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- Creator:
- Adams, Dana
- Description:
- As parents, special educators, and advocates push for inclusive practices, the number of students with autism being educated in general education classroom environments is rapidly increasing. Research supports inclusive education, where students receive appropriate educational supports delivered by highly-qualified teachers. In many schools, general educators struggle to respond to the needs of students receiving specialized education services within the inclusive classrooms. This can be attributed, at least in part, to general education teacher preparation programs providing only general information regarding the education of students with disabilities. Research suggests that most general education teacher programs have no more than one class on disabilities and that coursework has limited content regarding behavior or instructional supports and strategies for students with disabilities. The Supporting My Students with Autism trifold that is the product of this project addresses the need to inform educators on how autism manifests in the elementary school classroom and provides educators research-based behavior and instructional supports with which to support the students. The goal of this project is to empower educators who have had limited educational or practical experience teaching students with autism so that they can confidently support their students and appreciate the unique attributes the students bring to the classroom.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Luciani, Kyle
- Description:
- The prevalence of children being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has increased to 1 in 68 as of 2012. In 2013, only 39.7% of students with ASD spent 80% or more of their day within a general education class. ASD is the name for a group of developmental disorders which may not manifest in observable physical characteristics. With this substantial number of students being diagnosed with ASD, and with the disorder not being a visually obvious, it is important to create inclusive environments within the school setting based upon understanding and acceptance, to ease the transition for school districts attempting to increase the percentage of time individuals diagnosed with ASD spend within a general education class. Review of literature supports the efficacy of programs which provide education on the characteristics of target disabilities. A Common Core State Standards (CCSS) based autism awareness unit, entitled Advanced Friendship Making: The Magic of Awareness, has been created to educate 5th grade students on ASD using literary themes from the age-appropriate Harry Potter book series by J.K. Rowling.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Messina, Anette
- Description:
- This project is intended to support education specialists and general education teachers with a resource for easy access on how to implement Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) strategies in their classroom. It is intended to help teachers understand how ABA strategies will reduce problematic student behaviors in the classroom and teach new skills. The manual will include ABA strategies to target specific behavior issues and corresponding replacement behaviors. The importance of ABA strategies with supported research, will enlighten teachers on why it is necessary to use these strategies. It will also server to promote inclusion for all students. This manual will help all teachers feel comfortable to tackle behavior issues that arise in the classroom. Teachers will feel comfortable using the manual to encourage inclusion at their sites even when students exhibit problematic behaviors.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Roberts, Sarah
- Description:
- Writing is an essential literacy skill that young adolescents (ages 10-14) are expected to demonstrate growth and proficiency in order to compete in the social and economic world. Their success is dependent on their abilities to communicate both in writing and verbally, so it is imperative that each student is prepared to meet these needs. The core of this project design is a middle school campus (grades 6-8) writing center that is derived from research and modeled from college campus writing centers. The purpose of this project is to build a web of support for young adolescent writing development at a cross curricular level as well as provide a safe place for their self-expression. Ideally, this writing center will be used throughout the day by students and will be staffed with a writing teacher and peer tutors. Teachers can send their students to the writing center if they have a writing assignment and need quick feedback, or revisions/editing.The goal is for each student to see themselves as lifelong learners who are never finished growing in their writing craft. Key Words: Writing center, middle school, motivation, self-efficacy, project design, writing skills, literacy, young adolescent development, growth, writing community, writing peer tutors, the Six Traits of Writing
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Ginez, Gabriel
- Description:
- This Master of Arts in Education Project is a Secondary Digital Storytelling Curriculum Unit. The literature reviewed for this project included Digital Storytelling for Student Engagement, Digital Storytelling for Academic Growth, and Best Practices for Video Design Instruction. The curriculum was designed for diverse students at a continuation high school in Southern California. The curriculum addresses both the content standards for California Career Technical Model Career and English Language Development. The curriculum includes six key lessons: Video Screening, Storyboarding, Video Production, Post Production, Video Peer Review, and Student’s Choice Awards. The curriculum involves tools for storyboarding, rubrics and power point presentations. The rubrics include a storyboard rubric, peer review rubric, and student choice award - digital storytelling rubric. The curriculum is significant for engaging students that have struggled with school and has the potential to increase students’ academic growth and help them communicate their experiences in the world.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Gromm, Sheila
- Description:
- Parents promote learning at home long before their children attend school. For Chinese-American dual language households, education is a priority and parents are willing to spend the efforts in helping their child improve academically. Regardless of the amount of enthusiasm for supporting their children, first generation Chinese parents struggle with the language barrier, which reduces their involvement in their children’s education. With the help of this handbook, parents can have a better understanding of basic literacy strategies and a basis for communicating with teachers as their child goes through school.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Johnson, Kyle
- Description:
- The technology industry is ever evolving, and students have nearly constant access to its products. It is with the utmost importance that curriculum be updated, modified, and extended in order to address the misuse of technology, and help students improve technology habits. Curriculum must be developed and adapted to fill a gap in student knowledge about the etiquette of technology. The existing Family Life curriculum of the school district in which the author taught was underdeveloped in several areas related to digital citizenship, particularly with regard to cyber-bullying and cyber-sexual-bullying. The purpose of this project was to develop a unit of five lessons to supplement the existing eighth grade Family Life curriculum that could more adequately foster the development of healthy habits for students’ digital engagement particularly with regard to cyber-bullying and cyber-sexual-bullying.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Strock, Sarah
- Description:
- Classroom technology can be used to facilitate authentic interactions between foreign language students and the target language as it is used in its everyday contexts. Authentic sources of linguistic and cultural input can support students’ language learning and increase students’ sense that the content of the course is relevant to their lives. This study sought to determine the effects of one such tool, YouTube videos, on Spanish 1 students’ positive attitudes toward language learning and toward Spanish-speaking peoples and cultures. Forty-two high school Spanish 1 students experienced a three-week intervention in which the primary instructional resource for culture was authentic YouTube videos. Their attitudes were measured using a pre and post-survey model on a 5-point Likert Scale. The findings indicate that such videos have limited effects on student attitudes after a three-week intervention period. They were found to have a greater effect on students’ positive attitudes toward Spanish-speaking peoples and cultures than on their attitudes toward language learning. Further research is needed to explore the effects of such videos over a longer period of language learning.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Zug, Erica
- Description:
- Technological advances can enhance the kind of teaching and learning described the Next Generation Science Standards. Research is needed to understand factors that are associated with science teachers’ decisions to integrate technology in their teaching. This study surveyed 36 middle and high school science teachers to determine the relationship between each of three factors - teachers’ self-efficacy, teachers’ attitude, and their perception of organizational factors - and how often teachers choose to use technology to teach analysis and interpretation of data. Participants were asked questions regarding their self-efficacy surrounding technology use, attitude toward technology use, and perception of organizational factors toward technology support and professional development. Frequency of technology use was also surveyed. The results showed that respondents used technology 3-5 times per month on average and that perception of organizational factors and self-efficacy correlated to less frequent use of technology. While the teachers had high self-efficacy and positive attitude toward technology, they did not use technology often in their teaching of analysis and interpretation of data. The study suggested that teachers’ perception of organizational factors may play an important role in their frequency of technology use.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Bearden, Susan
- Description:
- A plethora of curricula are available to teach note taking, but teachers and students are in need of a predictable, consistent, and flexible system of concept representations that can convey content and stimulate thinking at a higher level without adding to workload. The purpose of this project was to develop a handbook entitled Map This: Let’s Talk About Notes! for secondary teachers that includes lessons designed specifically for students to learn to use Thinking Maps to take notes and represent content and the relationships among content for their informational texts. The unit is a handbook entitled Map This: Let’s Talk About Notes! This project was designed as a set of lessons to introduce students to each of the eight basic Thinking Maps, Circle Map and Tree Map Notes.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Elm, Gretchen
- Description:
- As the academic demands placed on young learners become greater and greater, it becomes crucial that students master foundational skills early on to meet these challenges. With the support of both teachers and parents, students can master these skills through activities that are both child-friendly and authentic and that occur both in the classroom and home settings. This project created an Interactive Homework Program that provides students and parents with activities and resources that support the skills and concepts they are learning in the classroom. The activities and resources utilize both manipulatives and realia that are either provided in student backpacks or are contained in their home. The backpacks are designed to capture the interests of both students and parents at the 1st grade level and creates challenges that require the two to work together to apply and master 1st grade standards to creative authentic activities to support mastery of those standards. The activities align with the Common Core Standards for 1st grade.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Dixson, Maria
- Description:
- The importance of parent involvement in children’s early literacy development has been identified repeatedly as a critical factor contributing to children’s school success. Research indicated that when parents engage with their children in learning activities at home, provide basic needs, and communicate with the school, their involvement can mitigate the negative impacts of poverty and prevent students from dropping out. This mixed methods study examined the impact of teacher-parent partnerships and parental involvement on children’s early literacy readiness. The study specifically analyzed the relationship between parent involvement in early literacy development and their children’s academic achievement in reading. The study included a series of workshops following the Latino Family Literacy Project curriculum, where eight parents of incoming kindergarteners were invited to join an eight-week workshop to teach them about the importance of early childhood literacy, English oral language development, as well as specific literacy skills to work on at home. Student data were later compared between those students with parents in the workshop and those who did not have parents involved to determine if there was significant growth in pre-literacy readiness of those with direct parent involvement compared to those that did not. Results indicated that students with parents in the Latino Family Literacy Project had a higher growth rate in their pre-literacy readiness scores in the first trimester, compared to students in a control group who did not have parents involved.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Piranio, Josephine
- Description:
- Stakeholders identify higher-level cognition and communication as skills critical to the 21st century, STEM-capable workforce. These skills are reflected in the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics shift. Mathematical arguments have been shown to predict improved mathematical cognition and are a Standard for Mathematical Practice that teachers must develop in students. The Elementary Mathematical Arguments: A Guide to Using Metacognition and Screencast Technology to Support Students unit was created to address this challenge answering the question: What might a set of instructional strategies and tools look like to support second grade students’ development of mathematical arguments, in a Southern California classroom? Literature reviewing metacognition, mathematical arguments, and screencast technologies, provided a foundation for the unit’s curricular materials. The unit encompasses three distinct parts implemented over 12 lessons, including standards, learning objectives, assessments, and teacher instructional steps. The first part, screencasts, provides a means to capture student metacognition and mathematical arguments. Part 2, metacognition, directly teaches and provides tools to support metacognitive phases of problem solving. Mathematical arguments, part 3, provides language supports for justifying mathematical thinking using a model and explanation. Students participate in self-assessment and peer interaction throughout the unit to support cognitive and metacognitive understanding. This unit could be further developed to include all Standards for Mathematical Practice. It could also serve as a tool for further research on student generated screencasts. This project provides teachers with tools to develop students’ mathematical arguments addressing some of the skills necessary to join today’s workforce.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Myers, Rocio
- Description:
- The purpose of this project was to explore effective ways of developing emergent literacy skills at home and use that research to develop a website and handout for Spanish-speaking parents. The project addressed the problem that few resources for Spanish-speaking parents exist to help them engage in literacy building practices at home. The resulting webpage includes three different pages each defining and explaining step-by-step how to engage in literacy practices at home to support language play, a print-rich environment, and shared reading. This project is significant because it provides a resource specifically designed for Spanish-speaking parents that involved them being becoming their child’s first teachers.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Wharton, Samantha
- Description:
- The purpose of this research is to provide teachers with a professional development resource for maximizing the benefits of mathematics homework. This professional development explains how much time students should spend on homework each night as well as meeting students’ needs with differentiated assignments. Moreover, teachers will also learn to create homework that is adequately challenging as well as how to provide effective feedback resulting in increased student motivation. The final phase of the professional development guides teachers in various ways to increasing and encouraging parent participation in conjunction with the homework activities to provide maximum effectiveness.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Sorenson, Debi
