Mountain Scholar :: Browsing by Author "Frederiksen, Heidi, committee member"

Browsing by Author "Frederiksen, Heidi, committee member"

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Open Access
A study of the outcomes of an international baccalaureate diploma program education
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Hixon, Cori, author; Cooner, Donna, advisor; Frederiksen, Heidi, committee member; Coke, Pam, committee member; Gloeckner, Gene, committee member
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Program is noted by universities and researchers as one of high academic rigor and standards (Culross & Tarver, 2011; Taylor & Porath, 2006); however, students enrolled in IBDPs often cite high levels of perceived stress and lack of social interaction as a result of the rigor (Shaunessy & Suldo, 2010). Anecdotally, parents and educators question the value of an IB education if it puts the mental and social well-being of the child at risk, and yet, there is research supporting the claim that participation in an IBDP prepares students with the knowledge and academic and non-academic skills required to be successful in post-secondary pursuits including university or work force readiness (Bergeron, 2015; Conley, 2008, 2010). Thus, this study addresses the problem between the benefits and risks of an IB education by examining alumni perceptions of the role of the DP in preparing them for post-secondary pursuits. Surveying 20 alumni from the graduating classes of 2006-2014 at Poudre High School in Fort Collins, CO, provided data to examine the outcomes of participation in the IBDP and to measure the quality and effectiveness of the PHS program. The results of this study will provide information for the existing IBDP at PHS to refine, revise, and develop the program with the goal of increasing student enrollment by providing information on the outcomes of an IB education to incoming students and families. A phenomenological approach was taken with this qualitative study because it explored the reflections and lived experiences of participants. Participants' lived experiences in the PHS IBDP and their perceptions of how those experiences impacted their post-secondary pursuits helped to explain what the experience of IBDP was like. The descriptions of alumni experiences and the ways in which those experiences informed other aspects of their life, shed light on the essence of the program itself and the outcomes of participation in that program. Analysis of the data revealed a) participants felt well prepared for post-secondary pursuits, b) influence of the core components was significant but not direct, c) participants felt that overall the program was of value with long term benefits, and d) high levels of stress discussed in the literature were not a major concern for participants in this study. This study was limited by the fact that it was one site in a middle class school district with a consistently high diploma pass rate. Additionally, the DP is housed within the larger comprehensive high school creating a cohort of like-minded learners.
Open Access
Acting as one: voices in the renewal of clinical partnerships in educator preparation and research
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Decker, Derek J., author; Cooner, Donna, advisor; Frederiksen, Heidi, committee member; Makela, Carole, committee member; O'Donnell-Allen, Cindy, committee member
The accrediting body, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), has set forth a set of new standards in 2013 that demand excellence and produce educators who raise PK-12 student achievement. Standard 2: Clinical Partnerships and Practice requires that educator preparation programs (EPP) seeking accreditation should have strong collaborative partnerships with school districts and their individual schools. These collaborative partnerships are a shared endeavor meant to focus dually on the improvement of student learning and development and on the preparation of teachers. The partners shall work together to determine the division of responsibilities among the various partnership stakeholders and the values and expectations of program development, implementation, assessment, and continuous improvement. The purpose of this multi-manuscript co-written dissertation included two separate studies utilizing focus group methodology to highlight how key stakeholders in EPPs describe the benefits and barriers of CAEP Standard 2: Clinical Partnerships and Practice within the context of those stakeholders' institutions. A priori codes were used in both qualitative studies to see how stakeholders' descriptions aligned with Standard 2 guiding principles. Inductive codes were identified, which focused on barriers described in clinical partnerships. Results were presented in two different manuscripts from the two studies and indicate strong correlation between stakeholders descriptions with both a priori and inductive codes. Based on the findings, suggestions for further research will be presented.
