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Full-Text Articles in Education

The Effects Of Social Stories On The Problem Solving Skills Of Preschoolers, Sara Cramer Dec 2016

The Effects Of Social Stories On The Problem Solving Skills Of Preschoolers, Sara Cramer

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research project examined the effects of social stories on the problem solving skills of preschoolers in a Montessori classroom. The classroom was in a private school in Arizona led by a lead Montessori trained teacher and an assistant teacher. The study spanned seven weeks and the subjects were 22 three to five year old children. Three stories were read to the children. Each story was read at circle time daily for a two week interval. Data collected included the observations of the lead teacher, observations of the assistant teacher, and one-on-one conversations with each child at the end …


The Effects Of Technology On Students’ Retention Of Letters And Sounds, Amanda Garcia Dec 2016

The Effects Of Technology On Students’ Retention Of Letters And Sounds, Amanda Garcia

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research was conducted to determine if the use of technology, specifically the interactive SMART board, would lead to higher student assessment scores on the district tests for letter identification and letter sound recognition. The research was completed in a full-day traditional public school transitional kindergarten (TK) class. Data was collected using district-wide alphabet assessments, teacher observation journals, student conferences, and student checklists used by a classroom instructional assistant. Letters of the alphabet were divided into two equal groups based on letter formation and level of difficulty identified through research. One group of letters and sounds was taught using …


The Effects Of Sign Language On Second Language Acquisition, Itzel Mejia-Menendez Dec 2016

The Effects Of Sign Language On Second Language Acquisition, Itzel Mejia-Menendez

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research project examined the effects of sign language on the ability of primary students to learn new Spanish vocabulary in a bilingual Montessori classroom. The research took place at a public charter Montessori school in Washington, District of Columbia. Twenty-seven primary school aged children were included in this seven-week study. Sources of data collection included a parent-teacher questionnaire, a baseline assessment, daily observation logs, a daily checklist, a weekly journal, and a summative assessment. Students were grouped by Spanish fluency and taught eight different vocabulary words in Spanish. Half of the words were taught alongside a sign in …


Music, Community, And Cooperation In A Lower Elementary Classroom, Heidi S. James Aug 2016

Music, Community, And Cooperation In A Lower Elementary Classroom, Heidi S. James

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The following research assesses how daily singing and music in an elementary classroom impacted the sense of community, care of materials and cooperation during clean up time. This study involved daily singing of a set of songs with lyrical themes of cooperation and unity, and then playing of recorded versions of the same songs during clean up time. The eight-week study involved 16 participants between the ages of 6 and 9 at a private school in Minnesota. Each individual completed a pre and post-survey. During clean up time, observations of helpful behaviors were recorded, and any relevant quotations noted. Results …


Filling The Gap: Phonological Awareness Activities For A Montessori Kindergarten, Shauna A. Aranas May 2016

Filling The Gap: Phonological Awareness Activities For A Montessori Kindergarten, Shauna A. Aranas

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

Phonological Awareness in Kindergarten 2 Abstract This action research was conducted to determine if small group explicit phonological awareness (PA) instruction using materials from Early Reading Mastery (Klein, 2015) and Words Their Way (Bear et al., 2006) would increase students’ ability to segment phonemes (i.e., break words into sounds) and build three letter consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words. The research was completed in a full-day public suburban Montessori kindergarten. Data was collected using phonological awareness tests, a teacher adapted spelling test, tally sheet, and researcher’s log. Pre-test data was used to create homogenous small groups for the four-week intervention. Explicitly worded lessons …


The Effects Of Reading Fluency In The Elementary Montessori Classroom, Melissa R. Bullerman, Ashley M. Godinez May 2016

The Effects Of Reading Fluency In The Elementary Montessori Classroom, Melissa R. Bullerman, Ashley M. Godinez

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

READING FLUENCY IN ELEMENTARY Abstract The purpose of this research was to identify ways of improving reading fluency for elementary children in grades first through sixth. Children scoring below the 40th percentile on reading standardized test scores, determined our testing population. Four data collections tools were used, including a child-centered survey, a reading fluency rubric, teacher observations, and fluency graphs. The Read Naturally Program was used as the reading fluency intervention. Students made fluency progress in both the upper and lower elementary levels. This research highlights the importance of reading fluency interventions. Further research might focus on self reflection for …


Student Involvement In Gardens And Healthier Food Choices, Brittany Masters Jan 2016

Student Involvement In Gardens And Healthier Food Choices, Brittany Masters

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This Action Research Project measured the correlation between extended gardening time and the amount of produce eaten by Montessori students. The project took place at a Montessori Preschool and Kindergarten in Southern California, at a school licensed for 75 children. Journals, pictures, and behavior logs of the children were taken each week. Food tallies were also collected the first and last weeks of the project. While the number of pieces of produce consumed by children did not increase in the four weeks, the amount of language and interaction in the garden and at lunchtime did. The conclusion is that extended …