Secondary Education Commons^™

Best Practices For Teaching Discussion As Part Of High School Common Core State Standards, Mitchel Stengel, Leah Nolan, David Donnick, Wesley Skym, Anna M. Wright

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Instructional discussion is a teaching method used in many classrooms across grade levels. In fact, the Common Core State Standards promote the use of instructional discussion in secondary classrooms (Common Core State Standards Initiative, 2018a). Students, however, are not always taught best practices for engaging in a discussion and may feel unprepared to participate. As a result, discussions may not produce the dynamic learning opportunity they are intended to foster. This essay provides 10 tips for high school teachers to prepare students in the high school classroom to engage in a meaningful classroom discussion effectively in order to ensure students …

Exploring High School Students' Attitudes Towards Reading, Heather G. Crivilare

Masters Theses

This study explored high school students’ attitudes towards reading as both a recreational activity and academic endeavor; while there are numerous studies regarding the reading habits of younger children, there is a deficit of research into the reading habits of students beyond the middle school years. This study surveyed and interviewed freshmen-through-senior students in a medium-sized, rural Illinois high school about their habits as readers in order to explore the relationship between different environmental factors and reading, as well as between reading habits and college readiness. This study found a gender gap in reading enjoyment favoring female students; a decline …

Teaching Practices That Improve Performance, Attainment And Engagement: Results From A Longitudinal Study Of High School Students In Nsw, Ian Mccarthy, Brianna Mccourt, Victoria Ikutegbe, Jin Zhou

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

This report builds on a body of evidence showing the positive effect of teaching and classroom practices on engagement, wellbeing and academic outcomes. Using two student cohorts in NSW government schools, Years 7 to 9 and Years 10 to 12, we have quantified the effects of quality instruction and other effective classroom practices as drivers of student outcomes (see Figure 1, p. 54). A common theme across both cohorts was the positive impact on key academic outcomes of teachers having high expectations and appropriately challenging all their students (as measured through the NAPLAN tests and Year 12 completion). Modelling also …

Investigating The Potential Of The Flipped Classroom Model In Secondary Mathematics, Allison Birdsall

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This literature review investigates the effectiveness of the flipped classroom model in secondary mathematics classes, specifically the types of modifications and strategies teachers have used to help improve student motivation and academic success. The use and availability of technology in the classroom keeps increasing. Many classrooms now have access to tools and resources that they could only dream about ten years ago. Educators have adapted teaching styles and strategies to align with the new growth of technology. With so many technology options now available to students and teachers, the flipped classroom model offers flexibility to adapt the learning to the …

Yeast: The Gateway To Redefining And Improving Biology Labs, Connor Loomis

Biology Summer Fellows

Building off of collegiate research performed during the summer of 2018, this lesson plan outlines a lab for secondary students using yeast. Yeast is an affordable and convenient organism to introduce to secondary education, and students can learn a lot about biology through it. Essentially, the goal of the lab is for students to explore the effects of certain substances on the growth of yeast. While content is emphasized, this lesson plan also looks to build students’ understanding of science in general as well as proper laboratory skills and technique. In addition, it pushes students in their thinking as they …

Exploring Parental Involvement In Public Secondary Schools In Imo State, Nigeria: The Role Of Socioeconomic Status, Longinus Nwakire Ugwuegbulem

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Recent academic achievement gaps of public secondary students in Imo State, in WAEC, NECO, and JAMB examinations posed a threat to students’ aspiration to college education. The poor academic achievement level was denting previously achieved high academic record in Imo State. This trend was disturbing to parents and educators. However, this trend could be remedied if appropriate educational policy was enacted and implemented in secondary schools. One educational policy initiative that seemed to have worked in some countries is parents’ participation in their children’s education, otherwise, called “parental involvement.” Studies have shown that parental involvement in the education of their …

Career Technical Students And Post-Secondary Education: A Hidden Population In The Massachusetts Education System, Nicolette Haug

Honors Projects in History and Social Sciences

This research looks into Career-Technical Education in Massachusetts, and what makes these institutions successful. Five career-technical high schools in Massachusetts are highlighted in this capstone project, including Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School in Upton, MA, as well as all of the public high schools in the regions. By analyzing standardized test scores and demographics, this project seeks to understand the differences in the way each school is performing academically, and recognizes Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School as a positive outlier. The capstone concludes with recommendations of success factors other career-technical high schools can adopt in order …

