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 2008
What are the essential elements of an effective literacy portfolio for kindergartners?, Michelle L. Kiesel
Cultivating nature: environmental gardening identity and home gardening practices, Frances M. Kiesling
Strategies to build community and motivate struggling readers, LouAnn Kittelson
My child's teacher doesn't know our history: relearning Native American education from the insight and experiences of families, David Kloker
Improving targeted instruction through professional learning communities, Kristan L. Kohls
Introducing stability balls into a kindergarten classroom to determine on-task behavior and student perceptions, Kristen Kay Kokal
Examining the qualities of published memoir in modeling traits of writing in a fourth grade writer's workshop, Trena Kolstad
Knowledge building in a culinary classroom environment using team-based learning strategy, Byron J. Korus
Motivation from within: using poetry to create success, Kelly M. Kudla
Using science notebooks to improve student's writing ability, Lance C. Kuehn
A curriculum designed to foster self-regulation in students with neurobiological impairments, Leah M. Kuypers
Does gender effect motivation in the high school education classroom?, Hayley E. Lang
Designing a high school physical education curriculum to increase student interest in lifetime fitness and health, Cristina V. Larson
Reluctant readers within a school-wide read, T Brent Larson
Does the use of student journals foster learning in an environmental biology class?, Erin Lauinger
In what ways does mandated testing drive a school's approach to teaching 9-12th grade students?, Diane LeBlanc
Why cultural competency?, Robert O. Lehmann
Teaching writing skills to struggling writers at the high school level, Heather M. S. Leier
Utilizing the sketchbook to support metacognition in the secondary level art student, Diane J. Levar
African American boys and reading comprehension, Courtney Ligon
Effective nonfiction reading strategies for third graders, Diane E. Lindo
Does using SIOP (sheltered instruction observation protocol) help high school ELL students learn elementary mathematics?, Monique Marie Lindquist
Supervisor perceptions of workplace ESL instruction, Laura Lund
How can incorporating multiple learning modalities into a second grade classroom enhance students' abilities to reach the goals of the trivium in second grade?, Rebecca Ann Lund
How does emotion and pattern chunking help fourth grade students retain Spanish travel phrases?, Amy Luoma
Constructivism: an approach to change, David C. Madson
Maestra, ¿qué es un alfabeto? = Teacher what is an alphabet? : teaching Spanish literacy as a tool for ESL literacy, Katharine Málaga
Ideal conditions for successful adult second language learning, Hannah Malone
The positive effects of community building and character education on 5th grade students' attitudes, Diane Louise Master
The development of map-reading skills in the adult English as a second language classroom, Lisa McCallum
What are the research supported guidelines I can share with parents when deciding between half-day and full-day everyday kindergarten?, Kirby McDonald
Noticing and grammatical aspect in ESL, Jonna Meidal
Classroom management strategies for middle school math teachers, Enock Obuba Meshack
How animal assisted therapy can be used to motivate children in special education, Colleen Miller
How the use of memoirs and autobiographies impacts the self-efficacy of secondary Hispanic girls, Kayls A. Miltich
How positive discipline and class meetings can positively affect the classroom learning environment, Dana Sue Moffett
Using the sheltered instruction observation protocol (SIOP) in the ESL classroom, Erin Mohr
Do Minnesota immersion schools follow the national trend of higher academic achievement than their non-immersion counterparts?, Naomi S. Mueller
Reducing math anxiety, Patrick J. Mueller
The effect of physical activity on academic performance, Kris Faye Nelson
Effective strategies a first grade teacher in a direct instruction setting can use to improve reading fluency in beginning readers, Laura H. Nelson
Learning disabilities: results of implementing a reading decoding program, Stacy LeAnn Nelson
Exploring effective co-teaching models, Lien M. Nguyen
Minnesota's Iron Range: the economic and the environmental impacts of iron mining vs. sulfide mining, Maria Jo Nuthak
For the love of chemistry: bonding with other subject matter, Carolyn Ferrer Ocampo
In what ways will participating in cooperative learning groups impact the self-directed nature of students in high school mathematics, Amy Jo. Oeltjen
The fight against obesity: creating intrinsically motivated, self efficacious youth, Heidi A. Olesen
Cellular basics: a curriculum design for an alternative high school biology class, Jesse S. Olson
Teacher in-service on diversity awareness in a multicultural setting, Karen Lee Olson
How teachers build a classroom community in kindergarten, Lisa Maren Opfer
