ValpoScholar Copyright (c) 2013 Valparaiso University All rights reserved. http://scholar.valpo.edu Recent documents in ValpoScholar en-us Fri, 24 May 2013 01:36:30 PDT 3600 Strategies to Alleviate Test and Mathematics Anxiety http://scholar.valpo.edu/sarp/38 http://scholar.valpo.edu/sarp/38 Thu, 23 May 2013 13:52:49 PDT The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of two anxiety-reducing techniques in a 7th grade Tier 2 (average) mathematics classroom. Based on the work of Ford, Ford, Boxer, and Armstrong (2012), one of the techniques used was the use of humor. The other technique is the use of visualization (see Shobe, Brewin, & Carmack, 2005). Ultimately, this study sought to determine if either of the anxiety-reducing strategies lowered student's anxiety; if they were effective, which was more effective; and if the strategy had any apparent effect on the students' academic performance.

]]> Clara R. Brandt What Motivates the Minds of Level Three Spanish Students: The Effects of Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation for Classroom Success http://scholar.valpo.edu/sarp/37 http://scholar.valpo.edu/sarp/37 Tue, 21 May 2013 10:58:53 PDT This study examines elements of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in third year Spanish students and how these different varieties of motivation affect their success and attendance in class. A brief survey was given to 6 sections of Spanish level three (including 2 regular classes and 4 Pre-IB/honors classes). In the survey, which the students took anonymously, the students were asked to comment on their grades, attendance in class, and their reasoning behind taking Spanish class as an elective in high school. This study aims to discover a correlation between intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation and grades/attendance. According to contemporary research in motivational education, students that are motivated by intrinsic factors, such as a true interest and love for learning, are more likely to receive high grades and attend class more often than students motivated by extrinsic factors, such as grades or parental influence.

]]> Elizabeth Zaplatosch The Effects of Personal Goal Setting in Music Ensembles http://scholar.valpo.edu/sarp/36 http://scholar.valpo.edu/sarp/36 Tue, 21 May 2013 10:47:52 PDT This research explores the use of guided personal and class goal setting and its effect on students’ comprehension of the material that is taught in any given lesson. The project was staged in two classes of roughly the same size, with an average of 25 responses per survey; demographics in each class consisted of approximately 90% minority students, with only 2-4 males per class. Surveys were taken twice a week for the four week experimental period; one group was given guided goal worksheets for weeks three and four while the other did not receive goal guidance. The findings show that the guided goal system had little or no influence in the self-reported comprehension of the material to be learned in class. Further extensive testing would be necessary with a broader test group to determine if a guided goal worksheet would positively influence students’ comprehension of classroom learning goals

]]> Benjamin White Is There a Learning Gap? http://scholar.valpo.edu/sarp/35 http://scholar.valpo.edu/sarp/35 Tue, 21 May 2013 10:47:49 PDT This semester I student taught within a School Corporation in Northwest Indiana. I taught at two different elementary schools, School A and School B. Although the curriculum is the same across both schools, the students at each school are different.

School A has a higher income rate and also has lower enrollment for ethnic students.

School B has more students enrolled in the special education program and more students enrolled in the free and reduced lunch program.

My goal is to figure out if students from both schools will learn the same given the same instruction.

]]> Alyssa Wittman Is Rewarding Beneficial to Behavior? http://scholar.valpo.edu/sarp/34 http://scholar.valpo.edu/sarp/34 Tue, 21 May 2013 10:24:45 PDT What effect does a reward system have on ninth grade student behavior? Is there a way to have my students behave better than they currently are? There is plenty of research that has been conducted on different types of distracting behavior as well as different types of systems and programs that try to influence that behavior. A ninth grade class has been selected, observed, and data has been recorded on any disruptive or unwanted behavior for three weeks. The first three weeks the student had no clue they were being checked for behavior. For the second three weeks, a reward system was implanted for the class. The class was given the opportunity to earn a “free day” in physical education class by decreasing their disruptive behavior during class. In this study the students proved that if given the chance to work towards something they would work harder and behave better.

