Secondary Education Commons^™

More Than Just A Grade: Factors Influencing Secondary Students’ Engagement With Digital Feedback, Mandy Prior

Dissertations

The increasing use of technology in secondary education has shifted teacher feedback practices to digital environments. While digital feedback offers many promising affordances, the factors that influence how students engage with and use digital feedback are not well understood. Previous research indicates that digital feedback poses unique challenges for engagement. New paradigm feedback models seek to identify processes and actions that promote feedback engagement. However, these models require further study in digital and pre-higher education contexts. This qualitative single-case study investigated the factors influencing secondary students' engagement with digital feedback. Data included 24 student interviews conducted across four grade levels …

Impact Of Disciplinary Literacy Pedagogy On Student Historical Content Learning: A Mixed Methods Research Study, Jeffrey Mayr

Dissertations

This study sought to assess if a disciplinary literacy (DL) teaching intervention could increase student historical content learning. The purpose of this study was to help make recommendations for usage of DL teaching strategies in the future. DL is a new and promising teaching strategy that has a multitude of research-backed benefits. However, DL adoption has been hampered by a lack of clarity on if DL can improve student content learning and test scores. This study used mixed methods methodology. Quantitative assessment was utilized for a quasi-experimental pre- and post-test design to assess the impact of a two-week DL teaching …

The Impact Of Verbal Discourse On General And Special Education Students In The Ninth Grade Algebra I Classroom, Lauren Raschen

Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to determine if there was a difference in using verbal discourse methods in the Foundations of Algebra/Algebra I for the general and special education population.  This study was done in the collaborative classroom where the results of general education and special education students were compared.  The researcher also compared the results of the verbal discourse formative assessments to determine which type of verbal discourse made the greatest impact of conceptual understanding of mathematical operations using a quantitative study.  The data was collected for two formative assessments and compared using the multiple linear regression …

Using Geogebra To Foster Imagination And Creativity To Build Mathematics Confidence In A Stem World, Joseph M. Furner

Transformations

Math teachers can better prepare all student for a STEM world using computer software like GeoGebra to better prepare our youth for such high-tech careers like that of which Einstein was part of while also emphasizing and fostering creativity in the learning of mathematics. It is critical we have young learners who are confident in their ability to do math and be creative. Teachers today need to check dispositions toward mathematics and address math anxiety while building math confidence in their students. In an ever-advancing world of technology, math teachers need to incorporate such emerging technologies like GeoGebra into the …

Rachel’S Saga: Using Adolescent Literature In The Mathematics Classroom As A Form Of Bibliotherapy To Help Students Overcome Math Apprehension, Joseph M. Furner

Transformations

Math anxiety is prevalent and an understanding of mathematics is critical in an increasingly technological/STEM society, teachers must play a role in reducing the levels of math anxiety of learners. More recently, children's and adolescent literature has been recognized now as a means to teaching mathematics to students through the use of stories to make the math concepts relevant and meaningful. Literature may be used as a therapy to reach students who may be frustrated with math and/or who experience math anxiety. Story and picture books such as Math Curse (Scieszka & Smith, 1995) and A Gebra Named Al (Isdell, …

Diverse Possibilities Of Shakespeare: Teaching Twelfth Night Through A Queer Lens, Julia Ritzler

Honors Projects

This project seeks to understand the ways in which Queer Theory can be applied to secondary language arts education to enhance students' understanding of identity and gender in literature. For the purposes of this project, Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is being used as a case study text. This project includes a thorough analysis of Twelfth Night through a queer lens, a literature review of Queer Theory and educational pedagogy, a block plan and related instructional and assessment materials, a rationale for the block plan, and project limitations and implications for future research. By analyzing scholarly texts and applying the theories within …

Making A Career Out Of Teaching: Exploring Longevity And Resiliency In Tennessee School-Based Agriculture Teachers, S. Sirrena Wiggins, Blake C. Colclasure, Tyler Granberry, Christopher T. Stripling

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

The need for qualified school-based agricultural education (SBAE) teachers is often discussed in terms of teacher recruitment; however, retaining those teachers is also necessary to ensure the stability and longevity of SBAE programming. Through the lens of teacher resilience, this qualitative study sought to answer the question: What individual and social-ecological characteristics of Tennessee career agriculture teachers contributed to their resiliency and longevity in the profession? In response, we conducted a phenomenological study of Tennessee agriculture teachers with 15 or more years in the profession. After coding data from 15 interviews, six themes emerged: (1) Passion, (2) Support, (3) Adaptability, …

Evaluation Of A Token Reinforcement System For Assignment Completion In Students With Educational Disabilities, Brandon O'Dell

