Braden Boss and Dr. Geoffrey A. Wright, Technology & Engineering Education Many people struggle defining technology literacy. Some say that there is no “absolute definition of literacy” because technology literacy varies from society to society.1 No matter what society you belong to, how you define technology literacy depends on how you view technology and education. […]
Freeze-Thaw Effect on Mechanical Properties of Bovine Ligaments
Alan Bordon and Dr. Anton Bowden, Mechanical Engineering My ORCA grant proposal was to study the effect that freezing and thawing a soft tissue has on the results of the mechanical property tests (i.e how strong) performed on the tissue. I was to study the effect of a single and multiple freeze/thaw cycles on the […]
Characterization of Autism Spectrum Disorders in Adolescent Novels
Katherine Way and Professor Tina Dyches, Counseling Psychology & Special Education We examined ten juvenile books using a qualitative, descriptive design, to evaluate the characterization of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in adolescent novels (Dyches & Prater, 2005; Dyches et al., 2001). To be included in the study, the books were required to meet four criteria. They […]
Book in a Bag: An Integrated Approach to Social Skills Instruction
Jennae Thomas and Dr. Michelle Marchant, Counseling Psychology and Special Education There is a much needed improvement in American school children’s behavior skills. Evidence of this concern comes from the increase in disciplinary referrals, suspensions, and expulsions (Sugai, G., Horner, R., Dunlap, G., Hieneman, M., Lewis, T., Nelson, C., et al 2000). With more effort […]
Print-rich classrooms of New Zealand and America
Hallie Shumway and Professor James Jacobs, Teacher Education Department My research was to compare the difference of print-rich classroom environments at a school in America and a school in New Zealand. I used a 33 point scale created by a BYU alumnus to grade each classroom. I then randomly chose a representative grade from each level, […]
A Comparison of Textual Materials Found in a Utah Elementary School Classroom and a New Zealand Elementary School Classroom
Arisa Sanchez and Professor James S. Jacobs, McKay School of Education: Teacher Education One of the most essential things a child will learn in elementary school is how to read. Countless hours of research have been done trying to discover the best methods of literacy instruction. As I was taking my education classes to prepare me […]
Graduation Rates of Latino Students: Contributing and Deterring Factors
Rebecca Richards and Dr. Betty Ashbaker, CPSE A major concern among educators is the consistently high number of dropouts among Latino students. While the graduation rate has improved over the last decade, this improvement has been marginal. According to a study done in 2001, 43.4% of Hispanic students ages 16-24, born out of the country, […]
Understanding Student Ethnic Identity in Schools
Carol Ann Litster and Dr. Erin Feinauer Whiting, Teacher Education The purpose of this study was to understand the tensions Latino students feel in understanding their ethnic and academic identity and what motivates these students to do well in school. Using Latinos in Action as a case study, we uncover tensions for high school students’ […]
English Language Learner Program Improvement Study
Amy Jones and Dr. Erin Whiting, Teacher Education Parental involvement is a key focus of educational debate today because it has been shown to be correlated to academic achievement. I chose to help research and collect data to include in a longitudinal study conducted by Dr. Erin Whiting and Dr. Ray Graham of Brigham Young […]
Gender Equity in Ugandan Secondary Schools
Martha Howard and Dr. Julie Hite The International Bill of Rights declares education to be a human right (UN, 1948) which, if denied, limits the opportunities for personal development and growth. At the World Education Forum in 2000 held in Dakar, Senegal by UNESCO, the international community agreed to the Dakar Framework for Action. This […]