FAU Lab Schools Teacher Research

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Examining the Role of Peer Support and Reading Partnerships in Literacy Curriculum
Peer-supported learning is a powerful tool in literacy development, particularly in elementary grades where students are building foundational reading skills. Reading partnerships provide opportunities for students to engage collaboratively, allow for peer modeling, and shared problem-solving.
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The Chemistry of Cooking Club
There is a positive correlation between a strong sense of community at school and academic success. When students feel well connected with their school and peers, they are more likely to be engaged in their learning, leading to improved academic performance.
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How Does Allowing Students Autonomy When Selecting Rewards Affect Their Motivation, Engagement, and Academic Performance?
This project aimed to foster a growth mindset among students; however, it quickly became evident that this focus was not addressing the most immediate barrier to student learning: student apathy.
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The Impact of Student-Led Character Education Activities on Middle School Students’ Understanding of the Character Counts! Program
The introduction of new programs often generates excitement among those who initiate the implementation. However, it's essential to consider all stakeholders in the process.
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Outside Obligations: Understanding How Outside Activities Impact Students
This project will impact our school community by helping us gain better insight into our students’ time obligations. We currently have robust data on our students’ school-sponsored activities, but we are completely missing activities they do outside of our school community.
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Work in Progress: How Does the Integration of Visual Arts Into the Counseling Curriculum Impact 4th Grade Students' Understanding and Expression of Social-Emotional Concepts, Such as Empathy, Self-Regulation, and Interpersonal Skills?
Adolescents are faced with a wide range of stressors including academics, social pressures, extracurricular, and employment. These stressors are dealt with at home, at school, with friends, and online.
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Math Homework: Grading for Completion versus Accuracy
There has been a long-heated debate on grading math homework on completion versus accuracy. Proponents of completion state that homework mistakes should be encouraged
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Is Immersive Online Content (IOC) Approach in the Form of Virtual Reality (VR) an Effective Method for Generating High-Quality Online STEM Labs?
There is a gap between faculty willingness to hold online STEM laboratory courses and student demand for high-quality online instruction.
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Studio Sessions – Year Two
This project aims to investigate the benefits of creative expression in an after-school club called Studio Sessions. Benefits may include reduced stress and increased feelings of sense of belonging with school/classmates.
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How Does the Use of Minute Meetings Help Proactively Identify Students in Need of Counseling Interventions?
To counteract these challenges and shift towards a more proactive counseling model, the implementation of "minute meetings" – brief, individualized proactive emotional check-ins – becomes imperative.
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What Effect Does Physical Activity Have on 6th-Grade Students' Academic Stress?
By demonstrating the positive impact of physical activity on stress reduction, physical education is positioned as a key contributor to academic success.
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Reaching for the S.T.A.Rs: Student Advancement, Involvement and Reflections Within A STEM Education Program
Gaining a better understanding of the depth and breadth of the S.T.A.R. program by analyzing overall student involvement and engagement within S.T.A.R. Program activities are vital for program sustainability and improvement.
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Learning High Frequency Words through Multi-Sensory Activities
We noticed that not all students were acquiring these high frequency words at the same rate. Based on the research related to the science of reading, we need to change our method of teaching these words to our students.
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How Effective are “Wise Interventions” in Fostering Teacher Buy-in?
Our research focuses on the impact of “wise-interventions” with the goal of fostering positive change in attitudes, behaviors, or outcomes of the Character Counts! Program at A.D. Henderson University School.
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Statistical Learning to Identify Student Performance upon Kindergarten Entry
The present study introduces a prescriptive approach that leverages predictive analytics to forecast academic outcomes before the school year begins and remains consistent with classroom teacher observations.
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Noteworthy Science: Guided Notes in 5th Grade Science
By investigating the impact of guided notes on student comprehension, engagement, and the development of independent notetaking skills, this research seeks to inform instructional practices, benefiting both teachers and students.
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Impacts of Novel Effect on Engagement and Comprehension in Primary Classrooms
Engaging read alouds play a crucial role in literacy development and overall cognitive and social-emotional growth. According to Anderson (1985), reading aloud to students is the single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading.
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Implementation of Book Clubs and its Effects on Student Motivation
The overall goal of this study is to increase student motivation to read while investigating the components of book clubs that lead to greater motivation, and possibly stronger readers.
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The Hidden Science of Everyday Careers
The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of focusing on “doing science” instead of “being scientists” on upper elementary students’ attitudes toward science by utilizing action-based syntax, as opposed to identity-based syntax during a career-study unit.
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Student Self-Efficacy: Learning Math with Visual/Kinesthetic Tools
The purpose of the study is to determine to what extent note taking through visual or graphic with a kinesthetic integration have on students’ self-efficacy of third grade level math concepts.
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Logic and Reasoning in Middle School Debate
We noticed a trend in our speech and debate classes when students struggled to choose articles to analyze for current event assignments. Our students lack the knowledge of how to identify bias and logical fallacies in sources.
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Studio Sessions
Our research investigates the benefits of creative expression in an after-school club called Studio Sessions. Our student population is stressed due to academic and personal pressures. Students do not have school-sponsored creative outlets.
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The Creation of a Cross-Age Scientific Curricular Experience Program Model: Exploring Instructor Self-Efficacy and Learner Engagement
This research aims to create a cross-age scientific curricular experience program model, also known as the S.T.A.R. (Student Talent Ambassadors for Results) program, that utilizes standardized evaluation techniques to determine the impacts of peer-teaching on instructor self-efficacy and learner engagement.
Kimberly Hallstrom and Kristin Potter-Oliveri
Impacting Student Cultural Self Awareness with Culturally Relevant Texts
Historically, the diversity of literature in secondary public school classrooms fails to reflect the diversity of the student population in 21st century American schools.
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Science Through Art: The Impact of Art Projects on Depth of Knowledge of Science Topics
Educational communities have recognized the importance of presenting information in varying modalities to reach all types of learners. Science through Art provides an opportunity to study the impact of using creative, hands-on process art to learn about the world.
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The Effects of Self-Advocacy Instruction on the Self-Reported Feelings of Belonging in the Inclusion Classroom Among Middle School Students with Disabilities
The purpose of this study is to examine the academic self-concept of middle grades students with disabilities at an academically rigorous, high - performing school and how self-advocacy instruction impacts their academic self-concept.
Samantha Vallejo
The Impact of Peer Review on Middle School Writers: A Case Study
Teaching English Language Arts encompasses reading, writing, speech and language skills, and everything else that falls under these domains. With so many aspects to cover, teachers are always looking for innovative strategies to work smarter when it comes to student success.
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Overcoming Perfectionism: Meeting the Unique Needs of High Achieving Early College Students
Comprehensive school counseling programs need to carefully assess and tailor interventions to meet the student populations’ needs. Unfortunately, the needs of high achieving adolescents in accelerated curricula are often not prioritized in research or practice and many of the universal programs geared towards the general population lack empirical support for their effectiveness with high achieving students.
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The Impact of Fraction Manipulatives on 5th Grade Students' Confidence and Math Skills
Having a deep understanding of fractions beginning in grade five is crucial for future success in mathematics, specifically algebra. Recent studies show that 42% of sixth grade students fail to understand fraction concepts.
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Middle School Support Sessions to Foster Academic Self-Confidence 
Sixth graders may enter middle school with academic and social gaps, especially when it comes to communication and advocacy skills.