Language and Literacy Education Commons^™

Implementation Of Culturally Relevant Teaching In Namibian Classrooms: Understanding Impediments And Identifying Assets, Fransisko Constantino

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

Culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) is a teaching approach that can be utilized to improve academic outcomes among diverse student populations. Currently, however, there is a lack of research examining why some teachers struggle to implement CRP, particularly in educational contexts beyond the U.S. This study examined why there is a lack of implementation of CRP within combined schools in the Kavango East region of Namibia. More specifically, this study assessed the role of CRP within Namibian English Second Language (ESL) classrooms and examined how the experiences of ESL teachers affected their ability to implement CRP. In addition, this study explored …

The Impact Of Rigorous Curriculum In Transitional Kindergarten And Kindergarten, Lauren Clough

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

Educators across the world are being asked to teach increasingly younger students academic skills. The purpose of this action research project was to examine the impact that using rigorous curriculum has on transitional kindergarten and kindergarten educators as well as how rigorous curriculum affects students self esteem as a student. A shortcoming in the literature is the lack of research discussing rigorous curriculum used in early elementary classrooms that contain mostly English language learners and how that affects the teachers and students. This project used a mixed methods approach in order to attain qualitative data from detailed interviews using open-ended …

Claim, Evidence, And Reasoning: Evaluation Of The Use Of Scientific Inquiry To Support Argumentative Writing In The Middle School Science Classroom, Gabriela Mastro

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

In light of the essential science and engineering practices identified by the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), this study focuses on the specific science and engineering practice, "engage in argument from evidence," and how classroom practices can serve to strengthen this skill (National Research Council, 2012, p. 71). The NGSS focus on inquiry necessitates students’ use of argument, particularly in writing, to communicate their knowledge and scientific findings and to develop an understanding of scientific practice. The purpose of this teacher action research study is to evaluate the influence of inquiry-based argumentative writing exercises, based on the Argument Driven Inquiry …

Reading Workshop Conferences: Effect On First Grade Student Word Attack Skills, Samantha Everbeck

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

Reading workshop is a way to structure a literacy block during the school day that allows for differentiation and a high level of student engagement. During reading workshop, students read independently and with partners at their independent reading levels while the teacher confers with students and leads small groups. During conferences, the teacher differentiates instruction and tailors lessons to individual student needs.

The purpose of this study is to examine the result of individualized lessons on word attack strategies on first grade students’ reading ability. Word attack strategies, i.e. strategies for decoding unfamiliar words, are a crucial component of learning …