Western Connecticut State University
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Living with OCD
No full textThis is a journalistic piece about living with the mental illness, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.This thesis project provides its readers with a detailed view of real-life events experienced by a young person living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. The following chapters document the beginning stages of OCD along with its evolution through the years. This piece also includes an interview with someone close to the individual with OCD and scientific information about the disorder. Media examples are also shown within the project. This is a journalistic document the combines personal experiences and facts about what it is like for a person living with OCD
Dreams Away & Animal
No full textThese two creative non-fiction pieces, "Dreams Away" and "Animal," tell the stories of two different musicians whose paths are intertwined in the journey for a successful band. In "Dreams Away," Jay starts out as an aspiring musician, struggling to break away from his mother's tyrannical hand. He encounters hardships along the way, further enforcing his dream of one day playing alongside his idols. "Animal" continues with the story one of the "idol musicians," from Jay's dream, showing what life is like for those after they make it in the music industry. Addiction gets the better of Adam in "Animal" and he is forced to make the decision between music or giving up
Corra
No full textIn "Corra," readers will observe the destructive nature of a entropic child of local legend. At the request of his wife Dani, Jonah agrees to let his widowed mother-in-law, Vera, live with the couple. What began as a kind gesture grows into a malignant attachment between a young girl called "Corra." and the lonely Vera. Corra's touch is infamous for rapidly speeding up the decay of organic materials, but what else can she wilt and wither away?
This long horror story is an exploration not only of the physical realm, but of the bonds that form relationships and friendships. Through the girl's effects on her surroundings, one can observe the strength—and weakness—of such bonds, and what it might take to fortify them against outside influence
THE EFFECTS OF TARGETED ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS INSTRUCTION USING MULTIMEDIA APPLICATIONS ON GRADE THREE STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION, ATTITUDE TOWARD COMPUTERS, AND ATTITUDE TOWARD SCHOOL
No full textThe purpose of this study was to investigate the specific effects of targeted English Language Arts (ELA) instruction using multimedia applications. Student reading comprehension, student attitude toward computers, and student attitude toward school were measured in this study. The study also examined the perceptions, of selected students, of the use of these applications. In this study, targeted ELA instruction was compared to similar instruction of ELA skills with the addition of multimedia software applications.
In this study a sampling of grade 3 students in a medium-sized suburban school district received 10 weeks of targeted ELA instruction using traditional teaching methods. From this sample, approximately half of the students received instruction with ELA multimedia applications in lieu of a portion of the allotted ELA instruction time
Two instruments were administered to all students as a pretest and as a posttest; the New York State English Language Arts Exam Part 1 (NYS ELA) and the Young Children’s Computer Inventory (YCCI). In addition, five students were selected for a semi-structured interview. The interviews explored the perceptions of the students who used the ELA multimedia applications in school and showed the greatest gain in reading comprehension scores at the conclusion of the treatment period.
A pretest ANOVA was used to verify equivalency of groups for reach variable. Following this, a MANOVA revealed that students who participated in the treatment group and received ELA instruction using online multimedia applications scored significantly higher than students in the control group. Univariate ANOVA revealed that students in the treatment group scored higher on the attitude toward computers measure and the reading comprehension measure, and that there was no significant difference in scores on the attitude toward school measure between treatment and control groups.