]]> John Webb Pursuing Leading Lexile Scores http://scholar.valpo.edu/sarp/33 http://scholar.valpo.edu/sarp/33 Tue, 21 May 2013 10:24:43 PDT The purpose of this research is to measure the effectiveness of daily reading question and answer practice on twelfth graders' Scholastic Reading Intervention Lexile Scores. Students took a pre-test that measured their lexile scores (measurement chart attached). Lexile scores measure student reading comprehension levels on a scale that matches passage reading level difficulty with student accuracy, creating a scores that indicates his or her reading ability on a grade scale. On a daily basis, for five weeks, students were given reading passages from a number of sources (varying from SAT practice passages to basic new stories). The passages ranged in lexile levels, so the students received practice in various levels. Following the five weeks, students too another assessment, following which scores were compared to the pre-test scores.

]]> Allysa Wennlund Effects of Guided Notes on 6th Grade Math Students' Academic Achievement and Self-Perceptions of Learning http://scholar.valpo.edu/sarp/32 http://scholar.valpo.edu/sarp/32 Tue, 21 May 2013 10:03:35 PDT The purpose of this research project is to study the effects of guided notes on the self-perceptions of learning of 6th grade math students at a rural school in Northwest Indiana. It will also compare the student achievement levels without using guided notes and with using guided notes as well. This project seeks to accomplish this task by teaching the students by having them take notes on their own accord. Next, students will then be given a guided note sheet to take notes and the achievement levels from both periods will be compared. Additionally, the students will fill out a brief survey that asks them to self-assess their own achievement levels. The results of the project indicated that guided notes had both a positive effect on students own self-perceptions of learning as well as their actually achievement levels.

]]> Colin Strange A Void to Fill: Recognizing a Lack of Diversity in the High School Social Studies Curriculum http://scholar.valpo.edu/sarp/31 http://scholar.valpo.edu/sarp/31 Tue, 21 May 2013 10:03:30 PDT This action research project analyzed the current perceptions of diversity within the high school history curriculum at a small, predominantly white school district in northwest Indiana. Sixty-seven students participated on two separate days for this project. On the first day, a survey was distributed in which students provided anonymous, biographical information about themselves. Using a Likert scale, students also indicated their responses to five questions pertaining to their value on diversity and their thoughts on its inclusion in the current curriculum. On the following day, students were asked to jot down as many important historical figures in which they could recall from their previous lessons. These would later be analyzed to assess the demographics of all historical persons submitted by students. My results suggested that most students believed they had encountered an adequate amount of diversity in their history curriculum. This perception was not accurately reflected in the students’ lists of historical persons they remembered studying throughout the year. The results from this study indicate that students are vastly unaware of the lack of diversity presented in their high school social studies curriculum.

]]> Joseph Teeple Poverty: It is Not Just an Economic Concern http://scholar.valpo.edu/sarp/30 http://scholar.valpo.edu/sarp/30 Tue, 21 May 2013 09:48:30 PDT The purpose of this research study is to examine and identify poverty’s role in a students’ academic career, and especially in the student’s reading ability and test scores. Researchers have studied and recorded data for decades on poverty’s role in education. Research has indicated that poverty is one of the negative influences on a student’s academic career. Typically, schools that reside in a low-income residential or urban area have lower test scores and academic abilities among their students. Should teachers be accounted and paid on whether or not their students’ can pass a test when poverty, an unmanageable issue, is extremely apparent? The results from this study indicates that the affect of a student’s ability to learn is affected by poverty, but implementations of numerous reading activities may increase test scores overtime.

]]> Jessica O'Brien Full Immersion's Effects on Students' Scores in a Secondary German Classroom http://scholar.valpo.edu/sarp/29 http://scholar.valpo.edu/sarp/29 Tue, 21 May 2013 09:48:28 PDT With this action research project I intend to improve the scores of my German II: Pre-IB students through the gradual introduction of full immersion instruction. Students’ project scores, quiz scores, and journal entries were evaluated and compared to previous scores and to the control group’s scores in order to determine if full immersion days, in which only the target language is spoken, ultimately helped my students to score higher on their graded work. I hoped to not only improve test scores, but also to improve the fluency and grammatical accuracy of my students.

