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| Presenting Senior Honors Program projects were: front from left – Brian Sigmund, Andrew Thompson, Betsy Sutliff, Clay Nolan, Lindsay Pingor, Kimberly Mogush, and Cassie Mosier; back from left – Dani Hughes, Joy Carey, Dana Peterson, Rachel Beveridge, Elizabeth Donovan, Theresa Eshenbaugh, and Kristen Savatt. |
Fifteen Clarion University Honors Program students presented senior projects as part of the 2009-10 Honors Program Senior Presentations on Nov. 16 at the Center for Academic Excellence and Founders Hall.
The Honors Program is an academic opportunity for students whose intellectual and creative interests and abilities are beyond conventional university offerings. The program gives students the opportunity to enrich their education through specially designed courses and extracurricular involvement.
Seniors presenting:
Rachel Beveridge presented "Culture Kits in the Elementary Classroom." Her faculty advisor was Dr. Brian E. Maguire, professor of education. The study focused on the construction, implementation and value of social studies culture kits in the upper-elementary classroom. The presentation included information on how to effectively construct a culture kit as well as how to implement it in the classroom. Three elementary school teachers received a culture kit to rotate among them and use in their classrooms. The teachers completed a survey concerning whether they thought the experiences was valuable, whether they would chose to use it again, and in what other areas of education they could foresee it being of use to them.
Beveridge, a senior elementary education major, is a daughter of William Beveridge Jr. of Strattanville and is a graduate of Clarion-Limestone High School.
Joy Carey presented "Development Through Female Athletes." Her faculty advisor was Dr. Rod Raehsler, professor of economics. The study focused on the burden of poverty and underdevelopment that is not shared equally between men and women. It examines how sport increases the rate of human development from a young age to professionals in the Olympics. It also describes how females specifically benefit from athletics depending on the economic status of their country, and then compares this phenomenon across regions. Women are subject to many disadvantages in which cultural assumptions about female status hold women back from pursuing greater human capacity. Since women disproportionately bear the problems associated with poverty, athletics provides one solution in which women and grow immensely. In turn, this betters society as a whole because of the importance in the role of the women.
Carey, a senior international business/Spanish major, is a daughter of Chuck and Molly Carey of Lancaster, and is a graduate of Manheim Township High School.
Elizabeth Donovan presented "Relationships Between School Library Media Specialists and Test Scores." Her faculty advisor was Dr. Janice Krueger, professor of library science. The study focused on how the presence of school librarians can influence student achievement. The goal of the study was to investigate how the lack of a school librarian affected student achievement and teacher satisfaction in one high school. Document analysis of teacher interviews revealed categories of concern for reading achievement with the absence of a school librarian. Within one high school, Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) reading test scores for the year preceding the retirement of the school librarian and the first year without a librarian were compared. She also compared eleventh grade PSSA reading test scores of a similar high school with a library.
Donovan, a senior library science major, is a daughter of Neil and Heather Donovan of Edinboro and is a graduate of General McLane High School.
Theresa Eshenbaugh presented "The Effects of Using Multiple Intelligence-based Activities on the Voice of Children's Writing." Her faculty advisor was Dr. Deborah A. Ellermeyer, professor of education. The study focused on how to improve the voice of children's writing through the use of activities that incorporate the multiple intelligences. With the push for passing standardized tests, the technical aspects of writing are focused on more in the classroom, which leaves less time for the teacher to promote children's imaginations. A creative writing camp was formed with activities and centers that included all the multiple intelligences. Two stories were collected from each child at the beginning and end of the camp. They were assessed by independent raters on the following criteria: focus, word choice, writer's voice, reading aloud piece, and creating a picture.
Eshenbaugh, a senior early childhood education major, is a daughter of Alfred and Karen Eshenbaugh of Pittsburgh and is a graduate of Shaler High School.
Danielle Hughes presented "A Nueva Manera of Communication." Her faculty advisor was Dr. Kathleen O'Donnell, professor of modern languages. The study focused on how Spanglish is becoming one of the most widely spoken languages in the United States. Spanglish, or code switching, is a growing phenomenon that borrows components from both Spanish and English. The growing number of Spanish-speaking people crossing our nation's borders could thrust Spanglish into becoming one of the most widely spoken languages in the United States, altering the country's identity and making a lasting impact on American culture.
