Schedule of Events
Graduate School of Education Research Poster Symposium
Thursday, April 28, 2022
5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Lundring Event Center
Research poster session for students in the Graduate School of Education.
Student Abstracts
The Impact of Transitional Kindergarten in a Southern California School
Universal preschool is becoming popular across the United States. Transitional kindergarten, (T.K.) one of California’s public pre-k programs, will be offered to all four year olds by the 2025-2026 school year (California Department of Education, 2021). This research was performed to evaluate a transitional kindergarten program in a Southern California school district. The quantitative study sought to discover the impact of T.K. in early literacy skills, cognition and mathematical skills, and social-emotional development upon entering kindergarten. Evidence was collected through entry-level assessments and parent/staff surveys. Overall, it was found that the majority of T.K. students came in meeting language arts and mathematical kindergarten entry benchmarks, or higher. Comparatively, they did not come in academically stronger than kindergarteners that did not attend T.K. Pending survey results will respond to the social emotional impact of T.K upon entering kindergarten.
Student(s):
Kathryn Appell
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Lory Selby
Contributing Factors of Special Education Teacher Burnout
California has been experiencing a severe shortage of qualified special education teachers since 2014 (Ondrasek et al., 2020). In addition to the challenges in hiring special education teachers, previous studies have reported that one out of every four teachers leave the teaching profession every year and 50 percent of teachers tend to leave the profession within the first five years of teaching (Robinson et al., 2019). This study sought to examine the contributing factors of special education teacher burnout and attempted to identify what issues are affecting special education teachers’ overall well-being, as well as the issues causing teachers to become too burnt out to want to continue in the teaching profession. Through the use of a quantitative research design, this study utilized an electronic version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educator’s Survey (MBI-ES) to measure teacher burnout as well as a demographics survey to gain background information on participants. Contrary to previous research, findings from this study indicated that, overall, teachers in Southern California do not feel burdened or burnt out by their jobs. However, common trends found that Deaf and Hard of Hearing teachers, and teachers within their first five years of teaching, expressed more burnout compared to other special education credentials and those with more teaching experience. Additionally, less than half of the teachers reported leaving the teaching profession within the next six years.
Student(s):
Erika Avila
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Lory Selby
The Impact of Parental Education in Latin-America on How They Support Their Children in the U.S. Education System
Different forms and levels of involvement do not equate a lack of caring, but rather a different approach and a different culture. This study will help educators to nurture this difference rather than view it in a negative light.
The success of a student tends to be directly related to the involvement of their parents in their education. However, not all parents participate in the same ways and not all parents view parental involvement in the same way. This study focuses on the way parents who have immigrated from Latin America view and prioritize involvement in their children’s education in public schools in California. The results aim to help educators to better support these immigrant parents through a comprehensive understanding of the way the parents choose to participate.
Data was collected through interviews with Latinx parents of school-age children attending public schools in California. This particular population has a unique background that creates a unique perspective on the value and importance of participating in their children’s education. This cultural difference is, unfortunately, oftentimes seen as indifference by educators in the United States. This study shows that is simply not the case, while seeking solutions for educators to better support these parents as they support their children.
The success of a student tends to be directly related to the involvement of their parents in their education. However, not all parents participate in the same ways and not all parents view parental involvement in the same way. This study focuses on the way parents who have immigrated from Latin America view and prioritize involvement in their children’s education in public schools in California. The results aim to help educators to better support these immigrant parents through a comprehensive understanding of the way the parents choose to participate.
Data was collected through interviews with Latinx parents of school-age children attending public schools in California. This particular population has a unique background that creates a unique perspective on the value and importance of participating in their children’s education. This cultural difference is, unfortunately, oftentimes seen as indifference by educators in the United States. This study shows that is simply not the case, while seeking solutions for educators to better support these parents as they support their children.
Student(s):
Hilary Balam
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Brandy Yee
Developing Language and Literacy Skills of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Abstract
Research conducted in the United States has shown that Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) students typically leave secondary school with a reading level of fourth grade. Furthermore, delayed literacy skills among DHH students have been a problem for over 50 years in deaf education. Although deaf education, theories, strategies and curricula have evolved since the 1960s, it continues to lack a cohesive, scientific-based, systematical approach for teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing to implement and use in their classrooms. The purpose of this study was to examine and describe the impacts of using evidence-based curricula, including supplemental curricula, strategies, and vocabulary interventions that support DHH learners and whether they increase reading and writing skills among the DHH in the middle school setting. This study employed a quasi-experimental methodological approach using both qualitative and quantitative data collection. The qualitative data collection consisted of a pre-test and post-test. The quantitative data collection consisted of a participant survey at the end of the study using a Likert rating scale. The study results were based on each participant's vocabulary, reading, and writing growth versus scores. This study seeks to produce more current research in DHH literacy development and study the impact supplemental curricula, strategies, and evidence-based vocabulary interventions have on the growth of reading and writing skills among DHH students.
Keywords: Deaf, hard of hearing, Literacy, English Language Learners, Total Communication, Phonological awareness
Research conducted in the United States has shown that Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) students typically leave secondary school with a reading level of fourth grade. Furthermore, delayed literacy skills among DHH students have been a problem for over 50 years in deaf education. Although deaf education, theories, strategies and curricula have evolved since the 1960s, it continues to lack a cohesive, scientific-based, systematical approach for teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing to implement and use in their classrooms. The purpose of this study was to examine and describe the impacts of using evidence-based curricula, including supplemental curricula, strategies, and vocabulary interventions that support DHH learners and whether they increase reading and writing skills among the DHH in the middle school setting. This study employed a quasi-experimental methodological approach using both qualitative and quantitative data collection. The qualitative data collection consisted of a pre-test and post-test. The quantitative data collection consisted of a participant survey at the end of the study using a Likert rating scale. The study results were based on each participant's vocabulary, reading, and writing growth versus scores. This study seeks to produce more current research in DHH literacy development and study the impact supplemental curricula, strategies, and evidence-based vocabulary interventions have on the growth of reading and writing skills among DHH students.
Keywords: Deaf, hard of hearing, Literacy, English Language Learners, Total Communication, Phonological awareness
Student(s):
Marcie Ball
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Brandy Yee
Middle School Student Leadership: Teachers' Perceptions Towards Leadership Development
The middle school years, Grades 6 through 8, are a transformative period of time where students grow and develop as people. Student leadership development opportunities, both formal and informal, can positively impact the development of students. Throughout the research on student leadership development, the underlying thread reveals the critical role teachers play in students’ leadership development. While there is a plethora of research on student leadership, the middle school years are often overlooked. Thus, this research seeks to fill the gap and add to existing research by narrowing in on middle school teachers and identifying their perceived roles in their students’ leadership development process. Specifically, this study examines the qualities that the teachers believe to be important for middle school leaders, activities teachers and schools can implement to develop said qualities, and the barriers teachers and schools face to implementing these opportunities. Through a mixed-methods study that includes a quantitative questionnaire and 1:1 semistructured interviews, the findings of this study seek to answer the question: What are teachers’ perceptions of leadership development in the middle school years? The research collected on middle school teachers can be used to support, guide, and inform schools’ decisions to implement leadership opportunities and will create a resource of activities that middle school teachers believe are effective in developing leadership amongst their students for educators to utilize.
Student(s):
Courtney Beaulieu
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Lory Selby
The Effects of Collaboration on Teacher Workload and Instructional Practices
The use of teacher collaboration is a varying practice that is dependent on school site culture, goals, and resources. Past literature has investigated different types of collaboration, roles within collaboration, and the characteristics of successful collaborative practices, but there is a gap around how collaboration can affect teachers’ workload and instruction within the classroom. The purpose of this phenomenological mixed-method study was to investigate the effects of teacher collaboration on teacher workload and instructional practices. This study sought to collect data regarding teachers' experience with and perception of different types of collaboration to uncover how the practice can affect the time teachers devote to lesson planning and the type of instructional strategies teachers implement inside of their classrooms. Twenty-three participants (volunteers collected from a suburban Southern California high school) were recruited via email to participate in an electronic survey and follow up interview via email.
Keywords: Collaboration, instructional practices
Keywords: Collaboration, instructional practices
Student(s):
Sabrina Beckwith
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Kathleen Merrigan
Addressing the Social-emotional Needs of Middle School Special Education Students
Social-emotional learning (SEL) is widely considered a critical component to a student's academic success. Student groups who face significant social-emotional challenges, such as middle school and special education students, especially benefit from SEL interventions. This study aimed to develop a greater understanding of how middle school special education teachers address the social-emotional needs of middle school special education students. Information regarding teachers' views, training, and experience implementing SEL strategies in the classroom was gathered by conducting semi-structured interviews with eight special education teachers from two middle schools in Southern California. Results showed that all teachers involved in the study strongly believed that supporting students' SEL skills are critical to students' overall academic success. Yet, at the same time, few felt like they had received adequate training and support in this area of instruction. All teachers also admitted to promoting SEL skills primarily by creating a supportive classroom climate while utilizing explicit SEL instruction the least. Responses varied the most regarding which specific SEL strategies teachers believed were the most important or successful. However, all teachers agreed that building rapport with students and creating a learning environment where it is okay to make mistakes and take academic risks is paramount to supporting students' social-emotional needs. The data suggest that this student group requires increased SEL support, and their teachers require more knowledge and training to accomplish this. Further research on this topic may help middle school special education teachers close this gap regarding their students' development of SEL skills.
Student(s):
Lincoln Beltran-Bannon
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Brandy Yee
Oral Comprehension and Speech Perception in the age of COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic brought many challenges to the field of education as a whole. Within the deaf and hard-of-hearing community (listening and spoken language), the challenges have been amplified to a catastrophic level. The challenges functionally hearing students face have been enhanced due to the mask mandate currently in place across the state of California. The recent COVID-19 crisis, and its masking requirements has now highlighted that relationship, and the problems associated with its obstruction in this instance of oral comprehension and speech perception. As it relates to language and literacy, obstruction of the face necessarily impedes sound quality, and just as necessarily, impedes speech perception. This study aims to examine the link between the debilitating effect on oral comprehension and speech perception and the COVID-19 mask mandate and social distancing guidelines. The qualitative research study will focus on oral comprehension of material presented in a listening and spoken language setting for deaf or hard-of-hearing students. This research aims to examine if there is a true deficit to oral comprehension and speech perception due to face masks and social distancing requirements placed on schools due to COVID-19. By conducting a focus group, asking specific questions of educators who work with functionally hearing students, I intend to gather data to examine if speech perception and oral comprehension has been irreparably damaged by the mask mandate.