Open Access
Adventure-based education: a quantitative evaluation of the impact of program participation in high school on youth development
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Palmer, Sally Owens, author; Anderson, Sharon, advisor; Gloeckner, Gene, committee member; MacPhee, David, committee member; Frederiksen, Heidi, committee member
Adventure-based physical-education (ABPE) classes have become a more prevalent class offering in many middle and high schools throughout the United States. Several studies have researched the outcomes and benefits of adventure-based programs (e.g., Cason & Gillis, 1994; Gillis & Speelman, 2008; Hans, 2000; Hattie, Marsh, Neill, & Richards, 1997), and links have been made between youth-development constructs and adventure programming (e.g., Henderson, Powell, & Scanlin, 2005; Sibthorp & Morgan, 2011). To date, limited research has focused on the progression of positive-youth development (PYD) constructs in high-school students participating in a semester-long ABPE course. This research study examined the progression of PYD of students throughout the course of a semester who were enrolled in an ABPE class compared to that progress for those who were not enrolled in any adventure classes at all. Results suggested that there were no significant differences in PYD throughout the semester for students who were enrolled in adventure classes compared to the PYD of those students who were not in any adventure classes at all. There were, however, significant differences in connection for students who were in the Adventure Leader class compared to connection for those who were not in any adventure classes at all. The findings of this research study highlight the need for more studies that examine different types of adventure classes or activities, as opposed to adventure classes or activities as a whole.
Open Access
Altruism and volunteering among high school students: a mixed methods study
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Chaplain, Julie, author; Gloeckner, Gene, advisor; Frederiksen, Heidi, committee member; Coke, Pamela, committee member; Koehn, Karen, committee member
Twenty- first century skills require that students leave high school prepared for leadership by exhibiting selflessness and acting with larger community interests at heart. The role of altruism and volunteering among high school students who volunteered for a local Special Olympics event is examined with a mixed methods approach. An exploratory factor analysis of the Rushton Self-Rater Altruism scale (SRAS) was is conducted to evaluate the existence of underlying factors present in the altruism scale. All questions of the SRAS loaded onto three factors, which were are also verified by a scree plot analysis. Further analysis was is conducted to determine if sex differences, grade level differences, and grade point average correlations among the total SRAS score and summated factor scores are were significant. Sex differences were are statistically significant for females in total altruism, low risk, and high-risk summated factor scores. There were are no statistically significant differences between grade levels total altruism, or summated factor scores. Grade point averages (GPAs) were are also not found to correlate with altruism scores, indicating that students with higher GPAs are not more altruistic than their peers with lower GPAs . Qualitative coding and thematic analysis of written responses related to student motivations and benefits from volunteering are is conducted. Eleven motivational codes and eight benefit codes are developed. These codes were are then analyzed with quantitative analysis methods to determine if there were are statistically significant sex and grade level differences in the reported motivations and benefits of the volunteer experiences. Sex differences were are statistically significant for females on the motivation code of volunteering for a social/friend connection, and were are statistically significant for males on the motivation code of volunteering to fulfill a senior service/community service requirement. Grade level differences were are statistically significant for sophomore students on the motivation code of volunteering for career exploration, and for senior students on the motivation code of completing a senior service/community service project. While there are/were no sex differences amongst volunteers in relation to the benefits from volunteering, there were are statistically significant differences for sophomores on the benefit codes of gaining skills/experience and a community connection. Junior students have statistically significant differences for the benefit code of a social/friend connection.
Open Access
An inquiry into the influence of stress on new school leaders
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2022) Rommel, Jodie, author; Cooner-Gines, Donna, advisor; Fothergill, Wendy, committee member; Frederiksen, Heidi, committee member; Enns, Kellie, committee member
This study aimed to understand the sources of stress new school leaders identify and how that stress influences them and what coping strategies or stress management techniques school leaders employ to stay healthy within this profession. Semi-structured focus groups were utilized to elicit thick, rich descriptions of participants' experiences. Extensive data sets were collected over several years from 17 focus group interviews. Narrative analysis of participants' responses provided findings on the stress they experienced, including lack of preparation for the role, pressure to perform, isolation, unattainable work-life balance, time constraints, and compassion fatigue. They also indicated that chronic workplace stress was impacting their health and wellbeing. As the participants developed as leaders, they were able to minimize many of the stressors they still encountered by enlisting a wide variety of stress management techniques, including cognitive appraisal, self-reflection, prioritizing goals, setting healthy boundaries, establishing strong support systems, and reconnecting with their purpose.