- Description:
- PROJECT ABSTRACT Too many students in primary elementary school struggle with reading. Many of these students are being serviced by reading intervention specialists in the schools. Evidence suggests it is important for these specialists to get the parents and families of their students involved in their child’s education in a non-threatening and easy way. Relevant literature was researched to find out why students struggle with reading and how families can help. Straightforward, yet effective strategies and activities for home reading practice were developed and compiled in the form of a poetry notebook. By using this at home reading program, children who are struggling get the extra practice that they need with phonemic awareness, word work, phonics, fluency and comprehension. Literature indicates that extra practice improves reading levels. This program can be used without any extra preparation or materials, making it ideal to be sent home by reading intervention specialists for use by families. As a result of the uncomplicated design, families are more likely to utilize the program frequently, thereby improving the reading comprehension and levels of struggling students. Keywords: intervention, struggling, reading, phonemic awareness, words, phonics, fluency, comprehension
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Parker, Ashley
- Description:
- The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of co-teaching on student achievement and behavior at the middle level over the course of two years. Both general education students and students with disabilities were studied to determine if co-teaching positively impacted achievement and/or behavior. There are limited studies on co-teaching at the middle level, and even fewer longitudinal studies to review. In addition, the effects of co-teaching on the general education student is still under review. This study was intended to help fill these gaps in the research and to build upon the general body of research for future studies in these areas. A quantitative research design was utilized in this study. The two research questions that guided the research were: 1. What is the impact of co-teaching on academic achievement for general education and special education students at a Title I middle school? 2. What is the impact of co-teaching on behavior for general education and special education students at a Title I middle school? Using CAASPP state test scores and Aeries SIS behavior documentation as data sources, the researcher used a two-tailed paired t-test to determine if co-teaching had a statistically significant impact on achievement or behavior over the course of two years. The researcher compared students’ achievement and behavior when in a co-taught setting versus not. The statistical data collected revealed that co-teaching has a positive, yet not significant impact on achievement for both populations; however, co-teaching has a statistically significant positive impact on behavior for both general education and special education students.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Yocum, Jodi
- Description:
- Chronic absenteeism rates are on the rise across the United States. Without a pattern of attendance, students are unlikely to develop the foundation of skills including literacy, work ethic, and relationship building necessary for successful individuals and social contributors. Research reflects the correlation between chronic absenteeism and social dysfunction in adulthood. This study aims to describe the cause of chronic absenteeism through the selfreporting of those people most affected by this alarming trend: the students themselves. The survey of ninety students and the more intimate interviews of eight students have generated the data for which the analysis of this study rests. The survey and interview data reveal salient information generated from those closest to the central issue, and it is data that may have, heretofore, been taken for granted or even ignored by policy and program leaders. The voices of the often “silent” participants (Creswell, 2007, p. 40), those whose lives are most affected by policy and program development are the focus of this research. The data analysis, which points to the risk factors of this study’s focus group, correlates with previous studies. Furthermore, this study’s findings indicate the imperative nature of student input regarding the development of policy and curricular programming. This study recommends that educational leadership teams addressing chronic absenteeism must consider students perspectives on the issue, and must also limit assumptions. This must be accomplished through relationship building and the development of collaboration among all stakeholders, including students, parents and guardians, and school staff. For, if all stakeholders feel their voices are heard and their perspectives are valued, their self-reporting becomes more thorough, thoughtful, and credible. Programs development that is informed by such an egalitarian process rather than a unilateral process, will increase engagement of all those involved and decrease chronic absenteeism.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Gannon, Kelli
- Description:
- The achievement gap that exists among English Language Learners (ELLs) and non-ELLs in America’s secondary mathematics classrooms is steadily increasing. Moreover, teachers have higher numbers of ELLs in their classes every year, without the support or training to prepare for the instructional challenges this demographic shift brings. Overall trends in research indicate the need for awareness of this achievement gap, strategies to close the gap, and implementation of best practices in math classrooms. This mixed methods case study explores strategies Math teachers can deploy to close the achievement gap among both ELLs and non-ELLs in math; as well as, the implementation of best practices in their classrooms to help increase ELLs’ math achievement. Classroom observations, teacher interviews, student surveys, and grade report data were collected from the co-taught Sheltered English (SE) Math 1 focus class. The findings from this study suggest that ELLs benefit in math achievement when enrolled in a co-teaching instructional setting with one Math and one English Language Development (ELD) teacher. The researcher recommends purposeful scheduling of co-taught math classes based on identifying ELLs whom would benefit the most from this supportive learning environment. Data collected and findings reported in this study could drive administrative decision making with great potential of a profound impact on the achievement of ELLs in math.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Grandoli, Karen
- Description:
- In the state of California, far too many English Language Learners are not successful in reclassifying as proficient in English in the four to six-year time frame considered average for most students. Students who are “at-risk” for becoming Long-term English Language Learners (LTEL) or who are already considered Long-term English Language Learners represented 29% of all English Language Learners in the state of California last year. This figure is even more troubling in high school where 65% of English Language Learners (ELL) are considered “at-risk” or LTEL. Students who do reclassify as fluent in English (RFEP) outperform not only other ELL students but often outperform native English speakers as well. The literature reviewed shows that LTEL students are often born in this country, but have inconsistencies in their educational programs due to migration or districts switching instructional programming. Most of them lack academic language in both their native language and in English although they often speak both languages conversationally. Some early interventions and specific teaching strategies have been proven to increase results for ELL students. A strong assessment program can help districts determine the progress of ELL students while they are in the lower elementary grades. This quantitative study in methodology seeks to determine the effectiveness of the Renaissance STAR reading program as an early predictor for ELL students’ performance on the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) by asking if a correlation can be found between STAR scores in grades one and two and CAASPP scores in grades three through five as well as asking if there are average scores for both students at-risk for becoming LTEL and students to reclassify in a timely matter. This study will help to contribute to the research by comparing a very commonly used assessment, the STAR, to our California’s current standardized test the CAASPP.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
1721. Student Motivation: The Connection to Improved Mathematical Achievement at the Secondary Level
- Creator:
- Peterson, Kathryn
- Description:
- This study’s purpose is to research motivational strategies and survey high school students in mathematics to determine student motivation toward attending an after school tutoring program. The research focuses on after-school tutoring programs at the secondary level and their effectiveness in demonstrating academic growth. This study evolved from measuring the effectiveness of tutoring to determining how to motivate students to attend, communicate with parents to support, and encourage staff to promote attendance to after school teacher led tutoring. This study and literature review covers four themes that connect current research on this topic. The methodology used for this study was a mixed methods approach of explanatory sequential design. Explanatory sequential design is composed of quantitative then qualitative data. Observations of tutoring took place, attendance sheets were reviewed, and staff, parents, and students were surveyed. Based on survey results, while parents and staff members stated they believe the same things about tutoring, the students' opinions were extremely varied from class to class. This study determined there is indeed a connection to motivation and student connectedness in implementing tutoring as a sustainable school-wide academic intervention program. The results showed that students with the most academic deficits have the least buy-in to tutoring and overall indifference to intervention and supports provided to them.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Benassini, Saundra
- Description:
- This study looks at how providing creative alternative choices on the culminating task to English 3-4 continuation students may provide opportunities for greater success.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Beckedahl, Hannah
- Description:
- Reading is an important skill for students of all ages, but interventions for reading at the high school level are few and far between. This research sought to determine if reading intervention at the high school level can be successful, and if peer tutoring was an effective form of intervention. Students had their reading levels tested and were invited to participate in voluntary after school tutoring to help bring up their reading levels. Results were limited but did show a promising step toward improvement in reading levels.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Carter, Amanda
- Description:
- The purpose of this study was to identify effective strategies utilized by classroom teachers during designated ELD instruction to promote English language acquisition for EL students and lead to a decrease the achievement gap. The focus of this study was to identify effective instructional strategies used by teachers during designated ELD instruction. Specifically, the researcher looked at strategies that could be implemented to improve designated ELD instruction and promote English language acquisition. Additionally, the researcher sought to determine the effectiveness of the current designated ELD instruction. The data collection procedure involved an anonymous and voluntary survey. A mixed method of quantitative and qualitative analysis was used to analyze data received from survey responses. The participants were 22 intermediate elementary school teachers. The teachers self-reported that their current designated ELD was effective with only minor changes needed. Based upon answers to survey questions, the researcher found that many of the teachers confused the components of designated ELD instruction with the components of integrated ELD instruction. Some common effective strategies were identified by the majority of the teachers. These effective strategies include strategic student grouping, strategies that incorporate building background knowledge and strategies that had students actively using the language with their peers. Based upon data results, the researcher makes two educational recommendations to improve the current designated ELD instruction. The first recommendation was to provide all teachers with training on the components of designated ELD instruction and effective instructional strategies. The second recommendation was to implement a Student Language Support Team. The team would collaborate to develop teaching strategies and interventions to support students and teachers. Improving designated ELD instruction by using known effective instructional strategies will promote English language acquisition for EL students and decrease the achievement gap.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Ortega, Linda
- Description:
- This research realizes English Language Learners (ELLs) as a growing sector of the U.S. education system. Research also documents literature which found teachers not prepared to teach this growing ELL population. This study shows the existence of an academic achievement gap in English Language Arts which persists and thrives between the ELL school population and their English Only or White peers. Educational organizations continually strive to close the gaps, yet literature explains that after decades of attempts, the gap remains. This study questions the continuous underachievement of the ELLs and demonstrates the possible positive effects on student achievement when teachers receive professional development geared toward teaching the ELLs
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Fleming, William
- Description:
- The Student Success Team (SST) is a crucial support system public schools use to identify struggling students. A combination of educational professionals, SST teams inform parents of their child's academic, behavioral, and social/emotional difficulties at school, document class-based interventions already put into place for the child, and develop and implement student intervention plans used to target their child's individual needs. However, SST teams may be experiencing problems implementing and monitoring the student intervention plans they create. This research project seeks to answer the two following inquiry questions: i) What factors are negatively affecting SST team implementation and monitoring of student-centered action plans they develop to help struggling students? ii) To what extent are SST teams using known, research-based best practices to remedy SST team institution and supervision of student-action plans they develop? A mixed methods research methodology was used to answer this project’s inquiry questions. Surveys and questionnaires were submitted to core elementary school SST team members from the urban unified school district in Southern California used for this study. Data from the aforementioned research methods solicited SST team member input regarding why SST teams may be struggling with student action plan implementation and monitoring, and what known, research-based best practices they were using to remedy such problems. This study indicated that a lack of time to develop and train general education teachers and support staff in their use and assessment, poor team member communication, poor delegation of team roles and responsibilities, and a lack of an organized, hierarchical system of multi-tiered student support negatively impacted the effectiveness and efficacy of SST team action plan institution and monitoring. Additionally, a poor understanding of “best practices,” coupled with a generalized approach to their use and a lack of an organized system of intervention appeared to further compound the difficulties SST teams experience with action plan implementation and monitoring. To improve action plan implementation and monitoring, SST teams must use multi-tiered systems of student intervention to more effectively develop, implement, and supervise student action plans. Multi-tiered systems of intervention provide a framework for intervention rooted in problem-solving, the use of specific, targeted interventions to support student learning outcomes in the general education setting, and access to tiered interventions that increase in frequency, intensity, and duration over time, depending on student responsiveness to them. Thus, SST teams must adopt an intervention philosophy incorporating the use of scientifically-researched strategies and interventions to support student learning outcomes in the general education setting as well as firmly root it in best practice. Key words: Best practices; core SST team members; hierarchical; intervention/action plans; mixed methods; multi-tiered systems of intervention, & Student Success Team (SST teams).
