Education Commons^™

Multisensory Learning And Its Effect On Students With Autism, Jaclyn Smith

Education Masters

The growing population of children diagnosed with autism has led to an increasing interest in the sensory processing difficulties experienced by this population. This study examined specific patterns of sensory processing deficits within seven sensory domains. The study involved five children with an autism diagnosis aged 10-12 years. Short Sensory Profiles were completed by each children’s special education teacher, two paraprofessionals, and one parent. Data was collected from four profiles per student for a total of 20 surveys. These surveys revealed probable to definite differences between children with autism and their atypical peers in every sensory domain except Movement Sensitivity. …

Increasing Fluency Instruction With Struggling Readers, Taurie Decker

Education Masters

The purpose of this action research project was to examine if/how fluency impacts struggling readers. The participants were two fourth-grade teachers. Data were collected through teacher interviews, observations, field notes, and reflective notes. Findings indicated that fluency can impact other components of reading among struggling readers, and teachers facilitate fluency instruction in a variety of ways. Three major themes emerged from the findings: struggling readers need phonics instruction and phonemic awareness to become fluent readers, fluency instruction needs to meet the individual needs of struggling readers, and struggling readers need to be provided with varying types of fluency strategies. This …

Strategies For Motivating Middle School Students, Katrina Suhr

Education Masters

The study analyzed the strategies that were effective for motivating and engaging adolescent aged students. The study was conducted in a middle school located in a suburban school district in upstate New York. I interviewed twenty general and special education teachers, three school counselors, and one school social worker. This study illustrates that there is an array of strategies that educators and other school professionals can implement to motivate and engage adolescent learners in their classrooms. This study found that goal setting, growth mindset, student belonging and creating a positive classroom environment are among some strategies considered to be effective …

Behavior Management Strategies For The Elementary School Setting, Morgan Atkins

Education Masters

Behavior management is a facet of teaching that can be one of the largest causes of frustrations for educators, particularly novice teachers. It has even pushed many teachers to leave the profession. One of the root causes of the struggle is that teachers are not prepared with a repertoire of techniques to help them create the most effective learning environment. This study was conducted to determine effective behavior techniques for elementary teachers and future implications for supporting teachers with behavior management. The study involved ten elementary school teachers. Each teacher was given a survey that gauged their opinion on various …

Supporting Students With Math Anxiety, Brandie Walters

Education Masters

Math anxiety has been the focus of much research throughout the years. Math anxiety is defined as the feeling of discomfort and disturbance that is experienced when facing mathematical problems. Math anxiety causes students to avoid mathematics and learning of it because of the feeling of distress when confronted with a problem to complete. Math is studied so that students can learn about numbers in order to complete simple and complex calculations each and every day. The studying of mathematics has even impacted future career options for individuals. Career fields in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) have been …

Picture Cues And Reading Comprehension: The Impact Of Picture Cues On The Reading Comprehension Of First Grade Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Brittany Rae

Education Masters

This action research project investigates the effects of picture cues on the reading comprehension abilities of first grade students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Data was collected through lesson data, anecdotal notes, student interviews, and parent perceptions surveys. Findings revealed that: picture cues can increase student engagement and comprehension by measure of their ability to answer “wh” questions. Parents perceived an increase in their child’s comprehension with the use of picture cues. Participants reported a preference for reading with picture cues. Implications suggest that picture cues can support reading comprehension in learners with ASD and their ability to accurately answer …

Differentiated Instruction For All Students In English Language Arts, Philip M. Zola

Education Masters

Teachers are challenged to meet the needs of every student in their classroom and deliver instruction that gives students the opportunity to learn at their highest potential. In any given classroom, there are “at risk students,” “grade level students,” and “accelerated students” that need to have their specific learning needs met. Specifically in English Language Arts, teachers have a wide spectrum of abilities they need to accommodate for. All three levels of learners should be pushed to their fullest potential and challenged equally. By administering a survey to several schools in a suburban Rochester, New York community – data was …

Behavior Management, Rebecca Rappold

Education Masters

Behavior management strategies are extremely influential in a successful classroom setting. Curriculum is obviously a major concern of education reform, but can students really learn the curriculum in a classroom that is not well managed? Having a classroom that is well managed allows for students to take the risks they need to in order to access new knowledge and grow as citizens of our communities. Carefully designed survey questions were distributed to multiple educators in a school of poverty to gauge the feelings of those working in the classroom on the successes and hardships of behavior management programs. Data collection …