Open Access
Avoiding a looming crisis: novice leader preparation and retention
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2021) Seegmiller, Daniel P., author; Cooner, Donna, advisor; Fothergill, Wendy, committee member; Frederiksen, Heidi, committee member; O'Donnell-Allen, Cindy, committee member
The purpose of this case study was to identify key components, along a continuum of preparation, that school districts and university partners could provide to enhance the support and retention of novice educational leaders in the first three years in their roles. Additionally, the case study identified components missing from an educational administrator licensure program that could be included or addressed to provide a more comprehensive preparation. The research was set within a constructivist, and specifically phenomenological, paradigm. This paradigm provided the understanding that each participant in the study has a different experience and view of the preparation they received through their principal licensure program and how that preparation did, or did not, prepare them for the realities of their first three years in their roles as educational leaders. This case study was explored through focus groups that allowed both the participants and the facilitator to better understand the experiences of each individual involved and co-create an understanding of how future educational leaders can be better prepared and supported as new leaders. Novice leader preparation and retention is an issue requiring a greater level of awareness so that action may be taken to mitigate its unfortunate effects on student outcomes and achievement, staff stability and effectiveness, equity and inclusion, increasingly limited candidate pool, and the career longevity of those seeking to lead our schools in a time of intensifying pressure and complexity.
Open Access
Clinical partnerships in action: renewal and innovation in educator preparation and research
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Roth, Jennifer Jamison, author; Cooner, Donna, advisor; Frederiksen, Heidi, committee member; Makela, Carole, committee member; O'Donnell-Allen, Cindy, committee member
With the advent of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) as the sole national accrediting organization for educator preparation programs (EPP) and the subsequent release of the five CAEP standards, an EPP desiring collegiate program accreditation must demonstrate the existence of a clinical partnership that serves the dual purpose of preparing quality teacher candidates and positively impacting the education of PK-12 students. To date, little has been written on the impact of these standards on clinical practice in educator preparation or on how EPPs are operationalizing the CAEP standards. This multi-manuscript, co-written dissertation studied the critical role of partnerships as defined by CAEP in the renewal and innovation of educator preparation and educational research. In two separate qualitative studies, the researchers used focus group methodology to collect clinical partnership stakeholders' descriptions of their understanding of rich clinical practice and the benefits of clinical partnerships as defined by CAEP Standard 2. These descriptions provided the data that were analyzed through a deductive and inductive coding process. It was found that stakeholders described clinical experiences as crucial to teacher candidates' development of knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions, and identified clinical experiences as the space where theory and practice intersect. Findings also showed that stakeholders identified collaboration, mutually beneficial, sustaining and generative, shared accountability, and positive impact as the key components in a clinical partnership. Additionally, the role of partnerships in collaborative research and co-writing was examined and the researchers provided a rationale for the option of a co-authored dissertation.
Open Access
Colorado's preschool to postsecondary education alignment act: a qualitative approach exploring the policymaking process
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2019) Koers, Greg, author; Cooner, Donna, advisor; Coke, Pamela, committee member; Frederiksen, Heidi, committee member; Gloeckner, Gene, committee member
Within the last 30 years, state initiated education policy reform sharply rose throughout the United States. Among the myriad of reforms, establishing increased collaboration between traditionally separated P12 and higher education systems assumed a prominent stage. In 2009, Colorado established its own version of alignment through Senate Bill 08-212, the Preschool to Postsecondary Education Alignment Act of 2008, commonly referenced as the ColoradoAchievement Plan for Kids (CAP4K). The passage of the bill was swift and demonstrated remarkably high bipartisanship. While policy analysis often analyzes areas of high conflict, there is also a need to understand how policy developed successfully in a collaborative environment. Facilitating this opportunity, the researcher used a qualitative methodology emphasizing three components. First, guided by narrative inquiry, the researcher conducted thematic analysis of interviews from Governor, Bill Ritter, his chief policy advisor, Matt Gianneschi, and an anonymous individual involved with the Colorado Department of Education. Second, using the Advocacy Coalition Framework's (ACF) theory on belief's and advocacycoalitions, the researcher applied the predesignated construct of secondary beliefs to the thematic analysis of education committee hearings. The final component addressed themes identified from the Colorado Department of Education (2009) regarding teachers' concerns on the implementation phase of CAP4K. The findings suggest one dominant advocacy coalition grew within Colorado's education policy subsystem. Additionally, evidence of secondary beliefs did not weaken coalition alignment. Finally, teachers' voices iterated the importance to be included in the decision-making process of implementation.
