Secondary Education Commons^™

Instructional Technology Implementation: Barriers Impacting Student Success, Roxanna Zendejas

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this comparative case study is to explore the benefits of effective technology integration in the classroom, as well as the best teaching practices related to instructional technology. It was designed to identify (a) educator beliefs, (b) digital divide, as well as other barriers, and (c) best practices and instructional strategies.

Methodology. This qualitative comparative case study research design explored the best practices of 10 middle school teachers by using a semi-structured interview protocol. A qualitative design was selected to focus on an individual, partnership, small group, and organization. Using comparative case study allowed the researcher to …

A Midsummer Night’S Dream: Integrating Research-Based-Instructional Strategies To Assess Student Learning, Jacob Garrett

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Abstract

This capstone project reports on the research based instructional strategies integrated into a unit on the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The capstone will look at the use of four instructional strategies used throughout the unit. The strategies were chosen to help students have a better understanding of the text throughout the readings and prepare them for the quizzes and writing assessments throughout the unit. The strategies also would help students interact with the text in different ways. The unit was taught over five weeks with nine lessons between their first reading quiz and their final assignment. I …

Universal Design For Learning (Udl): Integrating Udl Instructional And Assessment Strategies To Assess Student Learning In A Middle School Classroom, Katie Hill

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This capstone project investigates the implementation of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles in a seventh grade Social Studies classroom through teaching and assessing multiple skills, such as analyzing multiple perspectives in a text. The topic of the four-week unit was the Scientific Revolution and the European Age of Exploration. To meet the unique needs of all learners, the curriculum was differentiated. The students completed a pre-test, several formative assessments, and two summative assessments to assess learning. I analyzed the data from these assessments to determine the effect the strategies utilized had on student learning. Based on student data, student …

Analyzing The Effectiveness Of Graphic Organizers In An English Classroom, Alexandra Espinoza

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

The use of graphic organizers has risen in classrooms over the past few decades. However, it is essential to assess whether they lead to improved student learning, as some trending instructional strategies are not well-backed by quality research. The purpose of this study was to analyze if graphic organizers are indeed effective to use in a high school English class. This study took place in a secondary school setting for a weeklong unit. For this project, students completed three graphic organizers throughout the unit in order to better understand selected topics relating to the unit’s nonfiction text including inferences, characterization, …

Us Public School Demand For Locally Produced Meat And Poultry, Shara Akat

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The objective of the USDA Farm-to-School program is to promote the understanding and use of local food in school education and meals. The hope is that by reconnecting students with how food is raised and purchasing the product from local producers it will increase nutrition and reduce food insecurity and obesity among students while simultaneously increasing economic activity for local producers. Most studies evaluating the federal program have focused on how the economic outcomes for local producers or student related health outcomes and primarily using fresh fruits and vegetables. Fundamental to either of these outcomes is understanding the schools’ demand …

Examining The Relationship Between Program Satisfaction, Credential Earnings, And Gender On Full-Time Employment Outcomes Of Career And Technical Program High School Graduates In Virginia, Margaret J. Turley

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Career and technical education (CTE) incorporates occupational skills, workforce readiness skills, and credentials that make high school graduates better prepared for the workforce. Students who complete CTE programs of study have higher employment rates after high school graduation and often go on to postsecondary education. For those who do not go on to postsecondary education, CTE programs can provide opportunities for increased earnings and more access to the labor market.

This quantitative study used binary logistic regression, using data collected by the Center for Survey Research of the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center to examine if satisfaction with CTE …

Enhancing Stem Education For East Tennessee In A Post-Covid World, Jennifer L. Lauer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I have identified a need for an analysis of the middle and high school STEM education curricula in the East Tennessee Region which does not effectively integrate technology into their current instruction, which results in low student engagement, motivation, and achievement in the instruction and learning of algebra and geometry. I propose a program to identify specific applications and methods to be integrated into these programs which will improve the abilities of teachers to positively impact their students' understanding and mastery of algebra and geometry. Using emerging and novel STEM subject instruction, teaching, and engagement methods, and focusing on the …

It Happened Here: The Civil Rights Movement In Utah, Jace Jones

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This plan B project is a series of lesson plans focusing on the Civil Rights Movement in Utah. These lessons are designed to give students a broad understanding of the Civil Rights Movement as well as the tools and knowledge to understand how the Civil Rights Movement manifested in Utah. To fulfill this goal these lesson plans focus on local and lesser-known history. This will allow students to gain an understanding of how the movement operated in Utah and how it relates to their own lives.