Key Words: Deaf or hard of hearing, listening and spoken language, speech perception
Key Words: Deaf or hard of hearing, listening and spoken language, speech perception
Student(s):
Hannah Booth
Faculty Mentor:
Lisa Putnam
Perspectives of Teachers of the Deaf Providing Sex Education to Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students
Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students face linguistic and educational barriers when accessing information about their sexual and physical health in school. This lack of access can lead to increased risk and harm to individuals and the community as a whole. Providing sex education to Deaf students comes with additional obstacles. DHH students face language deprivation and reading delays making materials harder to access. For Deaf students who utilize ASL, materials are rarely provided in ASL, are often presented with audition alone, or are print heavy in nature. Teachers of the Deaf often do not receive direct training on how to provide sex education and are often the only educators providing this type of instruction to DHH students. These challenges and barriers create inadequate and inaccessible sex education for DHH students. This research aims to uncover current issues and trends perceived by teachers of the Deaf who provide sex education in a self-contained Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing classroom. A mixed methodology questionnaire was completed by teachers of the Deaf working in self- contained classrooms of all grades in Southern California. This survey includes Likert scales, multiple-choice questions, and lists to select from. The questions address current teachings in sex education and the perspectives of teachers providing the instruction. Surveying teachers on the obstacles they face when providing sex education helps to define the challenges clearly and hopes to develop best practices.
Student(s):
Darrian Briggs
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Lory Selby
Tinnitus Ramifications On The Mind In The Educational Setting
Tinnitus is the individual’s perception of sound, what they are currently hearing while being surrounded and immersed in a different sound. Additionally, tinnitus has a direct impact on mental (memory and cognition, social-emotional changes, psychologically), educational (classroom environment, additional hearing loss), and physical (vertigo, hearing equipment, other health issues) components for an individual. The quality of life and ability to learn is drastically impacted by tinnitus (Holgers, 2003). If previous data shows that tinnitus can directly impact mental, educational, physical components towards individuals, then there needs to be more research in each section. Unfortunately, due to this notion, many individuals suffer from tinnitus before seeking help and/or a diagnosis, which leads to the issue of having little research to reference. With this research in mind, the purpose of this qualitative study focuses on the question: What are the reported physical, emotional, or psychosocial obstacles of students and teachers with tinnitus? This study is conducted by gathering information from selected participants through screenings and interviews via Zoom with pre-scripted questions regarding the tinnitus symptoms they have experienced, currently are experiencing, precautions they have established in their life, tips for learning and teaching, and their diagnosis journey. This study will produce and add more data towards the existing literature regarding the effects of tinnitus on students and teachers in the classroom by retelling personal experiences through qualitative measurements.
Student(s):
Jaclyn Capie
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Lory Selby
The Impacts of Standards-Based Grading on Academic Achievement Gaps
Research reveals that the subjectivity of grades awarded in a traditional grading model disproportionately impacts marginalized students of color and attributes to widening academic achievement gaps. The standards-based grading (SBG) model aims to combat inequitable grading practices, and advocates for SBG maintain that SBG can diminish academic achievement gaps if implemented with fidelity. Therefore, the present study examines the effects of a schoolwide SBG initiative at the high school level and its impact on the site’s gender and socioeconomic (SES) achievement gaps. The amount of As, Ds, and Fs awarded to the entire student body during the 2019-2020 and 2021-2022 school year were pulled to determine the percentage of difference in academic achievement among males and females, and among high and low SES students. Then, the same process was applied to a teacher sample size who fully transitioned from traditional grading to SBG during that time period. The sample size was chosen because recurring discussions from leading researchers reveal inconsistent implementation of SBG as a limitation on the research. Data analysis of the findings concluded there was a statistically significant decrease in both the SES and gender achievement gaps among the whole school. The sample size showed a lesser decrease among SES and gender when compared to the whole school, which may be a result of teacher’s attitudes towards SBG. Overall, the findings reveal that the SBG initiative proved to be a more equitable system of grading and significantly reduced the amount of overall failing grades for the school site.
Student(s):
Nicole Carter
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Brandy Yee
Support Programs for Immigrant Parents
As the number of Latinx students steadily increases in Southern California schools, many barriers limit immigrant parents from assisting their Latinx children in building a sense of belonging. Language barriers and socioeconomic status have a major impact on how immigrant parents engage in our public schools. Many immigrant parents fail to be involved in their children's school due to lack of transportation, feeling unwelcomed, and work schedules. Therefore, schools need to be mindful of these barriers when including immigrant parents in building their Latinx students' sense of belonging.The purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions and lived experiences of high school administrators and counselors on how high schools can better inform, engage, and empower immigrant parents to positively influence the sense of belonging of their Latinx children in school. The research question that guides this study is: What parent support programs can high schools provide for immigrant parents to better support Latinx students’ sense of belonging? To address this question for this qualitive research, data were collected through open-ended questions used in semi-structured interviews with high school administrators and counselors at a Title 1 school with a high number of immigrant parents and Latinx students.
Student(s):
Richard Castaniero
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Lisa Putnam
Teacher Attitudes and Perceptions Towards English Language Learners: Does It Play a Role In Academic Performance?
The face of education has changed drastically over the last century. Teacher attitudes and perceptions can play a vital role in the education and academic achievement of students of any demographic. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to focus on teacher’s opinions of whether they believe their attitudes and perceptions towards ELL students plays a role in the overall academic performance and achievement of their ELL students. Teachers who are traditionally accustomed to a primarily monolingual classroom are now being faced with the critical task of teaching students who require more differentiation and accommodations. This raises the issue of not only whether teachers are adequately trained to teach in a more diversified classroom, but whether teachers are prepared to positively welcome a more diversified population of ELL students in their classrooms. The findings of this study attempt to answer the question: Do teachers believe their attitudes and perceptions towards ELLs have an impact on ELLs' academic achievement?
Student(s):
Gabriela Celis
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Lory Selby
Teacher Perspectives on Diversity: Is a Diverse Staff Essential for Student Success?
The purpose of this study is to investigate teacher perceptions about diversity within their school culture. Are educators aware of the impact that the diversity demographic among staff may have on the long-term academic success of their students? Throughout this thesis, the following themes will be discussed: benefits of diverse teachers, perceptions of teachers towards English learners, cultural competency, teacher collaboration, professional development, sociocultural perspectives, and student-teacher relationships. Teachers of color in the classroom can act as role models or “an agent for change” for students (Banks et al., 2015). The findings of this study attempt to answer the question: Do teachers believe that their diverse students feel that success is attainable when surrounded by a monolingual white community of teachers?
Student(s):
Estefani Cervantes
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Lory Selby
Fostering a Global Community: The Role of Cross-Cultural Engagement in International Student Integration
Research studies on the adaptation of international students to higher education campuses in the United States have established cross-cultural engagement as a predictor of international student integration. The present study attempted to explore the experiences and social interaction patterns of international graduate students at a private liberal arts university in Southern California so as to understand their level of cross-cultural engagement. It also sought to give voice to international graduate students in identifying measures that could promote cross-cultural interaction on campus. The study employed a mixed method, using both quantitative and qualitative data collection simultaneously in a single research study to understand the breadth and depth of international students’ experiences. Thus, data was collected through an electronic survey as well a focus group discussion of international graduate students. The data from the survey and the focus group was then analyzed independently and the results were integrated to achieve an overall interpretation. Preliminary findings showed that while international graduate students felt comfortable and secure on campus, inter-cultural communication and cross-cultural engagement were issues that they struggled with often. The study was also able to identify certain measures that the international graduate students thought could be taken to facilitate cross-cultural interaction across the student body.
Keywords: Acculturation, International Students, Sociocultural Adaptation, Cross-cultural engagement, Inter-cultural communication.
Keywords: Acculturation, International Students, Sociocultural Adaptation, Cross-cultural engagement, Inter-cultural communication.
Student(s):
Mandavi Chattopadhyay
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Kathleen Merrigan
The COVID Gap in Elementary Education
The COVID achievement gap has become a topic of research in recent years. Educators are unsure of the long-term effects that COVID will have on a child’s academic achievement. We do know children have fallen behind during online learning, and this study is aimed at determining what achievement gaps have occurred because of COVID in elementary education. I hypothesized there will be an achievement gap in both literacy and mathematics. I also believed the effects of the pandemic have been impacted by other teachers’ instructional strategies and I was curious to learn what other teachers are employing in their classrooms to help students. The collection of data was a survey at one low-income school. Questions about the literacy and mathematic gap, instructional strategies, needs of students, and needs of teachers were asked to determine where educational gaps occur. There are four major themes from my research: issues decoding, comprehension delays, issues with memorization, and fear of COVID. The first implication of this research is allowing teachers to see where gaps are for children after nearly three years of living in a pandemic bubble. Second, this research also gives educators a way to see how COVID achievement gaps have affected low-income schools and families. Finally, as our education system will be recovering from the COVID pandemic for several years, future research should be linked to following a group of students who started school before the pandemic, completed online schooling during the pandemic, and then transitioned back into brick-and-mortar schooling.
Student(s):
Kimberly Cook
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Brandy Yee
Factors Influencing Itinerant Service Type, Time, and Intensity for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students
Over the last decade, education of deaf and hard-of-hearing students (DHH) has seen a tremendous shift toward inclusion. According to the U.S. Department of Education, nearly 90% of all DHH students are attending general education classes for some portion of their day. With the majority of DHH students now being educated within their homeschools alongside hearing siblings and peers, the need for specialized support from itinerant teachers of the deaf (I-TODHH) has become critical. Previous research has focused on defining the role of I-TODHHs, however, it has not examined how this role translates into service delivery. A lack of information regarding how service decisions are made has motivated and guided this study. This study utilized a mixed-methods approach, collecting both quantitative and qualitative data from itinerant teachers of the deaf currently working in Southern California. This study aimed to determine how I-TODHHs weigh different factors and influences when determining service type, time, and intensity for individual students. A three-part questionnaire, consisting of demographics, factors that influence service decisions, and open-ended questions was created for this study. The responses to the demographic questions may be used to determine a relationship between services and the qualifications, experience, and background of itinerant teachers. The results of this study may be used to develop a standard in which factors are considered objectively for each student, thus allowing service decisions to be based on assessed rather than anticipated needs.