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Yocum, Jodi
- Description:
- Chronic absenteeism rates are on the rise across the United States. Without a pattern of attendance, students are unlikely to develop the foundation of skills including literacy, work ethic, and relationship building necessary for successful individuals and social contributors. Research reflects the correlation between chronic absenteeism and social dysfunction in adulthood. This study aims to describe the cause of chronic absenteeism through the self- reporting of those people most affected by this alarming trend: the students themselves. The survey of ninety students and the more intimate interviews of eight students have generated the data for which the analysis of this study rests. The survey and interview data reveal salient information generated from those closest to the central issue, and it is data that may have, heretofore, been taken for granted or even ignored by policy and program leaders. The voices of the often “silent” participants (Creswell, 2007, p. 40), those whose lives are most affected by policy and program development are the focus of this research. The data analysis, which points to the risk factors of this study’s focus group, correlates with previous studies. Furthermore, this study’s findings indicate the imperative nature of student input regarding the development of policy and curricular programming. This study recommends that educational leadership teams addressing chronic absenteeism must consider students perspectives on the issue, and must also limit assumptions. This must be accomplished through relationship building and the development of collaboration among all stakeholders, including students, parents and guardians, and school staff. For, if all stakeholders feel their voices are heard and their perspectives are valued, their self-reporting becomes more thorough, thoughtful, and credible. Programs development that is informed by such an egalitarian process rather than a unilateral process, will increase engagement of all those involved and decrease chronic absenteeism.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Wood, Jacqueline
- Description:
- Since the 1970s there has been a growing legislative focus, in the United States and abroad, on providing inclusive education for students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment alongside their typical peers. However, this shift in policy has not resulted in a comparable shift in practice. Key factors shown to influence the success of implementing inclusive educational practices are teachers’ attitudes and beliefs. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between secondary special education teachers’ attitudes toward the inclusion of students with disabilities and their sense of self-efficacy related to supporting students with disabilities included in the general education classroom. The mixed-methods design was grounded in the theories of planned behavior and self-efficacy. Quantitative data collection included a survey with questions regarding (a) demographic information and background of the teacher, (b) teachers’ sense of self-efficacy regarding the inclusion of students with disabilities, and (c) teachers’ attitudes toward the inclusion of students with disabilities. The qualitative portion of the design included individual interviews regarding teachers’ perceptions of their own efficacy with and attitudes towards inclusive education and the relationship between these factors. Teacher participants included secondary special educators in a large suburban school district undergoing a shift in special education service delivery practices toward increasing the inclusion of students with disabilities in general education. The aim of this study was inform teacher training and professional development efforts. Among the key findings was the conclusion that the special education teachers in the district of study lacked a clear, shared understanding of inclusion as well as their roles and responsibilities in a more inclusive special education service delivery model. These special educators had an overall positive attitude toward the theory of inclusion, but held negative attitudes towards the of self-contained special education classrooms. Similarly, special education teachers in this study reported high senses of self-efficacy for supporting students with disabilities overall, but had doubts about their abilities to apply these skills in the general education classroom. The results of this study will inform professional development efforts toward increasing the inclusion of students with disabilities, as well as areas of need for additional research. Limitations of the study, as well as implications for practice, are discussed.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Melocoton, Joyce
- Description:
- Students, especially in the elementary setting, need support to help them improve academically and socially, which will help close the achievement gap. According to research, providing students with adult mentors has helped them improve overall in school. This study looks at the leadership perspectives of the adult mentors who participate in the program. Their views and input have given some insights into what makes the mentor program successful. The contributions of this study will add to previous research by providing alternative ways the mentor program can improve. The dedication of these adult mentors reveals that students gain positive attitudes towards themselves and school because of their participation in the mentor program. The purpose of this study is to examine additional ways the mentor program can improve from a leadership perspective.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Ponder, Morgan
- Description:
- Undocumented Latinx students are currently one of the most disenfranchised racial/ethnic groups in the United States. As demography reaches critical mass levels in many states, visibility has triggered new economic and policy imperatives. The Latinx populations in many states have created a sense of urgency regarding socioeconomic concerns. This cultural shift is re-framing the debate on access to higher education, in-state tuition benefits and labor market prospects. These issues have reached a cultural tipping point, demonstrating that innovative research is needed to address the growing complexity undocumented Latino students face in the K-20 higher education pipeline. The theoretical framework of Appreciative Inquiry (AI) was examined through previous scholarship in a variety of disciplines and applied to qualitative and quantitative studies of undocumented students. This research examines the potential implications researching undocumented students through the lens of AI can have for social justice, leadership and cultivating a growth-mind set. The concept of generative capacity is explored as an impetus for greater social transformation. Policy considerations are discussed in relation to the unique challenges these students face. This review asserts further research is integral in addressing institutional barriers undocumented Latino students encounter navigating through complex educational, political and economic systems. A semi-structured qualitative interview protocol was implemented with 15 undocumented Latinx students utilizing the 4-D model of Appreciative Inquiry. Students selected transferred from a California Community College to a California 4-year public research institution. Findings indicated the experiences these students encounter during the transfer process, who supported them, and how institutional, community and family support was integral in successfully navigating this specific pipeline in the K-20 higher education system. Implications and future recommendations will also be presented in relation to undocumented student agency.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Accursi-Thornton, Chelsea
- Description:
- Factors and impacts of positive school climate were examined at one continuation high school in the North State region of California. School climate was considered in the context of school safety, the teaching and learning environment, relationships among adults and students, and the school environment. Survey and focus group data demonstrated students perceived school and adult support more positively than their peers at traditional high schools, and that this support contributed positively to academic and socioemotional outcomes for students. Support among peers was perceived as lacking. Findings suggested that while school and teacher supports were first-rate, more time and resources must be devoted to extracurricular activities and programs that support peer connections.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Glancy, Amy
- Description:
- Chronic absenteeism and chronic tardiness in elementary schools are a widespread problem which affects schools nationwide. As school leaders, the elementary administrator is instrumental in establishing policies and procedures for the management of attendance including attendance improvement. This research examines scope of attendance issues within Southern California elementary schools and the administrator’s role in mitigating the problems. Attendance data was collected (n=117) to determine the prevalence of chronic tardiness and chronic absenteeism over two school years. Additionally, a survey was administered to elementary school principals in a Southern California school district (N=31, 26% response rate). The results of this study illustrate elementary administrators’ perceived reasons for students’ tardiness and absenteeism. It also shows their perceptions as to what actions and strategies improves student attendance. The results of this mixed-method research may provide policy makers and administrators with a more informed picture of the story behind the statics on the prevalence of chronic attendance issues that can be used when making decisions creating, revising, and evaluating attendance policies.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Damon, Jillian
- Description:
- This qualitative research study examined Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) as a strategy to support Senior (grade 12) students at a continuation high school. It also sought to determine if using PBIS, as one aspect of a trauma-informed approach, influences students’ feelings of connection surrounding school in general. From the data sources [stakeholder interviews, focus group interview (FGI), and non-verbal cues from the FGI] analyzed, four emergent interconnected and interdependent themes emerged. These include: Relationships, Flexible & Solutions Based, Support Outside Academics and School Connection. Findings suggest the school is using PBIS as a tiered approach to support students in reaching their maximum academic and social success, which in turn enhances their connection to school. The concluding hope as a result of consideration of these findings is that these skills transfer to students’ post-secondary endeavors.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Leonardo, Chandra D.
- Description:
- The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) require students to read and respond to complex grade-level texts. This shift aims for teachers of all content areas at the middle school level to teach students how to analyze informational texts, but many content area teachers feel unprepared to teach students content area literacy. This study examines the impact metacognitive reading strategies might have on English learners (ELs) and fluent English students in order to determine ways to close the achievement gap between these two groups of students. A 6th-grade science teacher and her 6th-grade science students participated in this study. Students read informational texts from Newsela.com on topics related to science content and lessons in their science classes. Each class was assigned a different metacognitive reading strategy as a treatment, and the science teacher was provided professional development. Quantitative methods were used to analyze students’ pre and post-test reading comprehension scores, and a simple t-test was used to determine statistical significance. The study also identifies implications for school leaders and future research.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Morel, Trisha
- Description:
- Research has shown that reading intervention for struggling students is imperative at a young age for future success. The goal for all students is to be college and career ready, and wise participants in society. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the Read 180 program and growth in reading comprehension for struggling readers. It was a search to better understand the instructional strategies needed to support reading comprehension. It was also a search to understand how motivation plays a role in affecting student academic success, and the components of the program including technology that has embedded motivational pieces. Lastly, it was a search to better understand how to support teachers in their knowledge to advance student achievement. The study was conducted in a general education intervention classroom servicing students who were scoring Below Basic in their reading skills. The results suggest that there is a strong relationship between the Read 180 program and growth in reading comprehension. The majority of the students made gains in comprehension as measured by the Reading Inventory during the study with a strong positive correlation r = 0.469.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Priest, Katie
- Description:
- Because teachers leaving the field of education can greatly impact student learning and achievement, administrators need to reflect upon how they can impact their schools and students by increasing teacher retention and decreasing teacher burnout. One of the ways they can work toward achieving this goal is to decrease teachers’ workload, as this is one of the major contributing factors to burnout. This study aimed to determine whether or not administrators can decrease teacher burnout by providing professional development sessions that teach effective and efficient grading strategies. These strategies are intended to save teachers time and energy while also helping students grow in their writing.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Olson, Rebecca
- Description:
- As increasing numbers of autistic students are identified, schools are faced with the issue of assessing student ability and identifying appropriate educational placement. Intelligence assessments are commonly used as part of this process, but factors such as language impairment, attention deficits, and interfering behaviors limit the ability of autistic students to access traditional cognitive assessments, contributing to the perception that most autistic people are intellectually disabled. Nonverbal assessments intelligence assessments have been found to be more accessible measures of cognitive functioning in students on the autism spectrum. The researcher conducted a two-part quantitative case study in one school district. First, the researcher surveyed the district’s school psychologists to determine which cognitive assessment tools they used most often with autistic students. The researcher then completed a file review of autistic students in one elementary school resource program to determine which cognitive assessments they were given. The researcher found that while nonverbal assessments were used only one quarter of the time district-wide, alternate accessible assessments such as the DAS-2 were commonly used. The researcher concluded that the district in question makes a significant attempt to administer accessible assessments and recommends further research into the implementation of best assessment practices for autistic students.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
1738. 21st Century Learning Practices: A Case Study of Student Response and Motivation in the Classroom
- Creator:
- Canez, Danielle
- Description:
- The purpose of this mixed methods case study was to investigate the affordances of 21st century learning practices that incorporated the “Four C’s” and students’ perceptions related to their motivation. The data was collected in two phases based on data collection instruments. The first phase collected quantitative data through a whole class pre/post survey. The second phase collected qualitative data towards the end of the study through field observations, one group interview, and ten one on one interviews with participating students. The two research questions used to guide this study were, “What is the impact of 21st century learning on development of the ‘Four C’s’?” and “What are the factors of 21st-century learning environments on students’ motivation to engage in learning activities?” The findings revealed a positive impact on students through the implementation of the “Four C’s” skill set from the use of technology, a project-based learning activity, and performance-based assessments. The students were more engaged in classroom activities and had more of a drive for learning.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Varnado, Bo
- Description:
- Parents who teach their children at home as part of an independent study school model often request personalized directions and tools to bridge the use of traditional school curriculum. Additionally, children learning in the home environment can benefit from confident parents empowering learning through a focus on student metacognition. This project compiled research-supported instructional resources for use by parents teaching reading at home to second and third grade children. The online parent support created for this project is specific for reading instruction. It includes both evidence-based best practices and pedagogical overviews to enhance learning at home
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Sharrock, Daisy
- Description:
