Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/733
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Item Effects of term length on academic success in a science classroom(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2021) Anderson, Gregory Michael; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Greg FrancisThe purpose of this action research was to determine if term length had an association with student success in an alternative high school. Alternative high schools traditionally have smaller class sizes and a diverse population of students. The procedure was to examine if a shorter term (octer four week grading period v quarter nine week grading period) had an effect on students' academic success with passing rates in a science classroom. The procedure included examination of not only passing rates, but also student self-efficacy using a Likert scale and student interviews within the science classroom. Evaluation of the same procedure was examined with other core subjects of language arts, math and social studies. This was done to determine if term length also had an effect on all core subject areas and could result in an overall effect on academic success.Item The effect of integrated, cross-curricular co-teaching on student achievement, engagement, and high school completion at an alternative high school(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2019) Tonelli, Matthew Charles, Jr.; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Greg FrancisThis study examined the effect a cross-curricular, team-taught course had on student achievement and high school completion at an Alternative High School. Additional sub-questions included what was the effect on a student's engagement in coursework, what was the effect on student attendance, and what was the effect on a student's attitude towards school? Engagement, attendance, credit earned, attitude survey and interview data were used to identify this impact. Students from integrated courses were compared to courses that taught the same science content in a traditional classroom. Engagement, attendance, credit earning, and attitude experienced significant increases in the treatment group over the study period when compared to the control group. The study supports offering students course experiences that are integrated, co-taught, and project-based. The study showed this had a positive impact on engagement, student attendance, and attitude leading to improved course completion, outcomes for graduation and future success. This approach has significant implications in the alternative school setting where students are often at a deficit in credit earning in relationship to their age. In this scenario, opportunities for credit recovery and accelerated learning increase the likelihood of students completing high school.Item Effects of blended learning on credit earning in an alternative education science classroom(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2019) Pohl, Karelyn; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Walter WoolbaughUsing a variety of online resources, students were offered more opportunity to access school materials. By having all the materials in one easy-to-access spot, the students could work at a more personal pace and were given more time to make-up work or work ahead. The amount of credit earned was then measured and compared to each student's overall attendance and an attitude survey was administered. There was an overall positive trend in the amount of credit earned per student.Item Enhancing the flipped physics classroom through the use of preflight questions(Montana State University - Bozeman, Graduate School, 2014) DuBrow, Daniel James; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Peggy TaylorStudents in my sophomore honors physics course at Evanston Township High school appeared to have difficulty connecting the content they learned from my flipped classroom video lectures to their assignments, including homework, labs, and tests. In order to address this, I created several 'preflights', which students completed after watching video lectures, but before coming to class. Two of my classes comprised the treatment group and two others comprised the comparison group. I wanted to determine the impact of preflights on student learning, including whether they help students understand video lecture material more effectively and whether they increase student confidence in their learning. I also wished to try out various formats of preflights to see which was most effective for student learning. I found that preflights had a positive effect on student learning overall, and modestly increased student confidence in their learning. Based on student interviews and other data, I determined that the most effective and preferred format of preflight was a guided tutorial, where I led students through a problem, and then asked them to perform a similar task. I concluded that in general, preflights were an effective way to increase student performance and confidence in their learning.Item The effect of flipped classroom videos filmed at field locations(Montana State University - Bozeman, Graduate School, 2014) Clay, Matthew; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Peggy TaylorIn this project, videos filmed at field locations were used in place of narrated slideshows in a classroom using the flipped model. Surveys were used to determine if this change had an effect on student engagement and students' views of the nature of science as well as recording behavior logs as the students viewed the videos. Data showed an increase in test scores after students viewed the field location videos, but not after students viewed the narrated slideshow videos. Additionally, there was a significant difference in survey responses for questions such as 'I space out while watching the videos' and 'I find the videos entertaining.'Item Investigating the efficacy of a flipped science classroom model(Montana State University - Bozeman, Graduate School, 2013) Tucker, Dina M.; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Peggy Taylor; John Graves was a co-author of the article, 'Investigating the efficacy of a flipped science classroom model' submitted to the journal 'American biology teacher' which is contained within this thesis.An introductory honors level high school biology course was used to implement a flipped classroom model in the topic of biochemistry. Ten-minute lecture videos were recorded and collaborative work was completed during class. Surveys and questionnaires were used to collect data about student preference. The results indicate that students enjoyed their class more and learning biochemistry in this way was preferable to the traditional in-class lecture format.Item The effects of a flipped classroom on achievement and student attitudes in secondary chemistry(Montana State University - Bozeman, Graduate School, 2013) Glynn, James, Jr.; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Peggy TaylorIn this investigation flipping was used to see if improvement occurred in achievement and with students' attitudes toward chemistry. Flipping means lecture content usually delivered in the classroom was instead presented through asynchronous videos via the internet in advance of class. This was done in a suburban high school chemistry course. Results from unit tests were analyzed to see the change in summative achievement; while student surveys and interviews were analyzed to see the change in students' attitudes toward chemistry. Results revealed no significant change in achievement with only marginal improvement in positive attitudes toward chemistry. Student comments and interviews showed that students did not have a positive response to using flipping to introduce new content but had a positive attitude towards using flipping in other roles.Item Alternative assessment to engage student learning in a science classroom(Montana State University - Bozeman, Graduate School, 2013) Ferebee, Tyler Joseph; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Peggy Taylor.In this investigation the use of alternative assessment was used in the science classroom to help improve student engagement as well as course satisfaction. Activities included research projects, student presentations, and self-guided learning activities. The goal was to move away from testing to check for learning and use authentic activities to do so. The project showed that by moving to authentic assessment student engagement in and outside the classroom increased.Item Graduates, employers and the academy : perceptions of the quality and utility of external degrees over twenty five years(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2005) Puffer, Glenn Robert; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Richard Howard.In 1975 the Bureau of Social Science Research (BSSR) commissioned a study to examine the education- and work-related experiences of graduates from external degree programs to gather information "on how well such degrees served their holders, especially with respect to their usefulness in the world of work and the extent to which they provide access to higher-level programs." The study findings published in 1978 revealed that many of the perceptions of the "quality and validity" of external degrees held by graduates, employers, and educators in 1976-77 are similar to those reported in contemporary educational and professional literature. The 1978 BSSR report found 54,000 students enrolled in 134 public 2-year and 4- year institutions offering 244 undergraduate external degree programs meeting their study criteria. In 1998 the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reported for similar criteria approximately 1.1 million students enrolled in over 500 institutions offering 1,190 undergraduate distance degree programs. An analysis of the literature published during the intervening years was conducted to identify and track changes in the perceptions of graduates, employers and educators (the academy). The literature reviewed was selected using search terms similar to those employed in the BSSR study. The period 1979-2003 was chosen for convenience and to provide coverage of the literature from the date of publication of the BSSR report to the present. Dissertation abstracts and online databases of scholarly and professional journals were searched for articles for review. The results of the analysis of the body of 312 studies and articles identified for the period are reported in graphic and narrative form. The analysis of the literature revealed that the perceptions of graduates and employers have changed little over 25 years. Graduates continue to enroll for personal achievement and for access to employment and higher education, and report a high degree of satisfaction with their educational experience. Employers accept external degrees, but favor degrees offered by traditional institutions over those offered by forprofit providers. The Academy remains polarized, with "traditional" faculty distrustful of credentials earned through nontradtional study and faculty proponents of distance education equally strong in support.