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 2009
Does student self-assessment have an effect on student motivation?, Jane Rotter
Professional development that supports early childhood teachers' implementation of standards-driven constructivist classrooms, Jenna M. Ruble
Would an alternative modular curriculum benefit students in my middle school technology education classroom, Ryan Rutten
How instruction in student-generated questioning enhances reading comprehension in elementary students, Stacy Lynn Rutten
What is the impact of poetry on reading interest and writing interest in primary aged students?, John T. Scanlon
Gradual release of responsibility model to foster student independence in reading, Lisa M. Schau
Technology as a tool for differentiation in the classroom, Erin Schiller
Impacts of student autobiographies on mainstream teachers' perceptions, attitudes, and instruction of English language learners, Emily Schmidt
What is an effective research support curricular framework for physical science instruction that nurtures talent in high school students?, Bethany A. Schneider-Higgins
How can constructivist philosophy support teaching of social studies at the middle and high school level?, Thomas Paul Schraufnagel
How instruction in Rebecca Sitton's spelling program affects the transfer of spelling knowledge to the editing skills of first and second graders, Carissa S. Schrick
Teacher identity: a shifting work in progress for student teachers, Nicholle S. Schuelke
Communicating my role as an ESL teacher, Patrice A. Siefert
Environmental literacy and activism: a case study of how the school for environmental studies (MN) influenced its graduates, Celia Bonady Smith
How does a traditional suburban elementary school transition to a magnet school?: one school's journey, Melissa Eva Smith
How to engage boy learners in the classroom: practical applications in developing a fifth grade literature unit, Wenda Smock
A template for connecting field studies with animal conservation to state side schools, Melanie C. Sorensen
Teaching history in the primary grades, Cassidy R. Steiner
How will implementing positive behavior strategies affect student behavior in first grade, Sarah S. Stephan
Making Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet comprehensible to English language learners, Melanie J. Stewart
How compacting with extension activities in language arts affects the motivation of gifted readers, Emily J. Stoddart
Implementing a parent-component to the read-aloud curriculum in a fourth grade classroom, Kelly R. Stufft
Developing a differentiated British literature curriculum that meets of the needs of high school students, Kathryn M. Tabke
Effects of visuals on student transition behavior, Lynn M. Taunton
How can educators ensure academic achievement despite a lack of basic needs?, Carolyn Teichner
Integrating yoga into elementary classrooms in order to create a foundation of serenity and health early in life, Cindy K. Timmer
Incorporating environmental education into existing curriculum: correlations between FOSS science modules and project learning tree activities, Roberta W. Trott
Constructing a shared understanding of the nature and dynamics of classroom authority, Charles H. Viren
Do dialogue journals with recasts improve the writing skills for adult learners with limited literacy skills?, Michelle Henry Voit
Ignorance is not bliss: single mothers describe navigating postsecondary institutions, M. Laurel Walsh
The effects of interactive writing on second grade ELLs' learning of science vocabulary, Rebecca Weldon Fisher
Using an online weblog to foster reflective practice and collaboration for middle school language arts teachers, Erica Joy Whitson
Implementing critical literacy strategies into an eighth grade remedial reading program, Gretchen A. Wibben
Research-based assessments to increase student learning in geography, Scott Wicklund
The use of signed English in sight word instruction with elementary English language learners, Kari Lynn Wiltse
Does racial consciousness impact how teachers react to students in discipline situations?, Mandy Jean Wineberg
Making input comprehensible to primary students in a French immersion school, Kelsey L. Wolf
The use of inclusion with elementary learning disabled students, Sarah Ames Wright
Teaching children about learning disabilities, Paula Wurst
What effects does language anxiety have on ESL students' decisions to speak English in a middle school classroom?, Ryan Zgutowicz
Theses/Dissertations from 2008
The influence of wall partitions on visitors' behaviors in science centers, Betsy K. Adamson
How instruction in critical thinking skills increases middle-level reading comprehension, Susan Kathleen Wilder Akre
Professional learning communities for novice teachers, Scott Ray Amundson
Virtual world webquests: principle elements of research supported learning experiences within virtual learning environments, Carl Anderson
Curriculum compacting as a method of increasing motivation in an underachieving, gifted student, Erik O. Anderson