Student(s):
Samantha Dickey
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Lory Selby
Teacher Induction and the edTPA: How Do They Affect Teachers’ Job Perceptions?
This study was aimed to find out if induction and the edTPA are effective in making new teachers feel welcomed and prepared for their new roles, as well as to examine how these programs affect teachers' perceptions of their jobs. Research studies have not been conducted on the induction programs offered by Ventura County Office of Education (VCOE); this study will provide the county with data showing what the most supportive items are in the induction program and how the induction program overall makes teachers feel about their jobs. Overall, this research study provides information that can be used to help these programs become more supportive of new teachers. A mixed-methods study allowed the following research questions to be answered: How do the edTPA and induction programs affect teachers’ perceptions of their jobs? Furthermore, what aspects of induction programs and the edTPA are the most beneficial to teachers and how do the edTPA and induction programs help teachers feel more valuable in their jobs? Participants completed a survey of 16 questions on Google Forms. Those who consented to participate were sent an online interview via Google Forms that was 8 questions long.
Keywords: VCOE, teacher induction, edTPA, job satisfaction, job perception
Keywords: VCOE, teacher induction, edTPA, job satisfaction, job perception
Student(s):
Heather Dingbaum
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Kathleen Merrigan
Parental Beliefs on a Newly Implemented Dual Language Immersion Program
Although the implementation of dual language immersion programs continues to grow, research still demonstrates that perceptions regarding the benefits of these programs differ among all stakeholders, specifically parents. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore parental beliefs regarding dual language immersion programs. The data collection from this research study will provide an insight as to how parental beliefs differ among parents with different demographic characteristics, such as race, ethnicity, educational level, and primary language. This research study followed a phenomenological qualitative research approach, in which the participants answered a questionnaire with close and open-ended questions. From the participants who answered the questionnaire, some were selected to take part in a semi-structured interview. The data gathered from this research study was then analyzed and coded through the process of inductive analysis. Initial data analysis demonstrates that parental perspectives, aside from race, ethnicity, educational level, and primary language, value the benefits that dual language immersion provides, specifically the idea of learning academic Spanish that their children would otherwise not receive at home.
Student(s):
Cynthia Esquivel
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Kathleen Merrigan
Strategies of Inclusive Education for General Education Teachers
As inclusive education becomes more predominant within schools, general education teachers are often left scrambling to find strategies to benefit all students. The goal of this research study is to sit down with educators and examine strategies they find useful in their fully inclusive classrooms in order to provide meaningful instruction to all learners. Previous research has offered limited strategies and the co-teaching strategy that frequently comes up is often debated. The methodology presented is a mixed methods research design with a survey portion followed up by an interview. The research study aims to find what strategies teachers in inclusive classrooms find the most effective. The survey presents teachers with five currently used inclusive strategies and asks them to rate their effectiveness from highly ineffective (1) to highly effective (5). The transcription and analysis from the interview allow for further understanding of the survey responses to accompany the survey data.
Student(s):
Rachel Fischbach
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Brandy Yee
Educators' Perspectives on Strategies to Decrease Test Anxiety
The study, Educators' Perspectives on Strategies to Decrease Test Anxiety, aimed to explore teachers' perspectives on effective strategies used in the classroom to reduce test anxiety. Test anxiety and poor academic achievement have been a topic of discussion for several decades. Many studies have shown that test anxiety has many negative implications on students physically and emotionally inside and outside of the classroom. The research question used in this study was: What are teachers' perspectives on effective strategies being used in the classroom to reduce test anxiety? The phenomenological approach was used to find effective qualitative data for this study to facilitate a better understanding of effective strategies teachers are implementing in the classroom. In addition, this study correlates with the constructivist and ethnographic paradigms. The data was gathered through a survey that consisted of four open-ended questions through Google Forms that looked at effective strategies teachers use to lower test anxiety in the classroom, as well as their perceptions if those strategies have helped their students. There were 32 participants that came from two different school sites. Two main findings emerged from this study.
Finding #1 talked about strategies to decrease test anxiety from all participants.
Finding #2 discussed strategies to decrease test anxiety across specific grade levels.
The results of the study found that there are strategies used to decrease test anxiety and increase academic success.
Keywords: Test anxiety, academic achievement, strategies, assessments, teachers’ perspectives
Finding #1 talked about strategies to decrease test anxiety from all participants.
Finding #2 discussed strategies to decrease test anxiety across specific grade levels.
The results of the study found that there are strategies used to decrease test anxiety and increase academic success.
Keywords: Test anxiety, academic achievement, strategies, assessments, teachers’ perspectives
Student(s):
Jensen Fishberg
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Brandy Yee
Educators' Perspectives on Teacher Collaboration During Distance Learning
Teacher collaboration and its importance is not a surprise or new information to educators. Most importantly, since the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in the 1990s, public schools no longer were supported to have students with disabilities isolated from their typically developing peers. Educators have been encouraged to rethink placement, and, as the IDEA law states, educators must consider the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). With this notion set in place, many students with disabilities are now participating in the general education setting with some accommodations and possible modifications to the curriculum. During the 2019 school year, many teachers faced a new challenge to teach virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, schools were forced to close their doors to ensure student safety. As a result, teachers used distance learning as a new platform to teach students California State Standards, as well as continue to support students with special needs in their general education online classrooms. The purpose of this qualitative study was to gather information and insight on educators' perspectives of teacher collaboration during distance learning throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants shared their experiences on successful practices used for teacher collaboration through distance learning.
Student(s):
Brigette Flores
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Lory Selby
Extraversion in Secondary Teachers and the Specific Subject Areas that They Teach
Teacher retention has been a long-standing issue in education (Rhodes, 2015). With the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the already difficult task of keeping teachers in the classroom is magnified. With teacher positions continuing to go unfilled, it is important to hold onto the teachers that are already employed. This study proposes that the solution for retaining teachers is ensuring that teachers enter positions that are a “good fit” for them (Kok & Meyer, 2018). Past studies suggest that a teacher’s personality has profound effects that should not go unnoticed (Göncz, 2017). The following quantitative study aims to explore the area of teacher personality with respect to potential implications for helping teachers find a teaching position that is the best fit for them with the hope that they will remain in the field and carry out their careers as teachers. The following quantitative study aims to investigate two variables--the relationship between teacher personality and the subject area(s) that a teacher chooses to teach by specifically addressing the question: Is there a correlation between extraversion and the subject area(s) a teacher chooses to teach? To measure these variables, the study utilized 280 middle school and high school teachers from a selected school district in Southern California. Participants completed a 27-item, web-based survey. The survey data was collected and analyzed using two different chi-squares tests and a Pearson correlation coefficient (r). It was found that there was a positive correlation between teacher extraversion and the subject area(s) that they teach.
Student(s):
Christine Flores
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Lory Selby
What ABA-based Antecedents Help Decrease Behaviors in the Self-contained Special Education Classroom.
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) has made ground-breaking work in areas of behavior, but despite research, still receives skepticism from professionals in education. ABA has scientifically proven that a well-designed intervention for understanding human behavior can make a significant difference in the lives of those who struggle with managing their behavior. This is why applying ABA techniques is imperative to rectify maladaptive behaviors that can occur in the classroom. However, many teachers may not feel well-prepared to take on the challenging behaviors that may be observed in the classroom, especially the self-contained classroom. This study sought to examine the different types of ABA-based antecedent strategies that can help decrease escape behaviors in the self-contained special education classroom. Another purpose is to identify which one of the strategies used is the most effective, along with how the teacher felt about her teaching after implementing ABA strategies in the classroom. Through the use of action research design, this study used a rubric checklist to measure escape behavior decrease and strategy effectiveness, as well as observation notes to detail the researcher’s experience as an education specialist managing challenging behaviors. Contrary to misconceptions and bias, utilizing ABA-based strategies in the self-contained classroom did decrease escape behaviors and the teacher did feel better equipped in managing challenging behaviors.
Student(s):
Crista Gonzalez
Faculty Mentor:
Brian Harlan
Public versus Private School Perspectives
An ongoing issue of current debate throughout the education system is the division between public and private schools. Parents, teachers, and administrators grapple with the question of which system will best serve the educational needs of their children or which education system to work within. The purpose of this study is to determine which reasons factor into their decision when choosing between the public and private systems of education. This paper is aimed to support the common themes related to school choice in past literature, including test scores, success rate, cost, and location. According to past literature regarding test scores and success rate, private schools show an advantage over public schools in their overall students’ academic performance and career achievement. However, with regards to cost and location, public schools show an increasingly large advantage compared to private schools that have high tuition rates and fewer locations. To examine these perceptions, a mixed-methods study was conducted from a total of 29 public and 44 private school parents, teachers, and administrators. The survey consists of both Likert scale and open-ended questions. The Likert scale questions provide a quantitative approach to data collection, giving a numerical response to the data. The open-ended responses are a form of qualitative research, in which their personal experience and attitudes are expressed in detail. The results of the study will provide insight to others from prospective first-year parents, teachers, and administrators as to why they chose to enroll their child in or work for a particular school.
Student(s):
Taylor Gordon
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Brandy Yee
Special Day Classroom Teachers Perspective of DHH StudentsUnderstanding of Mathematical Word Problems
Consistent evidence from research studies between 1980 and 2000 indicates that children with hearing loss lag behind their hearing peers by 2 to 3.5 years in mathematics (Swanwick et al., 2005). In addition, research shows that students with a hearing loss have trouble interpreting relations between the numbers and the content of word problems (Cho and Chung, 2012). Previous research has primarily focused on students' achievement on mathematical word problems and their barriers to completing these problems. While it is essential to understand these challenges that Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) students face when completing mathematical word problems, little research is available from the perspective of their Special Day Classroom teachers. This study examined teachers' instruction, preparedness, understanding of student's challenges, and support when teaching mathematical word problem-solving in DHH students. The data was collected through an online survey given to DHH Special Day Classroom teachers in the Los Angeles area. The data was analyzed, patterns were found within the areas of teacher instruction, understanding of challenges, and support provided for mathematical word problems. This data will be reported and presented at the Festival of Scholars.
