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Exploring the Role of Student Religiosity in the Biology Classroom

Description

In response to a national call within STEM to increase diversity within the sciences, there has been a growth in science education research aimed at increasing participation of underrepresented groups in science, such as women and ethnic/racial minorities. However, an underexplored underrepresented group in science are religious students. Though 82%…

In response to a national call within STEM to increase diversity within the sciences, there has been a growth in science education research aimed at increasing participation of underrepresented groups in science, such as women and ethnic/racial minorities. However, an underexplored underrepresented group in science are religious students. Though 82% of the United States population is religiously affiliated, only 52% of scientists are religious (Pew, 2009). Even further, only 32% of biologists are religious, with 25% identifying as Christian (Pew, 2009; Ecklund, 2007). One reason as to why Christian individuals are underrepresented in biology is because faculty may express biases that affect students' ability to persist in the field of biology. In this study, we explored how revealing a Christian student's religious identity on science graduate application would impact faculty's perception of the student during the biology graduate application process. We found that faculty were significantly more likely to perceive the student who revealed their religious identity to be less competent, hirable, likeable, and faculty would be less likely to mentor the student. Our study informs upon possible reasons as to why there is an underrepresentation of Christians in science. This further suggests that bias against Christians must be addressed in order to avoid real-world, negative treatment of Christians in science.

ContributorsTruong, Jasmine Maylee (Author) / Brownell, Sara (Thesis director) / Gaughan, Monica (Committee member) / Barnes, Liz (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2018-05

Preparing for the Classroom: A Comparison of Finnish and American Teacher Preparation Programs

Description

Teacher preparation programs and how they function and educate future teachers can have large-scale impacts within the classroom, yet in the United States we see these processes operating drastically differently in various states, cities, and universities. In order to understand some of the differences in teacher preparation programs and how…

Teacher preparation programs and how they function and educate future teachers can have large-scale impacts within the classroom, yet in the United States we see these processes operating drastically differently in various states, cities, and universities. In order to understand some of the differences in teacher preparation programs and how they differ from other programs, this study reviews the literature and shares the experiences of current students in teacher preparation programs both in the United States and Finland. Finland's education system has risen to international notoriety with the use and reporting of the country's strong ranking on the Programme for International Student Achievement or PISA. In 2001 during the inaugural publication of the PISA results, Finland was ranked in the top three of all three subject areas (science, reading, and mathematics literacy) amongst other nations in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The small Nordic nation exceeded anyone's expectations of their performance on the PISA and gained worldwide recognition for the high caliber of their students and their education system. One of the biggest components of a strong education system is the strength and caliber of its teachers. As a part of the Finnish reforms in the 1970's, policies and oversight were put in place regarding the preparation of teachers for Finnish schools. The level of preparation and the qualifications of teachers were increased as a part of these reform efforts and as such Finnish teachers are required to hold at minimum, a Master's degree. Teacher preparation programs in Finland have been consolidated into just eight universities nationwide with rigorous programs and a research emphasis. Teaching in Finland is also a highly sought after and well-regarded career path. According to the Finnish Teacher Training Schools, "[i]n 2016, over 6600 applicants competed for the 660 available slots in primary school preparation programmes" (About us, 2017). With an admission rate of only ten percent, teacher preparation programs are extremely competitive, oftentimes rivaling admission rates of medical or law schools. As the United States seeks to strengthen its education system, it is vital that we learn from the success of other nations. Making changes to the policies and processes of teacher training has been highly successful in strengthening the Finnish education system and contains insights relevant to improving the education system here in the US. Experiences, insights, and observations of the Finnish teacher training process can be impactful in evaluating ways in which the United States could seek to improve its own teacher training. Based on the available literature and experiences shared by both Finnish and American teacher preparation students and program graduates, I will compare some of the differences between the two systems and provide recommendations as to how the United States could incorporate some of the successful components of Finnish teacher training programs into its own offerings as it works to better prepare teachers for the classroom.

