Graduate Research Papers

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Open Access Graduate Research Paper

Abstract

One thing I have noticed from my fellow teachers is a desire to improve how we teach and to engage our students in active learning. As a new teacher I have that same desire. Accomplishing my goal of being an effective teacher while also improving how the material is presented requires an approach that includes evaluating not only how the students are performing, but also how they are responding to my instruction.

I used self reflection journals to keep track of how I was presenting material in my classroom. I also collected information from completion of ungraded assignments and investigations. Lastly, I collected data from formative assessments that were not included in final semester grades. I looked at the results of the work completion, investigations, and assessment scores, and connected it to how the lesson had been taught. The unit included in my research focused on forces in an interaction and was broken into three subunits.

The data collected from my research supports a shift from lecture and reading based instruction and movement toward a more active style of learning. The data that was collected shows support for students conducting investigations that require them to collect and analyze their own data and use that information to support what they have read or learned. The more active style of learning results in a more engaged classroom and has the potential to lead to improved assessment scores and deeper mastery of science concepts.

Year of Submission

2025

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Education

Department

Science Education Program

First Advisor

Lawrence Escalada

Date Original

2025

Object Description

1 PDF file (115 pages)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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