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The Effects Of The Avid Program On Rural Student Growth In Middle Grades Mathematics, James Allen

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From this mixed method study, I present my findings on the effects of selected aspects of the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program on rural middle school students’ mathematics achievement. Previous research on the AVID program has focused on implementation in urban schools, although rural communities’ student populations continue to grow.

Most research on AVID’s success in urban settings show positive correlations between how long students participate in the AVID program and their college readiness. Other research about predictors of college success shows students who do not enroll in advanced level mathematics courses in middle school are less likely to …

The Effects Of Using An Information Literacy Model On The Information Seeking Behavior Of Sixth-Grade Students, Jessica L. Kohout-Tailor

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This action research study describes how teaching an information literacy model affects the information behavior of sixth-grade students. The theoretical framework that supported this study was Carol Kuhlthau’s Information Search Process or ISP (1989). This study used a sequential mixed-methods design to examine the following questions: “How will teaching the Simple Four information literacy model (Alewine, 2006) to sixth-grade students affect their information seeking behavior?” The study also explored the effects the model had on students’ affective behavior through the second research question: “How will teaching the Simple Four information literacy model (Alewine, 2006) to sixth-grade students affect their confidence …

A Formative Experiment To Promote Disciplinary Literacy In Middle-School And Pre-Service Teacher Education Through Blogging, Jamie Colwell

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This dissertation describes a formative experiment that investigated how strategy instruction paired with collaborative blogging could promote disciplinary literacy among eighth-grade students in a social studies classroom and among pre-service teachers in a social studies methods course. Qualitative methods were utilized to collect and analyze data in this study. To determine modifications to the intervention, an embedded, single-case study was designed to analyze data iteratively using constant comparative methods. Post-study, qualitative methods were also used to conduct retrospective analysis to connect overall findings to theory. Three modifications were made, in the middle-school setting, to the intervention, which enhanced participants' progress …

The Effects Of Concrete-Representational-Abstract Sequenced Instruction On Struggling Learners Acquisition, Retention, And Self-Efficacy Of Fractions, Elizabeth Hughes

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A growing body of research supports instructional strategies, such as concrete-representational-abstract (CRA) sequence, to teach mathematics to students at risk of failure, including those with disabilities. This study extends the current body of CRA research by analyzing the effects of CRA sequence of instruction on student achievement, and retention, and self-efficacy of performance on computations of fractions. Thirty-five students participated in this study. A series of repeated measures ANOVAs were performed to assess main effects and interaction effects for performance and self-efficacy of students in a control group who received traditional fractions instruction and a treatment group who received CRA …