Action, Experience, And Responsibility: Using I And We In High School Writing, Corinne Mccumber

Undergraduate Research Symposium 2018

In the field of composition studies, scholars often explore and debate how educators should train students to use the general forms of academic writing. Of particular interest, a trend has emerged in high schools where students are banned from using the words “I,” “me,” “we,” and “us” to avoid sounding subjective--even though composition studies scholars consistently employ these first-person pronouns for rhetorical effect. In this presentation, I closely examine how scholars use first-person pronouns in award-winning works. In particular, I show how scholars employ “I” and “we” to introduce personal examples, to call readers to action, and to reassert responsibility …

Teaching College Writing To High School Students: A Mixed Methods Investigation Of Dual Enrollment Composition Students' Writing Curriculum And Writing Self-Efficacy, Erin Dena Scott-Stewart

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to use a quantitative survey to assess the relationships between the credit pathways students choose to earn first-year, first-semester (FYFS) university writing credit (i.e. dual enrollment, Advanced Placement, university courses, and ACT/SAT exemptions) and several writing experiences and outcomes, including writing curriculum, self-efficacy, self-regulatory strategy use, and course performance. The same survey was also used to explore relationships between these writing experiences and outcomes and preexisting student characteristics (i.e. race/ethnicity, gender, and parents’ education). For dual enrollment (DE) students only, the following aspects of the participants’ writing experiences were also investigated using …

Textual Revolution: Reading And Writing About Terrorism And Counter-Terrorism In High School Humanities Classes, Jacqueline Darvin

Publications and Research

This article provides a rationale for why high school humanities classes need to discuss the sensitive topics surrounding terrorism and counter-terrorism. It provides lesson plan ideas on the topics of lone wolf killings, domestic terrorism, the language of terror, related current events and larger social issues, and counter-terrorism. These lessons have the potential to reimagine secondary English and Social Studies classrooms to further focus on human development, relationships, and social justice

Doing Their Best: How Teachers In Urban Social Studies Classrooms Integrate Culturally Relevant Pedagogy With Historical Literacy Instruction, Maria Akinyele

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

What occurs when teachers in urban social studies classrooms want to do their best by incorporating culturally relevant pedagogy into their historical literacy instruction? While culturally relevant pedagogy and historical literacy are complementary in theory and a few scholars have demonstrated how teachers have integrated the two approaches in practice, I questioned the ease or seamlessness of the integration within an urban context. This dissertation examined how three teachers in an urban high school managed the tensions and possibilities of teaching historical literacy and culturally relevant pedagogy in U.S. and global history classes. In this case study, I explored …

Student And Teacher Perceptions Of Multiliterate Assignments Utilizing 21st Century Skills, Jessica Kennedy Miller

MA in English Theses

Today’s society requires students to be knowledgeable in both content and skill to be successful. In the secondary classroom it is important to fully prepare students for their futures in the post-secondary classroom or for their career, and through the implementation of Common Core State Standards, this focus has been emphasized in educational pedagogy. This thesis outlines a study and the implications of the perceptions of teachers and students on utilizing 21st century skills in the secondary English classroom through the implementation of multiliterate assignments. This thesis outlines reasons for the study, important terminology to ground the study, the methodology, …

Back To School: Simple Teaching Strategies From K-12 Classroom, Nick R. Abel

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

No abstract provided.

Examining The Perceived Benefit Of Education For Aboriginal Secondary Students In Western Australia, Mary-Anne Macdonald

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Indigenous and remote Australians have lower education and employment levels than non- Indigenous and urban Australians and face continued socio-economic disadvantage. Many contemporary voices have called for quantitative evidence for Indigenous education policy. The current thesis responds to this gap in the literature by developing a factor model of Indigenous education engagement, and supports this with regression equations and qualitative interviews exploring the impact of various experiences on Indigenous engagement with secondary school. The current study found that, despite gap in attendance rates, Year 12 completion rates, and tertiary education enrolment and completion, Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants alike ascribed a …

Motivation, Learning Strategies, And Language Competency In A Technology Facilitated Chinese As A Second Language Classroom, Xiongyi Liu, Lih-Ching Chen Wang

