elementary education thesis topics

71 Best Education Dissertation Topic Ideas

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

Learn about our Editorial Process

It’s hard to choose and settle on a topic for your education dissertation. When I was choosing my topic, I was confused and uncertain. I wished I had a list like this that would help me out!

The topics below are best for undergraduate (B.A / B.Ed) or masters (M.A / M.Ed) students. Check out these 51 topic ideas, use them, and adapt them to create a topic that suits you.

The Lazy Man’s Top 10

before I dig in…

Here is a quick list of my top 9 favorite education dissertation topic ideas:

• What skill development strategies can be observed in children’s play?
• What evidence is there for the theory of multiple intelligences?
• What are parents’ attitudes toward play-based learning in schools?
• Is there a correlation between student stress levels and standardized exams?
• What are the differences in teaching strategies between experienced and novice teachers?
• What are the greatest challenges faced by teachers in their first 3 years in the profession?
• What does the literature say about the differences between phonics and whole language learning?
• What are the factors facilitating successful inclusion of students with behavioral disabilities?
• What do teachers believe has been the effect of technology on students’ learning?

Read this First: 9 Tips for Choosing a Dissertation Topic

Education Dissertation Topic Ideas (List

1. dissertation ideas for studying early childhood education.

• Structured and Unstructured Play: What are the perspectives of parents about the benefits of structured and unstructured play for children?
• Transitioning to School: What do educators identify as the key challenges of transitioning from early childhood to compulsory schooling settings?
• Children’s Book Representation: How do the 50 most popular children’s books of the 21 st Century promote gender norms? (For this one, consider also using the social graces concept to add a more analytical lens.)
• Montessori Settings: What do teachers in Montessori educational settings perceive to be the benefits and limitations of a Montessori-style education?
• Parents’ Anxieties: What are parents’ initial anxieties about sending their children to preschool?
• Studying Promotional Literature: A semiotic analysis of the representation of the stages of play in early childhood learning center promotional literature.
• Representation in News: How is the early childhood education and care (ECEC) profession represented in mainstream news?
• Benefits of ECE: What do parent perceive to be the developmental benefits of early childhood education for their children?
• Impact of Digital Technologies on Early Learning : Exploring how the use of tablets, educational apps, and digital storytelling influences cognitive and social development in preschool children.
• Parental Involvement and Its Effects on Early Childhood Education : Examining the role of parental engagement in the educational outcomes and social development of preschool children.
• Comparative Study of Outdoor Versus Indoor Play in Early Childhood Development : Assessing the impact of outdoor play environments versus traditional indoor classrooms on physical, emotional, and cognitive growth in young children.
• Nutrition and Cognitive Development in Early Childhood : Investigating the correlation between nutritional intake and cognitive development in preschool-aged children.
• Early Intervention Strategies for Children with Special Needs : Exploring effective early intervention techniques for children with developmental delays or disabilities in early childhood education settings.
• The Role of Storytelling in Language Development : Analyzing how storytelling and narrative play contribute to language acquisition and literacy skills in early childhood.
• Effects of Teacher-Child Ratio on Learning Outcomes : Evaluating the impact of teacher-to-child ratios in preschool settings on individual attention, learning outcomes, and overall classroom dynamics.
• Exploring Play-Based Learning Versus Structured Curriculum in Early Education : Comparing the outcomes of play-based learning approaches to more structured, curriculum-based methods in early childhood education.
• Social-Emotional Learning in Early Childhood Education : Investigating the integration and effectiveness of social-emotional learning programs in fostering emotional intelligence, empathy, and interpersonal skills in young children.
• Cultural Diversity in Early Childhood Classrooms : Investigating how educators can integrate various cultural backgrounds and practices into their teaching to create an inclusive environment for children.

2. Dissertation Ideas for Studying Elementary Teaching

• Piaget’s Stages: Are Piaget’s stages of development an accurate reflection of the abilities of children in the concrete stage of development?
• Behavior Management Styles: What are teachers’ perspectives of authoritarian behavior management strategies ?
• Behavior Management Strategies: What do teachers perceive as the most effective behavior management strategy for children aged 5 – 7?
• Pros and Cons of Homework : What do parents perceive to be the benefits of no homework for children?
• Autism in Classrooms: What are parents’ perceptions and concerns about integration of children with autism into mainstream classrooms?
• Seating Arrangements: How do changes in seating arrangements from rows to table groups impact learning in a Grade 5 classroom?
• Benefits of Play Breaks: According to educators, what are the benefits and limitations of regular play breaks for learning?
• Phonics vs Whole Language Learning: What do teachers perceive to be the benefits and limitations of the phonics versus whole language learning approaches to literacy?
• Development through Play: What skill development strategies can be observed in children’s play during recess breaks in schools?
• Compulsory School Uniforms: What do educators in a school that has compulsory school uniforms see as the educational benefits or drawbacks of compulsory uniforms?
• Sense of Belonging: What are the barriers and opportunities for promoting a ‘sense of belonging’ in primary school classrooms?
• Technology Integration in Elementary Classrooms : Investigating the impact of integrating technology such as interactive whiteboards and educational software on student engagement and learning outcomes.
• Differentiated Instruction Strategies : Evaluating the effectiveness of differentiated instruction in meeting the diverse learning needs of students in elementary school settings.
• Parent-Teacher Communication : Analyzing the role of parent-teacher communication in student academic performance and behavioral development in elementary schools.
• Impact of Bilingual Education : Exploring the cognitive, linguistic, and academic outcomes of bilingual education programs in elementary schools.
• Teacher Perceptions of Standardized Testing : Investigating elementary school teachers’ views on the impact of standardized testing on teaching practices and student learning.
• Social Skills Development Through Cooperative Learning : Examining the effectiveness of cooperative learning strategies in promoting social skills and teamwork among elementary school students.
• Environmental Education in Elementary Curriculum : Analyzing the impact of incorporating environmental education into the elementary curriculum on students’ awareness and attitudes towards environmental issues.

Related: How to Write a Dissertation from Beginning to End

3. Dissertation Ideas for Studying Middle & High School Contexts

• Homework vs Extracurricular Activities: What are students’ perceptions of the impact of homework on their after school extracurricular activities?
• Nationalism in Curriculum Documents: How are nationalist ideologies reinforced and challenged in the current curriculum documents of [your jurisdiction]?
• Preparation for Life: What are students’ perceptions of how well school prepares them for university / trades / real life?
• Standardized Tests: What are students’ / teachers’/ parents’ perceptions of standardized tests in high school?
• Mentorship: What do high school teachers in leadership positions perceive to be the best approaches to mentoring early career teachers?
• Childhood Citizenship: Which models of childhood citizenship are evident in [your jurisdiction’s] curriculum?
• Traits of Quality Teachers: What do parents perceive to be the traits of quality teachers in primary school vs. high school?
• Students’ Perceptions of Teachers: What do adolescents see as the qualities of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ teachers?
• Moral Values in Education: What do educators see as their role versus parents’ roles in promoting the moral values of children?
• Migrant Challenges in the School System: What do parents of immigrant children see as the challenges their children face in schools in their new nation?

4. Educational Technology Dissertation Ideas

• Use of Electronic Whiteboards: How prepared do pre-service teachers feel about teaching using Electronic White Boards?
• Mobile Phones in the Classroom: What are parents’ perceptions of classroom mobile phone apps that are designed to increase parent-student interactions?
• Impact of Technology on Learning: What are teachers’ perspectives of the impact of technology on student learning?
• Gaming for Creative Writing: Can gaming help promote creative writing skills among boys aged 10-12?
• Best Age for Introducing Technology: What age do parents perceive to be the best age for introducing children to technology?
• Boys vs Girls Technology Usage: What are the differences between boys’ and girls’ technology usage habits during free time at school?
• Online Learning Benefits and Challenges: What social, pedagogical and cognitive benefits and limitations do students face when learning online ?
• Use of AI Large Language Models: How can Large Language Models like ChatGPT be beneficial for learning?

5. General Education and Teaching Dissertation Ideas

• The Value of University: What do experienced educators perceive is the value of their university education?
• Poverty and Education: What are teachers’ perceptions of the barriers and opportunities to learning for children in poverty?
• Challenges faced by [Gender] Teachers: What challenges do male educators face in their first 5 years of teaching?
• Anti-Bullying Policies: What are the main ways school leaders approach whole-school anti-bullying policy development?
• Behavior Management for Developmental Delays: How do teachers differentiate their behavior management strategies for children with developmental delays?
• Netiquette: What do teachers believe to be effective netiquette rules for online learning ?
• Motivations for Taking a Promotion: What are the factors that impact teachers’ motivations for promotion into leadership positions in schools?
• Reflective Practice: What do teachers perceive to be the role of reflection in their practice, and what are the most common reflective practice strategies among practitioners?
• Theory Testing: What evidence is there for the theory of multiple intelligences?
• Extroverts vs Introverts: How do Introverted and Extroverted Students Learn Differently?
• Purpose of Schooling: What do parents perceive to be the purpose of schooling?
• Experienced vs Novice Teachers: What differences are there in behavior management strategies for experienced versus novice teachers?
• Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation: What do teachers believe are the benefits and challenges of intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation strategies ?

6. Ideas that Involve Interviewing your Classmates!

A lot of my students like to use this idea because they can use a snowball sampling method rather than having to seek out teachers or schools to interview and study:

• Concerns in Entering the Teaching Profession: What do pre-service teachers see as their biggest worries about entering the teaching profession?
• Feeling Unprepared: What do pre-service teachers perceive to be the major factors that their degree does not prepare them for, before entering the workforce?
• Benefits of a Dissertation Project: What do a cohort of teacher education students see as the benefits of conducting a final dissertation project prior to entering the profession? (see also: cohort effect )
• Differences in Perspectives (Freshman vs Senior): What are the differences between freshman (first year) and senior (final year) students’ perspectives of the role of the classroom teacher in the 21 st Century?

Read Also: 25 Sociology Dissertation Ideas

What to do once you Choose your Topic for an Education Dissertation

Hopefully by now you have highlighted or written down 3 topics that caught your eye.

I recommend for your next step that you organize a meeting with your dissertation supervisor. Your supervisor will talk with you about your three ideas and give you advice on which to choose and why.

Each university has different requirements, so you’ll need to get input from your supervisor. Your supervisor is the person who can help you to navigate the special requirements of your particular program of study.

You’ll find that you and your supervisor will be able to tailor your chosen topic to you and your needs.

Good luck, and please do leave a comment below if you found this post useful!

I’m also always looking for more ideas to add to this list so if you came up with another idea, share it below.

• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 21 Montessori Homeschool Setups
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 101 Hidden Talents Examples
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 15 Green Flags in a Relationship
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 15 Signs you're Burnt Out, Not Lazy

1 thought on “71 Best Education Dissertation Topic Ideas”

Thank you for this! These open-ended examples helped me to broaden my topic some!

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Research Topics & Ideas: Education

170+ Research Ideas To Fast-Track Your Dissertation, Thesis Or Research Project

I f you’re just starting out exploring education-related topics for your dissertation, thesis or research project, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’ll help kickstart your research topic ideation process by providing a hearty list of research topics and ideas , including examples from actual dissertations and theses..

PS – This is just the start…

We know it’s exciting to run through a list of research topics, but please keep in mind that this list is just a starting point . To develop a suitable education-related research topic, you’ll need to identify a clear and convincing research gap , and a viable plan of action to fill that gap.

If this sounds foreign to you, check out our free research topic webinar that explores how to find and refine a high-quality research topic, from scratch. Alternatively, if you’d like hands-on help, consider our 1-on-1 coaching service .

Overview: Education Research Topics

• How to find a research topic (video)
• List of 50+ education-related research topics/ideas
• List of 120+ level-specific research topics 
• Examples of actual dissertation topics in education
• Tips to fast-track your topic ideation (video)
• Where to get extra help

Education-Related Research Topics & Ideas

Below you’ll find a list of education-related research topics and idea kickstarters. These are fairly broad and flexible to various contexts, so keep in mind that you will need to refine them a little. Nevertheless, they should inspire some ideas for your project.

• The impact of school funding on student achievement
• The effects of social and emotional learning on student well-being
• The effects of parental involvement on student behaviour
• The impact of teacher training on student learning
• The impact of classroom design on student learning
• The impact of poverty on education
• The use of student data to inform instruction
• The role of parental involvement in education
• The effects of mindfulness practices in the classroom
• The use of technology in the classroom
• The role of critical thinking in education
• The use of formative and summative assessments in the classroom
• The use of differentiated instruction in the classroom
• The use of gamification in education
• The effects of teacher burnout on student learning
• The impact of school leadership on student achievement
• The effects of teacher diversity on student outcomes
• The role of teacher collaboration in improving student outcomes
• The implementation of blended and online learning
• The effects of teacher accountability on student achievement
• The effects of standardized testing on student learning
• The effects of classroom management on student behaviour
• The effects of school culture on student achievement
• The use of student-centred learning in the classroom
• The impact of teacher-student relationships on student outcomes
• The achievement gap in minority and low-income students
• The use of culturally responsive teaching in the classroom
• The impact of teacher professional development on student learning
• The use of project-based learning in the classroom
• The effects of teacher expectations on student achievement
• The use of adaptive learning technology in the classroom
• The impact of teacher turnover on student learning
• The effects of teacher recruitment and retention on student learning
• The impact of early childhood education on later academic success
• The impact of parental involvement on student engagement
• The use of positive reinforcement in education
• The impact of school climate on student engagement
• The role of STEM education in preparing students for the workforce
• The effects of school choice on student achievement
• The use of technology in the form of online tutoring

Level-Specific Research Topics

Looking for research topics for a specific level of education? We’ve got you covered. Below you can find research topic ideas for primary, secondary and tertiary-level education contexts. Click the relevant level to view the respective list.

Research Topics: Pick An Education Level

Primary education.

• Investigating the effects of peer tutoring on academic achievement in primary school
• Exploring the benefits of mindfulness practices in primary school classrooms
• Examining the effects of different teaching strategies on primary school students’ problem-solving skills
• The use of storytelling as a teaching strategy in primary school literacy instruction
• The role of cultural diversity in promoting tolerance and understanding in primary schools
• The impact of character education programs on moral development in primary school students
• Investigating the use of technology in enhancing primary school mathematics education
• The impact of inclusive curriculum on promoting equity and diversity in primary schools
• The impact of outdoor education programs on environmental awareness in primary school students
• The influence of school climate on student motivation and engagement in primary schools
• Investigating the effects of early literacy interventions on reading comprehension in primary school students
• The impact of parental involvement in school decision-making processes on student achievement in primary schools
• Exploring the benefits of inclusive education for students with special needs in primary schools
• Investigating the effects of teacher-student feedback on academic motivation in primary schools
• The role of technology in developing digital literacy skills in primary school students
• Effective strategies for fostering a growth mindset in primary school students
• Investigating the role of parental support in reducing academic stress in primary school children
• The role of arts education in fostering creativity and self-expression in primary school students
• Examining the effects of early childhood education programs on primary school readiness
• Examining the effects of homework on primary school students’ academic performance
• The role of formative assessment in improving learning outcomes in primary school classrooms
• The impact of teacher-student relationships on academic outcomes in primary school
• Investigating the effects of classroom environment on student behavior and learning outcomes in primary schools
• Investigating the role of creativity and imagination in primary school curriculum
• The impact of nutrition and healthy eating programs on academic performance in primary schools
• The impact of social-emotional learning programs on primary school students’ well-being and academic performance
• The role of parental involvement in academic achievement of primary school children
• Examining the effects of classroom management strategies on student behavior in primary school
• The role of school leadership in creating a positive school climate Exploring the benefits of bilingual education in primary schools
• The effectiveness of project-based learning in developing critical thinking skills in primary school students
• The role of inquiry-based learning in fostering curiosity and critical thinking in primary school students
• The effects of class size on student engagement and achievement in primary schools
• Investigating the effects of recess and physical activity breaks on attention and learning in primary school
• Exploring the benefits of outdoor play in developing gross motor skills in primary school children
• The effects of educational field trips on knowledge retention in primary school students
• Examining the effects of inclusive classroom practices on students’ attitudes towards diversity in primary schools
• The impact of parental involvement in homework on primary school students’ academic achievement
• Investigating the effectiveness of different assessment methods in primary school classrooms
• The influence of physical activity and exercise on cognitive development in primary school children
• Exploring the benefits of cooperative learning in promoting social skills in primary school students

Secondary Education

• Investigating the effects of school discipline policies on student behavior and academic success in secondary education
• The role of social media in enhancing communication and collaboration among secondary school students
• The impact of school leadership on teacher effectiveness and student outcomes in secondary schools
• Investigating the effects of technology integration on teaching and learning in secondary education
• Exploring the benefits of interdisciplinary instruction in promoting critical thinking skills in secondary schools
• The impact of arts education on creativity and self-expression in secondary school students
• The effectiveness of flipped classrooms in promoting student learning in secondary education
• The role of career guidance programs in preparing secondary school students for future employment
• Investigating the effects of student-centered learning approaches on student autonomy and academic success in secondary schools
• The impact of socio-economic factors on educational attainment in secondary education
• Investigating the impact of project-based learning on student engagement and academic achievement in secondary schools
• Investigating the effects of multicultural education on cultural understanding and tolerance in secondary schools
• The influence of standardized testing on teaching practices and student learning in secondary education
• Investigating the effects of classroom management strategies on student behavior and academic engagement in secondary education
• The influence of teacher professional development on instructional practices and student outcomes in secondary schools
• The role of extracurricular activities in promoting holistic development and well-roundedness in secondary school students
• Investigating the effects of blended learning models on student engagement and achievement in secondary education
• The role of physical education in promoting physical health and well-being among secondary school students
• Investigating the effects of gender on academic achievement and career aspirations in secondary education
• Exploring the benefits of multicultural literature in promoting cultural awareness and empathy among secondary school students
• The impact of school counseling services on student mental health and well-being in secondary schools
• Exploring the benefits of vocational education and training in preparing secondary school students for the workforce
• The role of digital literacy in preparing secondary school students for the digital age
• The influence of parental involvement on academic success and well-being of secondary school students
• The impact of social-emotional learning programs on secondary school students’ well-being and academic success
• The role of character education in fostering ethical and responsible behavior in secondary school students
• Examining the effects of digital citizenship education on responsible and ethical technology use among secondary school students
• The impact of parental involvement in school decision-making processes on student outcomes in secondary schools
• The role of educational technology in promoting personalized learning experiences in secondary schools
• The impact of inclusive education on the social and academic outcomes of students with disabilities in secondary schools
• The influence of parental support on academic motivation and achievement in secondary education
• The role of school climate in promoting positive behavior and well-being among secondary school students
• Examining the effects of peer mentoring programs on academic achievement and social-emotional development in secondary schools
• Examining the effects of teacher-student relationships on student motivation and achievement in secondary schools
• Exploring the benefits of service-learning programs in promoting civic engagement among secondary school students
• The impact of educational policies on educational equity and access in secondary education
• Examining the effects of homework on academic achievement and student well-being in secondary education
• Investigating the effects of different assessment methods on student performance in secondary schools
• Examining the effects of single-sex education on academic performance and gender stereotypes in secondary schools
• The role of mentoring programs in supporting the transition from secondary to post-secondary education

Tertiary Education

• The role of student support services in promoting academic success and well-being in higher education
• The impact of internationalization initiatives on students’ intercultural competence and global perspectives in tertiary education
• Investigating the effects of active learning classrooms and learning spaces on student engagement and learning outcomes in tertiary education
• Exploring the benefits of service-learning experiences in fostering civic engagement and social responsibility in higher education
• The influence of learning communities and collaborative learning environments on student academic and social integration in higher education
• Exploring the benefits of undergraduate research experiences in fostering critical thinking and scientific inquiry skills
• Investigating the effects of academic advising and mentoring on student retention and degree completion in higher education
• The role of student engagement and involvement in co-curricular activities on holistic student development in higher education
• The impact of multicultural education on fostering cultural competence and diversity appreciation in higher education
• The role of internships and work-integrated learning experiences in enhancing students’ employability and career outcomes
• Examining the effects of assessment and feedback practices on student learning and academic achievement in tertiary education
• The influence of faculty professional development on instructional practices and student outcomes in tertiary education
• The influence of faculty-student relationships on student success and well-being in tertiary education
• The impact of college transition programs on students’ academic and social adjustment to higher education
• The impact of online learning platforms on student learning outcomes in higher education
• The impact of financial aid and scholarships on access and persistence in higher education
• The influence of student leadership and involvement in extracurricular activities on personal development and campus engagement
• Exploring the benefits of competency-based education in developing job-specific skills in tertiary students
• Examining the effects of flipped classroom models on student learning and retention in higher education
• Exploring the benefits of online collaboration and virtual team projects in developing teamwork skills in tertiary students
• Investigating the effects of diversity and inclusion initiatives on campus climate and student experiences in tertiary education
• The influence of study abroad programs on intercultural competence and global perspectives of college students
• Investigating the effects of peer mentoring and tutoring programs on student retention and academic performance in tertiary education
• Investigating the effectiveness of active learning strategies in promoting student engagement and achievement in tertiary education
• Investigating the effects of blended learning models and hybrid courses on student learning and satisfaction in higher education
• The role of digital literacy and information literacy skills in supporting student success in the digital age
• Investigating the effects of experiential learning opportunities on career readiness and employability of college students
• The impact of e-portfolios on student reflection, self-assessment, and showcasing of learning in higher education
• The role of technology in enhancing collaborative learning experiences in tertiary classrooms
• The impact of research opportunities on undergraduate student engagement and pursuit of advanced degrees
• Examining the effects of competency-based assessment on measuring student learning and achievement in tertiary education
• Examining the effects of interdisciplinary programs and courses on critical thinking and problem-solving skills in college students
• The role of inclusive education and accessibility in promoting equitable learning experiences for diverse student populations
• The role of career counseling and guidance in supporting students’ career decision-making in tertiary education
• The influence of faculty diversity and representation on student success and inclusive learning environments in higher education

Education-Related Dissertations & Theses

While the ideas we’ve presented above are a decent starting point for finding a research topic in education, they are fairly generic and non-specific. So, it helps to look at actual dissertations and theses in the education space to see how this all comes together in practice.

Below, we’ve included a selection of education-related research projects to help refine your thinking. These are actual dissertations and theses, written as part of Master’s and PhD-level programs, so they can provide some useful insight as to what a research topic looks like in practice.

• From Rural to Urban: Education Conditions of Migrant Children in China (Wang, 2019)
• Energy Renovation While Learning English: A Guidebook for Elementary ESL Teachers (Yang, 2019)
• A Reanalyses of Intercorrelational Matrices of Visual and Verbal Learners’ Abilities, Cognitive Styles, and Learning Preferences (Fox, 2020)
• A study of the elementary math program utilized by a mid-Missouri school district (Barabas, 2020)
• Instructor formative assessment practices in virtual learning environments : a posthumanist sociomaterial perspective (Burcks, 2019)
• Higher education students services: a qualitative study of two mid-size universities’ direct exchange programs (Kinde, 2020)
• Exploring editorial leadership : a qualitative study of scholastic journalism advisers teaching leadership in Missouri secondary schools (Lewis, 2020)
• Selling the virtual university: a multimodal discourse analysis of marketing for online learning (Ludwig, 2020)
• Advocacy and accountability in school counselling: assessing the use of data as related to professional self-efficacy (Matthews, 2020)
• The use of an application screening assessment as a predictor of teaching retention at a midwestern, K-12, public school district (Scarbrough, 2020)
• Core values driving sustained elite performance cultures (Beiner, 2020)
• Educative features of upper elementary Eureka math curriculum (Dwiggins, 2020)
• How female principals nurture adult learning opportunities in successful high schools with challenging student demographics (Woodward, 2020)
• The disproportionality of Black Males in Special Education: A Case Study Analysis of Educator Perceptions in a Southeastern Urban High School (McCrae, 2021)

As you can see, these research topics are a lot more focused than the generic topic ideas we presented earlier. So, in order for you to develop a high-quality research topic, you’ll need to get specific and laser-focused on a specific context with specific variables of interest.  In the video below, we explore some other important things you’ll need to consider when crafting your research topic.

Get 1-On-1 Help

If you’re still unsure about how to find a quality research topic within education, check out our Research Topic Kickstarter service, which is the perfect starting point for developing a unique, well-justified research topic.

Find The Perfect Research Topic

How To Choose A Research Topic: 5 Key Criteria

How To Choose A Research Topic Step-By-Step Tutorial With Examples + Free Topic...

Research Topics & Ideas: Automation & Robotics

Research Topics & Ideas: Robotics 50 Topic Ideas To Kickstart Your Research...

Research Topics & Ideas: Sociology

Research Topics & Ideas: Sociology 50 Topic Ideas To Kickstart Your Research...

Research Topics & Ideas: Public Health & Epidemiology

Research Topics & Ideas: Public Health 50 Topic Ideas To Kickstart Your Research...

Research Topics & Ideas: Neuroscience

Research Topics & Ideas: Neuroscience 50 Topic Ideas To Kickstart Your Research...

📄 FREE TEMPLATES

Research Topic Ideation

Proposal Writing

Literature Review

Methodology & Analysis

Academic Writing

Referencing & Citing

Apps, Tools & Tricks

The Grad Coach Podcast

70 Comments

This is an helpful tool 🙏

Special education

Really appreciated by this . It is the best platform for research related items

Research title related to school of students

How are you

I think this platform is actually good enough.

Research title related to students

My field is research measurement and evaluation. Need dissertation topics in the field

Assalam o Alaikum I’m a student Bs educational Resarch and evaluation I’m confused to choose My thesis title please help me in choose the thesis title

Good idea I’m going to teach my colleagues

You can find our list of nursing-related research topic ideas here: https://gradcoach.com/research-topics-nursing/

Write on action research topic, using guidance and counseling to address unwanted teenage pregnancy in school

Thanks a lot

I learned a lot from this site, thank you so much!

Thank you for the information.. I would like to request a topic based on school major in social studies

parental involvement and students academic performance

Science education topics?

plz tell me if you got some good topics, im here for finding research topic for masters degree

How about School management and supervision pls.?

Hi i am an Deputy Principal in a primary school. My wish is to srudy foe Master’s degree in Education.Please advice me on which topic can be relevant for me. Thanks.

Thank you so much for the information provided. I would like to get an advice on the topic to research for my masters program. My area of concern is on teacher morale versus students achievement.

Every topic proposed above on primary education is a starting point for me. I appreciate immensely the team that has sat down to make a detail of these selected topics just for beginners like us. Be blessed.

Kindly help me with the research questions on the topic” Effects of workplace conflict on the employees’ job performance”. The effects can be applicable in every institution,enterprise or organisation.

Greetings, I am a student majoring in Sociology and minoring in Public Administration. I’m considering any recommended research topic in the field of Sociology.

I’m a student pursuing Mphil in Basic education and I’m considering any recommended research proposal topic in my field of study

Research Defense for students in senior high

Kindly help me with a research topic in educational psychology. Ph.D level. Thank you.

Project-based learning is a teaching/learning type,if well applied in a classroom setting will yield serious positive impact. What can a teacher do to implement this in a disadvantaged zone like “North West Region of Cameroon ( hinterland) where war has brought about prolonged and untold sufferings on the indegins?

I wish to get help on topics of research on educational administration

I wish to get help on topics of research on educational administration PhD level

I am also looking for such type of title

I am a student of undergraduate, doing research on how to use guidance and counseling to address unwanted teenage pregnancy in school

the topics are very good regarding research & education .

Am an undergraduate student carrying out a research on the impact of nutritional healthy eating programs on academic performance in primary schools

Can i request your suggestion topic for my Thesis about Teachers as an OFW. thanx you

Would like to request for suggestions on a topic in Economics of education,PhD level

Would like to request for suggestions on a topic in Economics of education

Hi 👋 I request that you help me with a written research proposal about education the format

Am offering degree in education senior high School Accounting. I want a topic for my project work

l would like to request suggestions on a topic in managing teaching and learning, PhD level (educational leadership and management)

request suggestions on a topic in managing teaching and learning, PhD level (educational leadership and management)

I would to inquire on research topics on Educational psychology, Masters degree

I am PhD student, I am searching my Research topic, It should be innovative,my area of interest is online education,use of technology in education

request suggestion on topic in masters in medical education .

Look at British Library as they keep a copy of all PhDs in the UK Core.ac.uk to access Open University and 6 other university e-archives, pdf downloads mostly available, all free.

May I also ask for a topic based on mathematics education for college teaching, please?

Please I am a masters student of the department of Teacher Education, Faculty of Education Please I am in need of proposed project topics to help with my final year thesis

Am a PhD student in Educational Foundations would like a sociological topic. Thank

please i need a proposed thesis project regardging computer science

Greetings and Regards I am a doctoral student in the field of philosophy of education. I am looking for a new topic for my thesis. Because of my work in the elementary school, I am looking for a topic that is from the field of elementary education and is related to the philosophy of education.

Masters student in the field of curriculum, any ideas of a research topic on low achiever students

In the field of curriculum any ideas of a research topic on deconalization in contextualization of digital teaching and learning through in higher education

Amazing guidelines

I am a graduate with two masters. 1) Master of arts in religious studies and 2) Master in education in foundations of education. I intend to do a Ph.D. on my second master’s, however, I need to bring both masters together through my Ph.D. research. can I do something like, ” The contribution of Philosophy of education for a quality religion education in Kenya”? kindly, assist and be free to suggest a similar topic that will bring together the two masters. thanks in advance

Hi, I am an Early childhood trainer as well as a researcher, I need more support on this topic: The impact of early childhood education on later academic success.

I’m a student in upper level secondary school and I need your support in this research topics: “Impact of incorporating project -based learning in teaching English language skills in secondary schools”.

Although research activities and topics should stem from reflection on one’s practice, I found this site valuable as it effectively addressed many issues we have been experiencing as practitioners.

Your style is unique in comparison to other folks I’ve read stuff from. Thanks for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I will just book mark this site.

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Submit Comment

• Print Friendly

• Write my thesis
• Thesis writers
• Buy thesis papers
• Bachelor thesis
• Master's thesis
• Thesis editing services
• Thesis proofreading services
• Buy a thesis online
• Write my dissertation
• Dissertation proposal help
• Pay for dissertation
• Custom dissertation
• Dissertation help online
• Buy dissertation online
• Cheap dissertation
• Dissertation editing services
• Write my research paper
• Buy research paper online
• Pay for research paper
• Research paper help
• Order research paper
• Custom research paper
• Cheap research paper
• Research papers for sale
• Thesis subjects
• How It Works

110+ Exceptional Education Research Topics Ideas

Topics for education research usually comprise school research topics, research problems in education, qualitative research topics in education, and concept paper topics about education to mention a few.

If you’re looking for research titles about education,  you’re reading the right post! This article contains 110 of the best education research topics that will come in handy when you need to choose one for your research. From sample research topics in education, to research titles examples for high school students about education – we have it all.

Educational Research Topics

Research title examples for college students, quantitative research titles about education, topics related to education for thesis, research titles about school issues, ph.d. research titles in education, elementary education research topics, research title examples about online class, research titles about modular learning, examples of research questions in education, special education research titles.

The best research titles about education must be done through the detailed process of exploring previous works and improving personal knowledge.

Here are some good research topics in education to consider.

What Are Good Research Topics Related to Education?

• The role of Covid-19 in reinvigorating online learning
• The growth of cognitive abilities through leisure experiences
• The merits of group study in education
• Merits and demerits of traditional learning methods
• The impact of homework on traditional and modern education
• Student underdevelopment as a result of larger class volumes
• Advantages of digital textbooks in learning
• The struggle of older generations in computer education
• The standards of learning  in the various academic levels
• Bullying and its effects on educational and mental health
• Exceptional education tutors: Is the need for higher pay justifiable?

The following examples of research titles about education for college students are ideal for a project that will take a long duration to complete. Here are some education topics for research that you can consider for your degree.

• Modern classroom difficulties of students and teachers
• Strategies to reform the learning difficulties within schools
• The rising cost of tuition and its burden on middle-class parents
• The concept of creativity among public schools and how it can be harnessed
• Major difficulties experienced in academic staff training
• Evaluating the learning cultures of college students
• Use of scientific development techniques in student learning
• Research of skill development in high school and college students
• Modern grading methods in underdeveloped institutions
• Dissertations and the difficulties surrounding their completion
• Integration of new gender categories in personalized learning

These research topics about education require a direct quantitative analysis and study of major ideas and arguments. They often contain general statistics and figures to back up regular research. Some of such research topics in education include:

• The relationship between poor education and increased academic fees
• Creating a social link between homeschool and traditional schoolgoers
• The relationship between teacher satisfaction and student performance
• The divide between public and private school performance
• The merits of parental involvement in students’ cognitive growth.
• A study on child welfare and its impact on educational development
• The relationship between academic performance and economic growth
• Urbanization in rural areas and its contribution to institutional growth
• The relationship between students and professors in dissertation writing
• The link between debt accumulation and student loans
• Boarding schools and regular schools: The role these two school types play in cognitive development

Educational-related topics used for a thesis normally require a wide aspect of study and enough educational materials.  Here are some education research topics you can use for write my thesis .

• The difficulties of bilingual education in private universities
• Homework and its impact on learning processes in college education
• Dissertation topic selection: Key aspects and research obligations
• Social media research topics and their educational functions
• A detailed educational review of student learning via virtual reality techniques
• Ethnicities in universities and their participation in group activities
• The modern approach to self-studying for college students
• Developing time management skills in modern education
• Guidelines for teacher development in advanced educational institutions
• The need for religious education in boarding schools
• A measure of cognitive development using digital learning methods

A research title about school issues focuses on activities surrounding the school environment and its effects on students, teachers, parents, and education in general. Below are some sample research titles in education, relating to school issues.

• Learning English in bilingual schools
• A study of teachers’ role as parent figures on school grounds
• Addressing the increased use of illegal substances and their effects in schools
• The benefits of after-class activities for foreign students
• Assessing student and teacher relationships
• A study of the best methods to implement safety rules in school
• Major obstacles in meeting school schedules using boarding students as a case study
• The need for counseling in public and private schools: Which is greater?
• Academic volunteering in understaffed public schools
• Modern techniques for curbing school violence among college students
• The advantages and disadvantages of teacher unions in schools

As you create your proposed list of research topics in education, consider scientific journals for referencing purposes. Here are some Ph.D. research titles for education.

• The modern methods of academic research writing
• The role of colleges in advanced mental care
• The merits and demerits of Ph.D. studies in Europe and Africa
• Interpersonal relationships between students and professors in advanced institutions
• A review of community colleges: merits and demerits
• Assessing racism in academic ethnic minorities
• The psychological changes of students in higher education
• The questionable standards of student loan provisions
• The merits of personalized teaching techniques in colleges
• The wage gap between private and public university teachers
• Teacher responsibilities in private universities versus public universities

The research topics in elementary education in 2023 are very different from the elementary education research topics from five or ten years ago. This creates interesting grounds for different research titles for elementary education.

Here are some elementary education title research ideas.

• Assessing quick computer literacy among elementary school pupils.
• The role of video games in childhood brain development
• Male vs female role models in early education periods
• The advantages of digital textbooks in elementary schools
• The impact of modern curriculums on elementary education
• Lack of proper school grooming is a cause of violence.
• Should elementary school children be taught about LGBTQ?
• A review of the need for sexual education in elementary schools
• The effects of emotional dependence in early childhood learners.
• The need for constant technology supervision of elementary school students
• Advantages of computer-guided education in elementary schools

Here are some research title examples for students taking online classes.

• The academic difficulties experienced by online students.
• A study of decreased attention in online classes
• The upsides and downsides of online education
• The rising fees of online and traditional education in universities
• A detailed study on the necessity of college internships
• The need to provide college scholarships based on environmental achievements
• How online education terminates university fraternities and sororities.
• The role of academic supervisors in career selection
• Why interactive assignments improved learning capabilities during the pandemic
• Merits of education in online learning environments
• Why online lessons are the least effective for some college students

The modular learning approach focuses primarily on learning outcomes. Here are some examples of research titles about modular learning.

• Modular learning and the role of teachers in its execution
• Teaching techniques of religious institutions
• Potential risks of accelerated learning
• Modular learning on students’ future performances
• The general overview of modular learning amongst students
• The modern Advantages and disadvantages of inclusive classes
• Observing student developments in modular learning
• Music therapy for fostering modular learning techniques
• The creation of a personalized curriculum for students.
• Applications of modular learning both in home-schooling?
• The benefits of modular learning towards creating a more holistic educational system

These research title examples about education answer important questions and they can also be argumentative essay topics .

Here are some titles of research about education questions.

• What impacts do learning approaches provide for students?
• How can schools manage their increasing gender differences?
• What fosters the provision of learning needs?
• What are the best educational recruitment methods?
• How can cognitive development improve education?
• How can you assess the moral growth of institutions?
• What are the primary causes of educational differences in geographical locations?
• How can institutions address increasing mental health needs?
• Why is early intervention essential in students with mental health setbacks?
• What are the characteristics of mental health deterioration among students?
• What techniques are acceptable in regulating the violence of students in institutions

Some of the research title examples about education include:

• How do schools create more personalized learning methods?
• Evaluating mental health setbacks during education
• The impact of modern technology on special education
• The cognitive improvements via specialized learning in dyslexic children
• The psychological link between dyslexia and bullying in high school
• Impact of social isolation in special education classes
• The difficulties in providing specialized learning environments
• A study of orphan students with disabilities and their aptitudes for learning
• How special classes improve the self-esteem of disabled students.
• How to use modern teaching techniques in unique learning environments.
• A study of the application of digital games to autistic learning

Final words about education research topics

We have provided some reliable examples of a research topic about education you can use for write my thesis . You can use these research titles in education to cultivate your ideas, create inspiration, or for online research. Remember always to select a topic that you’re naturally passionate about and do diligent research, and reach out to our professional writing services if you need any help.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Education Thesis Topics

This page provides a comprehensive list of education thesis topics , designed to inspire and assist students in selecting the most suitable topic for their thesis. Whether you are pursuing a degree in education or looking to specialize in a specific area within the field, finding the right topic can be pivotal to your academic success and career trajectory. From exploring contemporary challenges in adult education to investigating innovative practices in educational technology, this list encompasses a broad range of areas tailored to meet diverse research interests and academic needs. Each category has been thoughtfully compiled to provide a rich variety of topics that reflect current trends and future directions in education. This resource aims to be an invaluable tool for students, guiding them through the process of topic selection by providing a structured and extensive range of possibilities.

1000 Education Thesis Topics and Ideas

Academic Writing, Editing, Proofreading, And Problem Solving Services

Get 10% off with 24start discount code, browse education thesis topics by category:, adult education thesis topics, art education thesis topics, comparative education thesis topics.

• Curriculum And Instruction Thesis Topics

Distance Education Thesis Topics

Early childhood education thesis topics, education policy thesis topics, educational leadership thesis topics, educational management thesis topics, educational psychology thesis topics, educational technology thesis topics, elementary education thesis topics, health education thesis topics, higher education thesis topics, international education thesis topics, language education thesis topics, mathematics education thesis topics, multicultural education thesis topics, music education thesis topics, online education thesis topics.

• Philosophy Of Education Thesis Topics

Physical Education Thesis Topics

Science education thesis topics, special education thesis topics, vocational education thesis topics.

