Education Commons^™

An Exploration Of Supports For Increasing Classroom Physical Activity Within Elementary Schools, Hannah G. Calvert, Julianne A. Wenner, Lindsey Turner

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Classroom-based physical activity (CBPA) can significantly benefit students’ health and educational outcomes, but many teachers do not utilize CBPA. This study examined teachers’ perceptions about the value and impact of several approaches to support CBPA implementation, and teachers’ weekly self-reported CBPA use. Interviews were conducted with 35 classroom teachers (including those using and not using CBPA) at two public elementary schools, and CBPA tracking logs were collected on a weekly basis. Interview transcripts were interpreted through key domains within implementation science. On average, teachers reported using one activity every other day. Interview data revealed that utilizing professional collaboration time for …

An Exploration Of Supports For Increasing Classroom Physical Activity Within Elementary Schools, Hannah G. Calvert, Julianne Wenner, Lindsey Turner

Publications

Classroom-based physical activity (CBPA) can significantly benefit students’ health and educational outcomes, but many teachers do not utilize CBPA. This study examined teachers’ perceptions about the value and impact of several approaches to support CBPA implementation, and teachers’ weekly self-reported CBPA use. Interviews were conducted with 35 classroom teachers (including those using and not using CBPA) at two public elementary schools, and CBPA tracking logs were collected on a weekly basis. Interview transcripts were interpreted through key domains within implementation science. On average, teachers reported using one activity every other day. Interview data revealed that utilizing professional collaboration time for …

Conversations Between Preservice Teachers And Latina Mothers: An Avenue To Transformative Mathematics Teaching, Kathleen Jablon Stoehr, Marta Civil

Teacher Education

Mathematics education researchers agree that students’ mathematical learning can be positively impacted by making connections to their out of school experiences through a funds of knowledge lens. This is especially important for diverse students whose experiences are often underrepresented in school curricula. Making these connections can be challenging for teachers whose experiences often differ from their students. We examine how conversations between preservice teachers and Latina mothers influenced the teachers’ creation of a mathematics lesson that connected to students’ out of school experiences. Findings suggest the importance of offering preservice teachers opportunities to learn from parents about their children’s out …

Elementary Student Engagement Through Stem Lessons, Leigh Blankenship

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Integrating science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects can be engaging for students and can help build real-world connections. Integration of STEM disciplines can also promote student engagement, as well as promote problem-solving and critical thinking skills. This action research study employed qualitative methods to investigate whether student participation in content areas changes when integrated STEM lessons are introduced in an elementary classroom. The participants of this study were nine students in a fourth-grade rural elementary classroom. Data sources included student surveys, a teacher journal, student work samples, and student interviews before and after each STEM lesson over a three-month …

The Impacts On Rural Families When Engaging In Stem Education, Kimberly Felton-Canfield

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

Family STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Nights and Family STEM Backpacks are a way for schools to provide stakeholders the opportunity to work together in a hands-on, interactive environment to learn more about STEM subjects. Students, teachers, parents and community partners learn through various activities what career choices are available that engage STEM disciplines. Through action research, qualitative data was gathered to discover the community impact of attending a Family STEM night and participating in Family STEM Backpack Projects. Participants completed pre- and post- event surveys and open-ended interview questions. The whole community was invited to participate in Family …

Influence Of Stem Lessons On Critical Thinking, Brooke Waddell

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

The study of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) is leading educators into a new world of teaching. The classroom roles have been reversed and students are now in charge of their own learning. Students are learning how to engineer and solve real-world problems through critical thinking. Integrated STEM lessons are teaching students to use their prior knowledge across subject areas to prepare themselves for the workforce needed in the 21^st century. This study was conducted in a rural second grade classroom with the number of students ranging from 16 to 21. Throughout this study qualitative data was collected. …

How Vocabulary Notebooks Change Student Knowledge Of Science Concepts And Vocabulary, Justin Wheeler

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

This study was conducted to determine the effect that an explicit vocabulary strategy, the use of vocabulary notebooks, may have on students in an upper elementary science classroom. The study was conducted in a small mid-western town of approximately 14,000 people in an elementary school with approximately 415 students. The study was conducted in a science classroom of fifth-grade students in which the primary investigator was the teacher. The research question for this study was: How does student’s vocabulary knowledge of science concepts change when students create vocabulary notebook entries including definition, science concept, examples, and non-examples? Data sources collected …

Impacting Student Learning Outcomes By Addressing Basic Needs Of Students And Their Families, Nicole Gossling