Theses

Token reinforcement systems are an effective tool in applied behavior analysis. Studies as early as the 1960s and 70s have demonstrated the effectiveness of token economy from addressing the behaviors of psychiatric patients (e.g., Allyon & Azrin, 1965) to supporting the academic achievement of students in school settings (e.g., McLaughlin & Malaby, 1972) Most recently, Espinoza and Hackenberg (2024) discussed the history and effectiveness of token reinforcement, while providing practical recommendations for its application. The current study aimed to implement a token reinforcement system to increase assignment completion and accuracy in three eighth-grade students with various medical and educational diagnoses …

An Exploration Of How Education Stakeholders Perceive The Implications Of Grade Repetition In Secondary Education In Western Uganda: A Qualitative Multiple-Case Study, Patrick Tumwine

Theses & Dissertations

Grade repetition is one of the bottlenecks to Uganda’s vision of producing skilled human capital to transform the nation’s status from peasant to middle class. This study explored how education stakeholders perceived the implication of students’ grade repetition at a secondary school level. I employed a qualitative approach with an embedded multiple-case study design, through which cross-case synthesis on each school’s perspective revealed similarities and differences in understanding grade repetition at a secondary school level. Individualism-collectivism theory guided the study, to understand how students realized educational expectations through an interplay of educational and cultural influence on a school’s instructional process. …

Aged 539 Graduate Internship Report - Buhach Colony High School, Shad M. Menezes

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

This report documents the implementation and outcomes of a comprehensive agricultural education program at Buhach Colony High School, aligning with California Career Technical Education (CTE) standards. The project focuses on enhancing student engagement through curriculum development, leadership activities, Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAEs), and career readiness initiatives. Key components include expanding pathway offerings in horticulture, mechanics, and agricultural sciences, integrating field experiences, and hosting guest speakers to connect students with industry professionals.

Aged 539 Graduate Internship Report - Live Oak High School, Savannah L. Burnett

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

This report documents the implementation and outcomes of a comprehensive agricultural education program at Live Oak High School, aligning with California Career Technical Education (CTE) standards. The project focuses on enhancing student engagement through curriculum development, leadership activities, Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAEs), and career readiness initiatives. Key components include expanding pathway offerings in horticulture, mechanics, and agricultural sciences, integrating field experiences, and hosting guest speakers to connect students with industry professionals.

Conceptual Understanding, Engagement, And Optimal Learning Moments With Problem-Oriented Project Learning In High School Physics, Catherine A. Howell

Dissertations

This research explored the effect of Problem-Oriented Problem Based Learning (POPL) on concept attainment and engagement in a high school physics class. While physics education remains a vital component of STEM education, secondary physics enrollment trails chemistry and biology. Issues contributing to physics’ reputation as a complex subject include prior misconceptions and the formulaic nature of pedagogy. Prior research indicated that active learning can challenge misconceptions and mitigate the sameness of instruction. POPL resides firmly in the active learning methodology of Project-Based Learning (PjBL). This study expanded the research by combining Physics, POPL, concept attainment, multiple components of engagement, and …

Perceptions Of Professional Learning: Discovering The Impact Of Defined Learning’S Professional Development With Teachers In An Urban District At The Middle School Level, Ramona Coleman

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory study, in which the participants portrayed a critical role, aimed to discover the perceptions of professional development in changing educator practice at the secondary level with middle school teachers in an urban school district. The data collection process included semi-structured interviews with nine secondary teachers via Zoom and in-person interviews in the content areas of science and social studies and data from the Defined Learning platform, emphasizing practical insights for adult learners, policymakers at the district level, and future researchers. Social studies and science educators were interviewed about their perceptions of professional development facilitated by Defined Learning experts …

Exploring The Interplay Among Effort, Motivation, And Self-Efficacy In High School Mathematics And Act Math Achievement, Katrina Lightsey

Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between high school students' attributions of effort, motivation, and self-efficacy as they relate to ACT math scores. Despite the important role of standardized tests in determining college admissions, there has been little research conducted to determine how students feel about these attributions and how they relate to math grades and ACT scores. A total of 52 juniors and seniors from local high schools participated in this study, which was conducted over the summer through voluntary participation following email invitations. The study was designed to measure students' self-reported effort, motivation, and self-efficacy using a survey instrument. …

"Don't Put Me Here To Meet A Quota": A Qualitative Descriptive Study Of Black Male Teacher Retention, Latresha Drummond

All Dissertations

The national teacher shortage has reached a fever pitch and can be accurately described as a crisis. Teacher vacancies in South Carolina (SC) have reached an all-time high since the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and advancement began tracking the teacher shortage in 2001. Further, the phenomenon surrounding the exodus of Black teachers is understudied. Currently, no agency or organization tracks demographic turnover among the teacher workforce in South Carolina.

