Digital Commons Network^™

After-Schools Programs And Their Influence On Parent Involvement With Children At Home, Marci Malone

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Eight-year-old Victoria, with hands on hips and chin stuck up, defiantly said, "No mom, I want to stay for After-School Club. I don't care about the dentist." Her mother patiently responded by telling Victoria, "I know you want to stay but we have to leave now or we will be late for our appointment." The little girl, seeming to know from experience that her mother would not budge, stomped her foot as she began leaving the school saying, "I hate when I have to miss After-School Club!"

Factors Which Impact The Conduct Of Fifth Grade African-American Males, Derricka Bashetta Thomas

Dissertations

This study examines the factors that impact the conduct of fifth grade African- American male students who participated in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten (ECLS-K). The participants in this study are located throughout the United States of America. These students attend private and public schools. The data for this study were provided by the National Center of Education Statistics (NCES), a division of the U.S. Department of Education. The researcher utilized ECLS-K’s Public Use Data File and Electronic Codebook to create an SPSS syntax file in order to measure the factors that impact the conduct of fifth grade African- American …

Teacher Factors That Influence Student Achievement: A Study Of Third And Fifth Grade Teachers, Jewelle L. Harmon

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Student achievement is of the highest concern for the government, educational administrators and parents. Researchers have looked at several possible student factors that affect student achievement. However, very little research has been done on teacher factors and their relationship with student achievement. The current study looked at the relationships among teacher absence, teacher job satisfaction, work-family conflict, family/work conflict, teachers' attitudes towards achievement measures, and their correlation with Virginia's standardized measure of student achievement; the Standards of Learning (SOLs). District differences in student achievement were also examined. Three school districts in southeastern Virginia accepted the invitation to participate. …

Studying The Subway: An Interdisciplinary Study Of The New York City Subway For The First Grade, Eve Robinson

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This thesis gives a rationale and overall framework for a four month interdisciplinary study of the New York City subway system for a first grade classroom. The unit will be based around field trips and interviews, where the students will gain hands-on knowledge that will later help them recreate their own "school subway system." Throughout the study, students will investigate all aspects of the subway system, from mapping to mosaics, from fares to fines. The study culminates in a student-led role play where children take on the jobs of subway workers and guide their parents through a system that they …

Balanced Literacy Versus Basal Reading Instruction For Urban African-American, Title I Third-Grade Students, Julie Ann Perkins

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This study compared third-grade reading achievement of urban African-American, Title I students using a basal reading series with those using a balanced literacy program to determine whether the highly structured skills-based methods advocated by The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act actually foster or impede reading achievement in an urban school setting.

Two hundred forty-five third-grade African-American, Title I students from an urban elementary school in southeastern Virginia served as subjects for the study. Subjects were studied as intact groups to avoid disruption in the educational setting. Participants in the control group were third-grade classes of urban African-American, Title I …

A Parent Handbook Of Reading And Writing Activities For Continued Literacy Development In The Home, Lisa Annette Bangs

All Graduate Projects

This project provides a handbook of reading and writing activities and strategies for parents of first grade students to use with their children in the home environment. Included is a review of research which: (1) discusses the importance of reading aloud to children at home and school, (2) examines how a child's early literacy experiences in the home affect overall reading achievement, (3) explains ways to increase communication between parents and teachers regarding a child's literacy development, and (4) describes activities to connect school and home literacy experiences.

Using Literature Circles To Engage Students With Informational Texts, Theresa Marie Anderson

All Graduate Projects

The focus of this project was to review the available research on literature circles as a method of engaging students with informational texts and to create an implementation guide for teachers. The results of the research show that there is a need for effective nonfiction instruction and that including this instruction at the elementary level provides tremendous benefits for students. Literature circles are an effective way to engage students with these informational texts, because they offer an authentic literacy experience and provide students with the kinds of informational text interactions they will encounter in the real world. The project includes …

Leaving Home: A Handbook For Teachers To Promote Critical Thinking, Leanne Molly Luehrs

All Graduate Projects

A handbook of instructional strategies connected to a text set theme for fourth grade teachers to promote critical thinking was developed. The handbook is intended for fourth grade teachers interested in promoting critical thinking through the use of children's literature. The text set theme, leaving home, was chosen and children's literature and curriculum was developed around this thematic focus. Library research, books, and the Internet aided in the development of this project. The studies showed the importance of developing critical thinking skills in elementary students. The studies also review theories pertinent to promote critical thinking and best practice.

When Am I Ever Going To Use This? A Mathematics Investigation Involving Animals, Nicole Lynn Drake

All Graduate Projects

This project is a format for developing investigations that includes a sample set of investigations that teachers can use as a resource. This project develops an investigation that assists teachers in presenting math concepts within the context of his or her students' everyday life. Investigations use real live experiences as background and context for student learning. By developing a problem that the students can relate to, the student's attitudes and depth of knowledge will improve. This project looks into, the history of reform in mathematics education, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics standards, current curricula addressing reform, math workshops, …

Third Grade Library Power!, Kristen Joan Scott

All Graduate Projects

The process of curriculum design for a third grade information literacy skills unit was studied. Studies supporting the connection between a quality school library program and increased student achievement were examined for positive characteristics to be implemented into a third grade library program. State standards in reading, technology, and information skills were analyzed for integration into the design. The result is a third grade information literacy skills curriculum design for implementation into a library program. Implications for future third grade library curriculum improvements are discussed.

Academic Content Instruction And The High School English Language Learner: A Series Of Lessons That Model An Approach To Content Instruction In Science In A Multi- Level English As A Second Language High School Classroom, Juliet M. Parry

MA TESOL Collection

This paper presents a series of lessons on biology that model an approach to content instruction Biology in a multi-level English as a second language high school classroom. It includes background information on the course, lesson plans, explanation of and rationale behind them, historical perspective on the shift from content instruction in the native language to content instruction in the new or target language.

There Are No Winners Here: Teacher Thinking And Student Underachievement In The 6th Grade, Sue L. Pettit

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The following ethnographic study was conducted with 6^th grade teachers in a middle school that has been stigmatized by the public as a failing school and cited by the government as a School in Need of Assistance according to the No Child Left Behind Act. The purpose of the study was to examine what teachers believe about persistent underachievement in order to shed light on whether teacher beliefs inform teachers' efforts to ameliorate underachievement. As my study progressed, my research data suggested that teachers use a faulty testing curriculum that guarantees poor student performance and only serves to confirm …

Family, Child, Teacher Perceptions Of What African American Adult Family Members Think And Do To Assist Their Elementary School-Aged Children To Become Better Readers, Shadrack Gabriel Msengi

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In this study, the perceptions were investigated of how African American adult family members, children, and teachers viewed the family members' roles in assisting their elementary school-aged children to become better readers. These perceptions were explored to provide a detailed account of ideas that can impact the home-school relationship. To conduct this study, the researcher examined how similar or different the perceptions were among the three subgroups regarding: (a) the child's reading level; (b) what families do to assist children in reading; and (c) the perceived barriers and opportunities in adult family members' decisions to assist their children to become …

School-Wide Positive Behavior Supports : An Evaluation Of An Elementary School Program, Lisa Andreasen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The outcomes of a school-wide positive behavior support program at a rural elementary school were evaluated to determine the effects of a school-wide program on the behavior of students. A program evaluation was conducted using student office referrals that were collected over a six year period. The results indicated that student office referrals significantly decreased from Year 1 to Year 6 and that specific behaviors of aggression and inappropriate language also decreased significantly from Year 1 to Year 6. Data were investigated to indicate trends in total office referrals by gender, grade, month, location, and problem behavior.