These lessons use the Stanford: Reading Like a Historian framework by the Stanford History …

Bringing Women's Literature Into The Secondary Classroom: A Comprehensive Unit Plan, Mairead Stotz

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Included in this applied knowledge project are details regarding how I developed a six-week unit on women’s literature using backward design, rationale behind my process and text selections, learning targets and Illinois Learning Standards for English Language Arts that are met through the instruction, and a complete set of 30 lesson plans, including assessments, handouts, and additional instructional materials. My goal is to demonstrate what I have learned during my time as an education student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and to emphasize the importance of women’s literature in the secondary classroom.

Key Words: English education, women’s literature, literature circles, …

Reframing Coaching Success: Mentorship And Ethics In The Era Of Increased Competition And Exploitation Of High School Athletes, Thomas Andrew Auten

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The research inquiry asked the question, what methods do athletic coaches employ to improve academic performance and skills of their high school student athletes? The research method chosen for this investigation, influenced by the teachings of Dewey and Freire, is constructivist grounded theory. This research method used intensive interviews with 17 former high school athletes ranging in age from 19 to 68. The responses from these interviews uncovered three main coaching concerns: eligibility based on maintaining minimal grade point average; improving academic performance through peer tutoring; and mentoring for life skills and success. Based on my co-construction of meaning with …

Developing Mental Health And Wellness Awareness In Schools, Leah Wood

Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic increased concerns for anxiety and depression in adolescents (Jones et al., 2021). As these concerns increased, students’ coping skills and mental health declined (Meherali et al., 2021). This mixed-methods study based in improvement science sought to develop mental health supports for teachers and students in a secondary setting. A mental health team convened for the purpose of this study completed a root cause analysis for a high school to determine the barriers to mental health supports. We identified the problem and potential barriers preventing proper mental health education and supports for teachers, students, and parents. The analysis …

Special Education Teacher Attrition: K-12 Administrator Perspectives, Tia Alove Stevens-Hicks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Teacher attrition is a significant contributor to the teacher shortages, with preretirement attrition accounting for two thirds of all attrition. Special education teachers leave teaching at significantly higher rates than their general education peers. In addition, there is a greater demand for special education teachers due to the increase in public school students requiring special education services. As a result, many K–12 administrators and other educational leaders often fill vacant positions with unqualified or new teachers with less experience than their predecessors. Special education teachers have reported that teachers who remained in their positions reported high levels of administrative …

Building On Strengths: Empowering Struggling High School Readers Using Key Strategies, Jennifer Druggan

Masters Theses/Capstone Projects

The curriculum presented is for struggling high school readers so that they can use mastery experiences with two high yield reading strategies – self-questioning and summarizing – to improve their reading comprehension, which will build self-efficacy and help them to develop a growth mindset. The question that drove this research is what is the best way to meet the academic needs of a diverse student population in a remedial reading class in a way that helps them to build their literacy toolbox and develop a respect for and maybe even a love of lifelong learning? The curriculum is built upon …

Employment And Career Planning Opportunities For Young Adults With Disabilities: Advocating For Occupational Therapy, Ashley Jenkins, Keisa Boykin

Spring 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Problem: There is greater involvement of OT in transition planning services to provide a unique, client-centered perspective to enable greater engagement in meaningful employment opportunities

Purpose: The purpose of this capstone project is to advocate for the role of OT in employment-based training programs for young adults with disabilities following their transition out of high school.

Propuesta De Un Modelo De Enseñanza En Las Matemáticas Enfocado En La Solución De Problemas En El Nivel Secundario En Puerto Rico, Carlos J. Colon Rivera

Theses and Dissertations

El propósito del estudio fue proponer un modelo educativo enfocado en la solución de problemas matemáticos en el nivel secundario, y se realizó la revisión sistemática para evaluarlo. El marco teórico incluyó teorías heurísticas y modelos educativos. La metodología de seis fases que se empleó en este estudio, incluyendo la formulación de preguntas investigativas, búsqueda de literatura, selección de investigaciones, levantamiento de información, análisis y resumen de resultados y exposición y discusión de estos. Se siguieron guías para revisiones sistemáticas y criterios de inclusión y exclusión para evaluar la efectividad de modelos didácticos en la disciplina de matemáticas con énfasis …

Effects Of Covid-19 On Elementary And Secondary Music Education, Colette Stefaniak

Student Theses

This paper will highlight several key effects the COVID-19 pandemic had on elementary and secondary music education. The 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic drastically changed music education for both elementary and secondary institutions. Changes made to music curriculums to adapt to an online teaching environment have had both positive and negative effects on post-pandemic music education. This paper will discuss how the 2020 pandemic has created a different learning environment for elementary music classrooms, music ensembles, and private lessons.