Mini-lessons in revision to support the writing growth of primary grade students, Deborah J. Orgeman
Spanglish: identifying some motivations a group of bilingual adolescents had to code-switch in informal social interactions, Liliana Orsi
Traveling responsibly with students: local economy, learning, and environmental impact, Stephanie Owen
Strengthening the home to school connection of first grade readers, Margaret Louise Parker
Using visual supports to impact independence in students with autism spectrum disorders in the mainstream school setting, Therese Patterson
What literature circle instructional plan could be used with an integrated basal reading-writing model for fourth grade students?, Marion Sue-Carlin Patton
Strategies to improve elementary math education in the U.S., Ping Peng
Implementing partner reading routines to develop reading fluency and sight word vocabulary, Christine M. Peppel
Engaging and relevant professional development: teachers as leaders, Kari L. Peterson
Considerations for making and using visual displays for K-3 education, Sarah D. Pfahl
Building community in kindergarten with morning meeting, Cheryl Pilcher
A toolkit to support content-area vocabulary instruction for students with hearing loss who receive itinerant service from a teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing, Cathleen Rae Pinkosky
How can I create a developmentally appropriate rubric for writer's workshop in the kindergarten classroom?, Stacey Poppler
The effects of teacher expectations and behaviors on student achievement, Seema Gundgovi Pothini
Experiential education for secondary urban students, Jodie Prohaska
Effective modeling and teaching of reading strategies to secondary content area teachers, Brenda Pulju
How do graduate students in an online graduate class titled teaching reading describe their experience of community, Elizabeth Christena Ragatz
The academic and financial gains of the four-day school week, Kendra Razink
Participation in a faculty book study for white teachers in diverse classrooms, Carol Beth Rengstorf
How effective read alouds can be used to develop comprehension skills and a love of reading in kindergarten, Erin Jennifer Retelle
Using graphic organizers when problem solving in high school mathematics, Michelle L. Ristvedt
Effective classroom management strategies for urban learners, Jennifer Roba
Inclusion: the new special education, Rebecca Lynn Robinson
A look into locus of control: how high school students perceive their ability to impact the environment, Lana Sue Rohrer
Text talk as a vocabulary teaching tool: does it meet the needs of English language learners, Jessica A Rooney
Reflecting on photography: a meaningful approach, Karen Marie Rossbach
Sharing poetry podcasts: connecting digital natives in community through story, Scott A. Ross
How to create a positive classroom community, Michelle Marie Rupp
How has the litigation of disciplinary issues influenced secondary school administrators' efforts to maintain a safe school environment?, Kathryn E. Russell
Using intervention strategies to improve kindergarteners' writing levels, Trisha Marie Meissner Rux
How does a teacher effectively use data to differentiate teaching and learning in a secondary classroom?, Rachel J. Ruzzi
Exploring the role of literature in the lives of college women: reflections on the influence of literature from adolescence, Amanda M. Sass-Henke
Building resiliency in adolescents in poverty, Tara Christine Guyer Saxhung
The application of reading comprehension strategies in a primary classroom, Kristen Elizabeth Scarpetta
Teaching fluency to emergent readers, Jill L. Schlaak
Incorporating pre-reading skills into environmental education, Sarah Schmidt
The power of coteaching: predictors of attitudes on elementary ESL/general education coteaching, Stephanie DeFrance Schmidt
Practice, perception, and proposal of interdisciplinary curriculum, Dana Schreiner
The effect of reading fluency practice on overall comprehension of non-fiction content-area texts in grade four English language learners, Karn Michelle Schwartzhoff
The educational gains of online communication, Barb Schwarz
Teacher collaboration at Oltman Junior High: its use, value, and role in school culture, Solomon Senrick
How do you change the waste culture, while reducing the amount of trash, at an elementary environmental magnet school?, Maureen Skelly
Using portfolios to increase self-assessment in student learning, Stephanie Ann Skelly
Resiliency: development & support an autoethnography, Travis M. Skoda
How does the research defined instructional strategy known as the learning cycle impact the achievement and attitudes of girls in middle school science, Alecia N. Smith
Identifying and quantifying anomalous standardized test scores in middle school students, James L. Smith
Using brain research to create optimal learning environments in middle school classrooms, Jennifer Karen Sorensen
Understanding each others differences to build community in the elementary classroom, Deborah Spangberg