Elementary Education Commons^™

Emotional Freedom Techniques (Tapping) To Improve Wellbeing And Reduce Anxiety In Primary School Classrooms, Margaret T. Lambert, Sue E. Smith, Simon Moss, Marilynne N. Kirshbaum

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The use of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) as a class exercise was investigated to ascertain its effectiveness for student wellbeing. Although EFT has been validated in clinical settings, studies have not yet established whether this approach could be applied in classrooms to curb anxiety and improve wellbeing. A pragmatic, mixed methods study was conducted with 138 students in northern Australian primary schools. Student anxiety dissipated over two stages of intervention. Aside from class tapping sessions, students sometimes tapped surreptitiously, and teachers applied tapping for themselves on occasions. Students generally preferred a quieter, individual approach during class tapping sessions. Broader themes …

Brain-Based Learning: Beliefs And Practice In One Australian Primary School Implementing A Neuroscience Pedagogical Framework, Christina Deans, Ellen Larsen

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

: Pedagogy grounded in neuroscience is an influential approach in Australian schools, despite concerns regarding teachers’ beliefs in several neuromyths that go on to pervade their practice. This paper reports on a small study that explored teachers’ beliefs and implementation of brain-based learning in one Australian primary school whose pedagogy is specifically underpinned by neuroscience. Survey data collected from 14 teachers were analysed using simple descriptive statistics and content analysis. Findings indicated that these teachers, despite having some accurate brain-based knowledge, were still prone to endorsing common neuromyths regardless of the school’s teaching and learning framework, years at the school, …

Intermediate Elementary Teachers’ Perception And Use Of A Learning Management System In Supporting Effective Teaching And Learning: A Mixed Methods Study, Jennifer Southmayd

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Teachers in K-12 public schools have found themselves immersed in educational technology amidst a global pandemic that has shifted the landscape of instructional delivery. This study targeted intermediate elementary (3-5) teachers’ acceptance of an LMS as a central hub for student learning. While there is a volume of research to support the efficacy of an LMS at the secondary level and in higher education, there is minimal research to show its value-added in supporting intermediate learners at the elementary level. This explanatory sequential mixed methods study inquired to capture teachers’ perceptions and use of an LMS to support student learning. …

The Role Of Interactive Features Within A Mathematics Storybook In Interpreting A Conflict And Conflict Resolution: The Case Of Three Fifth Graders, Mahtob Aqazade

Faculty Publications – Mathematics

Students often experience cognitive conflicts when trying to interpret negative numbers’ order and values because they do not correspond to their prior whole number knowledge. One way to trigger students’ cognitive conflicts and support their conflict resolution meaningfully is through stories. Thus, I used a temperature-related mathematics storybook—Temperature Turmoil—to highlight the cognitive conflict students often experience because of relying on the integers’ absolute value and introduce conflict resolution (i.e., integers have both absolute value and directed value). By incorporating interactive features, I used a multiple-case approach to describe three fifth graders’ cognitive conflict and conflict resolution experiences. Harry, Lola, and …

Improving Writing Skills With Kindergarten Students Using Embedded Learning Opportunities In Dramatic Play, Samantha Tabor

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

How do kindergarten teachers meet the required instructional mins, get students to reach mastery of common core standards, and embed learning opportunities in play? Teachers will need to focus on creating environments that foster creativity, problem-solving, and will help their individual students grow academically, socially, and emotionally (Cress & Holm, 2017). There are very few studies that discuss embedding learning opportunities for kindergarten students using kindergarten common core standards. There are no current studies that address kindergarten teachers using embedded learning opportunities to increase kindergarten writing skills as outlined by common core standards. This study focused on just that: Do …

Project-Based Learning And Social-Emotional Learning In The Elementary Classroom: A Qualitative Study On Potential Opportunities For Student Self-Awareness And Social Awareness, Kaitlin Eileen Kilby

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Project-based learning (PBL) is a student-centered instructional practice, emphasizing student agency, engagement, and learning opportunities through relevant problem-solving and interdisciplinary curriculum. PBL also helps students develop academic and social skills through real-world application of their learning. It is necessary for educators, administrators and interested parties in education to understand the potential of PBL and other student-centered practices on increasing student engagement and achievement in subject areas besides sciences and social studies, such as literacy, math, and social-emotional learning (SEL). SEL is necessary for all students to have access to, as engaging with activities that increase a person’s ability to understand …

ผลการจัดการเรียนรู้โดยใช้ปรากฏการณ์เป็นฐานผสานแนวคิดสะเต็มศึกษาเพื่อพัฒนาการคิดเชิงประยุกต์สำหรับนักเรียนชั้นประถมศึกษา, พิมพ์ผกา ศิริหล้า