Student(s):
Erica Grimes
Faculty Mentor:
Brian Harlan
Manufacturing Consent in the Classroom
The purpose of the study is to determine the role of manufacturing consent of political views in the classroom through teacher student interaction. This research study will pose such questions as: In what ways do teacher involvement in corporate media influence students in the classroom? As well as is media literacy being addressed in the classroom when it comes to corporate driven narratives? Additionally, what role does corporate media play in political tribalism and polarization and does it start in the classroom? Hopefully, this will highlight the significance of pushing certain ideals and sources onto students' minds and comparing that with political tribalism today.
Student(s):
Jacob Grise
Faculty Mentor:
Brian Harlan
Social Relationships of Middle School Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Adolescents in the Mainstream Classroom
Social skills are essential for all adolescents to navigate through building friendships, participating in class, and feeling a part of the school community. Unfortunately, middle school deaf and hard-of-hearing adolescents face challenges in language and communication, which can affect their social skills. For example, they experience limited access to sound, lack of vocabulary background knowledge, and experience limited opportunities to practice social skills at school or home. Consequently, not having the essential social skills to gain peer relationships can result in rejection, loneliness, low self-esteem, and low academic achievement. This research explored the social skills, peer relationships, and classroom experiences of middle school deaf and hard-of-hearing adolescents in the mainstream setting. Surveys were provided to the D/HH students and their teachers. The deaf and hard-of-hearing students completed a survey with a 3 point Likert scale on how they relate to the question. The teachers completed a survey about their experience teaching with students with hearing loss and if they attended professional development to increase their knowledge of supporting the students with hearing loss in the classroom. The data was organized and analyzed to correlate and find relations between the students’ experiences and the teachers’ responses. The students’ results showed correlations between their classroom experiences. The teachers’ results showed similar findings towards being inexperienced in teaching children with hearing loss. Overall, the results led to the discussion on strategies teachers should implement in the classroom to support the deaf and hard-of-hearing students’ social and learning experiences.
Student(s):
Bryanna Hammett
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Lory Selby
Student Self Efficacy Through Parent Involved Meaningful Homework
Over the past 3 years, the world endured a pandemic affecting the schooling system, where schools closed and went digital. It caused difficulties for students, families, and educators, however it encouraged innovation. New hobbies and interests were discovered with the extra time spent at home, creating an additional opportunity to change the school system.
In recent years, the education system has been shifting towards new types of learning and teaching because of the positive effects of project-based learning, meaningful homework, and including parents in a child’s education. The purpose of this action research study was to determine if a student’s sense of self efficacy would increase due to engaging in meaningful homework involving their parents. Looking to answer the question: Does parental involvement in meaningful homework affect a student’s sense of self efficacy?
This qualitative study collected data through pre- and post-surveys from 20 parent participants whose children were enrolled at an in-person elementary school. Throughout the 4-week study, the parents would commit to helping their child with a new type of meaningful homework, where they learn about/how to do something new each school day together. Parent-child teams would determine their own course of study, and it could change daily, until the 4 weeks ended. At the end of the study, the parents would take an identical survey to pre-survey about their views on their child’s self efficacy in regards to homework. The two survey results would be consolidated to find any cohesive themes and patterns that arise.
In recent years, the education system has been shifting towards new types of learning and teaching because of the positive effects of project-based learning, meaningful homework, and including parents in a child’s education. The purpose of this action research study was to determine if a student’s sense of self efficacy would increase due to engaging in meaningful homework involving their parents. Looking to answer the question: Does parental involvement in meaningful homework affect a student’s sense of self efficacy?
This qualitative study collected data through pre- and post-surveys from 20 parent participants whose children were enrolled at an in-person elementary school. Throughout the 4-week study, the parents would commit to helping their child with a new type of meaningful homework, where they learn about/how to do something new each school day together. Parent-child teams would determine their own course of study, and it could change daily, until the 4 weeks ended. At the end of the study, the parents would take an identical survey to pre-survey about their views on their child’s self efficacy in regards to homework. The two survey results would be consolidated to find any cohesive themes and patterns that arise.
Student(s):
Rochelle Janda
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Brandy Yee
Social Emotional Learning and the Arts
The aim of this study was to evaluate the connections between high school art curriculum and Social Emotional Learning principles. The research question follows: Do art teachers observe increased SEL competency levels in correlation with involvement in the arts for high school students? A quantitative approach was used in which arts teachers were surveyed regarding their experiences and observations of SEL principles in their classrooms. Preliminary data suggests a correlation between SEL and high school art classes, but analysis is not complete at this time. This study has implications both for effective ways to incorporate SEL into everyday curriculum, as well as the importance of the arts in high school.
Student(s):
Zuri Kawooya
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Lory Selby
Social-Emotional Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic
In 2019, a worldwide pandemic caused by a viral infection, COVID-19, impacted educators around the world. Education quickly adapted to online accessible material due to the pandemic. The purpose of this study was to investigate how the shift to distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic impacted social-emotional learning interventions and curriculum provided by districts in schools. Additionally, this study investigated teachers' perceptions on how the lack of a specified social-emotional learning intervention program designed for distance learning impacted student success. Previous research shows the importance of social-emotional learning in schools, yet during the COVID-19 pandemic, certain schools chose to omit the necessary style of learning (Leshner, 2021). The goal of this study was to identify an area of lapse in education during the COVID-19 pandemic to bring awareness to educators as to how far the loss of learning impacted. This study was conducted using twelve special education teachers in a Southern California high school. The participants of the study completed a Qualtrics survey and Google Form over a four-week period. The findings of the study confirmed a lack in district provided social-emotional learning training and interventions. Teachers' perceptions reported students’ grades dropped during the pandemic (compared to prior), and teachers reported adjusting the grading scale for students to pass. Responses showed perceived increases in Other Review IEPS for behaviors, counseling, and grades. The significance of this study is to highlight the lack of district provided online social-emotional learning interventions and inform of possible consequences on student success.
Student(s):
Kaitlyn Keane
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Brandy Yee
A Glass Half Full: A Content Analysis of Antiracism Concepts in Institutional Diversity Plans
Diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) have become critical concepts for policy making, curriculum development, and campus dialogue in institutions of higher education. In particular, conversations surrounding racism and systemic injustice are at the forefront of campus initiatives surrounding DEIJ. While colleges and universities have held campus forums, developed diversity teams, and released institutional statements regarding issues of race and racism, many have faced criticism for a lack of concrete action and substance to enact transformational change. Institutional diversity plans are a key and strategic approach used in colleges and universities to conduct organizational change rooted in DEIJ. Yet, research has shown that though these documents are significant in policy implementation, there are some shortcomings. Antiracism is an approach that consists of a continuous commitment to recognize, identify, and dismantle systemic racism. It is critical to investigate diversity plans for evidence of antiracism concepts and strategies to provide a framework for institutions to begin to dismantle systemic racism. This study consists of a comparative content analysis of institutional diversity plans from eight public, Minority Serving Institutions through the lens of the conceptual framework for antiracist change (Welton et al., 2018). Findings from this study demonstrate how concepts of antiracism are embedded in diversity plans alongside organizational change strategies that support the transformation of antiracism concepts into concrete action.
Student(s):
Caeli Koizumi
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Lory Selby
How Well Are We Implementing School-wide Behavior Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) In Schools?
More schools are implementing School-wide Behavior Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) as a disciplinary system that covers the whole school. Schools are adopting SWPBIS in order to move away from exclusionary discipline measures like suspension and expulsion. Past research has shown that expulsion and suspension may not deter challenging behavior, reduce the amount of academic instruction a student receives, and places them academically behind their peers. Research also suggests that SWPBIS can reduce the rate of suspensions and expulsions, as well as increase academic achievement outcomes. California schools can contribute data to the California PBIS Coalition (CPC), a group that assesses the implementation fidelity of SWPBIS using a measure called The SWPBIS Tiered Fidelity Inventory (TFI). This study examines how the implementation fidelity of SWPBIS affects rates of suspensions and expulsions at different levels of fidelity. The TFI data and demographic information of 221 elementary, middle, and high schools were analyzed using a multivariate analysis of covariance, also known as a one way MANCOVA. Previous studies have examined how the different recognition tiers of the CPC (Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze) affect the rates of suspensions and expulsions. The scores from TFI for these 221 schools were separated into 40-50%, 51-60%, 61-69%, 70-80%, 81-90%, and 91-100% divisions. This study intends to look at how each score range affects the rates of suspensions and expulsions, while controlling for Free or Reduced Lunch (FRL) rate, Title 1 status, student enrollment, school grade level, and the Ethnic Diversity Index (EDI).
Student(s):
Nicolas Lazzarini
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Brandy Yee
Christian School Teachers' Homework Perceptions
The purpose of this study was to examine Christian School teachers’ opinions about homework. The participants consisted of 24 kindergarten through eighth-grade teachers at three private, Christian Schools in Southern California. Utilizing a mixed-methods research design, participants completed a 17 question survey containing multiple choice, Likert scale and open ended questions. In alignment with the study’s research question, the survey aimed to gather information regarding why participants assign homework, how homework is assessed and when its efficacy is evaluated, how much time students are expected to spend on homework, and what the participants perceive students’ and parents’ opinions about homework are. The major findings show that the participants believe the purpose of homework is to promote academic reinforcement. From their perspectives, this goal is being reached through the homework they assign. The data also reveal inconsistencies in the types and amounts of homework being assigned among similar grade levels and schools. The findings also show varying opinions about whether homework is a requirement and who in fact requires it. Lastly, the participants perceive that students view homework negatively and that parents view it more favorably, but neither group wants homework infringing on family time or extracurricular activities.
Student(s):
Melanie Leahy
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Lory Selby
Why Middle School Students Enroll and Persist in Music, and Enrollment Impact from COVID-19
A worldwide pandemic shuttered businesses, education, entertainment, retail, travel and tourism, transportation and more, and had devastating effects on student enrollment in school, especially music electives. Are the factors and differences between overall declining enrollment in schools and specifically music electives significant?