Analysis of the qualitative data revealed three themes that recurred throughout the five interviews. The themes were: having fun, learning content, and expressing emotions. Qualitative and quantitative data were triangulated, and implications for practitioners and researchers were discussed.Doctor of Education (EdD)Education & Educational Psycholog
Suck, Squeeze, Bang, Blow
No full textThis thesis is a journalistic account of the automotive enthusiast lifestyle written in a very conversational tone.My thesis is a journalistic long-feature story. Otherwise known as, "Suck, Squeeze, Bang, Blow" it is an attempt to give the average person a glimpse into the gear head lifestyle. More than that, I hope someone who is becoming more interested in such to get better acclimated with the basic ideas of how the common engine works, as well as to see the scope of options available as vehicles, what common modifications are and what they do, as well as a few motor related hobbies that don't hurt the checkbook as much as buying an actual car would
A Traumatic Brain Injury: My Battle with 'Healed'
No full textA memoir pieceThis thesis is a piece of memoir. I was diagnosed with Traumatic Brain Injury in the fall of 2008 after flipping my Mini Cooper over a median of the Merritt Parkway and crashing it into a tree. This is an account of my life during that time surrounding the fall of 2008, while discussing my life before, during and after the injury, including a bit of the new perspective on life I have. I have incorporated a number my photographs to help exemplify what, and how, I look at things
The Mechanical Man
No full textIn a post-apocalyptic world, where the government is issuing population control devices to prevent the planet Earth from spiraling into a second fallout, Pete, a fourteen-year-old boy, tries to piece the mysteries of his past together. As a child with a disability, he struggles to find his place, in a world in which he is outcast as a hindrance to a successful civilization. As he finds out more about his past, he uncovers corruption, evil plots, brainwashing, and the meaning of family
Beautiful Oblivion
No full textMy thesis is a short story set in the fantastical world of Fraylonia. The world itself is breaking apart under the strain of the evil Matron, who seeks to reform the world in her image. The majestic colors and magical beings of Fraylonia are all threatened to the point of extinction as she leaves death and destruction in her wake. Young Chausiku and the aged Elder appear with a prophecy of apocalyptic proportions. The presence of a strange hermaphrodite Norbert/Norberta confirms that the prophecy is coming true. A tragic explosion cripples the city of Trenbough and leaves all other life dead.
Along the way, forgotten powers and an old love are reawakened, causing an inverse world to appear and challenge the logic of what is possible.
It is up to the human, Sophia, who finds herself homeless and on the run, and Guy, a man who saves her from death, to save the world, or die trying
EFFECTS OF SCAFFOLDING HIGHER ORDER THINKING QUESTIONS ON READER SELF-EFFICACY AND CRITICAL THINKING OF SIXTH GRADE STUDENTS
No full textThis study examined the potential benefits of instructional strategies that scaffold the development of higher order thinking (HOT) questions on reader self-efficacy and critical thinking. Another goal of this study aimed to investigate the relationship between reader self-efficacy and critical thinking. The explicit instruction of HOT questions involves four steps: (a) selecting Bloom’s revised taxonomy to identify effective question strands; (b) assessing HOT questions use through the Classroom Practice Record (CPR); (c) implementing strategy instruction focusing on explicit scaffolding techniques and allowing time to practice the implementation of strategies during assigned lessons for a period of eight weeks; and, (d) evaluating student self-efficacy, critical thinking, and HOT question use.
Using a sample of convenience, this quantitative quasi-treatment design utilized 262 students at two different school sites belonging to the same District Reference Group (DRG). This study assessed the impact of instructional scaffolding of HOT questions in four classes among heterogeneously grouped students in sixth grade. Two teachers were trained in the instruction and implementation of the program. One school was assigned to receive the treatment of instructional scaffolding of HOT questions while the remaining school served as the comparison group.
Several conclusions were drawn from the results. When teachers received explicit training in scaffolding HOT questions in the classroom, both students and teachers asked significantly more HOT questions than the comparison group. Results also point to a positive correlation between reader self-efficacy and critical thinking whereby students were more efficacious concerning their ability to read when they also demonstrate stronger critical thinking skills.
Based on this study, it is recommended that scaffolding be explicitly used in the classroom to support effective learning. When teachers consciously and consistently apply scaffolding techniques, learning strategies become systematic. Furthermore, a questioning framework such as Bloom’s revised taxonomy provides an important framework that enables the learner and teacher to use verbs to actively identify diverse forms of thinking. The organization of thinking into six levels (remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating) represented a pragmatic way to design higher order thinking tasks, coinciding with scaffolding techniques, to improve student learning.Doctor of Education (EdD)Education & Educational Psycholog