]]> Emily Stillman A Multi-Component Intervention to Reduce Alcohol Consumption in College Freshmen http://scholar.valpo.edu/ebpr/24 http://scholar.valpo.edu/ebpr/24 Sat, 18 May 2013 11:52:34 PDT Alcohol consumption is a health concern on all college campuses in the United States. College students’ alcohol consumption is a highly prevalent behavior, with 44% reporting that they are consuming alcohol at the binge level or greater (Wechsler & Nelson, 2008). The purpose of this evidence-based practice (EBP) project was to answer the clinical question: In college freshmen, how does a multi-component intervention influence alcohol consumption over a four-month period? The Transtheoretical Model of Behavioral Change (TTM) and Diffusion of Innovations (DoI) were used to guide the project. Evidence demonstrates that implementing brief intervention, promoting substance-free events, and increasing campus alcohol policy awareness has achieved success in reducing alcohol consumption in college students. After gaining the support of key stakeholders at a private mid-western university, decisions were made to implement an EBP project to reduce alcohol consumption among full-time freshmen students. The multi-component intervention consisted of (a) attending an alcohol education orientation session, (b) receiving a normative feedback e-mail, (c) attending a residence hall “maintenance” session, and (d) receiving a “maintenance” e-mail regarding the promotion of alcohol-free events. Changes in outcomes were assessed through pre-project and post-project surveys. After data collection, paired t tests were performed to evaluate and determine the significance of the EBP project’s results. In conclusion, orientation and residence hall “maintenance” session positively influenced participants’ alcohol consumption. Additionally, self-identified drinkers had a significant increase in frequency of alcohol consumption and in levels of confidence and importance related to changing alcohol consumption. Future recommendations and implications are discussed.

]]> Kimberley L. Jelinek The Effects of a Violence Assessment Checklist on the Incidence of Violence for Emergency Department Nurses http://scholar.valpo.edu/ebpr/23 http://scholar.valpo.edu/ebpr/23 Fri, 17 May 2013 15:21:27 PDT Workplace violence (WV) is commonplace in American culture, and nurses working in emergency departments (ED) are not immune to its effects. Violence against emergency department nurses is prominent in current nursing literature, and a cause for major concern. Regrettably there is no consistent tool being used to assess for potential patient violence specific to the emergency department. Current assessment tools have been developed and are commonly used in the mental health arena. This evidence-based practice project concentrated on answering the clinical question of whether or not a violence risk assessment checklist reduced the incidence of violence and increased perception of safety of WV experienced by emergency department nurses. Erickson, Tomlin and Swain’s (1983) Modeling and Role-Modeling (MRM) Theory was employed as the theoretical framework to support implementation for this EBP project. Answers to the clinical question noted above were provided following the implementation of the Bröset Violence Checklist (BVC) by a convenience sample of nurses employed in a community hospital system in Indiana. Data were collected using pre and post intervention staff assessment surveys. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and by paired t-test, allowing for a comparison of the mean pre and post-education staff assessment scores. Results demonstrated a clinically significant improvement in five types of violence experienced by nurses: names called, kicked, pushed, threatened with physical harm and yelled at. There was no statistically significant increase in the perception of overall safety from WV after the implementation of the BVC (p >.05). However, there was a statistically significant decrease of overall violence experienced by nurses after the educational intervention (p<.05). The findings suggest that the use of the BVC resulted in a decreased incidence of violence towards emergency department nurses. Results from this evidence-based practice project indicate the BVC could be effective in other clinical areas to decrease the incidence of patient violence.

