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- Creators: Barrett, The Honors College
- Creators: Kavazanjian, Edward
- Creators: Allenby, Braden
Description
The purpose of this study is to determine the types of classroom instructional activities commonly used in teaching literature. Data were collected at ASU Preparatory High School. The study determined that literature-based lessons and activities fall under three categories: reading, writing, and discussion. Classroom observations revealed that reading, writing, and discursive activities were designed to promote higher-ordering thinking. These activities included silent reading, annotating text, reading aloud, keeping reading response journals, practicing essay writing, and participating in Socratic discussion. The teachers at ASU Prep used the listed activities with the intent to challenge their English students to engage in active learning, to improve reading, writing, and discursive skills, and promote critical thinking skills.
ContributorsSarik, Vivian Roathany (Author) / Blasingame, James (Thesis director) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
This project is a one-semester U.S. government curriculum that centers on encouraging students to be active and engaged citizens while they learn civics and history content. The curriculum includes discussion based instructional strategies that require students to analyze documents, understand the historical background of issues, and communicate ideas clearly and respectfully. These skills expose students to new ideas and allow them to develop arguments based on evidence. I designed the curriculum for a democratic classroom \u2014 one that provides students with more responsibility and ownership in the classroom and gives them a large role in developing classroom policies and procedures. Diana Hess (2009) argues that a democratic education pushes students to "do democracy" (p. 15). This participatory structure engages students and teaches them how to be active democratic citizens.
ContributorsShaw, Vanessa Anne (Author) / Simpson, Brooks (Thesis director) / Harris, Lauren (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Division of Teacher Preparation (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
The purpose of this review is to address issues that high school students face as future adults and the need for a comprehensive financial literacy program. Students today have a wider array of opportunities and a greater number of resources to help them achieve the goals they set for themselves. Financial literacy is the understanding of the impact of today's financial decisions upon one's future selves and their ability to manage their financial resources. There is a need to understand the human capital value of a post-secondary education and how to how to achieve it from a financially sound perspective. For those that choose to seek a post-secondary education there are many financial options for those who need assistance in paying for college. Additionally, it is not enough to succeed in affording a high education, but in also understanding the true worth of the resources one has and the significance of sustaining those resources to keep negative repercussions at bay. Thus, there are benefits of having a comprehensive financial literacy program for high school students, which allow them to make well-informed decisions that would influence their future in significant ways.
ContributorsLawson, Yvonne Terry (Author) / Panneton, Teresa (Thesis director) / Barnett, Juliet (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Division of Teacher Preparation (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Since 2001, PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) scores revealed that Finland has the most successful education system in the world, with their students consistently outranking global participants. These scores have granted Finland acknowledgement from educators across the world. Because of this, researchers have analyzed their system and classroom practices. Many of these researchers have focused on primary education and their implementation of play and discovery learning in the classroom. This paper contains a literature review that analyzed any current research written on the main attributes to the Finnish education system’s success. There appears to be a hole in the research in Finnish education regarding secondary education. For the study, research focused on secondary schools, with an emphasis on learning how educators foster student independence. It also defined the term “autonomous mindset,” which described students who have agency in their own education, in addition to being motivated and independent on a daily basis. The goal of the research was to interview secondary educators in Finland and interpret how American teachers can apply innovative strategies into their classroom that will result in students who have an autonomous mindset. Eleven teachers at Parhaat Secondary School were interviewed. These interviews were transcribed and organized into four main codes: Finnish culture, student teacher relationships, creative lesson planning, and personalized instruction. These codes were then expanded on as findings. The study revealed that, to cultivate student autonomy, teachers must get to know their students, build a mutual respect, and create student interest-driven lesson plans. These strategies were suggested to teachers who are interested in cultivating the autonomous mindset in their American classrooms.
ContributorsHaagen, Paige Elizabeth (Author) / Saidy, Christina (Thesis director) / LePore, Paul (Thesis director) / Simpson, Darby (Committee member) / Department of English (Contributor) / Division of Teacher Preparation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
Currently conventional Subtitle D landfills are the primary means of disposing of our waste in the United States. While this method of waste disposal aims at protecting the environment, it does so through the use of liners and caps that effectively freeze the breakdown of waste. Because this method can keep landfills active, and thus a potential groundwater threat for over a hundred years, I take an in depth look at the ability of bioreactor landfills to quickly stabilize waste. In the thesis I detail the current state of bioreactor landfill technologies, assessing the pros and cons of anaerobic and aerobic bioreactor technologies. Finally, with an industrial perspective, I conclude that moving on to bioreactor landfills as an alternative isn't as simple as it may first appear, and that it is a contextually specific solution that must be further refined before replacing current landfills.