Chinese Language Teaching Methodology and Technology

The present study examines the effectiveness of a game-based mobile technology application Kahoot on the motivation and language competency of high school student learning Chinese as a second language, and the relationship among student motivation, learning strategy use, and language competency in such a technology-facilitated classroom. Data was collected using pre and post surveys from a class of 18 students taught by a teacher candidate in a Chinese teaching licensure program at a state university. The results indicate significant student improvements in two areas of Chinese language learning: reading and speaking, though no significant difference was found in the areas …

Bridge Over Troubled Water: Creating An Ecology Of Transformative Care For Students At Risk Of Their Promise, Cherina O. Betters

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The teacher-student relationship is multidimensional and fluid. This is especially true for students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Educational leaders in the public school setting cannot control which students enroll at their school sites. The only thing teachers, as educational leaders in K-12 public education, have complete control over is the environment they create in their classrooms. Among those student groups most reflecting few gains on state and federal reports of proficiency data are students who typically come from backgrounds besieged with challenges or from historically underserved and marginalized communities. In this transcendental phenomenological study, the phenomenon investigated was how …

The Effects Of Pair-Programming In A High School Introductory Computer Science Class, Ken Manship

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The following describes my research into pair-programming in a high school introductory computer science class. Research exists that shows the benefits of pair-programming in industry and post-secondary education. For example, in industry, well respected programmers often prefer pair-programming to a more individual approach and often produce better solutions. Furthermore, in post-secondary education, students show higher academic achievement and rely less on staff and instructors when paired with another student. There is not much research that investigates pair-programming in high school.

From January 2017 to March 2017 I explored the effect of pair-programming on my Exploring Computer Science class at Ridgevue …

Exploring Historical Empathy In Secondary Education, Melanie Alsene

Selected Honors Theses

This thesis sought to explore the purpose of teaching history, to define historical empathy, to discover if historical empathy is being taught in secondary public schools, and to see what methods of instruction teachers utilize. Research was done by conducting interviews of middle school and high school history teachers from different schools in the area. These interviews sought to find out if teachers could come up with their purpose for learning about history, if they could define historical empathy, and what methods they utilized to teach historical empathy. Some of the teachers were able to define historical empathy and gave …

Meeting The Needs Of Teachers As Whole Learners, Amanda Lea Britt

Theses and Dissertations from 2017

This exploratory study investigated the applicability of the Whole Child/Whole Learner concept to the teaching profession. Utilizing open-ended questions on a web-based questionnaire that was completed by secondary-level teachers throughout Arkansas, this pragmatic qualitative inquiry obtained information about teachers’ experiences in, and attitudes toward, the teaching profession. The constant comparative method was used to analyze participants’ responses to open-ended questions; patterns and themes that emerged through the data were then examined through the lenses of the five tenets of the Whole Child/Whole Learner approach. Of the five, ‘safe’ was the tenet that arose least frequently in participants’ responses. ‘Healthy,’ ‘engaged,’ …

From Deficit To Diversity: How Teachers Of Recently-Arrived Emergent Bilinguals Negotiate Ideological And Pedagogical Change, Laura Ascenzi-Moreno

Publications and Research

Although the number and diversity of emergent bilingual students is rising, this population is viewed as homogeneous rather than vibrant and eclectic. This case study explores how two secondary English as a New Language (ENL) teachers uncover the diversity of their recently-arrived emergent bilingual population through implementing translanguaging pedagogy, a strength-based vision of student language development. The findings indicate that teachers’ shifts in how they conceive of their students are intertwined with meaningful pedagogical changes.

Girls’ Primary And Secondary Education In Malawi: Sector Review: Final Report, Sally Robertson, Elizabeth Cassity, Esthery Kunkwenzu

Monitoring Learning

Enhancing girls’ access to high-quality education is a global priority that is articulated in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is also a national priority in Malawi. The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) was contracted by UNICEF, to conduct an education sector review of girls’ primary and secondary education in Malawi. The review aimed to: outline the current context and challenges relating to girls’ education in Malawi; identify the key factors contributing to gender inequalities in educational access and outcomes; provide an overview of the policies and strategies currently in place to enhance girls’ education; provide recommendations to help …

