Elementary Education Commons^™

Classroom Pull-Out: Helping Or Hurting Students’ Self-Concepts And Academic Success?, Allie Reifler

Senior Theses and Projects

It is commonly debated what method of school instruction is best for young students: classroom pull-out for additional resources or inclusion models. There is a vast amount of literature that exists on the topic, however a portion of it is quite conflicting. Some say that inclusion methods are best for students’ academic and social needs while others argue classroom pull-out, or resource room, is more beneficial for students’ academic performance and self-esteem. The current study provided a possible answer as to the effects classroom pull-out in the third grade has on academic success and self-concepts in the fifth grade. This …

The Corridor Of Shame: An Immersed Analysis Of South Carolina Schools, Darren R. Burton

Senior Theses

This research project discusses school funding instruments of rural and urban schools in South Carolina and uncovers its effect on student academic achievement. Educational achievement is assessed based on report card datasets between 2018 and 2019, containing South Carolina Assessment of State Standards (SCPASS) score data and South Carolina College and Career Ready Assessment (SCREADY) score data. This research project uses a comparative analysis to evaluate each group’s performance in the subjects of English Language Arts and science. The statistical analysis tools that this research project uses include analysis of variance (ANOVA), linear regression analysis, and Microsoft Power BI. The …

Should Students Be Required To Learn A Secondary Language From Grades 1-12?, Lorena Corbelli

Honors Program Contracts

No abstract provided.

Educating For Democracy: Policy Recommendations For The Revitalization Of Civic Learning In The United States, Meghan E. O'Brien

Community Engagement Student Work

The recent decades have brought upon a dramatic shift in the United States’ political and social climate. Increases in ideological polarization and extremism have taken hold as individual trust, knowledge, and participation in democratic processes has declined (Gould et al., 2011). These trends have contributed to the rising severity of social issues facing the United States - climate change, income inequality, systemic racism - as well as an inability to collectively address these issues. The need for a solution to these trends has never been greater as the nation struggles to perfect a democratic structure in which citizens are equitably …

Literacy Achievement Gap Of Elementary English Learners, Bethany Kamps

Culminating Experience Projects

Elementary aged students should be reading at grade level at the end of each school year. However, English Learners (ELs) are consistently not meeting this goal. The rise of ELs and current legislation has forced classroom teachers to become the primary educator for EL students. These factors contribute to the literacy achievement gap of elementary EL students. Embedded in a six-week summer literacy program, this project proposes implementing teacher professional development to help close this academic achievement gap. Throughout this PD, teachers will engage in learning centered around effective practices for teaching ELs, team collaboration and coaching, and cultural competency.

Identifying Teacher And Parental Communication Methods That Could Impact Elementary School Educational Outcomes, Erin Kathleen Hughes

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Developing and sustaining positive partnerships between parents and educators is a collaborative process whose primary focus should be directed towards student achievement. Due to ongoing educational reform, more researchers and practitioners are concerned about the quality of communication between parents and teachers. The importance of this issue should be addressed to provide an understanding between schools and parents of the impact that communication can pose on student outcomes. The purpose of this applied study was to identify teacher and parental communication methods that could impact educational outcomes at Bayou Elementary School (pseudonym) in northwest Louisiana. This study implemented a multimethod …

A Description Of The Factors Contributing To Parents Choosing Christian Elementary School For Children With Special Needs: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Andrea L. Cook

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Education professionals have expressed concern that parents’ decisions to enroll students with special needs in Christian schools are ill-informed due to lack of data surrounding student outcomes in such environments and lack of teacher qualifications (Cheng et al., 2016; Lane, 2017). There has been very little research on why parents choose Christian elementary school for their students with special needs. The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the factors contributing to parents choosing a Christian elementary school for children with special needs. Lev Vygotsky’s social constructivism theory framed this study, as it states that one’s knowledge …