A research based anthology of songs and activities to accompany a Spanish curriculum, Karlene Aust
Children's literature and math: how ELLs benefit, Antoinette Azad
Me myself and poetry: a writing poetry curriculum for middle school students, Erin Azer
Mindset and engagement: how engagement of at-risk high school students in school is related to their view of intelligence, Elizabeth H. Barnard
How does the implementation of culturally appropriate literature allow students to understand and discuss race at the elementary level?, Ruth A. Basant
A method of supplemental science vocabulary instruction for second-grade English language learners, Hanni Baugh-Thomas
How will integrating technology into my teaching affect my student's learning?, Chad Belling
Text and context: new historicism and Art Spiegelman's Maus I and Maus II, Cherie R. Bennethum
Developing number sense in third grade students, Rebecca Berg
Break the silence: oral communication across the curriculum, Erin Berman
Helping kindergarten students develop literacy skills through balanced literacy and writing workshop, Kara Michelle Bickett
What are successful strategies to teach higher level mathematics to students with learning disabilities?, Anna Bonderson
How does a cross-grade tutoring program impact organization and homework completion of two disorganized sixth grade students, Julie A. Boom
Implementing guided reading in a second grade classroom to increase reading levels of English language learners, Miranda Lynn Boys
A disciplinary literacy approach to middle school mathematics, Tara M. Brash
Using jigsaw tasks to promote negotiation between first grade English language learners, Jane Bechtel Brown
How middle school students define effective teachers, Traci Brown
International school teacher perceptions of the importance and teaching of cultural literacy skills, Kerstin Buettner
Adolescent anxiety: how extracurricular activities contribute, Robert M. Burton
Popular music songwriting: a formal curriculum for the informally trained musician, Timothy D. Buzza
School connectedness through smaller learning communities, Lauren Brooke Campbell
How to develop the ability to question to increase reading comprehension?, Carolyn Carlson
Scientific inquiry and science notebooks in the classroom, Jennifer S. Y. Carlson
What are the research supported instructional strategies for teaching spelling in a first grade classroom?, Karla Justine Carroll
A look inside: perspectives on academic underachievement from inside an inner-city public high school, Stacy L. Casper
A fifth grade social studies curriculum that offers student choice in learning, Lindsay Alison Comstock
An analysis of Somali pronunciation errors, Elizabeth A Conway
Singing science: middle school students' perspectives on the use of songs as a learning tool in the science classroom, Kristin A. Corens
Language anxiety, Michele Corrales
The interdisciplinary integration of writing strategies: a middle school case study, Amy L. Corrigan
A write start: investigating a same gender classroom, Nicole K. Courneya
How can licensed school nurses increase teacher understanding of students diagnosed with a chronic illness?, Traci K. Cruikshank
The effect of research-based instruction on sixth-grade student spelling growth, Karen A. Dahl
Promoting and sustaining physical activity on a regular basis in elementary schools, Lance Dahl
How authentic assessment can be used effectively in a high school language arts classroom, Jennifer K. Davis
Using AlphaSmarts to improve the quantity and quality of writing of fifth grade English language learners, Patricia Gail Matthias Davis
A journey into the culture of differentiation: encouraging change through a reflective model of staff development, Sigrid Dorholt
How can explicit instruction foster growth in low socioeconomic fourth grade students' vocabularies, Amber R. Drotts
How can I increase the knowledge and awareness of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders among elementary staff?, Teresa Ann Drotts
Changing the teacher mentor program model, Shawn Dylla
Characteristics of a GLBT respect curriculum appropriate for middle grades advisories, Alexsandra Eckroth
The effects of using individual and group management techniques to increase responsibility and accountability in my students, Rachel Elizabeth Erpenbach
Onset and rime instruction in a low level ABE ESOL reading classroom, Erin G Evans
Increasing ninth grade achievement in an elective class, Patricia M. Fair
Comprehension of aspect in English by Spanish-speaking students in an adult basic education program, Andrea Feshbach
Starting the year off right: building strong teacher-student relationships in the kindergarten immersion classroom, Amy J. Filo
Facing the biological imperative in the gifted classroom: the implications of attachment theory upon teacher/student relationships and learning, Richard Allen Fletcher
Tackling: a study of one of the most important skills in American football, Robin E. Fondow
What are the elements of effective teaching and learning that successfully introduces weblogs into a classroom setting, John A. Franke