Guided Reading And How It Affects Reading Comprehension In Struggling, Middle Level, And High Level Readers, Kathryn E. Hansen

Education Masters

This action research study was conducted to determine the effects of guided reading on the reading comprehension of struggling, average, and accelerated readers. Twenty two 5th grade students in an Integrated Co-Taught class were involved. The student’s reading levels were assessed and they were placed into struggling, average, and accelerated reading groups. The three themes that emerged from the data were that educators are aware of the benefits of guided reading instruction but inconsistent application hinders student results, students need to be equal partners in their learning, and guided reading increased the reading comprehension in average readers, but not struggling …

The Use Of Graphic Novels To Support Struggling Fifth Grade Student Story Writing, Adam Johnson

Education Masters

This study focuses on the use of graphic novels to support struggling fifth grade students with story writing skills. Forms of data collected were student interviews, student work, and recorded observations. Three themes emerged from analyzing the data. First, graphic novels increase student motivation and confidence in writing. Second, students gained a knowledge of the relationship between image and text. Third, students improved writing skills in the areas of sequencing, plot, and character development. Teachers should include graphic novels in their literacy curriculum. Graphic novels could be used across all curriculum. Another implication that arose from this study was that …

Depression’S Connection To Self-Harming Behavior In Adolescents, Michael T. Hendrick

Education Masters

Self-harming behavior amongst adolescents has increased in prevalence throughout America. There is a direct connection between depression and self-harming behaviors in adolescent students. The most common reasons why adolescents participate in self-injury are as a coping mechanism, a means of relief, for the regulation of feelings, self-punishment, attention seeking and sensation seeking. There is often a link between depressive symptoms and negative life events or past trauma. Multiple methods of self-harm are often performed by students and may be carried out several times over the course of many months, the techniques used vary greatly. Schools are one of the most …

Critical Literacy With Young Adult Literature And Students’ Perception Of Race: A Study Of How Critical Literacy With Yal Affects The Way Students Perceive And Talk About Race, Sarah Diakogiannis

Education Masters

The research question that led this study is how do students perceive race through using critical literacy when reading young adult literature? Qualitative and quantitative methods were used through interviews, collecting student work, and an audio recording of a critical literacy lesson. Three themes emerged: participants believe police brutality is unjust, and mostly against blacks; reading YAL about racism, with critical literacy is an engaging learning experience; and participants think that racism is when a group has more power over another. Three implications emerged from the data: YAL is engaging to students and promotes learning; race should be discussed in …

Literacy: Buzz Word On The Back Burner, Kieran Murphy

Education Masters

This paper is reviews 12 published articles written on the importance of literacy in mathematics and the best practices to utilize inside the math classroom. The paper focuses on the definition of literacy of Orr, Kukner, and Timmons (2014), a definition that adapts literacy from reading and writing to the inclusion of problem solving, critical thinking, and the interaction with materials. The study conducted beyond the review of the literature was aimed at identifying the need for literacy across all content areas. The results of the findings show that as an educational community we show awareness of the deficit, but …

Incorporating Critical Literacy Strategies Through The Use Of Music/Song Lyrics To Enhance Social Studies Instruction, Connor J. Julien

Education Masters

This study aims to examine ways in which critical literacy strategies can be incorporated through music/lyric analysis in the social studies classroom to enhance instruction. Data was collected through field observation notes from created lesson plans, student work samples, teacher participant/student participant interviews and questionnaires. The study reveals that incorporating music disrupts the commonplace, using music can engage the reluctant learner, and using music provides students with different viewpoints on societal topics. Teachers must carefully select and analyze the song lyrics chosen as well as researching background information about the overall theme/time period of the song, and teachers need to …

Dual Language And Enl Comprehension: A First Grade Study For Students At Risk For Delayed English Language Development, Meghan Case

Education Masters

This research began by asking how dual language programming impacts English comprehension for ENL students. Research was conducted within one first grade dual language cohort with five bilingual students. The data was collected by interviewing teachers and students, utilizing historical comprehension data, observing read alouds, and assessing student comprehension. Findings revealed that comprehension in a participant’s first language was positively related to English comprehension. However, individual student differences impacted the extent of the correlation. Furthermore, dual language teachers implemented common instructional practices to scaffold ENL student comprehension. Therefore, the data implied that native language instruction is integral, student backgrounds and …

