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
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
Introducing stability balls into a kindergarten classroom to determine on-task behavior and student perceptions, Mary M. Frank
Family literacy intervention program, Jeanne Marie Frederick
Levels of influence on teachers' feelings of empowerment, Tina E. Fritz
How does research into the effects of physical activity on brain function support a regimen of physical activity in the mainstream academic classroom?, Christine Marie Hodroff Gagnon
The role of motivation in the application and transfer of comprehension strategies, Rachel Ruth Gens
What are research supported classroom management strategies used with intermediate age students that counter the impact of the cultural influence of overindulgence and entitlement, Christopher Parker Getchell
After school clubs and ELLs self-esteem, Marilyn Gleason
Organizational tools for teachers, Jane Brilley Gossard
Journaling through the challenge of change, Dereck L Grosskurth
An exploratory study: phonological awareness instruction in early reading first classrooms, Lisa Gruenewald
How can middle school advanced reading students use multiple lenses to deepen their critical literacy skills?, Tammy J. Gruenwald
How can sensory techniques designed for children with autism benefit all kindergarten students?, Margaret Hejny Guptill
The effects of fluency instruction on the reading pace, accuracy, and expression of 6th grade English language learners, Colin Haakenson
Increasing oral reading fluency with elementary English language learners, Judith A Hacker
The impact of the enrichment triad model and type III activities on gifted middle school students, Patricia Ann Fladeboe Hamann
Cultural understandings and how they affect teaching strategies with Hmong middle school students, Shanda Hannan
Beyond Webster: explicit vocabulary strategies to improve the reading of English language learners, Rachel L. B. Harder
Grade two ESL writers: teacher-modeled writing and oral rehearsal, Kristine B Heim
Restoring the nature-child connection, Marc T. Henderson
What are some effective strategies to encourage parent involvement in a fourth grade classroom with diverse populations, Heather Henricksen
Active learning in a middle school mathematics classroom, Kristin Holmes
List-group-label as a reading comprehension strategy to help students see that there may be more than one way to look at the world, Matthew H. C. Horstman
Individualized training for new special education teachers, Corliss Carter Hoyt
Voluntary teacher mobility: why teachers choose to leave, Kathryn Corinne Huebsch
How does mentoring, incorporating cognitive coaching, affect the efficacy of selected young music educators?, Adam Frederick Tervola Hultberg
School culture in a diverse urban junior high school, Nicole M. Infinity
Cooperative learning and music education: application in a middle school band music theory curriculum, Mary Jane James
Adult Sudanese students in transitional English classes: factors that may contribute to academic writing readiness, Kathleen Ann Jensen
The write work: how can modeling best practice writing strategies improve the quality of student writing in a second grade classroom?, Pamela G. Johnson
A solo vocal literature guide, Diane Krenik Jordan
In what ways might I differentiate literacy instruction for fourth grade students in a mixed ability classroom through the use of learning centers with tiered activities?, Genesee L. Kaiser
Writers teach writing: lessons from authors of creative writing, Daniel M. Kantar
One smart capstone: a resource guide for smart board users, Douglas M. Keddie
The history of teaching the future: the future of teaching history, Molly Megan Keenan
Aligning the learning: successful strategies for writing in the world language classroom, Katherine H. Keller
In their own voices: African American students talk about rigorous course work with a focus on science, Rebecca J. L. Keller
Designing an effective inquiry-based forensic science unit for use in urban classrooms, Mary Elizabeth Kent