Alverno College Library Digital Commons
Not a member yet
568 research outputs found
Sort by
Alverno Accelerate: A paradigm-changing program for professional and personal success
No full textBarrowman, C., Lewis, P., Savagian, J.C., & Shapiro, A.H.
With 50 years of experience in outcome-based, assessment-driven education, Alverno faculty understand the value of student-centered learning as the cornerstone of curriculum design and pedagogical practice. On the scaffold of the authors’ experiences as senior faculty in Alverno’s curriculum, this chapter explores how pedagogical and pragmatic considerations helped the Alverno Accelerate design team create a program that carefully considers its participants and puts the learner at the center of learning. Alverno Accelerate lets go of many of the canon principles of higher education, welcomes unbundled credits and work/life experiences, and collaborates with adult learners on their individual journeys to their bachelor’s degree
Am I creative? Senior college business students and their perceptions of their own creativity. A mixed method sequential explanatory study.
No full textAlex, Colleen
The COVID-19 pandemic magnified the importance of creativity to further drive innovation and change in organizations. This mixed method sequential explanatory study looked at exploring how senior college business students perceive their creative self-beliefs and understand the phenomenon of creativity. The intent of this study was to understand how students perceive Creative Self Efficacy (CSE) and understand the phenomenon creativity. The Short Scale of Creative Self (Karwowski et al., 2018) was applied to measure CSE and semi-structured interviews expanded on the quantitative results to better understand CSE and the phenomenon of creativity within the participants. The Four C Model of Creativity (Kaufman & Beghetto, 2009) was applied to explore qualitative data. Study results revealed higher CSE scores aligned with little-c creativity, while participants with lower CSE scores personified the mini-c construct of the model. Identified barriers to creativity found in this study, centers on the gaps in pedagogical focus on creativity specifically related to feedback associated with creativity. Mini-c creativity is grounded in idea generation and the intrapersonal perspective of creativity. The importance of creating environments that encourage creativity while scaffolding this pedagogy approach over the duration of the higher education journey is discussed. I propose educators must understand the dynamics of the Four C Model of Creativity to foster individualized, and value-added creativity feedback. Ensuring mini-c creativity is fostered throughout the curriculum for senior college business students will encourage and further develop CSE and creativity within the learner. Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, creativity, creative self-efficacy, Four C Model of Creativity, mini-c creativity, mixed metho
Academic growth with motivation and philosophy in special education students : An examination on how molding mindsets may influence academic growth and achievement
No full textFerrante, Michaela
This Capstone inquiry explores the relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in addition to how the application of personal philosophies has the potential to increase academic growth and achievement in students with special needs. The three focus students who participated in this inquiry range from grades 9 and 10 and each have Individualized Education Plans. Two of the three students are classified as having Other Health Impairments due to ADHD, anxiety, depression, and autism. The third student is classified as having a Specific Learning Disability in the fields of reading and mathematics. All engaged in meaningful interviews and discussions on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, philosophy, and their personal goals and perceived abilities. Each interview was designed to improve student understanding of the terms and participate in intrinsic reflection. Behavioral and academic tracking was monitored over the Spring semester to examine student growth and application of their interviews. Based on the findings, students who engaged fully with these interviews found increased feelings of motivation and overall academic improvements/growth
Motivational strategies to encourage second language use to express students' needs.
No full textGarcia, Mercedes
This paper aims to discuss how language is developed and acquired in infants and young children; the history of language immersion programs, their effectiveness, and issues; and the strategies that motivate language use in a foreign language immersion setting. In analyzing these themes, the aim is to develop a deeper understanding of language acquisition, immersion programs, and motivational strategies to encourage Spanish language use in my classroom. (In this paper, L2 is used interchangeably with second language.
Tackling lack of motivation in high school students
No full textPorn, Emily
This inquiry project addresses the phenomenon of a rise in the lack of motivation in high school students. More specifically, it attempts to determine if the implementation of brain breaks can help combat this prevalent issue noticed by many educators nowadays. This exploratory research took place over a four-week timespan and consisted of a total of thirteen English Language students between two Literacy Lab courses in a suburban high school setting in the state of Wisconsin. The students ranged from ninth to eleventh grade. A student-chosen five-minute brain break was implemented during content days twice a week, where data was collected before and after to see the impacts on motivation. Students completed a quick google form at the end of class to identify their motivation levels at the start of class versus after the brain break. The teacher observed student behavior before and after the brain break by tallying on-task and off-task behaviors to see if there was any correlation with the breaks. It was found that in general, student motivation levels either stayed the same or increased after the implementation of a five-minute brain break, that overall students enjoyed the brain breaks, and on-task behaviors increased after the breaks, whereas off-task behaviors decreased after the breaks. Although the results are positive, more research should be done regarding the impact of brain breaks on student motivation. Ideally, this inquiry would have occurred for a longer period, more frequently during the week, and done in other classrooms with more students to see if the results would be similar. Brain breaks are a useful tool that educators can use when they notice motivation levels decreasing among their students. And if not to increase motivation levels, brain breaks can provide a time for students to decompress for a bit and refresh their brains before going back to learning
Studying the impact of algebraic intervention in early middle school
No full textConnell, Norval
The latest results of an international exam (Programme for International Student Assessment - PISA) given to teenagers ranked the USA ninth in reading and 38th in math literacy out of 79 countries and economies. The United States had a smaller-than-average share of top-performing math students, and scores have been flat for two decades (Richards, 2020). In addition, the US Department of Education (2015, 2016) reported low student success in algebra and STEM courses in US high schools. The trend of low performance in algebra and algebra-related subjects has prompted mathematics educators to ask several questions about teaching mathematics in urban public schools. How can schools intervene in students' education to promote success in algebra before students enter high school? Is the 6th grade the appropriate grade to start teaching algebraic thinking? Is it too early? Is it too late? Why is algebraic instruction not traditionally offered first before the ninth-grade level? What skills are essential in an early middle school intervention? What is the impact of algebraic intervention in early middle school? These are the questions addressed in this study.