• The impact of lifelong learning on career advancement in adults over 40.
• Analyzing the effectiveness of online versus traditional classroom settings for adult learners.
• Barriers to education in mature students and strategies for overcoming them.
• The role of adult education in fostering community development.
• The influence of cultural background on adult education participation.
• Adult literacy: Assessing the outcomes of government versus private sector programs.
• The effectiveness of adult education programs in reducing societal inequality.
• Integrating technology into adult education: Challenges and opportunities.
• How adult education programs can adapt to the changing needs of the workforce.
• Motivational strategies for returning students in adult education programs.
• The impact of adult education on mental health and well-being.
• Exploring the effectiveness of distance learning tools for adult education.
• Policy analysis of adult education funding in developing countries.
• The role of NGOs in promoting adult education in rural areas.
• Comparative analysis of adult education systems across different countries.
• The future of adult education in the age of artificial intelligence and automation.
• Career transitions through adult education: Case studies of success stories.
• Evaluating the impact of community colleges in adult education in the U.S.
• Adult education and its role in promoting environmental sustainability.
• The challenges of providing adult education to differently-abled learners.
• The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on adult education and future implications.
• Utilizing gamification in adult education to enhance learning engagement.
• Strategies for integrating soft skills training in adult education curriculum.
• The role of adult education in mitigating the digital divide.
• Gender differences in adult education participation and outcomes.
• Exploring the role of libraries in supporting adult education.
• Assessing the economic impact of adult education programs.
• Challenges in standardizing curricula across adult education programs globally.
• Adult education as a tool for reducing recidivism in former inmates.
• The impact of social media on adult education and community building.
• Trends in funding adult education: A comparative study of OECD countries.
• Adult education for the elderly: Benefits and methodologies.
• The role of adult education in fostering political awareness and participation.
• Peer teaching and its effectiveness in adult education settings.
• The psychology of adult learning: How adults learn differently than younger students.
• Ethical considerations in adult education: A contemporary view.
• Collaborative learning environments in adult education: A case study approach.
• The impact of language barriers on adult education and strategies to overcome them.
• Exploring adaptive learning technologies in adult education.
• The role of adult education in promoting health awareness and lifestyle changes.
• The integration of digital media in art education: Implications for teaching and creativity.
• The role of art education in promoting multicultural understanding and appreciation.
• Evaluating the impact of art education on cognitive development in children.
• The use of virtual reality (VR) technology in art education classrooms.
• Art education and social justice: Teaching art as a form of activism.
• The decline of traditional art forms in education: Causes and effects.
• Strategies for incorporating contemporary artists into the art education curriculum.
• The role of public art in education: Engaging communities through school projects.
• Art education funding: Analyzing trends and predicting future directions.
• The impact of art education on emotional intelligence and empathy development.
• Collaborative art projects and their role in enhancing teamwork skills.
• The challenges of teaching art in digital environments: Teacher perspectives.
• Art therapy as an educational tool: Benefits and limitations.
• Cross-disciplinary approaches to art education: Combining art with science and technology.
• The role of art critiques in the educational process: Fostering critical thinking and feedback.
• The influence of cultural identity on art production and education.
• Sustainable practices in art education: Using recycled materials in art projects.
• Art education in rural vs. urban settings: A comparative analysis.
• The future of art education in the age of automation and AI-generated art.
• Gender representation in art education materials and its impact on students.
• The role of art education in addressing environmental issues through creative expressions.
• Assessment methods in art education: Moving beyond traditional grading.
• The effects of globalization on art education curricula.
• Inclusive education in the arts: Best practices for accommodating all students.
• Using art as a medium for language learning in multicultural classrooms.
• The historical evolution of art education and its relevance today.
• Art education and entrepreneurship: Preparing students for careers in the arts.
• The role of museums and galleries in contemporary art education.
• Art education and technology: Exploring new possibilities for interactive learning.
• The impact of government policies on art education.
• Art education leadership: Key skills and competencies for educators.
• The psychological benefits of engaging in art education.
• Parental involvement in art education: Effects on student outcomes.
• The balance between technique and creative expression in art education.
• Strategies for promoting lifelong learning through art.
• Art education for special needs students: Techniques and case studies.
• Exploring the concept of beauty in art education: A philosophical inquiry.
• The role of criticism in art education: Constructive vs. destructive feedback.
• The impact of social media on student art projects and their public reception.
• Exploring non-Western art traditions in Western art education settings.
• A comparative analysis of STEM education in Asian vs. Western countries.
• The impact of globalization on education systems: A study of developing vs. developed nations.
• Comparative study of teacher training programs across different countries.
• The influence of cultural factors on educational attainment in Scandinavian countries.
• Examining gender disparities in education within Middle Eastern and European contexts.
• The role of language policies in education: Comparisons between multilingual and monolingual states.
• Evaluating the outcomes of decentralized vs. centralized education systems.
• The effect of political instability on education quality in Sub-Saharan Africa compared to South America.
• A comparative analysis of approaches to special education in the US and Japan.
• Digital divide: Access to educational technology in rural vs. urban schools globally.
• Comparative effectiveness of online education platforms across different continents.
• The impact of refugee crises on education systems in host vs. origin countries.
• Education for sustainable development: Comparing curricula from Nordic countries to North American models.
• The role of private education in social mobility: A comparative international study.
• Comparative assessment of academic freedom in Asian universities vs. European universities.
• Exploring the integration of indigenous knowledge in formal education systems.
• The effectiveness of early childhood education programs in North America vs. Europe.
• A comparative analysis of educational responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The role of religious education in secular vs. non-secular societies.
• Assessing the impact of international educational exchanges on student outcomes.
• Comparative studies on the implementation of educational policies for immigrant children.
• The evolution of vocational training systems in Germany compared to the United States.
• Comparative study on the impact of school uniforms on student behavior and performance.
• The influence of international assessments (PISA, TIMSS) on national education policies.
• Examining the role of non-governmental organizations in education across different political systems.
• Education and nationalism: A comparative study of curriculum content in post-Soviet states.
• The effects of tuition fees on higher education access in the UK and Germany.
• Comparative analysis of adult literacy programs in Africa and Asia.
• Assessing the role of educational technology in bridging learning gaps in low-income vs. high-income countries.
• Comparative effectiveness of bilingual education models in North America and Europe.
• The impact of cultural heritage on curriculum development in former colonial vs. colonizer countries.
• Examining student resilience in conflict zones: A comparative study.
• The role of sports in education: A comparative analysis between the US and UK.
• Comparing the impact of parental involvement in education in Eastern vs. Western cultures.
• The effectiveness of anti-bullying programs in schools across different countries.
• Comparative analysis of nutrition and health education in schools in Mediterranean vs. North American countries.
• The role of arts education in fostering social cohesion: A comparative study.
• Assessing the success of integration policies for students with disabilities in mainstream schools internationally.
• The effects of class size on educational outcomes: A comparative study.
• Comparing career counseling practices in high schools across different countries.

Curriculum and Instruction Thesis Topics

• The role of project-based learning in enhancing critical thinking skills.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of hybrid learning models post-COVID-19.
• The impact of standardized testing on curriculum development.
• Integrating sustainability education into the school curriculum: Methods and outcomes.
• The effectiveness of STEM curricula in fostering female participation in science and technology.
• Exploring the use of artificial intelligence in personalized learning environments.
• The challenges of implementing competency-based education in traditional schools.
• The impact of teachers’ instructional styles on student engagement and learning.
• Developing and evaluating anti-racist curriculum in secondary education.
• The use of virtual reality (VR) in simulating historical events for educational purposes.
• Assessing the impact of mindfulness education on student well-being and academic performance.
• Curriculum strategies for enhancing emotional intelligence in elementary schools.
• The role of feedback in the learning process: Implementing effective models.
• Strategies for integrating digital literacy into primary education curricula.
• The effects of bilingual instruction on cognitive development.
• Evaluating the long-term impacts of early childhood education curricula.
• The integration of coding and computational thinking across all school levels.
• Developing curricula for life skills education: Successes and challenges.
• The influence of parent-teacher partnerships on curriculum effectiveness.
• Assessing the efficacy of flipped classroom models in secondary education.
• Strategies for teaching critical media literacy in high schools.
• The role of the arts in promoting cross-curricular learning.
• Evaluating the inclusivity of curricula for multicultural classrooms.
• The impact of outdoor educational experiences on environmental awareness.
• Addressing the needs of gifted students through differentiated curriculum strategies.
• The challenges and outcomes of teaching global citizenship in schools.
• Implementing trauma-informed practices in curriculum and instruction.
• The effectiveness of peer tutoring programs integrated into the curriculum.
• Strategies for addressing learning loss due to school disruptions.
• The role of curriculum in shaping students’ attitudes towards diversity and inclusion.
• Evaluating the impact of social-emotional learning programs in urban schools.
• The influence of technology on modifying traditional teaching methodologies.
• The challenges of aligning vocational training with industry needs in high schools.
• Exploring the impact of teacher professional development on curriculum delivery.
• The role of student voice in curriculum planning and implementation.
• Assessing the effectiveness of health and wellness programs in school curricula.
• The impact of historical narratives in textbooks on student perception of history.
• The challenges and benefits of co-teaching models in inclusive classrooms.
• Implementing continuous assessment strategies in primary education.
• The role of school leadership in fostering curriculum innovation.
• The effectiveness of synchronous vs. asynchronous learning methods in distance education.
• Impact of AI-driven personalization on student outcomes in online courses.
• Barriers to effective communication in virtual classrooms and strategies for improvement.
• Analyzing dropout rates in online higher education programs.
• The role of virtual reality (VR) in enhancing engagement in distance learning environments.
• Assessing the quality and accreditation challenges in global online education.
• The evolution of mobile learning technologies and their impact on distance education.
• Cybersecurity challenges in distance learning systems and mitigation strategies.
• The influence of cultural diversity on learning outcomes in international online classrooms.
• Strategies for fostering a sense of community and collaboration among distance learners.
• The effectiveness of online professional development courses for teachers.
• Legal and ethical considerations in the administration of distance learning programs.
• The role of blockchain technology in securing academic records in distance education.
• Impact of social media integration on student engagement and learning in distance education.
• The use of big data analytics to improve learner retention rates in online courses.
• Adaptive learning technologies: Tailoring distance education to individual learner needs.
• Distance education as a tool for lifelong learning: Trends and effectiveness.
• The future of distance education: Predicting technology trends and educational practices.
• Designing effective course materials for visually impaired students in online formats.
• The impact of distance learning on traditional higher education business models.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of online language learning versus traditional methods.
• The role of e-portfolios in assessing student performance in distance education.
• The challenges of providing science labs in an online education format.
• Distance learning in rural areas: Accessibility challenges and technological solutions.
• Parental involvement in the distance education of younger students: Methods and impacts.
• The effectiveness of gamification in online education for enhancing motivation.
• Best practices for designing inclusive online courses for students with disabilities.
• The future of corporate training: The shift towards online learning platforms.
• Comparing student satisfaction in distance education vs. traditional classroom settings.
• The role of mentorship in online education: Impact on student success.
• Analyzing the impact of online education on adult learners’ career advancements.
• Distance education and global inequality: Access issues and scalable solutions.
• The role of distance education in emergency preparedness for educational institutions.
• Student privacy and data protection in online educational platforms.
• The impact of augmented reality (AR) tools on distance education.
• Pedagogical strategies for effective teaching in hybrid classrooms.
• The effectiveness of peer-to-peer learning networks in online education settings.
• Online education for environmental sustainability: Courses and student engagement.
• The challenges of cross-cultural communication in global virtual classrooms.
• Assessing the impact of regulatory frameworks on the growth of distance education.
• The impact of play-based learning on cognitive development in early childhood.
• Assessing the effectiveness of Montessori methods in early childhood education.
• The role of parental involvement in the early educational development of children.
• Integrating technology into early childhood classrooms: Tools and impacts.
• The influence of early childhood education on later academic and social outcomes.
• Developing emotional intelligence through early childhood education programs.
• The effects of outdoor learning experiences on young children’s environmental awareness.
• Nutrition and its impact on cognitive development in early childhood education settings.
• The role of music and arts in early childhood cognitive and emotional development.
• Addressing learning disabilities in early childhood: Detection and intervention strategies.
• The impact of socio-economic factors on access to quality early childhood education.
• Gender roles in early childhood education: Shaping perspectives from a young age.
• The effectiveness of bilingual education in early childhood development.
• Assessing the impact of teacher-student ratios on learning outcomes in preschools.
• Strategies for promoting literacy from an early age.
• The role of cultural diversity in early childhood education curricula.
• Evaluating the security and safety standards in early childhood education centers.
• The influence of childhood trauma on early educational experiences.
• The impact of COVID-19 on early childhood education: Challenges and innovations.
• Implementing STEM education in early childhood: Approaches and outcomes.
• The role of storytelling in emotional and language development in early childhood.
• Strategies for integrating special needs children in mainstream early childhood classrooms.
• The impact of digital media on attention spans and learning in young children.
• Parental expectations and their impact on early childhood education strategies.
• The effects of sleep on learning and behavior in early childhood education settings.
• Teacher training and its effectiveness in enhancing early childhood education.
• Assessing the impact of early childhood education on family dynamics.
• The role of feedback in the learning processes of early childhood.
• Ethical considerations in early childhood education research.
• Strategies for effective conflict resolution in early childhood education settings.
• The role of play in the socialization process of children in early education.
• Innovative approaches to language acquisition in early childhood education.
• The impact of preschool programs on social inequality.
• Cultural sensitivity training for educators in diverse early childhood classrooms.
• The effectiveness of health education in early childhood programs.
• Addressing the challenges of transitioning from early childhood education to primary school.
• The influence of siblings and peer interactions in early educational settings.
• The impact of maternal education levels on early childhood learning outcomes.
• Evaluating the role of educational toys in early learning environments.
• The use of augmented reality (AR) in interactive learning for young children.
• The impact of national education policies on achievement gaps in urban and rural schools.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of affirmative action in higher education admissions.
• The role of government policy in shaping teacher retention rates.
• Policy interventions to address the digital divide in remote learning.
• The consequences of standardized testing policies on curriculum flexibility.
• Comparative analysis of education policies for special needs students across different states.
• The effectiveness of early intervention policies in education for at-risk youth.
• The influence of immigration policies on public education systems.
• Analyzing the impact of school choice policies on public school demographics and performance.
• Policy measures to improve STEM education outcomes among underrepresented groups.
• The role of policy in integrating mental health support in schools.
• Effects of education policies on bilingual education and student language development.
• The impact of zero-tolerance policies on student behavior and school safety.
• Evaluating the success of policies aimed at reducing childhood obesity through school programs.
• The implications of homeschooling policies during and post-pandemic.
• Policy analysis of teacher certification standards across countries.
• The role of state policies in promoting environmental education.
• Analysis of funding equity in public schools under different educational policies.
• The impact of privacy laws on digital learning tools and student data.
• Policy strategies for enhancing parental engagement in public schools.
• The effects of minimum wage policies on the availability of qualified childcare workers.
• Evaluating the efficacy of policies aimed at integrating arts into the educational curriculum.
• The influence of non-profit organizations in shaping education policy.
• Policies to address teacher shortages in critical subject areas.
• The impact of trade policies on vocational education and training programs.
• Analyzing the role of public policies in combating academic dishonesty.
• The effect of nutrition policies on learning outcomes in schools.
• The impact of refugee education policies on local education systems.
• Education policy reforms for enhancing adult education and lifelong learning.
• The implications of international education policies for student mobility and exchange programs.
• Evaluating the impact of fiscal policies on higher education affordability.
• The role of education policies in fostering entrepreneurship education.
• The impact of climate change policies on education systems worldwide.
• Policy measures for managing teacher stress and burnout.
• The effectiveness of anti-bullying policies in schools.
• The role of policy in shaping sports education and physical activity in schools.
• The influence of policies on the adaptation of new technologies in education.
• Evaluating the success of gender-inclusive policies in educational institutions.
• The role of public policy in shaping early childhood education standards.
• The effectiveness of policies aimed at enhancing cybersecurity education in schools.
• The role of leadership in fostering a culture of innovation in schools.
• The impact of transformational leadership on teacher motivation and student performance.
• Strategies for educational leaders to manage change during technology integration.
• Leadership styles and their effects on school climate and culture.
• The role of educational leaders in promoting equity and inclusion within schools.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of leadership training programs for aspiring principals.
• The impact of school leadership on implementing sustainable practices.
• Leadership challenges in urban vs. rural school settings.
• The role of school leaders in crisis management and emergency preparedness.
• Strategies for effective stakeholder engagement by educational leaders.
• The impact of educational leadership on special education program success.
• Leadership and its role in shaping professional development for teachers.
• The influence of school leaders on fostering parent-teacher collaborations.
• The role of ethical leadership in educational institutions.
• Comparative analysis of educational leadership models across different countries.
• The impact of leadership on the adoption of digital textbooks and learning resources.
• Leadership strategies for combating teacher burnout and turnover.
• The role of educational leaders in policy advocacy and reform.
• Strategies for building and maintaining high-performance teams in education.
• The impact of leadership on student mental health initiatives.
• The effectiveness of distributed leadership in educational settings.
• Leadership in higher education: Managing faculty and student diversity.
• The role of school administrators in implementing anti-bullying policies.
• Evaluating the leadership practices in charter schools vs. public schools.
• The influence of leadership on enhancing school safety protocols.
• The role of leaders in developing ICT competencies within schools.
• Educational leadership in times of budget cuts: Strategies for maintaining quality education.
• The role of principals in fostering community partnerships for school improvement.
• Leadership decision-making processes in curriculum design and implementation.
• The effectiveness of servant leadership in educational settings.
• The challenges of leadership succession in schools and its impact on organizational continuity.
• The role of leadership in promoting physical education and wellness programs.
• How educational leaders influence the integration of global issues into the curriculum.
• Leadership and management of virtual and hybrid learning environments.
• The role of leadership in fostering student-led initiatives and governance.
• Evaluating the impact of educational leadership on national education performance standards.
• The role of leadership in the accreditation and quality assurance of educational programs.
• Leadership strategies for enhancing faculty development and scholarship.
• The role of educational leaders in managing conflicts among staff and students.
• Strategies used by leaders to enhance the reputation and competitiveness of educational institutions.
• The role of data analytics in improving school management decisions.
• Strategies for managing resource allocation in schools with limited budgets.
• The impact of leadership styles in educational management on school effectiveness.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of performance management systems in educational institutions.
• The challenges of implementing sustainable practices in school management.
• The role of school managers in fostering innovation and creativity in education.
• Management of teacher professional development and its impact on school improvement.
• The effectiveness of conflict resolution strategies in educational management.
• School management practices for handling multicultural education environments.
• The role of management in shaping the integration of technology in schools.
• Evaluating the impact of school management on student retention rates.
• The influence of school management on enhancing parental involvement in education.
• Strategies for effective crisis management in educational settings.
• The impact of educational management on implementing inclusive education policies.
• School branding and marketing: Management strategies for enhancing public perception.
• The challenges and strategies of financial management in private vs. public schools.
• The role of educational managers in compliance with national education standards.
• Managing staff turnover in educational institutions: Strategies and outcomes.
• The impact of educational management on special needs education programs.
• The role of strategic planning in educational management for long-term success.
• The effectiveness of communication strategies in educational management.
• Change management in schools: Approaches and resistance factors.
• The role of educational managers in facilitating digital learning environments.
• The impact of demographic changes on school management strategies.
• Managing the integration of non-traditional students in higher education institutions.
• The role of management in enhancing community engagement with schools.
• Educational management practices for promoting mental health awareness in schools.
• The challenges of managing cross-cultural teams in international schools.
• The role of educational managers in fostering ethical behavior and integrity.
• Evaluating the governance structures of educational institutions and their effectiveness.
• The impact of educational management on improving teaching quality.
• Strategies for managing large-scale assessments and evaluations in educational settings.
• The role of educational managers in navigating the politics of education reform.
• Management practices for enhancing the security and safety of educational environments.
• The effectiveness of mentorship programs managed by educational institutions.
• The role of management in handling the adoption of new educational curricula.
• Strategies for managing the transition from traditional to online education.
• The impact of educational management on promoting physical education and sports.
• Managing diversity and inclusion initiatives in educational settings.
• The challenges and outcomes of succession planning in educational leadership.
• The effects of psychological safety in classrooms on student learning outcomes.
• The impact of teacher-student relationships on student academic performance and well-being.
• Cognitive strategies that enhance learning retention in students with learning disabilities.
• The role of motivation in student engagement and achievement.
• Psychological implications of remote learning on elementary school students.
• The effectiveness of mindfulness and meditation programs in promoting student mental health.
• The role of parental involvement on children’s educational outcomes from a psychological perspective.
• Strategies for developing resilience in students facing academic failures.
• The impact of socio-economic status on children’s cognitive development and learning.
• Psychological assessments in schools: Their impact and implications for student development.
• The influence of peer relationships on academic motivation and performance.
• The role of emotional intelligence in leadership and group dynamics in schools.
• The impact of bullying on student mental health and academic outcomes.
• Strategies for addressing test anxiety among high school and college students.
• The psychological effects of praise vs. criticism on student motivation.
• The role of psychological counseling in managing student behavioral issues.
• The impact of learning environments on student psychological well-being.
• Psychological factors influencing the adoption of technology in education.
• The effects of childhood trauma on learning and academic performance.
• Strategies for supporting students with ADHD in educational settings.
• The role of cognitive biases in student learning and decision-making.
• The psychological impacts of extracurricular activities on student development.
• Understanding and managing the emotional aspects of teacher-student interactions.
• The effects of group work on individual student performance and social skills.
• The role of psychology in developing effective educational video games.
• Evaluating the psychological benefits of art and music education.
• The impact of sleep patterns on student learning and memory.
• Psychological theories of learning and their practical applications in the classroom.
• The influence of family dynamics on student academic achievements.
• The role of student self-efficacy in educational achievement and career aspirations.
• The psychological effects of social media use on student attention and learning.
• Strategies for enhancing parental engagement from a psychological perspective.
• The role of teacher feedback in shaping student self-concept and academic identity.
• Psychological perspectives on the challenges of bilingual education.
• The impact of psychological support services on student retention rates in universities.
• The role of psychology in understanding and addressing gender disparities in STEM fields.
• Psychological strategies for integrating special needs students in mainstream classrooms.
• The impact of racial and ethnic identity on educational experiences and outcomes.
• Psychological approaches to understanding and preventing academic dishonesty.
• The role of school psychologists in crisis intervention and management within schools.
• The impact of artificial intelligence on personalized learning environments.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) in STEM education.
• The role of educational apps in enhancing early literacy skills.
• Blockchain technology in education: Implications for security and record-keeping.
• The efficacy of adaptive learning systems in improving student performance.
• The use of big data analytics to predict student learning outcomes and dropout risks.
• Gamification in education: Comparing engagement and learning outcomes across disciplines.
• The challenges and benefits of implementing BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policies in schools.
• The impact of social media tools on collaborative learning and student engagement.
• Augmented reality (AR) applications in education: A tool for enhancing experiential learning.
• The effectiveness of online peer tutoring platforms on student achievement.
• Digital equity in education: Access to technology and its impact on learning disparities.
• The role of technology in facilitating continuous professional development for teachers.
• Online assessment tools: Their validity, reliability, and impact on educational outcomes.
• The influence of podcasting and audio resources on learning in higher education.
• The effects of screen time on cognitive development and academic performance in children.
• The role of e-books and digital libraries in fostering reading habits among students.
• Implementing smart classroom technologies: Benefits, challenges, and long-term outcomes.
• Technology integration in special education: Tools and strategies for inclusive learning.
• The impact of virtual labs on science education in remote learning environments.
• Wearable technology in education: Potential uses and implications for student learning.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) in lifelong learning.
• Internet of Things (IoT) in education: Applications and future prospects.
• Cybersecurity education: Developing critical skills through technology-based curricula.
• The role of video conferencing tools in promoting international collaboration among students.
• The impact of cloud computing on collaboration and data management in schools.
• Analyzing the role of technology in transforming teacher-student interactions.
• The effectiveness of digital storytelling tools in enhancing narrative writing skills.
• The impact of technology on reducing educational disparities in rural areas.
• Student data privacy and ethical considerations in educational technology deployments.
• Mobile learning: Trends, effectiveness, and pedagogical implications.
• The influence of technology on homework practices and student time management.
• The effectiveness of digital feedback systems in improving student learning.
• The role of simulation software in professional and technical education.
• Technology-facilitated project-based learning: Case studies and outcomes.
• The challenges of integrating cutting-edge technologies into traditional curricula.
• Evaluating the long-term impacts of technology-enhanced collaborative learning environments.
• Technology in classroom management: Tools for enhancing disciplinary measures and student behavior monitoring.
• The effectiveness of assistive technologies in supporting dyslexic students.
• Exploring the potential of mixed reality environments in education.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of project-based learning in enhancing problem-solving skills in elementary students.
• Strategies for teaching advanced mathematical concepts to young learners through visual aids.
• Comparing phonics and whole language approaches to reading instruction in elementary education.
• The influence of multicultural curricula on fostering inclusivity and empathy among elementary students.
• The effects of parent-teacher partnerships on student academic achievement and social development.
• Implementing environmental sustainability education in elementary schools: methods and outcomes.
• Effective classroom management strategies for enhancing focus and discipline in young children.
• Assessing the role of regular physical activity in boosting academic performance and mental health in elementary-aged children.
• Integration of digital storytelling tools in elementary science education to enhance student engagement.
• Arts-based learning initiatives: Measuring their impact on creativity and academic success in the elementary classroom.
• Best practices for supporting ESL students in diverse elementary classrooms.
• The impact of reduced teacher-student ratios on personalized learning experiences in elementary schools.
• The role of modern school libraries in promoting digital literacy alongside traditional reading skills.
• Critical analysis of the reliance on standardized testing within elementary educational systems.
• Nutrition-focused school programs and their effects on concentration and academic performance in young students.
• Challenges and benefits of introducing STEM education in early grades.
• Utilizing children’s literature to teach ethics and social responsibility in elementary schools.
• Evaluating the efficacy of anti-bullying initiatives in elementary settings.
• Exploring the role of tablets and apps in developing early writing skills.
• Benefits of experiential outdoor education programs on environmental consciousness in elementary students.
• The educational benefits of structured play in developing cognitive and social skills in elementary pupils.
• Tailoring instruction to meet the needs of gifted students in mainstream elementary classrooms.
• Impact of comprehensive social-emotional learning programs on student behavior and academic outcomes.
• Designing effective strategies for elementary students with specific learning disabilities.
• Investigating the role of positive teacher feedback in shaping student self-perception and academic engagement.
• Analyzing parental pressure and its effects on academic stress in elementary-aged children.
• The role of interactive math games in enhancing numerical proficiency among elementary students.
• Assessing the effectiveness of peer tutoring in reading comprehension and literacy skills.
• The influence of school safety measures on creating a supportive learning environment for elementary learners.
• Cultural influences on teaching practices and curriculum design in diverse elementary classrooms.
• The impact of teacher training on instructional quality and student outcomes in early education.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of visual arts integration in elementary math and science curricula.
• The role of music education in improving cognitive development and academic performance in elementary students.
• Assessing the impact of technology-driven personalized learning environments on student engagement and learning outcomes.
• The effects of bilingual education programs on cognitive flexibility and language development in elementary students.
• Strategies for addressing behavioral issues in elementary classrooms through positive reinforcement.
• The role of community involvement in enhancing educational experiences in elementary schools.
• Investigating the effects of early intervention strategies for children at risk of educational failure.
• The benefits of a narrative approach to teaching history and social studies in elementary schools.
• Exploring the efficacy of mindfulness exercises in managing stress and enhancing focus among young students.
• The impact of school-based mental health programs on student well-being and academic performance.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of digital health education platforms in promoting adolescent health literacy.
• The role of health education in combating the rise of obesity among children and adolescents.
• Strategies for integrating mindfulness and stress reduction techniques into K-12 health curricula.
• Assessing the impact of nutrition education on dietary habits and health outcomes in primary schools.
• The effectiveness of anti-smoking campaigns targeted at young teens within school settings.
• The role of virtual reality (VR) simulations in enhancing health education on topics like CPR and first aid.
• Analyzing the influence of parental involvement in health education on children’s lifestyle choices.
• The effectiveness of peer education models for promoting sexual health among high school students.
• Challenges and opportunities in implementing mental health first aid training in schools.
• The impact of wearable fitness technology on physical education and student health outcomes.
• Evaluating community-based health education programs for their role in improving public health.
• The influence of social media on health behaviors in adolescents: Opportunities for educational interventions.
• Strategies for addressing health disparities through targeted school health education programs.
• The role of health education in prevention and management of adolescent drug abuse.
• Assessing the long-term impacts of health education on lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.
• The effectiveness of school-based interventions for the management of asthma in children.
• The impact of culturally tailored health education programs on minority groups in schools.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of comprehensive reproductive health education in secondary schools.
• The role of schools in promoting environmental health education and awareness.
• The impact of health education interventions on preventing teenage pregnancies.
• Challenges in implementing health education curricula that accommodate students with disabilities.
• The role of gamification in enhancing engagement with health education content.
• Evaluating the impact of school gardens on health education and nutritional outcomes.
• The effectiveness of online health education tools in increasing student engagement and knowledge retention.
• The role of teacher training in the delivery of effective health education.
• Analyzing the policy landscape surrounding health education in schools across different states or countries.
• The impact of health education on reducing the stigma associated with mental health issues.
• The role of health education in fostering critical thinking about health news and media literacy.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of anti-bullying programs as a part of health education in schools.
• The influence of health education on changing attitudes towards vaccination among adolescents.
• The role of school health education in addressing the health needs of LGBTQ+ youth.
• Assessing the effectiveness of health education programs in rural vs. urban schools.
• The challenges of adapting health education programs to the digital age.
• The impact of experiential learning approaches in health education on student understanding and behaviors.
• The role of health educators in advocating for healthy school environments.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing sedentary behavior among students.
• The impact of nutrition and physical activity education on the academic performance of students.
• Strategies for promoting sun safety and skin cancer awareness in schools.
• The effectiveness of school-based dental health education programs in improving oral health behaviors.
• Evaluating the impact of online learning on student engagement in higher education.
• The effectiveness of competency-based education in university settings.
• Trends and challenges in managing diversity and inclusion on college campuses.
• The role of university leadership in fostering a culture of innovation.
• Assessing the financial sustainability of tuition-free college programs.
• The impact of international student enrollments on domestic education quality.
• Strategies for integrating mental health services into university student support systems.
• The effectiveness of academic advising in enhancing student retention and graduation rates.
• The role of technology in transforming traditional lecture-based learning in universities.
• The impact of COVID-19 on the globalization of higher education.
• Analyzing the shift towards STEM education in universities and its implications.
• The effectiveness of university partnerships with industry in preparing students for employment.
• Evaluating the impact of campus safety measures on student well-being.
• The role of social media in shaping university branding and student recruitment.
• Strategies for enhancing faculty development and teaching quality in higher education.
• The effectiveness of experiential learning programs in developing job-ready skills.
• Trends in higher education policy changes and their impact on institutional practices.
• The role of universities in promoting sustainable practices and environmental education.
• Assessing the impact of student loan policies on access to higher education.
• The influence of alumni networks on university development and student opportunities.
• The role of higher education in fostering entrepreneurial skills and mindsets.
• Challenges and strategies for delivering continuing education and professional development.
• The effectiveness of remedial programs in addressing college readiness gaps.
• Trends in higher education curriculum reform to meet evolving industry demands.
• The role of intercultural competencies in enhancing global readiness among graduates.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of hybrid learning models blending online and in-person instruction.
• The impact of artificial intelligence and automation on higher education curriculum and employment.
• Strategies for addressing gender disparities in academic leadership roles.
• The role of higher education in mitigating social inequality through accessible education.
• The effectiveness of wellness programs in improving student health and academic performance.
• The impact of microcredentialing and badge programs on professional development and lifelong learning.
• The challenges of maintaining academic integrity in an era of digital education.
• Evaluating the impact of student-centered learning environments on academic outcomes.
• The role of universities in fostering political and social engagement among students.
• Trends and challenges in the internationalization of higher education curricula.
• Assessing the effectiveness of peer mentoring programs in enhancing academic success.
• The role of higher education in promoting critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of diversity training programs in universities.
• The impact of housing quality and availability on university student success.
• The role of accreditation standards in shaping educational quality in higher education institutions.
• Assessing the impact of global mobility on learning outcomes in international education.
• The effectiveness of international baccalaureate programs compared to national curricula.
• Trends in cross-cultural competency training for educators in international schools.
• The role of language barriers in shaping the international student experience.
• Strategies for integrating international students into domestic academic environments.
• The impact of political tensions on international educational collaborations.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of virtual exchange programs in fostering global understanding.
• The role of international education in promoting global citizenship and peace.
• Challenges and strategies in managing international higher education partnerships.
• Trends in student recruitment strategies by international universities.
• The impact of scholarship programs on promoting diversity in international education.
• The effectiveness of study abroad programs in enhancing intercultural communication skills.
• Assessing the financial sustainability of international branch campuses.
• The role of technology in facilitating international collaboration in education.
• Evaluating the impact of international education on career prospects and employability.
• The challenges of accrediting international educational programs across different countries.
• Trends in educational policy impacting international student visa regulations.
• The role of international education in mitigating cultural stereotypes.
• Strategies for enhancing the safety and security of international students abroad.
• The impact of international alumni networks on global engagement and development.
• Evaluating the role of international educational consultants in student success.
• The challenges of curriculum standardization across international educational systems.
• The impact of economic crises on international student mobility and enrollment.
• The effectiveness of international dual-degree programs in higher education.
• Trends in the use of English as a medium of instruction in non-English speaking countries.
• The role of international educational fairs in shaping global education trends.
• The impact of international education on local economies and cultural exchange.
• Strategies for supporting refugee and displaced students in international education systems.
• The challenges of ethical recruitment in international education.
• The effectiveness of multicultural teams in international school projects.
• Assessing the impact of cultural intelligence training on educators in international settings.
• Trends in governmental support for international education initiatives.
• The role of international education in fostering environmental awareness and action.
• Challenges in assessing the quality of international online education programs.
• The impact of global health crises on international education systems.
• Strategies for balancing nationalism and globalism in international education policies.
• The effectiveness of international peer mentorship programs.
• Trends in international education marketing and student engagement.
• The role of international education in promoting democratic values and social justice.
• Evaluating the impact of international educational exchanges on diplomatic relations.
• The impact of immersive technologies on second language acquisition.
• Strategies for integrating content and language integrated learning (CLIL) in multilingual classrooms.
• The role of motivation in second language learning success.
• Assessing the effectiveness of online language learning platforms versus traditional classroom settings.
• The impact of cultural immersion programs on language proficiency and cultural competence.
• Trends in bilingual education and its effects on cognitive development.
• The role of language in identity formation among multilingual students.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of early childhood language immersion programs.
• The impact of mother tongue-based multilingual education on learning outcomes.
• Strategies for overcoming language barriers in increasingly diverse educational settings.
• The effectiveness of language learning apps and tools: A comparative study.
• The role of teacher training in enhancing language teaching methodologies.
• The impact of study abroad programs on language proficiency and intercultural sensitivity.
• Trends in the assessment methods of second language proficiency.
• The influence of peer interaction in language learning environments.
• The role of artificial intelligence in personalized language learning experiences.
• Challenges and strategies for teaching less commonly taught languages.
• The effectiveness of heritage language programs in preserving linguistic diversity.
• The impact of globalization on language education policies and practices.
• Strategies for promoting linguistic diversity and inclusion in language education.
• The role of language in fostering global citizenship and international relations.
• Evaluating the impact of multiliteracy approaches in language education.
• The challenges of teaching language through online synchronous and asynchronous methods.
• The effectiveness of drama and role-play in enhancing language learning.
• The impact of social media on language learning and usage among students.
• Strategies for addressing language attrition among immigrant populations.
• The role of linguistic landscapes in language learning and cultural exposure.
• Assessing the socio-economic impacts of language education in multilingual societies.
• The influence of family language policies on bilingual education outcomes.
• Trends in language education funding and resource allocation.
• The effectiveness of language cafés and informal language learning environments.
• Challenges in standardizing language proficiency levels across educational systems.
• The role of languages in interdisciplinary education programs.
• The impact of language anxiety on learning outcomes and strategies for mitigation.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of language portfolios as a tool for language learning.
• The role of corrective feedback in second language acquisition.
• The impact of accent reduction programs on communication skills and social integration.
• Strategies for integrating language education with vocational training.
• The influence of linguistic relativity on second language learning processes.
• Evaluating the long-term retention of language skills post-education.
• Evaluating the impact of problem-based learning on mathematical problem-solving skills.
• The effectiveness of visual aids in enhancing understanding of complex mathematical concepts.
• Strategies for integrating technology in mathematics education to improve student engagement.
• The role of mathematical games and puzzles in primary education curriculum.
• Assessing the impact of flipped classrooms on student performance in high school mathematics.
• Trends in adaptive learning technologies for personalized mathematics instruction.
• The influence of teacher attitudes and beliefs on teaching methods in mathematics.
• The effectiveness of collaborative learning environments in mathematics education.
• The role of parental involvement in children’s mathematical development.
• Evaluating the impact of early intervention programs on mathematics achievement in at-risk students.
• Strategies for addressing math anxiety among middle school students.
• The effectiveness of hands-on activities versus traditional lectures in teaching mathematics.
• Assessing gender differences in mathematical achievement and attitudes.
• The role of formative assessment in enhancing learning outcomes in mathematics.
• The impact of professional development programs on mathematics teaching practices.
• Strategies for teaching mathematical concepts to students with learning disabilities.
• The influence of socio-economic factors on mathematics education outcomes.
• The effectiveness of inquiry-based mathematics education compared to traditional approaches.
• Trends in international comparisons of student achievement in mathematics.
• The role of language in understanding and solving mathematical problems.
• Evaluating the use of mathematical modeling in secondary education.
• The impact of STEM-focused schools on mathematics proficiency.
• Strategies for effective integration of statistics and probability in K-12 curricula.
• The role of cultural context in mathematics education and curriculum design.
• Assessing the long-term impacts of early childhood mathematics education.
• The effectiveness of online versus face-to-face tutoring in mathematics.
• Trends in teacher certification and its impact on mathematics education quality.
• The role of feedback in student learning and engagement in mathematics classes.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of peer teaching methods in mathematics.
• The impact of curriculum innovations on teaching and learning mathematics.
• Strategies for integrating ethical reasoning in mathematics education.
• The effectiveness of interdisciplinary approaches to teaching mathematics.
• The role of critical thinking skills in mathematics education.
• Assessing the effectiveness of remedial mathematics programs in higher education.
• Trends in the use of digital portfolios for assessing mathematics learning.
• The impact of international educational exchanges on mathematics teaching methods.
• Strategies for motivating underrepresented groups to pursue mathematics education.
• The influence of new curricular standards on mathematics education reform.
• Evaluating the role of competitions and awards in fostering interest in mathematics.
• The impact of augmented reality (AR) tools on spatial reasoning in geometry education.
• Evaluating the impact of multicultural curricula on racial and ethnic tolerance in schools.
• Strategies for integrating global perspectives into K-12 education systems.
• The effectiveness of teacher training programs in multicultural education competencies.
• Assessing the role of cultural exchange programs in promoting intercultural understanding among students.
• The influence of bilingual education on cultural identity and student achievement.
• Trends in multicultural education policies and their impact on educational equity.
• The role of community involvement in shaping multicultural education practices.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of anti-racism education in reducing bias and discrimination in schools.
• Strategies for addressing cultural conflicts in increasingly diverse classrooms.
• The impact of immigrant histories on curriculum design and teaching strategies.
• The effectiveness of cultural competency frameworks in teacher education.
• Assessing the role of indigenous knowledge systems in multicultural education.
• Trends in the representation of diverse cultures in school textbooks and media.
• The role of schools in fostering cultural preservation and appreciation among minority groups.
• Strategies for engaging parents from diverse backgrounds in the educational process.
• The impact of cultural diversity on classroom dynamics and learning outcomes.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of multicultural clubs and activities in promoting inclusivity.
• The role of intercultural communication training in teacher professional development.
• Assessing the challenges of teaching about sensitive cultural and historical issues.
• The effectiveness of international collaborations in enhancing multicultural understanding.
• Trends in multicultural counseling and guidance in educational settings.
• The role of arts education in promoting multicultural awareness and expression.
• Strategies for accommodating religious diversity in educational institutions.
• The impact of cultural festivals and events on community and school integration.
• Evaluating the role of language diversity in multicultural education settings.
• The effectiveness of storytelling and narrative in conveying multicultural values.
• Trends in educational technology for supporting multicultural education.
• The role of libraries in providing access to multicultural resources and fostering inclusivity.
• Assessing the impact of social justice education on student activism and awareness.
• Strategies for addressing socioeconomic disparities through multicultural education.
• The effectiveness of peer mentorship programs in enhancing multicultural understanding.
• The role of school leadership in promoting an inclusive school culture.
• Assessing the impact of educational policies on multicultural education practices.
• Strategies for using digital media to enhance multicultural learning experiences.
• The effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) simulations in teaching cultural empathy.
• Trends in government support for multicultural education initiatives.
• The role of language education in supporting multicultural communication skills.
• Assessing the impact of demographic changes on multicultural education needs.
• Strategies for integrating multicultural education into STEM fields.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of service learning projects in promoting multicultural competence.
• The impact of music education on cognitive development and academic performance in early childhood.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of digital tools and apps in teaching music theory and practice.
• The role of classical music training in enhancing memory and concentration in students.
• Trends in integrating world music into school curricula and its impact on cultural appreciation.
• The effectiveness of music therapy in special education settings for children with autism.
• Assessing the role of community music programs in fostering social cohesion and community engagement.
• The impact of school budget cuts on the quality and availability of music education programs.
• Strategies for teaching music in a multicultural classroom to enhance intercultural understanding.
• The role of music education in promoting emotional and mental health among adolescents.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of online music education vs. traditional face-to-face teaching methods.
• The influence of music competitions on student motivation and musical career aspirations.
• The impact of mentorship and role models in music education on student engagement and retention.
• Trends in music education policy changes and their impact on program sustainability.
• The effectiveness of adaptive music education tools for students with learning disabilities.
• The role of music in enhancing language acquisition and literacy skills.
• Assessing the impact of participatory music-making on teamwork and collaboration skills.
• The role of technology in transforming music composition and production education.
• Strategies for fostering creativity and innovation through music education.
• The impact of extracurricular music programs on student academic outcomes and school involvement.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of music education in reducing behavioral issues among at-risk youth.
• The role of music education in preserving cultural heritage and promoting cultural tourism.
• Trends in teacher training for music educators and its impact on teaching quality.
• The effectiveness of early musical training on lifelong musical engagement and appreciation.
• The impact of parental involvement in music education on children’s musical development.
• Assessing the role of music education in interdisciplinary learning environments.
• The effectiveness of music education in improving public speaking and presentation skills.
• The role of music education in enhancing spatial-temporal reasoning among students.
• Strategies for integrating music education into STEM fields to create STEAM curriculum.
• The impact of music festivals and live performances as educational tools in schools.
• Evaluating the sustainability of funding for music education programs in public schools.
• The role of peer teaching and learning in music education settings.
• Trends in the use of music technology in classroom settings and its educational outcomes.
• The effectiveness of music education in promoting positive youth development.
• Assessing the challenges of teaching diverse music genres in a standardized curriculum.
• The role of music education in enhancing multicultural understanding and global awareness.
• Strategies for overcoming challenges in access to music education in rural areas.
• The impact of competitive music environments on student psychology and learning outcomes.
• The effectiveness of community partnerships in enhancing music education opportunities.
• Trends in music copyright education for young musicians and educators.
• The role of music education in fostering entrepreneurial skills and career opportunities in the music industry.
• The effectiveness of online learning platforms in higher education: A comparative analysis.
• Strategies for enhancing student engagement in asynchronous online courses.
• The role of artificial intelligence in personalizing learning experiences in online education.
• Assessing the impact of digital divide on access to online education in underprivileged regions.
• Trends in the development and adoption of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) across different disciplines.
• The effectiveness of online simulation tools in professional training and education.
• The role of online education in continuing professional development and lifelong learning.
• Strategies for combating academic dishonesty and plagiarism in online courses.
• The impact of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies on online education.
• Evaluating the pedagogical effectiveness of gamified elements in online learning environments.
• The influence of online peer collaboration on learning outcomes and student satisfaction.
• The role of online education in facilitating international education and global classrooms.
• Assessing the impact of online learning on traditional campus-based educational models.
• Trends in regulatory and accreditation challenges for online education programs.
• The effectiveness of online counseling and student support services in distance education.
• Strategies for integrating hybrid learning models in traditional educational institutions.
• The impact of mobile learning technologies on accessibility to education.
• The effectiveness of online teacher training programs in enhancing teaching quality.
• The role of community building in online education settings to enhance learning experiences.
• Evaluating the long-term career outcomes of graduates from online degree programs.
• The impact of social media on learning engagement in online educational settings.
• Strategies for ensuring equity and inclusion in online education environments.
• The role of open educational resources (OER) in reducing costs and improving access to education.
• Assessing the psychological effects of prolonged exposure to online learning environments.
• The effectiveness of online language learning programs in achieving fluency.
• Trends in the use of analytics and big data to improve student retention in online courses.
• The impact of online education on traditional faculty roles and teaching practices.
• The effectiveness of adaptive learning technologies in meeting diverse learner needs.
• Strategies for engaging parents in the online education of K-12 students.
• The role of online platforms in fostering interdisciplinary studies and research collaboration.
• Assessing the security and privacy concerns in online education platforms.
• The impact of cloud-based technologies on the scalability of online education.
• The role of certification and micro-credentialing in online education marketplaces.
• The effectiveness of virtual labs and experiments in science education online.
• Trends in the internationalization of online courses and degree programs.
• The impact of online education on reducing carbon footprints and promoting sustainability.
• Strategies for implementing effective feedback mechanisms in online learning.
• The effectiveness of multimedia and interactive content in online education.
• The role of online education in emergency preparedness and response training.
• Evaluating the future of online education in the post-pandemic era.