I utilized a qualitative descriptive design informed by an improvement science framework to identify motivating factors for teacher mobility among current and past Black male educators in SC public schools. …

Getting Out Of The Starting Blocks Well: Analyzing The Impact Of An At-Risk First-Year Mentoring Program At A Rural High School In The Southeastern United States Of America., Jeffrey Duncan

All Dissertations

As the US educational system recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, school districts around the country search for ways to help students who have struggled to have academic success. Navigating the transition from middle to high school is critical for reaching on-time graduation for at-risk first-year high school students. A critical step in graduating is ensuring students feel that school is where they belong. Building relationships with a trusted adult on campus through weekly mentoring sessions is a strategy that can impact student academic outcomes. This dissertation uses the methodology of education improvement science through a Plan Do Study Act cycle …

Aged 539- Internship In Agriculture Education - Waterford High School, Jennifer Pierce

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

This report explores the development and implementation of an agricultural education program plan aimed at enhancing student engagement, community involvement, and career readiness. Drawing from established models of program planning and needs assessment, the report focuses on the integration of instructional strategies, supervised agricultural experiences (SAEs) and FFA involvement to foster comprehensive student development. The plan outlines key goals such as increasing student enrollment, improving curriculum alignment with industry standards, and expanding partnerships with local agricultural stakeholders. Strategies include curriculum enhancement, teacher professional development, and the use of data-driven decision-making. The report also emphasizes the importance of evaluation and continuous …

Social Justice In Dance: The Exploration Of Dance As A Tool For Promoting, Recognizing And Influencing Change, Michelle O'Konis Linnehan

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to prove that dance could be used as a platform for representation and to foster change within the community and beyond. This purpose aligned with the goal, which was to measure the impact of a structured choreographic curriculum on student engagement with social justice topics. The goal of this study was to answer the following research questions:

Q1 Can dance be a tool in promoting social justice?

Q2 How will students in the classroom respond to an integrated social justice theme through dance and production components?

Q3 How will these topics be interpreted to …

Resilient Students: Traumatic Experiences, Aces, And Resources That Influence University Students’ Perceptions Of First-Year College Adjustment, Audrey W. Besch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The history of understanding the impacts of trauma on individuals has shifted from a narrow focus on physical injuries to a multidimensional understanding of how trauma influences the development of psychological and emotional interactions. This evolving understanding has informed the implementation of trauma-informed practices and interventions across various sectors. Tennessee institutions of higher education recognize the connection between trauma, student success, and systemic interventions. University students who have experienced Adverse Childhood Experiences have heightened vulnerability to stressful events as they transition from high school to college, increasing the likelihood of lower educational attainment, higher drop-out rates, and higher rates of …

Educator Perceptions Of Career And Technical Education Courses And The Involvement In Career And Technical Student Organizations On Student Attendance, Robert Satterfield

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of secondary teachers, administrators, and educational supervisors of the implications of Career and Technical Education courses and the involvement in Career and Technical Student Organizations on student attendance. Data for this study were collected quantitatively by utilizing Microsoft Forms to administer the survey to potential participants. The survey administered for this study contained 13 Likert scale questions and two open-ended questions. Once data were collected SPSS Version 25 was used to analyze the data from the survey. After data analysis, it was concluded that all 13 of the Likert scale …

A Qualitative Study Of Iranian Efl Teachers’ Perceptions Of A Digital Diversified Education, Seyed Mohammad Reza Marvasti Zadeh, Azizollah Dabaghi Varnosfadrani Advarnosfadrani, Mohammad Amiryousefi

The Qualitative Report

Because Iran is a country of learners of diverse languages, socio-economic classes, genders, and ages, digital diversified education seems appropriate to address needs in English language education. However, there is a notable gap in research on teachers’ perceptions about this type of education. To fill this gap, this study aimed to investigate the perspectives of Iranian teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) regarding a diverse digital education. Data were collected via an open-ended survey with 30 EFL teachers, both male and female, who were selected through convenience sampling. Analysis revealed several key themes, including the utilization of diverse …

Filtered Reality: Artificial Intelligence In Social Media & The Mental Health Of Adolescents, Maria Savva

Open Educational Resources

This instructional module was developed for teacher candidates preparing to teach in New York secondary schools, which include middle (6-8) and high schools (9-12). A three-pronged approach has been used to ensure teacher candidates develop a comprehensive and contemporary understanding of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as it relates both to their respective disciplines and its impact on the adolescents they will be teaching. Using a three-pronged approach, teacher candidates will: consider the rapidly changing landscape of their own discipline and how it has been impacted by developments in AI; examine the effects of AI, including through social media platforms, on the …

“Kematz'ib' Para Gritar” Innovative Technologies In Revitalizing The Mayan Languages: Empowering Youth Through Poetry - A Narrative Study, Héctor De Jesús Palala Martínez

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This dissertation explores innovative approaches to preserving and revitalizing the linguistic and cultural heritage of Mayan-speaking youth of Guatemalan descent in rural Nebraska. It delves into the intersection of technology, artistic expression, and cultural practices, emphasizing the revitalization of Mayan languages in Abya Yala (the Americas), particularly emphasizing the Guatemalan and the Mayan diasporas in Nebraska.