ContributorsWhitten, George Avery (Author) / Kavazanjian, Edward (Thesis director) / Allenby, Braden (Committee member) / Houston, Sandra (Committee member) / Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering Programs (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Characterization and Manipulation of Microbiomes From Arid Landfills for Improved Methane Production
Description
Environmentally harmful byproducts from solid waste’s decomposition, including methane (CH4) emissions, are managed through standardized landfill engineering and gas-capture mechanisms. Yet only a limited number of studies have analyzed the development and composition of Bacteria and Archaea involved in CH4 production from landfills. The objectives of this research were to compare microbiomes and bioactivity from CH4-producing communities in contrasting spatial areas of arid landfills and to tests a new technology to biostimulate CH4 production (methanogenesis) from solid waste under dynamic environmental conditions controlled in the laboratory. My hypothesis was that the diversity and abundance of methanogenic Archaea in municipal solid waste (MSW), or its leachate, play an important role on CH4 production partially attributed to the group’s wide hydrogen (H2) consumption capabilities. I tested this hypothesis by conducting complementary field observations and laboratory experiments. I describe niches of methanogenic Archaea in MSW leachate across defined areas within a single landfill, while demonstrating functional H2-dependent activity. To alleviate limited H2 bioavailability encountered in-situ, I present biostimulant feasibility and proof-of-concepts studies through the amendment of zero valent metals (ZVMs). My results demonstrate that older-aged MSW was minimally biostimulated for greater CH4 production relative to a control when exposed to iron (Fe0) or manganese (Mn0), due to highly discernable traits of soluble carbon, nitrogen, and unidentified fluorophores found in water extracts between young and old aged, starting MSW. Acetate and inhibitory H2 partial pressures accumulated in microcosms containing old-aged MSW. In a final experiment, repeated amendments of ZVMs to MSW in a 600 day mesocosm experiment mediated significantly higher CH4 concentrations and yields during the first of three ZVM injections. Fe0 and Mn0 experimental treatments at mesocosm-scale also highlighted accelerated development of seemingly important, but elusive Archaea including Methanobacteriaceae, a methane-producing family that is found in diverse environments. Also, prokaryotic classes including Candidatus Bathyarchaeota, an uncultured group commonly found in carbon-rich ecosystems, and Clostridia; All three taxa I identified as highly predictive in the time-dependent progression of MSW decomposition. Altogether, my experiments demonstrate the importance of H2 bioavailability on CH4 production and the consistent development of Methanobacteriaceae in productive MSW microbiomes.
ContributorsReynolds, Mark Christian (Author) / Cadillo-Quiroz, Hinsby (Thesis advisor) / Krajmalnik-Brown, Rosa (Thesis advisor) / Wang, Xuan (Committee member) / Kavazanjian, Edward (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
Zero-Valent Metals (ZVM) are highly reactive materials and have been proved to be effective in contaminant reduction in soils and groundwater remediation. In fact, zero-Valent Iron (ZVI) has proven to be very effective in removing, particularly chlorinated organics, heavy metals, and odorous sulfides. Addition of ZVI has also been proved in enhancing the methane gas generation in anaerobic digestion of activated sludge. However, no studies have been conducted regarding the effect of ZVM stimulation to Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) degradation. Therefore, a collaborative study was developed to manipulate microbial activity in the landfill bioreactors to favor methane production by adding ZVMs. This study focuses on evaluating the effects of added ZVM on the leachate generated from replicated lab scale landfill bioreactors. The specific objective was to investigate the effects of ZVMs addition on the organic and inorganic pollutants in leachate. The hypothesis here evaluated was that adding ZVM including ZVI and Zero Valent Manganese (ZVMn) will enhance the removal rates of the organic pollutants present in the leachate, likely by a putative higher rate of microbial metabolism. Test with six (4.23 gallons) bioreactors assembled with MSW collected from the Salt River Landfill and Southwest Regional Landfill showed that under 5 grams /liter of ZVI and 0.625 grams/liter of ZVMn additions, no significant difference was observed in the pH and temperature data of the leachate generated from these reactors. The conductivity data suggested the steady rise across all reactors over the period of time. The removal efficiency of sCOD was highest (27.112 mg/lit/day) for the reactors added with ZVMn at the end of 150 days for bottom layer, however the removal rate was highest (16.955 mg/lit/day) for ZVI after the end of 150 days of the middle layer. Similar trends in the results was observed in TC analysis. HPLC study indicated the dominance of the concentration of heptanoate and isovalerate were leachate generated from the bottom layer across all reactors. Heptanoate continued to dominate in the ZVMn added leachate even after middle layer injection. IC analysis concluded the chloride was dominant in the leachate generated from all the reactors and there was a steady increase in the chloride content over the period of time. Along with chloride, fluoride, bromide, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate and sulfate were also detected in considerable concentrations. In the summary, the addition of the zero valent metals has proved to be efficient in removal of the organics present in the leachate.
ContributorsPandit, Gandhar Abhay (Author) / Cadillo – Quiroz, Hinsby (Thesis advisor) / Olson, Larry (Thesis advisor) / Boyer, Treavor (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Geographical Influences on Parental Decision for Child's Secondary Education from a Race Perspective
Description
The objective of this research project was to explore how lower-income, Latinx parents make decisions about where their child will attend high school and the factors that influence choosing out-of-district or in-district (public, charter or private) high schools. Research on parental choice of schooling often finds that parents’ education and income make a difference in school choice decisions with higher-income parents relying more on social networks for information and lower-income parents relying more on school-based information (e.g., Bosetti, 2004; Holme, 2002). Researchers have also found that how information is presented and understood also plays a part in school choice (IES, 2018).
