2018 Honors Theses (Fall)

In this twenty-first century world, changes are occurring everywhere, including inside classrooms. The shifts in the field of education are not the result of the new technology, but rather the result of new learners with diverse needs (Bacca, Baldiris, Fabregat, Graf, & Kinshuk, 2014, p. 134). Overtime, Augmented Reality, or AR, has transformed from a futuristic tool into an innovative way to experience education like never before. AR has the capability of engaging all students, the "digital natives," within the classroom, converting them from passive members into active participants (Kiryakova, Angelova, & Yordanova, 2018, p. 557). By altering the perception of reality, students have opportunities to explore, manipulate, and interact with the course materials. This technological tool supplements and differentiates instruction by catering to the students' learning styles while also fostering concrete connections and deeper understanding (Bacca et al., 2014, p. 141; Antonioli, Blake, & Sparks, 2014, p. 97). Augmented Reality motivates teachers and students within the secondary mathematics classroom; although, this technology has potential for all ages and subjects. Classrooms no longer need to be stationary; learning can occur anywhere with the aid of Augmented Reality accessible at students' fingertips.,Honors Thesis Advisor, Dr. Marcia Marcolini Hoover.

The lecture method of teaching continues to be among the most widely used pedagogical techniques in schools today as a result of tradition and habit. The flipped classroom challenges this idea of the traditional lecture by inverting the setup of the class activities. This shift from a teacher-centered teaching approach to a student-centered approach changes the structure of the class. The students watch the lectures at home and actively engage in activities during class. This has shown proof of increasing student achievement, motivation, engagement, interaction, and responsibility, in addition to the many positive aspects for the teachers. The research for this study was conducted at a middle school in southwestern Pennsylvania to analyze the student and teacher perceptions of the flipped classroom. This research helped to determine if the flipped classroom is an effective teaching strategy that should be encouraged in all secondary mathematics classrooms.,Honors Thesis Advisor, Dr. Marcia Marcolini Hoover.