The research investigates the roles of digital humanities, culture-based education, and poetic expressions in language preservation/revitalization efforts among Mayan youth and unaccompanied minors in transnational educational settings. Central to the study is an academic initiative for transnational Mayan high school students integrating poetry and …

Understanding How Social Media Influences Student Engagement Within The Classroom: Middle Grades Students' Perspectives., Anthony Dawyne Myrks-Brewer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigated the concept of student engagement and participation through the lens of middle school students. Studies and research show that overall student engagement amongst middle school-aged students is the most unengaged period throughout students' K-12 educational journey. Today's students live in a completely different generation from their guardians and parents due to the technology component, including smartphones making the element of social media more accessible. Social media is a platform that helps people communicate through various applications, and middle school students engage and participate in various social media applications daily. Student engagement is a critical component within education …

An Examination Of The International Baccalaureate’S Approaches To Learning As Humanizing, Leah Yates

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The development of 21st-century skill frameworks characterized as being universal, transferrable, and future-facing are ubiquitous among international educational organizations (Suto & Eccles, 2014). The International Baccalaureate (IB) incorporates a similarly articulated universal, transferrable, and future-facing set of skills called the Approaches to Learning (ATL) in its four programmes (International Baccalaureate, 2022b). However, critiques of the IB as being Eurocentric and solely concerned with the development of learners for Western educational experiences calls for a critical examination of the ATL as promoting monocultural skills which are not contextual, personalized, or humanizing (Refai, 2020). This multiple-case study and document review utilized the …

From Academic To Everyday: Utilizing Social-Emotional Learning In The Secondary English Classroom, Claire Collins

Senior Honors Theses

Social-emotional learning is an educational process that allows students to better understand themselves, their relationships, and their problems. While social-emotional learning is often emphasized at the elementary level, the concept continues to be important in secondary grade levels, and teachers have many opportunities to incorporate social-emotional learning within secondary English classrooms. Teachers can utilize diverse literature choices to intertwine life skills with instruction, as well as classroom activities. This integration starts at the planning level and moves into daily instruction, where there are numerous ways to engage students in meaningful discussion, promote reflection, and practice empathy and perspective. English educators …

Integrating Humanities Into Cybersecurity Education: Enhancing Ethical, Historical, And Sociopolitical Understanding In Technical Training, Joseph Frusci

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

The increasing complexity of cybersecurity challenges necessitates a holistic educational approach that integrates both technical skills and humanistic perspectives. This article examines the importance of infusing humanities disciplines such as history, ethics, political science, sociology, law, and anthropology—into cybersecurity education. Through a pilot course developed for Staten Island Technical High School, aligned with the New York State K-12 Computer Science and Digital Fluency Standards, students were introduced to an interdisciplinary curriculum that combined technical cybersecurity training with historical analysis, ethical reasoning, and sociopolitical context. The results of pre- and post-course assessments demonstrated significant improvements in critical thinking, ethical decision-making, and …

The Power Of The Written Word: An Exploration Of Writing As Craft And Pedagogy, Kristen Charlesworth

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

This portfolio is an exploration of writing, both as a crafted process and a subject of pedagogy. It includes three pieces of vastly different genres, which have one overlapping theoretical notion: autonomy is a key ingredient to successful writing at any level. Student success, creative writing, and scholarly research are all enhanced when the writer is given opportunities to guide their own process. The selected works of this portfolio serve as examples of how student autonomy is not only possible in the classroom, but of the overwhelmingly positive effect it has on the writing process, student engagement, and ultimately, academic …

To The Middle School Talent Show Kids, Oona M. Abrams

New Jersey English Journal

This poem pays homage to the courage it takes to "show up, get up, and stay up," affirming middle schoolers' collective potential to dream audaciously and shape the world.

Prose Poem With A Timer Set, Oona M. Abrams

New Jersey English Journal

Exploring the tension between poetic idealism and daily obligations, this prose poem captures the fleeting moments of creative ambition in the midst of everyday life.