RSS 1.0Brockport Education and Human Development Master's Theses
Recent Submissions
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Exploring Classification Accuracy in the Assessments of Disabilities Among English Language LearnersThere are various challenges and strategies that correlate to accurately assessing learning disabilities in English Language Learners (ELLs), specifically focusing in on the classification accuracy. The impact of a lack of adequate understanding of second language acquisition among educational professionals is substantial. This is highlighted in issues such as difficulty distinguishing between learning disabilities and language differences due to similar patterns in language acquisition. Educators’ lack of training in second language acquisition is highlighted as a crucial barrier contributing to misdiagnosis of ELLs. Few assessments are often accurate for culturally and linguistically diverse ELLs, which also leads to over-and-under identification of ELLs. Environmental factors, specifically ones related to poverty, are considered factors with sustainable influence on language acquisition and academic performance, which leads to needing a comprehensive approach to assessment. The importance of assessing students in their first language, L1, in addition to English assists in granting a comprehensive understanding of the student’s abilities. To address these problems, a professional development, PD, session had been created for the Liverpool Central School District, where all educators will be explicitly instructed on second language acquisition, SLA. The goal of this session is to better inform the educators on SLA and techniques to use in their classroom and when giving assessments. Recommendations for further research and improvement includes longitudinal studies to track academic progress of ELLs over time, investigate the effectiveness of cultural and linguistically adapted assessment tools, and evaluate the effectiveness of PD programs that attempt to enhance educators’ understanding of SLA.
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Promoting Parent Involvement with ELLsThis thesis aims to explore how educators can create a welcoming environment that promotes parent engagement. The research shows that parent involvement affects teachers, parents, and students. It highlights the challenges ELL parents face such as lack of resources, lack of communication, and language barriers. Teachers can help parents by creating a welcoming and inclusive environment that fosters collaboration and support. Teachers can invite parents into classrooms, communicate through various translation apps, and differentiate lessons to meet the needs of students. This capstone includes a professional development (PD) to inform parents and teachers on the benefits and barriers of parent involvement and the strategies to create a welcoming and inclusive environment. Additionally, the PD highlights the importance of communication to support students' learning and provides strategies and resources for communication between parents and teachers. The outcomes of the PD are for parents and teachers to work together to support students and to find ways to communicate. The implications of this thesis suggest that ELLs work better when parents and teachers are on the same page. It also discusses academic success and engagement when parents are involved. Further research is needed on how parent involvement affects ELLs socially.
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Increasing the Parental Involvement of ELL FamiliesParental involvement has been shown to lead to an increase in students’ academic and social-emotional growth. However, teachers often struggle to increase the parental involvement rate of English Language Learner (ELL) parents. ELLs are a growing population within public schools in the United States. Therefore, it is crucial to understand how to involve the parents from this population. The overarching research question that will be investigated is: How can we increase parental involvement at the elementary level within our English Language Learner population? The research shows that ELL parents have a difficult time being involved in their child’s school due to time constraints, being unaware of what is expected of them, and feeling unwelcome within schools. However, the research also suggests that modifying teachers' perceptions of what parental involvement looks like to fit the needs of ELL parents, including offering virtual options, helps increase ELL parental involvement. A professional development (PD) will be given to ENL, general, and special education teachers to go over these barriers and to learn about a new strategy that will be implemented to increase ELL parental involvement that meets the needs of this population. Future research on how these strategies are implemented long-term and throughout a large population is recommended.
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Exploring the Needs of Newcomers for Effective Transitions to U.S. SchoolsThe thesis capstone project explores the question of how educators can effectively support newcomer students in adapting to U.S./English speaking schools. A professional development was developed to aid educators with this challenge. A review of the existing literature reveals that fostering newcomers’ sense of belonging facilitates an effective and positive transition. Several factors contribute to a newcomer’s sense of belonging including awareness of school expectations, perceptions of newcomers/teachers, school environment, and teacher preparation. These factors are categorized into internal factors such as perceptions of newcomers and external factors such as teacher preparation. These factors have been found to affect the newcomers’ second language acquisition (SLA) and reflect on their sense of belonging. The professional development model for educators of newcomer students focuses on engaging educators in the transition of newcomers from the outset and maintaining ongoing communication. Further research could explore the perspectives of newcomers during their transition phases.