Google Translate As A Resource For Writing, Timothy R. Giannetti

Education Masters

This action research was prompted by the question “Does using Google Translate improve students’ writing?” When implemented according to guidelines from previous research, students produced writing with fewer syntactic and semantic errors. Data was collected through student work samples, classroom observations, and a questionnaire. Three themes arose through data analysis: that students found value in Google Translate, that one instance of instruction was not sufficient for all students to acquire necessary strategies, and that students’ lack of familiarity with both Google Translate and the Spanish language hampered their success. These findings demonstrate the importance of providing teachers and students with …

Learning Styles And Their Impact On Sight Word Achievement: A Focus On Students With Disabilities, Margaret Tone

Education Masters

This action research paper focused on the question “how does instruction that includes a multitude of learning styles impact the achievement levels of students with special needs in regard to sight word instruction?” Data was collected through assessment, observation, recordings, and surveys. After analyzing the data, three themes were found: sight word recognition abilities, engagement levels, and disability classification in relation to preferred learning style. The implications of this study suggested that teachers should attempt to incorporate learning styles throughout instruction in order to increase engagement and motivation. The study implied that sight words taught in isolation are not as …

The Effects Of Read Alouds On Student Comprehension, Kelly Hazzard

Education Masters

The focus of this study was to determine how interactive read alouds effect student comprehension with the claim being that they increase comprehension scores. Through the use of observation, interviews, questionnaires, and comprehension questions, data was collected. When given questions after three read alouds and three independent readings, student comprehension scores were higher following the read alouds for below average and average readers. There was no difference in scores for the above average readers. The implications of this study include using read alouds as a support in intermediate grades, average and below average readers preferring read alouds to independent reading, …

Engaging All Students In Ongoing Discussion Around Writing: How Teachers Can Best Utilize Dialogue Journals, Courtney K. Betar

Education Masters

This study investigated ways that teachers could engage students in discussion around writing through use of dialogue journals. It was hypothesized that the individualized, written dialogue between teacher and student around a pre-dialogue scored response would impact student engagement and post-dialogue response score. Twenty-two students were given dialogue journals; they were observed, filled out questionnaires, and were interviewed informally. It was found that the individualization, focus on student improvement, and incorporation of multiple voices in discussion process was engaging; time was both a positive and a limiting factor in the dialogue journaling process for students and teachers. Teachers should consider …

Strategies For Struggling Readers To Increase Reading Comprehension In Fourth Graders, Ceceilia Cassata

Education Masters

Students who come from urban settings face many challenges, including reading and comprehending texts. This paper focuses on the question “What specific literacy strategies can help low achieving fourth grade students who come from an urban setting increase their reading comprehension?” Using data collected from staff and student questionnaires, student work, and audio recordings, the conclusion is that there are multiple strategies that lead to the increase of reading comprehension. The successful strategies that increase a child’s reading comprehension that were found during this research can be used to educate teachers about which strategies support reading comprehension for students who …

Translanguaging And Bilingual Learners: A Study Of How Translanguaging Promotes Literacy Skills In Bilingual Students, Molly J. Champlin

Education Masters

This study was conducted in order to research the impact that the use of translanguaging strategies has on bilingual learners and discovered whether or not these strategies supports their English language development. Data was collected during lessons taught, interviews with students and teachers, questionnaire feedback, and participation in a collegial circle. Findings revealed that translanguaging did promote the growth of students’ English language development. Findings also showed that teachers use various translanguaging strategies in their classrooms, but only some are confident about the positive effects of these strategies. Implications from this study indicated that teachers need to be formally trained …

Teachers’ Impact On Guiding Students With Dyslexia Toward Proficiency In Reading Comprehension, Jillian M. Eckert

Education Masters

Since dyslexic students often struggle with reading comprehension, this research study asks “Given that early identification and intervention help students with dyslexia understand reading, how can teachers guide students who have been diagnosed with dyslexia move toward proficiency in reading comprehension?” Using data collected from interviews, field notes, and student scores before and after intervention, the conclusion that there are four strategies that have been found to be effective in supporting reading comprehension for dyslexic students. The implications of this study can be used to educate teachers of dyslexic students about which strategies support reading comprehension and how to recognize …