Philosophy of Education Thesis Topics

• Exploring the ethical dimensions of teacher-student relationships in modern educational settings.
• The role of pragmatism in shaping contemporary educational practices and policies.
• Critical theory and its implications for addressing social justice issues in education.
• The impact of constructivism on teaching methods and student learning outcomes.
• Analyzing the philosophy behind inclusive education and its implementation challenges.
• The influence of existentialism on student autonomy and personal development in education.
• The role of Confucian philosophy in shaping educational values and systems in East Asia.
• The impact of neoliberal policies on educational equity and access.
• Exploring the philosophical underpinnings of homeschooling and its growth in popularity.
• The role of education in democracy: Analyzing the contributions of John Dewey.
• The ethical implications of artificial intelligence and technology in education.
• The philosophy of lifelong learning and its relevance in the 21st century.
• Analyzing Paulo Freire’s pedagogy of the oppressed and its contemporary applications.
• The role of feminist theories in shaping gender education policies.
• The impact of postmodernism on curriculum design and educational objectives.
• Exploring the intersection of education and philosophy in the development of critical thinking skills.
• The role of virtue ethics in character education programs.
• The philosophical debates surrounding the commercialization of higher education.
• The influence of philosophical idealism on educational aspirations and outcomes.
• Nietzsche’s philosophy and its implications for educational motivation and excellence.
• The role of education in ethical and moral development according to Kantian philosophy.
• Analyzing the impact of Stoicism on resilience and stress management education.
• The role of Buddhist philosophy in promoting mindfulness and peace education.
• The philosophical foundations of experiential learning and its effectiveness.
• The implications of relativism for teaching multicultural and global education.
• The role of philosophy in defining the aims of scientific education.
• Analyzing the impact of libertarian educational theories on school choice and privatization.
• The ethics of care and its implications for educational practice and policy.
• The role of logical positivism in shaping approaches to scientific education.
• Analyzing the influence of Marxist philosophy on educational theory and classroom practice.
• The implications of phenomenology for understanding the educational experience.
• The role of educational philosophy in shaping environmental education.
• Exploring the philosophical basis for the integration of the arts in education.
• The role of philosophy in the debate over standardized testing and assessment.
• The implications of utilitarianism for educational policy and practice.
• Analyzing the philosophy of language and its implications for literacy education.
• The role of educational philosophy in teacher education and professional development.
• The impact of skepticism on promoting critical thinking and inquiry in education.
• The role of philosophy in shaping strategies for education during crises and emergencies.
• Analyzing the philosophical foundations of digital ethics in education.
• Assessing the impact of physical education on childhood obesity rates.
• The effectiveness of integrated technology in physical education: Wearables and fitness tracking.
• Strategies for promoting lifelong physical activity through school-based programs.
• The role of physical education in the psychological and social development of children.
• Evaluating gender differences in physical education participation and outcomes.
• The impact of school sports programs on academic performance and student behavior.
• Developing inclusive physical education curricula for students with disabilities.
• The role of physical education in addressing mental health issues among adolescents.
• Assessing the safety and risk management practices in school sports and physical education.
• The effectiveness of adventure-based learning programs in physical education.
• Trends in the professional development of physical education teachers.
• The impact of national standards on physical education curriculum development.
• Evaluating the role of competitive sports in physical education settings.
• The effectiveness of mindfulness and yoga programs integrated into physical education.
• The role of physical education in promoting healthy lifestyle choices among teenagers.
• Assessing the impact of extracurricular athletic programs on student engagement.
• The role of physical education in combating sedentary lifestyle trends among youth.
• Evaluating the efficacy of health and wellness education within physical education classes.
• The impact of community and parental involvement in physical education programs.
• Strategies for integrating cultural diversity into physical education programs.
• The effectiveness of physical education programs in rural vs. urban schools.
• Trends in adaptive sports programs within physical education for special needs students.
• The role of physical education in fostering team-building and leadership skills.
• Evaluating the impact of early childhood physical education on motor skill development.
• The role of physical education in the holistic development of students.
• Assessing the impact of budget cuts on physical education programs in public schools.
• The effectiveness of dance and movement programs as part of physical education.
• The role of physical education in reducing aggression and promoting peace among students.
• Strategies for enhancing student motivation and participation in physical education.
• The impact of outdoor education programs on environmental awareness and physical health.
• Evaluating the challenges and benefits of implementing cross-fit programs in high schools.
• The role of physical education in promoting gender equality and empowerment.
• Trends in physical education curricula focusing on non-traditional sports.
• The impact of coaching styles on student learning outcomes in physical education.
• Strategies for addressing the psychological barriers to physical activity among students.
• The role of physical education in promoting intercultural competence and understanding.
• Assessing the effectiveness of virtual and augmented reality tools in physical education.
• The impact of school policies on the provision and quality of physical education.
• Evaluating the long-term health impacts of physical education policies in schools.
• The role of physical education in preparing students for active and healthy aging.
• The effectiveness of inquiry-based learning approaches in enhancing student understanding of scientific concepts.
• Evaluating the impact of climate change education on students’ environmental behaviors and attitudes.
• The role of virtual reality (VR) simulations in teaching complex scientific phenomena.
• Strategies for integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into science curricula to foster problem-solving skills.
• Assessing the effectiveness of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) integration in primary education.
• The impact of maker spaces and fab labs on innovation and creativity in science education.
• Trends in citizen science initiatives as tools for teaching and engaging students in scientific research.
• Evaluating gender disparities in science education and strategies to encourage female participation in STEM fields.
• The effectiveness of digital storytelling in teaching science to diverse student populations.
• The role of science education in promoting sustainability and understanding of ecological systems.
• Assessing the challenges and benefits of teaching controversial scientific topics (e.g., evolution, global warming) in schools.
• The impact of project-based learning on student engagement and retention in science subjects.
• Strategies for effective communication of scientific information in the age of misinformation.
• Evaluating the use of augmented reality (AR) tools for enhancing spatial reasoning in physics education.
• The role of science fairs and competitions in motivating students and fostering a love for science.
• The impact of remote and hybrid learning models on science education during and post-COVID-19.
• Assessing the professional development needs of science teachers in rapidly changing educational landscapes.
• The effectiveness of science education podcasts as a learning tool for high school students.
• Strategies for addressing the science achievement gap among underrepresented and low-income student groups.
• The role of outdoor education programs in teaching biological sciences and fostering environmental stewardship.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of interdisciplinary approaches to teaching science with technology and engineering.
• The impact of biotechnology education on student awareness and ethical perspectives towards genetic engineering.
• Trends in nanotechnology education and its integration into the science curriculum.
• The effectiveness of gamification in science education to enhance learning motivation and engagement.
• The role of mentoring programs in supporting underrepresented students in science fields.
• Assessing the impact of parental involvement on children’s science learning outcomes.
• The role of informal learning environments (museums, science centers) in supplementing formal science education.
• Evaluating the impact of international science collaborations in high school education.
• The challenges of adapting science curricula to include more local and indigenous knowledge systems.
• The effectiveness of flipped classrooms in fostering active learning in science education.
• Strategies for teaching complex scientific topics to students with learning disabilities.
• Assessing the role of peer instruction and collaborative learning in science education.
• The impact of science communication training for teachers on student outcomes.
• The role of artificial neural networks in modeling and simulation for science education.
• Trends in the use of machine learning to analyze educational data in science classrooms.
• Evaluating the impact of 3D printing technology on student understanding of molecular and cellular biology.
• The role of science education in fostering critical thinking and skepticism in an era of fake news.
• Strategies for enhancing science curriculum with real-world problem solving and innovation.
• The effectiveness of continuous assessment versus standardized tests in science education.
• The role of student-led research projects in promoting autonomous learning in science education.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of inclusive classrooms versus segregated settings for students with disabilities.
• The impact of assistive technologies on academic achievement for students with sensory impairments.
• Strategies for integrating social-emotional learning in special education curricula.
• Assessing the outcomes of early intervention programs for children with developmental delays.
• The role of parent-teacher collaboration in developing Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).
• Trends in teacher training for special education: Effectiveness and areas for improvement.
• The impact of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) on accessibility in education for special needs students.
• Strategies for addressing behavioral challenges in students with emotional and behavioral disorders.
• The effectiveness of speech therapy integrated within the school curriculum for students with speech impediments.
• Evaluating the transition programs for students with disabilities moving from secondary education to adulthood.
• The role of music therapy in enhancing communication and emotional expression in children with autism.
• Assessing the impact of legislative changes on the provision of special education services.
• The challenges and effectiveness of distance learning for students with special educational needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Strategies for supporting students with learning disabilities in mainstream classrooms.
• The impact of peer tutoring on social skills development in children with special needs.
• Evaluating the use of augmented and virtual reality as educational tools for students with intellectual disabilities.
• The effectiveness of animal-assisted therapy in improving the well-being of students with special needs.
• Trends in funding for special education: Impacts and implications.
• The role of dietary interventions in managing symptoms of ADHD in school-aged children.
• Strategies for enhancing the motor skills of students with physical disabilities through adaptive physical education.
• The impact of bilingual education on students with learning disabilities.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of art therapy for students with emotional and psychological disorders.
• The challenges of assessing cognitive abilities in students with severe disabilities.
• The role of school counselors in supporting the mental health of special education students.
• Assessing the impact of sensory rooms on student behavior and learning outcomes.
• The effectiveness of professional development in autism spectrum disorders for general education teachers.
• Strategies for improving literacy skills among students with dyslexia.
• The impact of social stories and visual schedules in supporting students with autism in the classroom.
• Evaluating the long-term outcomes of students with disabilities who participate in life skills programs.
• The effectiveness of mindfulness and relaxation techniques in reducing anxiety in students with special needs.
• The role of technology in facilitating communication for non-verbal students.
• Strategies for involving students with disabilities in extracurricular activities.
• The impact of genetic counseling on parents of children with genetic disorders and its educational implications.
• Evaluating the role of educational psychologists in special education settings.
• The effectiveness of transition planning from school to employment for young adults with disabilities.
• The impact of community-based learning experiences on students with special needs.
• Strategies for addressing the shortage of qualified special education teachers.
• The role of early childhood intervention in preventing the escalation of special needs in later schooling.
• The impact of cultural and linguistic diversity on the delivery of special education services.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of behavior intervention plans for managing classroom behavior in students with emotional and behavioral disorders.
• The impact of vocational education on employment outcomes in the technology sector.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of apprenticeship programs in skilled trades.
• The role of vocational education in economic development within rural communities.
• Trends in vocational education policy changes and their impact on labor markets.
• The effectiveness of dual education systems combining vocational training and academic education.
• Assessing the role of industry partnerships in enhancing vocational training programs.
• The impact of digital transformation on vocational education and training (VET) curricula.
• Strategies for integrating soft skills training into vocational education programs.
• The role of vocational education in reducing youth unemployment rates.
• Evaluating gender disparities in access to vocational training and outcomes.
• The impact of vocational education on lifelong learning and career progression.
• Trends in vocational education for sustainable development and green jobs.
• The effectiveness of online and blended learning approaches in vocational education.
• The role of vocational education in supporting economic recovery post-COVID-19.
• Assessing the alignment of vocational training programs with current job market demands.
• The impact of vocational education on social inclusion and mobility.
• Strategies for improving the image and attractiveness of vocational education.
• The role of vocational education in supporting entrepreneurship and self-employment.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of vocational education in the hospitality and tourism industry.
• The impact of vocational training on the healthcare workforce and service delivery.
• Trends in vocational education for the creative arts and media sectors.
• The role of competency-based education in vocational training programs.
• The impact of international collaboration in vocational education on curriculum development.
• Evaluating the role of vocational education in the automotive industry’s shift to electric vehicles.
• Strategies for addressing the skills gap in manufacturing through vocational education.
• The role of vocational education in the digital economy and emerging sectors.
• Assessing the effectiveness of vocational education in culinary arts and food service management.
• The impact of vocational education on reducing recidivism through prison education programs.
• Trends in vocational education for the renewable energy sector.
• The effectiveness of vocational education in the retail and consumer services industry.
• The role of modular and flexible learning options in vocational education.
• Strategies for enhancing teacher training in vocational education settings.
• The impact of policy frameworks on the quality and delivery of vocational education.
• Evaluating the role of vocational education in enhancing workplace safety and occupational health.
• The effectiveness of vocational education in the agricultural sector.
• The role of vocational education in supporting older workers in workforce transitions.
• Assessing the impact of vocational education on community development and social welfare.
• Trends in vocational education for the entertainment and event management industry.
• The role of vocational education in fostering innovation and technology adoption.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of vocational education in the logistics and supply chain management industry.

We hope this extensive and carefully curated list of education thesis topics will serve as a springboard for your academic research. Each category has been designed to reflect the evolving landscape of educational inquiry, ensuring you can find a topic that not only interests you but also contributes to the field of education. As you peruse these options, consider how each topic might help you achieve your academic and professional goals. With this comprehensive resource, we aim to equip you with the tools to embark on a rewarding and insightful thesis writing journey.

The Range of Education Thesis Topics

Education is a dynamic field, constantly evolving in response to societal changes, technological advancements, and cultural shifts. The selection of a thesis topic in education is crucial, as it not only contributes to the academic development of students but also impacts the broader educational landscape. This in-depth article on education thesis topics explores the range of potential areas for scholarly research, highlighting the importance of choosing topics that are not only of personal interest but also of significant relevance to current issues, recent trends, and future directions in education. By delving into these dimensions, students can position their work to contribute meaningfully to ongoing conversations and innovations in the field. Whether you are examining traditional educational theories or exploring cutting-edge technologies, the goal remains the same: to enhance understanding and improve educational practices across diverse settings.

Current Issues in Education

The landscape of education is continually shaped by a variety of pressing issues that demand attention from educators, policymakers, and researchers. Education thesis topics that focus on these current issues are pivotal for students who aim to make meaningful contributions to the field. This section explores several significant challenges and areas of concern that are shaping educational discourse today.

• Educational Equity and Access: One of the critical areas within current education thesis topics is the persistent inequality in access to quality education. Disparities based on socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, and geographical location significantly impact educational outcomes. Thesis topics in this area could explore strategies for improving access to high-quality education for underrepresented and disadvantaged groups, examining the effectiveness of policy interventions or the role of technology in bridging these gaps.
• Impact of Technology on Learning: The integration of technology in education has accelerated due to the global shift to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Education thesis topics could investigate the long-term effects of remote learning on student academic performance and social skills, or explore the development of new pedagogical models that effectively integrate digital tools, addressing the digital divide and concerns over student data privacy and security.
• Mental Health in Educational Settings: Increasing awareness of mental health issues highlights the importance of supporting student well-being in educational environments. Education thesis topics can focus on evaluating the effectiveness of mental health programs in schools or exploring how educational settings can be designed to better support the mental health of both students and educators. This provides a fertile ground for thesis research aimed at developing effective support mechanisms.
• Curriculum Relevance and Reform: As the demands of the workforce evolve, there is a pressing need for curriculum reform to ensure that students are equipped with relevant skills for the future. Education thesis topics addressing these issues might involve examining the alignment of current curricula with the skills needed in today’s job market or evaluating the implementation and outcomes of curriculum innovations.
• Teacher Retention and Professional Development: Teacher turnover remains a significant issue in education, affecting the stability and quality of teaching. Education thesis topics in this area might include studies on the factors influencing teacher retention, the impact of teacher professional development on educational outcomes, or innovative strategies to enhance teacher engagement and satisfaction.

Addressing these education thesis topics through rigorous research not only contributes to academic growth but also plays a crucial role in shaping effective and responsive educational practices. Each of these areas offers a wealth of opportunities for developing thesis topics that can have a real-world impact, enhancing the educational experiences of learners and empowering educators across the globe.

Recent Trends in Education

Education is an ever-evolving field, with new methodologies, technologies, and philosophies continually reshaping the way knowledge is imparted and absorbed. Understanding these shifts is crucial for developing relevant education thesis topics. This section highlights some of the most significant recent trends in education that are influencing current research and teaching practices.

• Technology Integration: One of the prominent recent trends in education is the increased integration of technology in the classroom. Education thesis topics might explore how digital tools such as AI, VR, and cloud computing are transforming traditional teaching methodologies and student engagement. This trend has accelerated due to the necessity of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering a rich area for investigation into its long-term effects on educational outcomes.
• Personalized Learning: Tailoring education to individual student needs and learning styles is becoming more feasible through data analytics and adaptive learning technologies. Recent trends in education suggest a move towards more personalized education, which is particularly relevant for thesis topics that investigate the effectiveness of these approaches in improving student learning and retention rates.
• Sustainability Education: As global awareness of environmental issues increases, so does the emphasis on sustainability within educational curricula. Recent trends in education highlight the integration of sustainability into all levels of education as a critical area of study. Education thesis topics could examine how sustainability is being taught in schools and its impact on student attitudes and behaviors towards the environment.
• Social and Emotional Learning (SEL): Another growing trend in the field of education is the focus on social and emotional learning. This trend emphasizes the importance of developing skills such as empathy, self-awareness, and emotional regulation. Education thesis topics could explore the integration of SEL into the curriculum, its effectiveness, and how it impacts academic and social outcomes.
• Inclusive Education: The push towards more inclusive educational practices that accommodate diverse learning needs, including those of students with disabilities, is a significant trend. Education thesis topics could focus on strategies for successful inclusion, the impact of inclusive policies on school culture, and student achievement.
• Lifelong Learning: The concept of lifelong learning has gained momentum, reflecting the continuous need for skill development in a rapidly changing world. Recent trends in education emphasize the importance of fostering lifelong learning habits, making it a compelling area for education thesis topics. These might investigate programs designed to encourage lifelong learning or evaluate methods for teaching skills that facilitate continuous personal and professional development.

Each of these recent trends in education provides a framework for valuable education thesis topics. By focusing on these areas, students can contribute to the dialogue on how best to adapt educational practices to meet the needs of today’s learners and tomorrow’s challenges.

Future Directions in Education

As we look towards the future, education continues to adapt to new challenges and opportunities. Identifying potential advancements and shifts within the field is crucial for students seeking to develop forward-thinking education thesis topics. This section explores several key areas that are likely to shape the future directions in education.

Integration of Emerging Technologies: One of the most anticipated future directions in education is the broader integration of emerging technologies such as blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced artificial intelligence. Education thesis topics could explore how these technologies might revolutionize aspects of education management, security, personalized learning, and student assessment, offering new efficiencies and enhancing educational experiences.

• Global Education Systems: As globalization increases, there is a growing emphasis on global education frameworks that can provide consistent educational standards across borders. Future directions in education may involve the development of more unified global education policies and practices. Thesis topics might examine the impacts of these systems on local education traditions, student mobility, and international collaboration.
• Holistic Education Models: There is a shifting focus towards more holistic education models that emphasize not just academic skills but also physical health, mental well-being, and social responsibility. Future directions in education could see these models becoming more mainstream, with education thesis topics exploring the integration of holistic education practices in schools and their effects on student well-being and societal engagement.
• Decentralization of Education: The future might hold more decentralized education models, facilitated by technology, where learning is not confined to traditional classroom settings. Education thesis topics could investigate the potential of decentralized models to democratize access to education, personalize learning experiences, and reduce costs.
• Ethics and Education: As technology becomes more integrated into educational settings, ethical considerations regarding privacy, data security, and equality become increasingly important. Future directions in education will likely need to address these ethical challenges, providing rich areas for thesis research into best practices and regulatory frameworks.
• Lifelong and Lifewide Learning: The concept of lifelong learning is expected to expand into lifewide learning, where education spans multiple aspects of life and careers. Education thesis topics could focus on how educational institutions can support lifelong and lifewide learning paradigms, the impact on career development, and the implications for traditional educational pathways.
• Sustainability and Education: As environmental concerns continue to grow, future directions in education will increasingly need to integrate sustainability into all levels of education. Thesis topics might explore innovative ways to teach sustainability, the effectiveness of these educational programs, and their long-term impacts on environmental consciousness.

These future directions in education offer a broad array of possibilities for education thesis topics, each with the potential to significantly impact how education is delivered and experienced. By focusing on these emerging trends, students can position their research at the cutting edge of educational development, contributing valuable insights and solutions to the evolving challenges of the field.

In conclusion, the exploration of education thesis topics offers a window into the complex, ever-changing world of education. As this article has shown, engaging with current issues, embracing recent trends, and anticipating future directions are critical for students who wish to make impactful contributions through their research. From addressing the challenges of digital learning environments to enhancing strategies for inclusive education, the possibilities are vast and varied. By selecting a thesis topic that resonates with contemporary educational needs and future aspirations, students can contribute to the development of more effective, equitable, and innovative educational practices. Ultimately, the pursuit of these topics not only advances personal academic goals but also serves the larger purpose of enriching the educational experiences of learners around the globe.

Thesis Writing Services by iResearchNet

At iResearchNet, we understand that writing a thesis can be a daunting task. That’s why we’ve developed a range of custom writing services to assist students in navigating their academic challenges effectively. Whether you’re struggling with finding the right topic, conducting in-depth research, or crafting a compelling narrative, our expert team is here to help. We offer personalized support tailored to meet your specific needs, ensuring that each piece of work is not only comprehensive but also adheres to the highest academic standards.

• Expert Degree-Holding Writers: Our team consists of writers who hold advanced degrees in their respective fields. With their expertise, they bring a wealth of knowledge and a deep understanding of subject matter to ensure that your thesis is robust, well-researched, and scholarly. Each writer is committed to academic excellence and is skilled in both writing and critical analysis.
• Custom Written Works: Every thesis we help craft is started from scratch and tailored to the specific requirements of your assignment. We guarantee originality and a plagiarism-free approach, ensuring that your work is unique and meets the academic criteria of your institution.
• In-depth Research: Research is the cornerstone of every academic thesis. Our writers are proficient in conducting thorough research using a wide array of sources, including journals, books, and credible online resources. We ensure that all research is up-to-date and relevant, incorporating the latest findings and scholarly debates into your thesis.
• Custom Formatting (APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian, Harvard): Understanding and applying the correct formatting style is crucial in academic writing. Our writers are experts in all major formatting styles and will ensure that your thesis meets the specific formatting requirements of your academic institution.
• Top Quality: Quality assurance is paramount at iResearchNet. We have a dedicated team of editors who ensure that each thesis is of the highest quality, free from errors, and polished to perfection. Our commitment to quality means that we consistently deliver work that is not only accurate but also impactful.
• Customized Solutions: We recognize that every student’s needs are unique. As such, our services are highly customized. Whether you need help with a specific chapter, statistical analysis, or a complete thesis, we tailor our services to fit your exact needs.
• Flexible Pricing: We offer competitive and flexible pricing models that cater to a range of budgets without compromising on quality. Our goal is to make professional writing assistance accessible to as many students as possible.
• Short Deadlines Up to 3 Hours: Facing a tight deadline? No problem. Our team is equipped to handle urgent orders, delivering comprehensive and high-quality work even on tight timelines.
• Timely Delivery: We understand the importance of deadlines in academic settings. Our team ensures that all work is completed and delivered within the agreed timeframe, allowing you to review the work and request any necessary revisions.
• 24/7 Support: Our support team is available around the clock to answer any questions or concerns you may have. Whether you need help placing an order or have a query about an existing order, our friendly support staff is always ready to assist you.
• Absolute Privacy: Your privacy and confidentiality are of utmost importance to us. All personal information and order details are kept confidential, and we ensure that your dealings with us are secure and private.
• Easy Order Tracking: Our user-friendly online platform allows you to track the progress of your order at any time. You can easily communicate with your writer, upload additional documents, and receive updates directly through your account.
• Money-Back Guarantee: We stand behind the quality of our work. If you are not satisfied with the final product, we offer a money-back guarantee, ensuring that you can order with confidence.

At iResearchNet, we are committed to supporting your academic journey with top-tier writing services. Our goal is to relieve the stress associated with thesis writing and to provide you with the tools you need to succeed. Trust us to help you achieve your academic goals through dedicated support, expert writing, and unwavering attention to detail. Let iResearchNet be your partner in navigating the complexities of academic writing.

Buy Your Custom-Written Thesis Today!

Ready to elevate your academic journey? Don’t let the challenges of thesis writing hold you back. At iResearchNet, we’re here to support you every step of the way with expert, customized writing services. Whether you’re struggling with topic selection, research, writing, or formatting, our team of degree-holding writers is ready to assist you.

Embrace the opportunity to work with professionals who understand your needs and are committed to your academic success. With our flexible pricing, timely delivery, and 24/7 support, you’re not just getting a service; you’re gaining a partner dedicated to helping you excel.

Don’t wait— order your custom thesis paper today ! Take advantage of our comprehensive services and ensure your thesis is of the highest quality. Visit us at iResearchNet to learn more and make your academic goals a reality. Join the many students who have successfully navigated their academic challenges with our help. Order now and make your academic journey smoother and more successful.

ORDER HIGH QUALITY CUSTOM PAPER

• How It Works
• PhD thesis writing
• Master thesis writing
• Bachelor thesis writing
• Dissertation writing service
• Dissertation abstract writing
• Thesis proposal writing
• Thesis editing service
• Thesis proofreading service
• Thesis formatting service
• Coursework writing service
• Research paper writing service
• Architecture thesis writing
• Computer science thesis writing
• Engineering thesis writing
• History thesis writing
• MBA thesis writing
• Nursing dissertation writing
• Psychology dissertation writing
• Sociology thesis writing
• Statistics dissertation writing
• Buy dissertation online
• Write my dissertation
• Cheap thesis
• Cheap dissertation
• Custom dissertation
• Dissertation help
• Pay for thesis
• Pay for dissertation
• Senior thesis
• Write my thesis

168 Dissertation Topics In Education To Check Out!

Education considers different methods of teaching and learning to promote positive changes in human life and behaviors. The field instills a gradual process of learning, unlearning, and relearning to transfer values and mold human behaviors.

Generally, education is formal, informal, and non-formal. But education as a discipline cuts across several aspects. There is alternative education as well as self-directed education. Education can also be evidence-based, open learning, and electronic.

In this article, we cover all topics regarding education and how you can get on them for your dissertations. These topics are grouped for easy selection. If you’ve been looking for compelling education topics, this article is your answer.

What Are the Characteristics of a Good Dissertation Paper?

A thesis is a long work of research that gets unreadable when poorly structured; likewise a dissertation. If you want to score excellently well in your research, then your dissertation on education should be fun and engaging. Here are features of a good dissertation paper:

Accuracy: Your dissertation paper must be accurate. By accuracy, we mean it should be factual and reflect real values. It should be devoid of misleading information. Clarity: Writing a dissertation does not mean it has to be negligent of clarity. Ambiguous terms should be broken down to allow improved readability. Conciseness: You can write in two or three short sentences rather than in blocks of paragraphs. Splitting sentences makes for more conciseness. Validity: Your dissertation should be valid and produce the needed results. It should also be topically relevant. Verifiability: If your research cannot be verified, it has failed in providing solutions. Your dissertation should be fact-checked before publication. Organization: No professor will score a poorly organized dissertation. An engaging paper should have an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

While writing a good dissertation should follow the features above, it should also have a good topic. Below are possible dissertation topics in education you can explore.

Interesting Educational Topics

When your dissertation paper is interesting, it means it engages all senses of the readers and introduces them to new knowledge. Whether you’re writing your PhD thesis or an undergraduate dissertation about education, here are a few most interesting dissertation ideas in education you can choose from:

• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of sex education to youths.
• Examine the benefits and impacts of technology on education.
• Trace the evolution of educational approaches in history.
• What are the implications of virtual education on traditional students?
• What are your opinions on same-sex schools and their impact on sexuality?
• Theoretical education or practical education; which would you go for?
• Is apprenticeship necessary for developing educational systems?
• What are your perspectives on grade calculation using the Bell Curve?
• Virtual education: what are the ways to keep students engaged?
• Education and dress code: are some of the rules outdated?
• Principles and approach: what makes the modern teacher?
• How to help students navigate through the huge virtual library.
• The role of education in curtailing the classroom and cyberbullying.
• Detail the history of some of the greatest schools in the world.
• Explore the contributions of some of the greatest teachers in the world.
• What are the functions of education in dealing with school violence?
• Discuss character building as the primary role of education.
• Explain how the concept of basic education differs from one country to another.
• Racism and discrimination: how schools contribute to the crisis.
• Should there be a radical change to the modern curriculum?
• Review how homeschooling negatively impacts students.
• What do you think are factors responsible for school dropouts?
• Uniformity in schools and how it has overstayed its roles.
• Should schools move to offer courses that only meet the future?
• Bilingual education: meaning, roles, benefits, and effects.

Fascinating List of Dissertation Topics in Education

Education topics can be fascinating, but you’ll need to be intentional about them. We mean you can get topics on education that charm your readers and delight your professors. If this is what you want, here is a list of education dissertation topics we consider highly fascinating:

• What do you think about ability grouping enhancing academic performance?
• Blended learning: what are the effects of online education mixed with traditional education?
• Examine the impact of bringing students through the same buses on academic outcomes.
• How does a bigger class size influence academic performance?
• Digital literacy and how it affects students’ learning and capabilities.
• How essential is preschool to academic development?
• Do homeschoolers perform better than traditional students?
• How can schools and institutions devise learning styles that engage students?
• Should teachers receive standard salaries or be paid based on performance?
• The unfairness of standard testing in deciding academic potential.
• Is distance learning the future of education learning?
• Diversity in schools and how students can benefit from it.
• Should the use of smartphones in classrooms be banned?
• Why should the level of education inform employment?
• Why do people with degrees get paid less in the 21st century?
• What considerations make education a fundamental human right?
• How does the level of education influence social and economic status?
• What are the benefits and risks of learning a second language while in school?
• What is the usefulness of soft skills in the modern-day workplace?
• What are the impacts of globalization on the online education system?
• What is the role of the school towards ensuring the good mental wellbeing of students?
• Discuss the historical bias in western education systems against blacks.
• Probe the gender bias of school policies and explain the way forward.
• Factors responsible for the decline of ethics in schools.
• Why there should be a balance between extracurricular activities and students’ academics.

Controversial Dissertation Topics in Education

Sometimes, it gets controversial when issues become opinionated. But controversy can be fun, too, especially when the topics are about education. These dissertation topics below, themed on education, will give you the needed heat to enjoy the dynamism of education:

• Girls or boys: which gender does better at school?
• At what years should children start learning in school?
• Should young people leave school at an early age to join the workforce?
• Education should only be mandated for the selected few and not for all.
• Explain why teachers should be tested regardless of their qualifications.
• Women or men: who become better teachers and why?
• School bullies should be sent out of schools and homeschooled instead.
• School bullying: should we blame the parents, teachers, or society?
• Reasons school uniforms should be scrapped from schools.
• Excluding religious studies from schools is the right decision against terrorism.
• All western schools should prohibit any forms of religious wear.
• Inclusiveness in schools should not consider religious beliefs.
• Should the school take up guns to protect the students?
• Would you rather be homeschooled or follow the traditional education system?
• Education system: online education vs. traditional education.
• Analyze how students in mixed schools perform better than those in same-sex schools.
• Which is more important: practical education or theoretical education?
• Should the government spend more on education than other sectors?
• Is it necessary for teachers to have parenting skills?
• Why should the world drive towards a global education system?
• Should grades be retained or scrapped?
• Should students learn how to type rather than how to write?
• Probe why foreign languages should be allowed at schools.
• What are your opinions on sex education classes?
• Should students be mandated to learn how to code?

Childhood Education Dissertations Topics

We all have childhood memories without which a lot of things wouldn’t have been. But what better way to improve them if not to research them? Childhood education talks about the cognitive and behavioral growth of children. Here are thesis topics in education that boldly reflect that:

• Academic performance of children with disabilities through the use of technology.
• Perception of parents towards play-based learning in schools.
• Relationship between children’s grades and the race for excellence.
• A comparative analysis of children’s phonics and whole language learning.
• Effect of technology on children’s academic behaviors.
• How should teachers teach children gender norms and identity?
• Explore Piaget’s theory and contributions to childhood education.
• Should schools adopt authoritarian strategies towards children’s behavior management?
• Challenges confronting the integration of autistic children into mainstream classrooms.
• What are the impacts of seating arrangements on children’s academic performance?
• What are the barriers responsible for effective classroom inclusion?
• Should children be taught the essence of diversity?
• Impacts of homework on low-income black children’s grades?
• A critical review of teachers’ and parents’ roles on children’s moral upbringing.
• Problems faced by children of immigrant parents in schools.
• At what age should the school allow parents to introduce children to technology?
• How are male teachers different from female teachers in considering children’s education?
• Discuss how schools should attend to drug use tendencies among poor children.
• What are the impacts of a negative community on poor children?
• Challenges faced by teachers in teaching an inclusive class in lower schools.
• The emergence of coding and the need to teach children as early as possible.
• Explain the theory and practice of video games in improving children’s academic performance.
• Creating an efficient school environment in developing early childhood education.
• Combining outdoor learning with a basic curriculum to develop children’s cognitive brilliance.
• Should children rather be taught in schools, homeschooled, or enrolled in virtual education?

Special Education Dissertation Ideas

Special education suggests the instructional needs of students with disabilities. It cuts across the classroom, hospital, learning institutions, and other educational settings. This form of education fosters learning inclusion. Below are topics that capture special education dissertation ideas:

• Detail the history of special education in the United States.
• What role do parents play in the education of children with special needs?
• The social networking of children with behavioral and emotional disabilities.
• Technological growth and the support of children with special education.
• How can Artificial Intelligence improve the educational development of children with special needs?
• The challenges of integrating children with disorders and functioning children.
• How students with mental disabilities can improve academic performance.
• Impacts of classroom bullying on disabled students.
• What are the problems to reducing Assistive Technology for children with autism?
• Is disability a threat to teaching and classroom inclusion?
• Including children with learning differences and the promotion of learning experiences.
• Videogames as a learning tool for children with disabilities.
• Deaf students and their exclusion from learning in lower schools.
• Threats to inclusive education and the way forward.
• Why teachers should be trained to be more inclusive in perspective transformation.
• An analysis of teacher support programs in guiding children with an emotional disorder.
• The significant relationship between urban areas and children’s emotional disturbance.
• A critical study of emotional issues faced by marginalized students.
• Sign languages and the drive for its global adoption in schools.
• Problems of speech-recognition software on students with exceptionalities.
• What are your opinions on expelling students identified as emotionally disturbed?
• Should students with special needs be provided with personal digital assistants?
• The need for personal care assistants in special education schools.
• What are the most effective therapies for students with emotional disturbance?
• Understanding special education support and impact on inclusive learning.

Physical Education Thesis Topics

Physical education teaches the development of students’ physical competence and mental well-being. For students to perform a wide range of activities, they need to be in the right physical and mental mindset. We have listed below engaging physical education thesis topics for an impressive dissertation:

• How essential is physical literacy to the academic performance of students?
• Integration of motor skill assessments into the academic curriculum.
• Explain how exercises improve self-confidence in students with special needs.
• Should augmented physical education be introduced to schools?
• Discuss how teachers’ involvement in physical activities improves academic welfare.
• Threats to planning a comprehensive physical activity program in schools.
• Impacts of physical education on the social skills of students.
• What is the correlation between teaching behaviors and physical activities?
• How can physical education promote peace and inclusion in schools?
• How exercises lead to effective rehabilitation of students with emotional disturbance.
• A critical study of how physical education improves general well-being is students.
• Impacts of sports on the development of educational infrastructure.
• The relationship between exercises and positive grade performance.
• Analyze the impacts of computerized sports on students’ fitness performance.
• What are the impacts of observational learning in sports on academic performance?
• Soft skills acquisition through active engagement in physical exercises.
• Role of physical activity and dietary supplements on the performance of students.
• Investigating the role of aerobic capacity and muscular exercises on undergraduate students.
• Prison education: understanding the need for policy changes in health and physical education.
• Role of inclusive physical education towards diversity tolerance.
• Impacts of physical education on the learning performance of elementary students.
• A critical evaluation of sporting facilities in the education sector.
• Teaching physical fitness improves self-perception in adolescents. Discuss.
• How methods conflict with the boundaries of physical education.
• What are your opinions on physical education as a tool to curtail crime rates?

Higher Education Dissertation Topics

Higher education is tertiary education that awards an academic degree. It is the next level of education after secondary education. Below is a list of higher education dissertation topics you can use for your research:

• What factors are responsible for the decline in the Humanities?
• Account for the discrepancy in students’ job preparation and skill development?
• What reasons cause the rising debt of students in higher education?
• The institutionalization of racism and discrimination in western universities.
• The prevalence of enrollment agreements in distance learning.
• Detail the need for a flexible, modular system in higher education.
• Why is the modern workplace no longer accepting college degrees?
• What factors are responsible for the divide between faculty and staff?
• What new models or instruments should measure academic efficacy?
• What are your opinions on the autonomy of students in language education?
• Account the prevalence of cheating in high schools and corrective measures.
• Is distance learning the university of the future?
• Evaluating the social and digital skills of teachers after the pandemic.
• How effective are course portfolios at improving higher education learning?
• The adoption of integrative learning approaches and interactive digital strategies.
• What are the challenges confronting modern colleges and what is the way forward?
• What is your perspective on the de-privatization of higher education?
• Reasons the workplace should no longer regard university grades as a criterion for jobs.
• What are the benefits and risks of alternative higher education?
• What do you understand by ‘meaningful’ learning and why does it matter?
• Would you argue against skill or degree?
• How does the consumer approach to higher education affect traditional universities?
• What does economics education mean and what factors predate it?
• What can students’ attitudes towards e-learning be measured?
• Do teachers need a degree before becoming professionals in the field?

Is Your Dissertation in Education Too Challenging?

Education is a wide discipline and it stretches into several areas of academics. But to write a very good dissertation, you’d need to follow some features and keep good notes on dissertation topics on education.

However, if you feel too overwhelmed to get your education dissertation done, we have experts who could help you with it. Why post, ‘write my thesis?’ when our thesis help is fast, reliable, and attentive to details. Our writers are degree holders and provide awesome, custom dissertations at the best prices. Book our online help now!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment * Error message

Name * Error message

Email * Error message

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

As Putin continues killing civilians, bombing kindergartens, and threatening WWIII, Ukraine fights for the world's peaceful future.

Ukraine Live Updates

Thesis Topics for Elementary Education

Differences between informal & formal education.

Education is a large field, and topic ideas for a Master's thesis can be hard to narrow. Choose a topic related to your specialized interest or area of education. Focus on a problem in your field, and find a scientific and practical solution to that problem. Use books, journals, other thesis, libraries, surveys and other materials for research. Keep it as interesting and relevant to readers as possible.

Special Education Topics

Consider general special education issues like a specific disorder or disability. Before writing, research how the "No Child Left Behind" act affects the inclusion classroom and children with special needs. In this topic, you might cover how children with autism, mental or emotional disorders function in the general classroom as compared to placement in a separate special needs classroom. Interview teachers who work with these children receiving special education services in inclusion and special ed settings. Within a thesis focusing on special education, another option is discuss and analyze the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) process and service delivery of special education services within a school or district. Further research options in the special education thesis topic area include looking more closely at inclusion, mainstreaming and self-contained classroom placements.

