ISLE Theses and Dissertations
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Item Improving student behavior and academic achievement through social and emotional learning practices(Wichita State University, 2024-07) Hays, Kristen D.; Herron, Jason P.This research addresses the importance of improving behavior, both in and out of the classroom, and academic achievement in children. This research provides the means for elementary school children to become self-aware of their emotional state leading to improved self-regulation, and better academic and behavioral achievement. The participants of the study included students in second and fifth grade, their teachers, and parents. The students attended various districts and schools in Kansas and Oklahoma. The students were taught, and provided with, tools and strategies to help with managing self-control. Using these tools, students were able to recognize when they were becoming dysregulated and were more capable of regulating impulses, emotions, and disruptive behaviors. An improvement in student behavior was evident from the parent and teacher’s perspectives. The results also indicate an improvement in emotional and behavioral response from the student’s personal perspective. In addition to behavioral improvements, an improvement in academic achievement was also observed in reading, language arts, and mathematics. The results of this research could have major implications for the future of social-emotional learning in the classroom. This research indicates that the implementation of social and emotional learning techniques in the general education classroom positively impacts a student’s academic performance and behavior in and out of the classroom. Implementing these practices universally, in all classrooms, could provide the tools children need to grow into adults who can self-regulate and ultimately improve their quality of life.Item Unwilling or unaware: Exploring black division II football athletes’ awareness and perceptions of mental health services available at a university(Wichita State University, 2023-12) Iwuagwu, Nnadozie A.; Sherwood, KristinCompetition in winter sports came to a screeching halt during the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic shutdown in 2020. Arenas that were once packed with cheering fans were replaced with empty seats and silence, as the battle between student athletes and mental health (MH) grew louder. During this period the number of athletes reporting MH concerns along with the expression of willingness to utilize MH services increased. The purpose of this basic qualitative inquiry was to explore Black, male, football athletes’ perceptions and awareness of MH services available at a less resourced university. As documented in the literature review, research has been conducted on related topics, particularly at the Division I level (Bird et al., 2020). Researchers have recognized an unmet need for analysis of various sub-populations represented within student athletes throughout all NCAA Divisions (e.g.., Division I, II, III) (Wilkerson et al., 2020). Literature surrounding MH and student athletes lacks subjective investigation of the barriers between Black, male, football athletes and MH services utilization in less resourced regions, divisions, and intuitions. Why Black, male, football athletes are included in the student populations underutilizing MH services at the Division II level remains without a clear understanding. Fulfilling this gap in knowledge would draw the literature closer to understanding the best ways to implement MH resources to serve marginalized student athletes effectively.Item There is wealth in the village: Exploring early literacy and the cultural wealth capital of black parents with children entering kindergarten(Wichita State University, 2023-12) Barnes, Prisca Nicole; Patterson, Jean A.For over 30 years, national task forces, commissions, and initiatives have emphasized the importance of children's early years to ensure they are ready for kindergarten. To address this problem, Goal 1 of the Educate America Act of 1993 stated that "by the year 2000, all children in America will start school ready to learn" (Early Childhood Education). Black children are a group not achieving the "ready to learn" goal at a disproportionate rate and enter school on average nearly seven months behind in reading by the time they enter kindergarten compared to their White peers (Friedman-Krauss and Barnett, 2020). Much is to be discovered about how and why Black parents prepare their children to enter kindergarten and the impact their preparation has on later literacy achievement. This study, grounded in Dr. Tara J. Yosso's (2005) Cultural Wealth Model, represents a framework to understand how students of color access and experience the school environment from a strengths-based perspective. In this study, the narrative inquiry approach is employed to elicit the stories that depict the perceptions of Black parents who have children entering kindergarten. Data collection included individual conversational interviews with Black mothers with children 4-5 years old. This study provides a deeper understanding and awareness of how Black parents, including mothers, perceive their value in their child’s readiness and what role reading plays in the home of their emerging kindergartener. The research goes beyond the deficit view to illuminate strategies and solutions to move Black children from failure to success.Item Beyond the letter grade: Examining levels of academic self-efficacy among first year in-state and out-of-state college students(Wichita State University, 2023-12) Dorion, Brandon; Herron, Jason P.The purpose of this quantitative study was to help inform a gap in literature regarding comparisons of Academic Self-Efficacy (ASE) among in-state and out-of-state First-Time-In-College (FTIC) students at Wichita State University (WSU). A quantitative analysis among 174 in-state (N = 137) and out-of-state (N = 37) FTIC students were used to compare overall reported levels of ASE between each group and which academic tasks resulted in the strongest and weakest levels of ASE. Findings suggested no statistically significant difference in levels of ASE between in-state and out-of-state students at WSU. Furthermore, results found in-state and out-of-state student groups reported similarly among academic tasks which elicited the strongest and weakest rated responses of ASE. The academic tasks eliciting the strongest ASE for both FTIC groups pertained to meeting deadlines for individual and group projects and assignments. The tasks eliciting the weakest ASE for both FTIC groups pertained to speaking up when they do not understand lectures or need help, and asking questions during lectures. The study’s findings support the importance and impact of ASE during the first year of college. Moreover, these findings may help guide instructor and institutional practices in the development and support of ASE in a student’s first year of college. Future implications are outlined and discussed.Item Effects of "Read to the Mountain" intervention on secondary students’ phonics skills and reading confidence(Wichita State University, 2023-12) Steinmeyer, Christine M.; Cornell, Heidi R.Secondary students face seemingly insurmountable odds when endeavoring to learn to read, especially if the students have learning disabilities that impact reading. This study examines the effect on phonological-orthographic retention over the first two units, single letter consonants and vowels, of the Read to the Mountain phonics intervention program over eighteen sessions. Participants include nine secondary-grade students, five boys and four girls. The intervention program embeds synthetic phonics, historical linguistics, incremental rehearsal, phonics games, evidence-based, high-leverage practices, and common special education accommodations. The study utilized descriptive quantitative analysis with pre-post testing via the Quick Phonics Screener, full flashcard deck, and the reading confidence survey. Daily progress monitoring is through incremental rehearsal. The net effect for phonics retention for the participants using the Read to the Mountain phonics intervention is statistically significant increases across the data matrix among all four methods of phonemic awareness probes.