This collection includes Capstone Theses and Dissertations submitted by Hamline School of Education and Leadership master’s and doctoral students, respectively. Capstones are the culminating degree work and include research that draws from the student’s formal study as well as professional and personal development.
This is an online listing of the scholarly works of HSEL graduate program students. Works prior to 2015 are available in print in the Bush Memorial Library. Full text, online, prior to 2015, may be restricted to current Hamline students, faculty and staff.
See also: School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Browse Theses and Dissertations by Degree:Theses/Dissertations from 2024
Elementary Educators’ Beliefs and Practices Regarding Explicit Math Vocabulary and Language Instruction, Katherine Lee Berlin
Principals Who Lead Elementary Schools with Minimal Out-of-School Suspensions, Jennifer Bordonaro
Multilingual Learners’ Perceptions of their Home Languages Using Ruíz’s Language Orientations, Sophie Breen
Women with Administrative Licensure: Their Journey Outside the Principalship, Katie Britton
Teachers’ Perspectives on the Transition of Dual Language Spanish Immersion Students to Middle School, Myriam Castro-Franco
Transferable Skills from Faculty to Students through a Community of Practice, Lisa Chase
Success Factors: English Learners Speak About What Worked for Them, Said Garaad
The Impact of Explicit Instruction in Phonics and Phonological Awareness on Kindergarten English Learners’ Reading Scores, Emily Goranson
Exploring the Second Language Learning Experience and its Influence on Willingness to Communicate and Language Use: A Case Study, Christopher Henchcliffe
Challenges and Opportunities for the Third-Generation Hmong Adolescents in Public Schools: Preparing for the Future, Changying Lawton
Factors Influencing Multilingual Families’ Decisions to Accept or Waive English Language Services, Emily Mattson
Beyond Four Walls: Outdoor Recess as a Complement to Classroom Engagement, Valerie Mulvenna
What are Rural Minnesota Elementary Teachers’ Views Regarding Their Preparedness to Teach Environmental Education, Benjamin Odegaard
The Influence of the Student-Teacher Relationship on the Mathematics Confidence of Students, Mary Tracey Plante
Examining Elementary English Language Teachers’ Professional Development of Dispositions, Knowledge, and Skills, Jessica Reese
Perception of Motivation on Adult Student Academic Achievement, Hailey Swanson
Theses/Dissertations from 2023
Striving to Increase BIPOC Family Participation in Early Childhood Family Education, Ayuko Boomer
Networking Matters: Exploring the Developmental Networks of Healthcare Managers and the Relationship to Job Competency Development, Laura Christopherson
The Use of Culturally Responsive Strategies in the Classroom, Melissa Damon
Career Influences of Environmental Education Field Experiences, Lacey Day
Exploring How Elementary ESL Teachers Experience Learning and Change Related to a Genre-Based Approach to Language Instruction, Angela Froemming
Implementing TPR and TPRS in the Adult ESL Classroom with SLIFE Learners: A Teacher’s Diary Study, Ann Gehrt
Every Student Succeeds Act Title I and III Grant Spending and Equity Work in Minnesota, Sara George
“The Heart Of My Professional Work”: A Case Study Of EdD Student Experiences And Their Alignment To Program Outcomes And Graduates’ Professional Practice Needs, Khrisslyn Rae Goodman Chien
The Relationship of Two Co-Teaching Models in a Second Grade Special Education Inclusion Classrooms: Impact on Student Achievement, Natalie Hoffert
Translanguaging: The Instructor-Perceived Benefits of Use in the Adult English Language Learner Classroom, Paul Jonas
Systemic Shock: The Effect of the Pandemic on Teachers’ Beliefs on the Nature and Purpose of Grading in High School, Charlotte Landreau
When the Healer Needs Healing: A Study of Medical School Students and How Universities Answer the Call for Wellbeing, Christiana Maier
Just Another Education Abroad Gatekeeper: Education Abroad Administrators’ Perspectives on Institutional Pricing Models and How Those Models Impact Inclusion Efforts, Katherine Mary Meyer
Serving Together: A Phenomenological Study Of The School Resource Officer And Principal Partnership, Eric Nelson
Becoming a Badass: Developing Positive Embodiment in Women, Nicole O'Connor
Teacher-Student Relationships and Student Behavior, Cassandra Ostergard
Early Career Language Educators Experience Joy and Purpose in the Creation of Multilingual Classroom Ecologies, Jonell Pacyga
Dear Education System, It’s You, Not Me: Burnout in Elementary Special Education Teachers, Bernadette Putman-Bailey
Improving Science Literacy Using Photographic Documentation of Laboratory Activities, Mary Radus
Using Written Self-Assessment to Improve Student Motivation in the Social Studies Classroom, Zachary Robbins
Exploring Perspectives on Nature-Based Early Childhood Education: A Comparative Analysis of Educators and Families, Rachel Schaller
How Equitable Teaching Practices Impact the Mathematical Identity of English Language Learners from Teachers’ Perspectives, Xiaomei Segelstrom
Increasing Engagement and Effectiveness of Independent Reading in the Kindergarten Classroom, Sarah Swanson
The Impact of Universal Learning Strategies on Teacher Burnout in a Project-Based-Learning Secondary School, Benjamin Tuthill
PreK–12 Black Administrators’ Narratives in Urban School Districts, Jude Vales