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

บทความวิจัยนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์ 1) เพื่อเปรียบเทียบความสามารถในการคิดเชิงประยุกต์ก่อนและหลังการจัดการเรียนรู้โดยใช้ปรากฏการณ์เป็นฐานผสานแนวคิดสะเต็มศึกษาของนักเรียนชั้นประถมศึกษาปีที่ 4 และ 2) เพื่อเปรียบเทียบความสามารถในการคิดเชิงประยุกต์ของนักเรียนกลุ่มทดลองและกลุ่มควบคุม รูปแบบการวิจัยเป็นการทดลอง ใช้แนวคิดปรากฏการณ์เป็นฐานผสานแนวคิดสะเต็มศึกษาเป็นกรอบการวิจัย พื้นที่วิจัย คือ โรงเรียนสาธิตแห่งหนึ่งในสังกัดกระทรวงการอุดมศึกษา วิทยาศาสตร์ วิจัยและนวัตกรรม กลุ่มตัวอย่าง คือ นักเรียนชั้นประถมศึกษาปีที่ 4 จำนวน 60 คน ใช้วิธีเลือกแบบเจาะจง เครื่องมือที่ใช้ในการวิจัยมี 2 ชนิด คือ 1) แบบวัดความสามารถในการคิดเชิงประยุกต์ 2) แบบประเมินเชิงพฤติกรรมเพื่อวัดความสามารถการคิดเชิงประยุกต์ สถิติที่ใช้การวิเคราะห์ข้อมูล วิเคราะห์ข้อมูลเพื่อเปรียบเทียบความสามารถในการคิดเชิงประยุกต์ระหว่างกลุ่มทดลองและกลุ่มควบคุม โดยใช้สูตร t-test for Independent และเปรียบเทียบสามารถในการคิดเชิงประยุกต์ก่อนเรียนและหลังเรียนของกลุ่มทดลอง โดยใช้สูตร t-test for Dependent วิเคราะห์ข้อมูลโดยใช้สถิติพื้นฐานผลการวิจัยพบว่า 1. หลังการจัดการเรียนรู้โดยใช้ปรากฏการณ์เป็นฐานผสานแนวคิดสะเต็มศึกษาของนักเรียนชั้นประถมศึกษาปีที่ 4 นักเรียนมีความสามารถในการคิดเชิงประยุกต์สูงกว่าก่อนการจัดการเรียนรู้ อย่างมีนัยสำคัญทางสถิติที่ระดับ .05 2. หลังการจัดการเรียนรู้โดยใช้ปรากฏการณ์เป็นฐานผสานแนวคิดสะเต็มศึกษาของนักเรียนชั้นประถมศึกษาปีที่ 4 นักเรียนกลุ่มทดลองมีความสามารถในการคิดเชิงประยุกต์สูงกว่ากลุ่มควบคุม อย่างไม่มีนัยสำคัญที่ระดับ .05 ข้อค้นพบจากงานวิจัยนี้ผลการวิจัยนี้อาจเป็นข้อมูลเบื้องต้นในการพัฒนาการจัดการเรียนรู้รายวิชาวิทยาศาสตร์ในระดับประถมศึกษาให้ดียิ่ง ๆ ขึ้นไปได้ และจะช่วยในการพัฒนาความสามารถด้านการคิดเชิงประยุกต์เพื่อตอบสนองนโยบายประเทศไทยในการเตรียมพลเมืองสู่ศตวรรษที่ 21

Special Needs Assistants In Primary Schools: An Investigation Of The Role, Function, And Expectations Of This Post In Ireland, Imaobong Maria Essien

Theses

This study aims to examine the role and function of the Special Needs Assistant (SNA) in Irish Primary Schools. The minimum requirement for a Special Needs Assistant (SNA) is three grade Ds in the Junior Certificate or an equivalent qualification. Existing research suggests that the role lacks clarity and has evolved to include taking on administrative, pedagogical, behavioral management, and therapeutic roles (INTO, 2017; Butler and Quinn, 2014; NCSE, 2011). This study explores the disparity between the SNA job descriptor to recognise the impact and importance of the SNA’s role in the education system. This study is underpinned by the …

Racial And Cultural Competence Through The Eyes Of Public-School Educators, Laquita Mcmillion

Dissertations

The discussion of racial and cultural competence in public schools today is necessary. The student population of public schools across the United States has significantly grown racially and culturally diverse. Through the use of a narrative inquiry and a critical lens, this study explored the perception and experiences of public-school educators focused on the topic of racial and cultural competence as it relates to their classroom practice and educational policies. The focus of this research (1) describes and analyzes my personal experiences through the use of qualitative approaches, (2) shares the experiences and perceptions of three public-school educators, and (3) …

Self-Assessment Of Elementary Lesson Plans Through An Ecological Lens, Scott Edward Sebree

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Classrooms are ecosystems. Classrooms have well defined boundaries and host living and nonliving elements. These elements interact as classroom lessons and day to day ongoings occur. These interactions have potential to be synergized to increase learning outcomes. The purpose of this research is to develop a self-reflective instrument for teachers to consider the elements, interactions, and synergy of lessons. An instrument was developed based on models of other survey instruments (Cantu, 2015) (Appendix A). Content validity experts were recruited, and the instrument was refined as a self-reflective tool. As a self-reflective instrument teachers can use reflective practice to further intentional …

Science Methods For Elementary Teachers, Ron Browne, David Kimori

MSU Authors Collection

Complete Digitized Text of Science Methods for Elementary Teachers by Ron Browne and David Kimori, Minnesota State University, Mankato, 2022.

