislature’s Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs commissioned the Maine Education Policy Research Institute (MEPRI) to study the state’s Essential Program and Services (EPS) K-­‐12 education funding model in relationship to the funding for Maine’s two virtual charter schools. The study was initiated with a review of available literature and reports on virtual school funding in other states. Because the structure of Maine’s virtual schools differs from typical models in other states, most notably because core academic subject teachers are required to teach from one central physical location, further cost analysis was conducted …

Evaluation And Approval Constructs For K-12 Online And Blended Courses And Providers, Michael K. Barbour, Tom Clark, Kristen Debruler, Justin Bruno

Education Faculty Publications

Public Act 60 (2013) of the Michigan Legislature tasked Michigan Virtual University, through its Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute, to “research, develop, and recommend annually to the department criteria by which cyber schools and online course providers should be monitored and evaluated to ensure a quality education for their pupils.” This study provides an overview of existing models of cyber and online evaluation, both of which serve to inform the forthcoming recommendations. In this study, the authors review existing literature related to the evaluation of online and blended learning programs and providers, and identify five dimensions for course and provider …

Front Matter And Editors' Notes, Helen Freidus, Mollie Welsh Kruger, Steven Goss

Occasional Paper Series

Cover page, table of contents, editors' notes.

How Do Open Educational Resources (Oers) Impact Students? A Qualitative Study At New York City College Of Technology, Cuny, Cailean Cooney

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis reports on findings from a study conducted with students using open educational resources as the primary course material in their Health Psychology course. The study took place at New York City College of Technology (City Tech), of the City University of New York (CUNY), a comprehensive college located in Brooklyn. Students were assigned the OER by their course instructor, who developed it as part of a library funded pilot initiative. Two research instruments were employed to collect qualitative data from students: a survey and one-on-one interviews with a smaller student sample. Both survey and interview items asked students …

A Transcendental Phenomenological Exploration Of The Shared Perceptions Of Online Adjunct Faculty In The United States Who Have A High Sense Of Community, Tiffany Ferencz

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the experiences of online adjunct faculty who have a high sense of community within their respective university. Sense of community was generally defined as feelings of connectedness within the university community. The theories that guided this study were McMillan and Chavis’ (1986) sense of community theory and Herzberg’s (1968) motivation-hygiene theory. McMillan and Chavis’ sense of community theory suggests a sense of community is a powerful force that influences people. Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory is used as it identifies guiding principles for why people are motivated to work. The central question …

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 …

Exploring Academic Persistence For Nontraditional Business Students At For-Profit Universities, Leroy Purdie

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological study explored academic persistence for 10 nontraditional students pursuing business degrees at for-profit universities in southern Georgia and northern Virginia. The literature review provides a theoretical framework based on Tinto’s (1975) theory of persistence and Bandura’s (1993) self-efficacy theory. Data was collected through a demographic survey, timeline of significant events, in- depth survey, and a letter of advice. Data analysis included identifying significant statements, utilizing participant feedback to create structural and textural descriptions and ultimately describing the participant essences of their experiences. The decision to pursue a degree themes that emerged were career progression, family security, transferability, and …

Qualitative Case Study On The Perspective Of Pennsylvania Superintendents On Distance Education In K-12 Public School Districts, Stephanie Pennucci

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Distance education is rapidly changing the way K-12 students learn. School districts use it for course recovery, to supplement the curriculum with additional courses, and to offer alternative educational opportunities. Pennsylvania’s 500 public school superintendents face a unique challenge in an economic recession, severe cuts in state funding, and competition from cyber charter schools. The purpose of this qualitative intrinsic case study is to understand the impact of distance education on the experiences of Pennsylvania public school superintendents as they deal with the influence of distance education in their programs, particularly the implementation of cyber charter schools. As the educational …