Hughes, a senior Spanish and French major, is a daughter of Butch and Vickie Hughes of Clarion and is a graduate of Clarion High School.
Kimberly Mogush presented "Word Recognition in Noise." Her faculty advisor was Dr. Colleen McAleer, professor of communication sciences and disorders. The study focused determining college students' ability to recognize words in noise levels that might typically be found in kindergarten classrooms. Classroom listening conditions are often poor, with most elementary school classrooms having a lot of background noise. This results in an unfavorable listening environment with a poor speech-to-noise- ration, making it difficult for students to hear the teacher.
Mogush, a senior communication sciences and disorders major, is a daughter of James and Victoria Mogush of Trafford and is a graduate of Penn-Trafford High School.
Cassandra Mosier presented "Examining the Impact of Outstanding Teacher Read-Alouds on Students' Reading Fluency and Dispositions." Her faculty advisor was Dr. Brian Maguire, professor of education. The study focused on whether students' positive attitudes are nurtured and whether learners become more aware of their expressive readings and whether they are more able to articulate the elements of prosodic reading when exposed routinely to prosodic reading aloud. Prosody, which includes the features of the quality of pitch, tone expression, and phrasing when reading aloud, is the point at which fluency promotes comprehension. She also examined how students' own fluency and prosody reflected the fluency and prosody with which they have been read. Over a period of six weeks, she met regularly with a student to examine these correlations.
Mosier, a senior elementary education major, is a daughter of Samuel and Donita Mosier of Kersey and Samuel Mosier of South Riding, Va., and is a graduate of St. Marys High School.
Clay Nolan presented "Professional Development Using the Backward Design Model." His faculty advisor was Dr. Marilyn Howe, professor of education. The study focused on the need for a reform that goes beyond the No Child Left Behind Act by using the backward design model for planning an effective experience for faculty. Educational reform usually goes hand in hand with professional development experiences for faculty, which is handled by the principal. While this forum presents a practical base for enhancing teachers' repertoires, the research shows that many of these experiences are ineffective. The research states the planning is a crucial tool to make the professional development experience a success.
Nolan, a senior elementary education major, is a son of Brian and Janet Nolan of Shinglehouse and is a graduate of Oswayo Valley High School.
Dana Peterson presented "Nonfiction Literature in the Primary Classroom." Her faculty advisor was Dr. Kathleen Murphy, professor of education. The study focused on the number of nonfiction books available to classrooms. It appears that textbook reading in fourth grade classrooms represent children's first real experiences with expository texts. She examined the nonfiction literature available in libraries. By scrutinizing nonfiction books in libraries online, she created a list of high-quality, age-appropriate nonfiction books to provide teachers.
Peterson, a senior elementary education/early childhood education major, is a daughter David and Cindy Peterson of Pittsburgh and is a graduate of Baldwin High School.
Lindsay Pingor presented "Arts Integration in the Elementary Classroom." Her faculty advisor was Dr. Sylvia Stalker, professor of education. The study focused on the need for arts integration in the elementary classroom as well as the connection between teachers' enjoyment and knowledge of the arts and their actual use of the arts in the classrooms. The arts provide a unique approach to teaching that appeals to certain types of learners. Too often in today's schools, the arts are being neglected due to the growing limitation of resources and the many demands on teachers. The project includes the development of a pamphlet offering various ideas for arts integration in the general education classroom.
Pingor, a senior elementary education/musical theatre major, is a daughter of Darryl and Wendy Pingor of Delmont and is a graduate of Franklin Regional High School.
Sara Pratt presented "College Students' Perceptions of Athletes and Non-Athletes: Behaviors and Consequences." Her faculty advisor was Dr. Dave Schlueter, professor of psychology. The study focused on whether college students' perceptions of student athletes differ from that of non-athletes when presented with various scenarios that are common on college campuses. These scenarios include athletes and non-athletes being involved in situations that suggest possible academic dishonest, a possible DUI traffic violation, and a confrontational fight. The participants consist of 160 college students taken from various courses at Clarion University. Gender and the participants' involvement in college and/or high school sports were considered and evaluated.