Education Methods and Pedagogy

Teaching methods vary from state to state and district to district. Assessments, best practices, cooperative learning techniques and inclusion policies are as diversified as the various schools. Write a paper on how these methods can be used in the classroom, how they differ from campus to campus, or how these differences might affect students who relocate often during a school year.

Educational Psychology Ideas

Educational psychology concerns how people learn and the differences in learning by those with disabilities or gifted learners. Specific methods of teaching are required for these different learning styles. A thesis paper could delve into the aspect of instructional design, multiple intelligences, Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning Domains and organized learning. Any of these topics can be turned into an interesting thesis paper.

Alternative Methods of Education

Alternative settings for education can include charter schools, independent schools, and home-based learning. Topic ideas include how these alternatives are accomplished, how students can benefit from the smaller-based classrooms as compared to more personal instructional support, or how students fare in different environments. Explore comparisons between public, charter, home and private schools by interviewing and speaking to students, teachers and parents from each of these education methods and settings.

Related Articles

Staff Development Topics for Teachers

What Schools Offer Educational Diagnostician Programs?

The Best Colleges & Schools in California to Become a Teacher

ESL Topics for a Research Paper

Best Colleges in Michigan for Teaching Degrees

Thesis Topics Related to Language Learning and Acquisition

How to Formulate a Qualitative Research Question

List of Nonprofit Educational Research Organizations

• Research Guides@Tufts: Topics in Early Childhood Education
• American Educational Research Association: Trending Topic Research File Early Education

Jackie Castle has been writing stories and devotions since 1998 and has contributed to the Focus on the Family magazine. Castle holds a Bachelor of Science in rehabilitation counseling from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. She also holds a teaching certification.

teacharts.org

Dissertation? Not a problem anymore!

Guide to Choosing a Topic for Dissertation in Education

Dissertations are a prerequisite for completing any Master and Doctorate programs. It’s an extended academic paper that focuses on a student’s area of interest. Students are expected to develop something unique, engaging, and educational. However, dissertations are required to be new research areas not previously researched.

Writing a dissertation is necessary to gain your Doctor of Education qualification. Here’s where most doctorate students develop issues—developing a topic that narrows their study interest. Students in this field are expected to submit an education dissertation proposal in their area of study and interest, which they will work on throughout their Ph.D. program.

So, how do you develop topics for a dissertation on education that matches your field of interest? This article outlines helpful tips to guide your topic in choosing stage and idea dissertation topics for education students.

Guides to selecting a dissertation topic for PhD students

Your dissertation topic can make or mark your research. Choosing the right topic makes the research and writing process easy for you and lessens the amount of work you need. Here’s how you can choose a suitable topic.

• Brainstorm your study interests

The very first stage before you select and submit a topic proposal for your dissertation is brainstorming. Through brainstorming, you list all the areas in education that fall within your interest and then select one.

• Ensure the topic has enough information

A dissertation will contain between 100-300 pages. To fill these pages, you need a topic that has enough areas that you will touch across while writing. Choosing a topic with not much to write will extend the duration of your EdD program.

• Ask for help/advice

Don’t think you can’t seek the opinion, advice, and help of others when choosing your dissertation topic. Ask your professor, supervisors, peers, and anyone you can question. By asking for advice and seeking the opinion of others, it helps to inform your dissertation ideas for education.

• Choose a solid topic

There’s a difference between interesting and solid. A solid topic helps you develop a compelling abstract. Your dissertation abstracts in education should be able to capture the interest of readers at first sight. A solid topic helps you achieve this because it has a lot of depth.

Dissertation topics in education for PhD students

If you are looking for education topics for a guide, below are helpful dissertation topics for doctorate students in education.

Dissertation topics in early childhood education

• The role of teachers in early childhood learning
• Regulation of children’s television viewing and how it impacts the education growth
• A study of gender differences in preschool and their effect on learning
• Empathy as a teaching tool for preschool teachers
• How preschool students’ perception of their teacher impacts their learning process
• The importance of observation for preschool teachers
• Feedback and grading method in lower grade classes and its effect on learning and improvement
• The importance of games and simulation as a teaching technique for preschoolers
• Exploring the roles preschool teachers have in encouraging the ethical values of their students

Physical education dissertation topics

• The importance of physical education in every learning grade
• How teachers’ knowledge of physical health impacts students
• A study on why schools should prioritize physical health education
• A study of the effectiveness of virtual physical education classes
• Physical education planning and engagement in learning curriculums
• The importance of physical health education on the mental well-being of students
• How physical education boosts the learning abilities of students
• Why universities and colleges should consider including physical education within their curriculum
• How regular recess and school exercise improves the health of both students and teachers

Primary education dissertation titles

• The issue of underfunding in elementary schools and how it affects the mode of teaching and learning
• Primary Homework: A study of how homework assignments affect primary school pupils
• Importance of introducing audio-visual learning and teaching style in primary schools
• A look into valuable strategies that can potentially encourage primary school pupils into class participation
• How to prepare the most effective and result-driven method of imparting knowledge to elementary school pupils
• The potential challenges faced by immigrant pupils in primary schools
• A study into the necessary trait embodied by a teacher fit for elementary school teaching
• Strategies for quickly enhancing the essential learning skills of primary school pupils
• The importance of regular breaks and physical exercises for primary school pupils

Additional education dissertation topics for PhD students

• Underfunding of the educational system and how it affects the teaching capacity of teachers
• The growth of distance learning and its impact on student learning
• A comparative study of online teaching and in-person classes and their effects and benefits on learning
• The importance of free education for students in low-income neighborhoods
• How the rise of online learning affects students from low-income homes
• The rising cost of education and its contribution to bridging the education gap
• A comparative study of self-studying and group-studying on college students
• Gender issues in the place of learning and how it affects both students and instructors

There are several topics to select from when preparing your education dissertation. When selecting a topic, follow the above tips and use the ideas as helpful guides.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Verify originality of an essay

Get ideas for your paper

Cite sources with ease

Top Education Research Topics and Ideas for Students: Find Inspiration for Your Paper

Updated 11 Mar 2024

Education research plays a crucial role in advancing our understanding of teaching and learning. However, for students, finding a compelling research topic can be a daunting task. That's why we're here to help! In this article, we have curated a collection of the latest education research topics and ideas to inspire you. From exploring how to best utilize technology in classrooms, to evaluating how certain teaching methods can improve learning outcomes, there is a wide range of topics that can be investigated. If you're seeking further support, don't hesitate to reach out and say, " Do my research paper !" We are here to simplify the process and help you excel in your academic pursuits. So let's delve into the exciting world of education research together!

List of education research paper topics

Education research paper topics refer to a wide range of subjects that students can explore in the field of education. Here is a list of topics for your inspiration:

• Impact of Online Learning on Student Engagement and Academic Performance
• Effectiveness of Project-Based Learning in Promoting Critical Thinking Skills
• Socioeconomic Status and Access to Quality Education
• Virtual and Augmented Reality in Enhancing the Learning Experience
• Role of Teacher Expectations in Shaping Student Outcomes
• Peer Mentoring Programs in Supporting Student Success
• Classroom Design and Student Learning Outcomes
• Technology-Assisted Language Learning in Second Language Acquisition
• Differentiated Instruction in Meeting Diverse Student Needs
• Cultural Competence in Teacher Effectiveness and Student Achievement
• Teacher-Student Relationships and Student Motivation
• Mindfulness Practices in Promoting Student Well-Being and Academic Achievement
• Teacher Professional Development and Instructional Quality
• Community Partnerships in Improving Educational Opportunities and Outcomes
• Inquiry-Based Learning in Promoting Scientific Literacy
• Experiential Learning Methods
• Parental Involvement and Student Success
• Early Childhood Education Outcomes
• Class Size and Academic Performance
• Motivation and Academic Performance
• School Climate and Academic Performance
• Collaborative Learning Approaches
• Cultural Competence and Academic Achievement
• Early Literacy Instruction and Future Reading Success
• Gender Disparities in Stem Academic Performance

Higher education research paper topics

This subtopic explores the impact of higher education on career prospects, the cost and affordability of college, the effectiveness of online learning, and the benefits of international study programs. Conducting research on these topics can lead to a better understanding of higher education and help achieve positive outcomes.

• Examining the Relationship between Online Learning and Student
• Engagement and Academic Performance in Higher Education
• The Effectiveness of Technology in Advancing Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education
• Mental Health Consequences of Student Loan Debt: A Study
• Cultural Backgrounds and Their Influence on Students' Academic Experiences and Outcomes in Higher Education
• Evaluating the Impact of Mindfulness-Based Programs on Reducing Stress and Enhancing Academic Performance in College Students
• Assessing the Role of Faculty Diversity in Improving Student Learning and Success in Higher Education
• Student Engagement and Retention Rates in Higher Education: A Correlation Analysis
• The Preparedness of Competency-Based Education Programs for the Workforce
• The Continuing Impact of COVID-19 on Higher Education and Its Future Prospects
• The Contribution of Student Support Services to Academic Success and Graduation Rates in Higher Education

Get AI-free papers in just 3 hours

Receive high-quality, original papers, free from AI-generated content.

Special education research topics

• Assistive Technology for Academic Success
• Inclusive Education Best Practices
• Parent Involvement for Disability Outcomes
• Differentiated Instruction for Disabled Students
• Early Intervention for Young Learners
• Positive Behavior Interventions for Disabilities
• Co-teaching Models for Disabled Students
• Teacher Attitudes Towards Disabilities
• Peer Mentoring for Emotional Development
• Vocational Training for Disabled Employment
• Individualized Education Programs and Outcomes
• Reading Interventions for Learning Disabilities
• Social Skills Training for Disabilities
• Paraeducators’ Support for Disabled Students
• Self-Determination for Independent Living Skills
• Peer Support Groups for Emotional Outcomes
• Assistive Tech for Extracurricular Activities
• Mindfulness Interventions for Self-Regulation
• Collaborative Problem-Solving for Disabilities
• Physical Activity for Emotional Well-Being
• Inclusive Education for Students with special needs

Educational research topics on child development

This topic covers a broad range of research topics, including the effects of nature and nurture on child development, the impact of early childhood experiences on later development, the role of play in learning, and the influence of family and cultural factors on child development.

• Play and Learning in Early Childhood Development
• Mindfulness and Its Role in Promoting Child Development
• Nature Exposure and Children’s Cognitive Development
• Art Education for Child Development
• Family Dynamics Impact on Child Development
• The Effect of Trauma on Child Development
• Bilingualism and Cognitive Development in Children
• Creativity for Early Childhood Development
• Socioeconomic Status and Child Development
• Peer Mentoring for Child Development
• How Motor Skills Affect Children’s Academic Success?
• The Impact of Parent-Child Communication on Child Development
• Attachment and Self-Esteem Development in Children
• The Influence of Childcare Settings on Child Development
• Outdoor Play’s Relationship to Child Development
• Social Media and Adolescent Development
• Importance of Empathy for Child Development
• Culture and Gender Identity Development in Children
• The Importance of Resilience for Child Development
• Role of Executive Functioning in Social Skills Development

Educational research topics for college students

• Effects of Technology on Student Learning Outcomes in Higher Education
• A Comparative Study on Student Engagement and Achievement in Online Versus Traditional Classroom Instruction
• Teacher Feedback and Its Impact on Student Performance
• Parent Involvement and Its Influence on Student Academic Achievement
• Correlational Study on Sleep Habits and Academic Performance Among College Students
• Comparison of Different Study Techniques and Strategies for College Students
• Cultural Diversity in the Classroom and Its Effects on Student Learning
• Investigating the Relationship Between Student Motivation and Academic Performance
• Teaching Methodologies and Student Achievement in Stem Fields
• Impact of Teacher Expectations on Student Academic Achievement
• Comparative Study on Gender and Academic Performance in Different Subject Areas
• Extracurricular Activities and Academic Achievement: Examining the Relationship
• Effects of Peer-To-Peer Learning on Student Academic Performance
• The Impact of College Entrance Exams on Student Academic Performance
• Exploring the Relationship Between Social Media Use and Academic Performance Among College Students
• A Comparative Study on the Impact of Active Versus Passive Learning Approaches on Student Academic Performance
• Examining the Impact of Teacher Training on Student Academic Achievement
• The Effects of Teacher Burnout on Student Academic Achievement
• Different Types of Assessments and Their Effects on Student Academic Performance
• The Relationship Between College Students’ Study Habits and Academic Performance

Latest research topics in education

• How Can Technology Be Used to Enhance Student Learning in the Classroom?
• What Are the Benefits and Challenges of Homeschooling as a Form of Education?
• How Does the Use of Social Media Affect Student Engagement and Academic Performance?
• What Is the Impact of Teacher-Student Relationships on Student Motivation and Achievement?
• How Can Cultural Diversity Be Effectively Incorporated Into the Classroom to Promote Learning and Understanding?
• What Are the Best Strategies for Promoting Effective Reading Skills in Students of All Ages?
• How Can Project-Based Learning Be Used to Promote Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills in Students?
• What Are the Most Effective Ways to Promote Student Creativity and Innovation in the Classroom?
• How Does Teacher Feedback and Assessment Impact Student Learning and Academic Success?
• What Are the Benefits and Challenges of Online Learning in Higher Education?
• How Can Differentiated Instruction Be Used to Meet the Needs of Diverse Learners in the Classroom?
• What Is the Impact of Parental Involvement on Student Academic Achievement?
• How Can Schools Promote Positive Mental Health and Well-Being in Students?
• What Is the Role of Experiential Learning in Promoting Student Engagement and Learning Outcomes?
• What Are the Best Strategies for Promoting Effective Writing Skills in Students of All Ages?
• How Can Schools Effectively Address and Prevent Bullying and Cyberbullying?
• What Is the Impact of Student-Teacher Ratio on Student Academic Achievement?
• How Can Schools Promote Effective Collaboration and Teamwork Skills in Students?
• What Are the Benefits and Challenges of Competency-Based Education in Higher Education?
• How Can Schools Effectively Support and Accommodate Students With Disabilities?

Topics for action research in education

Discover how to make a positive difference in the world of education through innovative and effective action research. Learn about topics for action research that are relevant to current educational practices and trends. Get started on making your mark through thoughtful exploration of educational topics for action research!

• The Impact of Project-Based Learning on Student Achievement
• Strategies to Increase Student Engagement Through Technology Integration
• Methods to Improve Reading Comprehension in Elementary School Students
• Addressing Absenteeism Among High School Students
• Effective Strategies for Promoting Collaborative Learning
• Developing Critical Thinking Skills in Middle School Students
• Improving Teacher-Student Relationships to Enhance Student Learning
• Mindfulness Practices to Reduce Student Anxiety
• Examining the Effectiveness of Differentiated Instruction on Student Learning Outcomes
• Investigating the Effects of Physical Activity on Academic Achievement
• Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices to Meet the Needs of Diverse Students
• Investigating the Effects of Class Size on Student Achievement
• Strategies to Improve Parent Involvement in the Education Process to Support Student Success
• Examining the Effects of Music Education on Academic Achievement
• Effective Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners
• Investigating the Effects of School Uniforms on Student Behavior
• Promoting Positive Behavior in the Classroom Through Positive Reinforcement
• Addressing Academic Stress Among High School Students
• Strategies to Address Student Learning Gaps Caused by Pandemic-Related Disruptions
• The Impact of Teacher Professional Development on Student Learning Outcomes

Provocative education research topics

Research into education is groundbreaking, with new discoveries and ideas being created every day. This list of provocative research topics focuses on the most timely and important questions in education today. From educational technology to teaching methods and beyond, these questions are sure to spark intriguing conversations and novel insights.

• How Does the Use of Technology in the Classroom Impact Student Learning Outcomes?
• To What Extent Does Parental Involvement Affect Academic Performance?
• In What Ways Does Teacher Diversity Influence Student Success?
• What Are the Benefits and Challenges of Multilingual Education in the Classroom?
• How Does Social Media Use Affect Student Learning and Academic Achievement?
• What Are the Strengths and Weaknesses of Standardized Testing in Measuring Student Learning?
• What Is the Relationship Between Classroom Environment and Academic Achievement?
• How Does Project-Based Learning Develop Critical Thinking Skills in Students?
• What Is the Correlation Between Mental Health and Academic Performance?
• How Effective Is Differentiated Instruction in Promoting Student Engagement?
• What Is the Impact of Professional Development on Teacher Efficacy and Student Learning Outcomes?
• How Does Collaborative Learning Impact Student Academic Achievement?
• What Is the Role of School Culture in Promoting Academic Success?
• How Can Education Promote Equity and Social Justice in the Classroom?
• How Does Online Learning Compare to Traditional Classroom Learning in Developing Student Competencies?
• What Is the Correlation Between Parenting Styles and Student Academic Success?
• How Do Gender and Cultural Differences Impact Learning Styles and Academic Achievement?
• What Is the Relationship Between Extracurricular Activities and Academic Success?
• How Effective Is Personalized Learning in Fostering Student Motivation and Engagement?
• What Is the Long-Term Impact of Early Childhood Education on Academic Achievement and Success?

Get plagiarism-free papers in just 3 hours

• Zero AI - 100% human-crafted content
• Tailored to your writing style
• Sourced from the latest, reliable sources

Guaranteed Turnitin success ✌️

How to choose a good topic on education subject

Choosing a good topic on education is essential for engaging your audience and making an impact. To do this successfully, consider the following steps:

• Determine your passions: contemplate the facets of education that captivate and inspire you the most.
• Know your audience: be mindful of the readers or viewers of your work, and consider their interests and preferences.
• Explore contemporary trends and concerns: investigate recent developments, tendencies, technologies, approaches, policies, and research within education that are currently influencing the field.
• Uncover knowledge voids: pinpoint areas within education where research or comprehension is lacking, and choose a subject that addresses these deficiencies while contributing to the broader field.
• Consult with experts: engage with teachers, professors, or other industry professionals to gather insights on potential subjects - they may even provide helpful recommendations or direct you to valuable resources!

Choosing the right research topic is vital for students in the field of education. Staying informed about current trends and developments is key. This article provides a diverse list of top education research paper topics, allowing students to select an intriguing idea that aligns with their interests and goals. To save time and effort, you can choose to pay for papers , guaranteeing expertly crafted research papers while you concentrate on your academic goals.

Was this helpful?

Thanks for your feedback, related blog posts, 200+ top sociology research topics.

Table of contents Research Methods of Sociology Tips on How to Choose a Good Topic for Sociology Research Sociology Research Topics I...

100 Original Political Science Research Topics

Political Science research papers can easily become overly complex and weak if there are too many ideas scattered across assignment. In order to re...

Science Research Topics – Which One and How Do I Choose?

Science research topics are always interesting when it comes to writing, especially when there is a wide range of reputable sources online. Moreove...

Join our 150K of happy users

• Get original papers written according to your instructions
• Save time for what matters most

BYU ScholarsArchive

Home > Education > Teacher Education > Theses and Dissertations

Teacher Education Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2024 2024.

Preparing for and Engaging Middle School Students in Read-Alouds of Expository Texts , Kari L. Allsup

"I Just Have Big Emotions, Okay?!": Exploring Emotional Literacy Through Picture Books , Amie L. Bigelow

ePCK Transfer between Math and Science , Elise Marie Joyner

The Role of Instructors in Fostering a Sense of Belonging for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander University Students , Kehaulani Oleole Malzl

A Study of Professional Learning Community Leadership Using A Modified Approach , Makayla Willis Needs

Self-Determination Towards Regular Exercise Relates to Quality of Life in Female College Students With at Least One Child , Toby Khung ChiLai Roylance

An Overview of Contributing Frameworks to Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy , Sarai Clemente Soli

The Role of Language in Identity and Mediating Connection for Fijian College Students , Grace Taito Tora

Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

Navigating the Unfamiliar: The Lived Experience of Elementary School Teachers as They Navigate the Use of New Literacies During a Global Pandemic , Sydney Boyer

Critical Engagements with Award Winning Picturebooks: My Journey in Creating a More Equitable Classroom Library , Carrie Elizabeth Crowe

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Crossing the Threshold: Factors That Influence the Beliefs of First Year Teachers Regarding Reform-Based Mathematics Instruction , Quinn H. Braden

Mediation in a Science Classroom , David Ray Davis

Tensions and Pitfalls in the Depiction of Multiracial Characters in Children's Picture Books: A Critical Content Analysis , Melody Green

Physical Place and Online Space: Permeability, Embodiment, and Gender in Two Online, Synchronous Critical Multicultural Teacher Education Courses , Elizabeth Finlayson Harris

Designing, Implementing, and Evaluating a Unit That Utilizes Effective History Teaching Practices , Haley Holland

Teachers' Values for the Reduction of Teacher Attrition in Utah Public Schools , Forrest Jensen

The Racial Reckoning of a Chinese American Teacher During the COVID-19 Pandemic , Alicia Luong

Creating an Instrument to Explore the Self-Efficacy of Writing Instructors to Teach Apprehensive Writers , Kathleen Marie Romrell

Teacher Judgment Accuracy of Student Perceptions of Closeness and Conflict in Teacher-Student Relationships , Collin Seastrand

The Effects of Relatedness Support on Motivational Profiles in Rural vs. Urban Physical Education Students , Corbin D. Stringam

Bittersweet Experiences for Brazilian Newcomers: Positive Interactions, Microaggressions, and Isolation in English-Only and Dual Language Bilingual Education Programs , Rose Renee Whitney

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

The Relationship Between the Use of Curriculum Materials and Inquiry-Based Pedagogy , Laura Jo Elzinga

Something Happened: Exploring Student Religious Experiences Through the Eyes of Their Teacher , Jason Bird Pearson

Developing a Professional Early Childhood Educator Identity: The Experiences of Three Teachers , Amy Shakespeare White

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Damsel in Distress or Princess in Power? Traditional Masculinity and Femininity in Young Adult Novelizations of Cinderella and the Effects on Agency , Rylee Carling

Teacher Lore Concerning Teaching English Language Learners in Urban Schools: A Reciprocal Determinist Analysis , Helen Clare Colby

The Emergence of Teacher Self in the Elementary Classroom , Chelsea Cole

Exploring Teacher Beliefs of Adolescent Developmental Needs Through Positive Student Comments of their Teachers , Elizabeth Bowers Hinchcliff

Teaching Second-Grade Students to Write Expository Text , Angenette Cox Imbler

Exploring Dialogue Journals as a Context for Connecting with and Supporting the Emotional Lives of Fourth Graders , Samantha Simone Johnson

The Effect of Ethnic Identity on Motivation to bePhysically Active in Schools in Hawai’i , Nathan A. K. Kahaiali'i

Ninth-Grade Students' Motivation for Reading and Course Choice , McKenna Lyn Simmons

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Uncovering One Teacher's Knowledge of Arts Integration for Developing English Learners' Reading Comprehension: A Self-Study , Tina RaLinn McCulloch

A Content Analysis of Scientific Practices in a Fourth-Grade Commercial Literacy Program , Hailey A. Oswald

Reading Fluency and GoNoodle© Brain Breaks Among Elementary-Aged Children , Hannah Jeanne Wold

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Friendship and Language: How Kindergarteners Talk About Making Friends in a Two-Way Immersion School , Sionelle Nicole Beller

Lunchtime Experiences and Students' Sense of Belonging in Middle School , Anna Elisabeth Hinton

Perceptions of School Uniforms in Relation to Socioeconomic Statuses , Aaron B. Jones

The Operationalization of the Theoretical Antecedents of Collective Teacher Efficacy , Kathryn A. Larsen

Teacher Experiences in Highly Impacted Schools That Produce Happiness , Brittany Nicole Lund

Identifying Elements of Voice and Fostering Voice Development in First-Grade Science Writing , McKenna Lucille Maguet

Promoting Pleasure in Reading Through Sustained Silent Reading: A Self-Study of Teacher Practices , Kimberly Turley McKell

Sixth-Grade Elementary and Seventh- and Eighth-Grade Middle School Teachers' Knowledge and Beliefs About Science Literacy , Melissa P. Mendenhall

Building Procedural Fluency from Conceptual Understanding in Equivalence of Fractions: A Content Analysis of a Textbook Series , Mark S. Nance

Ethnic Identity and School Belonging Among Pacific Islander High School Students , Mari N. Oto

Self-Study of a Teacher's Practices of and Experience with Emotion Regulation , Lauren Elyse Paravato

Cultural Connections in the Classroom and Pacific Islander Students Value of Reading , Lyndsai K. Sylva

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Parent Perception of Systemic Success in Physical Education: A Study of Advocacy in Action , Rachel Valletta Griffiths

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

Student Self-Assessment: Teachers' Definitions, Reasons, and Beliefs , Christopher Daren Andrews

What is Being Said about Historical Literacy in Literacy and Social Studies Journals: A Content Analysis , Kiera Beddes

A High School Biology Teacher's Development Through a New Teaching Assignment Coupled with Teacher-Led Professional Development , Lorien Young Francis

Emotions in Teaching: Self-Compassion , Stacey Freeman

Physical Activity Rates and Motivational Profiles of Adolescents While Keeping a Daily Leisure-Time Physical Activity Record , Matthew Osden Fullmer

Distraction, Enjoyment, and Motivation During an Indoor Cycling Unit of High School Physical Education , Kelsey Higginson

A Look at the Reliability of an Early Childhood Expository Comprehension Measure , Alta Adamma McDonald

Invisible Students: A Case Study of Friendless Students During the First Year of Junior High , Rachel E. Neeley

Picture Books as Mentor Texts for 10th-Grade Struggling Writers , David Willett Premont

Effects of Fourth- and First-Grade Cross-Age Tutoring on Mathematics Anxiety , Camille Margarett Rougeau

An Analysis of Support for Elementary Engineering Education Offered in the Science Teacher Journal Science and Children , Tawnicia Meservy Stocking

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Dyad Reading Experiences of Second-Grade English Learners with Fiction and Nonfiction Texts , Michelle Lynn Klvacek

Orchestrating Mathematical Discussions: A Novice Teacher's Implementation of Five Practices to Develop Discourse Orchestration in a Sixth-Grade Classroom , Jeffrey Stephen Young

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Parent Reasons for Enrollment at One Dual-Language Chinese Immersion Elementary School Program , Aaron W. Andersen

Effects of Teacher-to-Student Relatedness on Adolescent Male Motivation in Weight-Training Classes , Zack E. Beddoes

The Effects of Music on Physical Activity Rates of Junior High Physical Education Students , Lindsey Kaye Benham

What Matters Most? The Everyday Priorities of Teachers of English Language Learners , Johanna Boone

PE Central: A Possible Online Professional Development Tool , Amber M. Hall

Determining the Reliability of an Early Expository Comprehension Assessment , Tammie Harding

The Relationship Between Health-Related Fitness Knowledge, Perceived Competence, Self-Determination, and Physical Activity Behaviors of High School Students , Elizabeth Bailey Haslem

Supporting Ongoing Language and Literacy Development of Adolescent English Language Learners , Jason T. Jay

Components of Effective Writing Content Conferences in a Sixth-Grade Classroom , Paul Ricks

Online Student Discussions in a Blended Learning Classroom: Reconciling Conflicts Between a Flipped Instruction Model and Reform-Based Mathematics , Lewis L. Young

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

An Investigation of the Effects of Integrating Science and Engineering Content and Pedagogy in an Elementary School Classroom , Katie Nicole Barth

Alignment Between Secondary Biology Textbooks and Standards for Teaching English Learners: A Content Analysis , Joseph H. Hanks

Content Analysis of New Teacher Induction and Mentoring Documents in Five Partnership Districts: Reflections and Acknowledgments of Complexity , Carol S. Larsen

Stories of Success: Three Latino Students Talk About School , Carol Ann Litster

Effects of Fourth- and Second-Grade Cross-Age Tutoring on Spelling Accuracy and Writing Fluency , Rebekkah J. Mitchell

The United States Growth over 16 Years of Student Correct Responses on the TIMSS: Are We Really That Far Behind? , Jacob Michael Zonts

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

A Content Analysis of Family Structure in Newbery Medal and Honor Books, 1930 -- 2010 , Shannon Marie Despain

A Content Analysis of Inquiry in Third Grade Science Textbooks , Rebecca Adams Lewis

Science Self-Efficacy and School Transitions: Elementary School to Middle School and Middle School to High School , Brandi Lue Lofgran

Balancing Support and Challenge within the Mentoring Relationship , Tiffanie Joy Miley

Explicitly Teaching Multiple Modes of Representation in Science Discourse: The Impact on Middle School Science Student Learning , Ryan Nixon

Navigating the Changing Face of Beginning Reading Instruction: Am I Right Back Where I Started? , DeAnna M. Perry

Teacher Definitions of Integration in Primary Grades , Jeanne Sperry Prestwich

Effective Professional Development: A Study of a Teacher-Initiated, Interdisciplinary Professional Learning Community , Mary Ann Quantz

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

An Examination of the Effects of Using Systematic and Engaging Early Literacy to Teach Tier 3 Students to Read Consonant-Vowel-Consonant (CVC) Words , Esther Marshall

Two Marginalized Adolescents Using the Internet to Complete an Inquiry Project , Jennifer Thomas

Describing the Reading Motivation of Four Second-Grade Students with Varying Abilities. , Kathy Jane White

Theses/Dissertations from 2010 2010

Establishing Reliability of Reading Comprehension Ratings of Fifth-Grade Students' Oral Retellings , Laura Elizabeth Bernfeld

The Nature of Classroom Instruction and Physical Environments That Support Elementary Writing , Monica Thomas Billen

Understanding the Tensions That Exist Between Two Co-Teachers Education Classroom Using Positioning , Garth Gagnier

A Challenging and Rewarding Process: Implementing Critical Literacy Instruction in a Middle School Classroom , Amy Michelle Geilman

The Nature of Transfer from the Concepts and Vocabulary Taught in a Character Education Unit to Students Classroom Discourse , Marianne E. Gill

Mathematics Vocabulary and English Learners: A Study of Students' Mathematical Thinking , Hilary Hart

Adolescent Literate Identity Online: Individuals and the Discourse of a Class Wiki , Amanda J. McCollum

The Stories of Three High School English Teachers Involved in a Collaborative Study Group , Marjoire Ralph

Narrating the Literate Identities of Five Ninth Grade Boys on the School Landscape , Mary Frances Rice

Comparing the Pedagogical Thinking of More Successful and Less Successful Adult ESL Instructors Using Stimulated Recall , Jason Paul Roberts

Advanced Search

• Notify me via email or RSS

ScholarsArchive ISSN: 2572-4479

• Collections
• Disciplines
• Scholarly Communication
• Additional Collections
• Academic Research Blog

Author Corner

Hosted by the.

• Harold B. Lee Library

Home | About | FAQ | My Account | Accessibility Statement

Privacy Copyright

Education Dissertation Topics

Education is a constantly evolving field; it is now undergoing considerable changes in the aftermath of the Coronavirus crisis. Whether your interests lie in primary, secondary or higher education, we have provided a selection of interesting and original dissertation topics to get you thinking about yours. It’s important that your dissertation topic adds to existing studies and research in your chosen field, whilst staying focused in order to compose your aims and objectives with clarity. The topics that we have created cover a wide range of different areas within the discipline of education to show you how versatile the topic can be. Each of these topics will allow you to produce an original yet manageable dissertation that is relevant today and help you narrow down your ideas to a specific topic:

Pre-school Education Dissertation Topics

Primary school education dissertation topics, collegiate education dissertation topics, university education dissertation topics, teacher education dissertation topics, private school education dissertation topics, public school education dissertation topics, home schooling dissertation topics, adult education dissertation topics, holistic education dissertation topics.

Preschool education in the United Kingdom and most other countries refers to any education or formal schooling that children between the ages of 18 months and 6 years go through. Possible topics in this area that maybe used as a dissertation topic about education are:

• Has the introduction of the Montessori Method to pre-school education improved the educational outcomes in the pre-school system?
• Do Montessori-educated preschoolers fare better in language and math skills over other young pupils who have not been through the Montessori Method?
• Does pre-school education equip students and prepare them for the rigours of primary schooling or rather give them a play school environment that makes it more difficult for them to conform to the needs of primary school?
• What are the advantages gained by students who go to pre-school over those that do not?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of home schooling for infant pupils, with the Coronavirus pandemic making school attendance uncertain?
• Should pre-schooling be the same as primary schooling and become mandatory for all children?
• What have learners beginning pre-school at the age of 2- 3 years gained before entering formal schooling, over children who have not attended pre-school?
• Children who attend pre-schools are better equipped to handle social situations when compared to those who have not attended pre-school.
• Should pre-schooling include tests that measure the knowledge gained by students starting from a tender age of two years?
• Should pre-school education consist of more language, math and motor skill acquisition or character formation?
• What is the impact of pre-school education on the social skills and personal development of young children?
• Are the current students to teacher ratios in the pre-school system in the UK sufficient, or should they be increased?
• Is home-based (family day care / child-minders) early childhood education and care (ECEC) advantageous or disadvantageous for learners and practitioners?
• Should pre-school teachers have more knowledge about teaching, learning, assessment and curriculum and less knowledge of child development theories?
• Do pre-school children learn from their social relationship with their teacher?

Known as primary school education or elementary school education in most of the developed world, it broadly covers students attending school between age 6 and 11 years of age. Issues for education dissertations in this area include:

• Should the primary school curriculum include money management techniques and basic business studies?
• Does the Montessori Method of teaching benefit children below the age of twelve more than traditional schooling methods?
• Should primary schools reduce their dependence on testing to measure performance levels?
• Is it wise to lower standards to ensure that students pass tests and examinations instead of increasing the support provided to poor performing students to meet the existing standards?
• Are the current courses taught in primary schools more suited to the industrial age rather than the information age?
• Should basic software programming skills be taught to all primary school children in the UK?
• How, and in what ways can primary school students take control of, and responsibility for their learning?
• Should there be more emphasis on environment preservation, energy conservation and green living as a part of a mandatory primary school curriculum?
• Should learning be allowed to be more self-directed in traditional primary schools as it is under the Montessori Method of teaching?
• Is the formal primary education presently available to students of lesser value than the primary education that was available to their parents over two decades or so ago?
• How can mainstream primary school teachers’ break down the barriers to academic achievement in primary school education among inner city pupils?
• Are inner city primary school pupils of ethnic minority origin falling behind their peers, and what can be done about it?
• Are Vygotsky’s ideas on creativity still relevant for primary school education today?
• What are the everyday teaching strategies that primary school teachers can use to enhance their teaching practices?

Collegiate education, or high school education as it is popularly known, broadly covers the formal education available to students between the ages of 11 or 14 to 17 or 18. This is also known in the UK as secondary school education and consists of GCSE Levels and Advanced (‘A’) Levels or, as known in Australia and some other countries, SSC and HSC exams. There are a range of subjects in this area to be discussed, and any of the following could be used as a basis for your education dissertation research:

• Should standardised testing be completely eliminated in the secondary schooling system?
• What are the benefits of standardised testing for secondary school pupils in the UK?
• Is there a sufficient emphasis on developing the knowledge of Modern Foreign Languages in secondary school education in the UK?
• Should wealth management and entrepreneurship related courses be offered to high school students over more traditional courses, such as history and geography?
• How can working class educational attainment, long described as lagging in the UK, be raised to a more acceptable standard?
• Should schools focus more on personality and character formation rather than on purely academic education alone?
• Do secondary school leavers in the UK, or Commonwealth countries such as Australia have sufficient IT skills to cope with the modern workplace?
• Is it more beneficial to have apprenticeship programs and vocational training programs in high schools than outside of the schooling system?
• Is gender segregation of the schooling system beneficial, or is it detrimental to pupils’ academic and social development?
• Do male students fare better when they are among same gender counterparts rather than co-ed counterparts?
• Is it more beneficial to put students who consistently have failing grades, in the same classes as high achievers so they perform better and achieve higher scores?
• Is secondary education optimal in ensuring educational attainment outcomes when it is taught in mixed ability sets or same ability sets?
• Should there be less emphasis on language and math skills in high schools and more emphasis on today’s pressing issues, such as environmental protection, global warming and resource conservation?
• Should religious education be reintroduced to the schooling system to increase racial and religious tolerance?
• Is the National Curriculum for Key Stage 3 still appropriate for multi-cultural secondary schools?
• Is the Key Stage 3 history curriculum sufficiently rigorous in analysing all aspects of the global legacy of the British Empire, both negative and positive?
• Should the British secondary school curriculum robustly emphasise Maths, Science and English, with only a secondary emphasis on secondary subjects such as Art or Geography?
• Are British secondary school leavers sufficiently well-versed in Information and Communications Technology (ICT skills) to be able to compete in the modern workplace?
• How can the educational underachievement of many ethnic minority and working class pupils be robustly addressed in the UK?
• Will Brexit affect the provision of language teaching and language exchange schemes in secondary schools?
• Will Brexit have detrimental effects on secondary school education in the UK, as it may impact negatively on teacher recruitment from abroad?
• What is the best strategic approach to tackling rising gang culture and violent indiscipline in schools?

Undergraduate, post-graduate university and college education will be broadly considered under this section. Topics on university education that you could potentially use as an education dissertation topic include:

• An analysis over whether business management and administration degrees should focus more on entrepreneurship?
• Are the university and college level courses offered today in the field of business more suited to the industrial age than the information age?
• Should tuition for medical school education be free, or refunded, to those who opt into specialist areas that today see a dearth of specialists, such as Obstetricians?
• Is a University education still justified in the face of ongoing challenges in the job market after graduation, especially as unemployment increases in the aftermath of the Coronavirus pandemic?
• Has the movement of lectures online in the course of the Coronavirus pandemic been detrimental to the academic attainment of University and college students?
• Many universities are moving toward more flexible learning and flexible teaching, or online courses to reduce overheads, such as building costs – especially at Masters Level. Are there benefits in following this trend to undergraduate level?
• Should university degrees be more spread out over a five to 10-year period to enable students to bear the rising education cost and gain practical experience by working in their chosen fields for a minimum of two years in internship programs?
• Do those with university education only, and no practical experience, do better in the first five years of their career when compared to an individual who has no university education but has been in the work force for two years longer than an average university educated individual?
• Are ‘A Levels’ a reliable guide to University success? An analysis of the alternatives.
• To what extent are the elite Universities providing opportunities for the working classes and disadvantaged in society? Should positive discrimination be applied in the form of reservations for disadvantaged groups?
• How do Universities justify ‘value for money’ with their courses?
• An analysis of how the internet has changed learning for University students.

Teaching, for many, is a vocation or calling. Whether the individual is a pre-school teacher, a primary school teacher, a secondary school teacher or a university professor, the role filled by them is an important one for society as they are training the next generation of young minds. Here are some different topics that you could discuss in your education dissertation:

• Are Montessori-trained teachers more equipped to handle pre-school aged children than those with conventional preschool or nursery related training?
• Are teachers today less dedicated than teachers two or three decades ago?
• Is teaching today considered to be just a job rather than a career option or a vocation or calling for individuals?
• Are teachers adequately equipped to train the youth of today, considering evolving challenges and threats such as drugs and weapons etc.?
• How can teachers better co-ordinate with the police, social services, and parents of troublesome pupils to turn their lives around?
• An analysis of how teacher training courses approach behaviour management.
• Has teaching evolved into a more dangerous profession in the last two decades? And are teachers more prone to be victims of violence (verbal or physical) at the hands of their students?
• Should secondary school teachers be trained in basic self-defence as classrooms become more unruly, and the level of gang activity among inner city youth increases?
• Would training ex-soldiers as teachers in ‘tough’ inner city school environments help to raise the levels of discipline and achievement?
• What is the purpose of so-called ‘Mickey Mouse’ degrees such as media studies?
• Would an increase in support services and training, or an increase in teacher salary, encourage more individuals to take up teaching as a profession?
• Has the role of the head teacher or principal developed into more of an administrator or manager?
• Do teachers currently have much influence on the character formation of the students in their care?
• An analysis of the main reasons why people enter the teaching profession.
• What are the main challenges for teacher training in the coming decade, with massive socio-economic changes coming after the pandemic?
• A discussion on the benefits of entirely work based teacher training, as opposed to college based teacher training courses.
• How has technology changed the training of teachers?
• An investigation of the teacher ‘drop out’ rate after the first three years in the profession.

Today more and more parents are opting to send their children to private schools, even though it is very expensive and not funded by the public. If you are considering this area for your education dissertation, here are some suggestions for your specific area of research:

• Seeing that there is a trend towards private education should the government adopt the same approach as private education, offering facilities that are not available under the public schooling system, and use the proceeds to improve the public schooling system?
• Are teachers in the private schooling sector more motivated than those in public schools?
• Are privately funded Montessori Schools more effective at educating very young children than those that fall under the public school system?
• Why are more and more parents opting to educate their children in private schools in preference to sending them to publicly funded schools?
• How and why do private schools consistently manage to have better test scores than publicly funded schools?
• Do children studying in Montessori schools catering for a range of 18 months to 18 years achieve higher results than those studying in traditional schools?
• Do private schools place a stronger emphasis on character development and personality formation, than public schools do?
• What aspects of private schooling are beneficial to students that public schools are unable to provide?
• Do students attending private schools have an edge over students attending public schools when it comes to attaining places at elite universities? Is this advantage an unfair advantage?
• Are scholarships offered by private schools a strategy to attract talented students or are they offered for public relations purposes and because it is mandatory?
• What are the six main differences between public school education and private school education?
• What price scholarship education? The socio-economic effects on the family of scholarship students.
• Does private school education engender more self confidence in students than public school education?

