Browsing by Subject "middle school"
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Item Barriers to Distance Education: Perceptions of K-12 Educators(Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education, 2003-01) Berge, Zane; Muilenburg, Lin Y.Instructional-use computers are continuing to migrate into the classrooms, with public schools reporting over half the installed base now located in classrooms. Still, education struggles with the rapid expansion of technology. This article reports on findings from a survey (n=2504) of respondents working in elementary, middle, and secondary schools (n=159). The survey concerns barriers perceived in distance education and is based on prior research involving content analyses of the case studies along with an extensive review of the literature. Demographic data about the respondents is reported for job functions, delivery systems, individual expertise in distance education, and organizational capabilities regarding distance education. Perceptions of these respondents concerning barriers to distance education reported, along with comparisons to respondents not working in K-12.Item Educators Perceptions of Schema Based Instruction and Academic Self-Concept of their Learning Disabled Students(2020-11-18) Connell, Kelsey; Rhoades, Thomas; Sarah, Brennan; Education; Masters of EducationThe purpose of this study was to examine how teacher implemented strategies and interventions for solving mathematical word problems can help improve the academic self- concept of students with learning disabilities. This study attempted to find out if teachers have utilized a particular problem-solving strategy and if they have found providing constructive feedback in combination with the intervention has helped students have the confidence to solve word problems independently and successfully. The method used in this study was a free response online survey administered to three middle school math teachers who have experience teaching students with learning disabilities. It was found that teachers were unaware of the Schema-Based Instruction strategy but did incorporate aspects of the strategy into their teaching. It was also found that teachers primarily provide words of encouragement as a means of improving academic self-concept but did not consider that the interventions they choose to use is also a factor in students’ academic self- concept. More research in Schema-Based Instruction and how it impacts student academic self-concept is needed.Item The Effects of Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports System (PBIS) on the Behavior of Middle School Female Students(2016-07-11) Dircks, Kathryn; Masters of EducationThis study was designed to determine the impact of the Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) system on middle school female behavior. The researcher developed a quasi-experimental study and simulated a modified pre-test post-test study to observe student behavior with and without the influence of PBIS throughout two school years at a Baltimore City charter middle school. Results were measured by a grade-wide merit and demerit system where students were awarded merits for exhibiting positive behaviors, and demerits for exhibiting negative behaviors. The data concluded that there was no a statistically significant difference in the percentage of merit awards in favor of the PBIS group over the non-PBIS students. The major difference was derived from the students who earned all merits and no demerits during the treatment school year; thus proving the impact of the PBIS program on student behavior.Item The Effects of Using Restorative Practices on Office Discipline Referrals(2018-07) Harris, Stephanie; Adams, Renard; Coit, Tammi; Masters of EducationThe purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of using restorative practices on discipline referrals. Middle school like many other schools around the world has had a rising problem of disrespect, violence, and bullying among the students. To try and alleviate this growing problem, the administration of a public middle school in Baltimore County decided to use the intervention of restorative practices in addition to the already in place PBIS (Positive Based Intervention System). The main data source for determining discipline decisions in middle schools are office referrals. Research has shown that office discipline referrals are a valid source for determining a school’s behavior system. The sampling was the entire middle school population of 6th-8th graders of a public middle school in Baltimore County. This was a non-random convenience sampling. The results of the study show that the office referrals increased from quarter one to quarter three. There was a significant difference in the results between the quarters. The results did reject the hypothesis that there would be no difference. While there was a significant difference, that difference suggested that restorative practices did not influence office referrals.Item Game-based Learning Effects on Mathematical Engagement and Academic Achievement(2021-07-20) Ibberson, Regan; Rhoades, Thomas; Sunshine, Phyllis; Brennan, Sarah; Masters of EducationThe purpose of the study was to determine how game-based learning effects student engagement and academic achievement in the mathematics classroom. The participants in the study were given an engagement survey and were given achievement tests to determine the impact of using games in math. The participants were 59 Math 7 students in seventh grade. Findings showed that most students were more engaged and performed better when given the opportunity to play games to enhance their mathematics abilities.Item Reducing Math Anxiety Through Art(2021-05-01) Pruitt, Mercedes; Hecht, Allison; Bowman, Christina; Masters of EducationThe purpose of this study was to determine if reduction of math anxiety through an art-related therapeutic session would improve accuracy on a math-based assessment among eighth grade students. Previous research demonstrates that consistently used mindfulness activities that involve the arts have been successful in alleviating anxiety and improving assessment scores; however, teachers often lack time to complete mindfulness activities. Eighth grade math students were administered pre and post assessments of basic math facts in a virtual environment due to COVID-19 closures. After baseline data was collected, the experimental group (n = 19) was provided a 5-minute free draw art session prior to administration of the post assessment; the control group (n = 13) received a 5-minute return to school safety presentation. The mean score on the post-assessment was not significantly different between the children in the control group (Mean = 78.54, SD = 23.97) and the children in the experimental group (Mean = 71.68, SD = 21.82) [t(30) = 0.84, p = .41]. There was no significant evidence in this study that a one session art therapeutic improved assessments scores by reducing math-related anxiety. Further studies should consider changes in physical environment, types of art (free draw, specify drawing, color, complex designs), and frequency of intervention.