A Virtual Ell Community: Manual For Creating An Ell District Website, Brooke Norvish

MA TESOL Collection

Abstract

Every public school district has the responsibility to provide their English language learners (ELLs) with reliable and accessible resources. Many communities do this through various avenues, including in-person and online materials. Since the COVID-19 Pandemic, there is an even greater need to provide information online. Many schools are bouncing between hybrid and fully remote programs. Some families are opting to homeschool regardless if their district offers in-person classes or not. Supporting these families and keeping them up to date on how to navigate these challenging times is essential. This materials development project will seek to fill this need by …

Becoming Inclusive: A Collection And Analysis Of The Perceptions Of Newly Qualified General Elementary Education Teachers On Their Preparedness For Teaching In Inclusive Settings, Brooke M. Armesto

Honors College Theses

Pre-service teachers majoring in elementary education generally have few opportunities to teach students with disabilities. This research addressed the question “How do newly qualified general elementary education teachers perceive their preparedness to teach in inclusive settings?” The goal of this study was to discover what areas new teachers need to become more proficient in order to successfully teach within inclusive classrooms. The topics explored include perceived preparedness for teaching in inclusive settings, ways to measure preparedness, current approaches in teaching within the inclusive settings and strategies for preparing preservice teachers. Using a qualitative narrative design, five newly qualified elementary inclusion …

Developing Innovative Practices Through Third-Space Partnerships: Reflections On Project Dare (Dementia Knowledge, Art, Research And Education), Corinne A. Green, Michelle J. Eady Dr, Pippa Burns, Jessica Baker, Jennine Primmer, Penelope Harris, Carinya Barkley, Victoria Traynor

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Partnerships between schools, universities, and community organizations have mutual benefits for all involved. These partnerships value the contributions of all participants and capitalize on the expertise and knowledge that each brings. This reflective paper details a collaborative third-space partnership between a university, a primary school, and a community organization. The partnership facilitated the design, development, and implementation of a unique program called Project DARE (Dementia knowledge, Art, Research, and Education). A research-based evaluation of the Project DARE feasibility study can be found elsewhere (Burns et al., 2020). The aim of this paper is to reflect upon the formation of the …

The Influence Of An Early Childhood Endorsement Program On Early Childhood Leadership Competencies, Kanyon Chism

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The call to improve high-quality educational opportunities for children ages birth – eight has received increased attention and federal and local funding opportunities have expanded to provide additional early childhood classrooms and to implement family engagement practices. Unfortunately, systems of support for principals aimed at increasing knowledge and skills necessary to lead an aligned Preschool – third-grade system within an elementary school remain relatively sparse. The purpose of this study is to examine the alignment between an early childhood endorsement program and early childhood leadership competencies.

This study will examine the perceptions of school leaders participating in an early childhood …

The Evolution Of An Elementary Writing Workshop: Fostering Teacher Efficacy And Authentic Authorship In Young Writers, Jennifer Green, Kayla Steber

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

Building confidence and efficacy in young writers is critical to long-term academic success, but for many teachers, writing is a complex and challenging discipline to teach. This exploratory case study examines the evolution of a writing workshop in an elementary classroom and the partnership between an instructional coach and teacher. Observational data shed light on the phenomena of student motivation, teacher efficacy, and culturally responsive approaches to writing. Collaborative teaching methods and careful attention to the principles of writing workshop contributed to an enriching journey for the coach, the teacher, and her third-grade students. A portrait of their lived experiences …

A Tale Of Two Schools: A Study Of Student Risk Factors And Exclusionary Suspension Incidents, Brandy Nicole Williamson

Dissertations

discipline practices can widen the opportunity gap for at-risk students (Baker & Coley, 2013; Black, 2016; Crosby et al., 2018; Gibson & Gibson, 2019; Mallett, 2016; McCarter, 2017; Porter, 2015; Williams et al., 2017). The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between student risk factors and exclusionary discipline rates. Identification of a significant relationship between exclusionary discipline and student risk factors could lead to an increased awareness of precertification and practicing educator professional development needs. Identification of a significant relationship between trauma-related risk factors and exclusionary discipline could lead to an awareness of exclusionary discipline alternatives more …