95% of the schools in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia are publicly funded schools that offer primary and secondary education for students between the ages of 4 and 18. Here are the areas of public school education that you could use as a topic for discussion in your education dissertation:

• As opposed to private schools, are drugs, gangs and weapons related crime a plague faced only by public schools?
• Should schools for children with special needs be wholly public schools in the interest of society and the individual children?
• Is public schooling in the United Kingdom a declining trend?
• Is parents’ reluctance to send children to public schools in the UK related to drug and weapons crimes and declining test performance?
• Are public schools more equipped to educate students to face the challenges of the real world as opposed to the sheltered world of private schools?
• Should participation in sports be made compulsory for students in public schools?
• Should more courses on food technology, focusing on cooking, meal choice and preparation, be offered in public schools to encourage healthy eating?
• Should students be involved in preparing cafeteria food and menu options?
• Should there be publicly funded religious schools? If they are publicly funded the government will be able to monitor them and ensure there is no radicalism taught on the syllabus.
• Does the lack of religious education in the public school system promote secularism or loss of morals and values in the younger generation?

Home schooling refers to any time when children are educated at home instead of being enrolled in a public or private school. Here are some further discussions in this area that you could use in your education dissertation.

• Are children who are wholly schooled at home able to handle socially challenging situations?
• Should home schooling be regulated more, and if so, by whom?
• Why is the trend for home schooling on the rise in the UK? How will the pandemic affect this?
• Children that are home schooled are usually educated by either parent or both parents, instead of a governess or some other trained educator; is this a good thing?
• Children who are home schooled have less behavioural problems than those attending conventional schools. Why is this the case?
• Home schooling has more advantages than disadvantages when compared to sending children to a traditional school.
• Students who are home schooled are usually higher achievers than those attending traditional schools.
• Should the increasing trend in home schooling be allowed to continue without any further legislation being passed on regulation and monitoring?
• Should the traditional schooling system be changed to embrace some of the components of home schooling, if so, which aspects would be selected?
• Should traditional schools have programmes where students can participate from home, over the Internet, instead of attending school each day and would that have any impact in the reduction of teenage delinquency, dropout rates and other issues?
• Should home schooled children follow the National Curriculum and if so, why?
• Should home schooling be allowed if the parents are not educated?
• Should all home schooling be monitored by online assessment lessons?
• Is online learning beneficial for young home schooled children, and why?

Adult education can be professional or vocation-based. This is becoming increasingly popular and will provide you with a number of topics (some of which are proposed below) to base your education dissertation on.

• Should governments spend more on adult education?
• Educating adults has many advantages and is beneficial to the economy. A discussion.
• Governments should participate and encourage more adult education courses in vocational and apprenticeship programmes.
• With individuals choosing to work beyond their retirement age, adult education is more important today than ever before, to help individuals keep up with changing technology and lifestyles.
• Courses relating to personal finance, wealth creation and entrepreneurship should be encouraged for the betterment of all.
• All ages of individuals should be encouraged to engage in environmental, energy, and resource conservation courses.
• Adult education is a boon to individuals who have been laid off work or injured, and need to gain new skills.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of government programmes that fund adult education or subsidise the payment of course fees for adults to reskill adults, on reducing unemployment, and the number of individuals dependent on welfare benefits.
• Specialist job related courses help individuals when seeking jobs in specialist fields.
• Adult education courses should offer gender discriminatory grants for older citizens.
• Is it true that unemployed individuals taking part in adult education courses suffer less poor health than those that do not take part?
• Should the costs of adult education courses be capped?
• Certain essential adult education courses should be free or largely subsidised by the Government as they offer great benefits to the country as a whole.
• Should all adults be offered education ‘tokens’ that can be spent at any time of their lives?

Holistic education is based on educating children to be well-rounded individuals. This may be an interesting area to focus your education dissertation on.

• Should schools pay more attention to educating the child to be a well-rounded individual, even if it is at the cost of sacrificing their academic education?
• What should holistic education consist of?
• Do faith based schools pay extra attention to educating the individual in a well – rounded manner, rather than schools with no religious affiliation.
• Is it possible to assess and measure the holistic education provided within a school? What would be the yardsticks for measurement?
• Are teachers trained to deliver a holistic education that develops rounded personalities in pupils?
• Do parents opt to home school children or send them to private schools, as opposed to sending them to public schools, in the hope that they receive a holistic education?
• Does holistic education produce high achieving students?
• Is holistic education a myth in the context of today’s education system?
• Is it reasonable to expect teachers to focus on educating the whole person with the workload that has been assigned to them?
• Is the Montessori Method of teaching better at holistically educating a child rather than the conventional schooling system?
• With an analysis of given school documentation, how do schools define the holistic approach to education they offer.
• Is holistic education a myth that exists only on paper within most of schools today?
• An analysis of how OFSTED addresses holistic education.

• How it works

Useful Links

How much will your dissertation cost?

Have an expert academic write your dissertation paper!

Dissertation Services

Get unlimited topic ideas and a dissertation plan for just £45.00

Order topics and plan

Get 1 free topic in your area of study with aim and justification

Yes I want the free topic

Teaching Dissertation Topics Based on Latest Teaching Practices

Published by Owen Ingram at December 29th, 2022 , Revised On August 11, 2023

Many people consider teaching to be their calling or passion. A teacher’s role in society is crucial, whether they teach preschool children, primary school children, secondary school children, or university students.

Before starting teaching, you will typically have to complete your dissertation on a suitable research topic. Here are some potential teaching dissertation topics to help you land your dream teaching job and make a valuable contribution to the field.

List Of Teaching Dissertation Topics

• Are teachers with Montessori training more prepared to work with preschoolers than those with traditional preschool or nursery-related training?
• Are educators less committed today than they were two or three decades ago?
• Is it still believed that teaching is merely a job, not a profession, vocation, or calling for people today?
• Providing scientific and methodological support for teachers’ professional and personal development in educational institutions
• The ability of educators to participate in novel activities as a means of counteracting professional conservatism
• Are educators adequately prepared to educate children today in the face of advancing problems and dangers like drug use and armed insurgency?
• To help troubled students change their life, how can teachers better coordinate with the police, social agencies, and their parents?
• Examine the behaviour management methods used in teacher training programs
• Has the field of teaching become riskier during the past 20 years? And are educators more likely to experience violence at the hands of their charges?
• As secondary school classrooms become increasingly disorderly and gang involvement among inner-city youngsters rises, should teachers receive basic self-defence training?
• Would preparing former soldiers to teach in “difficult” inner-city school settings assist in improving behaviour and academic performance?
• Educating future educators on how to use statistical methods in their work
• A pedagogical model for flexible quality assurance of learning activities for students
• What do so-called “Mickey Mouse” degrees like media studies serve?
• Would more people become teachers if there were more support services, outstanding training, or a higher pay scale for teachers?
• How has the role of the principal or head teacher evolved into that of an administrator or manager?
• Are teachers currently having a significant impact on the character development of kids under their care?
• An examination of the primary motivations for becoming teachers
• What major socioeconomic shifts will follow the epidemic, and what will be the biggest obstacles for teacher preparation in the ensuing decade?
• Discuss the advantages of purely on-the-job teacher training compared to college teacher education programs
• How has technology altered the way teachers are trained?
• What are the distinctions between experienced and inexperienced teaching approaches?
• What difficulties do new instructors encounter throughout their first three years in the field?
• A study of teachers ‘ dropout’ rate after their first three years in the industry.
• What do educators think about rigorous methods of behaviour control?
• What approach to behaviour control do instructors believe is most successful for kids between the ages of 5 and 7?
• How do educators modify behaviour control techniques for children with developmental delays?
• What guidelines do teachers think are the most useful for online learning?
• What are the motivating elements for teachers to be promoted into leadership positions in schools?
• What purpose does reflection serve in teachers’ professional lives, and what are the most often used reflective practice techniques?

Hire an Expert Writer

Orders completed by our expert writers are

• Formally drafted in an academic style
• Free Amendments and 100% Plagiarism Free – or your money back!
• 100% Confidential and Timely Delivery!
• Free anti-plagiarism report
• Appreciated by thousands of clients. Check client reviews

We hope this list helps you get started with your teaching dissertation. If you couldn’t find an appropriate topic here, you can also search for education dissertation topics in our free topics database.

Choose a topic that you can find the most literature on but make sure it does not lack focus and clarity. Conduct primary research related to your topic if you are solving a new problem that wasn’t addressed by fellow researchers.

If you face trouble, you can always get online dissertation help . Once you are done with selecting a title, start working on the proposal. To ensure a perfect proposal, get help from professional dissertation proposal writing services .

Free Dissertation Topic

Phone Number

Academic Level Select Academic Level Undergraduate Graduate PHD

Academic Subject

Area of Research

Frequently Asked Questions

How to find teaching dissertation topics.

To find teaching dissertation topics:

• Assess your teaching interests.
• Explore educational challenges.
• Review curriculum trends.
• Consider technology’s role.
• Examine student engagement.
• Select a topic aligning with your passion and educational needs.

You May Also Like

Information technology stands out as one of the latest discoveries of the twenty-first century. According to researchers, technology is currently undergoing an era of transformation.

Almost every discipline requires a dissertation as a prerequisite to research. Specifically, they state what the researcher hopes to accomplish with their study. Therefore, they must be as authentic as the originals.

Nurses provide daily clinical care based on evidence-based practice. They improve patient health outcomes by using evidence-based practice nursing. Take a look at why you should consider a career as an EBP nurse to contribute to the healthcare industry.

USEFUL LINKS

LEARNING RESOURCES

COMPANY DETAILS

• How It Works

Elimu Centre

Education Centre

Thesis Topics in Education

Educational research topics for thesis, thesis about education, education master’s thesis topics, master thesis topics in education.

Thesis Topics in Education: Looking for Thesis topics about Education or educational research topics for your thesis?  Most schools, colleges, and universities across the world teach students how to write not only for exams but also to gain skills that will help them in their careers.

Thesis writing is normally a topic that is ignored in teaching and one comes to know about it in the final stages of their study.

For you to write an education thesis, you need to choose a good topic. A good topic will enable you to write a perfect thesis in education.

In this post, you will find thesis topics in education that you can choose from. These thesis topics in education will give you a rough idea of what to write about. They will inspire you to find a good thesis about education.

1. A comparative study of education systems in the U.S. and China.

2. A comparison of Wonderlic tests and standardized tests as means to assess academic performance.

3. Academic honesty.

4. Addressing learner diversity in elementary schools.

5. Adult Education Growth: How Economic Failure Encourages the Acquisition of New Skills

6. Advantages and disadvantages of year-round schooling.

7. Advantages of private schools.

8. Affirmative action in schools.

9. Albert Bandura’s theory.

10. Alternative schooling: the main approaches and the results of it

11. Are Montessori Schools More Effective than Public Schools?

12. Are Teachers Today Less Passionate and Skilled Compared to before?

13. Curriculum implementation.

14. Do we still need grades in the modern educational system?

15. Teaching curriculums.

16. Teaching the visually impaired.

17. The approaches to lesson plan development.

18. The authority of the teacher and its role in the educational process.

19. Hearing-impaired education.

20. History of special education.

21. Holistic education.

22. Why Public Schools Should Offer Cooking, Health, and Meal Choice Courses to Encourage Healthy Eating

23. Why We Should Encourage Adult Education Courses on Wealth Building and Personal Finance

24. Virtual reality worlds and education. Virtual classes and research rooms

25. What Factors Are Encouraging Parents to Keep Kids out of Public School: Should Public Schools Be Closed?

26. What Foods Enhance Students’ Learning Abilities?

27. What is considered basic education in different countries and why?

28. What qualities are essential for a modern teacher

29. Whether Homeschooled Children can Handle Social Challenges

30. Virtual classroom environment management.

Read: Research Proposal Topics in Education

1. Bell Curve controversy. How should grades be calculated?

2. Bilingual education.

3. Brain-based learning.

4. Branches of learning.

5. Bullying and unhealthy psychological atmosphere in class. Its impact on the quality of education

6. Career development programs in elementary schools.

7. Censorship and education. Shall we protect the students or guide them through everything they want to know?

8. Challenges of curriculum development in elementary schools.

9. Character development programs in elementary schools.

10. Classroom procedures.

11. Cognitive theory.

12. Constructivist learning theory.

13. Cooperative learning theory.

14. CSCOPE Curriculum.

15. Cultural pluralism in curriculum development.

16. Curriculum alignment.

17. The commercialization of education: benefits and hazards.

18. The definition of humanities.

19. How can modern education be compared with classical school education?

20. How Can Teachers Address the Issue of Different Ways Students Learn?

21. How Does More Exercise Benefit Elementary School Students’ Learning?

22. How Religious Education Could Increase Religious and Racial Tolerance

23. Whether Private Schools Emphasize Personality and Character More Than Public Schools

24. Why Homeschooled Children Have Fewer Behavioral Problems

25. Why Public Schools Should Allow Student Involvement in Meal Planning

Read: Speech Topics Related To Science

1. Howard Gardner’s theory.

2. Inclusion and education.

3. Inclusive classes: how do pupils in such classes perform in comparison with non-inclusive ones?

4. Information overload: the bane of the modern world. How can we help the students to deal with it?

5. Issues in early childhood assessments.

6. John Dewey’s influence on American education.

7. Liberal education curriculums.

8. List of 40 Hot Topics in Education

9. Motivation theory in the classroom.

10. Multicultural education. The teacher is a mediator if a cultural clash occurs.

11. Online curriculums.

12. Parent involvement.

13. Pass-fail grading: should its use be limited?

14. Peculiarities of kindergarten classrooms.

15. Preparing for the Road Ahead: Why High School Should Emphasize Environmental Education and Engineering to Meet with Water and Resource Shortages

16. Preschool education: knowledge or social skills?

17. Private education: what shall be in the school to get a license?

18. Promoting parent volunteering in elementary schools.

19. Response to Intervention (RTI): how shall it work?

20. School violence, dealing with it, and minimizing harm.

21. Sex education: pros and cons

22. Shall parents be involved in the educational process?

23. Shall the development of emotional intelligence be one of the goals of modern education?

24. Shall the development of personal morals be a part of school education?

25. Shall the teacher only teach? The role of a teacher as a negotiator and moral guide.

1. Educating infants and toddlers with learning disabilities.

2. Education and gender: same-sex schools and their comparison to the mixed-sex ones

3. Education and modern technologies, their positive and negative impact

4. Education and motivation: how to make pupils interested how to make pupils interested

5. Does education ever stop or it continues during your entire life?

6. Does Preschool Better Prepare Students for Social Situations?

7. Does the University System Prepare Students for the Pending Labor Shortage?

8. Does University Education without Practical Workplace Experience Disenfranchise Students from Career Success?

9. Dress code and school rules. Are some of them outdated?

10. Early education of children from low-income backgrounds.

11. Early literacy.

12. Education and religion. Religious needs of the students. What if religion forbids some aspects of the study?

13. Education and socialization of mentally challenged people. Similarities and differences.

14. Education assessment tools.

15. Education of children with dyslexia.

16. Education of children with learning disabilities.

17. Education of ESL students.

18. Education of gifted students.

19. Educational discrimination and its impact on the future of the pupils

20. EESC projects.

21 Government Responsibility: Why Governments Should Encourage Adult Education in the Form of Vocational Programs

22. Should Parents or Students Decide if the Student Has to Take a Human Sexuality Course?

23. Should Standardized Testing for High School Be Replaced?

24. How Does the Educational System Handle the Shortage of Teachers in Public Schools?

25. How Parent Participation in Private Schools Leads to a Better Academic Performance

1. Should state education standards be unified?

2. Special education policies in the U.S. and their effectiveness.

3. Spiral curriculums.

4. Standardized testing: a conventional way of checking the results of education or a new caste system?

5. Summaries, audiobooks, and online problem solvers. Can the classical educational system endure this?

6. Teaching artists.

7. Teaching children with speech-language pathology.

8. The development of critical thinking as the primary goal of the educational process

9. The effectiveness of character education programs.

10. The effects of a school dress code.

11. The efficiency of classroom management in reducing student stress.

12. The evolution of approaches to education throughout history

13. The history of the greatest universities in the world. What makes them so great now?

14. The impact of classroom management on student behaviors.

15. The impact of family involvement on academic achievements.

16. The impact of political issues on the public education system.

17. The Internet: the huge library and a very unsafe place. How to help students use it safely for educational purposes?

18. The most effective bullying prevention strategies.

19. The most effective strategies for teacher leadership.

20. The Need for Homeschool Standards across All the States

21. The overview of the main modern approaches to education

22. The phenomenon of apprenticeship and its role in developing systems of education

23. The problem of negative parental attitudes toward school.

24. The Quality School concept.

25. The role of discipline in education and its impact on the process of learning

26. The role of student behavioral policies in classroom management.

27. The situated learning concept.

28. The theoretical background of distance education.

29. The theory and practice of educational games as a means to promote better learning.

30. Theoretical education vs practical education

Betty is a qualified teacher with a Bachelor of Education (Arts). In addition, she is a registered Certified Public Accountant. She has been teaching and offering part-time accounting services for the last 10 years. She is passionate about education, accounting, writing, and traveling.

Our websites may use cookies to personalize and enhance your experience. By continuing without changing your cookie settings, you agree to this collection. For more information, please see our University Websites Privacy Notice .

Honors Thesis Topics

Listed below are previous Neag School of Education Honors thesis topics from 2006 to present:

Gianna Aquino – Elementary Education Thesis Supervisor: Del Siegle Push-In Differentiation of Instruction for Gifted Mathematics Education

This honors thesis is an investigation of what one form of push-in instruction for gifted students in mathematics could look like. Through an observation of a school in Florida, I investigated how one classroom was using Project BUMP-UP to build mathematics proficiency and serve gifted students in the classroom. The gifted differentiation was accomplished through content and questioning techniques by a gifted specialist pushing into a general classroom during the mathematics instruction time. Gifted students showed more math discovery than general education students, guided by a 3 Act Math Task and open-ended questioning techniques. Students showed more interest in mathematics tasks and more positive thinking.

Katie Coleman – Elementary Education Thesis Supervisor: Doug Kaufman Multicultural Literature in the Classroom

Discussions surrounding multicultural literature have become more prevalent as book banning continues to be put into the political spotlight in the United States. Though it is believed that multicultural literature is beneficial to students, there is not much literature that has researched the benefits of having multicultural literature in the classroom. Through teacher interviews in which they shared their experiences and opinions on multicultural literature, there were three major themes: (i) Teachers believe that students’ feeling seen in the books being presented was a motivation to include those books in their library. (ii) That district support to include multicultural books helped them to bring these books into the classroom. (iii) Celebration books (Brandon, 2016) were the most commonly used books in these classrooms. These findings would point to further research needing to be done to show that multicultural literature is beneficial to students’ learning.

Erin Logan – Comprehensive Special Education Thesis Supervisor: Jennifer Freeman  Special Education Professionals’ Perceptions and Thoughts about Restraint and Seclusion in Special Education

Restraint and seclusion practices in schools are used disproportionately against students with disabilities and have serious consequences, including injury and death (US Department of Education, 2020). Federally and locally, there is little policy and legislation about restraint and seclusion, and when there is it is often not specific and leaves many decisions to local districts (Freeman & Sugai, 2013; Gagnon et al., 2017; Kern et al., 2021). Given that, the current data sets available to examine restraint and seclusion rates in schools are often inaccurate and underreport such rates (National Council on Disability, 2015; US Government Accountability Office, 2019). Recently there have been bills introduced at both the federal and state level to ban seclusion and reduce the frequency with which restraint can be used (All Info – H.R.3470– 118th Congress, 2023; Washington State Legislature 2023). However, there is almost no data or research on teachers’ perceptions of the policies and practices surrounding restraint and seclusion, even though they are the ones seeing and experiencing restraint and seclusion situations daily. In this survey, we asked special education professionals their thoughts and opinions on 4 areas related to restraint and seclusion: education, training, policy, and practice. The major findings were that most professionals had some education and training and wanted to see specific improvements in those programs. The results also indicated that participants had varying levels of agreement on future policy and guidelines surrounding the use of restraint and seclusion. This study will help inform teacher preparation programs in their education and training and contribute to the growing field of research.

Emily Rostkowski – Mathematics Education Thesis Supervisor: Megan Staples Teachers Leveraging ChatGPT to Implement GAISE Guidelines in High School Statistics Education

Launched in November 2022, ChatGPT is a large language model chatbot that allows users to have conversations with artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Given its rising prevalence, the implementation of ChatGPT in educational settings has gained increasing attention. ChatGPT’s functionalities particularly align with the statistics and data science classroom. As the demand for quantitative skills and statistical literacy in STEM-related careers (and beyond) grows, statistics and data science classrooms must be equipped to meet these demands. Recommendations to meet such demands are outlined in the American Statistical Association’s 2020 Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE) report. This paper investigates how ChatGPT can be readily and efficiently implemented within the statistics classroom to meet the GAISE guidelines by implementing integration strategies within a high school statistics classroom. This study compares students’ interest, sample work, and teacher experiences of the ChatGPT lesson with a model lesson to investigate the feasibility and possible avenues to integrate ChatGPT in the high school statistics classroom.

Ariana Spearin – Elementary Education Thesis Supervisor: Catherine Little Seating in K-6 Classrooms

Classroom organization can contribute to the success of a learning environment, and teachers may consider this to be a key component of classroom management. This organization may include the seating arrangement of a classroom as well as the types of seats that students use. In this study, I surveyed current and former elementary school teachers about the choices they make regarding classroom seating and their perceptions of the effects of different seating options on outcomes such as academic achievement, behavior, participation and collaboration. Classroom arrangements listed in the survey included cluster, horseshoe, and row seating. Types of seats included traditional chairs, stability balls, standing desks and seat cushions. I analyzed responses from 39 teacher participants. Overall, we found that teachers favor cluster seating for most outcomes; this aligns with our finding that teachers prioritize students’ participation and collaboration when arranging their classroom seating. In regards to types of seats, there is no clear preference for any of the options. Teachers also reported that they believe students enjoy picking their own seats and using flexible seating rather than traditional seats.

Jannatul Anika , Secondary Biology Education Thesis Supervisor: Catherine Little Expanding Teacher Diversity and Learning Achievements: Understanding and Supporting the Teaching Career Decision Making of Minoritized Students

The purpose of this study is to explore how college students of color who are considering (or have considered) the teaching profession describe the internal and external factors that are influencing their career decision. This project translates the observations and experiences around the lack of diversity in the teaching workforce and aims to understand the underlying reasons there is a shortage of teachers of color, with the goal of recommending solutions. In Connecticut during the 2021-22 academic year, 89.9 percent of public school teachers identified as White, while Connecticut’s population of students of color is more than 45 percent (Blanco, 2021; State of Connecticut, 2021). Students of color at two Connecticut universities participated in open ended surveys and interviews to share their reflections. The responses from students were complemented by interviewing current educators of color who shared their perspective on the field and their identities. The methods of this research emphasized the importance and value of listening to college students of color first in identifying points of dissonance in choosing the teaching profession before proposing recruitment policies and programs.

Jessi Cooper , Elementary Education Thesis Supervisor: Catherine Little Autism, Gender, and Identity in College Students

Existing literature on autism’s relationships with identity and gender is sparse, and this study aims to investigate what few have: how do autistic females view these variables and their relationships? This is a qualitative, interview-based study of 10 college students who identify as autistic and identify as female and/or were assigned female at birth. Participants shared their experiences with autism diagnosis, gender identity, and navigating their sense of self. The study found four themes among participants’ responses: (i) Many types of diagnosis obstacles exist, as do mitigating factors for some of these obstacles, (ii) Various motives led participants to camouflage, but negative effects motivated many to reduce camouflaging behavior, (iii) Autism is related to both perceptions and enactions of gender, and (iv) Autism impacts identity in multiple ways outside of gender. These themes largely agree with and build on patterns found in the minimal existing literature.

Emily Dell’Orfano , Music Education Thesis Supervisor: Cara Bernard Mission Statements and the Online Presence of Children’s Choruses: A Content Analysis

The language used in an organization’s mission statement implies the values held by that organization. Common music education values have been top-tier education, musical excellence, and the cultivation of high-achieving, well-rounded individuals. However, during the post-2020 rise in attention to social justice, organizations have either extended or reworded their mission statements to reflect a greater pursuit of equity, inclusion, and accessibility. In recent literature there have been discussions of a conflict between the values of arts organizations, as standards of elite musical excellence are inherently in conflict with community accessibility due to the socioeconomic factors that determine a student’s access to the education, training, and resources that are required for a “high achieving” student. This study examined the mission statements of several well-known children’s choruses, as well as the same choruses’ Facebook pages, to analyze how certain values are projected in the mission statements, and how those values are made manifest in other aspects of online presence.

Taylor Emmerich , Elementary Education Thesis Supervisor: Catherine Little Family Engagement in Connecticut Public Elementary Schools

In this study, I explored how Connecticut public elementary schools foster family engagement, including what patterns may differ based on aspects of school demographics, including indicators of general geographic location (i.e., rural, suburban, urban) and socioeconomic status of the population served. I was focused on examining the different strategies that schools use to foster family engagement and how educators perceive that these efforts may affect student success.

Carly Marinstein , Secondary Mathematics Education Thesis Supervisor: Megan Staples A Study of Math Teachers’ Perspectives on Equity

Equity is a central focus in the educational system. It is part of the conversation in every professional learning context and in any educational article. Math classrooms, in particular, are increasingly entering the dialogue; previously, some thought equity did not apply to mathematics and that math was free of biases. In reality, along with all other subjects, math has barriers to break down to ensure success of all students in the classroom. As educators wrestle with the question of how to make schools more equitable, they must consider what equity means and how stakeholders come to understand it. In this study, I examined aspects of this understanding by exploring what classroom teachers think about equity and how they define it. I analyzed definitions of equity from 19 seasoned Alliance District teachers in Connecticut and compared them to how key researchers are defining equity in the math classroom. I considered these questions: How are current teachers thinking about equity? Do their thoughts overlap with what the literature says about equity? Through my analysis, I found three major themes in the teacher responses: Relevance, fairness, and comfort. The literature describes an equitable math classroom as having four dimensions: Access, achievement, identity, and power. When comparing the three themes from teachers to the themes in the literature, I found many connections. Many commonalities were found when cross coding the data’s three themes to the literature’s four themes. Strong connections were found between identity and relevance, identity and fairness, and access and fairness. The heavy crossover between established works and teacher perspective highlights a set of collective views surrounding equity in mathematics classrooms.

Derek Mason , Special Education Thesis Supervisor: Catherine Little Special Education Teachers’ Stress and Stress Management in the Era of COVID-19

Previous research has indicated that teaching is a highly stressful career across subject areas, even before the Covid-19 pandemic. The additional duties and demands that special education teachers face warrant particular attention and investigation into their experience of stress. This study explored the perceived stressors, stress levels, and stress management techniques of current special educators in the field. The influence of the Covid-19 pandemic on how the participants describe their experience of stress and stress management was also examined. 37 special educators across the northeastern United States participated in an anonymous online survey consisting of a 29-item adapted version of the Teacher Stress Inventory (TSI; Fimian, 1988), three researcher-developed open ended questions, and a series of demographic questions. Results indicate that the special educators surveyed shared common stressors and stress management techniques throughout the pandemic and across their careers, the extent to which the teachers claimed the pandemic influenced their stress varied, and the participants ranked their levels of stress descriptively higher than in previous research.

Stephanie Millicker , Secondary Mathematics Education Thesis Supervisor: Del Siegle An Examination of Elementary School Students’ Opinions About Mathematics

Math is a class every student takes in school each year. Some students love math, some students hate math, and many students lay somewhere on the spectrum between those two extremes. To learn more about students’ opinions surrounding math, we surveyed Florida elementary school students at the beginning of the school year with questions related to their enjoyment and self-perceptions of their math ability. During the school year, an additional survey was administered after each math unit that asked them to quantify their levels of interest, challenge, engagement, and amount of new information learned in each unit. The survey results were examined to find correlations between categories and between a category and students’ grades in their math class. Eight statistically significant relationships were found. The relationships were between students’ self-perception of their math ability and perceived challenge of math lessons, self-perception of their math ability and enjoyment of math, self-perception of math ability and scores on math unit tests, perceived enjoyment of math and interest in math units, perceived engagement in math class and amount of new math learned, perceived engagement in math class and interest in math, and amount of new math learned and interest in math.

Chuck O’Coin , Secondary Mathematics Education Thesis Supervisor: Del Siegle Higher Education Burnout: The Effect of Burnout on Students

Burnout is a syndrome that has stark negative effects on multiple populations, including students in higher education. Burnout among students can be sourced from lofty expectations, heavy workloads, feeling unimportant, having high levels of empathy, personal struggles outside of the classroom, and experiencing depression or related mental illnesses, and it can drastically change the outcome of students’ time in school. The purpose of this study was to analyze the extent of burnout among students at UConn and whether differences exist in burnout experiences by student’s gender identity, academic year, and field of study. The outcome measures were the three core categories of burnout – exhaustion, cynicism, and self-efficacy. We found no difference between males and females with any categories of burnout. Education majors experienced lower cynicism levels and higher self-efficacy rates than majors not categorized into STEM, Arts/Humanities, or Education, and Education majors also experienced higher self-efficacy rates compared to STEM majors. There was no difference among any majors regarding exhaustion. Lastly, Juniors in college experienced higher levels of exhaustion than Graduate students, and Seniors experienced higher levels of self-efficacy than Freshman.

Alexa Schwartz , Special Education with a minor in American Sign Language Thesis Supervisor: Hannah Dostal An Evaluation of A Year-Long Instructional Writing Approach in Relation to the Spelling Skills of Elementary Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students

Through assessing the spelling skills of 40 deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students in grades 3-5, the goal of this study is to evaluate a year-long instructional writing approach called Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI). Students were administered the WJ III Subtest 3, Spelling, which measures a person’s ability to correctly write words that are said orally. The 40 students were administered the spelling subtest at the beginning and end of the academic year as a pretest and posttest to measure student growth. The Multilinguistic Coding System (MLC) was used to analyze the students’ pretests and posttests. The hope of this research is to bring more knowledge regarding emergent writing development, specifically spelling skills, to educators who work with DHH students in the educational system. Additionally, through assessing the impact of the intersection of identities, such as deafness, bilingualism, and disability, a more holistic understanding of emergent development will be achieved.

Micaela Collins Elementary Education “Really? You’re Puerto Rican?”: An Autoethnographic Exploration of a Multiracial Preservice Teacher Advisor: Grace Player

This thesis is an autoethnographic look by a multiracial pre-service teacher at her experiences in both K-12 classrooms and higher education, as a multiracial student and future teacher. The paper highlights some of the critical moments in the researcher’s life as they relate to her identity as a multiracial woman. These critical moments are then be used to further explore and explain the research that has already been done around multiracial students’ perspectives, with the hopes of expanding upon the research and offering another perspective and experience to the existing scholarship. The hope of the researcher is that the work presented here will help her to reflect on how her experiences have affected, and will affect, who she is as a teacher, show other pre-service and in-service teachers the importance of understanding multiracial student experiences, and add another account of a multiracial perspective to the growing literature around the issues presented in this paper.

Michael Flaherty English Education Educators’ Transfer of Educational Technology Skills From the COVID-19 Pandemic Advisor: Del Siegle

The Covid-19 pandemic presented unforeseen and completely unprecedented challenges for educators. With the entire world in lockdown, educators and students were forced to adapt on the fly to fully remote instruction utilizing a variety of technologies and applications to fit districts’ individual needs. However, as we eagerly return to the in-person classroom it is worth reflecting on the skills educators and students gained regarding specific educational technologies. There has been evidence that, when correctly implemented, technology integration improves student understanding of content area material as well as their relevant technology skills as required by state standards. We surveyed a variety of educators who attended the University of Connecticut iPad conference to see how working educators utilized technology during the pandemic and how they have used technology upon returning to the in-person classroom. Keeping with current research, some uses of technology have increased student engagement and help students stay organized in the midst of the semester and have seen continued success in the in-person classroom. However, utilizing technology for every student in every activity can be misguided, as risks of burnout and disengagement were found when students were asked to be on their devices for 7 hours a day, as during the pandemic. While this survey had a limited demographic, some of these larger concepts might guide teachers looking to incorporate technology wisely in their in-person classroom.

Francesca DePalma Elementary Education Female Representation in Popular Children’s Literature Advisor: Catherine Little

Female representation in literature is an important topic of study. Representation is important for many reasons, including the ways people connect with and see themselves in what they read. It is important for children to connect to characters and to see role models in what they read; such connections may support children emotionally and encourage them to read more. This study was a content analysis of a sample of popular children’s texts published over the last 40 years. The book sample included best-selling children’s and young adult literature in each decade from the 1980s to the 2010s, including stand-alone novels and novels that were part of a series. Each book was reviewed to document aspects of female representation. Some of the questions answered include frequency of male to female characters included in titles, the types of jobs that the protagonist’s guardians have, whether female characters need “saving” by male characters, and whether a female plays a key role in the plot of the story. While there were not significant changes to patterns over time, some results overall showed patterns. Some areas that show a pattern include jobs of female guardians, which tended to be fewer and less well described than jobs of male guardians, and female characters needing to be saved, which happened on a fairly regular basis across texts.

Madison Levine Biology Education Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions in the Pandemic Advisor: Catherine Little

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, teaching as a profession is going through changes, as teachers and students alike learn to navigate distance and hybrid learning, technology, and entirely new ways of teaching and learning. While some teachers are viewing the pandemic as a way to reimagine education, others are struggling with the changing demands of online learning. Teacher shortages are not a new problem, but now have the possibility of worsening due to the new challenges that have surfaced during the pandemic. Preservice teachers are in the position of observing all of these events and challenges while engaging in professional preparation programs, and they also are experiencing unexpected challenges related to their access to schools and classrooms and the expectation to learn their future work under great uncertainty. A survey of preservice teachers and their attitudes towards their career choice shows findings of new factors that may play a role in their want to continue on this career path. Those factors include issues specific to the pandemic and other current events, such as safety concerns, adapting to virtual teaching and learning, student interaction, the uncertainty of school in the future, and antiracist teaching. These factors are situated within broader ideas that have changed or resurfaced throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, such as support and protection of teachers, classroom environment, student interactions, and equity concerns. Again, these are situated within persisting factors that influence the retention of teachers such as classes and materials, student relationships, community, and shaping future generations.

Natalie Y. Wong Music Education The Role of Extracurricular Activities in the College-Decision Making Process Advisor: Catherine Little

Extracurricular activities play a vital role in a student’s education. Studies have shown that extracurricular activities improve educational outcomes, organizational skills, communication abilities, and social awareness. In this study, we asked college students how they recall prioritizing extracurricular activities in their college decision-making process. We also wanted to know if students who did participate in extracurricular activities continued from high school to college and why. The data were collected through a survey with both multiple choice and open ended questions. There were 285 participants who were either in college or had recently graduated. We used five main categories of extracurricular activities for our survey: prosocial activities, team sports, school involvement activities, performing arts, and academic clubs. Participants said they did consider extracurricular activities in their decision-making process, but such activities were not the main deciding factor for most participants. We also found that participants did continue their extracurricular involvement, most often because they enjoyed their activity in high school and wanted to continue it. When asked why they enjoyed participating, respondents cited social enjoyment, academic success, and connections in their career field.

Kiana K.A. Foster-Mauro Elementary Education Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Grace Player Mirrors of Our Own: Multiracial Representation in Children’s Picture Books

In this study, I analyzed the representation of multiracial individuals in children’s picture books, ages newborn-8. Specifically, this study closely analyzed 75 board and picture books published in the United States between the years 2009 and 2019 that feature mixed race characters. The identified texts were analyzed in a critical content analysis using a framework based upon Critical Race Theory. Through this framework, the researcher examined how multiracial characters in the texts are portrayed, the power dynamics, and what the texts say about various aspects of culture, including race, class, and gender. The researcher also analyzed the authors and illustrators of the selected texts, looking closely at the role that this plays in the dynamics of the texts. This study provides a closer look at representation within children’s picture books and children’s picture book authors/illustrators.

Kayla Fuhst Music Education Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Catherine Little A Study of Teacher Questioning in an Elementary Mathematics Classroom

In this study, I examined patterns in teacher questioning in an elementary mathematics classroom. The focus was on transcribed recordings of lesson components in which instruction was specifically focused on mathematical vocabulary within the context of the curriculum unit in use. The primary participant was a kindergarten teacher teaching in a summer enrichment program for students referred by their teachers for showing evidence of advanced academic potential in the classroom.  Twelve rising first graders registered for the summer class, which was provided as an intervention component of Project SPARK. Several patterns emerged in the teacher’s questions over the 3-week curriculum. After several rounds of coding, the findings demonstrated that the intersection of question form and question intent resulted in overlapping patterns, such as Eliciting Additional Response questions, or talk moves, generally being classified as Building Conversation questions, and the majority of closed and leading questions aligning with the Building Content Understanding questions.

Jonah Garcia Music Education Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Cara Bernard Teaching Practices, Institutional Cultures, and Access to Music Learning

The mission of the National Association for Music Education is “to advance music education by promoting the understanding and making of music by all” (NAfME, n.d.-b). Despite these aspirations of equality, research suggests that both demographics and geography have a role in determining who is able to participate and who will choose to participate in school music (Elpus & Abril, 2019; Salvador & Allegood, 2014). This study examined the factors that influence school music participation and the representation of student populations in the music programs of two Connecticut secondary schools. Names of schools and participants have been changed to preserve anonymity. This study utilized a collective case study approach, and participants included four music educators and the principals of the two schools. Data were collected through a document review and semi-structured interviews with each participant. Using a cross-case analysis, data showed that factors at the community, school, and program levels affected access to music classes and student interest in music learning opportunities. The findings suggest that certain teacher and administrator philosophies, policies, and practices are particularly effective in preserving and expanding music programs that serve socioeconomically diverse populations.

Elizabeth George Elementary Education Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Richard Gonzales How Teachers Manage Resource Inequity in Different Educational Contexts: A Case Study and Recommendations

This study explores how teachers make decisions and navigate different contexts to support their students. I investigated how teachers use agency, ownership, and learning in the positive, adaptive choices they make to achieve better student outcomes. The purpose of this honors thesis is to surface ideas about how teachers can serve students in different schools with various needs and different amounts of resources.

The research questions framing the study are as follows: (1) How do teachers make choices about how to utilize their professional support network? (2) How do teachers make choices about their instructional approach to support students? (3) How do teachers make choices to demonstrate they like, care, and think about their students? In the study, four practicing teachers from two different school districts are surveyed on their teaching experiences in their given district.

Overall, the results showed some common themes about decisions teachers make based on the interviews conducted. When discussing how they use their professional support network, many teachers mentioned the importance of collaboration with colleagues, as well as feeling supported, and meeting the needs of educators. In terms of instructional approach, teachers discussed their focus on students and the importance of having professional choice. When demonstrating care for students, teachers mentioned a love for the community and taking time to learn about students and their culture. In conclusion, the results show that regardless of the district and varying resources available, teachers used similar methodology when making decisions to support their students. The results are important as they show how teachers manage resource inequity in different contexts with similar beliefs and teaching practices.

Emily Rakers Special Education Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Joseph Madaus Examination of Online Accommodation Information for College Students with Disabilities in New England

The purpose of this study is to report on the status of information available to college students with disabilities on the websites of New England colleges’ centers for students with disabilities. Primarily, this study focused on information about the application process for a student to receive accommodations. Data was generated by compiling a list of common factors on the websites of centers for students with disabilities at colleges not in New England, and then searching the New England websites to see if they included these factors on their own websites. Three separate categories of schools were included in the study: 2-year schools, 4-year public schools, and 4-year private schools. The data was analyzed to find what information is most common on centers for students with disabilities websites and to describe any patterns by specific types of schools. The most common features on the websites were guidelines for disability documentation and a phone number or email address for a point of contact at the center for students with disabilities. Most schools also stated on their websites that IEPs, 504-Plans, and Summaries of Performance would not be sufficient documentation. It is hoped that the findings from this study will inform transitioning high school students with disabilities when they are researching the accommodation process in college.

Jillian Rutstein Elementary Education Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Dorothea Anagnostopoulos Helping Beginning Elementary Teachers Teach Mathematics Ambitiously: Resources and Impediments

As beginning teachers, novices often strive to find the most productive teaching strategies to support their students’ learning. Those practices involve conceptual, procedural, modeling, and feedback skills, all encompassed in the term ambitious teaching. As educators move towards developing the practices of ambitious teaching, they push past methods of memorization to engage their students in deeper, more conceptual thinking and problem solving. This study examines how one beginning teacher develops ambitious teaching practices during his first three years of teaching. It seeks, in particular, to understand the resources and materials that enable him to do so. Specifically, we seek to understand which social, conceptual, and concrete materials enable the beginning teacher to teach ambitiously in mathematics and which impede his efforts to do so.

The data for this study include interviews and observations. During his first three years of teaching, the novice teacher participated in seven interviews. Interviews asked about the resources and support the teacher used in his teaching, his views of students’ engagement, and learning in mathematics. Researchers observed the teacher teach nine mathematics lessons, three each year. Scores rated the ambitiousness of his instruction using the Protocol for Language Arts Teaching Observation (PLATO) adapted for mathematics instruction. PLATO scores showed an overall increase in ambitiousness from the first to third years of teaching and especially in the domains of instructional strategies and representation of content. The increase was supported by a consistent mathematics curriculum and resources from colleagues that supported teaching procedural skills. Despite the increase, we noted that the teacher struggled to teach conceptual strategies. This appears to be related to a decrease in support from instructional coaches and an increased focus on standardized test preparation from administration. The findings of this study help identify the resources that can support beginning teachers in teaching mathematics ambitiously.