The purpose of this survey is to examine the complex factors that influence music elective participation as defined by Hawkinson’s (2015) three factor categories: structural, interpersonal and intrapersonal. Subcategories of structural factors include access and equity, school size and type, socioeconomic status and race/ethnicity, academic performance and English language proficiency. Subcategories of interpersonal factors include social identity, parents and peers, music teachers and subcategories of intrapersonal factors include self-efficacy, attitudes, and costs. Many studies reference the national High School Longitudinal Studies (Kinney, 2009) that identify the complexity of predictors, whereas this study surveys middle school students to ask them to rate previously identified predictors in order of greatest influence using a Likert scale. The results of this study may be helpful to local stakeholders, including administrators, counselors, and music educators by considering which factors impact music participation and work to encourage music participation for all and rebuild programs to pre-Covid levels of enrollment.
The purpose of this survey is to examine the complex factors that influence music elective participation as defined by Hawkinson’s (2015) three factor categories: structural, interpersonal and intrapersonal. Subcategories of structural factors include access and equity, school size and type, socioeconomic status and race/ethnicity, academic performance and English language proficiency. Subcategories of interpersonal factors include social identity, parents and peers, music teachers and subcategories of intrapersonal factors include self-efficacy, attitudes, and costs. Many studies reference the national High School Longitudinal Studies (Kinney, 2009) that identify the complexity of predictors, whereas this study surveys middle school students to ask them to rate previously identified predictors in order of greatest influence using a Likert scale. The results of this study may be helpful to local stakeholders, including administrators, counselors, and music educators by considering which factors impact music participation and work to encourage music participation for all and rebuild programs to pre-Covid levels of enrollment.
Student(s):
Laura Leininger
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Brandy Yee
Good Teaching Matters: Students Learn More When Their Teachers use Non-Traditional Methods
Public education was never created for all kids, nor has the system adapted to the fact that we now serve all kids from all backgrounds. Today’s teachers have students from various socio-economic backgrounds, prior knowledge levels, races, religions, language abilities, etc., and are expected to reach all of their students to teach them grade-level curriculum and content standards, which presents quite a challenge.
The purpose of this research is to look at the art of using non-traditional teaching methodologies within a traditional teaching setting. This helps engage students, and facilitate learning for all students at high levels.
This is a qualitative study. The researcher interviews highly successful teachers and administrators, and compares their verbal answers to current research on successful instructional methods. Interview questions are focused on experiences, and instructional practices that they find both successful and unsuccessful.
The researcher analyzes the commonalities between the outside research and the qualitative data to look for effective instructional techniques. The background research includes a wide variety of authors, but ultimately compares the qualitative data collected to The Will To Lead, the Skill to Teach by Muhammed and Hollie; Building Resilience in Students Impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences by Romero, Robertson & Warner; and Better Learning Through Structured Teaching by Fischer and Frey.
The purpose of this research is to look at the art of using non-traditional teaching methodologies within a traditional teaching setting. This helps engage students, and facilitate learning for all students at high levels.
This is a qualitative study. The researcher interviews highly successful teachers and administrators, and compares their verbal answers to current research on successful instructional methods. Interview questions are focused on experiences, and instructional practices that they find both successful and unsuccessful.
The researcher analyzes the commonalities between the outside research and the qualitative data to look for effective instructional techniques. The background research includes a wide variety of authors, but ultimately compares the qualitative data collected to The Will To Lead, the Skill to Teach by Muhammed and Hollie; Building Resilience in Students Impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences by Romero, Robertson & Warner; and Better Learning Through Structured Teaching by Fischer and Frey.
Student(s):
Carlos Leon
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Brandy Yee
Translanguaging in the Secondary Bilingual Science Classroom
The application of translanguaging, the mobilization of one’s full linguistic repertoire, as a pedagogical practice and scaffolding strategy in the bilingual class has been controversial and one that divides the community of bilingual educators and stakeholders. Historically there has been a unanimous preference for strict language separation in the bilingual classroom but there has been a recent shift towards more fluid language practices such as translanguaging. One predominate existing gap is in understanding how translaguging impacts second language acquisition amongst dominant Spanish speakers versus dominant English speakers in 50:50 bilingual programs where Spanish is the target language and especially in bilingual secondary science classrooms. Due to this existing gap, the purpose of this study was to understand how and if translanguaging plays a role in promoting science concept mastery amongst eighth grade students and how it impacts second language acquisition of both dominant Spanish and dominant English speakers. Thus, this action-based study via a mixed methods approach which involved pre and post tests and a focus group interview, aimed to answer the following three questions: How does the use of translanguaging and other fluid language practices support student’s sense making and development of science content knowledge in both English and Spanish? Does the use of translanguaging and other fluid language practices help improve, limit, or maintain second language acquisition? Is there a difference for dominant Spanish speakers vs dominant English speakers in terms of the impact of translanguaging on second language acquisition?
Student(s):
Dulce Lopez
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Kathleen Merrigan
How Student Praise Positively Affects the Classroom Environment
Having student engagement without disruptions benefits all lessons in a constructive way. When students are positively acknowledged for consistent effort, strong work, and doing the appropriate task, they tend to stay on track with this attitude. When other students witness the positive acknowledgement, they learn that they can also be recognized for following instructions. When using positive praise in place of condemning negative behaviors, students are focused on what they should be doing instead of what not to do. The purpose of this research was to study how positive student praise affects classroom environments when used as a classroom management strategy. In the research, teachers were surveyed based on how they currently use student praise in their classrooms; this then led to classroom observations that helped to establish if students recognize positive acknowledgements. Lastly, students completed a survey that ultimately determined that they do recognize praise and are welcome to receiving it as a way to stay on task during instruction time.
Student(s):
Molly Lueck
Faculty Mentor:
Lisa Putnam
Teacher Perception of the Multi-Subject Self-Contained Classroom
The multi-subject self-contained classroom is a new format of instruction being utilized in middle schools, particularly in sixth grade. This has been implemented to meet the needs of a diverse group of students and build social emotional skills. Little research has been conducted on the multi-subject self-contained classroom or teacher perception thereof. Due to the new nature of the multi-subject self-contained classroom, the purpose of this research study was to construct an understanding of the teacher perception of the multi-subject self-contained classroom and its potential strengths and challenges. This mixed-methods study combined qualitative phenomenological survey and interview research and quantitative non-experimental descriptive survey research. Preliminary data gathered from surveys suggests a generally positive teacher perception of the multi-subject self-contained classroom in middle schools.
Student(s):
Thomas Maires
Faculty Mentor:
Dr, Kathleen Merrigan
How COVID-19 Affected Teacher Retention Rates
COVID-19 and the associated economic impacts that the global pandemic brought about has drastically affected teacher retention rates. The COVID-19 pandemic also saw the largest exodus of educators from the professions since the 1980’s, due to a variety of factors and new pressures placed upon teachers through online learning and the lack of face-to-face interaction. Using survey data, along with synthesizing research from America, England, and Southeast Asia, this thesis will analyze some of the main factors on why educators fled the profession at drastically high rates, as well as what can be expected for the outlook of the teaching profession coming out of the global pandemic.
Student(s):
Samuel Martin
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Brandy Yee
Addressing the Needs of LGBTQ Students in Public Education
Research shows that LGBTQ students face higher rates of discrimination and harassment than their non-LGBTQ peers and that despite significant changes towards more acceptance and legal protections in California, research continues to report the ongoing mental health disparities, harassment, and homophobia that remain present in public education (Kosciw et al., 2020). The purpose of this study is to understand the challenges and barriers educators experience when they address the needs of LGBTQ students in public education. This study seeks to understand the systemic barriers that exist that are preventing educators from taking a more active role in supporting LGBTQ students. This study uses a qualitative grounded theory approach to answer the following research question: What are the challenges and barriers educators navigate when attempting to address the needs of LGBTQ students? Three semi-standardized interviews were conducted at a middle school in Southern California. Participants in this study considered themselves LGBTQ allies and advocates who are actively addressing the needs of LGBTQ students in their classrooms. The interview data was collected and coded to reveal the most common challenges associated with implementing inclusive pedagogical practices for LGBTQ students. Initial results show that teachers navigate various risks when addressing LGBTQ topics in the classroom and that the current political landscape and community reactions are taken into consideration frequently. The most common challenge reported was a lack of training and awareness within the broader education system which contributes to the lack of supportive practices for LGBTQ students.
Student(s):
Susanna McGrath
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Lory Selby
Parental Opinion Toward Comprehensive Sexuality Education in Southern California
This research study attempted to understand parental opinion toward comprehensive sexuality education in suburban Southern California and from where parents are basing their beliefs. In an era when comprehensive sexual health is a controversial issue, it is imperative for educators to understand why certain parents are opposed to comprehensive sexual health so they can combat the misinformation and institute comprehensive sexual health education. Comprehensive sexual health education has been proven to be an effective measure against teen pregnancy and STI rates, so understanding how educators can fight the misinformation is crucial to implementing these beneficial curricula. This mixed-methods research study consisted of a multiple-choice Likert survey that assessed which sexual health topics parents believe should be taught in a middle school setting. Parents who indicated that they are against one or more tenet of comprehensive sexual health (for instance, contraception information or inclusion of LBTQ+ content) was then sent a short email interview that asked them to explain why they are against certain tenets of comprehensive sexual health and from where their opinions originate. Through understanding where parents obtain their reactionary opinions, educators can be better equipped to deal with misinformation that obstructs the implementation of effective teen health curricula.
Keywords: Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE), abstinence only curriculum (AO), controversy, parental opinion.
Keywords: Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE), abstinence only curriculum (AO), controversy, parental opinion.
Student(s):
Dylan McKenna
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Kathleen Merrigan
Teachers Perspectives on the Barriers Minority Parents Face through Involvement in Their Chid's Education
A child’s education is important for every teacher and parent. It is unclear why minority parents are not as involved with the school as they could be. This research will focus on helping teachers better understand why there is not a lot of parental involvement within minority communities. The purpose of this study is to know what are the teacher's perspectives on challenges and barriers minority parents face when it comes to being involved in their children’s school. Previous research indicates some barriers that minority parents face are culture, language, and race. This qualitative research will be asking teachers questions about how they see parental involvement when it comes to their students. This study was conducted at a low-income school and focused on 7th and 8th-grade teachers with English Language Learners (ELLs). It is hoped this research will identify some of the struggles that minority families face when it comes to being involved in their children’s education.