- The educational field is riddled with ineffective top-down reform initiatives that have failed to address disparities in student learning outcomes for disadvantaged students. Over the past century, three successive waves of educational reform have situated decision-making power at the state and federal level, far away from the classroom where teaching and learning occurs. Reform efforts are often poorly funded and under resourced, leaving teachers frustrated and disengaged. There is a need for bottom-up educational reform that leverages teacher inquiry, promotes teacher collaboration, and supports teachers in building a robust pedagogical knowledge base. Improvement science, with its focus on small, iterative, inquiry cycles, networked learning, and evidence-based decision-making, is a promising bottom-up reform strategy that addresses these needs. This study utilized a mixed method approach to understand how teachers engaged with the tools and methods of improvement science by exploring: (1) How do teachers use improvement science tools and methods? (2) What structures support teachers in engaging in improvement work? And, (3) In what ways do improvement science tools and methods impact teacher agency? In this study teacher agency was conceptualized as teachers’ sense of belonging to an improvement community – I am a member of a community that believes it can learn and improve, teachers’ confidence that they can meet the learning needs of their students – I believe I have the skills and tools I need to meet the learning needs of my students, and teachers’ perceived value of professional development support, – the improvement science tools and methods I’m learning are valuable to me now and in the future. The study found that engaging in improvement science professional development increased teachers’ sense of agency along all three dimensions. Teachers reported an increased sense of belonging to an improvement community, an increased belief that they could meet the learning needs of all their students, and that learning about improvement science tools and methods was useful to them now and in the future. The study also determined four key structures that supported teachers as they engaged in learning and using the tools of improvement science, and two challenges that bear further investigation. Administrator support, regular meeting times, enlisting teachers as co-facilitators, and protocols to scaffold using improvement science tools, all contributed to teachers developing an improvement culture at their school site. Challenges teachers experienced during the study included deciding what data to collect to determine if a change idea was leading to improvement and using data to inform iterative cycles of inquiry during Plan Do Study Act cycles. The findings of this study suggest that the tools and methods of improvement science learned through professional development have a positive impact on teachers’ sense of agency and the development of a school improvement culture. Considerations for adopting an improvement science professional development framework are also discussed.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Tener, Andrea Marie
- Description:
- It is difficult to find equity among the faculty in institutions of higher education across the nation. In colleges and universities throughout the United States, there is an increased reliance on faculty whose working conditions are often inconsistent. These educators lack a standardized title, so for this study, contingent faculty will be the given name for those who are not full-time, tenured, or on the tenure track. Contingent faculty are quickly becoming the faculty majority on campuses, and as the number of foreign born refugees and international students increases so does the number of faculty teaching English as a Second Language (ESL). This exploratory study examines how ESL contingent faculty define their lived experiences. The study investigates their lives through four areas; (1) why ESL contingent faculty enter and remain in the field, (2) how working conditions impact their experiences, (3) interactions, supports, and inclusion within the ESL department and campus cultures, and (4) nonworkplace factors and supports. By using narrative inquiry, the study explored the lived experiences of ESL contingent faculty at a four-year university. The participants recounted their experiences and considered them from a perspective of relationship through symbolic interactionism and sense making through ethnomethodology. The findings of this study corroborate working conditions found in current research such as last-minute hiring and disparate compensation and give insight into ESL specific barriers and misconceptions through the accounts of each participant so the voices of ESL contingent faculty could be heard. Implications and recommendations for future research are also presented.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- DeYoe, Tamara
- Description:
- This study investigates how teaching students to monitor their own progress on learning targets and set achievement goals impacts students’ perceptions of success as well as how it affects student assessment scores within an English-Language Arts class. The following research questions guided the study: How does teaching students to set achievement goals and to self-monitor progress towards learning targets impact students’ perception of their success in an English-Language Arts class? What happens to students’ assessment scores when students set achievement goals and self-monitor progress towards learning targets in an English-Language Arts class? The researcher used a quantitative methods approach that included the use of pre- and post-study survey questions and pre- and post-unit assessments to measure the impact of using the metacognitive techniques of self-monitoring performance and setting achievement goals. The participants in this study consisted of 62 students enrolled in 8th grade English- Language Arts classes at a 6-8 middle school in a city located in the eastern part of the San Francisco Bay Area. The results indicate that involving students in monitoring their own progress on learning targets and setting goals does impact students’ perceptions of success in an English-Language Arts class. It was also discovered that this was one factor in improving students’ assessment scores. Future research that includes a variety of grade levels and subject areas, as well as a study that takes place within a longer period of time, are recommended.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- D'Souza, Aruna
- Description:
- English language learners (ELLs) tend to fall behind their native English speaking peers in science. As districts are starting to implement the Next Generation Science Standards, having knowledge of academic vocabulary is necessary to be able to participate in scientific inquiry and the discussions that ensue. This purpose of this study was to utilize simple literacy strategies (which did not require professional development) to improve the tier 3 academic vocabulary of English language learners in a middle school science class. The researcher used two literacy strategies based on the research in conjunction with science inquiry activities in a Chemistry unit to assess growth in vocabulary knowledge. The mixed methods study took place in an 8th grade middle school class in which a total of 325 students participated, however, the focus of the study was on 15 English language learners who participated. The study was conducted over a 3 week period, and pre and post-test data were collected, as well as student surveys and observations of students’ vocabulary usage through the use of a speaking and writing rubric based on a framework from a previous study. Growth in tier 3 vocabulary was significant over the three week period. The strategies used were effective based on the quantitative data and based on students’ responses to the survey. The recommendations are for science teachers to consciously embed these strategies into their lessons to help their ELLs improve their knowledge of tier 3 vocabularies which can possibly help facilitate their science knowledge and improve their participation in discussion in science class.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Mushayt, Eman
- Description:
- Adolescence is a period that qualifies an individual to read to learn more than learn to read. Educators, on the other hand, are able to create opportunities of success to students and provide best possible thoughts and solutions in terms of creating habitual readers for lifelong learning. In this study, the researcher has investigated and designed a mobile application prototype that serve to make varieties of Arabic books accessible for adolescents to choose from. The design process, materials, and photos are posted for each screen. The goal of this project is to provide Saudi adolescents the appropriate educational encouragement they deserve to ensure their productivity and healthy growth as lifelong learners. An advanced level of reading is a door of success that will qualify students to cope with the flood of information take responsibilities for their lives, feed their imaginations, and be creators of knowledge in the 21st century and beyond.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Martin, Jonathan
- Description:
- Physical Education in the 21st Century: An Examination of Administrative Priorities on PE Programs Serving the iGeneration by Jonathan S. Martin Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study is to examine the priorities of California Physical Education (PE) programs serving iGeneration students in public middle schools in a single unified school district from the perspective of school administrators, especially since educational reform since 2012 have impacted the state’s priorities in education. Methodology: This qualitative study examined five public middle school administrators currently employed as a principal or assistant principal. Convenience sampling was applied to identify participants of specific criteria. The researcher collected and coded data from in-depth interviews. The interview protocol directly correlated with the two research questions of this study. A variety of related artifacts were additionally gathered and analyzed for the generated codes to triangulate the interview data. Findings: Examination of qualitative data from the five public middle school administrators were organized by research question and aligned to the theoretical framework of Grounded Theory, identifying pupil engagement and outcome priorities for PE programs serving students of the iGeneration. This study yielded a variety of findings outlined in chapter four but unexpectedly, there was a minimal reference to the CA standards for PE and no reference to the CA-state mandated Physical Fitness Testing in regards to student outcomes and engagement. Secondly, the majority of the codes in this study fell under the parent category of pupil engagement (at a frequency of 37) as compared to pupil outcomes of PE (with a frequency of 23). Lastly, in a review of school goals and School Plans for Student Achievements for all public middle school represented in this study, there was no evidence of actionable items to support PE programs for students of the iGeneration, nor was funding allocated to improving pupil engagement or outcomes in PE. Conclusions: The study supported the conclusions that outcomes in English Language Arts and Mathematics seem to be the priority of schools, administration, the community, and of course, the state of CA over the performance indicators of PE. Furthermore, public middle school administrators place more emphasis on engaging students in building life-long fitness and creating moments of success and fun in PE, as compared to focusing on state-data on student performance or meeting standards for PE. Moreover, there was no evidence of actionable items to support PE programs for students of the iGeneration, nor was funding allocated to improving pupil engagement or outcomes in PE, so it is recommended for PE departments, school administration, and local agencies to consider writing goals and building supports to improve PE programs currently serving students in middle school programs. This is necessary to not only improve student engagement and outcomes in PE but to promote life-long fitness to decrease current obesity rates and mental health concerns plaguing schools in southern CA. Recommendations: Six areas of further research were recommended to increase the body of literature related to this study.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Grajeda, Carlos
- Description:
- Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, and Kelly (2007) define grit as a disposition and/or set of skills that combines passion and perseverance toward achieving long-term goals. Individuals with high levels of grit have been shown to have the ability to succeed in many different situations. Grit is a disposition and set of skills that educators can teach and foster to enable students to better encounter and tackle challenges they face day to day and after graduation, whether post-secondary life involves continuing education and/or a job. The purpose of this project was to develop an inservice professional development to introduce educators to the concept of grit in order to help them understand what grit is and what it might look like in a classroom. The inservice highlights the importance of supporting students to develop grit in the class and offers teachers classroom strategies to help their students become more “gritty.”
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
1747. Improving Students' Scientific Literacy through Critical Evaluation of Scientific Texts and Media
- Creator:
- Magnuson, Kristin
- Description:
- Science permeates our lives and so an understanding of basic scientific concepts and the scientific process can enable one to make better choices when deliberating every day decisions. The challenge for science educators and curriculum developers is that science as a field of study is dynamic and ever-evolving. Science education has moved away from pure content instruction to teaching students how to find and critically evaluate scientific information. The purpose of this project is to create curriculum that will improve high school students’ scientific literacy by developing their ability to critically evaluate scientific text and media. In the literature review, three themes are explored. First, the numerous and diverse definitions of scientific literacy are examined. Second, I look at how scientific literacy is measured. Third I explore the ways in which science education can promote students’ critical evaluation scientific text and media—an important component of scientific literacy. The development of this curriculum involves three steps. First, a review of the literature is done in order to define scientific literacy and identify best practices for teaching scientific literacy. The themes addressed in the literature review include: Defining scientific literacy, measuring scientific literacy, and best practices for teaching critical evaluation of scientific text and media. The second step of the process is to use background planning by McTighe & Wiggins (2011). The third step is to pilot the curriculum and then make changes based on the pilot. In the first assignment, students learn how to read and evaluate a primary scientific research article. For the second assignment, students become more skilled at how to evaluate media reports on scientific research. For the third assignment, students research a science topic of their choice and then write an engaging news report on that topic. For the fourth and last assignment, students are taught how to evaluate a science infographic and then create one of their own. This curriculum could be used in and adapted for any high school science course. The curriculum is designed in such a way that the assignments can be tailored for any science course by choosing articles, news stories, topics that are better a fit for that class.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
1748. Restorative Justice in Higher Education: A Case Study of Program Implementation and Sustainability
- Creator:
- LaCroix, Luke Leo
- Description:
- Restorative justice is an emerging topic related to college student behavioral issues and offers a personal behavior alternative strategy. It is used predominantly to address crime, misconduct, and injustices in criminal justice, K-12 education, and higher education arenas. Restorative justice addresses harm through dialogue with goals of repairing harm, rebuilding trust, and repairing relationships through a mutual decision-making process in order to determine outcomes with responsibilities for all participants. The literature demonstrates how restorative justice complimented student conduct processes, developed empathy, had a positive impact on school and campus culture, and the advancement of cultural and diverse competencies, and incurred great satisfaction by the participant. Literature further states that restorative justice is supported by many professional groups in the Roman Catholic higher education setting as a personal behavior alternative strategy and reflects the spirit of Catholic Social Teachings. This study examined how a Roman Catholic university implemented and sustained a restorative justice program at one site in southern California. Data included interviews and focus groups with leaders and facilitators working actively within the program. Emergent themes from the qualitative data includes: institutional need, shared belief system, university identity, Catholic Social Teachings, proactive use of restorative justice and restorative practices, reactive use of restorative justice and restorative practices, systematic training, collaboration, institutional support, institutionalizing the program, storytelling, reframing current work, frequent use of restorative justice practices impact of program sustainability on campus, impact of cultural experience, empathy, conflict management, local and national recognition, and student voice.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
1749. English Language Learner Newcomer Literacy Achievement Through Blogging and Inquiry-Based Learning
- Creator:
- Ordonez, Jody
- Description:
- Teachers of English language learner (ELL) high school newcomers must provide effective, standards-based instruction of language and 21st-century literacies in order to help students become productive citizens in today’s global economy. This project provides a cohesive set of lesson plans that support the implementation of passion projects and blogging about those projects. The project is supported by research on language and 21st-century literacies, the writing process, classroom blogging, and inquiry-based learning. The 11 lessons offer teachers resource for the implementation of an ongoing inquiry-based project, the topic of which is self-selected by the student. Through the scaffolded lessons, teachers support student questioning, researching, collaborating, reflecting, and presenting. The lessons provide teachers with resources that support both language development and 21st-century literacies by facilitating the implementation of a passion project and classroom blogging with ELL high school newcomers.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Mori, Beth
- Description:
- This paper encourages the development of a modified general education curriculum for students with severe Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) by detailing the absence of and teacher demand for a curriculum for this rapidly expanding population of students. Key research includes documenting the multitude of federal mandates that the public school system implements equal access to education for student with disabilities, like ASD. A study by Soukup et al., (2007) that demonstrated the majority of school districts lack a defined policy on how to educate, and with what curriculum for students with disabilities. These findings are important in a climate where many teachers report they feel inadequate to meet the educational needs for these students when included in a general education classroom. This project provides an example of a general education curriculum unit modified to meet the needs for students with severe ASD that teachers could utilize during instruction. It is designed to address the instructional needs, IEP goal skills, and promote inclusion for students with ASD. While it provides a preliminary example of aligning California Common Core Standards to curriculum for students with specific learning needs, additional research will be needed to develop a complete curriculum that meets the needs of these students.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