————————-

Samantha Cronin Elementary Education Thesis Supervisor: Catherine Little

Teacher Perceptions of Inclusive Pedagogies

Broad changes in demographics in the U.S. are also altering classroom compositions, such that teachers are now responsible for a much more diverse group of students. Although teachers often recognize the importance of responding to a wide range of student needs, they may express difficulty in actually doing so. In this study, I explored the ways in which teachers define and implement three prominent inclusive pedagogical approaches toward education: multicultural education, teaching for social justice, and culturally responsive teaching. By surveying elementary school teachers from across the United States, I was able to analyze the ways in which teacher definitions connect to actual practice, as well as the associated challenges with implementation in general. Overall, the participating teachers appeared to have only a basic understanding of inclusive pedagogies in practice. They tended to focus on content integration instead of deep-rooted, fundamental changes to school and social structure. This demonstrates a need for professional learning opportunities in which teachers are encouraged to expand their understanding of inclusive pedagogies in reasonable increments.

———————-

Nicole Gerardin English Education Thesis Supervisor: Hannah Dostal

An Interdisciplinary Education: Just a Bridge Away

U.S. high school classrooms may not be reflective of what students will encounter outside of their walls. Many high schools separate subject area teaching and learning and, therefore, may not thoroughly provide students with multiple, discipline-specific and authentic lenses for interpretation to understand important concepts and solve complex problems. Existing discussions on the topic of providing students with an interdisciplinary secondary education note various benefits of the implementation of units that are inclusive of more than one discipline.

In this qualitative study, I sought to further my understanding of the benefits of and barriers to implementation of interdisciplinary units in five Connecticut high school classrooms. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and these interviews were then transcribed and coded. Following the initial coding of the interviews, codes were categorized under three major themes: benefits of interdisciplinary units, barriers to implementation of interdisciplinary units, and aids and effective strategies for implementation. Commonly purported benefits included an increased level of student independence and choice in the classroom, an enhanced and more authentic educational experience, and the ability to provide students with multiple lenses for interpretation. Barriers to implementation included departmentalized and restricted interaction between teachers, lack of specified professional development opportunities, and teacher skepticism.

Kathrine Grant Secondary English Education Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Elizabeth Howard

Investigating the Influence of Peer Tutoring for Supporting Students Learning English as an Additional Language

This project explored the use of peer-to-peer tutoring for students learning English as an Additional Language by surveying high school students currently participating in such a program at a local high school. The mixed methods study relied on student and teacher interviews as well as survey data to investigate the perceptions of peer tutors, tutees, and the teacher facilitator of the program on the academic benefits of the program, the contextual factors that supported their learning of English, and their recommendations for continual programmatic growth. Key findings indicate that the academic benefits include language learning, content knowledge, and leadership. Important contextual factors that affect students learning English were identified as shared identity, motivations, importance of peer relationships, socialization component of the club, and discomfort that was experienced in other academic and social situations. The study concludes with suggestions for programmatic improvement.

Isabella Horan Elementary Education Thesis Supervisor: Dorothea Anagnostopoulos

It’s Hard to Do Everything: Keeping Beginning Teachers of Color in the Profession

Beginning teachers are leaving the profession at higher rates than in the past (Lloyd & Sullivan, 2012). Teachers of color are leaving at even higher rates than their white colleagues; one in five teachers of color state will leave the profession within their first five years (Ahmad and Boser, 2014). With the increase of culturally and linguistically diverse students in the nation’s public schools, it is imperative that we both increase the number of teachers of color and enable them to stay in teaching (Dilworth & Coleman, 2014).  In this research study, we sought to identify some of the conditions that help teachers of color stay in teaching through the case study of Angel, an early career teacher of color. The data includes seven interviews with Angel over his first three years of teaching, collected as part of a larger study of beginning teachers’ preparation for ambitious instruction.  Analysis of these interview data show how Angel’s relationships with his students, colleagues, and principal were important to his staying in teaching.  These relationships provided him with a sense of professional competence and purpose as well as support and resources to develop his teaching practices.  Early opportunities for school leadership also helped integrate Angel into the school community.  At the same time, tensions with colleagues related to race and gender as well as mounting frustrations stemming from district and school testing mandates somewhat diminished Angel’s enthusiasm for teaching.  The study concludes by identifying the implications of these findings for research and practice.

Clarey Pass Elementary Education Thesis Supervisor: Catherine Little

Teacher Perceptions of Book Selection Practices in Reading Instruction

Leveled text systems are extremely common in elementary schools today. These systems group texts in order to guide students through a sequence of texts to improve their fluency and accuracy. While leveled text systems are meticulously designed to support students’ skill development, there is no real emphasis on motivation or enjoyability within these texts. It is well-documented that appropriate level of texts is important in supporting students’ skill development. Leveled texts place great importance on a book being challenging enough to promote problem-solving skills in reading, but not so difficult that it causes frustration or poses an impossible task to developing readers. However, it is also well-documented that motivation is a big factor in helping students gain skills in reading. These different emphases in reading instruction led to questions about how teachers felt about books they were selecting for their students, as well as their perceptions of what their students felt were important in selecting books. This research study seeks to find patterns in factors that teachers use when selecting books for their students to read, as well as their thoughts on what their students hold as important when self-selecting books. Teachers are also asked about their experiences working with leveled text systems, and their feelings of strengths and weaknesses within those systems. The findings of this study include that the promotion of skill development within a book as well as the interest level of the reader were two of the most prevalent factors teachers took into consideration when selecting books for students.

Clarissa Tan English Education Thesis Supervisor: Catherine Little

A Paradox of Identities: Perspectives of East and Southeast Asian American Students on Living and Learning in Predominantly White Communities

Many educators and policymakers—and society at large—view the Asian American experience through the narrowed lens of the model minority myth, which defines these students around academic success. While seemingly positive, these conjectures problematically oversimplify this student population’s experience. In this qualitative study, I sought to add to existing discussions and strengthen educator understanding of how East and Southeast Asian American students in predominately White schools interpret their own educational experiences with relation to their cultural identity. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with second- and third-generation East and Southeast Asian American undergraduates, who read Gene Luen Yang’s American Born Chinese as a study text used to further facilitate discussions. Open-ended interview responses were coded and analyzed for common themes. Common trends included that students perceived the model minority stereotype as both beneficial and detrimental. Due to negative encounters, lack of visibility, and the absence of community in their educational environments, students struggled to accept and reconcile their cultural identities as Asians and as Americans. Students frequently described an existing need for culturally aware, inclusive, and proactive teachers and education systems.

Jami Zolotor Special Education Thesis Supervisor: Jennifer Freeman

The Educational Outcomes of 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome: A Comprehensive Literature Review

Despite the prevalence of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS), there is still very little known about the educational outcomes of students with this genetic syndrome. Without knowing the educational outcomes of students, teachers and other educational professionals do not know how to intervene to improve the educational success of students with 22q11.2DS. There is a multitude of research that focuses on a particular area of weakness or strength in children and adolescents with 22q11.2DS, but there are no articles that describe the overall educational outcomes. Describing the educational outcomes of students with 22q11.2DS is a necessary first step in better understanding how to meet the educational needs of students with the genetic syndrome. The purpose of this systematic literature review was to gather descriptive information on what is known about the educational outcomes of students with 22q11.2DS. This study examined both qualitative and quantitative articles published about students with 22q11.2DS and systematically reviewed those sources using a mixed methods review to describe what is known about the educational outcomes of the students. This research found that students with 22q11.2DS have specific impairments in working memory, cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, visuospatial ability, motor ability, social skills, communication skills, intellectual ability, and academic achievement that impact the educational outcomes of children with 22q11.2DS. Implications for further research include using this knowledge of educational outcomes to implement interventions and accommodations related to the specific impairments and testing the effectiveness of these interventions and accommodations.

Amy Hetherington-Coy , Secondary Science Education – Biology Patrick Pierce, Secondary Science Education – Physics Thesis Supervisor: Todd Campbell Negotiating Coherent Science Teacher Professional Learning Experiences across University and School Settings This research investigates the assumptions underlying the work of a research practice partnership (RPP) made up of university science teacher educators and mentoring science teachers. With increased attention to what have been described as significant shifts proposed in science teaching and learning connected to recent standards documents in the U.S., increased attention and possibilities exist for collaborative work with inservice mentoring teachers to not only focus on professional learning connected to these standards documents, but to do so in ways that can increase the coherence between science teacher education programs and the local schools in which preservice science teachers find themselves navigating as they learn to teach. Drawing on the design-based research paradigm connected to conjecture mapping, this research articulated and tested, through qualitative methods, the design conjectures underlying mentor teachers’ experience within professional learning as part of the RPP. In the end, design conjectures that supported teachers to take on “learner hat” experiences in early stages of the RPP followed by engagement in curriculum co-design and implementation supported mentor teachers in beginning to reconceptualize visions of their teaching and learning, while also appropriating and tuning high-leverage tools to support a focus on student ideas in science classrooms. Finally, issues related to the complexity of teacher education programs were identified for needed increased attention into the future.

Bryan Kirby , Secondary Science Education – Biology Thesis Supervisor: Del Siegle Controversial Topics and State Approved Biology Texts: More Talk than Walk This study was a content analysis of how seven controversial topics were covered in four biology textbooks, half of which were the national editions while the other half were versions made specifically for the states of South Carolina and Texas.  The books were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively for scientific accuracy, depth of coverage, level of discussion encouraged, and overall number of pages covered. The seven issues examined were climate change, race, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), evolution, stem cells, vaccines, and the health effects of technology. Overall, there were few differences between the state adopted book and the national editions, as well as between both national editions in their coverage of the seven controversial issues.

Annie MacLachlan , Comprehensive Special Education Thesis Supervisor: Del Siegle Preservice Teachers’ Referral of Students for Special Education The purpose of this study was to understand which students teachers nominate for special education services, and what student qualities influence the nomination. Specifically, in this study, we investigated whether a student’s ethnicity and classroom behavior influence his or her nomination for special education. We created six profiles in which we varied ethnic names and classroom behaviors, and asked juniors and seniors in a selected teacher preparation program to evaluate the profile they were given. They were then asked to indicate whether or not they would refer their given hypothetical student for special education services, and to provide justification for their choice. The major quantitative findings of this study were that, in the selected teacher preparation program, there was not a statistically significant influence of (a) student race, (b) student behavior, or (c) the interaction of the two on preservice teachers’ referral decisions. The participants’ qualitative responses agreed with the quantitative results with regards that student race did not have an impact on referral. However, many preservice teachers cited student behavior in their open-ended justification statements as a significant influencer of their referral choices. The information from this study will help better prepare teachers to serve students with diverse learning needs.

Eva-Maria Maher , Elementary Education Thesis Supervisor: Dorothea Anagnostopoulos Examining the Relationship between Clinical Placements and Pre-service Teachers’ Attitudes towards Diversity and Multicultural Education The purpose of this study was to determine, using survey data, whether undergraduate pre-teaching students experienced a change in racial bias/attitudes after taking a multicultural education course, and whether there was a difference in attitude change between students who were placed in urban, suburban, or rural settings for their clinical observation hours. Educators’ racial bias is becoming an increasingly important issue as demographics in America’s public schools are shifting, while the majority of American teachers are white (NCES, 2014). Because many preservice teachers lack genuinely diverse experiences before entering teacher education programs, many of these programs have been attempting to prepare pre-service teachers to work with diverse student populations by offering coursework and field experiences specifically designated for multicultural or diversity education (Valenti, 2006). Because multicultural or diversity education courses are often the first experience that preservice teachers have with diversity education, it is important to research whether or not these courses have the desired effect of creating culturally responsive teachers. This data reflected a statistically significant decrease in racial bias from the beginning of the semester to the end of the semester for the whole group. Of the three groups of pre-service teachers, suburban teachers experienced the most significant decrease in racial bias.

Anna McCormick , Elementary Education Thesis Supervisor: Jean Marsden Exploring Problems and Resolutions in Multicultural Children’s Literature Children’s literature can serve as a mirror , reflecting children’s own lives or cultures, and as a window helping them to see and understand other cultures (Naidoo, 2014). When children don’t see their culture or other cultures represented it can send messages that that culture is not important enough to include, but many cultural groups are still underrepresented in children’s literature. Specific awards exist to bring light to some of these much-needed multicultural children’s books and the authors that write them. For this study, I selected 50 children’s books that had received awards for diverse children’s literature within the past 10 years and I performed a content analysis of key elements of the text, looking at specific aspects of character, problem and resolution to identify patterns regarding character identity and role in the problem and resolution. My findings indicated that across these texts the cultural identities of the characters tended to be critical to the problem and resolution. A common pattern in books where external growth occurred was that the environment and people in the environment became more accepting of and knowledgeable about differences and diversity, and in most of the books the characters had agency in resolving their problems. This study might serve to help teachers, librarians, and parents identify books that follow patterns of award winning literature in areas that are typically underrepresented and seek and find quality multicultural literature to share with children.

Benjamin Murray, Secondary History and Social Studies Education Thesis Supervisor: Catherine Little Perceptions of Advanced Courses in Relation to Gifted Secondary Education High school students are taking a large number of advanced and AP courses, and at an ever-increasing rate. Yet there has been little research into the effectiveness of these programs at supporting gifted secondary students. This study addressed the research question “In what ways do administrators and educators in secondary education perceive advanced courses such as Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or Early College Experience (ECE) to meet or fail to meet the needs of secondary gifted students?” I conducted a survey of administrators in public school districts in Connecticut about these perceptions. Survey respondents frequently expressed beliefs that the entry-level college experience and challenging level of coursework offered by AP, IB, and ECE programs were these programs’ greatest benefits, while commonly expressed drawbacks of these programs included strict curriculum alignment and pacing, as well as over-enrollment. Benefits of other gifted program components included a higher level of challenge for students, as well as offering increased opportunities for student choice and independence. Limitations of other programs largely centered around logistical difficulties with funding and personnel.

Jacqueline Ose , Secondary Science Education – Biology Thesis Supervisor: Morgaen Donaldson Effects of Project Opening Doors on AP Enrollment and Passing Rates in Connecticut High Schools Project Opening Doors, an Advanced Placement Incentive Program in Connecticut, aimed to increase access to Advanced Placement courses and exams for low-income and minority students. This study evaluates the effect of Project Opening Doors on the total number of AP exams taken, the total number of AP exams passed, and the percentage of total AP exams passed. It evaluates a longevity effect between pre, during, and post enrollment and passing rate data. Based on the results of this study, Project Opening Doors was successful in significantly increasing the number of exams taken and the number of exams passed from pre-program to post-program. Unexpectedly, after funding was removed, participation and success rates on AP exams did not fluctuate. The average passing rate of all AP exams taken across all school districts was consistent and did not change significantly between pre, during, and post program years.

Molly Pines , Elementary Education Thesis Supervisor: Douglas Kaufman Teacher Perceptions of Arts Integration into General Education Curriculum In elementary schools, art is often taught as a supplement to general education, and it is frequently separated from academic subjects with “pullout programs.” However, incorporating arts into the general education classroom, and into academic subjects can potentially have positive outcomes such as allowing students to broaden their conceptions of the world and themselves and to make authentic connections across disciplines. The purpose of this research study was to examine teacher reports of the frequency and quality of arts integration into general education curriculum, as well as what teachers perceived to be its benefits or drawbacks. Thirty-one educators associated with a large university in the northeast United States completed a survey. The educators are special educators, specials teachers (educators who facilitate pullout programs for the arts, languages, or physical education), and classroom teachers. Most participants indicated that they saw the need for arts integration in general education curricula, although many described feeling constraints from district or curriculum requirements. Results show that most educators view the arts as beneficial for students’ cognitive retention of material, understanding of material, or emotional intelligence.

Abigail Plouffe , Elementary Education Thesis Supervisor: Catherine Little An Analysis of Education Apps The use of apps on phones and tablets is on the rise for children, and many parents and teachers looking for educational ways for children to spend their screen time download apps from the education category of the app store. However, the labeling of an app as an “education app” does not actually mean that it has educational value. This study analyzed the top 30 apps listed in the iTunes app store to determine if the apps demonstrated key elements of learning theory, as well as curriculum alignment. Using a study by Hirsh-Pasek et al. as a framework, I developed a coding system to determine the level with which these key elements were present in each app. Each app was coded in four categories: Active Learning, Engagement, Meaningful Learning, and Social Interaction, with three criteria analyzed in each. The apps were also analyzed for Curriculum Alignment. Results revealed a high amount of Active Learning and a low amount of Social Learning. There  was a greater spread of Engagement and Meaningful Learning across the apps. About two-thirds of the apps lacked Curriculum Alignment. These results emphasize that consumers need to research or engage with apps more diligently to determine their educational value instead of merely purchasing based on the top lists on the app store.

Jacqueline Bickley , Secondary English Thesis Supervisor: Catherine Little High School English Teacher Perceptions of the Use of Academic Journaling In this qualitative study, individual interviews were used to explore high school English teachers’ beliefs about the purposes and benefits of reflective academic journaling and to uncover the ways in which they might implement this practice. The purpose of this study was to develop a deeper understanding of the purposes and practice of reflective academic journaling within the classroom, and to explore teachers’ perceptions of this practice in light of their teaching experience. Major findings included the discovery of reflection itself as the primary purpose for reflective academic journaling, followed by content and skill-related journaling. I also found that a prevalent indirect benefit is the improvement of student-teacher relationships, as well as the fostering of self-expression. It was more common for teachers to tie journaling to a specific artifact, as opposed to allowing students to free-write, and to create a dialogue that most commonly exists between students and teachers. I also found that many reflective academic journals are used in teachers’ assessment of students, and have an intentional academic focus. The most frequently mentioned significant challenge presented by reflective academic journaling is a lack of student motivation and understanding of its purpose.

Rachel Elizabeth Forte , Secondary History/Social Studies Education Thesis Supervisor: Catherine Little Teacher Perceptions of the Purposes of Social Studies Education Social studies as a subject in schools covers so many disciplines and has been so broadly defined that much debate has occurred over the way it should be taught. The way in which a subject is taught is directly relational to why it is taught, and thus this study established social studies teachers’ beliefs about the purposes of social studies education for students. Nine practicing social studies teachers and one current instructional coach from the Northeast United States participated in this study. Participants were interviewed in person and asked to consider their personal beliefs about the purposes of social studies education and how those beliefs manifest in their instructional practices, and they were additionally asked to rank in order of importance a set of purposes given to them. Based on the information obtained from interviews, the study concluded that the most frequently top-rated choices for possible purposes of social studies education from the teachers were promoting empathy, preparing students for civic engagement in a democratic society, and promoting critical thinking skills. Furthermore, all ten participants placed the purpose of instilling a sense of patriotism or national pride in students as the least important purpose (of a provided set of 10) in their classroom. Additionally, discussion with teachers highlighted certain tensions that some felt influenced their decisions, including educational system expectations of teachers and the current political climate’s role in the classroom. These findings matter because teacher reflection on the purposes of teaching social studies can help teachers to reexamine how these purposes explicitly appear in their instructional practices which directly affects how students learn in their classrooms.

Kelsey Ann Iwanicki , Elementary Education Thesis Supervisor: Catherine Little Teacher Interpretation of High-Potential Behaviors during Critical and Creative Thinking Response Lessons Educators and researchers in gifted education are exploring multiple ways of addressing issues of underrepresentation of some populations of students in gifted programs. Multi-dimensional approaches to identification include working with teachers to recognize and to elicit high-potential academic behaviors from students. In this study, research team members conducted critical and creative thinking “Response Lessons” in K-2 classrooms while teachers observed for behaviors that might indicate high academic potential in their students. Teachers completed a pre-lesson survey indicating behaviors they anticipated and a post-lesson survey indicating what they observed. The purpose of the surveys was to demonstrate how teachers are interpreting high potential and to what extent a relationship exists between the behaviors indicated in the written lesson and the actual behaviors exhibited by students. Across surveys completed by 30 teachers, results indicated high consistency between expected behaviors and observed behaviors, and the behaviors expected and observed most frequently related to students’ curiosity, ability to learn quickly and easily, and inventiveness, while the least expected and observed behaviors included making advanced connections. Study results will inform ongoing efforts to support teachers’ observation of critical and creative thinking in young students.

Kaitlin Kamalei Jenkins , Elementary Education and English Thesis Supervisors: Doug Kaufman and Victoria Ford Smith Empathy and Empowerment in K-2 Read Aloud Sessions: An Analysis of the Inclusion of Multicultural Children’s Literature This study explored K-2 teachers’ perspectives on the use of multicultural children’s literature as read aloud books and those books’ connection to cross cultural empathy and cultural empowerment. It was guided by the following research questions: (1) Are teachers using multicultural children’s literature (MCL) for their read aloud books? Why or why not?; (2) How are teachers using MCL during their read aloud sessions?; (3) To what degree are teachers considering the development of cross cultural empathy in their students while picking out read aloud books?; (4) To what degree are teachers considering the development of cultural empowerment in their students while picking out read aloud books?; (5) What character elements of the MCL read aloud books promote the development of cross cultural empathy and cultural empowerment? How do they do so?; and (6) What character elements of the MCL read aloud books work against the development of cross cultural empathy and cultural empowerment? The data demonstrated that teachers do consider the development of cross cultural empathy and cultural empowerment through multicultural children’s literature. They do use multicultural children’s literature, but not frequently, because of a lack of resources. A model for multicultural children’s literature was developed at the end of this study to aid teachers.

Julia Kipphut, Elementary Education Thesis Supervisor: Del Siegle Parent Attitudes Regarding K-5 Homework The goal of this study was to provide educators with insight into parents’ perceptions of homework practices in K-5 education. Specifically, I was curious to see the role that parents had in their child’s homework and their perceptions of homework assignments. The results showed families who reported homework having a higher impact on them saw it as less beneficial. Families who saw communication between teachers and parents as clearly defined found homework more beneficial. Additionally, fathers thought that homework had less of a negative impact on families than mothers.

Amanda MacDonald , Elementary Education Thesis Supervisor: Catherine Little Teacher Perceptions of Math Anxiety in Themselves and their Students Math anxiety is generally defined as a nervousness and a condition in which a person has an adverse response to a mathematically-related task or activity either physically or mentally that obstructs that person’s mathematical performance and learning experience. Prior research suggests that math anxiety is a real concern for students, as it may potentially harm their performance in the subject as well as deter them from many math-related activities in their lives due to the negative reactions that the anxiety can cause them physically, emotionally, or mentally. While many students may develop math anxieties in elementary school, it is also important to recognize that their teachers might also share some of these same math anxieties. The purpose of this study was to gather information on teachers’ perceptions of both their own and their students’ math anxiety. The research questions focused on (a) to what degree and in what contexts teachers perceive students to have math anxiety, (b) to what degree and in what contexts teachers perceive themselves to have math anxiety, and (c) what teachers know about addressing math anxieties. Fifty-eight teachers completed a two-part online survey with closed- and open-ended questions. Key findings showed that in general, teachers have a good idea about what math anxiety is and that it can negatively affect student learning, and about two thirds of participants reported teaching students who show signs of math anxiety. Nearly all participants were interested in learning ways to assist their students. About 40% of responding teachers reported having math anxiety themselves at least occasionally, and 30% reported having math anxiety while teaching math. The implications of this study include the importance of teachers’ preparation around math instruction and specifically around ways in which they can address math anxiety in the classroom context.

Jake Mulé , Secondary Science – Physics Thesis Supervisor: Del Siegle Perceived Benefits of Marching Band Participation for College Students College students have a limited amount of time to devote to a multitude of activities, and thus understanding the benefits of certain activities can prove invaluable. This study investigated the perceived benefits of participation in a college marching band for students. Members of the University of Connecticut Marching Band completed a survey about their perceived benefits of marching band participation. Based on the survey results, the study concluded that participants experience many positive benefits from participating in the collegiate marching band, the most prominent being social benefits. Furthermore, female participants reported higher levels of commitment, time investment, and physical health benefits than male participants. Many of the benefits were related to each other.  Only GPA was not correlated with any other category. The findings of this study are important because they can help guide students in selecting activities to participate in and highlight the benefits of marching band participation.

Jennifer Lynn O’Brien, Elementary Education Thesis Supervisor: Catherine Little A Study of Parent Perceptions of Advanced Academic Potential in the Early Grades Parents are key stakeholders in children’s education; this project, which is part of a larger study about effects of early identification of high potential, focused on parent awareness of the behaviors that indicate high potential and the kinds of resources that would support developing academic potential in the early grades (grades K-2). This project consisted of an online parent survey and a parent workshop with a card sort component in which parents indicated what kinds of resources would be priorities. The study took place in three school districts with large populations of families from low-income backgrounds. A total of 38 parents completed the survey, and 57 card sets were collected during workshops. Findings demonstrated that parents emphasized several key behaviors indicating high potential such as being highly curious; learning quickly and easily; and finding useful, often original ways to spot and solve problems. Overall, parents thought it was important to allow for independence, creativity, and critical thinking; as well as time together for fun and academics. Parents were interested in learning more about the best parenting practices for gifted students, ways to teach their children academic skills at home, and ways to partner with their children’s schools.

Emma Pavano , Elementary Education Thesis Supervisor: Morgaen Donaldson Teacher Evaluation: Methods and Perspectives While much to do with the current education system is constantly in flux, the main goals of teacher evaluation have been present for decades. While phrased in a variety of ways, the purpose of teacher evaluation is generally defined by researchers as twofold: teacher accountability and professional development. In the past, these objectives have been met inadequately, but through our research into New Haven, Connecticuts’s TEVAL program we hope to shed some light on how other districts can improve their evaluation methods to better reach these goals.

Erica Ambrogio , Elementary Education Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Brandi Simonsen The Effects of Self-Monitoring on the On-Task Behavior of a Student in the General Education Classroom The current study served to expand upon previous research about managing the off-task behavior of students who exhibit off-task behavior in the general education classroom. Self-monitoring has been identified as an effective and reliable strategy for increasing on-task behavior in various settings with students. The 6-year old, first grade student was selected by referral from his general education teacher and school staff. He attended an elementary school in an urban school district in Connecticut. The study employed an alternating treatments design with a baseline phase.  Specifically, after an orientation for both the student and teacher in using the Direct Behavior Rating tool to record behavioral data, the student was randomly assigned to self-monitor during one of two observation periods each day (during the unassigned period, he did not engage in self-monitoring).  Data did not support a functional relation between self-monitoring and off-task behavior; however, limitations related to data collection may have affected study results.  These limitations and implications for future research are discussed.

Alexandria Bottelsen , Secondary English Education Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Tom Deans Defining Writing: Teacher Perceptions of High School Writing Centers under the Common Core This study examines how secondary school teachers see the relationships among the Common Core State Standards for writing, their own teaching practices, and peer writing centers. Through conducting interviews with teachers across subject areas at two high schools with peer writing centers, the researcher discovered a paradox: that most teachers praised the concept of writing centers in general even as they saw them as not especially relevant for their own students and subject areas. While the standards did not appear to have a meaningful impact on teacher practices, the way these teachers defined writing significantly affected how they viewed the writing center as it pertained to their students. While all the participants highly valued writing as a process, they believe it is an individual—or otherwise non-social—process that differs significantly from subject to subject. Based on these findings, several implications and suggestions can be made for both schools and writing centers to better improve their relationship and the overall culture of writing across the curriculum.

I sabella Chantel Denay Gauthier , Special Education Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Rachael Gabriel Gender and Reading Proficiency: Is There a Significant Relationship for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders? School achievement studies have consistently shown that female students demonstrate higher levels of reading achievement and intrinsic reading motivation when compared to male students (Schwabe, McElvany, & Trendtel, 2015). Many studies tend to focus on the general education population when comparing scores between female and male students, and not the special education population. The purpose of this honors thesis is to provide quantitative data that will explore the relationship of reading achievement scores and gender with students who have been diagnosed with Autism spectrum disorders. The study methodology includes a quantitative two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results from the study indicate that there is no significant difference between the grades, or between genders, or with the interaction of the two when looking at reading achievement scores of students who have been diagnosed with Autism spectrum disorders.

Michelle Heyder , Secondary Mathematics Education Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Catherine Little Sources and Experiences of Math Anxiety in Post-Secondary Students Math anxiety is experienced on a regular basis throughout the country. In this study, I explored possible sources and experiences of math anxiety in post-secondary students, so as to inform the practice of teachers and those who are affected by math anxiety. For this study, university students completed a survey detailing their reported age of development, current frequency, and predicted frequency of math anxiety. From survey respondents, participants were purposefully selected to be interviewed to expand on their responses to the survey. Survey and open-ended interview responses were coded and analyzed for common themes, while multiple choice survey responses were analyzed for themes among frequency data. Common trends included that students often compared themselves to high-performing peers and considered having the inability to do math part of their identity. Students also frequently claimed that relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing, as well as positive relationships with teachers and role models helped them manage their math anxiety best.

Alexandra Jabick , Elementary Education Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Tamika La Salle Examining the Relationship between Student Race, Socioeconomic Status, and Gender and Kindergarten School Readiness Early childhood education is a topic of great interest. As gaps in achievement persist, policy makers are looking for ways to help children enter into school better prepared to succeed. A recent study lead by the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering (CASE) examines the effects of attending Connecticut’s state-funded preschool program on a child’s future school readiness skills. The current study extracts a subset of data from this study to examine early achievement in kindergarteners from across Connecticut, specifically to determine whether a child’s socioeconomic status, as defined by free or reduced lunch status, gender, or race have an effect on the child’s early academic skills. Significant differences in performance were only found between lower and higher SES groups and SES was a significant predictor of performance on PPVT-4, Oral Language, Math Facts, and Calculation.

Jessica Liu , Elementary Education Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Catherine Little Classroom Discourse: Teacher Questioning and Student Participation in a Mathematics Summer Enrichment Program The purpose of this study was to observe what classroom discourse looks like within the context of a summer program for high ability students from underrepresented backgrounds. Fifteen classroom observations were conducted across three teachers’ classrooms to document teacher and student engagement in class discussions. Teacher statements and questions were classified into five major categories: informing, directing, deepening, connecting, and guiding. Results demonstrated that when teachers model talk moves, such as linking, students are more prone to use these strategies as well.

Pam McDonald , Elementary Education Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Rachael Gabriel Literacy Across Disciplines: An Investigation of Text Used in Content-Specific Classrooms This pilot study focused on literacy within the higher grades, where classes are content-specific and organized into varying levels. Teacher views on literacy instruction as well as the types of texts used across the disciplines and course levels were explored. The following research questions guided the study: 1) Do early high school teachers view their class’ reading tasks as more discipline- or content-focused? 2) Does the complexity of the texts assigned in early high school vary across the various course levels? 3) Does the complexity of the texts assigned in early high school vary across the disciplines? 4) Does the authenticity of the texts assigned in early high school vary across the various course levels? Interviews from a total of 21 ninth and tenth grade teachers were analyzed, as well as sample texts from their classes. Teacher interviews were examined to determine their views—either more content-area based or disciplinary based— on literacy instruction within their content-area classrooms. The sample texts’ Lexile levels were analyzed across discipline (Language Arts, Math, Science, Spanish, and Social Studies) and course level (A, B, DI) in order to find any relationships that existed between text complexity and discipline or level. Finally, the authenticity of the sample texts—in relation to the course level they were being used in—was explored. Results indicated that most content-specific teachers view their literacy instruction as having a more content-area focused purpose rather than a disciplinary focus. Although no relationship was found between the complexity levels of texts across the course levels, a relationship was found between the complexities of texts in certain disciplines. Lastly, results did not show any significant relationship between the authenticity of a text and its course level.

Hannah Ragonese , Elementary Education Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Catherine Little The Underrepresentation of Minorities in Gifted and Talented Programs: Educators’ Perceptions of Giftedness and Educator Referral Systems This study focuses on the underrepresentation of minority populations in gifted and talented programs, and more specifically teacher perceptions of high potential as they might relate to referrals of minority students for gifted and talented programs. In this study, 37 teachers of grades K-2 completed a survey about their perceptions of high potential. The survey also explored whether teachers were more or less likely to refer hypothetical students of different backgrounds to gifted programs. Findings indicated that teachers tended to look for physical academic output as the most important characteristic of giftedness. Findings also indicated that teachers participating in this survey were not influenced by students’ demographic characteristics (race, socioeconomic status, or English language skills) in making referrals to gifted programs. Suggestions for future research are noted regarding teacher role within the larger issue of underrepresentation.

Jessica Stargardter , Elementary Education Thesis Supervisor: Dr. E. Jean Gubbins Underrepresentation of Minorities in Gifted and Talented Programs: A Content Analysis of Five District Program Plans Many educators and researchers recognize the issue of underrepresented minority groups in gifted and talented education programs. Since the landmark Supreme Court case Brown vs Board of Education in 1954, policies, laws, and standards have been attempting to establish equity in educational programs. This content analysis explores how select districts in the metropolitan region of Colorado align with the NAGC’s standard 2. The research showed that the majority of these districts followed NAGC’s standard 2, but the underrepresentation of minority groups within the metropolitan region of Colorado continued. National, state, and local districts need to do more to promote equity and diversity.

Anthony Steady , Secondary Social Studies Education Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Alan Marcus Engagement in the Social Studies Classroom Social studies education literature has indicated that students are not engaged in their social studies classes.  Within this view are a variety of theories attempting to explain why students are not engaged.  Surveys were administered to 184 suburban high school students in order to answer the question of which of these different views on how to engage students in the social studies classroom were most accurate.  The results from the survey showed that students found social studies to be more engaging than previously indicated, and that within students who either enjoy or do not enjoy social studies, there are common trends of instructional and curricular strategies that should be considered for improving engagement.  Among these strategies were more focused history courses, different classes based on preferred learning methods, and a need to continue researching methods to engage students despite the encouraging results that were found.

Daniel Arndt , Secondary Biology Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Jonathan Plucker Evaluation of Gifted Education using A-F School Grading Accountability Systems

A recent trend in accountability systems in the United States has been grading schools on an A-F scale. Some of the evaluation components included in these systems are standardized test proficiency rates and student growth measures. Traditionally, these systems have not emphasized accountability for gifted education programming or services. The accountability systems of the sixteen states in the U.S. under these A-F systems were analyzed for indicators that involve gifted education, which does not have a federal mandate or centralized decision-making. The frequencies of evaluation components were compared at the high school and elementary school levels. The only gifted education-specific components were based on AP and IB testing in high school. The lack of gifted education inclusion into these systems represents the current climate for gifted education in the United States.

Terra Briody, Elementary Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Catherine Little Parent Perceptions of Children’s Learning About Nutrition

At both the preschool and young adolescent age, modeling has a significant influence on the nutritional habits and physical activity levels of children. Parents set up the first routines regarding the availability of food, meal structure, and eating practices in the home, and they are also the primary models for young children. This study explored parent perceptions of elementary-aged children’s eating habits, with a specific focus on breakfast as a sample of eating behaviors, and the parents’ perceptions of themselves as nutritional models. The study also explored how parents engage children in nutrition-related activities. A total of 81 parents completed an online survey. Results indicated that parents support children’s engagement with nutrition by giving children support for making informed choices about food and by having children help with preparing food. Parents also demonstrated some awareness of themselves as models, but about a third of responses indicated that they rarely or never eat breakfast with their children.

Andrew Catanese , Secondary Mathematics Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Del Siegle Investigating the Mozart Effect with University Students

The purpose of this study was to shed further light on the concept of the Mozart Effect. This is the debated phenomenon that listening to Mozart may cause temporary increases in cognitive ability in certain kinds of tasks. Forty-two students from the University of Connecticut participated in a test involving mental rotation tasks; approximately half listened to Mozart while taking the test, and the other half took the test in silence. There was not a statistically significant difference between these two groups. However, the sample size was relatively small. The average test scores of the Mozart group was approximately 8.16, as opposed to approximately 5.87 for the group not listening to Mozart. Given this difference, it is possible that a study performed on a larger sample size would have enough power to show that a statistically significant difference exists.

Rachael Cerutti , Elementary Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Michael Coyne Study of Teacher Perspectives on Vocabulary Instruction

Direct vocabulary instruction is a key component of an early reading program, and effective vocabulary instruction may be significant in raising student achievement in reading. This qualitative study investigated kindergarten through 3 rd grade teachers’ perspectives of their reading programs’ vocabulary instruction. The study took place across 3 different schools, all of which use the same core reading program. The study aims to discover the participating teachers’ overall opinions of the quality of the vocabulary instruction, as well as other factors including time available to complete instruction, level of difficulty of the given vocabulary words, and the teachers’ own fidelity of instruction.

Amy Christensen , Elementary Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Tutita Casa An Investigation of Grade Three Students’ Vocabulary Usage in Written Mathematical Communication

While the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics has long emphasized communication in the teaching and learning of mathematics, renewed attention is being given to this process with the advent of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Not only does the CCSS for Mathematics encourage teachers to have their students develop expertise in constructing viable arguments and critiquing the reasoning of others, but the CCSS for English language arts stresses writing across academic areas. The CCSS-related assessments’ claim that they will measure students’ ability to communicate their reasoning cements the importance of this practice. Writing particularly about one’s mathematical reasoning naturally calls for students’ use of academic vocabulary. The Project M 3 units, developed for mathematically promising upper elementary students, emphasize reasoning-based oral and written communication, which includes mathematical vocabulary. This study investigates the differences between intervention and comparison groups of third graders’ vocabulary use in their writing on an open-response assessment, including formal and informal mathematical language. Intervention group students had been exposed to a communication-rich math curriculum, while comparison group students were instructed with their existing traditional math curriculum. Results showed comparison group students used slightly more precise language, while intervention group students tended to write more, and about more mathematical concepts.

Emily Gauthier , Elementary Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Catherine Little Teacher Perceptions of Students from Background Information

Teacher expectations influence student experiences in the classroom. This thesis explored teacher expectations; specifically, the study focused on the types and sources of information teachers purposely look at and use to form expectations of their incoming students prior to the beginning of the school year. The study also included exploration of whether or not those choices vary by the grade levels at which teachers have experience, as well as how teachers perceive conflicts between student performance and expectations of student performance. A total of 85 participants responded to a survey of open- and closed-ended questions. Results demonstrated that teachers attend to academic information over behavioral, that teachers avoid certain information to give students “fresh starts,” and that teachers’ choices regarding the information they use vary somewhat by the grade level experiences they report.

Julie Grossman , Secondary Social Studies Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Alan Marcus Political Cartoons as Tools for Developing Historical Empathy in Social Studies Classrooms

Political cartoons are visually complex, abstract images which citizens are frequently exposed to as a part of American civic life. Evaluating them is a necessary skill for productive citizenship and is one that should be taught in school. Social studies classes are perfect settings for students to analyze political cartoons because of their focus on effective citizenship and their use of historical thinking skills such as historical empathy. This skill is what allows students to emotionally engage with the discipline by understanding historical events from multiple perspectives and in the context of the appropriate time period. There is a dearth of research on the use of political cartoons to help foster historical empathy and that is where this research lies. Data were collected from 13 ninth grade students analyzing a set of political cartoons about slavery and a set of cartoons about police brutality. Their responses were coded for accuracy, recognition of the varied perspectives featured in the political cartoons, and reconciliation of personal opinions with the opinions of the political cartoons. One major result was that five out of thirteen students referred to slaves from the 19th century anachronistically as “African-Americans.” This showed that students struggled to think beyond the modern era and within the time period of the cartoons. Another major finding was that a majority of students chose the cartoon which aligned with their personal views instead of a more balanced perspective when asked to choose the cartoon which best portrayed the issue. This represented an inability and possibly an unwillingness of students to recognize the validity of perspectives besides their own and to think empathetically. Political cartoons, visual and biased representations of multiple perspectives, are challenging for students whose default thought processes are deeply situated in the present day and largely dependent on their own personal opinions. Social studies teachers should consider these issues when using political cartoons.

Alison Labaire , Elementary Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Catherine Little Teachers’ Perceptions of Student Reading Patterns

Reading motivation has been shown to have an effect on overall academic performance, with a strong positive relationship with reading achievement. Currently, there is a lot of concern about literacy achievement specifically pertaining to boys. This study surveyed teachers about their perceptions of students’ reading preferences and reading behaviors. We asked teachers to share supports and barriers to reading behaviors as well as students’ preferred books and genres. The genres most frequently reported as popular with boys were Comedy, Fantasy, and Science Fiction. The genres most frequently reported as popular with girls were Fantasy, Realistic Fiction, and Historical Fiction. Participants surveyed reported that having a range of topics, using props, and having engaging literature with relatable characters were all successful ways to increase interest to their students.  Participants reported that a wide selection of texts not only increases interest for students but also allows for differentiation, self-selection, and increased literary independence, according to participants.

Jennifer Moore , Secondary Mathematics Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Del Siegle Underachieving Gifted Students’ Achievement Patterns Beyond High School

The purpose of this study was to follow-up with underachieving middle school students from an NRC/GT Increasing Academic Achievement study, who are now of college age or slightly older. We were interested in determining how well they performed in high school and college, whether they turned around their academic underachievement, and what factors they perceived influenced their achievement or lack of achievement. Out of the 280 students who previously participated in the study, we located 90, and seven completed a survey. Out of those seven, five students were chosen. These five students, who were identified as underachieving gifted students in middle school, indicated that their academic achievement never improved throughout their school career and early into life because they failed to find meaning and value in their tasks. They wished their teachers had understood them better and reported being happy, but not fulfilled in their current work positions.