Student(s):
Jasmine Melendez
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Lory Selby
Adult Reflections on Growing Up with a Sibling Who Has Autism
The purpose of this study is to understand the experiences of adults who grew up with a sibling with autism in order to find strategies for supporting individuals as they grow into adulthood. This study aims to answer “How can communities better support individuals who grow up with a sibling with autism?” Children who grow up with a sibling with autism have reported negative experiences across many areas. In a previous study done on the experiences of adults who grew up with a sibling with autism, 14 percent of the participants reported that they could not build a relationship with their sibling with autism like they did with their other typically developing siblings (Moss et al., 2019). This study was conducted using a qualitative narrative approach where participants were interviewed. The study found community support groups would provide opportunities for siblings to share their experience with others.
Student(s):
Yajaira Millan
Faculty Mentor:
Lisa Putnam
Disability Representation on Children's Television: A Content Analysis
Today, most children do not know a world without technology. Media consumption is steadily increasing for children, and it is unclear if this is a positive or negative change. With visual media content becoming more accessible than ever, it is important to question the quality of the content children are consuming and if it is age appropriate. The present study examined representations of disability within popular children’s animated television shows aired on three cable networks: Nick Junior, Disney Junior, and PBS Kids. Through a content analysis conducted on four shows from each network aired within the past five years, findings indicated a staggering lack of representation of disabilities in children’s television media. Although there were clear efforts in displaying diversity in other areas (gender, race, etc.,) disability representation was rare to occur. Of those depictions that did include an individual with a disability, the depiction was unclear and inconsistent throughout the series. Overall, findings indicate that there is much work to be done in the creation of children’s media to incorporate realistic portrayals of individuals with disabilities.
Student(s):
Courtney Morrison
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Lory Selby
Special Education Teachers' Perceptions on Bullying
In 2017-2018, approximately one in eight students (800,000) in California received special education services. The number of special education students continues to increase steadily (Legislative Analyst Office 2019). Despite the significant number of students who receive special education services, limited research has been conducted to identify special education teachers' perceptions of bullying. This study sought to examine special education teachers' perceptions on bullying. Do teachers feel supported by administrators? What are special education teachers' challenges in regards to bullying? What are special education teachers' attitudes towards bullying? The following qualitative study utilized snowball sampling to obtain participants. All participants must be on a current teaching assignment in a Southern California school district. At the end of the survey, participants were asked to forward the survey to other special education teachers in Southern California.
Student(s):
Georgine Murillo
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Lorynn Selby
A Closer Look at the Effects of Teacher Burnout for Teacher of Students with Hearing Loss
In the current era of “The Great Resignation” - as the media has referred to the sudden exodus of the workforce post-pandemic - school districts could also be facing a sudden drop in teachers staying in the profession (CBS, 2021; NPR 2021). On social media platforms across America, teachers are discussing the current state of teachers and what the future will hold come the end of the 2021/2022 school year. It has become increasingly apparent in mainstream media that the teacher shortage post-Covid 19 pandemic is affecting schools across Los Angeles County. We are in a dire situation of losing teachers to burnout, contributing to The Great Resignation. This study is meant to gauge the current state of educators who work directly with students with hearing loss in hopes we can take the best steps towards teacher retention in this field.
The purpose of this study is to examine how the emotional well-being of teachers of students with hearing loss has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and possibly contributing to thoughts of their resignation. This quantitative study about teacher burnout focuses on emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment and workload, control, reward, community, fairness, and values. The aim of the study is to shed light on the vast issues affecting teachers of students with hearing loss and hopefully offer pieces of information that could lead to the retention of teachers.
The purpose of this study is to examine how the emotional well-being of teachers of students with hearing loss has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and possibly contributing to thoughts of their resignation. This quantitative study about teacher burnout focuses on emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment and workload, control, reward, community, fairness, and values. The aim of the study is to shed light on the vast issues affecting teachers of students with hearing loss and hopefully offer pieces of information that could lead to the retention of teachers.
Student(s):
Eva Murray-Yavar
Faculty Mentor:
Brian Harlan
Breaking the Canon: Adding Diversity to the Classroom
For decades the public school system has relied on the traditional English literary canon when choosing books for students to read and learn from; however, these books are becoming increasingly outdated and lack diversity, which is problematic (Batchelor, Ramos & Neiswander, 2018; Coryat & Clemens, 2017; Igbo, Onu & Obiyo, 2015; Rojas, 2010; Slack, 1999). Students need to be able to read and understand the perspectives of not only white but also non-white, non-heteronormative, and non-Western authors and characters (Helmer, 2016a; Helmer 2016b; Kelly, 2013; Nicol, 2008; Ostenson & Wadham, 2012; Shipp, 2017). Literature with diverse authors and characters are valuable tools in engaging students with characters and experiences that mirror the issues and topics that they experience in the real world. This inclusivity of diverse perspectives is beneficial for all students but especially those that are female, multicultural, and LGBTQ (Batchelor, Ramos & Neiswander, 2018; Colarusso, 2010; Coryat & Clemens, 2017; Helmer, 2016b; Li, 2015; Nicol, 2008; Ostenson & Wadham, 2012; Shipp, 2017). The following study analyzes the engagement of students in a high school classroom with literature from inside the canon and with diverse literature. The methodology used in this study was a nonexperimental quantitative approach using deductive reasoning to determine the benefits of using diverse literature in the classroom. The results from this study found that of the students that participated there was an almost even representation of students that engaged more with diverse literature and those that engaged more with literature from the traditional canon.
Student(s):
Alyson Pelayo
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Brandy Yee
Art Educators Preparedness to Teach Special Education Students
Many art educators, including myself, feel unprepared to teach the special education students in our classes. I am a dyslexic student who learned how to express myself through visual art, eventually creating my identity as an artist and art educator. My desire to further learn about how I can best help my students has motivated me to conduct this exploratory study into art educator preparedness. To truly fulfill our mission to provide equitable learning environments for all our students, we need to improve our teaching methods through teaching strategies to meet all our students’ learning needs. This qualitative narrative study will explore art educators' feelings around how prepared they feel to teach their special education students, strategies for preparing art educators, and learn and understand strategies that art educators have successfully used to help support their special education students.
Student(s):
Shannon Phillips
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Lisa Putnam
Teachers Perspectives of Engagement Using Experiential vs. Computer Learning in Science Classrooms
Research shows kinesthetic learning, such as experiential learning is more effective to students’ learning. Hands-on activities are a way for teachers to engage students’ knowledge transfer with students’ past experiences as well as promoting further knowledge transfer by providing new experiences (Bigler & Hanegan, 2011). Another technique being utilized more frequently is online learning. Today, technology plays a major role in the development of different learning environments providing an educational atmosphere that stimulates students and motivates them for better learning (Ambusaidi et al., 2018). The purpose of this study is to investigate if computer learning increases student engagement just as effectively as experiential learning. This study seeks to understand how educators can increase student engagement with multiple strategies, including experiential and online learning being implemented. A mixed-method study was conducted in order to gain the best possible understanding of the research question. Through a quantitative survey and qualitative interviews, the researcher collected and analyzed the data to fully answer the research question. The participants that were selected for this study consisted of middle school teachers who are currently teaching science in a public school district in Southern California. Analysis was run on the data collected and results show that teachers believe that experiential learning is more effective for student engagement over computer learning. However, there are some aspects of computer learning that are beneficial for students’ learning. Further studies are warranted to look at this issue on a broader scale.
Student(s):
Brooke Randolph
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Lory Selby
Teachers' Voices During COVID-19
Teaching changed overnight during the start of COVID-19. Teachers faced new barriers to teach all students. Teachers know that not all students learn the same, especially English language learners. Which is why this research was taken. Learning and listening to teachers perspectives on how it was to teach English language learners shows what teachers faced at the start of COVID-19.
The purpose of this research study is to examine how well prepared teachers were to teach English Language Learners online during COVID-19’s distance learning. The objective of this research is to enlighten and discover the preparedness teachers faced alongside how fairly ELL'S were treated. The research will aim to benefit parents, teachers, and administrators
Relevant research to this study can be found in "Elementary Educators’ Experiences Teaching during COVID-19 School Closures: Understanding Resources in Impromptu Distance Education" by Jessica Pryor. The research conducted here was a qualitative study with a phenomenological approach. In this research, teachers were interviewed and asked about their teaching experience and supplies they had. This research asks the Educator what was their experience teaching during COVID-19.
My research asks the educators: How prepared were you to teach English language learners during COVID-19? This research will be a guided under a qualitative phenomenological approach. It will involve semi- structured interviews with five to twelve teachers.
The purpose of this research study is to examine how well prepared teachers were to teach English Language Learners online during COVID-19’s distance learning. The objective of this research is to enlighten and discover the preparedness teachers faced alongside how fairly ELL'S were treated. The research will aim to benefit parents, teachers, and administrators
Relevant research to this study can be found in "Elementary Educators’ Experiences Teaching during COVID-19 School Closures: Understanding Resources in Impromptu Distance Education" by Jessica Pryor. The research conducted here was a qualitative study with a phenomenological approach. In this research, teachers were interviewed and asked about their teaching experience and supplies they had. This research asks the Educator what was their experience teaching during COVID-19.
My research asks the educators: How prepared were you to teach English language learners during COVID-19? This research will be a guided under a qualitative phenomenological approach. It will involve semi- structured interviews with five to twelve teachers.
Student(s):
Frank Rodriguez
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Brandy Yee
Teacher Perspectives on Parent Supports in the Field of Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Current literature does not specifically look at supports and parent training options that would be beneficial to support parents of children who are deaf and hard of hearing in understanding their child’s hearing loss diagnosis and potential academic challenges. Parents play a huge role in their child’s life, and it is important to examine the impact parents have on the outcomes of their children with hearing loss (Erbasi et al., 2018). The goal of the present research was to examine the types of parent trainings available to parents of children who are deaf and hard of hearing and identify areas of need; it was guided by the following question: Do teachers feel there are sufficient supports and parent training opportunities available to parents of children who are deaf and hard of hearing? To explore this question, the researcher dispersed an online survey to teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing through email, using convenience sampling to gather participants. Participants were asked to complete a survey using a Likert scale.
Research Question: Do teachers feel there are sufficient supports and parent training opportunities available to parents of children who are deaf and hard of hearing?
Research Method: Quantitative Non-Experimental/ Survey
Research Question: Do teachers feel there are sufficient supports and parent training opportunities available to parents of children who are deaf and hard of hearing?