Pratt, a senior psychology major, is a daughter of Diane Pratt of Clinton, Ohio, and David Pratt of North Canton, Ohio, and is a graduate of Norton High School.
Brian Sigmund Jr. presented "A New Deal for History Students." His faculty advisor was Dr. Todd Pfannestiel, professor of history. The study focused on identifying and describing the old methods of classroom instruction and using the latest journal research combined with fresh ideas, further develop the latest ideas on education students in history classrooms, including new approaches utilizing the internet and electronic gaming for educational purposes. As students become more adept at using the internet and are learning increasingly more visually, a shift in instructional strategies must occur. Because of this, there have already been dramatic shifts in educational styles, with more to come. These shifts in learning styles and in pedagogy will soon begin to have a dramatic impact on history classrooms.
Sigmund, a senior secondary education/social studies major, is a son of Brian and Nancy Sigmund of Pittsburgh and is a graduate of Keystone Oaks High School.
Andrew Thompson presented "Reef Fish Hybridization in Bermuda: A Population of Holancanthus Crosses." His faculty advisor was Dr. Andrew Turner, professor of biology. The study focused on the viable hybrid population in Bermuda, produced from two Atlantic Pomacanthids, Holacanthus ciliaris and Holancanthis bermudensis. Coral Reefs are biodiversity hotspots harboring about 5,000 of the oceans' fish species. A more thorough understanding of fish biodiversity will lead to better management and protection of reef species. For this study, 20 suspected hybrids with intermediate coloration were collected from Bermuda, and eight Holancanthus ciliaris were collected from Belize. DNA was isolated from these specimens using fin and fill tissue and extraction kits. The polymerase chain reaction was used to replicate the DNA with two mitochondrial and two nuclear primers. The PCR product was then sequenced, and the sequences were aligned and edited with Geneious. Phylogenetic trees were constructed with Geneious using Bayesian analysis to show genetic relationships. All individuals collected from Bermuda were confirmed hybrids with Holancanthus ciliaris being the maternal contributor. Therefore, it is concluded that hybrids, instead of pure Holancanthus Bermudensis as its pure form is not native to Bermuda, and bionomical nomenclature cannot be based on Hybrids. Since Angelichthys townsendi was the original name applied to the species in 1914, it is proposed that the name of this species be changed to Holacanthus townsendi.
Thompson, a senior biology major, is a son of Douglas and Brenda Thompson of New Castle and is a graduate of Laurel High School.
Kristen Savatt presented "Developing the Effective Use of Gesters in the Classroom by Pre-Service Teachers." Her faculty advisor was Dr. Brian Maguire, professor of education. The study focused on the creation of a professional development opportunity for pre-service teachers in order to gain their input regarding positive strategies for bringing the research to life in the classroom. Teachers communicate much information through their use of gestures, while students can provide valuable feedback about their receptiveness to instruction through their gestures. The program was designed so that, through questioning and discussion, participants had the opportunity to see how the others applied these strategies and altered their teaching. The presentation shares the insight she gained through the investigation into successful inclusion of gestures in the classroom in an effort to enhance professional development while fostering an effective learning environment for students.
Savatt, a senior elementary education major, is a daughter of Anthony and Amy Savatt of Coraopolis and is a graduate of Montour High School.
Betsy Sutliff presented "Hip Hop and Classical Literature in the Classroom." Her faculty advisor was Dr. Janice Krueger, professor of library science. The study focused on how hip hop is used in classical literature lessons for high school students. Over the fast few years there has been more and more publicity about using hip hop language and lyrics in the classroom to teach students and try to motivate them to learn. The majority o these hip hop lessons focus on language arts instruction. Online lesson plans from education publishes, organization, and those of individual hip hop professional, are teachers are compared for the use of hip hop in language arts in general and in classical literature specifically. Publisher and organization lesson plans are individually examined for formal lesson plan criteria and evaluated according to the criteria taught in Clarion University educational classes. Individual plans are also evaluated according to the university's criteria and all plans are coded to indicate the degree of compliance and clarity.
Sutliff, a senior library science major, is a daughter of William and Mary Sutliff of Mechanicsburg and is a graduate of Trinity High School.
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