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
Using reading recovery strategies with small groups of kindergarten English language learners, Krista Michaelis
How does cognitively guided instruction affect high ability math students, Angela M. Michelson
Exploring concrete assessment strategies in art education and best practice art assessment, Colleen A. Kral Miller
Using Bloom's taxonomy to create higher level thinking skills in fifth grade mathematics, Shanna M. Miller
How does assessment based curriculum alter student participation, habits, behavior, and ultimately learning?, Sarah A. Miziorko
Important elements to consider when designing a proposal for a beginning band mentorship program for students who risk not succeeding, Susan M. Morrissey
Integrating movement with vocabulary instruction to improve reading comprehension in first graders, Ariana M. Mosier
Effectively transitioning students from elementary to junior high school, Sarah K. Mueller
How does implementing effective literacy practices into reader's workshop impact ELL students language development in a mainstream third grade classroom?, Elzbieta Murphy
What can parents do to help their teenagers avoid substance use/abuse?, Joan Murphy
Implementing literacy centers in a sixth grade reading and language arts block, Nicole Lynn Nehring
Music participation and benefits to adolescents, Adam R. Nelson
Using technology in mathematics to increase learning and motivation in middle level learners, Andrew Robert Nelson
Rallying to help sophomores transition into senior high, Angela A. Nelson
Social and emotional learning: a case study, Bradley C. Nelson
How can parents evaluate which kindergarten program is best for their child: full language immersion kindergarten, half-day kindergarten, or full day kindergarten?, Katherine S. Nelson
A reading curriculum utilizing graphic organizers to help remedial readers better understand informational texts, Barbara A. Ohnmacht
Educating parents of young children on the benefits of informational text to change read aloud habits, Lori O'Neil
Teaching about religion in social studies, Nicholas P. Ostrov
How can a portfolio be used as an assessment tool in an elementary music classroom?, Sarah C. Oyler
Affecting L2 attitude and motivation through drama, Jonell Pacyga
The relevance of early childhood education in regard to student readiness, Gina M. Parise
How ESL and classroom teachers can work collaboratively to more effectively serve the educational needs of English language learners, Lynita R. Parks
Best practices of literature circles, Brooke M. Parmelee
What strategies do mainstream teachers in my school need in order to meet the needs of their ESL students?, Micolette R. Paul
Making connections: authentic assessment in middle school math, Margaret A. Pechacek
What effect does phonemic awareness have on the development of emergent kindergarten writers, Catherine Peck-Burley
Teaching writing to disengaged secondary school students, Erica L. Ping
Pre-teaching math language lessons for the success of English language learners, Michelle Vanden Plas
A computer based tool that will help to teach ELL kindergartners to read, Carrie Podgorski
Integrating into a predominantly white campus: students of color share their stories, Sharandra S. Pugh
Improving staff development for classroom teachers of gifted students, Christina Sobaski Ramsey
Reading for lifelong learning, Amber D. Rathmann
Modifying reader's workshop for first grade French immersion, Mary J. Rddad
Teaching problem-solving strategies to increase students' ability to appropriately problem solve throughout the day, Sara M. Rehnstrand
Differentiation in an alternative setting, Heather Ridler
Using a hybrid model for technology staff development training, Blaine W. Ristvedt
The role of play in second language acquisition: a bilingual grandmother and a preschool child, Joyces C Robles
Do center-based language immersion schools or the school within a school model have higher assessment achievement results?, James Rohwer
Meeting learning objectives: using an alternative text, Joseph Rothstein
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