Research Method: Quantitative Non-Experimental/ Survey
Student(s):
Kerry Roman
Faculty Mentor:
Lisa Putnam
Minority Caregivers’ Perceptions of Having a Child Who is D/deaf or Hard of Hearing
Society is composed of families from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds, which includes families with infants and toddlers who are D/deaf or hard of hearing, and professionals need to understand how these backgrounds and cultures may impact their collaborative efforts with families (Bowen, 2016). By gaining knowledge of the perceptions both pre- and post-diagnosis of the hearing loss, professionals can better help the families in early intervention programs by providing resources and strategies that align with the cultures or beliefs of the minority families they work with. The purpose of this study is to gain insights on the understanding of the perceptions of caregivers about hearing loss prior to their child receiving a diagnosis. This study was conducted in a county early intervention program in Southern California using a mixed method survey that allowed for both multiple choice questions and fill-in-the-blank questions. A survey was decided on as it would be the most effective way to get the input from the families about their experiences and beliefs about hearing loss in a way that would protect them from harm, and give them their privacy by allowing them to remain anonymous (Mertler, 2021). The insight gained from this research study will help inform educators and researchers on how best to assist families and their D/deaf or hard-of-hearing child with understanding the hearing loss and its impacts on development.
Student(s):
Ashley Rook
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Lory Selby
Teachers' Perceptions of Parental Involvement in Dual Language Classrooms
Parental involvement plays a crucial role in a child's educational achievement throughout their schooling. Although it is important for parents to be involved in their child's education, there come many challenges along the way, such as language barriers, cultural values, and lack of technology knowledge and support from school administration and teachers. Most importantly, the focus of parental involvement involves actual teachers and their experiences and approaches towards getting parents involved to be a part of their child's successes. Therefore, getting to know teachers' perceptions of parental involvement is necessary. In order to be able to understand how teachers can be supported, it is important to provide various perspectives from educators to implement effective practices to encourage parental involvement in Dual Language classrooms. These practices will help parents overcome barriers that prevent them from being involved in their child's education.
Student(s):
Jazmin Ruiz
Faculty Mentor:
Lisa Putnam
Effects of Technology in Elementary Classrooms
For my research study, titled “Effects of Technology Use in Elementary Classrooms,” I investigate the effects of technology use in elementary classrooms on student learning and academic achievement through analyzing responses from teacher and student interviews, as well as student assessment data. The purpose of the study is to determine in what ways does technology affect student learning and engagement, helping educators utilize and instruct students on how to utilize technology more effectively and productively in the classroom to promote student learning and achievement. Because of the rise in dependency and usage of technology, schools have implemented technological learning programs and curriculums to develop and improve these skills, preparing students with real-world applications. Further research needs to be conducted to better understand the effectiveness and usefulness of technology in the classroom in order to optimize it to improve student learning and achievement. My methodology consists of action research, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methods to collect data in a quasi-experimental like design. Because I want to personally study the effects of technology in my own classroom, action research allows me to participate as the primary researcher and utilize the data to impact my classroom instruction. I conduct a mixed-methods approach, utilizing qualitative data from teacher and student interviews and quantitative data from student test scores to explore typical uses and the perceived effects of technology from classroom teachers and my own students.
Student(s):
Alice Schatz
Faculty Mentor:
Brian Harlan
Perceptions of Art Education Amongst Elementary School Educators
Teachers focus their lesson planning around the needs of their students and want to be able to provide a well-rounded education that meshes well with each students’ unique background, experiences, interests, and strengths. However, art education and the use of visual and performing arts in today’s elementary school classrooms can be pushed aside within daily curriculum and lesson plans. Being an elementary school teacher, I have seen art education and artistic practices begin to slowly disappear from the classroom. This is due to many factors, such as lack of budget, lack of professional development for teachers, and a focus around standardized testing, to name a few. Being a teacher who values art education and the academic and social benefits it can provide, I am curious about how other K-5 teachers personally feel about art education and what their perceptions are regarding artistic strategies integrated within regular instruction. By interviewing various general education teachers, this study’s goal is to uncover how other K-5 educators perceive art education being incorporated within their regular instruction, and what support and professional development can and need to be provided for current teachers.
Student(s):
Emily Schweers, N/A
Faculty Mentor:
Brian Harlan
Factors that Affect Parental Involvement
The study, Factors that Affect Parental Involvement, will identify factors that can impact parental involvement in education. It will be beneficial to analyze these factors from grade level to grade level. This study will provide information about parents' perspectives on education. The study will help educators understand how to better assist and guide parents in helping them be more involved in their children’s education in the hopes of creating better partnership programs between parents and the school systems.
Data is collected through: a series of questions with parents of school-age children ranging from grade levels from kindergarten through the fifth grade; a questionnaire in which we collect detailed demographic information that gives us a perspective on the background of our participants; a survey in which parents rate the overall setting and service provided by the school including principal, office staff and the teachers; and an interview with in-depth questions about personal experiences in education and their own beliefs and definition in regard to parent involvement. Unfortunately, here is where the problem arises between teacher and parents’ expectations of their own definition of parental involvement. This study can demonstrate that parent have their own beliefs and experiences in education that can effect their involvement in their children’s education.
Data is collected through: a series of questions with parents of school-age children ranging from grade levels from kindergarten through the fifth grade; a questionnaire in which we collect detailed demographic information that gives us a perspective on the background of our participants; a survey in which parents rate the overall setting and service provided by the school including principal, office staff and the teachers; and an interview with in-depth questions about personal experiences in education and their own beliefs and definition in regard to parent involvement. Unfortunately, here is where the problem arises between teacher and parents’ expectations of their own definition of parental involvement. This study can demonstrate that parent have their own beliefs and experiences in education that can effect their involvement in their children’s education.
Student(s):
Bertina Serrato
Faculty Mentor:
Brian Harlan
International Students Sense of Belonging
There are many economic and academic benefits international students contribute to the host country. It is important these students have a positive experience that reflects through their social and emotional well-being. The purpose of this study is to examine factors that contribute to international students' sense of belonging by measuring their level of involvement with the institution and the interpersonal relationship they establish with faculty, staff, and administration. This research will also identify the difference, if any, in the sense of belonging of students with Western identity vs. students with non-Western identity.
The goal of this study is to help higher education better understand international students’ needs and tailor their services to enhance students’ experience. This study will help faculty members to create intervention plans in their classrooms that will help create international- domestic relationships. All undergraduate international students were invited to participate in a mixed methodology research. First students completed an online survey and then they were invited to take part in a follow up interview session. Six students were selected for a 1-1 interview session based on students' demographic. The data from the initial survey and the interview were coded based on emerging themes and analyzed further by the researcher.
The goal of this study is to help higher education better understand international students’ needs and tailor their services to enhance students’ experience. This study will help faculty members to create intervention plans in their classrooms that will help create international- domestic relationships. All undergraduate international students were invited to participate in a mixed methodology research. First students completed an online survey and then they were invited to take part in a follow up interview session. Six students were selected for a 1-1 interview session based on students' demographic. The data from the initial survey and the interview were coded based on emerging themes and analyzed further by the researcher.
Student(s):
Nighat Shah
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Lory Selby
A Culturally-Responsive Trauma-Informed Approach in an Elementary School
Elementary schools are potentially under-serving their students of color who have survived trauma due to a lack of research on culturally-responsive approach for trauma-informed care. The purpose of this study is to identify the ways in which the staff and faculty of an elementary school in Southern California practice CRTI, and to add to the literature about a culturally-responsive trauma-informed (CRTI) approach in an elementary school setting. The study will also evaluate the participants’ beliefs on the effectiveness of the support provided. This school uses a number of CRTI practices to support their students of color who have experienced trauma. This is a mixed methods case study. One school’s faculty and staff will complete a Qualtrics survey. Quantitative and quantitative data will be collected using that survey. All data will come from one school site. Data has not yet been collected.
Student(s):
Kimberly Sharp
Faculty Mentor:
Brian Harlan, Ph.D.
Students' Perceptions of the Benefits of Social-Emotional Learning Post-Pandemic
In the past year, teenagers have faced a significant increase in mental health-related emergencies in the United States (CDC, 2021). The unique set of challenges presented to this generation of students, spanning from increased social media usage causing increased rates of depression to surviving a global pandemic, highlights a need for social-emotional learning in the classroom (Abi-Jaoude et al., 2020). The novelty of the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges of shifts within education and media communication created during this time have led to gaps in research on social-emotional learning within the classroom. The primary objective is to measure students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of social and emotional learning supports within the classroom after the end of the pandemic to best combat any potentially adverse effects. To best identify the perceptions of students within the classroom, several social-emotional learning practices were implemented in the classroom and several students were surveyed on this experience. The pending results will respond to the research question and reveal student perceptions of social-emotional learning within the classroom.
Student(s):
Chiara Smith
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Lory Selby
Strategies to Increase Parental Involvement from an Educator's Perspective
The study, Strategies to Increase Parental Involvement from an Educator's Perspective, was conducted to explore strategies educators utilize in and out of the classroom to increase parental involvement. There has been significant research that shows the positive correlation between parental involvement and student academic success. The research question that guided this study was what strategies do teachers use that are effective or successful in increasing parental involvement in their student’s education? This study uses the phenomenological approach to gather qualitative data as the data collected is from the perspective of current educators. The data was gathered through an online survey which consisted of four open-ended questions regarding strategies to increase parental involvement and their perception of the benefits of involvement. There were 29 participants in this study who taught at a TK-12th grade charter in the Los Angeles area. The study found three major findings within the data.
Finding #1 found strategies to increase parental involvement in the classroom.
Finding #2 found strategies to boost parental involvement outside of the classroom.
Findings #1 and #2 used data from all educators, TK-12th grade.
Finding #3 disaggregated the data apart by grade span to see what strategies are most used at certain grade spans as well as to compare the frequency across the grade spans.
This study found effective and successful strategies educators can utilize in TK-12th grade classrooms to increase parental involvement both in and out of the classroom.
Keywords: parental involvement, strategies, academic success, teachers’ perceptions
Finding #1 found strategies to increase parental involvement in the classroom.
Finding #2 found strategies to boost parental involvement outside of the classroom.
Findings #1 and #2 used data from all educators, TK-12th grade.
Finding #3 disaggregated the data apart by grade span to see what strategies are most used at certain grade spans as well as to compare the frequency across the grade spans.