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Preparing Mainstream Middle School Teachers to Support English Language LearnersThe population of English Language Learners (ELLs) in schools is increasing across the U.S. However, mainstream teachers are facing issues in being able to adequately support ELLs in the general education classroom. The literature emphasizes the importance of teacher preparation, and providing mainstream teachers with the knowledge, strategies, and tools to effectively teach ELLs. To address these challenges, a professional development (PD) program was created for mainstream middle school teachers to expand their knowledge and skills in educating the ELL population. It is essential that teachers become educated in pedagogical frameworks, lesson planning for ELLs, and culturally responsive teaching. ELLs academic outcomes and social emotional well being will be positively impacted due to improved instructional strategies and a culturally responsive learning environment. Recommendations include school districts collecting data from teachers and students to discover the most relevant PD programs for teachers to attend. Another recommendation is for school districts to require new teacher candidates to participate in ELL centered training sessions that will prepare them specifically for the demographics of the school they will be teaching in. Extensive research beyond this capstone can be done in the area of teacher advocacy for ELLs to further support mainstream teachers in their work with ELLs.
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Creating Welcoming and Affirming Environments for ELLs that Support Middle School StudentsEnglish language learners have many challenges in the middle school classroom. Among them are feeling a lack of belonging and welcome in the classroom and among their peers. This capstone project aims to present research and resources to create welcoming and affirming environments for ELL students that support the social-emotional health. When considering welcoming and affirming environments, it was found that some of the important factors to consider were student culture, family life, and classroom strategies. This capstone includes a professional development that builds on those three areas with a variety of resources and strategies for teachers looking to make their classrooms environments that benefit the social-emotional health of middle school students. Through the incorporation of research based strategies, teachers will gain the knowledge and resources necessary to make their classrooms places where ELLs can feel they belong and are welcomed into the learning environment.
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Misrepresentation and Misidentification of English Learners in Special EducationThis thesis capstone project aims to support teachers and educational staff that work with ELs (English learners), who often face misrepresentation in special education—being both overrepresented and underrepresented. This misrepresentation is due to numerous factors including a lack of teacher training on how to effectively educate these students. Misidentified students face many challenges, including loss of instructional time, unaddressed learning needs, lower academic achievement, restricted opportunities for higher education and career, decreased self-determination and self-esteem, double stigmatization, and social isolation. Although overrepresentation and underrepresentation are significant issues, the former is more prevalent. To address this concern, a professional development program was created to help educators at Riverhead Elementary School accurately identify and address students’ educational needs to decrease the overidentification of ELs in special education. The goal of this professional development is to equip teachers with the knowledge, skills and resources to more accurately identify the cause of ELs’ academic struggles.
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The Experiences of Teachers in Implementing TranslanguagingResearch indicates that teachers of English Language Learners face many obstacles and challenges when implementing translanguaging strategies. Some teachers hesitate to employ translanguaging due to language barrier, political views, and ideologies. Research has highlighted teachers’ struggle with integrating both the home language and the target language in the classroom due to a lack of adequate training and professional development. The literature suggests addressing these issues by enhancing training and professional development to equip teachers with the necessary knowledge and resources for effective translanguaging implementation. In response, a professional development is designed for teachers from grades 1-4 at Riverhead Central School District. This program aims to deepen teachers’ understanding of translanguaging concepts and offer them extensive training and strategies to implement translanguaging in the classroom. Recommendations for future research on translanguaging as a practice in the classroom would be to provide teachers with more professional development sessions, invite district superintendents to the professional development sessions, and allot more time for teachers to meet with the ENL team.
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Increasing Academic Vocabulary Acquisition in ELLsThis thesis capstone project aims to assist teachers, school counselors, and administrators who all work with English Language Learners (ELLs). At Sayville Elementary School, ELLs are a population that keeps growing as the years progress. This group of learners are impacted by the teacher's language output, language practices across disciplines, and the views, interpretations, and motivations of teachers toward academic vocabulary. To increase ELLs academic vocabulary acquisition, Sayville Elementary School must be looked at through a multilayered lens to provide effective changes for Sayville Elementary School District. Solutions to the problem at Sayville Elementary School include implementations of staff lists including faculty that are bilingual or foreign language speakers, changes to school signage, lesson plan templates designed specifically for ELLs, monthly professional development meetings for faculty, and an annual Cultural Welcome night for ELL students and their families. Several culminations are applicable to reducing and eliminating the gap in academic vocabulary acquisition that exists between ELL and non-ELL students. Recommendations include embodying future programs for ELLs and allocated staff to help the school and the population of ELLs. Moreover, programs that were newly established, for instance, the comprehensive vocabulary plan, should be evaluated to aid with obligatory changes for sizable improvement.