Teaching Creativity In Standards-Based Classrooms: The Impact Of Personal Creative Writing To Teachers’ Perceptions Of Creativity In The Classroom, Katie Jones

Honors College Theses

Creative writing is rarely highlighted in public classrooms, yet it may be the key to development for both students and teachers. Due to restrictions such as time limitations, personal experience, pressures of testing, and more, teachers find creativity intimidating to teach. The Deep Center in Savannah, GA, a site of the National Writing Project, offers an intensive 10-day program for teachers that encompasses writing, creativity, and community. This qualitative case study utilizes the context of the Deep Center’s Writing Project as a background to analyze participants' perceptions of creativity in their classrooms and their own personal engagement in creative writing. …

The Biggest Hoax? Investigating The Work-Life Balance Of Veteran Secondary Teachers In North Mississippi Public Schools, Anna Grace Robinson

Honors Theses

This thesis investigates the struggle with work-life balance among veteran secondary teachers in public North Mississippi schools. Primary research questions include a) How do veteran teachers describe the struggle with work-life balance, b) What coping strategies over their career seem helpful?, and c)What changes could be made to the educational system to better support public school teachers in their pursuit of work-life balance? At what level should those changes occur? Qualitative data was collected by interviewing five teachers from middle and high schools in the North Mississippi region and analyzed to understand emergent themes from the interviews. This research found …

Writing And Reading Connections: Giving Value To Both Sides Of The Same Literacy Coin, Zoi A. Traga Philippakos, Penelope Wiese, Adalea Davis

The Language and Literacy Spectrum

The purpose of this article is to comment on ways that writing-reading connections can take place enhancing reading comprehension and composition. Drawing from a genre-based instructional approach, examples are provided to explain such connections in the process of (a) a rhetorical analysis conducted on writing prompts and prior to reading, (b) examination of writing purposes and genres for writing and reading, (c) read alouds for retelling and monitoring meaning making, and (d) of critical reading for reviewing purposes and determination of clarity of written ideas. The article concludes with guidelines for classroom teachers and recommendations for the implementation of the …

Connecting Music To The Mathematics Classroom, Nicholas Parr

Honors Projects

This project investigates the importance of integrating music into mathematics classrooms K-12. By outlining the numerous connections between mathematics and music, and applying those to pedagogy, the project provides interdisciplinary overlaps that may be unknown to current teachers. Evidence supports the conclusion that mathematical abilities improve after musical infusion, yet the presence of this intervention is lacking in grades 7-12. Therefore, both mathematical and musical intelligence suffer as a result of the separation of electives and core classes. This project contains eight original mathematics content standards, which would coincide with the Ohio Learning Standards for Mathematics, as well as a …

Military-Affiliated Student Experiences In Post-Secondary Education, Cole T. Hendrix

ATU Scholars Symposium

Abstract

This paper is intended to learn about the experiences of military-affiliated students in post-secondary education by surveying veterans, service members, and dependents on what resources they have available, what resources they would like to have, and comparing between 2-year, 4-year, public, and private institutions. Participants were surveyed at five different institutions. Three closed-ended questions asked for background and other disadvantaged identifiers. Three open-ended questions ask in detail about their experiences at their institution. Students at public 4-year institutions received the best assistance with room to improve. Institutions of higher learning would benefit their military-affiliated students by providing a military-affiliated …

"Laziness" And How It Affects Our Students, Wren Jenkins

ATU Scholars Symposium

This article analyzes the use of the term “lazy” in the educational setting, how this term affects students, and the pedagogical approaches educators can take within their subject areas to reduce stress for their students. Pedagogical decisions affect student stress, and this article provides suggestions to prevent student burnout in order to improve curricula offerings in secondary and higher-level classrooms. Results show that students often reduced to “lazy” are most likely struggling with an underlying cause for their lack of performance, such as stress, burnout, depression, anxiety-induced procrastination, unknown and undiagnosed mental challenges, and misguided apathy. Results concluded that to …

Reflecting On Movement In The Math Classroom, Zoey Berger

Honors Projects

The purpose of this paper is to determine how reflection on movement effects the learning and connections made by students in the math classroom. Kinesthetic Movement is a learning style that is oftentimes forgotten about and left out of classroom instruction. It can help increase motivation, build deeper connections, and create a more positive disposition towards math for students. Research was conducted in four, eighth grade, pre-algebra classes, with some classes being given the opportunity to reflect more than others. Test scores, journal responses, and interest surveys done by the students are used to show inconclusive results that reflection on …

Allowing And Using Low Nutritional Value Foods For Celebrations, Rewards, And Motivators In K-12 School Classrooms: Teacher Candidates’ Beliefs At The University Of Mississippi, Chandler Cohn

Honors Theses

Objective: Identify University of Mississippi teacher candidates’ beliefs and observations about offering low nutritional value foods for student events from their K-12 school placements.

