Matching Items (2)
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- All Subjects: Educational games
- Genre: Academic theses
- Creators: Stamm, Jill
Description
Meeting state and federal standards is a consistent challenge for schools and their students. Although states were mandated under the No Child Left Behind Act to provide Supplemental Educational Services, such as tutoring, to underperforming schools, the current education policy under the Obama administration does not specifically address the issue of tutoring. Rather, the Recovery Act implemented in 2009, asks states to reform and improve their education systems and schools to increase success and achievement for all students. One method for increasing student achievement and decreasing the gap between groups--thereby meeting the standards mandated by local, state, and federal governments--is tutoring. Obtaining information about and seeking views on tutoring is crucial before it can be applied to school reform. The present study utilized an online poll about tutoring to obtain students' views and to examine meaningful outcomes with regard to demographic variables. Results indicated that the polls' response items had more significant relationships with the variables of age, grade, and school than with those of gender and ethnicity. The response rate for items exhibited the most differences within ethnic groups and age, grade, and school. Each question provided insights to help inform school decision-making and improvement plans; for example, students in younger grades needed more support in spelling and math, whereas adolescents in upper grades reported more difficulty with science and math. Using the results of the present study, schools and districts can tailor and implement changes accordingly; for example, they can develop the best method for a particular demographic group to relay information about tutoring. In this way, strategies can be created and applied for individualized subgroups, thereby maximizing success for all students. The insights gained about tutoring from the ones who have the most at stake--the students--will provide the basis for designing and implementing effective tutoring programs in the schools. Electronic polls are an effective method for gathering student perceptions, providing the foundation for successful school reform and student success, in addition to building a learning community for all stakeholders.
ContributorsHisrich, Katy Elizabeth (Author) / Strom, Robert (Thesis advisor) / Strom, Paris (Committee member) / Stamm, Jill (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2010
Description
Learning academic vocabulary is part of the curriculum for elementary students. Many gifted students learn new words easily but do not necessarily feel positive about studying vocabulary at school. They also do not transfer these words to their own writing. This researcher used games in her own fifth-grade classroom to teach vocabulary and measured the use of these words in the students' writing. This study also examined students' attitudes about learning vocabulary through games. This mixed-methods study used quantitative data to study the students' retention of the vocabulary words, their usage of the words in their writing, and their attitude toward playing games to learn vocabulary. The researcher also used qualitative data to measure the students' attitudes toward learning with games. Three different vocabulary games were used and one editing game was used during this 18-week study. Quantitative data from test scores and questionnaire responses were analyzed comparing pre and post responses. Writing samples and word tallies were collected throughout the study. Students learned the definitions of vocabulary words while playing games and retained the meanings after 18 weeks, achieving a mean score on the posttest of 71%. No significant usage of the relevant words in student writing samples was found. Qualitative data from questionnaires and field notes were coded and analyzed. A significant gain was shown in how students felt about studying vocabulary after playing games. This study showed positive results in all areas measured.
ContributorsRagatz, Carolyn Mae (Author) / Carlson, David L. (Thesis advisor) / Gee, Elisabeth (Committee member) / Stamm, Jill (Committee member) / Cash, Richard (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015