The Effects Of Sight Word Instruction On Students' Reading Abilities, Colleen Hayes

Education Masters

This action research paper focused on the question “how does effective sight word instruction impact students’ reading abilities?” Effective sight word instruction will improve a student’s overall reading abilities. Data was collected through daily observation of students and recorded notes, formal and informal interviews, and student work samples. After analyzing the data, three major themes were found: sight word instruction improved students’ overall reading abilities, sight word instruction improved students’ confidence in reading, and sight word instruction alone is not beneficial without other literacy instruction. The implications of this study suggest that all elementary teachers need to provide students with …

Ebooks And Print Books Can Have Different Affects On Literacy Comprehension, Cayley Reid

Education Masters

This study focused on answering the question of which literacy tool would promote literacy more, electronic books or print books. The new literacies theory implies that teachers implement technology into their classrooms so that students can navigate through the 21^st century. This study was conducted to see if eBooks could help students reading comprehension skills improve. Six students were chosen to test reading retell comprehension after interacting with an eBook’s enhanced features. When testing students reading retell comprehension with print books, students read aloud for a pre-reading assessment. It was found that eBooks contain engaging reading features that help …

Students’ Reading Interests Impact On Reading Comprehension Abilities, Kayleigh O'Flynn

Education Masters

This study aimed to see if there was a correlation between a student’s interest in either fiction or nonfiction books and his/her ability to comprehend. The study was conducted by a classroom teacher and took place over a three-week period with eight students. The students and their parents were questions about what kinds of books interest them. Additionally, the teacher collected information on what kind of books the students took out of the library and the students’ overall exposure to both types of texts. The students’ interests were calculated and then compared to their comprehension abilities on both fictional and …

Opportunities For English Language Learners And Their Struggles In Schools Today, Morgan E. Garlick

Education Masters

Abstract

It takes roughly five to seven years for a child to become fluent in the English Language. Struggling English Language Learners are facing devastating consequences because they are at greater risk of academic failure in school, early school dropout, and eventually lower-paid employment or unemployment (Dixon, 2014, p. 414). They are becoming discouraged because they are not meeting the New York State Common Core Standards. This literature explains the strengths and weakness our English Language Learners are facing in a plethora of schools. There needs to be a knowledge base about cultural diversity in curriculum, students well-being and the …

Students With Adhd: Can They Find Success In The Classroom?, Adina G. Collins

Education Masters

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects roughly 3% to 10% of students in a classroom today. Many students with ADHD have weak executive functioning which prevents them from controlling their impulses and maintaining focus throughout the school day. Research has shown that behavioral strategies must be implemented in the early grades to be the most successful. The current study examined the utilization of behavioral and academic interventions with students. The study consisted of student surveys, interviews, and field notes taken before and after specific interventions were taught and implemented. The findings of this study were that all students in a classroom can …

Response To Intervention:Literacy Instruction For Meeting Standard Students, Jessica Steubing

Education Masters

No abstract provided.

A Research Review Of The Siop Model: Its Definition, Factors Affecting Its Success, And Challenges Faced By Educators, Rebecca Koc

Education Masters

The increase in English Language Learners (ELLs) across the United States calls for strategies such as the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP model) to be used to allow for these students’ success. There is an exceptionally high prevalence of ELLs in the Rochester area. One of the strategies that has proven successful to help English Language Learners understand and retain content is the use of the SIOP method. This 30 feature method is not being utilized in all schools nor by all teachers. A study was completed at The Beth Johnson School and The Juan Lopez school in the Rochester, …

The Impact Of Preparation Programs On Pre-Service Teachers, Kayleigh Caswell

Education Masters

Teacher preparation programs are crucial in readying pre-service teachers for taking over their own classrooms. Each college and university prepares teachers differently, producing variations within teacher knowledge. However, there is potential that an excellent program could produce candidates without gaps. A carefully designed online survey was sent out to teachers who have been teaching for three years or less, inquiring about where teachers felt preparation programs were beneficial, and where the programs were lacking. Teachers surveyed felt that the most beneficial courses were: classroom management, student teaching, and education methodology, while the areas teachers felt they were unprepared for were: …