The central goal of this study was to investigate the impact of early intervention on student achievement in algebra. The researcher defined early intervention as algebraic skills training given to students during the elementary to early middle school grade band (K-6) before the start of secondary mathematics training. It hoped to add to the discussion of increasing participation in advanced algebraic-related courses and advanced STEM classes in public schools, especially in urban public schools. This study examined the efficacy of promoting algebraic thinking in the 6th grade. It investigated how to prepare students with the necessary foundational skills to access the algebra content by 8th grade. That led to the central question of this thesis. With the goal that all students take algebra in the 8th grade, will early algebraic intervention for students in urban schools increase algebraic thinking?
A pilot project conducted in early middle school was central to this study. The study involved the implementation of a quasi-experimental quantitative methodology in a 6th-grade classroom. The researcher applied a math intervention called PLAIN Math to a non-randomly selected treatment group. The intervention was titled PLAIN Math based on the skills of focus. The methodology section in this paper outlines a description of the tenets of PLAIN Math.
The data collected was analyzed using two different strategies. One was a test performance growth analysis for each group of students, and the other was a point-biserial correlation analysis. There was congruence between these two analyses used. In addition, they supported a positive correlation between the PLAIN Math intervention and the growth in test scores that is statistically significant
An exploration of a path to more Latina executives
No full textWilliams, Nicole Z.
Research shows that, despite the population growth rate of Latino/Hispanic communities across the U.S., they remain largely under-represented in professional and leadership roles across the country (Cruz & Blancero, 2016, p. 500). This underrepresentation is compounded when intersected with the gender wage gap. A study conducted by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research in October 2020, found that “based on the current rate of progress, Latinas will not reach equal pay with White non-Latino men for another two hundred years, or until 2220.” The study also cites that a major factor in the wage gap is that Latinas are largely over-represented in lower paying jobs.
When compared to the trends for the United States and Wisconsin, Milwaukee’s Hispanic community has also shown similar trends of rapid population growth over the last few decades but also has a noted shortage of Latina representation outside of three areas: buildings and ground maintenance, food service and preparation services, and personal care services (Levine, 2016). The purpose of this study is to understand what the shared lived experiences of Latina Executives in the Greater Milwaukee Area are within their family life, the education system, and the workplace that contributed to a pathway to executive management. The shared experiences of the Latinas who participated in my study provided personal details and insights that will enable future Latinas to forge an easier pathway to an executive level position. This, however, requires Latina role models, proactive interactions with young Latinas starting in Fifth grade, more Latina/o teachers, more Latina/o college faculty and staff, paying more attention to the role of family influence, and for colleges and universities to really considering the significance of being an HSI institute and what it means for the Latino/Hispanic community
Combating loss of identification through educational transitions
No full textWilson, Nina V.
Purpose: This study will be used to increase students’ interest in their education and revamp the value of school in their minds. It also works to serve as an additional source for educators to build stronger relationships with their students through understanding their “why”.
Methods: Students were evaluated through field observations and open-ended surveys during their daily English classes. The observation was completed over the course of 31 days; 23 school days and 4 weekends (homework completion). Students were aware that a study was being conducted but not told the start or end date to avoid changes in behavior.
Results: 61 students in total were observed and 8 assignments were given over the course of a month. For the 11/12th grade class, 4 out of 8 assignments were completed by less than half of the students. 6 out of 8 assignments were completed incorrectly or students received low scores and 4 students did not complete any assignments. For the 9/10th grade classes, 7 out of 8 assignments were completed by less than half of the students. Over half of the students did not complete any assignments. In the 31 day period students were given about 15 days to work on assignments in class and had 8 additional days to complete assignments during the weekend. During this month, students were split up into groups of 7 for the upperclassmen and groups of 5 for the underclassmen.
Conclusion: Students appear to have no motivation to complete their work at their highest skill level. There is a lack of interest in what is happening inside the classroom and they are not motivated by external factors. However, during class discussions students are engaged and able to discuss the topics at hand with a small push in the right direction. The hope would be that through identification exercises and an individualized motivation plan, the current class would increase their autonomy in all areas of their education. For the incoming freshmen, the desire would be to eliminate most of the stressors associated with the educational transition from intermediate to secondary school. These two techniques seek to assist both students and educators at Cyber High