Queering Elementary Education: A Queer Curriculum For 4th Grade, Emma Butensky, Kimberly Williams Brown

#CritEdPol: Journal of Critical Education Policy Studies at Swarthmore College

This project explores the positioning of queer students and queer curriculum in schools with a specific focus on elementary education. Using intersectionality as a guiding framework along with queer theories, educational theories, and feminist theories, this project examines and critiques how queer subjectivities have (not) been included in schools via curriculum for elementary school children. In an effort to better understand how educators have been successfully incorporating queer topics into their classrooms, this study uses qualitative research methods, specifically semi-structured interviews with teachers in New York City. The findings from this study have been used to create a 23-lesson curriculum …

Unit #6: Animals - Remote Learning Activities, Lindsey Herlehy, Cassandra Armstrong

Little STEAMers: Early Learning Program

No abstract provided.

Mask Off: Students’ Of Color Traumatic Experiences In K-12 Education And Why Historically Black Colleges And Universities Make A Difference, Diane Courington

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of 11 participants who had four or more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The theoretical frameworks guiding this study are Culturally Responsive Teaching (Crt) (Hammond 2014; Gay 2000), Critical Race Theory (CRT) (Crenshaw, 1988; Ansley, 1988), and Abolitionist teaching (Love, 2019). This study's data collection is based on semi-structured and conversational interviews via Microsoft Teams with Students of Color (SOC) who graduated from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and had an ACEs score over 4. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) include one or more events such as growing up in a household with an …

Teaching Our Past To Preserve Our Future: Ignorance And The Insurrection, Haleigh Jacocks

Geifman Prize in Holocaust Studies

No abstract provided.

Experience Between Mentors And Coaches: A Phenomenological Case Study To Examine Effective Coaching Conditions, Brittany Adkins

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

The study uses a phenomenological case method to explore the lived experience of the mentor-coach coaching phenomenon and examines the case of the Literacy Center (university partnership) in providing professional development to build instructional capacity in elementary reading coaches through a coaching model in order to improve reading achievement in students (kindergarten through third grade). The study is guided through the theoretical frameworks of Social Learning Theory (Vygotsky, 1978) and the Capacity-Building Model for Teacher Development (Cooter, 2004). It is focused on two research questions: 1) How does the mentor and coach experience change over time? and 2) What facilitates …

Examining The Impact Of Interscholastic State Activity Association Athletics Expansion At The Middle School Level In A Large Urban School District, Nathaniel Brooks Gillespie

Dissertations

Few studies have been conducted to investigate the educational benefits of participation in extracurricular activities during middle school (Hughes et al., 2016; Knifsend & Graham, 2012). This mixed-methods study involved elicitation of athletic directors’ perceptions and analysis of secondary data to determine the impact of interscholastic athletics participation on school connectedness. The qualitative portion of the study involved an analysis of the perceptions of athletic directors. The quantitative portion of the study involved an analysis of grade-point average (GPA), attendance, and discipline data of middle school students who participated in intramural athletics during the 2016– 2017 school year and those …

Don't Run Out Of Steam! Barriers To A Transdisciplinary Learning Approach, Jennifer C. Caton

Journal of STEM Teacher Education

Reform-based instruction can maximize learning and provide equitable access for students in both mathematics and science. A proposal for change by national organizations shed light on the need for programs in integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) or with the inclusion of the arts (STEAM). A balanced approach to integrated STEAM education uses real issues from around the world to challenge students to be innovative, creative, and think critically about ways they can provide solutions. The purpose of this article is to highlight the potential of a transdisciplinary STEAM instructional approach, while examining the barriers that teachers face in …