1751. Reasons for Low Enrollment of Girls in High School Physics at a Southern California High School
- Creator:
- ONeill, Traves
- Description:
- This study investigates the reasons girls are enrolling in physics at lower rates than boys at one comprehensive high school in Southern California. The research was conducted using a digital survey consisting of 20 questions including Likert scale and short answers forms. There were 485 science student responses validated and analyzed ranging from grade 10-12, including 262 girls and 211 boys. Results were analyzed using independent samples t-tests and the iterative process. The data suggests seven key differences between girls and boys. First, girls perceive physics as less interesting. Second, girls have lower self-efficacy in math and science. Third, girls perceive physics as harder, less fun, and less applicable. Fourth, girls have less interest in physics related college majors. Fifth, girls are more likely to enroll in courses that prepare them for college. Sixth, girls are less likely to take a science course because they find it interesting. Seventh, girls are less likely to take a science course to be with friends. One key recommendation derived from the data is that parents, teachers, and counselors need to do a better job showing girls the importance of physics in relation to other STEM fields including chemistry, biology, and environmental science.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Thom, April
- Description:
- This project created a secondary education curriculum for an ecology unit in a Biology class that integrated the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and included supports for English Language Learner (ELL) students. This project researched what curriculum should be included to satisfy the NGSS, best science practices, differentiation strategies for ELLs, and growth mindset practices for recording student progress. The best practices for effectively teaching science include inquiry based learning, use of thoughtful lesson design, and discrepant effects and phenomena. Educators can support English Language Learners by incorporating the California ELD Standards, implementing academic science vocabulary development tools, as well as specially designed academic instruction in English (SDAIE) strategies, and culturally relevant pedagogy. Student learning is enhanced through the use of growth mindset strategies such as student designed experimentation and digital portfolios to track learning. This curriculum was implemented at Orange Glen High School in Escondido, California by five Biology teachers and modified during their Professional Learning Community to better support student learning.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Chambers, Nicholas
- Description:
- Abstract Education is changing and this has provided more opportunities for families to choose their school. Schools that rely on enrollment for funding are competing for students. Going forward leaders will have to figure out how to navigate new waters as more students are choosing alternative schools. For funding reasons, leaders find it more fulfilling to operate a school at full enrollment. This allows for the maximum amount of dollars to spend on resources to help meet the needs of the students. For the stake holders of the school to enjoy the benefits of full enrollment, students within their boundaries must go to that schools. A survey of twenty-one parents who removed their child from The Road school, was done trying to understand what they valued when making the decision to change. The Road is one of the largest schools in San Diego County. The Road serves a diverse population and the school is facing two consecutive years of decline in enrollment. The aim of the research is to answer the question, “What is important to parents when choosing and evaluating schools”? The literature states that most families stay close to the home. Families will also change schools for performance reasons, economic reasons, and segregation. Twenty-one parents who left The Road School were asked eleven questions regarding school choice. The data shows that quality of education, and school performance are what these parents value the most. The data also shows that many parents did not have much information about the school in the zone they moved into. The data showed the need for the leadership of The Road to increase their effort in community outreach and community education on the strengths of The Road.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Steres, Victoria
- Description:
- With the federal mandate to provide students with disabilities access to a rigorous education in the least restrictive environment, schools across the country began adopting the inclusion model, which is a heterogeneous grouping of students with and without disabilities in a mainstream classroom. To address this new system of instruction, schools further adopted the co-teaching model, which partners for at least part of the day special education teachers and general education teachers in a mainstream classroom in order to provide the necessary supports to the students and teachers. The purpose of this qualitative collective case study was to identify the perceived opportunities and constraints of the co-teaching model at three sites in San Diego County. Five administrators and fifteen co-teachers participated in the study, which included separate open-ended surveys focusing on participants’ attitude towards co-teaching, impact on students, and various types of support provided and desired. The data was analyzed using a hierarchical category system, in which themes emerged from the categorization of related words and phrases provided by the participants. Those themes were: perception of the co-teaching model, social-emotional, academic achievement, administrative support, and effectiveness of training. The teachers’ data also revealed two additional themes: large caseload and relationships. While the majority of participants expressed positive perceptions of the co-teaching model, impact to student achievement and social-emotional development, and co-teachers’ relationships, some identified constraints regarding those same topics. Common planning time, staffing, and professional development were the primary constraints to the sites’ current model. The co-teaching model at the sites provides a range of opportunities and constraints that must be identified in order to make future decisions to continue to improve the system.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Carlyle, Lindsey
- Description:
- As educators continually face curricular change, school administrators must manage teachers and are responsible for the success of all students. Past studies have focused on teacher efficacy in regards to student achievement or leadership strategies to increase teacher efficacy. This study will focus on leadership strategies to improve teacher efficacy to best support curricular change. This two-part study will focus on teacher efficacy during the process of curricular change and leadership strategies for school administrators to use when supporting teacher efficacy and implementing affective curricular change. Teacher efficacy is explained through Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory, which magnifies the connection between teacher efficacy and student success. Bandura also provides strategies for how school administrators can increase teacher efficacy, leading to more significant student achievement. Additionally, research-based leadership strategies will be compared and contrasted with the data collected in this study. While it is known that teacher efficacy is linked to student achievement, and critical leadership strategies lead to increased teacher efficacy; this study focuses on answering the question: How can school administrators increase teacher efficacy to best support curricular change? This research focuses on the impact of school administrators’ leadership strategies to improve teacher efficacy and support curricular change. The data for this study was collected using two online, anonymous surveys, one for teachers and one for school administrators from the same 7-12 grade suburban southern California school district. Teacher participants were all middle and high school mathematics or science teacher who have worked for a minimum of two years and have experienced recent curricular change in the district studied. School administrators (principals and assistant principals) have also worked for a minimum of two years and have experienced recent curricular change in the district studied. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected, and results show that school administrators who provide teacher-teacher collaboration and develop a clear vision for curricular change through shared decision-making will increase teacher efficacy to best support curricular change. Teacher and school administrator data led the researcher to identify the importance of providing vicarious experiences through teacher collaboration and the importance of a clear vision during a curricular change. Resulting recommendations include structured collaboration for teachers, increased teacher involvement in decision-making, and the development of a clear administrative vision. The information provided in this study will contribute to further research in the area of school administrators’ influence on teacher efficacy. Future researchers can use the survey results to identify teachers’ perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs concerning teacher efficacy and the leadership strategies they most preferred when addressing curricular change. The most significant findings of this study are the need for school administrators to instill a sense of security and self-confidence in their teachers’ concerning their ability to successfully implement curricular change.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Freeman, Kathryn
- Description:
- Middle school is a time when students may feel disconnected from their community. When applied in a school setting, Restorative Practice (RP) strategies proactively develop relationships and community and can rebuild connections between and among students, teachers, site leaders, and parents. It also changes the focus of discipline from punitive to restorative. This study focuses on how site leaders can implement RP at the middle-school level. The study uses data collected from site leaders (principals, assistant principals, and counselors) and teachers from five middle schools (grades seven and eight) in a suburban southern California school district. Data was collected using anonymous and voluntary online surveys that were emailed to targeted respondents during the spring of 2018. The survey was mixed method and included both qualitative and quantitative data questions. Quantitative questions were written to gather data on what strategies were currently being implemented at each school site and the site’s progress toward successful RP implementation. Open-ended qualitative data questions sought feedback on strategies that were successfully implemented as well as barriers to implementation. Responses from both teachers and site leaders were compared to identify trends in the data. The findings and recommendations are that successful implementation of RP at the middle-school level requires initial and ongoing professional training. Site leaders also need to develop and communicate a clear vision for RP implementation at their school sites. The survey results also revealed a disconnect between the beliefs of site leaders and teachers at all middle-school sites regarding different aspects of the implementation of RP at their sites. Finally, resources, in the form of time, funding, and curriculum are needed for support. The findings from this study will add to the existing body of research around RP implementation, which can assist other school districts by providing them with recommendations to overcome some of the barriers encountered by one district.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Rall, Marissa
- Description:
- This study investigates the current characteristics of the professional development (PD) sessions provided to educators in one school district to determine if the district is implementing research-based characteristics of effective PDs. Seven PD sessions in the content areas of math, science, and English-language arts offered to educators by one district were studied. One survey was given to presenters of each PD session and one survey was given to attendees of each PD session. Each session was also observed, and data was recorded using a checklist. The results of this study show that the district is currently implementing the components of effective PD.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Syrie, Adriana
- Description:
- Abstract When researching dyslexia, the focus is mainly on effective evidenced-based decoding strategies to help students with dyslexia. However, not much research has been done on effective evidenced-based reading comprehension strategies to help students with dyslexia improve their reading comprehension skills. The purpose of this mixed method research study was to identify effective, evidenced-based teaching strategies to improve reading comprehension skills for children with dyslexia. Quantitative data was collected in the form of student scores in pre- and post- assessments. Qualitative data was also collected which included students’ records reviews, observation field notes, and student work samples. The research question used to guide this study was: Will explicit instruction in using strategies such as retelling, previous knowledge, and the beginning, middle and end strategy help increase the reading comprehension skills for students with dyslexia? The study was conducted with a 2nd grade student and a 6th grade student with dyslexia. Student A was taught mainly in evidenced-based decoding strategies, while Student B was taught mainly evidenced-based reading comprehension strategies. At the end of the study both students were post-assessed. The results of these assessments determined that students with dyslexia need not just evidenced-based decoding strategies, but also effective-evidenced strategies in reading comprehension to become efficient readers.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
1759. Social-Emotional Learning in Education: College and Career Readiness through Restorative Practices
- Creator:
- Preciado, Jaclyn
- Description:
- This project is an introductory curriculum to build upon English literacy in parallel with social-emotional learning intended for the beginning of a school year. It sets the foundation for a positive classroom environment while developing college and career readiness for students to learn strategies on how to effectively communicate and conflict manage in academic and professional settings. Additionally, the teacher will be introducing restorative practices as their behavior management system to support students in their social-emotional growth through accountability and conversation while preventing the need of exclusionary disciplinary measures to combat the negative impacts that suspension and expulsion have on students. The implementation of restorative practice will result in more students remaining in the classroom and receiving the academic and social-emotional support they need.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
1760. Reading For All
- Creator:
- Aronson, Jolene
- Description:
- Reading could arguably be one of the most important skills learned during childhood development. Most children typically learn to read by the age of eight. Unfortunately for some children, the ability to read fluently can come much later in the developmental stages leading to students falling behind their fellow peers. This can lead to negative self-perceptions, and consequently impact their self-esteem because of the inability to relate progress amongst peers. By creating this book series, it is tailored to students who are at the early/ emerging stages of reading who happened to be a typically older student. The books are formatted as a low-readability, high interest book. Currently, there are eight million students in the United States that are struggling with reading difficulties in the upper elementary and secondary schools.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Villapudua, Annette
- Description:
- Student academic success has been associated with parental involvement in many studies. This study explored the relationship between parental involvement, at school and at home, and the effect it had on student success. Information was gathered from students and parents regarding parent involvement at home and at school. Student interviews were conducted to gather information regarding after school routines and support at home. In addition, parent questionnaire provided information on parent school involvement as well as information regarding involvement with homework. The data indicated that there is a positive relationship between parental involvement with homework and student academic success. Data regarding the relationship between parent involvement at school and academic success was inconclusive. However, it is important that teachers and parents work together to ensure that students are getting the support they need to be successful. Keywords: parental involvement, academic success, homework
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Ayala, Edgar
- Description:
- As teachers adjust to the implementation of the Common Core State Standards, many mathematics educators have found themselves teaching new curricula that rely heavily on mathematical word problems. This change has greatly affected students’ confidence and comfort with mathematics. Many students struggle with comprehension of text-heavy problems and lack an effective method for solving. English Language Learners (ELLs) encounter additional barriers due to language demands in word problems and lack of connection to the curriculum. In order to support all students’ needs, mathematics teachers must scaffold the development of mathematical literacy and allow students to succeed in solving mathematical word problems. The curriculum used at any school differs, and there is a need for instructional tools that can be used concurrently with a teacher’s existing curriculum. The project sought to provide middle and high school teachers with instructional tools that would allow teachers to model, assess, and support students when solving mathematical word problems. The project incorporates two curriculum units and four instructional tools (Word Problem Warrior, Dictation Dictator, Reading Regulator, and Vocabulary Visionary), to be used alongside any middle or high school mathematics unit. The project includes elements of metacognition, think-alouds and process modeling, vocabulary development, and culturally responsive instruction. High school mathematics teachers piloted the instructional tools and curriculum. Based on the project, suggestions for future research are provided that would evaluate the effectiveness of the instructional tools on students’ mathematical word problem solving proficiency.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Hill, Preston