Exploring How School Choice Affects the Distribution of Educational Resources in Ramsey County Minnesota, Craig Wiltzius
When You Look Into The Mirror And See Nothing: Psychic Disequilibrium And Its Relationship With Impostor Phenomenon In Hmong Women Leaders In The United States, Mai Nhia Xiong-Chan
To What Extent Do 3- to -6-Year-Olds Demonstrate Connection to Nature at a Montessori School in the Upper Midwest, Natasha Yates
Theses/Dissertations from 2022
Effects of a Nontraditional Multi-Age Learning Environment on Academic and Social-Emotional Learning: A Case Study, Nicole Black
No “Pobrecito Student”: Translanguaging High-School Science For Academic Language Development, Agustina Borré
A Black Woman’s Road to Principalship: An Autoethnography, Daria Caldwell
Food Justice and Urban Agriculture: Using City Spaces to Foster Equity, Jessica Giese
Unraveling My Sweater: Reflections of White Student Affairs Practitioners Committed to Social Justice, Rebecca Kaarbo
Scouts BSA Wood Badge Through the Lens of Senge’s Disciplines of a Learning Organization, Wendy Marik
Adult Immigrant English Learners’ Perceptions of Their Multilingual and Multicultural Identities, Greta McElvain
English Learner Families, Rural County Public Libraries, and Rural Public Elementary Schools, Carmel Murphy
Representation of Cultures and Languages in Children’s Picture Books, Kristen Neff
Teachers Describe Their Confidence in Teaching Secondary Students with Low Literacy Skills, Tamara Polzin
Observing the Impact of Environmental Science Exploration and Discovery on the Social-Emotional Learning of 2nd Grade Students, Laura Sammis
Factors of Persistence in Multilingual ABE Secondary Credential Participants, Sherry Smith
What Common Elementary Practices Impact Teacher Efficacy?, Staci Souhan
Classroom Questions: How Mainstream Elementary Teachers Use Questions to Support Achievement for English Language Learners, Holly Wandersee
The Impact Of Language Attitudes On The Bilingual And Bicultural Self-Perceptions Of Fifth-Grade Latino Students, Abigail Winnes
Theses/Dissertations from 2021
Social Presence Theory: Creating Engaging and Strong Online Learning Communities at the K-12 Level, Abigail Amundson
Yo Soy Mi Idioma: Latinx Bilinguals’ Journeys To Two-way Immersion Education, José Becerra-Cárdenas
What Are The Lessons Teachers Trained In The U.S. Learn Through An Experience Of Teaching Internationally?, Olivia Berger
Finding Fit In The Science Classroom: Applying Self-determination Theory To Twice-exceptional Students, John Burrell
My Labor Of Love, Deanna Chiodo
The Texts Matter: Essential Text Characteristics For Comprehension Intervention In The Intermediate Grades, Tia Clasen
The Work-Life Balance of a Single Mother and Secondary School Principal, Amy Cochran
Adult Educator Views On Impact And Learner Fit In Integrated Digital English Acceleration (I-Dea) Classrooms, Peter Gray
Investigating the L2 Motivational Self System of Mauritanian EFL Learners: A Unique L2 Learning Experience, Casey Hatlevoll
Need Not Apply: A Systematic Literature Review Re-Evaluating English Prestige and Its Retribution On Foreign English Language Leaders And Their Learners’ Identity, Jessica Ibarra-Gambrill
Environmental Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Margaret Janz
Connecting At-risk Youth To Place: Using Restorative Practices To Improve Learner Awareness Of Local Climate Change, Ariel Johnson
Digital Device Use in Urban Elementary Physical Education Classrooms: Viewpoints, Eric Kaluza
School Recess: Benefits, Obstacles, and Policy, Amy McMullan
Critical Race Theory: Measuring Anti-Black Sentiment In South Korean English Education, Kenya Nelson
Preventing Teacher Stress and Burnout in an Urban Arts Secondary School Context, Kara Noble
Evaluating The Cultural Responsiveness Of Language, Strategies And Visuals In Social Emotional Curriculum, Julia Pedersen
Analyzing Perspectives With Relevant Grade-level Texts To Improve Engagement In A Rural Fifth-grade Classroom, Micah Peters
How Do Teachers Make Decisions Around Union Membership And Engagement In My Middle School Setting?, Natalie Sasseville-Praska
The Case For Culturally Affirming Systems Of Education: Exploring How Professional Development Impacts Culturally Relevant And Critical Literacy Teaching Practices, Carey Seeley Dzierzak
Mitigating Climate Change: Understanding How Teachers Integrate Social Justice Themes In Environmental Education, Gregory Simons,
The Impact of Home Language Maintenance and Acculturation Gaps Amongst Somali-American Families, Morgyn Wade
Minnesota School Forest Program: An Evaluation and Exploration of Implementations, Madisson Weier
Theses/Dissertations from 2020
Early Childhood Education in Ethiopia: A Case Study with Implications for Ethiopian Immigrants, Fadila Adam
Impacting Student On-Task Behaviors Through Classroom Based Physical Activity and Movement, Katelyn Allen
Concentration: A Pathway To Learning, Habib Amini
Utilizing Unstructured Play Time as a Tool to Improve Student Performance, Katelyn Bruce
A Content-Integrated Translingual Literature Curriculum for Chinese-Speaking University-Level EFL Learners, Croix Clayton
Somali Family Priorities And Perspectives Regarding Middle School Engagement, Joanna Fischer
Administrator Role in Successful Volunteer Based Reading Programs, Heidi Frye
Feedback in Practice: The Effects of Written Feedback and Conferences on Student Writing Scores in Ninth Grade English Classrooms, Anthony Granai
Growth Mindset Language and Literacy in the Kindergarten Classroom, Kari Helfinstine