Open Access
Dispositions of teacher leaders in high impact roles
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2019) Lopez, Tonia, author; Sebald, Ann, advisor; Glockner, Gene, committee member; Frederiksen, Heidi, committee member; Pendergast, Seth, committee member
This study aims to illustrate the dispositions of Teacher Leaders in High Impact Roles. This dissertation is motivated by overarching research questions: What themes emerge from analyzing Grant's Zones and Roles (2008) with Katzenmeyer's dispositions (2009) amongst and between teacher leaders in one school district? A convergent parallel mixed methods study design was used to determine the dispositions of high impact teacher leaders. Qualitative survey questions were coded for the Zones and Roles that teacher leaders were acting in as well as the themes around the dispositions were explored. Quantitative survey questions were examined\ using both descriptive statistics as well as a correlation coefficient to identify if there were any relationships between the Zones and Roles that teacher leaders were in and the dispositions. The study found that teacher leaders demonstrated the dispositions of communication, self-assessment, and instructional knowledge. The research underlined a need to identify how to support teacher leaders who are working closer to classrooms.
Open Access
Funds of knowledge: a constructivist study to examine the assets of culturally and linguistically diverse families
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Huerta-Kelley, Norma, author; Jennings, Louise, advisor; Coke, Pam, committee member; Frederiksen, Heidi, committee member; Gloeckner, Gene, committee member
This dissertation crosses the barriers of language and culture in education, by examining the funds of knowledge of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) families from research framed by an Appreciative Inquiry lens. Northern Colorado is predominately white, but home to a small diverse and vibrant Latino community whose stories of strength are invaluable to educators all across the United States. I conducted one pilot focus group, three bilingual focus groups and four face-to-face, bilingual, follow-up interviews with Latino parents/guardians of school-aged children. I examined themes constructed through participants' funds of knowledge as described to me through their personal stories or "dichos". All participants identified as CLD, and their participation was determined by using the following criteria: ethnicity, gender, migrant status, and home language. This research proposes a constructivist model of study that incorporates findings through the identification of several themes that answer the research question, "What are the "funds of knowledge" of culturally and linguistically diverse families?" The findings examine participants' perceptions regarding: parent biographies and experiences and how they influence support for their children's education; strengths and assets of CLD families; what they want their children's teachers to know about working with CLD families; and aspirations for their children. These themes relate to prior research and informs culturally responsive instructional strategies that can be used by administrators and teachers so they can better understand CLD students and create more inclusive environments. These practices can bring CLD students, many of whom continue to struggle to achieve at high levels, closer to the academic arena of postsecondary readiness.
Open Access
Interpretative phenomenological analysis: exploring the formative experiences of community college students enrolled in remedial courses
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Lannan, Kathleen, author; Anderson, Sharon K., advisor; Cumming, John, committee member; Frederiksen, Heidi, committee member; Hall, Bruce, committee member
Remedial Education has been a polarizing topic in education for many years, as there is often debate about who is responsible for the large number of students that require remedial services as well as the best manner in which to support these students. Despite the continuing interest in the topic, few studies have focused specifically on the students and their experiences in these programs. In order to gain a better understanding of these experiences, a qualitative phenomenological study, using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, was conducted in order to answer the following research question and three sub-questions: What are the lived experiences of students enrolled in remedial education at community college? 1) How do students who are enrolled in remedial education at the community college describe their educational journey? 2) How were students prepared for post-secondary education prior to enrollment in remedial education? 3) How do students see themselves as succeeding in post-secondary education? Four participants took part in the study by partaking in semi-structured interviews to explore their lived experiences in remedial education at the community college. An in depth analysis of the data, utilizing IPA, revealed issues of marginalization through labeling, manipulation of the education system, and a desire to belong. The results of the study suggest that remedial education students often deal with issues that are far more complex than skill acquisition alone, and supports literature that highlights the importance of accountability measures for K-12 education, as well as the value of non-cognitive skills, and how labels can affect students. This study offers a unique student perspective into remedial education, presents the opportunity for future research that continues to explore remedial experiences, and supports research that includes student perspectives and validates student experiences.