- Description:
- Project Abstract This project paper presents a framework that can be used by world language teachers to reflect on the quality of their practice or by a professional development leader to help a group of educators to do the same collaboratively. Six principles of Target Language Rich Instruction (TLRI) are: 1. Match instruction and assessment to the right goals: Perseverance toward increasing proficiency (by acquiring forms with highest frequency value). 2. Convince the students of the research and what their job as a learner entails. . 3. Present grammar (morphology and syntax) on par with vocabulary (lexicon) as a tool to help understand the input. 4. Structure and organize your class to maximize student comfort and willingness to live up to the challenge of processing in the target language. 5. Spend most of class time on input-rich communicative activities that balance (a) the background and interests of students with (b) exposure to local and global target cultures. 6. Collaborate with your colleagues and how the practices of the field can be changed for the better. The materials of the six one hour professional development curriculum will include a user guide to train teachers to apply the ideas, modify their practice, and promote the quality of the principles. These principles will motivate the students to stick with a language program long enough to acquire proficiency, manage the expectation of target language use effectively, and still allow them to succeed on the mandated assessments that colleagues are concerned about. The professional development curriculum on the six principles of TLRI will allow educators to reflect, implement, and how the practices of the field of world language education can be changed for the better. Chapter one identities the three common problems in world language education and provides an overview of the paper. Chapter two explains the research literature that supports the three problems and six principles of TLRI. Chapter three includes the audiences, settings, procedures for developing the project, and an evaluation plan to provide feedback on the effectiveness of the professional development presentation. Chapter four provides the six professional development curriculum lesson plans, a user guide, and an evaluation feedback form. Chapter five reviews the lessons learned, educational and global implications, implementation plans, limitations, and future project suggestions. Keywords: Andragogy, best practices, classroom management, grammar-driven curriculum, professional development, teaching with comprehensible input, student attrition, world language education.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- McCauley-Young, Erin
- Description:
- The Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) have the potential to raise student understanding in mathematics through its nationwide focus, curricular coherence, and rigor. Under CCSSM, teachers are revamping the way they teach, while students are now required to learn mathematics using higher order thinking with themes that connect across school years. Since California’s implementation of CCSSM in 2012, the burden has fallen squarely on the state’s teachers to rapidly develop and teach new mathematics curriculum that aligns with the standards. To give educators support during implementation, this project provides elementary educators with lesson plans for two units on fractions for third graders. The lessons not only align with the CCSSM and the Mathematics Framework for California Public Schools, but they also use freely-available education websites to integrate technology. The integration of quality technology programs into mathematics has the potential to yield positive results with regard to student understanding, motivation, persistence, curiosity, attention, and attitude toward learning. Since these websites are free, they can be used at any school that has access to the internet with computers or tablets, helping to address the opportunity gap observed at disadvantaged school districts. The intent of providing these two fractions units for third grade educators is to reduce the burden of standards-aligned curriculum development, to include technology that is exciting to students, and to increase student engagement and understanding of mathematics.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Garcia, Liliana
- Description:
- Many students struggle with developing their reading fluency. Research suggests that there are three components that students need to master to develop their reading fluency. Those three components are: accuracy in word decoding, referring to competency in phonics, automaticity in word recognition, and appropriate use of prosodic features (oral expression) such as stress, pitch, and suitable phrasing. For this reason, it’s important for educators to collaborate with parents on strategies that focus on all of these areas in fluency. This study explores the question: How do family workshops focused on phonemes, syllables, and decodable books influence first grade students’ reading fluency as measured by the DRA? Due to the amount of students that are struggling in this first grade two-way immersion (TWI) classroom, this study focuses on family workshops where parents are given strategies for fluency to work with their children at home. The participants consisted of six parents who were invited to participate in these workshops based on their children’s baseline reading assessments. The results indicate a positive influence in reading when parents participated in all workshops. In addition, when parents are given the specific skills to work on at home, their children are more successful in reading. The significance of this study involves the impact of educators’ collaborations with parents to improve reading. Keywords: Two-Way Immersion, Parent Workshops, Parent Involvement, Fluency Strategies
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Horrigan, Krista
- Description:
- Teachers can use Genius Hour in their classes as an innovative way to get kids excited and passionate about school. Students will be more successful when the teacher takes an innovative approach to teaching, learning and designing new experiences (Wettrick, 2014). This Genius Hour Unit is designed for teachers to use as a means of motivating and inspiring students to help them feel more engaged. Using many Genius Hour instructional guides developed from experts in the field, this project employs research-based pedagogies that will increase student motivation and inspire students to pursue their passions.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Strait, Stephanie
- Description:
- With high stakes testing becoming an ever-present reality in public education, the ability for children to read and comprehend at grade level is vital. California Common Core standards require students to reason through the use of the written word, both in areas of language arts as well as mathematics. For those students who struggle with the basic principles of automaticity and word recognition when reading, the more complex skill of comprehension breaks down considerably. This professional development programwas created to introduce educators to a more student-driven approach to reading instruction that incorporated standards-based skills and strategies necessary to become confident readers. As students developed as readers, their interest in reading grew, thus helping to build a strong foundation for creating life-long readers.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Diaz, Kerry
- Description:
- As dyslexia receives more attention in state legislation, schools and teachers need to understand dyslexia. This project is an introductory professional development presentation that begins with an explanation of historical and current research about dyslexia and then turns to assessment and interventions. A suggestion of how to fit interventions inside a multi-tiered level system is provided. Examples of a structured, explicit and multi-sensory lessons are included. Finally, different programs that prescribe to the Orton-Gillingham approach are compared. The purpose of this project was to create a concise and usable professional development for educators and parents regarding California’s new dyslexia legislation, how to screen for dyslexia, and what classroom interventions are considered best practice.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Rose, Jessica
- Description:
- Abstract Administrators are tasked with implementing a co-teaching model as a way to achieve servicing students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment. Past research studies state that there are three major barriers administrators face when implementing a co-teaching model. The first barrier is a lack of training in special education methods specifically the co-teaching model. The second barrier is a need for a formal evaluation form specifically designed for observing co-teachers. The third barrier is teachers’ various perspectives on administrator support in a co-teaching model. This study attempts to explore whether these barriers are apparent at the two school sites by answering the following question: What are the barriers administrators at two schools face when implementing a co-teaching model for students receiving special education services? Two elementary school sites’ tenured co-teachers and their administrators completed open-ended surveys about the barriers they face when implementing a co-teaching model. Qualitative data revealed that for these two school sites the barriers research states are the barriers administrators face when implementing a co-teaching model is valid. Administrators and tenured teachers’ responses were consistent in stating that the barriers are a lack of training in special education, a need for a formal evaluation form specific to co-teaching, and that teachers’ perspectives varied on the support provided by administrators. Recommendations are to provide adequate training for both administrators and teachers on co- teaching, research and develop an evaluation form that is specific to co-teaching as teachers as well as administrators stated this would be helpful, and to seeks ways to offer support for co- teachers that they feel are helpful. The provided information from this study will inform educators on whether the barriers stated in the research are apparent at these two school sites as well as determine if any of the barriers have subsided over time. By addressing these barriers administrators and teachers can successfully implement the co-teaching model.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Cochran, Yvette
- Description:
- Abstract Digital technology is all around us. It’s become integrated into so many aspects of our lives and our children’s lives. It is essential to function most efficiently in today’s society. Many would agree that digital technology has changed our world for the better. It is preparing our students for the new digital world and developing 21st-century skills. However, are we aware of the potential risks this new phenomenon has on our children? This research study aims to further explore the impact of extended digital technology use and how it may affect the cognitive and social-emotional development in 4th-grade students at one elementary school. This study was conducted using quantitative and qualitative data. The data was collected from 40 4th-grade students, 20 parents of 4th-grade students, and three 4th-grade teachers all at the same school site. Data was collected through anonymous electronic surveys. The surveys were composed separately for students, parents, and teachers. Data was also collected through an unstructured small group interview with teacher participants. The data was analyzed through mixed methods and processes. Recommendations to further enrich the results of this study are included. This study contributes to the discussion with previous research on how digital technology can affect the cognitive and social-emotional development in elementary students. Keywords: digital technology, electronic media, screen time, cognitive development, social-emotional development
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Hernandez, Alma
- Description:
- This study focused on identifying the type of professional development (PD) that teachers perceive to be most effective when implementing Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) at the classroom level. The participants of the study were from one Southern California middle school in its fourth year of PBIS implementation. The teacher participants completed a survey with a combination of multiple choice questions and short responses. The research concluded that when it came to teacher preference in PD, their preference varied. Although the study only focused on one school, predictions are that replicating the study at a larger scale would yield similar results. Although no single type of professional development was identified by this study, it did lead to the formulation of, The Hernandez Cycle for Professional Growth, the cycle highlights five research based principles that could increase the outcomes of initiative implementation. The 5 principles include, 1. Clear Expectations, 2. Trainee Feedback, 3. Variety of Professional Development, 4. Accountability, and 5. Support.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Weden, Amanda
- Description:
- This study investigates the impact of professional development (PD) and professional learning (PL) on teachers’ comfort level with using iReady, an online reading program. For this study, one school site’s teachers were surveyed to determine the trainings they had received and their perceived comfort level. The results were analyzed using percentages, mean comparisons and t tests. The results of this study show that district professional development had a greater impact on teacher comfort level than other models of PD or PL when utilizing iReady in the classroom.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Keenan, Kaity
- Description:
- The purpose of this study was to investigate teacher and leader perceptions of the Student Support Team (SST) process and Response to Intervention (RTI) model. These perceptions were explored through quantitative online surveys administered to teachers and leadership team members working with students in grades K-5. The study compared the perceptions of both groups regarding familiarity with SST and RTI, adequacy of training to implement SST and RTI, eligibility requirements for special education, the effectiveness of SST and RTI, weaknesses of SST and RTI, and reasons for non-referral. The sample population for the survey consisted of teachers (n = 25) and members of the leadership team (n = 8) from a small elementary school in California. Results of the study indicate that while there are certain areas in which teachers and members of the leadership team agree, there are also areas in which more discrepancy exists between the opinions of these two groups. Much of the information collected suggests an overall positive view of this elementary school’s tiered intervention model. The data also highlights some areas in which the SST and RTI could be improved. Recommendations are made to help guide administrators in future planning and decision making related to the SST process and RTI model.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Hirsch Hargrave, Keri
- Description:
- English language learners, 21% of the student population in California (and 12% in the U.S., according to the National Center for English Language Acquisition), struggle to learn to read while learning English. These students are the fastest growing student population in the United States, and the achievement gap between them and their English-speaking counterparts is widening. In an effort to address this problem, school districts all over the nation have been utilizing reading software to support ELLs in literacy instruction. But there is little evidence to support how effective it is with helping ELLs become proficient readers. Research is needed to identify if this costly intervention is actually helping solve these challenges. This study measured the effect the Lexia Reading Core 5 software program had on eleven 3rd grade ELL students who were below grade level in reading. Data was gathered on the number of minutes the students used the software program over the course of a year. Analysis explored the relationship between their time using the software and their reading growth as shown through the two different reading assessments. The conclusion was that the amount of time these students used the reading software, in itself, did not consistently impact reading growth.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Alarcon, Stephanie
- Description:
- Educators seek to develop well-rounded individuals that are capable of adapting to the demands of our ever-changing technological world. However, many secondary students merely go through the motions of our current education system without taking personal ownership of their future. Therefore, there is a critical need to cultivate students’ personal passion and self-motivation in order to prepare them for life beyond the classroom. One way to foster this motivation is by teaching and guiding students to set and monitor meaningful goals, which has been shown to yield higher performance in school/professional settings and personal endeavors. While traditional goal setting practices can be effective for secondary school students, they often focus solely upon academic pursuits and ultimately lack sustained accountability over the course of a student’s secondary experience. The G.A.P. Model for Student Success (Goal Setting, Action Planning, Progress Monitoring) was created to provide a holistic goal setting system that has the potential to foster student-driven passion and self-motivation. Importantly, the G.A.P. Model incorporates goals across four domains (e.g., social, emotional, academic, life skills) so that students can take an active role in their short-term and long-term pursuits with the guidance of school staff as G.A.P. mentors. Implementing the G.A.P. Model involves gaining understanding of the current school climate, collaboration with staff and administration, staff training, student training, and following through to ensure effective implementation. With this collaborative approach, students are able to incorporate the four domains into personal goal setting, action planning, and progress monitoring as they move towards self-motivated academic and personal performance. Keywords: Action planning, goal setting, grit, passion, progress monitoring, self-motivation, student success.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Williams, Kimberly