]]> Sarah Knapp The Effect of Heart Failure Education on Intermediate Care Unit Nursing Staff's Knowledge of Heart Failure, Self-Care, and Best Practice Guidelines http://scholar.valpo.edu/ebpr/22 http://scholar.valpo.edu/ebpr/22 Fri, 17 May 2013 14:19:23 PDT Heart failure (HF) is a chronic disease affecting nearly six million people in the United States with an annual cost of nearly 33 billion dollars. If nurses are inadequately prepared to care for and/or educate patients with HF, evidence-based (EB) nursing care will be suboptimal and hospital readmission rates with the subsequent increased costs for care will continue to soar. To address their higher-than-national average HF readmission rates, an EB nursing project was implemented at a local, urban community hospital to assess intermediate care unit (IMCU) nursing staff’s knowledge of HF, selfcare, and best practice guidelines. The Rossworm & Larrabee Model was chosen as the research utilization model for this project to guide health care providers from an assessment of the need for change to implementation and evaluation. Synthesized evidence supported the implementation of educational interventions to improve nurse knowledge of HF self-care. Four 1-1 ½ hour in-services were given to the IMCU nurses on specifics of HF management. Before the first in-service, nurses completed a 20-question survey by Albert et al. (2002) to ascertain their knowledge of HF self-care. After the fourth in-service, the nurses completed the same survey to assess for any changes in their knowledge levels. At the completion of the project, a paired-samples t test was calculated that demonstrated significant improvement in nurse knowledge scores (p < .001). The results of this EB project demonstrated that disease-specific education has a positive effect on nurse knowledge. Further study can be done in the future to determine if improvement in nurses’ knowledge has any effect on HF patient hospital readmission rates, length of stay, and overall cost.

]]> Carol Budgin KWL and Homer's Illiad. http://scholar.valpo.edu/sarp/28 http://scholar.valpo.edu/sarp/28 Fri, 17 May 2013 12:56:16 PDT As a student teacher I was disappointed at initial confusion by my World Literature students when we began reading Homer’s Iliad. I wanted to probe my students about the fascinating questions the story raises about the Greek culture, the qualities of a hero, and fate and free will. However, it was impossible to discuss themes when my students constantly needed to be reminded who the characters were or what was happening in the story. In this study, I assigned KWL (Know, Want to know, Learned) charts to students to complete while reading Book 22 of the Iliad. Students who completed KWL charts demonstrated better recall of character names and plot points in the story as evident in their scores on a summative assessment of the story. Students who completed KWL charts also asked more complex questions and engaged in higher-level discussion about the story than did students who did not complete KWL charts. The study suggests that using reading strategies such as KWL charts are effective in overcoming comprehension obstacles for average to low- ability students when reading complex literature.

]]> Kristen Menke The Effect of Nurse-Modulated, Computer-Based Education on Nursing Staff Knowledge of Delirium http://scholar.valpo.edu/ebpr/21 http://scholar.valpo.edu/ebpr/21 Fri, 17 May 2013 12:41:43 PDT
Delirium, a state of acute brain dysfunction, may be caused by many factors. Prevention is the most effective strategy for reducing the frequency of delirium. The absence of delirium recognition may lead to improper or ineffective nursing management of the patient experiencing delirium, potentially increasing the risk of poor health outcomes.
The purpose of this evidence-based practice project was to determine if designing, implementing, and evaluating an education program on delirium for geriatric-care nurses in acute care setting would affect nurses’ knowledge of delirium. The Iowa model of evidence-based practice to promote quality care was used as a framework to guide the project at a 253-bed, nonprofit facility in Northwest Indiana. The theoretical framework chosen for this EBP project is Roger’s diffusion of innovations (DOI). After an extensive review of the literature, a 20-item questionnaire and a delirium-knowledge educational PowerPoint® were developed to measure outcomes. Research demonstrates that education increases knowledge in the nursing staff, which may have positive benefits for nurses, organizations, and patients. The educational module was developed by the author for approximately 38 nurses working in the intensive care unit (ICU) unit. To determine project effectiveness, a pre- and posttest comparison design was utilized. Pretest data were collected prior to the educational intervention followed by posttest-data collection. Outcomes were evaluated using the SPSS 20.0 statistical package. Paired-sample t tests were conducted to analyze pretest and posttest scores. The educational intervention significantly increased participants’ knowledge and confidence immediately after the intervention (p<. 000).

]]> Juliana M. Mwose Cooperative Learning in the Mathematics Classroom: Work Together, Learn Together http://scholar.valpo.edu/sarp/27 http://scholar.valpo.edu/sarp/27 Fri, 17 May 2013 12:23:55 PDT In this action research project of Academy students in Algebra 1 Track 3, I incorporated group work after some lessons and not after others which compared whether the use of group work post the lectures has an effect on their understanding. Through the research, I analyzed the effects of this increased student discourse in regards to the cooperative learning in the classroom. After the research, from clear analysis, it was evident that cooperative learning is effective in the classroom and raises the grades of students. The grades on tests and quizzes are much higher when the students work together in comparison to individual work. Therefore, through this project, I demonstrated the positive effect of group work on the students’ grades, which I previously questioned. Throughout my student teaching, I noticed that students work together at the end of class very often. Hence, I wanted to see if the time that they were using to work was beneficial. Thus, I decided to incorporate structured group work into my lessons, and take some action in researching it’s effectiveness in the classroom. In this action research project, the benefits of cooperative learning are discussed, analyzed, and illustrated along with the potential disadvantages.