However, less information is available on how Latinx parents receive information and the factors that play a part in their schooling decisions. This project focused on how Latinx parents weight information about their local high schools versus other school choices. The research revolving around Latinx families and high school choice matters because most research in the education sector does not involve minority groups, such as the Latinx and Hispanic communities specifically in Laveen. The key research questions are: Why do Latinx parents send their children to in-district high schools when those schools have poorer test scores? Why do parents send their children out of district high schools? What information and resources are used by parents to help make their decision in the process? How do student perspectives play a part in the decision?
Data was gathered through an on-line survey of parents about factors that play a part in the choice of high school. In-person case studies of four families also showed the detail of the specific ways that sources of information, personal networks, child input, and other factors influence the school choice process. I found that parents sent their children to their designated in-district high school because it was the closest available option that led to the most convenience in regards to commuting. On the other hand, I found that parents sent their child to an out of district high school because of the resources they used, which consisted of mostly family and other social networks that had attended or were currently attending that high school. Overall, the students’ perspective at the time when the decision was made played an important role in almost all of the case studies. All of the children were included at least somewhat and their input was taken into consideration if and when possible. Also, a geographical analysis of Laveen that includes the income levels, education levels, and high schools available in the area is interpreted. Through the maps completed by Social Explorer, the data used is from 2018, and it was filtered from the Hispanic population in Laveen from the non-Hispanic population to add more emphasis on a specific ethnicity.
However, less information is available on how Latinx parents receive information and the factors that play a part in their schooling decisions. This project focused on how Latinx parents weight information about their local high schools versus other school choices. The research revolving around Latinx families and high school choice matters because most research in the education sector does not involve minority groups, such as the Latinx and Hispanic communities specifically in Laveen. The key research questions are: Why do Latinx parents send their children to in-district high schools when those schools have poorer test scores? Why do parents send their children out of district high schools? What information and resources are used by parents to help make their decision in the process? How do student perspectives play a part in the decision?
Data was gathered through an on-line survey of parents about factors that play a part in the choice of high school. In-person case studies of four families also showed the detail of the specific ways that sources of information, personal networks, child input, and other factors influence the school choice process. I found that parents sent their children to their designated in-district high school because it was the closest available option that led to the most convenience in regards to commuting. On the other hand, I found that parents sent their child to an out of district high school because of the resources they used, which consisted of mostly family and other social networks that had attended or were currently attending that high school. Overall, the students’ perspective at the time when the decision was made played an important role in almost all of the case studies. All of the children were included at least somewhat and their input was taken into consideration if and when possible. Also, a geographical analysis of Laveen that includes the income levels, education levels, and high schools available in the area is interpreted. Through the maps completed by Social Explorer, the data used is from 2018, and it was filtered from the Hispanic population in Laveen from the non-Hispanic population to add more emphasis on a specific ethnicity.
ContributorsRodriguez, Briana (Author) / Nakagawa, Kathryn (Thesis director) / Shabazz, Rashad (Committee member) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Over the last twenty years, comic books and graphic novels have slowly found their way into the field of education. Scholars have used this time to study the opportunities afforded by these “Graphic Novel Classrooms” and have found a plethora of strategies and theories to support students and teachers alike. However, history and social studies classrooms are largely left out of this discourse. This absence is perplexing, as these classrooms spend an enormous amount of time analyzing texts and images while building essential literacy skills. Through primary and secondary sources, these history classrooms discuss author intent and ruminate on imagery and themes in much the same way as classrooms that assign graphic novels. Despite this, few scholars advocate for the use of graphic novels in the history classroom. By combining modern theories of literacy education, historical education, and developmental psychology, this thesis concludes that the use of graphic novels in secondary history classrooms creates unique and powerful opportunities in education that have gone largely ignored. This relationship is inherently benefitted by theories of historical thinking and historical empathy, both of which work together to teach history as a process of humanistic understanding and discovery rather than a memorization of names and dates. This thesis accomplishes this by analyzing multiple historically-based graphic novels, deconstructing their contents alongside Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud. This comparison is used to explore what makes the graphic novel inherently beneficial to the history classroom. Many supposed challenges of the graphic novel in the history classroom, such as inherently subjective representations of history, actually add to the process of historical discovery. Through subjective imagery, students are allowed to think critically and compare accounts to determine the “how” and “why” of these representations. This thesis concludes with a classroom guide, taking the graphic novels discussed throughout and designing lesson outlines to be used in any history classroom. Additionally, this thesis highlights the need for change within historical education. Many historical educators find themselves lacking in time to take on assigned readings, resisting the need for exploration and discovery, or failing to recognize the accessibility of the graphic novel in their classroom.
ContributorsDeterding, Zachary (Author) / Schmidt, Peter (Thesis director) / Anthony, Charles (Committee member) / Historical, Philosophical & Religious Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
ContributorsTran, Michelle (Author) / Dombrowski, Rosemarie (Thesis director) / Kirsch, Sharon (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Division of Teacher Preparation (Contributor)
Created2022-05