Browsing by Subject "Student Engagement"
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Item Analysis of Hands on Activity and Student Engagement in Middle School Eighth Grade Science Students(2018-05-07) Carolan, Paula; Masters of EducationThe purpose of this study was to determine whether hands-on activity in a middle school science setting would increase engagement which would then increase the test scores of one group of students versus another group that was not taught using hands-on activities. The study was a pretest/posttest design, with a teacher’s observation checklist to measure student time spent on task. A measurement tool was created by the researcher to record on-task engagement during each lesson. There was no difference in engagement of eighth grade Environmental Science students when hands-on activities were provided over textbook activities with the exception that the hands-on group had more meaningful discussion the topic with their peers. In the future, additional research could expand on the current study by including a larger sample sizes and a longer observational period.Item The Effect of Mindfulness Based Instruction on First Grade Student Engagement(2021-05) Hill, Hollie; Miller, Natasha; Quinton, Jan; Masters of EducationThe purpose of this study was to determine the effects of mindfulness- based instruction on student engagement. This study examines the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral engagement of first graders. The study was a quasi-experimental study that utilized a pre-post survey methodology. Data partially supported the null hypothesis that the implementation of MBI (mindfulness-based instruction) would have no effect on student engagement. The surveys determined that there was no significant change in student cognitive and behavioral engagement after implementing the MBI. However, there was a significant change in student’s emotional engagement after the implementation of the MBI. Research should continue as the sample set of data collected was impacted due to COVID-19 and the shift from at-home learning to in-school learning during the course of the research significantly impacting the validity of this researchItem The Effect of the TWA Reading Strategy on the Reading Comprehension Level of 9th - and 10th - Grade Students(2016-05-11) Merson, Jennifer; Brennan, Sarah; Miller, Natasha; Masters of EducationThe purpose of this study was to investigate the impact that the TWA strategy had on the reading comprehension level of ninth- and tenth-grade students. The measurement tool used was the Degrees of Reading Power (DRP). This study used a pretest/posttest design over a five-week period. The null hypothesis was rejected because the reading comprehension level of students significantly increased as a result of the TWA strategy. Continued research regarding increasing reading comprehension levels of students would be beneficial so that students can be college and career ready.Item Engagement, enthusiasm, and empowerment: participatory learning in Special Collections instruction(2018-06-22) Graham, Susan; Loeper, Lindsey; LibraryEngagement, enthusiasm, and empowerment: participatory learning in Special Collections instruction Students less than enthused? Energize them with active learning, critical pedagogy, and reflective teaching! UMBC Special Collections faculty Lindsey Loeper and Susan Graham have developed an interactive one-shot instruction session that fosters a welcoming environment and allows students to practice visual and archival literacy. Our poster will showcase a practical example of primary source instruction through the lens of active learning, critical pedagogy, and reflective teaching. The example comes from a selection of 200-level courses in the arts and humanities. Early iterations of these classes were structured like a show and tell of the prized collections. Although we were enthusiastic, the students were not as engaged as they could be. We have developed the session to be more meaningful and participatory, incorporating aspects of critical feminist pedagogy. We emphasize diverse formats and creators and prompt the students to question what has historically been collected in archives, and by whom. For this session we designed an active learning exercise where the students form groups and cycle through stations with varied formats of archival materials centered around a theme. They complete a worksheet that asks questions to encourage critical thinking about context, creators, and compare the research experience of using different formats. They have ample time at each station to handle, examine, and informally discuss the materials; we have seen firsthand that this greatly increases engagement and participation in discussion. The session concludes with each group sharing their experiences and insights.With this more active approach, we have witnessed deeper analysis, students making connections, and the thoughtful application of the ACRL Visual literacy standards and ACRL Information Literacy frames such as “Authority Is Constructed and Contextual,” “Information Creation as a Process,” and “Scholarship as Conversation.” We aim to foster an enthusiasm for original research and a sense of empowerment that they can have a voice in scholarly communication.Item The Impacts of Brain-Based Learning on Student Engagement(2020-05-08) Diehl, Lauren; Masters of EducationThe purpose of this study was to determine whether the implementation of various brain-based learning techniques would have an impact on the overall engagement of a group of 20 third-grade students. This study used a quasi-experimental design to determine any significant impact on student engagement resulting from implementation of brain-based learning in the classroom. In order to assess this, several educational professionals observed students in two learning environments and took note of any changes in student engagement. One group of students was exposed to brain-based learning, while the other was not. Students also completed questionnaires to assess their own levels of engagement throughout the study. Collected data was analyzed using student engagement observation charts. It was determined that the group of students exposed to brain-based learning in the classroom demonstrated higher levels of student engagement than the group that was not exposed. Brain-based learning is a successful technique to foster student engagement in the classroom.Item Reducing Disruptive Behavior through Increased Engagement Strategies(2020-05-11) Jones, Candice; Masters of EducationThe purpose of this study was to determine whether the implementation of increased engagement strategies that included cooperative learning, technology integration, and meaningful decision making of students in a self-contained setting would increase students’ motivation and reduce disruptive behaviors. Participating students were placed into two groups. The control group consisted of five students who did not receive any of the interventions, and the treatment group consisted of five students who did receive the increased engagement strategies. Achievement was measured by pre- and post-surveys developed by the investigator. Both groups were given the pre/post survey that contained six items designed to gauge how the students felt about their academic experience, level of engagement, and their teachers. The investigator met with the control group twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays for 40 minutes. During this time, the students received direct instruction from the investigator, and before returning to their classroom, they worked on skills with which they were struggling in their classroom setting. The students from the treatment group met with the investigator twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays for 40 minutes. During this time, the students were immersed in a student-centered learning environment in which they received their instruction through the use of a smartboard, participated in think-pair-share activities, and were allowed to make meaningful decisions related to their classwork. The investigator found a significant difference in the results obtained from the control and treatment groups. The treatment group demonstrated a greater reduction in the frequency of disruptive behavior.Item Using Student Feedback as a Tool to Improve Instructional Strategies(2019-12-13) Crawford, Chynna; Masters of EducationThis study focuses on the effects of repeated student evaluations of teacher’s effectiveness and its impact on improving instructional strategies in a secondary classroom. The secondary classroom is often a challenging environment for all teachers. Teachers in secondary education are always looking for innovative ways to engage students in to the lesson. Many teachers find it difficult to implement instructional strategies every student will find engaging. This is especially true for students with significant behavior problems within the classroom environment. Teachers are continuously looking for feedback on their instruction to improve their practice in order to create an effective learning environment. So why not help teachers improve their instructional strategies utilizing the audience they serve daily? What if students provided teachers with feedback on how to improve and create engaging strategies? The first section of this literature review defines feedback and explains its importance in relation to students and their academic achievement. The second section focuses on the effects of student feedback on instructional practices within a learning environment. The final section discusses possible interventions to improve instructional support in a secondary classroom derived from student feedback.