ContributorsEtz, Shannon Faye (Author) / LePore, Paul (Thesis director) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Committee member) / Division of Teacher Preparation (Contributor) / W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2018-05

Barrett Student Event Engagement: The Relationship Between Marketing Communication Channels and Attendance Achievement

Description

The Barrett, the Honors College Internships and Research Department provides information regarding internship and research position availabilities, generates greater exposure to various companies and organizations seeking student help, and offers students assistance in applying for employment. The office's current objectives are to increase student engagement and escalate student success in…

The Barrett, the Honors College Internships and Research Department provides information regarding internship and research position availabilities, generates greater exposure to various companies and organizations seeking student help, and offers students assistance in applying for employment. The office's current objectives are to increase student engagement and escalate student success in internship and research involvement. The application of marketing resources requires evaluation and improvement in order to increase attendance at the events held by the office each semester, which have consistently received disappointing turnouts. This study examines the marketing communication channels currently used in order to productively correlate these channels with event attendance.

ContributorsVillemez, Hallie Katherine (Author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / Olsen, Doug (Committee member) / Russo, Lianne (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor)

Created2013-12

Potential conflicts of interest in the formation and operation of Arizona School Tuition Organizations

Description

My thesis offers original research is in its direct analysis of the IRS conflict of interest regulations and their applicability to STOs, its discussion of my experience setting up an STO, and my interviews of State Legislators as a primary source. The primary goals of my investigation are to 1.…

My thesis offers original research is in its direct analysis of the IRS conflict of interest regulations and their applicability to STOs, its discussion of my experience setting up an STO, and my interviews of State Legislators as a primary source. The primary goals of my investigation are to 1. Determine the regulations and standards that exist to prevent conflicts of interest in the operation of Arizona STOs. 2. Examine instances of alleged conflicts of interest encountered by STO operators. 3. Discuss the ethical implications of STO operator actions in situations of conflicts of interest. And 4. Propose legislative solutions to remove any and all conflicts of interest. From my examination of financial records and from my interviews with other state legislators, I have concluded that Arizona Christina School Tuition Organization is violating IRS regulations by operating with an objective of conferring on its director a private benefit. The STO I helped form, ------------- STO will need to carefully document its expenses and contracts to justify its overhead margin or else risk running afoul of the same IRS regulations. Even if an STO like ------------- STO, is allowed by Arizona law to have an overhead margin of 10%, those expenses must be justified, particularly if they confer a private benefit to restricted persons. Ultimately, even if an STO deliberately flouts IRS regulations regarding private benefits realized by "disqualified" persons, it is highly unlikely that the STO will face IRS scrutiny. Therefore, there exist sufficient federal regulatory safeguards to prevent financial conflicts of interest among Arizona STO board members, but such regulations are not sufficiently enforced to prevent those conflicts of interest.

ContributorsGunther, Nicholas (Author) / Koretz, Lora (Thesis director) / Bonfiglio, Thomas (Committee member) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor) / W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2018-05

Teaching Leadership: Forming Hirable Employees through Leadership Education

Description

Organizations are hiring prospective employees with more transformational leadership qualities because of the organizational benefits associated with those leadership skills (Men, 2014). While current research examines the effects of transformational leadership in the workplace and the effects of hiring standards on organizational success, this research lacks an understanding of how…

Organizations are hiring prospective employees with more transformational leadership qualities because of the organizational benefits associated with those leadership skills (Men, 2014). While current research examines the effects of transformational leadership in the workplace and the effects of hiring standards on organizational success, this research lacks an understanding of how to promote these hireable transformational leadership skills in education. In this study, we examine how students at the collegiate level are taught to enact leadership skills from two different methods and how they are perceived as hireable or not by human resource managers. To do this, we hired human resource professionals to code for hireability in the actions of the participants in a leadership scenario conducted at the end of the semester. By testing how students from each class are perceived as more or less hireable by human resource professionals, we contribute to the overall study of the benefits of transformational leadership in the workplace.

ContributorsBecker, Katie Marie (Author) / Adame, Elissa (Thesis director) / Towles, Megan (Committee member) / Arterburn, Ande (Committee member) / W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2018-05

Joystick Education: Online Game-Based Learning

Description

The academic environment has historically been somewhat slow to implement and adopt new technologies. However, developments in video games have created an opportunity for students to learn new skills and topics through nontraditional mediums of education. The disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic further highlighted the need for flexible learning…

The academic environment has historically been somewhat slow to implement and adopt new technologies. However, developments in video games have created an opportunity for students to learn new skills and topics through nontraditional mediums of education. The disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic further highlighted the need for flexible learning opportunities. Joystick Education is our approach to addressing this need. Through online, game-based tutoring and a database of video games with high educational value, Joystick Education creates a learning environment that is effective, fun, and engaging for students. We analyzed popular, mainstream video games for educational content and selected nine games that teach concepts like history, biology, or physics while playing the game. Through promotion on social media, we generated buzz around our website which led to 103 unique visitors over our first month online and two customers requesting to book our tutoring service. We are confident that given more time to grow, Joystick Education can generate profit and become a successful business.