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Teacher Burnout: A Crisis Much IgnoredTeacher burnout is a serious concern that is threatening the wellbeing of our educators and the future of our education system. In the context of an ongoing teacher shortage the presence of teacher burnout is causing many educators to retire early or leave the profession outright as they come face to face with the harmful effects of this condition. Teacher burnout is contributing to the teacher shortage further perpetuating the crisis by continuing to drive skilled educators from the field. Research shows that teacher burnout has serious mental, physical, and emotional effects on teachers due to a vast variety of work-related factors that collectively harm the mental health of our educators. Although this phenomenon can be observed across all grade levels and domains there is particular concern for our TESOL educators as the job demands for their positions put them at particular risk for burnout. With factors such as compassion fatigue and secondary traumatic stress, intense workloads, and identity dissonance weighing on the shoulders of our TESOL educators, there is concern for how teacher burnout will affect the future of TESOL education and our educators in the field. A mindfulness-based stress reduction program is designed to support our educators, reduce their stress, and mitigate the threat of teacher burnout.
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Productive Struggle in an Algebra 1 ClassroomThis curriculum project aims to transform students' struggles with Algebra 1 into opportunities for growth and learning. Recognizing that almost all students encounter challenges with mathematical concepts, the curriculum seeks to shift students’ mindset from self-identification as a student who is not good at mathematics to one that embraces productive struggle. By actively engaging students with various algebraic topics and providing comprehensive support for teachers, this curriculum can support teachers who seek to help students overcome struggles in learning mathematics. Students will see opportunities for productive struggle as steppingstones rather than stumbling blocks. This curriculum includes four Algebra 1 lessons with teacher support materials, student materials and answer keys. These materials are located in the appendix.
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Culturally Responsive Teaching for ELLsThis capstone project aims to support teachers, school faculty and staff, and administrative personnel who work with English Language Learners (ELLs) at Eastport-South Manor Central School District. ELL students are a population that is impacted by teacher preparation in culturally responsive teaching strategies and materials, or a lack of such, in many U.S. school districts, including the Eastport-South Manor Central School District. The lack of professional development and teacher training in TESOL instructional strategies, unawareness of how to build relationships between school faculty and ELL students, and lack of culturally responsive classroom settings can prevent ELL students' academic achievement and social development. Solutions include the successful preparation of teachers to provide a culturally responsive learning experience for ELL students to close the achievement gaps and thrive in their learning and language acquisition. Recommendations include maintaining a membership with the local Title III Consortium and monthly professional development days focused on culturally responsive teaching strategies and materials.
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Increasing Academic Vocabulary Acquisition in ELLsThis thesis capstone project aims to assist teachers, school counselors, and administrators who all work with English Language Learners (ELLs). At Sayville Elementary School, ELLs are a population that keeps growing as the years progress. This group of learners are impacted by the teacher's language output, language practices across disciplines, and the views, interpretations, and motivations of teachers toward academic vocabulary. To increase ELLs academic vocabulary acquisition, Sayville Elementary School must be looked at through a multilayered lens to provide effective changes for Sayville Elementary School District. Solutions to the problem at Sayville Elementary School include implementations of staff lists including faculty that are bilingual or foreign language speakers, changes to school signage, lesson plan templates designed specifically for ELLs, monthly professional development meetings for faculty, and an annual Cultural Welcome night for ELL students and their families. Several culminations are applicable to reducing and eliminating the gap in academic vocabulary acquisition that exists between ELL and non-ELL students. Recommendations include embodying future programs for ELLs and allocated staff to help the school and the population of ELLs. Moreover, programs that were newly established, for instance, the comprehensive vocabulary plan, should be evaluated to aid with obligatory changes for sizable improvement.
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Implementing the Situation-Task-Action-Result (STAR) Model in Higher Level MathematicsThis curriculum project was designed to incorporate an algebra problem-solving instructional strategy, called situation-task-action-result (STAR) in the unit of Rational Expressions in Algebra 2. STAR is an instructional strategy used to connect previously learned mathematical concepts with new concepts that are being learned. STAR consists of three applications to help students understand the connection between past mathematical concepts and the new concept being learned. These applications are Concrete, Semi-Concrete, and Abstract. These applications are defined and applied in each of the four sequential lessons in this curriculum project. The main focus of these lessons is to relate the new concept of rational expressions to the past concept of fractions. This curriculum project was designed using New York State (NYS) Next Generation Mathematics standards. The keys for all materials are provided in the appendix.
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Incorporating Discourse into the Mathematics Classroom through an Investigation of SlopeThis curriculum project was designed to increase mathematical discourse within the classroom. To support educators in this task, the lessons in this curriculum project, based on 8th grade New York State (NYS) Next Generation Standards, incorporate vocabulary rich mathematical tasks around slope. The first lesson introduces slope on a graph, along with the types of slope possible. Next, the slope formula is introduced within the second lesson, where students are given ample opportunity to become familiar with using this new formula. After this comes the slope-intercept form of a line which gives students the chance to use slope in a different way. Lastly, lesson four ties all concepts learned in the previous three days into a stations activity. Keys for all four lessons can be found in the appendix.