Self-Efficacy Sources And Academic Motivation: A Qualitative Study Of 10th Graders, Salina K. Bryant

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The NAEP (2016) report shows that the performance of the country’s highest achievers is increasing in reading while the lowest-achieving students have lower scores than previous reports and are performing worse than ever. Not only are these students expected to succeed academically, these students must know how to problem solve, work in teams, and be creative. The longstanding issue of how to motivate students is not new. Motivation consists of the factors that stimulate the desire to attain a goal. Self-efficacy is defined as the belief in one's capabilities to carry out, organize and perform a task successfully (Bandura, 1997). …

Creating Confident Writers: Implementing Writing Portfolios In A Secondary-Level Language Arts Classroom, Julia Smagacz

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This paper explores the implementation of a writing portfolio project in secondary-level English Language Arts classrooms. In addition to defining the project and describing its potential parameters, this paper describes goals and strategies that educators may use to implement this project, using research from multiple school district curricula and reputable state education resources. The paper includes testimonies from four current high school English teachers, in which each teacher details his or her experience with the writing portfolio. The teachers also provided feedback on the importance of writing and the writing process in general. Also included in this paper is a …

Reducing Math Anxiety In The Secondary Classroom, Haley Scheldorf

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

Managing Quality In Secondary Education Sector In Tanzania, Consolata Louis Chua

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Quality management in education is an area that has received various conceptualizations. Although there is no agreed definition of quality, its management depends on set standards as well as quality assurance and control mechanisms in place. Based on the review of various literatures, this paper uses a model developed from systems theory and CIPP model to shed light to both policy makers and implementers on what should be taken on board to achieve the level of quality desired. The paper also adds to the debate on what should be the priority when it comes to the issue of management of …

Cultural Commons In Non-Traditional And Traditional Secondary Education: A Media Ecology Approach, Anthony Baerga

Theses & Dissertations

Based on the theory of media ecology, this study explores the cultural commons between traditional and non-traditional education in secondary schools. Postman's study of media ecology presents the notion that media technology plays an integral part in society and cannot be overlooked; more so, technologies should be used as an ecological learning tool to balance education systems (Postman 1992). Within the past four years, U.S. education witnessed over 100,000 students leave the traditional classroom to embark on a virtual education journey (Miron, Horvitz, and Gulosino, 2013). The purpose of this exploratory study is to examine how teachers create a media …

Reaching The Next Stephen Hawking: Five Ways To Help Students With Disabilities In Advanced Placement Science Classes, Lori A. Howard, Elizabeth A. Potts, Ed Linz

Special Education Faculty Research

As the federal government encourages all students to attempt advanced math and science courses, more students with disabilities are enrolling in Advanced Placement (AP) science classes. AP science teachers can better serve these students by understanding the various types of disabilities (whether physical, learning, emotional, or behavioral), associated legal issues, and ways to adapt instruction to improve learning by all students in the class. This article offers examples of adjustments you may need to use in your class.

The Effects Of Teaching The Academic Language Of Language Arts To Secondary Long-Term English Learners, Mary Soto

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

While the majority of English language learners are found in elementary schools, an alarming number of these students are entering secondary schools. These secondary students are long-term English learners, students who have been in U.S. schools for seven years or longer. Long-term English learners struggle with academic success, and educators need to find ways to support them. In this qualitative study, the effects of teaching academic vocabulary and concepts to 10th grade Hispanic long-term English learners in a language arts class at a large, South Texas high school were explored. The researcher observed students as they were involved in five …

Graduation Requirements, Skills, Postsecondary Education, And The Michigan Economy, Timothy J. Bartik, Kevin Hollenbeck

Testimonies

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of A Writing Center On Cross-Curricular Writing: Teacher Perspectives, Whitney M. Gonzales

Theses and Graduate Projects

This study seeks to examine teacher perspectives on the possible impact of a writing center on writing across content areas. Four secondary level teachers from different content areas were interviewed in order to gather data, which were then transcribed and analyzed inductively from a framework of grounded theory. From the analysis of the data, six major themes emerged, including teacher perspectives on student perceptions, teachers as authorities, assignment and evaluation of writing, the writing center's role, writing as a cross-curricular practice, and collaboration. These themes provided the groundwork for implications and recommendations targeted to writing center practices at the secondary …