- Description:
- With an increasing demand for science background in an increasing number of occupations and low science scores nationwide, elementary schools are in need of a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) curriculum that encompasses the new Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). This project is intended to be a guide for fourth grade teachers to begin implementing STEM into their routine curriculum. This program is prepared using Discrepant Events, Inquiry Based Learning, the Five E Planning Model and Science Language Development. The curriculum consists of three units that follow NGSS Earth Space Science (ESS) standards: Erosion, Plate Tectonics and Earthquakes. It was developed for the initial use with a fourth grade classroom in a rural community within San Diego County. This curriculum will assist both new and experienced teachers with the structure and implementation of STEM in their classroom.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Eichlin, Caitlin
- Description:
- According to the National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated 3.1 million adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 in the United States reported having at least one major depressive episode in 2016. With an increasing number of students reporting that they are depressed and stressed, the need for additional supports for these students to more important now than ever before. The best place to provide students with the necessary support is at school, where they spend on average 180 days a year. While there are already supports in place for students like counselors and psychologists, some students need a more informal option. The implementation of a peer counseling program on a high school campus can have significant impacts on the student body. This projects provides curriculum for the selecting and training of peer counselors as an additional support to adolescents in high school. The curriculum was created by reviewing relevant literature, collaborating with staff at different school sites running a similar program, and collaborating with administration, counselors, and other staff at my school site, as well as collaborating with peer counselors. Included in the curriculum is a peer counseling application, interview questions, two four-hour training sessions, student follow up, as well as recommendations for implementation, modifications, and a reflection of lessons learned.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Jones, Frances
- Description:
- High school guidance counselors are in secondary school systems across the country. They have contact with students, teachers, administrators, and parents to ensure correct placement for students and provide guidance as the students plan for their future. There is research concerning the role of guidance counselors and some publications on the prerequisites and requirements that high school guidance counselors must complete. However, there is little research published on the retention rates of guidance counselors in American high schools. This study helps to fill that void by asking and answering, “What is a reasonable term for a high school counselor at one location?” and more importantly, “What are the factors in a high school system that lead to retention of school counselors?” The researcher collected qualitative and quantitative data through the use of surveys given to counselors. In addition to surveying counselors, the researcher also surveyed administrators and teachers, as each of these positions work closely with counselors and have insight into the workings of counseling departments in a high school setting. After collecting and analyzing data for over a month, the replies from 11 counselors, 17 teachers, and 6 administrators were included in this study. It was concluded that high school guidance counselors stay at a given school site an average of 4 years, with the wide range of 1 year to over 10 years. The systems in place that hinder the counselors staying at one site are the large caseloads of students and the many additional duties placed upon counselors which fall outside the job description. Praise and appreciation from administrators encourage counselors to decide to stay put at one school site. These findings are a starting point in a larger picture, in which more research should be conducted.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Senkow, April
- Description:
- Teachers are faced with the challenge of understanding the meaning of student behaviors in the classroom. This study and resulting project created a comprehensive tool for general education teachers to use when identifying the causes of behavior. The tool offers strategies to differentiate between ‘willful’ problem behavior and sensory-seeking behavior. This tool is designed to support educators in determining proactive types of interventions that best address individual sensory needs of students, plus create teacher comfort level skills for daily decision-making in daily pedagogical practices. The outcome of this project has been to make a website available for any educator or administrator seeking solutions to challenging behavior in the classroom. Future educational research, curriculum development and instruction to conduct a local school site is recommended, including a survey to determine the current mindset and background knowledge among general education teachers when dealing with problem behaviors in the classroom.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Nunnenkamp, Camille
- Description:
- Technology is dramatically changing the world we live in. Technology is a part of everything we do, including communication, socialization, and expressing oneself; anything you have wondered about can be found by using technology. The influx of technology is especially present in education, and with it comes the opportunity for students to use devices to take their learning to the next level. However, when provided a device for each student, teachers often do not understand how to implement the technology in a meaningful way that allows students to extend their learning. In this project, elementary school teachers were provided access to an online resource, Teacher Tech Tools. Teacher Tech Tools was created using Google Sites as a way to house meaningful technological projects. This online resource provided elementary school teachers access to grade-level specific projects using different applications or technological platforms. In addition to each technologically-based project, teachers will find a step-by-step video tutorial on how to create each deliverable and implement the specific technological platform effectively into the classroom. This project helps support teachers and their implementation of one-to-one technology into the classroom in a meaningful way.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Simunovic, Tomas
- Description:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects 1 in 59 children (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018) and is often associated with other medical conditions. Every individual with ASD is unique and therefore there is no one-all treatment. One of the most common medical conditions associated with ASD are gastrointestinal disorders. Along with medical conditions associated ASD, individuals with ASD also tend to have feeding behaviors and problems. A means of intervention to support children with ASD is through the use of specialized diets. The goal of this project is to create a guidebook that adults working with children who have Autism Spectrum Disorder can use to help them make better food choices. This would be done by following providing information and strategies in regard to feeding problems and behaviors, as well as information on specialized diets, as recipes for children with ASD.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Moore, Natalie
- Description:
- How can general education teachers maximize supports for all students so they can access and successfully interact with grade-level literature? This project focused upon developing a visual tool to improve reading comprehension for students, particularly students who are visual-spatial learners such as students with autism. The products of this project are three different graphic organizers specially designed to facilitate comprehension of fiction and non-fiction chapter books for visual-spatial learners such as students with autism. Graphic organizers were designed for the two broad categories for literary genres - fiction, and non-fiction. The graphic organizers were designed for use by general education teachers to better include and instruct students with autism and visual-spatial learning preferences in general education upper grades literature instruction. The literature selected to model the use of graphic organizers were popular children’s literature chapter books.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
1783. Understanding the Educational Technology Pedagogical Practices Within Secondary School Settings
- Creator:
- Clements, Josh
- Description:
- This study investigates the ways in which classroom teachers utilize educational technology in the classroom. The research focused on the types, the frequency as well as the methods of educational technology use in the classroom. The research also focused on the principles and practices of teachers in relation to technology use; specifically the SAMR model. The research was conducted using an online survey consisting of 30 questions. 96 respondents were collected from a variety of disciplines. The data illustrates that teachers within the study are achieving the transformative stages of the SAMR model primarily within lessons devoted to student creation and learning. Recommendations for the participant school district include more time devoted to educational technology lesson design for all teachers.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Stamer, Kathryn
- Description:
- The importance of student grouping in education has been identified as a crucial part of instruction in classrooms across the country. Some research has indicated that the best way to teach students in a small group setting during English language arts, such as guided reading, is through same academic ability grouping. Other studies claimed that grouping students based on their learning goals with mixed reading abilities was a more successful way to promote student achievement. Through these conflicting methodologies, the focus of this project was to investigate if one specific style of grouping, homogeneous or heterogeneous, had a greater effect on students’ growth in comprehension during guided reading instruction. Students were instructed for a total of twelve weeks: six weeks in heterogeneous groups and six more weeks in homogeneous groups. The goal was to understand which style of grouping best supported each students’ growth in comprehension skills and where students made the most academic progress. Formal and informal assessments were administered at the beginning and the end of each six-week session, and following the twelve weeks, the assessments scores and data were used to compare the two groups to see if students’ comprehension skills and abilities increased more when placed in the homogeneous group or heterogeneous group. Results from this study indicated that students grouped by their learning goals or academic needs through heterogeneous grouping made more progress in their comprehension and had a deeper knowledge and understanding of the literature when compared to students placed in homogeneous groups.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- George, JoAnna
- Description:
- The goal of the research was to explore how participating in a Parent University impacted twenty-seven Latino middle and high school parents and their ability to support their children in school. The study was a mixed methods study that included a pre-post survey with Likert scale and open-ended questions. Before the program started, twenty of the twenty-seven Latino parents indicated that they did not communicate with their child’s teacher, school staff or even the principal before the program, but after the program 100% indicated they always attended the child’s parent teacher conferences. In the pre-survey, 12 out of 27 (44%) parents said that the school has never helped them become involved in their child’s education, after the program twenty-one (78%) responded in the post survey that the school always helps them become involved in their child’s education. Also in the pre-survey, 15 out of the 27 (56%) parents in the program responded that they did not feel motivated to participate in parent programs at school and after the program concluded, 27 out of 27 (100%) parents said that they do feel motivated to participate in parent programs at school. Parent Universities and other programs similar could increase Latino parental school involvement and possibly increase student success.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Benitez-Mackintosh, Elvi
- Description:
- For at least six decades teacher turnover has been a major educational problem. Further, teacher turnover has been shown to have a negative effect on student academic achievement. This study was conducted to better understand the impact of teacher turnover on the academic achievement of students at the individual school level. Specifically, this study examined state mandated performance data, district Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessments, and teacher assignment data for a Southern California elementary school over six years. The study sought to determine if there was a negative relationship between the number of new teachers assigned to fifth-grade students who had been enrolled at a Turnaround school for the 2010 through 2015 academic years and their academic achievement in reading and mathematics as measured by the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessments and the California Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) or California Assessment of Students Performance and Progress (CAASPP) assessments. The researcher obtained MAP language arts and mathematics scores for 85 fifth graders who had attended the school for at least five years. In addition, the researcher collected students' enrollment data to determine the number of first and second year teachers they had from Kindergarten through fifth grade. Analysis for the MAP data revealed that the group of students who had three or more new teachers experienced noticeable (i.e., a few points) but not statistically significant lower mean performance scores in both language arts and math. However, for the STAR and CAASP data, there was a statistically significant negative correlation between the number of new teachers and students' performance. Implications of these findings for this and other schools experiencing high teacher turnover are discussed and suggestions for teacher support are provided. Keywords: Student achievement, teacher turnover, the Turnaround Model
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- McCrady, Amanda
- Description:
- Students qualified for special education services under the federal disability category of emotional disturbance, as with students in other disability categories, are increasingly being included in general education classrooms for part or all of their school day. Many general education teachers report feeling unprepared to teach students with emotional disturbance, with some feeling negatively about these students being in their classrooms. Research suggests that general education teachers indeed do not receive enough preservice or inservice training on topics highly relevant to the specific needs of students with emotional disturbance such as direct instruction of social skills. While texts exist for general education teachers to read on the topic of supporting students with emotional disturbance in the classroom, there is a need for more texts that are easy to consume while still being informational and practical. To address this need, this teacher researcher created a guide for U.S. K-12 general educators, which addresses several important topics related to instructing and otherwise supporting students with emotional disturbance in the general education classroom. The content of the guide was informed by an examination of the content of several existing texts and an identification of consistently mentioned topics and gaps in the literature. The guide was created digitally in viewable and printable formats.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Tuccinardi, Janine
- Description:
- Educators are confronted with antisocial, disruptive, and internalizing student behaviors which interfere with the flow of the learning environment and can potentially impede the learning of all students. These types of behaviors have been a concern for many years and are raising awareness among, faculty, staff, and parents that both teaching and learning are being affected due to these challenging behaviors. Therefore, administrators are faced with the challenging task of trying to find the right program or practice for addressing these behaviors. Research has shown that PBIS, ongoing professional development in classroom management, and character education programs are all effective preventative measures administrators have taken in order to address these behavioral issues and concerns. More recently, administrators have chosen to adopt The Leader in Me character program as a way to improve their school culture and climate and address student behavior issues. This case study explores teacher perceptions on The Leader in Me character program and its impact on student behavior issues at one elementary school site in an attempt to address the following question: Is The Leader in Me an effective character education program for administration to consider when looking to implement a program in order to address student behavior? A mixed-methods approach was utilized through the collection of suspension data over a four-year period and the completion of a seven-question survey by second through fifth grade teachers about their perceptions on The Leader in Me and its influence on student behavior since implementation in 2015. Quantitative suspension data revealed that The Leader in Me has not had a positive impact on student discipline issues at the studied elementary school site. Quantitative and qualitative data collected from the survey revealed a mixed review of teacher perceptions of The Leader in Me and its impact on student behavior issues since implementation. Teachers perceived The Leader in Me as having successful tools and systems to improve the overall climate and culture of a school, but it does not have the effective tools for addressing and correcting student behavior issues. A recommendation is to implement The Leader in Me in correlation with another preventative measure such as PBIS, in order to build a strong foundation and improve the climate and culture of a school, while also having the proper tools and systems in place to address student behavior issues. The information gathered in this study will add to existing research on The Leader in Me and provide administrators with teacher perceptions of The Leader in Me and its effectiveness when addressing student behavior and discipline problems. Results from this study will be informative to administrators considering a program or practice for improving student behavior and discipline issues.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Wersebe, Jeanna Diane