Open Access
Leadership in crisis: the lived experiences of seven school leaders during COVID-19
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Asqueri, Emily, author; Cooner, Donna, advisor; Frederiksen, Heidi, committee member; Barnes, Wendy, committee member; O'Donnell-Allen, Cindy, committee member
This study, grounded in a constructivist view of phenomenology, explores the lived experiences of school leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research identifies several implications for practice, including the need to re-evaluate teacher and administrator licensure programs, with a focus on providing opportunities for educators to gain practical experience in navigating crises. Additionally, professional development courses should be tailored to address educators' specific deficits and strengths, fostering better leadership. Addressing inequities in education, particularly regarding food security and the digital divide, remains critical. Furthermore, the study highlights the importance of allocating resources to mental health and self-care initiatives, not only for school leaders but also for staff, students, and the community, while actively working to destigmatize mental health. Finally, this research underscores the need to refocus on the primary purpose of education, which is to meet the needs of students, rather than becoming mired in divisive debates. Recommendations for future research include conducting interviews with a more diverse group of school leaders to capture a broader range of experiences. Additionally, long-term studies may be necessary to understand the lasting effects of leadership decisions during the pandemic. In conclusion, this research calls for collective action to address systemic inequities in education. It acknowledges the complexity of these challenges and urges stakeholders to support educators and students. In the interim, school leaders, licensure programs, and professional development courses must prioritize the development of leaders who can effectively navigate uncertainty and crises, thereby benefiting the entire educational community.
Open Access
Leading with resident voices: facilitating resident participation toward inclusive, socially sustainable community
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2021) Silva, Carron Roxanne, author; Gines, Donna Cooner, advisor; Fothergill, Wendy, advisor; Enns, Kellie, committee member; Frederiksen, Heidi, committee member
The word "sustainable" has become a buzzword in environmental, social, and economic development. However, as it relates to "community", it refers more closely to the way citizens organize themselves and create social connections. Furthermore, social sustainability is more closely linked to agency, self-efficacy, social capital, and engagement, with a view to enacting inclusive and equitable social change. The focus of this study was to examine how participants residing in an affordable housing complex define inclusive community, what challenges to creating an inclusive community they experience in their daily life, and what best practices they believe exist in the community to work toward creating an inclusive, socially sustainable community.
Open Access
"No class I took in senior year matters compared to what I'm taking now": the reading and writing transition from high school to college
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Hatley, Kelsey, author; Coke, Pamela, advisor; Doe, Sue, committee member; Frederiksen, Heidi, committee member
The transition from high school to college signals a significant change in what students are expected to know and be able to do in an educational context, especially with reading and writing. Many researchers, teachers, and professors have sought to illuminate the complexities of the transition. This thesis sought to bring in students’ voices to this conversation as they are the ones most affected by educational practices and policies. The research questions investigated in this study included: From the perspective of first year college students enrolled in a composition course, how do they describe: 1) their experiences with reading and writing in high school? 2) their perceptions of what they’ll need to know and be able to do in college and their degree of preparation for college-level reading and writing? 3) what teachers could do to help make this transition smoother for students? The research revealed that not only are teachers and professors feeling the tension, but the students are as well. The types of reading and writing done in high school do not necessarily align with the types of reading and writing that students are expected to know and do in college. This disconnect makes it more difficult for students to navigate the transition between the two. The participant in this study offered insightful thoughts about the complexities involved in the shift as well as some ideas for addressing the misalignment between high school and college expectations and requirements for reading and writing.