Bailey Muchin , Special Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Mary Truxaw Self-talk+ and Strategic Teacher Moves Aimed at Cognitive Advancement in Linguistically Diverse Elementary Mathematics Classrooms

This study’s objective was to determine the purposes of self-talk and related forms of talk (self-talk+) in linguistically diverse elementary mathematics classrooms, teacher moves that are often associated with self-talk+, and the relationship between self-talk+ and strategic teacher moves. This study analyzed transcripts, audio recordings, and video recordings from several elementary mathematics classrooms in dual language programs in order to determine the relationship among self-talk+ and strategic teacher moves. This study specifically focused on the purposes of self-talk+ that contributed to, or had the potential to impact, student cognitive advancement. The results of data analysis were mapped in order to visualize the relationships among self-talk+, strategic teacher moves, and cognitive advancement. The results associated with each research question were grouped by topic: purposes of self-talk+, teacher moves related to self-talk+, and relationship among self-talk+ and strategic teacher moves. The purposes of self-talk+ identified and aligned with the literature were found to include the following: ruminate on a difficult matter, increase understanding of a novel concept, redirect/restructure thought process, focus on technical aspects of a skill, effectively engage with a task, and increase understanding of a novel concept. Teacher moves used in conjunction with self-talk+ were found to include wait time, modeling, and prompting. Finally, it was found that when self-talk+ and these strategic teacher moves were used together, students were more likely to make significant cognitive advancements.

Jorie Predmore , Special Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Joseph Madaus Self-Concept of a High School Student with Cerebral Palsy in the General Education Classroom and Resource Room

This paper explores the different domains of self-concept for a student in high school with cerebral palsy. This case study provides a qualitative analysis of the self-concept of a specific student in the resource room versus this student in the general education classroom. The domains of self-concept examined were academic self-concept, social self-concept and general self-concept. The study also researched the difference in importance beliefs of academics and socialness in the two educational settings. The student’s academic and general self-concept appeared to be similar across the two settings, but his social self-concept was higher in the general education classroom. His importance beliefs about academics and socialness were also higher in the general education classroom.

Matthew Rescsanski , Music Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Joseph Abramo High School Musicians and their Perceptions of Music in Academic and Non-Academic Settings

Contemporary research has shown that school music programs have increasingly struggled with relevancy in recent years, as students primarily experience music outside of school through informal practices of popular music and culture. It is therefore extremely important for music educators to better understand the perceptions their students have of music in both of these settings. In this study, students were asked via survey and interview about their perceptions of the music they make in school and in other settings, such as at home, with friends, or as a part of a religious activity. Findings included a wide range of statements and numerical data from students about preferences and perceived differences between in school and out of school music, suggesting that a mixture of informal and formal classroom practices are needed in all music classrooms in order to better reach students with diverse musical experiences outside of school.

Melissa Scarbrough , Secondary World Languages: French Thesis Advisors: Dr. Catherine Little and Dr. Valerie Saugera Use of Phonetics in the Beginner French Classroom: A Look at Textbooks

World Language classrooms, as a result of their subject matter, delve heavily into Linguistics, most specifically in an area of Applied Linguistics known as Second Language Acquisition (SLA). This subcategory emphasizes determining learning differences between a first language and a second language. Within this, there is the focus of Phonology, and Phonetics, which analyzes how sound information affects SLA. Recent research has shown that explicit training in the phonetics of a second language supports overall growth in learning and using a second language. In this study, three of the most commonly used French as a foreign language textbooks were examined to determine the prevalence of exercises and activities from these books that support phonetics teaching. Results demonstrated a strong emphasis on the practicing of phonetic information, through speaking exercises, but limited instruction and support of phonetic principles.

John A. Bengston, Social Studies Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Alan Marcus Teaching Genocide: Problems and Possible Solutions

If students are to have a complete and well-rounded social studies education, there will be histories covered that are both disturbing and painful, and thus, controversial. This study examines how teachers teach a specific kind of controversial issue, genocide, to demonstrate the difficulties and methods involved. In branching out to teachers from different backgrounds and school districts, I sought to describe how specific individuals approach teaching genocide and how they solve various challenges surrounding this type of instruction. Such a description may inform other teachers about how to teach genocide effectively. Helping teachers recognize these issues would serve to open genocide education issues to both discussions and solutions that can only increase the quality of student education.

Kimberly Burk, Elementary Education, and Kathryn Fernberg, Elementary Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Catherine Little Influential Factors in Teacher-Student Relationships in the Classroom

We investigated practicing teachers’ perceptions of their relationships with their students in general and also focused on how their perceptions varied based on their gender and teaching experience. We surveyed teachers using the Problems in Schools Questionnaire, along with several researcher-generated questions. We received 252 responses to the survey from teachers with a wide range of levels of experience. We found few differences related to teacher gender, although when asked to describe a negative relationship they had had with a student, most teachers described a male student. Teacher experience was significantly negatively related to an approach that emphasized control in the classroom as opposed to student autonomy, suggesting that teachers may become less control-oriented and possibly more autonomy-oriented with more experience. Results also indicated that teachers considered trust, respect, communication, and a safe classroom environment to be critical to developing positive relationships with students.

Rebecca Duchesneau, Social Studies Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Catherine Little The Content of Teacher Questions in Individualized Reading Conferences

This study examined reading instruction in third through fifth grade classrooms, by analyzing individualized reading conferences conducted by five different teachers. Each teacher recorded conferences with three students: a struggling reader, an average level reader, and an advanced or higher level reader. I sought to examine what types of content teachers were addressing in these conferences, at what level teachers were asking students to analyze the text, and how teachers were differentiating for students with differing reading abilities. The results showed that teachers were addressing the follow content: plot, character, author, genre, setting, reading behavior, and vocabulary, with the largest emphasis on plot, character, and reading behavior. Teachers asked students to analyze the text on the surface, go further within the text, and go further beyond the text. Surface was the most popular out of this category, and even when teachers asked students to go beyond the text it was mostly to make connections. Lastly, while there was some differentiation, particularly with the low level readers, it did not seem systematic or planned.

Sarah Forte, English Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Catherine Little Time Patterns in Teacher Questions and Student Response

For this honors thesis, I conducted a qualitative and quantitative study to examine individualized reading conferences between five elementary school teachers and their students. Expanding from previous study, audio recordings of the one-on-one conferences were coded, timed, and analyzed. This study focused on the patterns between teacher talk and student talk, specifically on questioning, types of questions asked, and student responses. Three research questions were examined in this study: 1.What are the patterns evident in ratios of teacher talk time to student talk time in individualized one-on-one conferences? 2. What relationships are evident between function of teacher question and length of student response, as measured in words spoken and time elapsed? 3. What are the patterns evident among students of different reading levels in individualized conferences? Several key findings emerged from the study. Teachers talked for a greater percentage of time than their students, though students of a higher reading level generally spoke more during individualized conferences than students at average or lower levels of reading performance. The types of questions that got students to speak for a longer amount of time and speak more words were not always the questions that students were most often being asked to respond to. Questioning is an essential classroom practice, and this study suggests implications for teacher practice in the classroom and further research.

Laura Kent, Comprehensive Special Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Joseph Madaus Impact of Introduction to Exceptionality and Collaboration Course

The inclusion of students with disabilities in the general education classroom requires that all teachers have the ability to teach students with disabilities and the ability to collaborate within the school environment with a variety of staff members within the school. Teacher preparation programs must incorporate the teaching of these skills into their curriculum. This study focused on determining the effects a class on exceptionality and collaboration had on preservice teachers’ self-efficacy for teaching students with disabilities and understanding of professional collaboration in schools. A survey was administered to a population of special education majors attending a university at the beginning and the end of their first semester in a teacher education program. Analysis of these surveys found that there was a statistically significant improvement in the preservice teachers’ self-efficacy for teaching students with disabilities, but there was not a large development in the understanding of professional collaboration in schools. While the preservice teachers did demonstrate an increase in understanding about the environment of professional collaboration in school, the understanding in other domains was limited. There did also seem to be a slight increase in knowledge of educational terminology that allowed the respondents to express their knowledge in different ways. The results from this study can be used to hone further studies on the influences on preservice teachers’ preparation for the field, and to influence how to improve preservice teachers’ understanding of professional collaboration in schools.

Jeffrey T. Moore, Comprehensive Special Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Del Siegle Honors Preparation: Examining Honors Students’ Perceptions of Preparation for Their Honors Program

Gifted students are some of the most promising learners in the country. This group contributes 6% of the total student population. Programming for these gifted students varies from school to school. Because there is no universal program for gifted students, they enter college with very different experiences. This study aimed to investigate which experiences and services in high school programs best prepared these gifted students for their college Honors courses and conversions. Juniors and Seniors in the UConn Honors Program completed a survey regarding their perceptions of their high school and college programs. Students’ perceptions of preparation for college Honors courses and conversions were related to feelings of challenge in high school classes, high school classes requiring complex thinking, and having a high level of choice in the content of college Honors courses and conversions. The number of Honors or AP classes that students completed in high school was not related to their feelings of preparation. There were no differences based on gender, class standing, and the time of acceptance to the UConn Honors Program.

Kelly Nelson, Mathematics Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Morgaen Donaldson Satisfaction with Teacher Preparation and Movement of Beginning Teachers

Keeping quality teachers in the classroom is a concern of policy makers, administrators, and other members of the education community. Teacher preparation programs strive to prepare graduates for the myriad challenges that teachers encounter in their profession and help graduates stay in education. This study seeks to determine what factors associated with teacher movement are reported by graduates of a teacher preparation program with two different populations of graduates. Recent alumni of the program were surveyed about their current job status, reasons for any decisions to change careers or schools, and satisfaction with their preparation program. Responses from 149 alumni were analyzed. Satisfaction ratings of the program were also examined to determine whether those who left the field of education or moved within the field of education felt differently about the quality of the program than those who stay in their first school. While there were no significant differences between satisfaction responses of the leavers, movers and stayers in education, other factors associated with teacher movement that were reported align with those found in the literature.

Camille Thomas, Mathematics Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Catherine Little Middle School Student Perceptions of Homework in Mathematics

Homework has been a source of debate in schools for the past several decades and will continue to be an important topic in the future. It is a traditional part of education but some debate its importance in the classroom. This study explored student perception of homework and their reported performance in middle school mathematics. The research questions focused on student attitudes about homework, the relationship of students’ self-efficacy and support resources to their homework completion, and the relationship of students’ general level of achievement in mathematics to their attitudes about homework. The study involved a survey of 230 middle school students and their mathematics teachers. The survey did not demonstrate reliable measurement of the hypothesized factors of purpose, self-efficacy, and support resources related to students’ overall perceptions about homework. However, overall, students reported positive attitudes and grades in math class. Gender and general level of achievement in mathematics class did show a relationship with certain aspects of students’ responses regarding homework.

Glen Ullman, Music Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Del Siegle Aspects of the High School Music Program and their Relationship with the College Marching Band Experience

A quality musical ensemble requires the director to be attentive to the needs and abilities of its members. This study examined various aspects of students’ musical and academic preparation in relation to their current experience with music in college. With more insight about the backgrounds of college musicians, and the way those backgrounds relate to their experiences in performing ensembles, music directors will be better able to tailor instruction to the needs of their musicians. For this study, a survey was distributed to members of the University of Connecticut Marching Band about their demographics, education, past musical experiences, and current attitudes toward music and marching. The study found that most participants were majoring in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. However, participants who studied in these areas did not report any greater confidence in learning new formations than did participants in other majors. While a sizeable portion of the band comprised music, drama, and art majors, they were concentrated in the woodwind and brass sections, rather than percussion and color guard. The study also found that among the music activities participants completed prior to coming to college, the duration of private music study made a significant difference in students’ acceptance to the travelling pep band, whose members are selected based on their musical ability. The results suggest that individualized instruction is more effective than large group rehearsals for the purposes of developing individual musical ability. They also suggest that college marching bands might consider recruiting in underrepresented majors such as humanities.

James Wendt, Jr., Mathematics Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Megan Staples Developing Justification Skills in Middle School Mathematics

This study sought to examine justification learning in secondary school mathematics. It is often the case that students graduate from high school with few to no mathematical proof and reasoning skills. The goal of this study was to identify teacher practices in secondary school math classes that aided or hindered students’ learning of justification skills. This study was an examination of existing research data from a larger, NSF-funded project titled JAGUAR (Justification and Argumentation: Growing Understanding of Algebraic Reasoning). Data for this study comprised student pre- and post-tests as well as transcripts of lessons from seventh- and eighth-grade classes. Student pre- and post-tests for twenty-two classes were used to identify classes that could be compared meaningfully through a comparative case study. In-depth analyses of four focal classes and their implementations of JAGUAR justification tasks were conducted to identify practices that support or hinder students’ growth in justification and reasoning in middle school math classes. Across the four focal classes, frequent funneling by the teacher and acceptance of incomplete or less rigorous arguments was associated with little student learning of justification skills, while more pressing from the teacher coupled with a demand for higher-level arguments was associated with enhanced student learning of justification skills.

Comparing Students’ Abilities to Conduct Online Research and Teacher Internet Use in Two States: A One-to-One Laptop State and a State Without a One-to-One Laptop Program Jennifer Berke , Comprehensive Special Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Donald J. Leu

New online literacies, through which individuals read and understand information on the Internet, are becoming essential for today’s students to develop, so that they can be proficient at using the Internet to locate, synthesize, evaluate, and communicate information online. While an achievement gap traditionally exists among today’s students in economically advantaged and disadvantaged states when examining offline reading comprehension test scores, it is important to examine students’ online reading abilities to determine whether an achievement gap exists in this area as well. This research study focuses on students and teachers in two states of differing economic statuses, Connecticut and Maine. While Connecticut is an economically advantaged state, Connecticut’s students do not have access to a one-to-one laptop to student ratio. On the other hand, while Maine is an economically challenged state, its students have access to a one-to-one laptop to student program. This indicates that students in Maine have 24/7 access to laptops & the Internet. This study examines whether or not a one-to-one laptop program can help to overcome the traditional achievement gap found among economically advantaged and disadvantaged states, by looking at Connecticut and Maine students’ online research comprehension scores on an assessment called the ORCA. It also examines teachers’ Internet practices in Maine and Connecticut, through a Teacher Internet Use Survey (TIUS), to determine whether or not teacher Internet practices have an effect on their students’ online reading comprehension abilities. The results of the study demonstrate that overall, there is no mean difference between the ORCA scores of students in Connecticut and in Maine. Additionally, the results indicate that teachers in Maine more frequently use the Internet for class assignments, and that they explicitly teach their students how to locate information online more often than teachers in Connecticut. These results suggest that teacher Internet practices, in addition to having full access to laptops and Internet, may help students perform better on online reading comprehension assessments.

———————————————————————————

Academic Self-Concept and Student Preferences for Grouping Formats in Elementary Reading Instruction Lindsay Brand , Elementary Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Susan Payne

This study explored the relationship between students’ perceptions of grouping practices used in reading instruction and their academic self-concept levels. This study sought to identify students’ preferences regarding a variety of grouping formats, with specific attention paid to same- versus mixed-ability grouping, and to determine whether these preferences were related to differing levels of academic self-concept. Participants were 36 third grade students enrolled at an urban Connecticut elementary school. Data were collected using two questionnaires that surveyed participants about their attitudes toward different types of reading instruction and their self-ratings regarding ability and enjoyment in reading and in school in general, respectively. Subsequent quantitative analyses and qualitative comparisons were used to investigate the significance of this relationship. The goal of this study was to provide data and draw conclusions that would aid classroom teachers at the test site in identifying and implementing the types of reading instruction that their students preferred and found most desirable, with an eye to promoting student engagement. Students reported that same-ability groups were most well liked, followed by mixed-ability groups, whole-class instruction, and same-ability pairs. Working independently was liked the least. Same-ability groups were viewed as most desirable for nonreaders and least desirable for poor readers. No significant relationship was found between students’ preferences for grouping practices or perceptions of these groups and their academic self-concept levels. However, correlations between responses to pairs of individual items as well as key descriptive differences between the preferences and perceptions of students of high, middle, and low academic self-concept were further discussed.

Defining Mathematics: Academic, Social, and Personal Factors that Influence How Students Conceptualize Mathematics Jonathan Bruneau , Mathematics Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Megan Staples

What is math? This is a fundamental question that researchers have explored by looking at how students conceptualize mathematics. The student’s conceptualization of mathematics is how the student understands, defines, and feels about mathematics, a combination of both attitudes and perceptions. Using a survey, this study explored current student conceptions of mathematics at the secondary level. After analysis of survey results, a select group of students were interviewed regarding their responses to the survey to better understand the factors that played a critical role in the formation of their conceptualization of mathematics. Findings from the study indicate students agree that mathematics is a conceptual process, dealing with the logic system and usefulness of mathematics to solve problems, as well as a procedural process, looking at algorithms and computations. Common themes that run throughout the interviews indicate that the most important factor that influences a student’s conceptualization of mathematics is prior mathematics classroom experiences. The applicability of mathematics also seemed to play an important role, whereas taking standardized tests had less of an influence on student conceptualization of mathematics.

Practicing and Preservice Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy for Character Education Carolyn Lowe , Elementary Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Catherine Little

This study explored preservice and practicing teachers’ perspectives on their preparation to support students’ character development and their sense of efficacy in implementing classroom practices related to this area of education. The research questions framing the study were as follows: (1) What levels of efficacy around character education do practicing and preservice elementary teachers from the same teacher preparation program report? (2) How do efficacy levels differ between practicing and preservice teachers? (3) What influences on their efficacy for character education do practicing and preservice teachers report? The study involved a survey of 79 practicing and preservice teachers, with similar group sizes between the two groups. Results overall were similar to previous research using an instrument assessing teacher efficacy for character education, with overall scores somewhat positive about teachers’ efficacy in this area. Descriptive results also suggested a possible pattern of slightly higher levels of efficacy for character education among preservice teachers as compared to practicing teachers, although the difference did not prove to be statistically significant. Teacher responses also indicated the importance of both personal and professional experiences in developing skills for supporting student development in this area.

How Teachers Approach Student Disengagement in Secondary Mathematics Classrooms Kelly Macko , Mathematics Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Megan Staples

Boredom is a negative emotion which plagues the high school mathematics classroom, but there are strategies that teachers can use to try to decrease boredom and its negative effects. Once teachers identify that students are disengaged, strategies that increase self-efficacy and task value are used to decrease disengagement. In this study these strategies are classified as proactive or reactive. Seven teachers, three from an urban school and four from a suburban school, were interviewed and observed to identify which of the strategies are actively used. Both proactive and reactive strategies were used in both settings, with the proactive strategy of relating to the students’ lives and the reactive strategies of giving students an opportunity to engage being the most common. There was not a significant difference in the strategies used in the urban and suburban settings, but the methods used to implement these strategies varied slightly. While not all strategies were used, many of the researched methods of decreasing disengagement can be seen in the secondary mathematics classrooms.

Exploring Challenges and Barriers Faced by Educational Aid Organizations Operating in Sub-Saharan Africa Julie McGarry , English Education, and Paul Steller, Mathematics Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Anysia Mayer

The deadline for the fulfillment of the Millennium Development Goals is 2015 and represents a unified effort through the United Nation to relieve the world’s people from poverty (United Nations Development Programme 2012). One goal calls for the achievement of universal primary education. This study seeks to identify the challenges and barriers faced by educational aid organizations operating in Sub-Saharan Africa (non-profits, NGOs, branches of UNESCO, etc.). Prior research shows that these challenges and barriers can be grouped into six critical success factors: achievement of gender equality, poor health, poor geographic location, the presence of armed conflict, low quality educational professionals, and the structural design of buildings. A survey was administered and responses made to represent action and confidence composite scores for each organization’s experience with each critical success factor. This study seeks to compare various organizations’ experiences with these factors and compare the findings with the literature. Additionally, the study seeks to compare experiences between and within organizations and establish any patterns. The results showed a moderate correlation of organizations’ action and confidence composite scores related to armed conflict as well as between the action and confidence composite scores of eight organizations.

Pre-Service Teachers’ Perspectives on Extrinsic Rewards, Motivation, and Student Autonomy Bridget O’Connor , English Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Wendy Glenn

Intrinsic motivation is characterized by a willingness to complete a task out of internal interest, while extrinsic motivation describes the motivation to complete a task due to external pressures. Different types of rewards in the classroom can promote extrinsic or intrinsic motivation within students. This study examined Neag IB/M students’ attitudes on extrinsic rewards and student autonomy, and explored whether those attitudes affect how future teachers plan to reward students and motivate them in their future classrooms. The study also sought to determine if there is a dissonance between the types of rewards Neag IB/M students find most intrinsically motivating, and what they will be able to realistically implement in their own classrooms. Participants in the study were Neag School of Education Integrated Bachelor/Master Teacher Preparation students. Participants included juniors, seniors, and fifth-year students enrolled in the program during the Fall 2012 semester. Participants were given an anonymous online survey to determine their attitudes on extrinsic rewards and autonomy.

Hitting Both Ends of the Spectrum: Examining Neag IB/M Preservice Teacher Identification of Twice-Exceptional Students Kathryn Schneider , Elementary Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Del Siegle

This study examined the willingness of juniors and master’s year preservice teachers in the Neag School of Education to recommend twice-exceptional students to a gifted program. Preservice teachers were presented with three different hypothetical student bios that contained descriptions of a gifted student, a nongifted student, and a possible twice-exceptional student. The preservice teachers ranked their willingness to refer these students to a gifted program. Of 193 total students in the Neag School of Education surveyed, 109 were juniors, and 84 were master’s year students. Preservice teacher responses were collected and examined using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Overall, the preservice teachers were significantly more willing to Definitely Recommend or Recommend with Reservations students who were just gifted or gifted with ADHD, and less likely to recommend students who had a learning disability in addition to their giftedness.

Practicing Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs Regarding their Use of Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices Margaret L. Seclen , Elementary Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Catherine Little

Rapidly changing demographics in our country indicate that teachers are more likely today to encounter culturally and linguistically diverse students in their classrooms than at any other point in the last half-century. Culturally diverse students may often regard schools as alien and hostile settings because they find that some of the teaching methodologies are usually unfamiliar to them. Culturally responsive teaching (CRT) offers potential to effectively address these low levels of academic performance because CRT practices allow students to learn in meaningful ways by connecting classroom learning to students’ interests, prior experiences, and cultural backgrounds. CRT appears to be an appropriate pedagogical and instructional approach that can positively contribute to the learning and school experience of culturally diverse students. However, it appears that teachers may not be adequately prepared in CRT pedagogy and instruction, preventing them from properly addressing the needs of their culturally diverse students. This study explored practicing elementary school teachers’ perspectives on their own use of CRT practices and their confidence in implementing these same practices. As expected from previous research, teachers felt more efficacious in their ability to execute general teaching practices that do not necessarily require an in-depth knowledge of their students’ cultural background than teaching practices that do incorporate students’ culture.

A Comparative Analysis of Repertoire Selection Patterns for All-State Choral Music Christopher Wasko , Music Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Catherine Little

Selecting concert repertoire is one of the most challenging components of teaching high school choral music, because the teacher must choose music that is both pedagogically valid and programmatically sound. Professional literature has cited several criteria for selecting quality repertoire, including a wide diversity of musical styles and genres, accurate representations of multicultural music, and music that is challenging but still accessible both to the singers and to the audience. This study juxtaposes these published criteria with patterns that emerge in the repertoire selections of All-State concert programs, which are assumed to use challenging and accessible music given the high-profile, competitive nature of the All-State program. The study focuses specifically on the prevalence of certain stylistic periods or genres, composers, and individual pieces, as well as whether or not a piece has accompaniment, English text, or is written or performed in the familiar Western choral tradition.

Brenna Claire Dunnack, Elementary Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Elizabeth Howard Reading Instruction Strategies for English Language Learners in Dual-Language and Mainstream Classrooms

This study investigated the reading instruction strategies utilized in dual-language and mainstream classrooms. A review of literature that focused on strategies for English Language Learners, specifically Spanish-English bilinguals, provided a basis for the observations. Two classrooms, an English dual-language classroom and a mainstream classroom, in a school with a high English Language Learner population were observed for this study. The student researcher observed each classroom five times to determine the usage of reading instructional strategies. After observations were conducted, each teacher was interviewed to learn about their perceptions of working with ELLs. In addition, the Spanish dual-language teacher was interviewed. Both classrooms effectively utilized instructional communication and leveled questioning. The mainstream classroom utilized more comprehension strategies such as questioning and predicting during reading activities. The dual-language classrooms displayed vocabulary support by identifying vocabulary. However, some strategies were not utilized during observations. Reading instruction could include more modified materials to suit the needs of Spanish-English bilinguals. The instruction in the classrooms was more focused on phonics and decoding as opposed to comprehension.

Sarah E. Harris, Secondary Social Studies Education University Scholar Major Advisor: Dr. Catherine Little Associate Advisors: Dr. Preston Britner, Dr. Peter Baldwin, and Dr. Diane Quinn Educator Preparation to Respond to the Needs of Homeless Children & Youth: Perceptions of School Personnel

American poet John Howard Payne commented on a universal idea, writing, “Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home.” Yet, for 1.5 million children in the United States each year, Payne’s words fail to capture reality. As they move from shelter to shelter with their families or live in group homes while waiting to be placed in foster care, these children have no place to call home. With schooling that is inconsistent in location and in curriculum, and living conditions that are not conducive to homework and study, they often struggle to maintain academic achievement. Students experiencing homelessness need extra support from schools, yet too often they get “lost in the crowd.” This study examined educators’ perceptions of homelessness and the academic and social needs of homeless students, as well as the preparation that teachers and other school personnel report that they have received in pre-service preparation programs and through professional development opportunities to address the unique needs of homeless children and youth. The project explored educator preparedness to respond to this population of students, in connection with federal legislation and professional recommendations on the issue. Survey and interview data were collected from educators in four New England school districts, two small suburban districts and two larger urban districts. Survey data across all districts indicated that educators are confident in their roles as “mandated reporters.” Despite this general awareness, however, respondents indicated much lower levels of knowledge about the requirements of the McKinney-Vento Act, federal legislation that outlines schools’ responsibilities regarding the support of students in homeless situations. Interview data indicated that educators perceive school leadership and communication between school administration, faculty and schools as the most important factors in shaping schools’ response to this unique population. Data collected in this study have been used to create an online guide that will provide resources to help educators more effectively respond to the needs of homeless students.

Briana Hennessy , Secondary Mathematics Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Megan Staples Getting to the “Why”: Teacher Practices that Support Sound Student Justifications

Though the mathematical and education communities both value justification and argumentation in the middle grades classroom, teachers have historically found these practices difficult to support.  This paper discusses teaching practices that are associated with high levels of mathematically acceptable argumentation by students. Data were collected on seven committed teachers who explored justification and then implemented the same justification task over two years. Thus, the data reflected fourteen different implementations of the same task, allowing us to compare lessons directly. The findings describe how teachers’ Focusing Students’ Mathematics and Providing Scaffolding Questions are consistently associated with high levels of justification, while Leveraging a Critical Classroom Community and Providing Task Specific Tools are only sometimes associated an increased level of justification in a classroom. There are implications for teachers wishing to implement their own justification tasks, and researchers wishing to further study justification at the middle school level.

Robert K Janes III, Secondary Mathematics Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Megan Staples Bar Graphs and Baselines: Student Perceptions of Distortions in Real World Graphs

It is important for every educated member of our society to be able to read, comprehend, and interpret graphs. To that end, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and the Common Core State Standards have endorsed a kindergarten through eighth-grade mathematics curriculum that is rich in data analysis and graphical literacy skills. These skills are important, as graphs in the public sphere may include certain features that can cause misperceptions of the data. Such features may be intentional or unintentional and can include non-zero baselines, representing data with extra dimensions, stretching and shrinking graphics, not displaying outliers, and more. It is unclear whether the recommended mathematics curriculum prepares students to accurately comprehend these kinds of common graphs. This study investigated how effectively the kindergarten through eighth-grade public mathematics curriculum prepares students to read graphs that contain distortions. It focuses on student perceptions of the data through interpretation of bar graphs. A survey instrument was created to measure student perceptions; it included multiple graphical comprehension questions about a set of bar graphs with zero baselines and others with non-zero baselines. The instrument was used to assess 159 ninth-grade students in a school in a New England suburb. Each student had successfully completed eighth grade. Students were asked to answer a variety of comprehension questions about graphs that accurately represented and misrepresented data. The results from this survey suggest that many students are susceptible to graphical misperceptions while comprehending a graph with a non-zero baseline. While the current curriculum gives students strategies to solve mathematically rigorous graph comprehension problems, it may not give students the skills to make  qualitative  conclusions about real world graphs. It is the hope of the researchers that this study may inform future curricula on a local and state level.

Kara LaMonica, Elementary Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Mary Truxaw The Perceptions that Linguistically Diverse Students have Regarding Effective Mathematics Instruction

The study’s objective was to determine what strategies elementary aged students found effective when they were learning mathematics, with a particular focus on linguistically diverse students. This study compared the views of groups of linguistically diverse students and monolingual students regarding what strategies helped them learn mathematics. The linguistically diverse group of students was self-identified as having knowledge of a language other than English. This group is referred to as the SWALK (Students With Additional Language Knowledge) group.  This study also looked at how often teachers used the strategies that students identified as most effective. Teachers and students were given surveys that used a five point Likert scale. The surveys were designed to include strategies organized according constructs that were found in the research literature to be helpful for English language learners.  Experts validated surveys and constructs.  The constructs included the development of academic language, linguistic scaffolding, conceptual scaffolding, social scaffolding, and cultural scaffolding. Students were asked to rank how helpful they found a strategy, and teachers were asked to rank how frequently they used the same strategies.  Questions were grouped by construct, and means and standard deviations for each construct were examined for all groups and subgroups. The research found that students reported that conceptual scaffolding was the most helpful construct.  Teachers reported using most strategies very frequently, but the construct that teachers reported using most often was social scaffolding; interestingly, no group or subgroup of students reported social scaffolding as being the most helpful construct. Students reported that the least helpful construct was cultural scaffolding, which was also the construct that teachers reported using least frequently.

Julia Leonard, Special Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Michael Faggella-Luby Changing Roles: Special Education Teachers in the Response to Intervention Model

In response to policy, research, and practice, the field of special education evolves to meet the demands of the current education system.  The most current educational model, Response to Intervention (RTI) has prompted changes in all aspects of special education service delivery. The purpose of this honors thesis is to provide quantitative and qualitative exploration of the changing roles of special educators as a result of RTI implementation. The study methods included a quantitative 48-question survey and a qualitative follow-up interview. The results from the study indicated that special education teachers perceive an increase in the amount of time they spend collaborating with others and assessing students. The results of the study also indicated changes related to the essential components of RTI including increases in universal assessments and progress monitoring. The qualitative analysis revealed additional themes related to job stress and general education accountability.

Dana Lovallo, Secondary Spanish Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Manuela Wagner High School and University Students within the Spanish Classroom: Comparing Attitudes toward Native and Non-Native Spanish Teachers and Overall Preferences

This research study examined and compared student preferences within the Spanish classroom at both the high school and university levels.  Attitudes toward native and non-native Spanish teachers were also examined and compared.  A survey was administered to 347 high school and university students.  Data showed differences in motivation between the grade levels as well as different uses of Spanish, a variety of favorite activities within the classroom, and more.  Other subcategories were also explored such as the difference in preferences between the students who had native Spanish teachers and those who had non-native Spanish teachers as well as differences in attitudes based on the “level” of Spanish the students were taking.  This research can be used to help Spanish teachers become more aware of student preferences within the classroom and adjust instruction, boost teacher efficacy, influence language teacher preparation programs and more.

Juliana MacSwan, Elementary Education University Scholar Major Advisor:  Dr. M. Katherine Gavin Associate Advisors: Dr. Fabiana Cardetti, Dr. Tutita Casa, Dr. Catherine Little Kindergarten Mathematics:  An Observational Study of Learning Centers in Diverse School Settings

This qualitative research study investigated how centers were used in kindergarten math classes and students’ mathematical engagement and authority within centers in five classes field-testing the Project M2: Mentoring Young Mathematicians measurement and geometry units. Data were collected from three observations in each of the five classes as well as observations from trained professional development staff working on the field-test and teacher exit interviews.  Results indicated that in four of the five classes two-thirds of the centers related to the unit objectives and students spent over 90% of time in unit related centers.  There were a variety of centers using geometry and measurement activities to reinforce unit objectives that students engaged in across classes.  The main mitigating factors were the number of adults, transitions between centers, hands-on centers, and writing centers.  Results showed that providing students with mathematical centers related to the unit objectives can increase students’ mathematical authority in the classroom, giving students the opportunity to engage in the mathematics independently. Effective classroom management, a carefully designed and practiced center transition system, and one or two additional adults in the classroom promote the optimal student engagement and authority in mathematics.

Britteny McMullen, Secondary Mathematics Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Alvaro Lozano-Robledo Perceptions of Peer Tutoring in a Post Secondary Setting

Research shows that peer tutoring has been effective in helping students learn mathematics in elementary school and middle school levels.  However, very little research has been done on the effectiveness of peer tutoring in a higher lever setting.  This purpose of this study was to learn about student perceptions on the effectiveness of peer tutoring on their own math classes and abilities.  The implications of this study present support that peer tutoring is very effective in post secondary math classes.

Rebecca Mears, Special Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Brandi Simonsen Exploring the Use of Point Cards With and Without Home-School Communication for Students With Autism and Similar Disabilities

Research has shown that point cards are an effective Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) intervention.  Research has also demonstrated that communication between home and school leads to positive results for students.  This study investigated whether a home-school communication system, when added to the established use of a point card, decreased off-task behavior in students with autism and similar disabilities.  I conducted two experiments using a modified reversal design.  Two students and at least one teacher participated in each of the experiments.  Participants alternated between two forms of the point card, one incorporating the home-school communication system and one without.  For one student in the second experiment, the researchers also investigated if there was a functional relationship between the plain point card intervention and student off-task behavior.  Results indicate that there was not a functional relationship between home-school communication and the effectiveness of point cards with students with autism and similar disabilities: the point card with communication system did not lead to decreased off-task behavior when compared to the point card without the communication aspect.

David Pyrch, Secondary Mathematics Thesis Advisor: Dr. Tutita Casa Teachers’ Use of Real World Connections in Secondary Mathematics

This study investigated teachers’ use of real world connections in mathematics.  A survey was conducted with 29 practicing high school math teachers in Connecticut to determine what types of real world connections are used, how often they are used and what the purpose of their use is.  Teachers reported using word problems with realistic contexts and mentioning real world examples while teaching as the most frequently used type of real world connection.  Sixty percent of the teachers reported that the need for more resources, ideas, or training about what connections to make or how to make them is at least partly a reason for not making more real world connections.

Caroline Ronk, Elementary Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Catherine Little Teachers’ Perceptions of Student Motivation for Achievement and Learning in the Classroom

Students’ self-perceptions and their perceptions of how others view them have a tremendous influence on their motivation and their achievement.  How students view themselves plays a large role in potential or lack of academic achievement. Teachers need to understand their students’ self-perceptions and be aware that teachers’ own perceptions of their students impact student achievement, performance, and goals. Through semi-structured interviews, this qualitative study aims to examine teacher perspectives on students’ varying achievement goal orientations and motivation and explore how teachers try to shape student motivation given these potential factors. Findings indicate that teachers observe several influences that affect student motivation for learning and achievement such as self-efficacy, personal relationships, connectedness to school, and school environment. Actions teachers take to shape student motivation include tracking student progress, setting high expectations, providing individualized instruction, and creating a positive and safe learning environment.

Danielle Schindler, Special Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Catherine Little Teacher Approaches to Preparing Students Emotionally and Motivationally for Standardized Tests

Extensive attention has been given in recent years to the academic preparations students and teachers complete prior to standardized testing. However, somewhat less attention has gone to the strategies teachers use to respond to students’ stress levels or to ensure that students are sufficiently motivated to do well on tests. There is some research to demonstrate how teachers are trying to reduce test anxiety among students, yet the literature also suggests that teachers often use “fear appeals” to provide motivation. This study explores the degree to which teachers explicitly connect their strategies with students’ test anxiety and the ways teachers respond to student concerns regarding tests. Six elementary school teachers were interviewed about what they do to prepare students for upcoming tests. Results demonstrated that teachers have observed students with test anxiety in their classes and are using test-taking strategies and providing students with words of encouragement to try to reduce anxiety.

Eileen Stewart, Secondary History/Social Studies Education Thesis Advisor: Dr. Catherine Little Gifted Educators’ Perceptions of Response to Intervention

Response to Intervention (RTI) is a model that involves a school-wide effort to improve academic progress for all students. For students who do not respond to typical classroom instruction, they are moved through levels of intensive interventions and tiers that help them meet their individual goals. RTI can potentially be applied to the other outlying population of students, those who achieve significantly above the normal academic level. Students identified as gifted, or above average, have frequently not received instruction targeting their needs because their achievement levels lie above the level of their typically-achieving age peers. Looking forward to the future, some individuals propose using RTI to address the needs of students identified as gifted. This study examines gifted educators’ perceptions of RTI in order to better understand the future implications of RTI as applied to gifted education. This study examined gifted educators knowledge of RTI, whether they felt RTI was applicable to gifted education, self-confidence with RTI, and whether they were witnessing actual implementation in their schools. The results of this study support the idea that there is more research to be done in order to fully understand how RTI could be used within gifted education. Currently, many gifted educators are not witnessing RTI implementation in regards to gifted students, and many have not received professional development or training in terms of RTI within gifted education. However, the study demonstrated that gifted educators do desire professional development related to RTI.

Alexi Wiemer, Secondary Education and English Thesis Advisor: Dr. Del Siegle Examining Pre Service Teacher Knowledge of Student Rights and Tort Liability

This study explored how knowledgeable preservice teachers in the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut were in the field of student rights and tort liability. This field has grown in importance due to a recent increase in student lawsuits and the expectations that teachers know these laws when they become certified. A total of 183 students were given a survey in their education classes with 27 statements of famous misconceptions about student rights and tort liability. Students were asked to determine if these statements were true or false and how confident they were in their answer. The average percentage of correctly answered questions for student rights and tort liability was 59.15% and 50.27% respectively. There was no statistically significant difference for questions answered correctly based on differences in gender, major, or class standing. A total of 54% of students surveyed cited the Neag School of Education as their most common source of legal knowledge.

Examining Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions of Creativity John Ehlinger Elementary Education Thesis Advisor: Del Siegle

This study examined the attitudes of preservice teachers about creativity and compared them with those of inservice teachers. Preservice teachers completed an instrument that has previously been used to analyze inservice teachers’ perceptions of creativity, and results were compared to the norms of the instrument. Participants were taken from a population of junior year students accepted into the IB/M program in the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut. The participants completed a 37-question survey with 12 demographic/short answer questions. The hypothesis was that preservice teachers would value creativity and have higher hopes for the implementation of creative practices within their classrooms than teachers already practicing in the field. However, results showed that inservice teachers held a significantly higher creativity-based teacher self-efficacy, t(796) =6.209, p<.001, and societal value of creativity, t(796) = 8.802, p<.001, than preservice teachers.

The Role of Discourse in Students’ Learning in the Mathematics Classroom Ashley Ruegg Secondary Mathematics Eduction Thesis Advisor: Megan Staples

Research has shown that students in classrooms oriented toward conceptual discourse display higher levels of engagement and enjoy learning more than their peers in traditional classrooms. The study sought to investigate student learning, dialogue, and perceptions in classrooms oriented toward conceptual discourse. Do students in classrooms oriented toward conceptual discourse differ in their mathematical understanding from students in traditional classrooms? The study centered on two high-level seventh grade Pre-Algebra classrooms. One class was more oriented toward conceptual discourse than the other class. Throughout the course of the study, eight classroom lessons were observed, and 6 students were interviewed. The interviews consisted of mathematical problems designed to assess the students’ conceptual understanding and questions about the students’ opinions regarding mathematics and discourse. Classroom observations focused on the conceptual nature of student dialogue. Results indicated that the students in the class oriented toward conceptual discourse performed better on a common end-of-unit assessment than the students in the other class. As expected, the students in the classroom oriented toward conceptual discourse engaged in more conceptual dialogue than the students in the more traditional classroom. There was no discernable difference in the opinions about mathematics and discourse between the students in the two classes.

Middle School Students’ Perceptions and Conceptual Understanding of Reading Kelly Shea Secondary English Education Thesis Advisor: Catherine Little

Middle school students’ perceptions and conceptual understanding of reading were measured. A total of 1,371 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students in two urban middle schools in Connecticut took the Likert scale Perceptions of Reading Survey, which addressed students’ reading habits and definitions of reading and literacy. Analysis suggests that students’ conceptual understandings of reading are complex and context-based. Students perceive reading mostly as a school-related activity and are not likely to associate many forms of New Literacies with reading. Despite these limited definitions, these students have positive self-images of themselves as readers, and they believe reading to be useful for their future, entertainment, and daily lives. A correlation exists between perceiving reading as useful and exhibiting a range of reading habits. Perceiving reading as useful also showed a significant positive correlation with defining literacy as including not only comprehension but higher-level text analysis as well. Data from the Perceptions of Reading Survey were also compared to reading achievement data; results demonstrated a significant positive relationship between several subscales, notably the Self-Image subscale, and the achievement measures.