This study found effective and successful strategies educators can utilize in TK-12th grade classrooms to increase parental involvement both in and out of the classroom.
Keywords: parental involvement, strategies, academic success, teachers’ perceptions
Student(s):
Morgan Snyder
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Brandy Yee
Student Perceptions of Academic Support During a Global Pandemic: A Student Support Services Study
The COVID-19 pandemic is a nationwide event that has impacted many individuals, including their social and academic interactions. One area that this pandemic has affected is in education; this study focused on college students and their experience on campus and with programs intended to support students academically while enrolled in college. The purpose of this study was to determine different factors that have impacted college students who were a part of a Student Support Services program during the pandemic and whether the program provided academic support to them during that time. The researcher was also interested to see the differences between the group of students in the program from the previous year, now in their second year in the program, who suddenly had to transition to remote learning compared to the first year cohort's more hybrid style, and who had the option to receive services in person. The researcher conducted a mixed methods study consisting of surveys and a focus group with students who are a part of Student Support Services (SSS), a federally funded program for students who are academically or socioeconomically disadvantaged. Preliminary results indicate students have benefitted being involved with a program like SSS and felt supported academically; however, students did note they were concerned for their financial and health needs coming back onto campus, along with building a sense of community for the first time.
Keywords: Student Support Services, pandemic, academic support, student perceptions, remote learning
Keywords: Student Support Services, pandemic, academic support, student perceptions, remote learning
Student(s):
Lorraina Solis
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Kathleen Merrigan
Guardians’ Perception of Their Students’ Academic Motivation and Resilience
Long-term English learners (LTELs) in California are students who have been enrolled in U.S. schools for more than six years and are still struggling to master the English language well enough to succeed in the academic environment. While a variety of factors may determine which students are able to reclassify as English Proficient, and those which become LTELs, many teachers and school staff cite challenges with student motivation as a key factor. Student motivation in the high school setting is a topic of continual conversation because it is the key to academic success. According to Self Determination Theory (SDT), the keys to unlocking motivation in any context are an individual’s sense of independence, competence, and social relatedness. The purpose of this study is to explore which SDT elements LTEL students are experiencing in the classroom and which ones are lacking--with the intent of understanding how to better support LTEL students in the classroom. The study utilized a survey (designed with a mixed-method non-experimental) approach), which was sent to guardians of LTELS with the intent of discovering how parents and guardians perceived their children's experience of motivation in their classrooms. The findings suggest that LTEL students on this campus experience considerable levels of each SDT element, but find themselves more extrinsically than intrinsically motivated.
Student(s):
Ryen Swanson
Faculty Mentor:
Lisa Putnam
Teacher's Perceptions and Attitudes Towards Online vs Traditional Homework Assignments
During the recent pandemic, schools were forced to integrate technology into their classrooms since most of their classes were via ZOOM, a peer-to-peer software platform. Now that most teachers are back to in-person teaching, there might be difficulty for students and teachers to adjust back to traditional, paper and pencil homework assignments. This study is about teachers, specifically those who are working for the 2021-2022 academic school year, and their perspectives on student completion rates when assigning online homework compared to traditional paper and pencil homework. The purpose of this quantitative study was to gauge what method of homework saw the best completion rate within a teacher's classroom as the world came off a year of online learning. Teachers shared their perceptions and attitudes toward homework and expressed which method had the best completion rate among their students through an anonymous online survey. The findings showed that 73% of the participants assigned both methods of traditional and online homework, but 40% of the participants felt their students forgot about their online homework assignments more often than paper and pencil assignments. Based on the responses from the survey, the data also indicated that teachers' perceptions of homework did not change after the COVID-19 pandemic, and 53% of the participants agree that homework is beneficial to their students.
Student(s):
Nicole Tetherow
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Lory Selby
Movement in the Classroom as an Academic Tool
The purpose of this study was to investigate one method to improve retention of content by incorporating frequent, choreographed movements as a learning strategy in an elementary classroom setting. The research design was a quantitative quasi study where students were taught science vocabulary terms without any movements to help with memorization of a topic. Students were given a small assessment at the end of the week. The following week, students were taught another set of science vocabulary words, but the researcher provided movement in conjunction with each vocabulary term. The students then took another assessment at the end of the week. The numerical data was analyzed by a t-test. The results indicated that there was significant test score improvement between the two weeks. This impact demonstrates that when students are provided movement supports to assist with their retention and recall, there is an increase in academic performance.
Student(s):
Anna Torraca
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Brandy Yee
Teacher Perceptions on the Use of Google Translate for Writing Assignments in a High School Spanish 3 Class
At the present time, there is a limited number of studies that have been conducted on the usage of machine translation in classrooms. Several factors contribute to the need for more research; among them is the fact that most research involving machine translation has been performed outside of the United States with pupils studying English as a foreign language, and their work is being translated into English. This is diametrically distinct from our case, in which students use machine translation services to translate from English into a foreign language, chiefly Spanish.
Of similar concern is the fact that research on this field has mostly been conducted with university students majoring in English. University students are generally more skilled writers in their native tongues than their high school counterparts and, as such, can produce text of a much higher quality.
This research project explored whether foreign language teachers in a high school setting perceive the overall quality of student papers that have been written with the aid of Google Translate superior or inferior to those that have not used machine translation.
This study employed a Convergent Parallel Design to provide a comprehensive analysis of the teachers’ perceptions on the use of Google Translate on writing assignments. The qualitative portion of this study, a survey, was used to explore the perceptions of teachers on the use of Google Translate. The quantitative portion of the study determined whether the use of the online translator had a noticeable effect on the rating of students’ writings.
Of similar concern is the fact that research on this field has mostly been conducted with university students majoring in English. University students are generally more skilled writers in their native tongues than their high school counterparts and, as such, can produce text of a much higher quality.
This research project explored whether foreign language teachers in a high school setting perceive the overall quality of student papers that have been written with the aid of Google Translate superior or inferior to those that have not used machine translation.
This study employed a Convergent Parallel Design to provide a comprehensive analysis of the teachers’ perceptions on the use of Google Translate on writing assignments. The qualitative portion of this study, a survey, was used to explore the perceptions of teachers on the use of Google Translate. The quantitative portion of the study determined whether the use of the online translator had a noticeable effect on the rating of students’ writings.
Student(s):
Manuel Velarde
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Brandy Yee
Why is there a Shortage of Special Education Teachers?
The purpose of the study is to examine the leading challenges that may contribute to the shortage of special education teachers. The obvious challenge presented is how to explore new strategies to attract, grow, support, and retain highly qualified Special Education teachers. A clear understanding must be obtained as to why special education teachers have left their field of study for other opportunities. Research indicates that teachers in specialized classrooms have a higher chance of leaving their positions compared to their peers' general education. The research also indicates that over the last three decades, school districts have seen a turnover rate of 25% among SPED Teachers (Simbajon, 2018). To discover more insights into why there is a high turnover of SPED teachers leaving the field of education, interviews will be conducted with several special education teachers. The interview will begin with the SPED teacher describing their background and classroom strategies.
They will be asked about their empirical experience when it comes to the level of support they received from their respective school administrators. This question is expected to produce positive and negative examples of administration support. Second, the impact of managing a caseload and the related administrative burden will be examined. A key concern that has been identified in research is the level to which these tasks detract from actual classroom responsibilities. Qualitative research will be conducted, allowing for an in-depth exploration of individual perceptions through interviews as well as an examination provided by the participants, documents, and artifacts.
They will be asked about their empirical experience when it comes to the level of support they received from their respective school administrators. This question is expected to produce positive and negative examples of administration support. Second, the impact of managing a caseload and the related administrative burden will be examined. A key concern that has been identified in research is the level to which these tasks detract from actual classroom responsibilities. Qualitative research will be conducted, allowing for an in-depth exploration of individual perceptions through interviews as well as an examination provided by the participants, documents, and artifacts.
Student(s):
Michele Vicuna
Faculty Mentor:
Lisa Putnam
Black Adult Learners and Their Perceptions of Motivation Related to Persistence
Research has shown that the marginalized population of Black adult learners is growing, emphasizing the importance for higher education professionals to understand the unique needs of Black adult learners enrolled at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) and how to best serve this population to improve retention rates. The purpose of this study was to provide updated information involving the Black adult learner to better understand their perceptions and motivations in higher education as it relates to persistence. This study seeks to close the gap with an understanding of their unique experiences and motivations as a means for higher education professionals to provide resources and support to better serve this marginalized population. The Mixed Methods approach of this study was qualitative and quantitative with collected data that related to Black adult learners maintaining their persistence at a PWI. Black undergraduates, age 23 and older, indicated the lack of support to serve each need asked in the survey and specified whether they felt that each need was being met. The online survey and optional virtual interviews also collected data on characteristics, age, socialization, race, gender, motivation, identity, and institutional support of the participants.
Keywords: Adult learners, Predominantly White Institution, persistence, retention
Keywords: Adult learners, Predominantly White Institution, persistence, retention
Student(s):
Melissa Walker
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Kathleen Merrigan
The Effect of Teachers’ Dress Attire on Student Learning
What a person wears often can be the first impression of their character. The topic of this research is the effect of teacher dress attire on sixth grade students' academic achievement. This study also reviews how teachers feel their dress affects the way they teach and if students view them as more credible. The research design is a three-week long mixed-method quasi-experimental study where students were assessed to see how well they retained information. Peer-reviewed literature shows how attire affects student learning in the classroom and defines appropriate dress versus inappropriate dress. The researcher identifies what professional attire is, how professional attire affects learning, details how Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory plays a role in the learning environment in the classroom, explores negative aspects of teacher dress code, and then compared the three different assessment scores. The instructor dressed casually, dressed in business casual, and lastly in business attire and then compared the three different assessment scores. Next, the researcher gave out a survey to sixth-grade teachers asking their opinions on their dress and how credible students view them. The researcher concluded that the students learned best when the teacher was wearing business casual attire and the teachers who believe their dress attire does affect their teaching, also believe students view them as more credible when they dress in business or business casual attire. The overall purpose of the study was to explore how a teacher's dress affects student academic achievement.
Keywords: middle school, teacher dress attire, academic achievement
Keywords: middle school, teacher dress attire, academic achievement
Student(s):
Samantha Whitney
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Brandy Yee