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The Effects That Sport Specialization has on Youth AthletesYouth sport specialization is becoming more popular than ever. Many athletes, parents and coaches think that sport specialization is the best way to reach elite level status in a sport. However, athletes, parents and coaches don’t know all of the positive and negative effects of specialization in a sport. Whereas, sport specialization may help you gain skill development, it is also correlated with higher chances of overuse injuries, psychological stress, and burnout. The purpose of this study is to review the literature and investigate the effects of sport specialization on youth athletes. It was determined that specializing in a sport can allow an athlete to attain a higher level of performance. It was also determined that overuse injuries are the biggest disadvantage when specializing in a sport. Finally, it was determined that younger athletes are at more psychological and physical risk than older athletes.
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The Global Experiences of Physical Education Teachers with Remote Instruction During the Covid-19 PandemicIn the spring of 2020, countries around the world were forced to go into lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Schools were forced to close their doors and quickly shift from face to face to online instruction at all levels of education. Physical education teachers had to immediately transition from in-person classroom instruction to remote teaching without time for adequate planning and with little or no training. The purpose of this synthesis is to review the literature on the global experiences of physical education teachers with remote instruction during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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The Role of Movement in the ClassroomThe modern education system has formatted learning in a way that removes movement from a children’s day. Students go to school for 7 hours a day where they sit in desks and receive instruction. There are limited opportunities to move and use their bodies. This limited movement puts both children’s physical health and cognitive development at risk. Research has shown links between chronic exercise, cognition, and mental and physical health in children and adolescents (Graham et al, 2021). Studies have shown that the ages of 0 years old to 5 years old are a critical time for cognitive and behavioral development in humans (Mavilidi et al, 2021). During this time there is a large amount of brain growth and development. The basis for a healthy life style is, in part, built during this influential period in a child’s life. Additionally, physical activity can increase cognition and psychosocial health in children. The recommended duration of physical activity for children ages 3 – 5 is 180 minutes per day. This lack of exercise is not limited to the under 5 age bracket. Research shows that adolescents are also, on average, not getting enough daily exercise (James et al, 2017). The recommended exercise requirement for this age group is at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day (Damian et al, 2018). However, many children and adolescents also do not meet the daily suggested amount of physical activity. Therefore, integrating physical activity into the school day could have significant benefits to children’s and adolescent’s cognitive, mental, and physical health. It has been found that exercise, in short bouts, can help to improve overall health. Physical movement is integral to the development of all children. As children interact with their environment they gain motor, social, emotional, and cognitive skills (Lee et al, 2021). Often times, students need movement-based experiences in order to learn new information. Movement experiences give context and meaning to new information.
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The Use of Vocabulary Learning Strategies in High School Science ClassroomsThis capstone project explores various strategies that can be used in the science classroom to improve student’s vocabulary acquisition. As teachers will encounter students of varying reading levels, it’s important to find ways to best support these students in acquiring science content. Science teachers may not always think about the importance of teaching vocabulary and providing plentiful opportunities for students to practice with the vocabulary. One of the greatest difficulties that students encounter in science classes is the amount of Tier 3 vocabulary words they must learn, understand, and apply. It is recommended that science teachers explore various methods of explicit vocabulary instruction and the creation of activities that further support their students in gaining vocabulary knowledge.
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POGIL Implementation in Middle School ChemistryThis capstone project explores the implementation of Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) in middle school chemistry, specifically focusing on the NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards) framework for MS-PS1 Matter and its Interactions. The study aimed to investigate the impact of POGIL methodology on students' understanding, engagement, and overall enjoyment of science. A diverse range of POGIL activities, aligned with NGSS standards, were integrated into the middle school chemistry curriculum. The research employed a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative analysis of pre- and post-assessment scores with qualitative insights gathered through student surveys and classroom observations. The findings revealed a significant increase in students' understanding of key chemistry concepts, as evidenced by higher post-assessment scores. Additionally, the implementation of POGIL led to heightened levels of student engagement during classroom activities, with students actively participating in collaborative inquiry. The study also uncovered a notable rise in students' overall enjoyment of science, indicating that the POGIL approach positively impacted their attitudes toward learning and exploration. These results contribute valuable insights into the efficacy of POGIL in middle school chemistry education, emphasizing its potential to enhance both learning outcomes and students' general experiences in science classrooms. The success of this implementation underscores the importance of interactive and collaborative approaches in fostering a positive and enriching learning environment for middle school students.