ContributorsVanlue, Aleczander Bryce (Co-author) / Bartels, Parker (Co-author) / Barrong, Tanner (Co-author) / Byrne, Jared (Thesis director) / Pierce, John (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor, Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2021-05

Joystick Education: Online Game-Based Tutoring

Description

The academic environment has historically been somewhat slow to implement and adopt new technologies. However, developments in video games have created an opportunity for students to learn new skills and topics through nontraditional mediums of education. The disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic further highlighted the need for flexible learning…

The academic environment has historically been somewhat slow to implement and adopt new technologies. However, developments in video games have created an opportunity for students to learn new skills and topics through nontraditional mediums of education. The disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic further highlighted the need for flexible learning opportunities. Joystick Education is our approach to addressing this need. Through online, game-based tutoring and a database of video games with high educational value, Joystick Education creates a learning environment that is effective, fun, and engaging for students. We analyzed popular, mainstream video games for educational content and selected nine games that teach concepts like history, biology, or physics while playing the game. Through promotion on social media, we generated buzz around our website which led to 103 unique visitors over our first month online and two customers requesting to book our tutoring service. We are confident that given more time to grow, Joystick Education can generate profit and become a successful business.

ContributorsBartels, Parker Stephen (Co-author) / Barrong, Tanner (Co-author) / VanLue, Aleczander (Co-author) / Byrne, Jared (Thesis director) / Pierce, John (Committee member) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor, Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2021-05

Digital Education Collaborative Thesis

Description

A deep dive on digital education solutions in the current and post-COVID education industry. Specific attention was given Interactive Flat Panel Display solutions in K-12 and higher education classrooms.

ContributorsHauck, Tanner (Co-author) / Morales, Herwin (Co-author) / Phillips, Maya (Co-author) / Koroli, Eri (Co-author) / Simonson, Mark (Thesis director) / Rakosi, Rock (Committee member) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / The Design School (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / Watts College of Public Service & Community Solut (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2021-05

Wedding Planning Industry and Launch of Maria Catherine Events

Description

The goal of this project was to discover more intricate aspects of the wedding planning industry as well as learn more about what it takes to get started in wedding planning, then apply this knowledge to the launch of my own company. I conducted research of the wedding planning industry…

The goal of this project was to discover more intricate aspects of the wedding planning industry as well as learn more about what it takes to get started in wedding planning, then apply this knowledge to the launch of my own company. I conducted research of the wedding planning industry throughout the United States then moving to Arizona and later to the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. I discuss the importance of wedding planners, the skills they bring as well as the knowledge they must have to offer their clients. Then I go into the launch of my company Maria Catherine Events and what the research means for my company launch.

ContributorsBreeze, Maria C (Author) / Trujillo, Rhett (Thesis director) / Donlevy, Tamara (Committee member) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / School of Community Resources and Development (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2021-05

The Impact of Arizona High School Performing Arts Extracurriculars on the Academic Success of College Students

Description

Performing arts programs in Arizona high schools have been facing significant budget cuts in recent years. It has been established that high school students who are involved in extracurricular programs perform better in school than their uninvolved peers, thus allowing them to succeed at a higher rate in four-year universities…

Performing arts programs in Arizona high schools have been facing significant budget cuts in recent years. It has been established that high school students who are involved in extracurricular programs perform better in school than their uninvolved peers, thus allowing them to succeed at a higher rate in four-year universities (Fredricks, 2012). This study aims to determine how involvement in Arizona high school performing arts programs can impact a student’s academic success at a four-year institution. Data will be collected through a survey with questions related to current college students’ involvement in performing arts in high school as well as their academic success at their respective 4-year institutions. It is expected that there will be a correlation found in the data between high achieving students and the skills that being involved in performing arts programs in high school provide. With this correlation in mind, the research will provide necessary tools for principals and superintendents to argue that performing arts programs add incredible value to students’ lives during and beyond their high school years.

ContributorsOwens, Alyssa (Author) / Kappes, Janelle (Thesis director) / Stauffer, Sandra (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor)

Created2022-05

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