Elementary Students’ Attitudes toward Science: An Exploratory Study Tara Stockmon Elementary Education Thesis Advisor: David M. Moss

The objective of this research was to examine fifth grade students’ attitudes toward science at a grade 5-6 upper elementary school. A total of 236 participants completed a questionnaire titled the Simpson-Troost Attitude Questionnaire, Revised (STAQ-R; Owen, Toepperwein, Marshall, Lichtenstein, Blalock, Liu, Pruski, & Grimes, 2008), along with two additional open-ended questions developed for this study. Student attitudes were examined with respect to differences in gender and primary school attendance, along with any previous science-related experiences that may have influenced their beliefs. Data from the questionnaires were analyzed using descriptive statistics for each subscale. The five subscales included Motivating Science Class, Self Directed Effort, Family Models, Science is Fun for Me, and Peer Models. Reported averages indicated minimal gender differences, yet greater variation was seen among students grouped by primary school. Responses to the open-ended questions were coded based on students’ self-reported reasons for liking or disliking science. The majority of the students indicated they liked science, overwhelmingly citing the nature of science as the reason for their attitude. Examining student attitude toward science will serve to inform ongoing curricular reform initiatives.

The Effect of Study Abroad on Preservice Teachers Katherine Swedberg Elementary Education Thesis Advisor: Del Siegle

Study Abroad experiences are growing in popularity at leading U.S. college institutions. The University of Connecticut Study Abroad website states that “There is no better way to learn about yourself, expand your worldview, acquire marketable skills, and, importantly, develop the habits of mind and action that will prepare you to tackle the global issues facing our time.” Because these aims describe professional skills as well as individual growth, it is useful to survey individual students who take part in these programs and gather from them a retrospective account of what they have taken away from the experience. This study examined the effects of studying abroad on a group of education graduate students enrolled in the Neag School of Education. The researcher surveyed 8 of the 12 students who went abroad in the Fall of 2010 to London, England, with the Neag School of Education. Questions targeted a reflective process of what knowledge the preservice teachers were able to gain and what challenged them while abroad, as well as what effect this has had on their ideas of teaching for the future. Recommendations included adding a study abroad element as a requirement in the school to fulfill the multiculturalism and diversity requirement as well as to give their highly prepared teacher candidates the most comprehensive and embedded knowledge of how to be teachers of an increasingly diverse community of learners.

Reading Interests and Preferences Among Middle School Students Christine Barile Secondary English Education Thesis Advisor: Catherine Little

The purpose of this study was to explore patterns in the reading interests and preferences of middle school students. A 56-question survey was administered twice in a school year to 592 students in grades 7 and 8 in an urban school district in Connecticut. The surveys inquired about the students’ reading preferences across twelve different factors, and were analyzed on the basis of pretest vs. posttest as well as male vs. female reading preferences. The students’ topic preferences did not change significantly from the pretest (administered in September) to posttest (administered in April), but did differ significantly by gender. Females indicated a higher interest than males in reading about interpersonal relationships, human sciences, art, music, fantasy, and writing, whereas males indicated a higher interest than females in reading about money, technology, athletics, business, social studies, and mathematics. For both groups, money was the most highly preferred topic, and writing was the least preferred.

Relationships Between Participation in Out-of-School Time Activities and Urban High School Students’ Attitudes Toward School Kelly Kennefick Elementary Education Thesis Advisor: Rene Roselle

This study looked at the relationship between attitudes toward school and participation in out-of-school time (OST) activities for urban high school students. The study compared students’ attitudes toward school, their academic self-perceptions, and attitudes toward teachers and classes in relation to their participation in various OST activities. The study used the School Attitude Assessment Survey, a questionnaire using a Likert scale, and a participation survey about the activities the students participate in and for how many hours. Data indicated that students agreed with the positive academic self perception statements, as well as the positive statements towards their teachers and attitudes, but varied responses were found for the attitudes toward school statements. A recommendation to schools is to encourage students to participate in out-of-school time activities in order to receive potential positive benefits.

Experienced Teachers’ Views on Classroom Management: Investigating How Management Skills Are Learned Peter Macala Elementary Education Thesis Advisor: Del Siegle

Classroom management has repeatedly been found to be an area of struggle for beginning teachers, and it often takes several years for teachers to become comfortable with their management styles. Examining the ways that experienced teachers finally developed successful management strategies could help to inform methods of making novice teachers better prepared in their first professional years. This study looked at the classroom management practices of successful teachers and the way that these teachers developed their management styles. The researcher conducted and completed observations and interviews with 7 teachers over the course of 2 weeks. These teachers were nominated by their elementary principals as having exhibited exemplary classroom management techniques. The teachers that were interviewed in the study employed a variety of management techniques in their classrooms, which in turn were learned from a variety of sources. These sources included preparation programs, professional seminars, observations of other teachers, and intuition. Recommendations for future teachers included finding a variety of ways to observe classroom settings at a specific grade level, seeking opportunities to collaborate with other staff members, and having a plan to manage classroom behaviors prior to the start of the school year.

Reactions and Attitudes: How Elementary Male Students Described Their Summer Reading Experiences Allison Magdefrau Elementary Education Thesis Advisors: Catherine Little & Sally M. Reis

For approximately ten months of the year, children attend school. In that time, they will have gained knowledge and progressed, especially in their reading skills. The foundation of success in multiple content areas is dependent on one’s ability to read. During the summer, children’s experiences differ, and without the shared experience of school, the progression or regression of their reading skills will vary considerably. Educators, researchers, and parents need to think about the summer months and the implications that those months have on a child’s future academic success, because evidence suggests that many students lose ground on their reading skills during the summer without access to books or strong encouragement to read. Part of encouraging students to read involves allowing students the opportunity to express which book topics and genres interest them the most. This qualitative study was designed to explore aspects of the questions of what students read during the summer and what motivates them to engage in summer reading. Within that context, the study explored the following more specific research questions: How do students respond to receiving a bag of books to read during the summer? How do students describe their summer reading experiences? How do students’ choices for summer reading reflect their self-identified reading interests? Five boys were provided with books matching their expressed interests and contacted regularly over the summer. Results demonstrated that all five took advantage of the opportunity to read one or more of the provided books, and that the interpersonal contact with the researcher seemed to be an important influence on their decisions to read.

Teachers’ Views of Human Rights Education Sarah Stockmann Elementary Education Thesis Advisor: John Settlage

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states that education should be “directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms… promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups.” This study surveyed 53 teachers on their views of Human Rights Education, including their familiarity with the concept, their self-efficacy with teaching it, and conditions that would increase the likelihood of their teaching it. The study found that, regardless of familiarity with the topic, years of teaching experience, or school location (urban/suburban), most teachers were open to teaching Human Rights Education. They did identify the need for better resources in the form of lesson plans, teaching materials, and professional training. In addition, support from other teachers, administration, and parents was felt to be important in order for them to undertake Human Rights Education. The best strategy to move forward with Human Rights Education would be to provide resources and support for teachers so that we can be living up to the expectations put forth in the UDHR.

Jennifer M. Jaruse Thesis Advisor: Brandi Simonsen The Functional Relationship between Type of Reinforcement (Verbal and Tangible) and Behavior for a Student with an Emotional/ Behavioral Disorder

This study looked at the functional relationship between type of positive reinforcement and problem behavior in a case study of a teenage student with an Emotional or Behavioral Disorder (E/BD).  The study compared the effectiveness of type of reinforcement (tangible, verbal or combined) that showed evidence of significantly decreasing a problem behavior in this student.  The study used an alternating treatment method; the student was presented with either a desired motorcycle picture (tangible item), behavior specific praise statements (verbal), or both reinforcers for 12 minutes per day.  Using a 30-second partial interval data sheet, the student’s behavior was coded, data were graphed, and visual analysis was used to determine which type of reinforcement implemented decreased the target behavior.  Following training, data indicated that all conditions decreased the problem behavior but tangible positive reinforcement had the most impact on decreasing the problem behavior of teasing peers and increasing positive social interactions.

Kelly Nicole Almeida, Secondary Mathematics Thesis Advisor: Del Siegle Motivation and Learning in Mathematics Pre-service Teachers

Based on a review of literature of conceptual and procedural knowledge and motivation, the purpose of this study was to test the relationship between conceptual and procedural knowledge and intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Thirty-eight education students with a mathematics focus (elementary or secondary) in their junior, senior, or fifth year completed a survey with a Likert scale measuring their preference in learning (conceptual or procedural) and their motivation type (intrinsic or extrinsic). Findings showed that secondary math-focused students were more likely to prefer learning mathematics conceptually than elementary math-focused students. However, secondary and elementary math-focused students showed an equal preference for learning mathematics procedurally and sequentially. Elementary and secondary students reported similar intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Extrinsically motivated students preferred procedural learning over conceptual learning. While there was no statistically significant preference with intrinsically motivated students, there was a trend favoring preference of conceptual learning over procedural learning. These results tend to support the hypothesis that math-focused students who prefer conceptual learning are more intrinsically motivated, and math-focused students who prefer procedural learning are more extrinsically motivated.

Scott J. Bonito, Spanish Education/Spanish Thesis Advisor: Manuela Wagner Motivational Factors Affecting Secondary Foreign Language Learners

The purpose of this research was to find what factors affected secondary foreign language learners in two schools in Connecticut. A 40-question Likert-style survey was used to gain student perspective on what they felt contributed to their level of motivation to continue foreign language study. The survey was given to students in one urban and one suburban school. There were three factors that came out significantly different during the study, using t tests comparing results from the two schools: parental use of language, level of intrinsic motivation, and classroom décor. Students in the suburban school rated intrinsic motivational factors and classroom décor more highly than students in the urban school, while students in the urban school indicated a higher rate of parental use of the language. It seemed, on a general scale, that a higher level of parental use of the foreign language didn’t necessarily contribute to a higher level of intrinsic motivation to take the foreign language, as students in the urban area (an area where the foreign language was used more often) had a lower level of intrinsic motivation. Further study to isolate these factors can be done using the basic information gleaned from this study.

Thomas J. Broderick, Secondary Social Studies Thesis Advisor: Rene Roselle Teacher Retention and Lived History

Teacher retention issues beleaguer the nation’s poorest schools. The poorest schools are often in urban centers and enroll primarily non-white students. Access to a qualified teacher is one of the best determinants to student achievement, and the ability of an inner-city, non-white school system to retain such teachers can only contribute to the district’s future success. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine urban teacher retention through an individualized economic framework by interviewing two diverse urban educators. Through the results from a series of iterative, in-depth phenomenological interviews, this study provides information as to why teachers remain in urban schools and points to key characteristics of these individuals, including personal acceptance, a history of working with children, and personal awareness. This study finds that there is no replicable “model” set of characteristics for teachers who remain in the profession.  It suggests that teacher retention is a product of an individual’s lived history.  For administrators this study suggests that spending some time interviewing potential teachers about their personal lives would better indicate who will remain teachers down the line.

Shelly E. DeSisto, Secondary English Thesis Advisor: Jason Stephens Assessing Student Perceptions of Classroom Goal Structure and Autonomy Support: The Creation and Validation of a Vignette-Style Instrument

This study sought to create and validate a vignette-style measure of students’ perceptions of classroom goal structure and autonomy support.  Seventy-nine seventh grade students from a suburban middle school completed the newly developed four-vignette instrument. Each hypothetical vignette depicted, in varying degrees, two dimensions of classroom environment: achievement goal structures (mastery and performance) and level of student autonomy. Reliability analyses yielded strong alphas for all three scales across the four vignettes.  Results from the manipulation check indicated significant differences in perceived goal structures (mastery and performance) as intended but an unpredicted result for perceptions of autonomy support.  Specifically, students’ perceptions of classroom goal structures appear to moderate their perceptions of autonomy support in that classroom.

Elizabeth A. Hines, Special Education Thesis Advisor: Brandi Simonsen The Relationship Between Pictures and Problem Behavior for a Young Student with Autism

This study looks at the relationship between functional communication training using picture icons and problem behavior in a case study of a young student with Autism. The study used an alternating treatment method; the pictures were available to the student for 10 minutes and then were not available for 10 minutes during three phases of baseline, teaching, and maintenance. Using a 10-second partial interval data sheet, the student’s behavior was coded, data were graphed, and visual analysis was used to determine if a functional relationship was evident. Following training, data indicate that the presence of picture icons was related to a (a) decrease in problem behavior, (b) an increase in appropriately engaged behavior, and (c) an increase in correct use of the pictures to request a preferred item during both conditions.

Brian McDermott, Secondary Mathematics Thesis Advisor: Megan Staples The Impact of Cooperative Learning in Mathematical Problem Solving on High School Students

This study investigated students’ reactions to a cooperative learning environment by assessing their performance before and after being part of a cooperative group and by soliciting their opinions on cooperative work that they had just completed. Several instruments, including two surveys that used Likert-scale based responses, as well as Math Crossword puzzles, were used in this study. Participants completed an individual mathematical logic problem then had the chance to solve a similar logic problem as a member of a randomly assigned group. They then attempted to solve the first logic problem again, and the changes in individual student scores were noted. There was an increase in the number of students who correctly solved the individual mathematical logic problem after having been a part of the cooperative groups. There was also a strong connection between the students who provided incorrect answers to the individual problem during the second administration and the success of their cooperative group. The findings suggest that students who are part of successful cooperative groups are more able to perform well on individual tasks that are closely related to the tasks on which the group worked. The questionnaire used to measure student confidence before and after the cooperative group experience also showed that students were slightly more confident in their responses after having been a part of a cooperative team. Students’ written responses also indicated that they felt favorably about the chance to share thoughts and ideas with their peers before solving an individual problem. These findings suggest that teachers who provide a cooperative learning environment that is productive can expect students to approach individual mathematical tasks with a greater level of confidence and perform at a higher level on tasks on which they must work alone.

Marissa Meade, Elementary Education Thesis Advisor: Catherine Little Student and Parent Attitudes and Behaviors in Reading

This study explored reading attitudes and behaviors of the parents of elementary students, as a way of trying to determine connections between parental behaviors related to reading and their children’s attitudes toward reading. The study involved the development of an instrument to measure parent attitudes and behaviors; an instrument was piloted with a smaller group of parents and children and then tested with a larger group. The three factors the final instrument measures are personal interest, confidence, and reading interactions. The sample included a total of 99 parents of elementary aged children, in the two separate survey groups. The student participants in this study were the children of the adult participants, and were in the first through the fourth grades. The students completed a survey assessing their attitudes toward reading on two scales, their academic reading attitudes and their recreational reading attitudes. Results showed limited relationships between student attitudes and parent behaviors, which may be indicative of an issue with one or both instruments. Results of the parent survey alone indicated several patterns, including a negative correlation between the number of children in the family and the amount of time spent reading together by a parent and child. There was also a relationship between the birth order and the amount of time spent reading with a parent, which revealed that the children in this study who were the oldest in their families spent more time reading with a parent than children who were either middle children or youngest children. Additionally, children in this study who spent more time watching television than reading with a parent spent significantly less time reading overall than children who spent more time reading than watching television.

Aimee Pont, Elementary Education Thesis Advisor: Sarah Hodgson School Environments and Behaviors of Students on the Autism Spectrum

This study explores the relationship between the different environments within a school and the stereotyped behaviors of students with autism.  The study seeks to identify whether the behaviors of these students are similar or different in the different environments, testing the idea of environment as a stimulus for these behaviors.  The study is a naturalistic observational study, and a change in prevalence of these stereotyped behaviors during the duration of the study is not a focus of this study.

Nicole Smith, Elementary Education Thesis Advisor: Del Siegle The Mathematics Teaching Efficacy of Pre-Service Teachers: Exploring the Relationships with Mathematics Self-Efficacy, Attitude, and Courses Taken

Teachers’ beliefs about their own ability to influence student learning effectively have been shown to have a positive relationship with student achievement, as well as other positive student and teacher behaviors. Teachers with strong self-efficacy beliefs are more likely to be better teachers. The current study explores the factors that relate to the development of teaching efficacy for pre-service teachers just entering the beginning semester of their teacher education program. In the study, 48 education students reported their previous college mathematics course experience and completed a Mathematical Attitudes Survey, a Mathematics Self-Efficacy Scale, and a Personal Mathematics Teaching Efficacy Scale. Findings showed that previous course experience, attitudes towards mathematics, and mathematics self-efficacy all had a significant positive relationship with personal mathematics teaching efficacy. Between-group comparisons were also conducted using ANOVAs. Mathematics concentration majors reported higher levels of mathematics teaching efficacy, mathematics self-efficacy, and positive attitudes towards mathematics than non-mathematics concentration majors. For elementary and secondary education majors, the only difference found was in mathematics teaching efficacy, with elementary education majors reporting higher levels than secondary education majors. This type of information is crucial for teacher education programs that wish to improve the training and education of future teachers.

Danielle Tower, Elementary Education Thesis Advisor: Jaci VanHeest Relationship Between Athletic and Academic Success: A Pilot Study

This study aims to reveal that a competitive sports culture exists in the United States, and due to this sports culture and competitive disposition, student athletes are more motivated in academic endeavers. Previous research describes sports cultures; however, the current study investigated the factors impacting academic motivation and sport motivation. Furthermore, the interrelationship of these two factors was assessed. A qualitative approach, using semi-structured interviews with four high school varsity student athletes (two male; two female), was used as the tool in attempts to support these claims. The research hypothesis suggested that high school students who participate in the equivalent of college non-revenue sports, have a competitive disposition which also motivates them to perform well in school.

Donald E. Briere III, Special Education Thesis Advisor: Del Siegle The Effects of a Unified Sports Basketball Program on Special Education Students’ Physical, Social, and Global Domains of Self-Concept: Four Case Studies

This study sought to explore the effects of a Unified Sports basketball program on disabled students’ physical, social, and global domains of self-concept. The program included both disabled and non-disabled participants. Teams learned about and practiced the game of basketball twice a week (during their gym class) and then ventured to competitions across Connecticut to play against other schools. The competitions occurred towards the end of the program. Four students were involved in this study: three females and one male. The students’ disabilities varied and included mobile impairment, traumatic brain injury, and learning disabilities. The study used a pre- post-test survey approach, with a 32-item survey instrument. Each item measured one of the three domains of self-concept being studied. One-on-one interviews were also conducted by the researcher with each participant upon the participant’s completion of the Unified Sports basketball season. The participants’ high ratings on the pre-survey’s five-point scale limited room for growth on the post-survey. When both survey results and one-on-one responses were synthesized on the whole, the Unified Sports basketball program was shown to have a positive effect on students’ attitudes. All participants verbally expressed their highly positive feelings about the program, and all recommended that the program be continued in the future. Social self-concept demonstrated the most significant positive change, and physical self-concept showed the least.

Jeffrey Corbishley, Secondary Mathematics Education Thesis Advisor: Mary Truxaw Mathematical Readiness of Entering College Freshmen: A Comprehensive Exploration of Mathematics within Connecticut Public Universities and Colleges

A central goal of many college admissions officers in the United States is to admit entering students who are prepared for the college curriculum at their university or college. Professors within the universities and colleges are the people who determine the level of readiness, or ability to successfully perform well in college mathematics courses, for incoming students. The results from previous studies have shown that students in the United States rank below the international average in mathematics achievement at the end of secondary school. This implies that the United States as an entire entity fails to produce high-level mathematicians by the final year of secondary school. It is therefore important to see how well entering college freshmen are prepared for the rigor of college mathematics. This study attempted to answer the question of how well the students entering different universities and colleges throughout Connecticut meet the readiness expectations of professors and other faculty members who teach mathematics courses. Twenty-two faculty members from seven Connecticut colleges and universities responded to an online survey asking them to rate entering student skill level in key areas of the NCTM standards, to rate the importance of these constructs, and to comment on student areas of strength and weakness in mathematical readiness. Participants rated student readiness levels in the poor or very poor range in all skill areas, while also rating all of the skill areas as important to very important. Overall, participants do not view students as prepared for college mathematics. Implications for secondary mathematics education are discussed.

Katherine Elizabeth Ferrise, Elementary Education Thesis Advisor: Catherine Little Middle School Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy and how it Relates to Teacher Characteristics and School Profile

This study explored the concept of teacher efficacy, which includes the constructs of personal teacher efficacy and general teaching efficacy. Personal teacher efficacy is defined as a teacher’s personal belief about how successful he or she can be in gaining positive results with his or her own students. General teaching efficacy is defined as a teacher’s belief that the teaching profession as a whole is powerful enough to encourage learning regardless of a student’s background, economic status, or any external school factors. Previous research has demonstrated a positive relationship between teacher efficacy and student achievement. This study was performed in order to explore how teachers’ self-efficacy relates to other variables in the educational system, including overall student achievement in a district and individual teacher variables such as experience, grade level taught, and subject area taught. The aim of the study is to begin to develop understanding of these relationships so as to explore, in the future, ways to promote and support both teacher self-efficacy and student achievement. This study focused on teachers in two public middle schools. The sample consisted of 19 fourth to eighth grade teachers. Participants completed a survey assessing perceptions of general teaching efficacy and personal teaching efficacy. Descriptive statistics were calculated for the sample overall and for relevant subgroups. An independent samples t test revealed no differences between the teachers at the two schools, despite large differences in the school demographics and achievement results for each school overall. The only teacher characteristic that appeared to have a relationship to self-efficacy results was years of teaching experience. Across the sample, personal teacher efficacy scores were higher than general teaching efficacy scores, and scores throughout demonstrated moderately positive perceptions of efficacy. Although study results are not generalizable, further study of middle school teachers as a specific teacher population is recommended.

Sherryl Hauser, Secondary Mathematics Education Thesis Advisor: Catherine Little Relationship of Mathematics Self-Efficacy Beliefs to Mathematics Anxiety Much is being done to strengthen mathematics education and provide support for students, with the aim of improving mathematics performance. One approach to this effort involves considering the emotions and motivations that students bring to the classroom and that provide the context from which students perform. Some factors that may contribute to student performance are math self-efficacy, or students’ beliefs about their own mathematical abilities, and math anxiety, or feelings of uneasiness that students may experience in association with mathematics. This study examined the relationship between the two in undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory statistics course. As hypothesized, results showed that a significant inverse relationship exists between math anxiety and math self-efficacy. While no significant differences were found among age groups, the research uncovered differences between groups that perform at different levels in math classes, with students who reported higher grades in math courses also reporting higher math self-efficacy. Gender also played a role, as males exhibited higher levels of mathematics self-efficacy than females. Implications for practice are discussed, including directing more attention towards helping students both to increase their math self-efficacy and to lower math anxiety.

Kate Krotzer, Secondary Spanish Education Thesis Advisor: Mark Olson Student Interest and Participation in a Secondary Spanish Classroom

This study was an exploratory study that aimed to describe students’ interest levels and participation patterns in Spanish class. Participants were 17 students from a mid-sized, urban high school in New England. The participants completed a survey about their interest and appreciation for Spanish class. The participants were also observed in their Spanish classroom for their participation incidences, which were recorded for type and content. Interest level in Spanish class overall was found to be high for both males and females. For participation, there were more called on by name incidences than hand raising incidences and there were noted gender differences. The content for the majority of the participation incidences was for homework and grammar. No relationship was able to be determined between student interest level and participation; however, this study provides a means to describe student interest and their participation patterns which can be applicable in the classroom.

Linda Tran, Secondary Mathematics Education Thesis Advisor: Del Siegle Relationships among Male and Female Middle School Students’ Attitudes and Achievement in Mathematics

This study explored the relationships among sixth-grade students’ attitudes toward mathematics and achievement with regard to gender. Students’ attitudes toward mathematics were examined by using the Attitudes Toward Mathematics Inventory (ATMI), which gathered information about students’ self-confidence, value, enjoyment, and motivation in mathematics. Mathematical achievement was measured by student scores on the Iowa Algebra Aptitude Test and the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills. The results of the study showed that significant differences existed between male and female students’ achievement in mathematics. However, no significant differences between male and female students’ attitudes toward mathematics in any of the four constructs were indicated. Furthermore, there were no strong relationships found between students’ attitudes toward mathematics and achievement in mathematics.

Tara Tully, Elementary Education Thesis Advisor: Del Siegle Career Beginnings: Investigating the Impact and Effectiveness of College Preparation Programs on Elementary Students

Since the mid-1970s, college enrollment for White, non-Hispanic youths has increased significantly, jumping from only 33% in 1976 to nearly 45% in 1997 (Report of the National Postsecondary Education Cooperative Working Group on Access to Postsecondary Education, 2001). According to this USDOE report, students from historically underrepresented minority groups have not shared in this substantial growth in college-going rates. As a result, a number of initiatives, such as the Hartford Consortium for Higher Education’s Career Beginnings program, have been developed to help facilitate underrepresented student populations’ transition to college. Career Beginnings, like many other college-access programs, has traditionally been marketed towards high school juniors and seniors, although it has recently begun to target its campaign at a significantly younger audience. Partnering with various Connecticut colleges and universities, Career Beginnings has begun sending fifth grade students to tour these establishments. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of these advanced intervention programs by comparing Hartford fifth graders’ thoughts on college before and after a March 31, 2006, visit to the University of Connecticut. After the visit, students indicated they knew more about college and were more likely to believe that they could be successful in college. Males’ confidence in being successful in college grew more than females’ confidence. Students whose family members had not attended college showed the greatest drop in not knowing about college. Overall, the students indicated more positive attitudes about college attendance.

Erica Berg Secondary Education – English Thesis Advisor: Courtney Bell

This Was Not on the Syllabus! An Examination of First-Year Urban Teachers’ Self-Efficacy

Many first-year teachers find it difficult to meet the needs of all their students, partially because they feel their college coursework left them ill-prepared for the complexity they face in the classroom. This feeling is particularly true among urban teachers who often face crowded classrooms of diverse students with a wide range of instructional needs. This study is a comparative case study of two University of Connecticut graduates during their first year teaching in urban schools. Using mixed-methods, the study draws on interviews, questionnaires, and videotape data shared as a part of a monthly teacher study group of similar graduates. The study also draws on group conversations in which teachers discussed their ability to reach the needs of all of their students, as this was related to their preservice coursework. My findings suggest that many first-year teachers feel university coursework failed to help them in many ways. One teacher felt the coursework did not help her at all, while the other teacher felt it helped her but she still could not meet all of her students’ needs. The study supported the concern that many first-year, urban teachers do not feel confident in the classroom as a result of their preparation from preservice coursework. With this lack in confidence, the teachers may be more likely to leave their urban positions, contributing to the high turnover of teachers in urban placements.

—–

Elizabeth Condon Secondary Education – Science Thesis Advisor: Del Siegle

Why Education Students Believe They Underachieve

One hundred fifty-eight junior and senior pre-service teachers (UConn education majors) completed a 20-question survey on which they indicated reasons for doing poorly in classes. A factor analysis on the 20 reasons for underachievement produced a six-factor solution. Reliability analysis of the factors resulted in the selection of three factors: Poor Academic Skills, Lack of Importance, and Inability to Concentrate. Males were more likely than females to indicate that poor academic skills and lack of importance were reasons for attaining poor grades. There were no differences between juniors and seniors or among elementary, middle, and secondary prospective teachers.

Rebecca Curtin Special Education Thesis Advisor: E. Jean Gubbins

Effects of Music Therapy on Children with Autism

Autism is a serious developmental disorder with onset in early childhood. The disorder is characterized by repetitive and restricted patterns of behavior, impairments in social interaction, and an inability to communicate effectively. Music therapy has been shown to be a successful means towards improving these deficits. Most people with a diagnosis on the autism spectrum have been reported to respond positively to music, making it an excellent therapeutic tool. This honors thesis reviews the current literature on the practice of music therapy within autistic populations. This honors thesis also seeks to determine if there is consistent research to support the use of music therapy as a way to increase social interaction and communication skills in individuals on the autism spectrum.

Elyse Davis Secondary Education – Mathematics Thesis.Advisor: Catherine Little

Differentiation in the Mathematics Classroom: Teacher Practices and Perceptions

The purpose of my thesis was to explore current methods of differentiation being used to respond to the needs of gifted mathematics students in grades 2-4 in an urban school district. Specifically, the study used a survey to explore the frequency of teachers’ self-reported use of a variety of specific instructional methods in mathematics with both average students and gifted students, with comparison of the mean differences in strategy usage with the two groups. In addition, through literature review and expert interview, the study explored the supports and barriers to differentiation for advanced students in elementary mathematics classrooms. Eight teachers completed the survey. Across the group teachers indicated relatively infrequent use of all instructional strategies on the survey, and there was little distinction between strategies used with gifted students and those used with average students. Strategies used somewhat more frequently included selected questioning and thinking strategies; however, it was uncle whether teachers used these strategies to respond specifically to student differences. Survey results echoed interview comments and previous research regarding the infrequent use of differentiation strategies, particularly those strategies requiring more preparation and those specifically suited to the needs of the gifted.

Stephanie Eleck Elementary Education Thesis Advisor: Sally Reis

Students’ Perceptions of Renzulli Learning Systems

In this study, students’ use of and reactions to Renzulli Learning System (RLS) were examined. RLS is an online profiling system, assessing students’ interests, learning styles, and product styles and matching them to a unique, individualized database of enrichment activities. Of particular interest in this study were students’ interests in the use of RLS with project ideas to extend their learning. Data were collected using questionnaires and student observations. Findings suggest that students enjoyed using RLS in school and that the majority had ideas for projects using RLS. Students who used RLS had positive experiences in learning about their own interests and furthering their learning using planned enrichment activities.

Jenna Ferrara Elementary Education Thesis Advisor: Catherine Little

Preservice Teacher Preparation in Meeting the Needs of Gifted and Other Academically Diverse Students

The issue of how to respond to the diverse academic needs of students is one of the central challenges of teaching. For my Honors Thesis, I conducted a project to study how preservice teachers develop an awareness of the needs of academically diverse learners and how they intend to implement and/ or modify instruction to meet those needs. Participants were preservice teachers from one university. They were surveyed to investigate (a) their attitudes and beliefs towards academically diverse learners; (b) the teaching practices they would utilize in response to academic diversity in their classrooms; and (c) the confidence they have in their abilities to identify and address these various needs in their classrooms. Several strategies, including activities to enhance creativity, cooperative learning, individual instruction, problem-solving activities, and projects, were indicated by participants to be appropriate for all students. Small differences were found based on the preservice teachers’ year of placement in the School of Education, indicating that as students progress through this program, they may learn more about different techniques and when and for whom they are appropriate; hwever, differences across groups were not statistically significant. Results also indicated that across the different years in the program, preservice teachers did not have very high or very low confidence in addressing these issues in their own classrooms. Each grouping of preservice teachers scored around the midpoint on the confidence scale.

Jillian Klapatch Secondary Education – English Thesis Advisor: E. Jean Gubbins

Analysis of Reading Strategies Used by High School Juniors

The purposes of the study were to determine to what extent students are strategically active when reading text for literatqre/English class and to find out if there is a correlation between reading strategy use and motivation to read. Four classes of Juniors in a suburban high school completed the survey about reading strategies used in English and literature classes. Students were also asked to respond to a four-question survey about their motivation to read. Oerall, students do not use reading strategies to a large extent. Some strategies were used more than others, and the use might differ based on content area. High achievers were more likely to use the strategies more frequently, but the differences in percentage of use were not vast. The results indicate that there was a low correlation between reading strategy use and motivation to read. Motivation correlated with Self Reflection Strategies but not with Monitoring While Reading and Post Reading Evaluation Strategies. The data gathered about motivation indicate that motivation and enjoyment are moderately correlated, but reasons such as grades, parents, and college did not have a strong relationship with overall motivation.

Danielle Maher Secondary Education – English Thesis Advisor: Wendy Glenn

Gender and Literacy: The Student Perspective

The purpose of the study was to further research regarding how boys and girls feel about the gender gap in reading and literacy, or if they do not believe there is a gender gap at all. The study was also designed to find out how these students feel about their own individual performance in reading. It examined students’ perceptions of themselves as readers in comparison to their own gender, as well as the opposite gender. The research questions that guided this study were as follows: (1) Do boys and/ or girls believe one gender enjoys reading more than the other? (2) Do boys and/ or girls believe one gender is naturally better at reading than the other? (3) How do boys and girls feel about how gender affects interest and performance in English class? (4) Where do these student opinions originate? The study was conducted with the cooperation of 46 randomly selected students at Johnston Middle School located in a suburban Connecticut town. Surveys about gender and reading were completed by all 46 participants. Three boys and three girls were randomly selected from the group to participate in individual interviews that also probed student understandings with respect to gender and reading. The data from the surveys and interviews were organized and analyzed in tables and charts according to general themes that emerged. It was discovered that many of the perceptions students held regarding gender and reading were not necessarily true. For example, a majority of boys and girls believed that girls pleasure read more during both the school year and the summer than boys do. In actuality, girls and boys reported pleasure reading the same amount during both the school year and the summer. Implications for the study include the importance for expanding educator and student knowledge about the stereotypes that exist among students regarding gender and reading and the origins of those stereotypes. It is important to recognize these stereotypes in order to understand how the students see a division between genders. If these stereotypes are ever going to be overcome, they first need to be recognized. Secondly, educators should be aware of the integral part that book choice plays in a student’s motivation to read. Lastly, educators and parents have to be aware that· how students feel about themselves as readers in comparison to their peers affects self­efficacy and motivation to read.

Stacy Marcus Special Education Thesis Advisor: Joseph Madaus

Asperger Syndrome: Historical Developments and Current Trends

Asperger syndrome is a condition that affects the way a person communicates and relates to others. Although Aspergei syndrome is a disorder on the Autism spectrum and it shares a number of common traits with autism, including difficulty in social relationships and limited imagination and creative play, people with Asperger syndrome usuaily have fewer problems with language than those with autism. People with Asperger syndrome are often of average or above average intelligence. Asperger syndrome was classified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV in 1994; thus, the research on Asperger syndrome is only beginning. As a result, the nature of this puzzling social disability is largely unknown. Furthermore, the number of individuals being diagnosed is rising, creating new challenges in schools. This honors thesis summarizes research presently available on Asperger syndrome and considers current trends and educational implications.

——

Emily McCoy Special Education Thesis Advisor: Joseph Madaus

Obsessive Compulsive Perfectionism

Obsessive Compulsive Perfectionism or’ OCP has become a very well-known disorder seen in individuals in the United States. Perfectionism falls on a continuum of beneficial or good to negative or harmful forms. The positive form of perfectionism can drive an individual to accomplish great things, whereas the negative form can hinder normal, everyday actions and paralyze an individual. In this form, perfectionism is the irrational belief that a person and his or her environment must be perfect, and it causes individuals to strive to be the best, to reach the ideal, and’to never make a mistake. High levels of perfectionism have been observed in individuals with eating disorders and individuals suffering from depression; the disorders appear to be linked.Institutions throughout the United States are seeing a rise in both males and female patients suffering from Compulsive Perfectionism. The disorder has become more prominent in the field of mental disorders and thus more research is being conducted to determine the symptoms, any causes, and the harmful and helpful effects of the disorder.

Katherine Rinaldi Elementary Education Thesis Advisor: Catherine Little

Acts of Friendship: An Examination of the Interpersonal Relationships of a Child with Autism within an Inclusive Classroom

Research has indicated that children with autism display socially inappropriate behaviors in their interactions with others (American Psychiatric Association; Scheuermann & Webber; & Simpson and Myles, cited in Simpson, de-Boer, & Smith-Myles, 2003). Yet, it is critical for all children to have the opportunity to forge peer relationships (Bagwell, Newcomb, & Bukowski, 1998). High-functioning children with autism must be placed in environments in which peer interactions are available. However, this integration must be carefully organized because of the special needs of the child. The type of environment, the extent to which the environment is monitored, and the amount of information disclosed with regard to the child’s disorder all must be considered (Cole, Vandercook, & Rynders, 1988; Ochs, Kremer-Sadlik, Solomon, Sirota, 2001; Simpson, de Boer-Ott, & Smith-Myles, 2003). This case study of one 8-year-old child with autism used classroom observations and interviews with the parent and school personnel to examine interpersonal relationships, specifically focusing on acts of friendship. An act of friendship is defined as the behaviors of two or more children who engage in play, partake in conversations, and/or help those in need (Gross 2002). The collected data were analyzed using the procedure of inductive data analysis. Each category of data was reviewed in order to acquire a general sense of the information and to consider its greater overall meaning. Next, a list of all occurring topics was generated and coded. The data were then interpreted to formulate generalized assertions. Interviews and a questionnaire revealed that the adult participants held differing perspectives as to what constitutes friendship. Due to these varying perceptions, the degree to which the child’s interactions were viewed as positive or negative in nature differed respectively among the adults. Observations of play indicated that the child with autism initiated a greater number of acts of play with her peers than they did with her. The issue of children with autism forging interpersonal relationships within an inclusive class requires further examination. Future research possibilities include the study of inclusive classroom transitions, maturational issues, and the special needs child’s own perception of friendship.

Mary Serrell Elementary Education Thesis Advisor: Del Siegle

A Case Study Investigating Literacy Activities in the Home

A large body of research documents the positive influence of routine involvement in literacy activities on young children’s achievement. Studies have researched the impacts of home environments in which the quantity and diversity of print is rich, and in which there are extensive opportunities to participate in literacy activities. Yet, not all parents and guardians are aware that they should not just be reading to their children but involving their families in fun and creative literacy activities. In this research, the results of qualitative interviews are reported and numerous new literacy activities that engage young children based on these interviews are proposed.

Amanda Vogel Special Education Thesis Advisor: Catherine Little

Effective Reading Instruction in Elementary Classrooms: Promoting Strategies that Respond to Student Needs and Interests

Reading instruction is crucial to all students’ education, and it has implications on an individual’s entire academic and personal life. Educators face a variety of challenges as they consider how best to provide literacy instruction to their students, because of the large number of differing instructional principles, pedagogies, and methods for teaching reading. The focus of this thesis was an in-depth literature review of effective reading instructional practices in elementary schools, with key :findings including emphasis on the need for appropriate texts, adequate time with texts, suitable reading tasks, and dedicated teachers. The review was paired with an exploration of the key component of responding to student interests. Students’ reading interests were studied through a reading interest survey completed by 158 elementary students participating in a voluntary after-school program. The data indicated that a majority of students in this study have positive attitudes about reading and that they have clear interest in specific types of books and literacy activities. Preferred book genres within the sample included novel/ chapter books, fantasy books, mystery books, and scary books, while preferred activities included talking about the book with a friend, creating a game or puzzle, writing a story or poem, and watching a movie about a book that was read. Research on literacy instruction suggests that such interests can be incorporated into literacy activities and text selection as a way of promoting effective reading instruction.

Courtney Worcester Secondary Education – History Thesis Advisor: Alan Marcus

”I Have a Normal Life, They Definitely Did Not”: How Students Identify With History Through Feature Films

Students’ identification with history, one way of supporting a student’s historical understanding, has become an important goal for history teachers. Helping students to identify, or see themselves in history, typically not only catches students’ interests but also affects how they evaluate historical events and figures. While the ways in which students identify with history through print sources and photographs have been widely studied, my research, a part of a larger study performed by Dr. Alan Marcus, looks at how students identify with historical figures portrayed in film. With the increase in teaching aids throughout the past decade, including VCRs and projectors for educational use, teachers now have the technological capacity to show more films in the classroom. Knowing how students identify with films will help teachers choose films in a more purposeful and meaningful way. To explore the question of student identification with film,1 analyzed student survey responses to a variety of feature films shown in two history classrooms, one in an urban district and another in a suburban district. The two most common ways students identified with the films wre with regard to their personal experiences, or more specifically their struggles, and their values. These :findings were contrary to previous research based on print sources, which found that students identified with characters of their own ethnicity and gender. This may reflect the fact that unlike a person in a photo, a character portrayed in film is more than just a face without a voice. It is very apparent that they are involved in problems and react according to their values. For teachers, it is important when choosing films for history classes to understand the struggles students face’ everyday and their values; this may make the difference between providing an experience through which students identify with history and one in· which they do not.

Teresa Yelenik Elementary Education Thesis Advisor: M. Katherine Gavin

An Examination of Gender Differences in Mathematics Performance by Fourth Grade Students in an Innovative Gifted Mathematics Program

Over time gender differences in mathematics performance have decreased, yet they have not vanished. In particular, males continue to outperform females in mathematics on standardized tests (e.g., National Assessment of Educational Progress [NAEP], 2005; Trends in International Math and Science Study [TIMSS], 2003). Studies have been conducted in the hope of finding ways to increase female mathematical performance. Research has shown five components of classroom instruction that increase females’ performance in mathematics. The five strategies include the use of writing, the use of practical problems, verbal discourse, the use of manipulatives, and cooperative group work (e.g., Gurian & Henley, 2001; Sadker & Sadker, 1994). This study examines gender differences in mathematical achievement of fourth grade males and females participating in an innovative gifted mathematics program, Project M3: Mentoring Mathematical Minds. The goals of the program include the five components, listed above, that have been shown to increase girls’ mathematics performance. The subjects, ninety males and eighty-nine females, began participating in the program in third grade and were fourth graders at the time of this study. The students were from ten schools, eight in Connecticut and two in Kentucky. The schools were of varying socio-economic status, with seven considered as low socio-economic status. All of the students were identified as having mathematical talent potential. The participants were given two pretests at the beginning of their fourth grade year, the mathematics section of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills and a mathematics open-ended response assessment. At the end of their fourth grade year the students were given the same two tests as a post-assessment. The scores were examined from pre to post in search of growth and gender differences. The results of this study found significant growth in mathematical achievement and mathematics open-ended response achievement from pre- to post-testing .. There were no gender differences in scores found on either one of the tests. There were also no significant gender differences in the amount of growth, pre to post, on either one of the tests. The results of this study support the five research-based ineans of improving females’ mathematics achievement. It appears that the goals of Project M3 are working since all students in the program, both male and females, are improving from pre- to post-testing. The fact that this study shows no gender differences among participants in the program is also encouraging, perhaps suggesting a means of improving all students’ mathematical achievements.