Open Access
Relationships among speed of processing, aptitude, and working memory in elementary students
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) McEachern, Alissa Kendall, author; Gloeckner, Gene, advisor; Coke, Pam, committee member; Frederiksen, Heidi, committee member; Kohen, Karen, committee member
This research explores the relationships between speed of processing, verbal and quantitative aptitude, and working memory for elementary age students. Students with impaired processing speed often struggle in elementary school and can be incorrectly identified as lazy or unintelligent. This can have lasting consequences on their self-esteem and future academic success. The findings of this research suggest that the combination of processing speed, working memory and academic achievement in reading does not adequately predict verbal intelligence. However, the model indicates that there is a relationship between the variables of processing speed, working memory, and mathematic achievement to predict quantitative intelligence. Additionally, there was no statistically significant correlation of processing speed and verbal aptitude for this sample. Likewise, there was no statistically significant correlation of speed of processing and quantitative aptitude. The research shows a statistically significant difference between processing speed and academic achievement in reading and in mathematics; reading and speed of processing, as well as mathematics and speed of processing. Ultimately, this research suggests that students with impaired processing speed do not demonstrate impaired aptitude in reading or mathematics. However, this research also suggests they may struggle with academic achievement in both reading and mathematics. This gap between aptitude and achievement is an important characteristic to remediate so that students with lower processing speeds can be successful in school.
Open Access
Teacher-student rapport in the secondary instrumental music ensemble: educational psychology and teacher disposition standards
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2018) Adams, Sebastian Phillip, author; Johnson, Erik, advisor; Phillips, Rebecca, advisor; Frederiksen, Heidi, committee member; Shupe, Abigail, committee member
Critical topics of teaching music continue to undergo philosophical evolution as unique concepts and perspectives are introduced by a variety of experts both in and out of the field. One concern among many is the role of the secondary music educator in the ideal classroom for student learning, part of which is impacted by teacher-student rapport. Teacher-student rapport is defined in this paper by the author as an adaptation of the general definition of rapport by Carey et al. (1986a): the quality of relationship between teacher and student that is characterized by communication and mutual, emotional understanding. The following questions were explored through content analysis of an education practitioner journal as well as literary analysis: how are teacher-student rapport-building strategies informed by the behaviorist, cognitivist, constructivist, and humanist schools of psychology; how can the information garnered from a literary analysis guide the transformation of teacher disposition policy; what are best practice techniques for teachers to build rapport in the secondary instrumental ensemble as implied by the data? It is with the data and discussion of this study that the author hopes to support teachers' positive rapport-building efforts with students in the secondary instrumental classroom through the avenues of immediate classroom application, and policy transformation. Data reveals that articles in the Journal of Educational Psychology examining positive rapport-building elements most comprehensively cite principles of the constructivist school, and the top three cited psychologists are Albert Bandura, Abraham Maslow, and Jean Piaget. Recommendations for teacher disposition policy transformation are suggested to help preservice teachers cultivate positive rapport-building practice, and they include standards for promoting socio-cultural investment, positive expression, student discourse recognition, reflective practice, empathy, and effective communication. Examples of potential applications in the secondary instrumental music classroom include, but are not limited to, engaging in students' referential (Reimer, 2010) connections to rehearsed repertoire and permitting exploration of expressive interpretation of said connections; consistently raising standards of musicianship and community in response to achievement through promotion of reflective processes and demonstrations of exemplary performance; recognizing and utilizing students' abilities to think critically and abstractly about the expression and artistic merit of class repertoire. Other implications of best practice are refined from Bandura's (1986) self-efficacy, Maslow's (1943 & 1971) hierarchy of needs, and Piaget's (1952) schema and genetic epistemology theories. Finally, potential operations in chamber music are presented in relation to constructivist principles.
Open Access
The development of creativity in adolescents: a qualitative study of how and where creativity develops
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Morrell, Michelle A., author; Coke, Pamela, advisor; O'Donnell-Allen, Cindy, committee member; Frederiksen, Heidi, committee member
To best prepare current K-12 students for what will likely be an unfamiliar and changing future, teachers and educational professionals today consider "21st century skills" among the tools students will need, and chief among those skills is creativity. An understanding of how and where creativity happens, from the perspective of children and adolescents, could provide valuable information to educators who seek to prepare students for the work-force of tomorrow. This study seeks to answer the following questions through gaining the perspectives of a female and a male at the eighth grade level and their English language arts teacher: 1. What is creativity? 2. How does creativity happen? 3. Where does creativity happen? From the perspective of the student study participants whom I interviewed, creativity is an individualistic expression of one’s thoughts generated in an individual’s mind and then expressed in a visual or concrete media. Creativity is a process and a result of years of involvement, is aided by internal or external motivators as well as the presence of examples and feels good when it happens. Creativity does not happen if strict rules or constraints are imposed. For theses interviewees, creativity can happen almost anywhere, and is aided by quite, alone time when the creator has time to process his/her thoughts. Allowing students the time, space, and resources they each require to encourage their creativity process will not only enable creativity to happen but will make the process more accessible and familiar, developing creative response as a habit, not an exception.