]]> Katerina Koutouvas The Image of Vocabulary http://scholar.valpo.edu/sarp/26 http://scholar.valpo.edu/sarp/26 Fri, 17 May 2013 12:23:53 PDT This research project was conducted among 96 sophomore students whom attended a suburban high school (made up of roughly 2,000 students). It is important to understand how students' best learn vocabulary because it allows teachers to discuss new words most effectively. Purpose of this project is to maximize the potential for high school students to learn new vocabulary. The data that I collected showed that teaching students new vocabulary words with pictures made a substantial difference in the way they were able to recall the words' definitions. The success rate of each word increases dramatically when context clues are added and increased further with the inclusion of pictures.

]]> Courtney Lesperance Houston, We Have a Problem: Effects of Technical Frustration on Student Learning in Physics Laboratories http://scholar.valpo.edu/sarp/25 http://scholar.valpo.edu/sarp/25 Fri, 17 May 2013 12:14:59 PDT This study investigates the effect of laboratory work’s typical technical difficulties on student learning in the physical science classroom. Certainly the educational strategies of text and lecture are sorely lacking. But do laboratories in physical science frustrate students more than they teach them? To investigate this question, the study involved differentiating instruction for three classes of freshmen, sophomore, junior, and senior students enrolled in an introductory physical science course at a local high school. Two classes participated in a physical DC circuits laboratory, while a third class instead participated in a simulation counterpart - that is, an electronic experimental setup that by design cannot have technical difficulties like poor wire connections or faulty bulbs. Results show that the simulation laboratory had a more significant impact on students’ post test responses, though not always for the better. These results are enlightened by observations of student interaction with each laboratory activity.

]]> Kayla Kutz Total Physical Response in the Foreign Language Classroom http://scholar.valpo.edu/sarp/24 http://scholar.valpo.edu/sarp/24 Fri, 17 May 2013 11:47:05 PDT The following research addresses a critical question in the field of foreign language education; specifically, the research was conducted at a high school in the Spanish 2 classroom. First, the question was decided upon after careful observation of 95 Spanish students in Spanish 2. Many students struggle with communicating with one another; communication is a key component in learning a foreign language. The students struggled because they did not know vocabulary words to communicate. Therefore, this research studies the effect of Total Physical Response in the foreign language classroom. TPR is a method which requires students to physically respond to words. TPR also assumes that by producing words, students then understand the words. the research question is as follows: Will total physical response increase vocabulary retention in second tear Spanish students?

To collect this data, there were three different methods used: observation, student interviews, and data collection. The data collection shows the average scores between two different classes. One, the control class, learned the vocabulary as normal. There was no difference in the methodology and no use of TPR. The data shows that the class who used TPR scored an average of 2.64 points higher. Additionally, initial observation showed that students were more engaged when using TPR.

]]> Amy Buckman Intonation Awareness http://scholar.valpo.edu/sarp/23 http://scholar.valpo.edu/sarp/23 Fri, 17 May 2013 11:47:02 PDT Young instrumentalists are taught to press buttons or keys to make pitches sound from their instruments, but that doesn't always ensure that they are in the center of the pitch. It also doesn't ensure that they are in tune with those around them. It is important to improve awareness that pitch is not only physical, but conceptual as well. It is important that instrumentalists know how to center pitch and make adjustments while playing their individual instruments, to compensate for tendencies of said instrument. There are many ways to practice this. I met with four flutists three times to try to help them with this process. They sang, used tuners, and created a journal. All of this helped increase awareness of playing in tune. In the end, they found out what adjustments they needed to make individually to get the pitch closer to the center.

]]> Sara DeRossi