- Description:
- Collaboration between teachers and teacher librarians (TLs) faces fundamental challenges in the high school setting. Studies of professional library organizations have suggested that collaborations between teachers and TLs are effective in improving student learning, encouraging personal reading, and raising digital citizenship awareness. The conceptual framework and structure of the teacher and librarian collaboration model (TLC-III) is based on the notion that robust collaboration efforts involving groups of teachers have positive effects on students. Researchers have validated the TLC-III model in studies with various groups of teachers and TLs as instructional partners, but have not done so at the high school level. The aim of this study was accordingly to validate the TLC-III model at this level with various high school teachers across disciplines and to determine why some choose to collaborate with TLs while others do not and the factors that influence the formation of a collaborative environment at a large, comprehensive high school. This mixed-method study relied on 62 anonymous surveys and 22 face-to-face interviews to assess what is needed to improve collaboration as part of the learning environment at this school.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Disney, Frances
- Description:
- Restorative justice (RJ) and restorative practices (RP) are an emerging field of study in the United States. With origins derived from indigenous practices, RJ was adopted by the juvenile justice system during the 1970’s, and is within the last decade being applied to school settings. In examining disciplinary data and specific studies that examined high rates of suspensions and expulsions across the country, increasing attention is being placed on restorative methods of community building and discipline interventions to decrease punitive, exclusionary approaches. Although Circle practices (a specific method of RP) continue to become more widely researched and used in enhancing academics and/or addressing issues of conflict and harm, current literature indicates limited research around RJ and RP programs and the experiences of the participants. Through observations and interviews, this qualitative study examined the responses and perceptions participants experienced when participating in a community building Circle program. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how Circles were used in a high school setting to build rapport and healthy relationships among students and staff. Findings suggest positive outcomes students experienced through the use of Circles and show the importance of building positive classroom communities among students and staff.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Stevens-Wills, Zachary
- Description:
- This study used a quantitative research approach to investigate how students view themselves as readers. The purpose of the study was to identify the reading culture at a comprehensive high school in order to create a Silent Sustained Reading (SSR) program that was more responsive to student needs. Data from a school wide survey was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Additionally, a variety of correlation coefficients were run to analyze the relationship between aspects of student’s reading identities and their actions as readers. The findings suggest that having a positive reading identity and engaging in an SSR program do not produce student reading outside of class.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Motaleb, Pegah
- Description:
- The United States is a diverse nation, and it is projected that over the next few decades, Whites will no longer be the majority. In fact, the Hispanic population is growing, and this change in the country’s racial and ethnic demographics will impact many facets of the American life. The review of literature shows that culturally relevant teaching/pedagogy (CRT/P), specifically in readings of ethnic literature, fiction, and text written about and by individuals of color, increases students’ sense of ethnic identity, and results in students feeling a strong sense of agency and belonging in academia. These factors contribute to students’ success and help narrow the achievement gap. Specifically, there is a dearth of literature about culturally relevant reading in accelerated basic skills reading courses at community colleges. This mixed-methods research study sought accelerated basic skills students’ perceptions about their reading experiences. The results of their responses, to a survey and their explanations during an interview, revealed that while they find engaging with ethnic culturally relevant texts important, there is not a direct positive impact on students’ academic achievement, sense of belonging in higher education atmosphere, and motivation to read as a result of engaging with such texts.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Lozano-Partida, Anna
- Description:
- For first-generation college-going students, education is an opportunity to break out of their inherited socioeconomic status. Though this resource is available to first-generation college students, they are not accessing postsecondary opportunities as much as their non-first- generation counterparts. Prior research has shown that students with college educated parents have a greater advantage in accessing higher education over first-generation college students. Most first-generation college students and their parents have limited access to social networks and information, and this causes a reliance on the K-12 system for direct guidance in their quest to higher education. This dissertation explores the challenges and successes first-generation college students face in accessing higher education. Interviews were conducted with fifteen first-year, first- generation college students from a mid-size public university. Data were analyzed and coded for themes and patterns. The goal was to gain insight into these students’ stories and the factors they identify as key in increasing their access to higher education. Findings show that first-generation students find motivation through their families. Not all motivation comes from positive family experiences, but these students desire to attend college so they can have a “better life” with or without the support of their families. The K-12 system continues to provide procedural information and access to higher education, but the process seems to start too late for many students. Most students recall receiving college information in high school but not so much in elementary or middle school. Teachers, counselor and programs provide access to higher education but these supports vary from school to school. Though first-generation students are making it to college, they struggle to understand the financial aspects of higher education and therefore limit their selection to colleges that are affordable rather than their “dream schools.” This study yields important implications that can assist aspiring first-generation college students. This research also has the potential to assist and guide educational systems in better supporting the needs of these students.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Fernandez, Marisela
- Description:
- This study was to investigate if a pull-out service model or a push-in service model is the most effective in addressing needs of students with disabilities. Qualitative measures used to investigate teacher, intervention support staff, parent, and student perceptions of which service model is the most effective in meeting student goals along with meeting state standards. Quantitative measures were used to analyze students’ reading performance with each service model. Results from the adult surveys indicate that a pull-out service model or a combination of both service models would provide a better education for students with special needs. Based on students’ reading assessments, results indicate that providing a pull-out service model would help to improve test scores. Further research exploring the perceptions of a larger sample of administrators, teachers, intervention support staff, parents, and students would add to the body of work related to this study. Additional student assessments in other subject areas may also contribute to identifying the most effective service model for those students with special needs.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Rodriquez, Holly
- Description:
- Much research has been done on student performance in K-12 and higher education, but historically adult students enrolled in Adult Basic and Secondary Education (ABE/ASE) programs have received little attention from educational researchers. With over one million national ABE/ASE participants every year, this is a critical population that warrants an empirical eye (National Center of Education Statistics, U.S. Dept. of Education, 2016). Given that these students experience 25% attrition within the first three weeks of participation, low learner persistence is considered in the literature to be amongst the most significant phenomena in adult education impacting student success (Beder, 1991; Comings, Parella, & Soricone, 1999; Merriam & Cafferella, 1999; Merriam, 2001; Quigley & Uhland, 2000; Gopalakrishnan, 2008; Nash & Kallenbach, 2009; Mellard, Krieshok, Fall, & Woods, 2013). One key factor that impacts adult learner persistence is relationships (Hunter, 2006). Students with stronger support systems are able to seek help as needed, lessening the likelihood of attrition. Relational data, explored through social network analysis, could provide a unique perspective on how relationships and student outcomes are interdependent. While this research is relatively new in adult education, it has gained popularity in the K-16 system in recent years (Bruun & Brewe, 2013; Blansky, 2013; Grunspan, 2014). This qualitative study investigated the impact of adult secondary education students’ social networks on learner persistence, as measured by course completion. A sample of 14 adult secondary education students (18 years or older) were purposefully selected from an adult high school program in Southeast San Diego. The sample included students from diverse racial/ethnic, economic, and physical backgrounds. Students participated in one-on-one, semi-structured interviews providing feedback on relationships that have helped them persist in the program. Limitations of the study, such as generalizability and positionality, were also discussed. Key findings of the study highlighted mechanisms within the program that addressed the conceptual framework of social capital as it promotes student persistence. The first dimension, structural social capital, centered on the structure of the sample network, yielding four main groups that supported adult secondary education student persistence: Counselors, Peers, Teachers, and Family. The data suggest that each group offered unique support to students in varying forms of emotional, motivational, and academic support (addressing the other two dimensions of social capital - cognitive and relational). Limitations of the study, as well as implications for practice, are also discussed.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Pratt, Rory
- Description:
- The purpose of this study is to explore the question: How would the use of student-generated knowledge-sharing videos, as found on social media sites such as YouTube, in a vocational program affect student engagement? Social media had become more accessible in recent years and today’s students are surrounded by information from social media all hours of the day and night. For this study, thirty-one students, who were enrolled in a Career Technical Education (CTE) program, were surveyed to explore their engagement levels for typical academic work and compare it to the student’s perceptions of engagement levels if creating a knowledge-sharing video for publication on a social-media website such as YouTube was assigned. Student safety is an important concern. Congress enacted the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) for schools who receive E-Rate funding. This act requires schools to take steps to protect students from inappropriate or harmful content. Along with blocking inappropriate and dangerous websites, schools have viewed social media as a distraction and have routinely blocked many of the popular social media sites in the quest to comply with CIPA. By routinely blocking social media, schools have removed a powerful learning tool from teachers and students. Students are denied a way to interact with an increasingly world-wide audience and to see how students in other countries interact with the internet and social media. At its core, engagement is based on motivation which can be separated into extrinsic and intrinsic factors. The education system is based on extrinsic rewards which have been shown to provide little motivation. Strategies that tap into intrinsic motivation are likely to produce higher levels of engagement. This study is an attempt to provide a few strategies involving social-media and other emerging technologies to increase student engagement.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Bellers, Kristin
- Description:
- This paper details the basic components of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and how it is used as a treatment for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Key research includes a 1973 O. Ivar Lovaas study that focused on the use of early intervention strategies as treatment for behavior problems and speech delays exhibited in children with ASD. Becker and Kraemer (2010) conducted a survey of parents who had children diagnosed with ASD and found that overall, their experiences with ABA therapy were positive and were of benefit to the family as a whole. This study is particularly important because Andersen, Bøttcher, and Dammeyer (2017) concluded that parental involvement in the ABA therapy process was important for the therapy’s long-term success. This project provides a website for parents of children with ASD who want to understand ABA therapy and how it can benefit their child. It is designed to provide ABA-related terms in simple, easy-to-understand language, and to provide parents with downloadable resources such as data sheets and communication cards. While this website provides a preliminary exposure to ABA therapy and its components, additional research will need to be conducted by parents in order to find a local therapist.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Jones, Shauntala
- Description:
- Bullying is very pervasive and has continually plagued the nation for more than the last decade. Each day American citizens are inundated with media stories highlighting bullying and school violence. Despite media coverage on the devastating consequences of bullying, this issue continues to plague today’s education system. This study sought to shed light on the thoughts and feelings of seventh and eighth grade students at XYZ Middle School. Through a mixed method approach, this study explored the frequency, nature, location, and type of bullying occurring on the campus of XYZ Middle School. The research uncovered that 24% of students reported being bullied at least once a month. Also, social and cyberbullying ranked as the highest form of bullying occurring at XYZ Middle School. There is still work that needs to be done in the literary world to ultimately solve and eliminate bullying on school campuses.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Chirco, Kevin
- Description:
- The purpose of this study was to determine whether computer-based instruction impacted student academic achievement and attitudes towards using technology in the classroom. This action research study used a quantitative research methods approach by analyzing pre- and post-tests and student surveys. Twenty-eight third grade students participated in the study by completing a pre- and post-test, an Attitude Survey, and lessons on fractions over a three-week period. The participants were randomly grouped into two instructional groups of fourteen; computer-based and teacher led. The researcher analyzed both pre- and post-tests to determine how much growth students made after receiving instruction in their group. The researcher also analyzed surveys taken from the computer-based instruction group at the start and conclusion of the study to determine changes in attitudes for students learning through computer-based instruction. Findings from the study indicate that the use of computer-based instruction positively impacts student academic achievement. The results also found that the extended use of computer-based learning in the classroom improves student attitudes towards learning and technology. However, data also showed computer-based instruction is not as effective on academic achievement as teacher-led instruction. Recommendations from the study include increasing the access and opportunities to use computer-based learning in the classroom. Additionally, using computer-based instruction as a supplementary form to teacher-led instruction can potentially provide students will a stronger understanding of any topic.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Spiva, Kate
- Description:
- This study explored the effects of data-driven professional learning communities on student achievement. The work of John Hattie served as the cornerstone with great influence from Robert Marzano and Richard DuFour. The study was conducted using a fifth grade experimental group and a sixth grade control group. The fifth grade teachers administered three math assessments based on Common Core State Standards (CCSS) after meeting in professional learning communities (PLCs), while the sixth grade team administered similar assessments also based on CCSS without meeting in PLCs. Quantitative data was collected in the form of assessment scores. Initial scores and final scores were compared and the Pearson Correlation Coefficient and T-Value were calculated. It was also collected through Likert style surveys given to the fifth grade teachers. Qualitative data was collected in the form of open ended questions for the fifth grade team. This study provided evidence to support that professional learning communities that use data to drive instruction positively impact student achievement.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- San Marcos
- Department:
- Education