Methods: A twenty-two-item, cross-sectional survey was developed with Qualtrics based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. The survey was distributed to juniors and seniors at the University of Mississippi, with a response rate of 79%.

Results: A majority of teacher candidates (69%) observed that their clinical instructor currently uses low nutritional value foods in the classroom to reward academic achievements, while only 38% agree that this is the right decision.

Conclusions and Implications: A greater focus …

Multiple Case Study Of Science And Engineering Integration In Secondary School Across Six School Districts, Elizabeth Hasseler, Elizabeth B. Lewis

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

A multiple case study was conducted to investigate six districts’ approaches to integrating science and engineering curricula in their secondary education programs. Data collected included classroom observations, interviews with teachers and administrators, college transcripts, professional development, and curriculum, as well as how, and how district personnel supported, and teachers enacted classroom instruction to align with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Six districts were chosen due to their ranges in their size, urban or rural context, and demographics. There were 25 participants in the study who were either district personnel or secondary teachers. All school districts in the study incorporated …

Investigating Correlations Among A Growth-Mindset Intervention, Students’ Math Anxiety, And Students’ Math Self-Efficacy, Anna Grace Chamberlain

Honors Projects

This paper details the methodology, data, and conclusions of a research study investigating the correlations among a growth-mindset intervention, math anxiety, and math self-efficacy. The study found that teaching students about mindset through an intervention approach did not make a significant difference in students’ math anxiety or math self-efficacy. Teacher-centered factors are discussed as having a greater impact on students’ math anxiety and math self-efficacy.

Critical Online Information Evaluation (Coie): A Comprehensive Model For Curriculum And Assessment Design, Lauren Weisberg, Xiaoman Wang, Christine Wusylko, Angela Kohnen

Journal of Media Literacy Education

The recent evolution of technology and the Internet has transformed how individuals find and share information. Research shows that citizens of all ages and backgrounds struggle with critical online information evaluation (COIE), which could result in serious societal consequences. Although it is crucial to develop student proficiency within this key information literacy construct beginning in middle school, there is currently no interdisciplinary framework for designing COIE instruction or assessments. To address this gap, we have developed a comprehensive COIE model for curriculum developers, assessment creators, and practitioners to implement at the secondary and post-secondary level. In this paper, we provide …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Experience Of Secondary World Language Teachers Who Use Proficiency-Based Rubrics For Assessment, James Donovan

Doctor of Education Program Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the lived experience of Massachusetts public secondary (middle school/high school) world language teachers who utilized the ACTFL proficiency-based rubrics to evaluate student performance environments (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, 2012). This study was guided by the research question, “What are the lived experiences of secondary world language teachers who used Proficiency-Based Rubrics to evaluate student performance?” Husserl’s (1964) transcendental phenomenology served as the study’s conceptual framework, and Andrade and Brookhart’s (2020) classroom assessment theory served as the theoretical framework.

Semi structured interviews were used to gather …

Activities Of The Mind And Soul: Eudaimonia, Identity, And Implicit Theories Of Giftedness In Secondary Gifted Students, Megan Roegner

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experience of secondary gifted students, more specifically their implicit theories of giftedness, how they incorporate giftedness into their sense of identity, and their eudaimonic development. The following four research questions guided the study: (a) What do the narratives of secondary gifted students reveal about their eudaimonic well-being? (b) What do the narratives of secondary gifted students reveal about their implicit theories of giftedness? (c) What do the narratives of secondary gifted students reveal about the extent to which giftedness is a part of their identities? (d) What are the relationships …

Designing An Equity-Centered Framework And Crosswalk For Integrated Elementary Computer Science Curriculum And Instruction, Carla Strickland, Andrea Ramírez-Salgado, Lauren Weisberg, Latoya Chandler, Jeanne Di Domenico, Elizabeth M. Lehman, Maya Israel

Journal of Computer Science Integration

As computer science (CS) education becomes more prevalent in K-12 instruction, it is critical for educators, researchers, and curriculum developers to identify culturally responsive and pedagogically inclusive approaches that can increase participation, access, and feelings of belonging for students from historically marginalized communities. In response, we developed an equity-centered curricular framework and illustrative crosswalk that synchronizes three distinct pedagogical approaches: culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP), Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and project-based learning (PBL). We describe the framework’s theoretical underpinnings and explain how this framework informed the development of an integrated elementary science+CS curricular unit and provide examples of its implementation. …