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this school improvement project was to identify how an urban elementary school could impact student learning outcomes by addressing basic needs unmet for children and their families. This was accomplished by first identifying and researching areas of basic needs commonly lacking for families of an elementary school with a high density of need. Next, how to assist families in meeting these needs via community resources and programs was researched and discussed. An existing annual school community building event was expanded to address these needs in a low pressure, familiar environment for school families. Several local community organizations …

Understanding Poetry: 5th Grade Introduction To Writing Poetry, Samantha Bos, Jackie Jaramillo

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

This unit introduces 5th grade students to 5 primary poetic forms: haiku, limerick, cinquain, narrative poetry, and free verse. This unit includes a brief review of similes and metaphors and can likely be adapted for younger or older students. This poetry unit is projected to take 13-14 class days, but it can be extended or reduced depending on the needs of the class. The final performance task is writing a poem that will be performed in a poetry slam.

Science Vocabulary Acquisition: A Nonequivalent Control-Group Examination Of Vodcasts And Fifth Grade Students, Debra Bailey Lester

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study investigated the effect of using video podcasts (vodcasts) as a supplement to traditional science instruction in fifth grade students and those students who participated in traditional science instruction only. In this quantitative study, a quasi-experimental, pre-test/post-test nonequivalent control-group design was conducted using a sample population of fifth grade students at Bailey Elementary. After approval, the fifth grade students completed a pre-test of a released version of the North Carolina READY Science End of Grade Assessment, which also served as the study’s post-test. Participants in the treatment group received supplemental science instruction using content specific vodcast viewing sessions, provided …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Experiences Of Elementary Title I Teachers' Use Of Digital Technology In The Classroom, Rebecca S. Acosta

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

If Title I elementary students are not given opportunities to learn how to utilize digital technology in their classrooms, a whole segment of the population will lack the knowledge and skills to become successful upon graduation and contribute to the betterment of society. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of Central Texas elementary teachers’ use of digital technology in their Title I classrooms. The central research question in this study was: how do Title I elementary teachers in Central Texas describe their experiences using digital technology in the classroom? Two theories framed this investigation. …

Expanding The Learning Network: How Teachers Use Pinterest, Stephanie E. Schroeder, Rachelle E. Curcio, Lisa Lundgren

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This exploratory qualitative study of 117 teachers explores how educators engage with Pinterest, an online social networking site, specifically asking: (1) What similarities and differences exist in how elementary-level preservice and elementary-level in-service teachers engage with Pinterest? (2) What similarities and differences exist in how secondary-level in-service teachers and elementary-level in-service teachers engage with Pinterest? Findings indicate teachers at all levels tend to use Pinterest to search for educational resources and adapt resources to suit their classroom needs. Preservice teachers identify a more complex interaction with Pinterest than in-service teachers when determining quality resources. Findings indicate a need for future …

Elementary Teachers' And Administrators' Perceptions Of Teacher Motivation, Jody Mac Foreman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of the study was to compare elementary teachers’ and elementary administrators’ perceptions of teacher motivation. By identifying that differences exist between elementary teachers’ and elementary administrators’ perceptions of what motivates teachers, it allows for administrators to gain a better understanding and possibly design more effective strategies for enhancing teacher motivation. Additionally, it opens the door for further studies, not only with elementary teachers and administrators, but at the middle and high school levels as well. This study used a quantitative methodology with a causal comparative design. The sample population came from two school districts in South Carolina, the …

Movement-Versus Sporting-Based Physical Education In Elementary Schools: Does Either Ensure Quality?, Joseph John Scott

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Within the physical education literature, there remains to be contentions between the effectiveness of sporting- and movement-based approaches. Whilst both have noted strengths and weaknesses, there is little research into whether either is leading to quality physical education in Australian elementary schools. This paper therefore examines two of the common models based approaches to teaching physical education in elementary schools against the five interrelated propositions of the Australian Curriculum to determine if either pedagogical approach is leading to quality physical education. This paper draws on current literature, curriculum frameworks and pedagogical recommendations to determine the value of a models based …

Sliding Into An Equitable Lesson, Kelley E. Buchheister 6872059, Christa Jackson, Cynthia E. Taylor

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

A kindergarten teacher uses Gutierrez's four dimensions of equity to design and facilitate geometry instruction.

Equitable instruction is reflected in how students are positioned in the classroom and how their identities evolve through purposeful interactions that value and recognize the intellectual capacity of each student (Gutiérrez 2013; Lemons-Smith 2008). These integral interactions occur when teachers and students exchange problem-solving strategies, discuss relations among various mathematical representations, and listen to the viewpoints of others (NCTM 2000; 2014).