Open Access
The relationship between math anxiety and student achievement of middle school students
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Siebers, William Matthew, author; Cooner Gines, Donna, advisor; Frederiksen, Heidi, committee member; Gloeckner, Gene W., committee member; O'Donnell-Allen, Cindy, committee member
A 12-item Math Questionnaire (MQ) was developed and distributed to 381 middle school students in a northern Colorado middle school during the 2013-2014 school year. Data from the Transitional Colorado Assessment Program (TCAP) during the 2012-2013 school year were used to compare mathematics achievement to mathematic anxiety. Middle school grades consist of sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students who range in ages of 11 to 14 years old. Results from the quantitative study showed there were statistically significant differences between mathematics anxiety and achievement on TCAP. Students who have high mathematics anxiety tend to have low mathematics achievement. Other results showed that sixth grade students had less mathematics anxiety than seventh grade students. Sixth grade students had less mathematics anxiety compared to eighth grade students. Seventh grade students had a higher level of mathematics anxiety compared to eighth grade students. Lastly, results showed sixth grade students had the highest mathematics achievement across the middle school grades. Eighth grade students showed the lowest mathematics achievement compared to sixth and seventh grade. Overcoming mathematics anxiety is a recipe for success in helping students achieve and grow in mathematics. By understanding, recognizing, controlling, and coping with our mathematical anxiety, students can go further in mathematics than ever before (Boaler, 2008; Tobias, 1993). A number of recommendations for further research and implications for action are provided in chapter five of this study.
Open Access
The role of transformational leadership in empowering public educators
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Schiavone, Alessandra, author; Cooner, Donna, advisor; Barnes, Wendy, committee member; Frederiksen, Heidi, committee member; O'Donnell-Allen, Cindy, committee member
This study aimed to identify the leadership actions and behaviors that school administrators, who have recently transitioned from a teaching position, associated with empowerment. Semi-structured interviews were utilized to elicit the participants' experiences of empowerment and disempowerment and how they try to create cultures of empowerment at their schools. The participants described their experiences of empowerment as they become leaders. They shared the transformational leadership behaviors they witnessed in others and fostered in themselves as they created cultures of empowerment in their own schools. This study found three factors facilitating transitions to formal leadership: being empowered through informal leadership roles, having access to pathways to become a leader, and being pushed outside one's comfort zone. The participants described the qualities effective leaders possess and the qualities of psychological empowerment one must have to take the necessary risks to become a school leader. Participants shared how, to build cultures of empowerment, they lead by example, have a vision and clarity, build trust, recognize the strengths of others, coach their staff, and share power in their schools.
Open Access
Walking in another's skin: the cultivation of empathy and intercultural understanding in the International Baccalaureate Program
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Mainhart, Kaitlyn, author; Coke, Pamela, advisor; Langstraat, Lisa, committee member; Frederiksen, Heidi, committee member
In 1968, the International Baccalaureate Program (IB) was launched and within 10 years the program exploded in popularity all over the world. Now that popularity has spread to 159 countries with nearly half of IB accredited world school located in the United States. Due to the majority of these schools being located in the west, arguments have begun to arise about the program veering away from its original intention of providing international education to produce intercultural understanding and global citizens, to prioritize western ideals and values. Despite the clear statement of purpose to foster intercultural understanding and global citizens in the Mission Statement and the Learner Profile a gap between the IB mission and classroom execution has begun to appear. This thesis explores how this increasing gap between the IB Mission Statement and classroom execution can begin to be closed through the exploration of the use of literature from different cultures to develop empathy and increase intercultural understanding in the classroom. To demonstrate how to foster an empathetic reading through literature I analyze sections from Harper Lee’s 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird and Sherman Alexie’s 2007 novel Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. I illustrate through this literary analysis, after identifying the foundational mission of the IB through an examination of the Mission Statement and the three terms – inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring – that appear both in the Mission Statement and the Learner Profile, how reading literature to cultivate empathy can increase intercultural understanding and international education.