Using Internet Reciprocal Teaching To Develop Second Graders' Online Text Evaluation Skills, Annika Buell

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study was designed to explore the relationship between Internet Reciprocal Teaching (IRT) and young students’ online text evaluation skills. It built upon previous research that identified four main online reading comprehension skills: locating, evaluating, synthesizing, and communicating information that are similar yet more complex than offline reading comprehension skills. In the majority of previous research, participants were in fifth grade or above. This study aimed to observe the processes younger students go through while reading online text. Participants were second grade students in a Midwestern suburban elementary school.

Qualitative methods were used to collect data while students participated in …

For Critical Language Awareness And Against The “Exclusive-Use-Of-The-Target-Language” Myth: The Effects Of Sociolinguistic Content In English In An Elementary Spanish Classroom, Beatriz Lado, José Del Valle

Publications and Research

Scholars have advocated for critical approaches to language education (e.g., Del Valle, 2014; Leeman & Serafini, 2016), including those that promote the development of Critical Language Awareness, CLA (e.g., Alim, 2010; Leeman, 2018). The goal is to develop students’ critical knowledge of the cultural, political, and social dimensions of language. To this end, Del Valle (2014) suggests the inclusion of language-related content units taught in the first or shared language from the early stages of language learning. This proposal entails revising strong beliefs such as the use of the non-target language in the new language classroom. The purpose of our …

Family Involvement In Charter Elementary Schools: A Case Study Using The Family Involvement Questionnaire-Elementary Version (Fiq-E), Dorothy M. Lipski

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Family involvement has been shown to have positive effects on the academic and socio-emotional and behavioral outcomes of school-aged children across all age ranges, but most especially among elementary-aged students. The Family Involvement Questionnaire-Elementary (FIQ-E) has been validated for use with students in grades 1-6 across public and parochial elementary schools in the US, which has been extended to primary schools in New Zealand and Belize. The FIQ-E was used in the current study in a charter elementary school in the Midwest. The participants included 40 family responses and one administrator. The results indicated there was a statistically significant difference …

Perspectives Of Reading For Pleasure Pedagogy In Western Australian School Classrooms, Jessica Nailer

Theses

Australian children read for pleasure less and less as they move through primary school, with a noticeable decline emerging in the middle primary school years. Reading for Pleasure at School (RfPS) also appears to have become de-prioritised in primary schools, with greater emphasis in the broader literacy education dialogue placed on instructional reading pedagogy and standardised literacy testing. This research focused on the pedagogy that meaningfully supports RfPS in Years 3-6, within a framework of school culture, teacher practices and the physical environment. This investigation aimed to explore the perspectives of three key stakeholder groups from one Western Australian independent …

Development Of The Elementary Teachers’ Commitment To Outdoor Education Survey: A Mixed Methods Study, Sagan Goodpaster

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

As the Green Schoolyards Movement continues to grow throughout North America, outdoor education (OE) is gaining more attention in the formal K-12 curriculum (Dyment, 2005; Sterrett & Imig, 2015). Rooted in the pedagogies of place-based and experiential learning, outdoor instruction provides social, psychological, physical, and academic benefits for students, and fosters their sense of connection to the natural environment (Dubel & Sobel, 2008; Robertson, 2017). In particular, outdoor learning opportunities have been shown to promote greater gains in students’ scientific content knowledge (Carrier et al., 2014; Cronin-Jones, 2000; Dirks & Orvis, 2005; Kenney et al., 2003). Outdoor instruction involves students …

Elementary Preservice Teachers Self-Efficacy And Confidence Teaching Engineering, Andrea Perrin

Theses and Dissertations--Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education

Engineering has become a popular topic within science standards in recent years. However, many teachers do not have experience teaching or doing engineering. With the possibility of engineering becoming a major part of the science curriculum, it is important that teachers are prepared and well equipped to teach and instruct engineering activities, lessons, and support. This quantitative study studied elementary preservice teachers’ self-efficacy and confidence with teaching engineering in the classroom after experiencing and teaching engineering activities. Overall, the implementation of the engineering activities had both positive and negative impacts on preservice teachers’ perceptions of themselves and teaching engineering in …

A Survey Of Elementary Educators' Self-Efficacy Related To Stem Education, Elizabeth Mckenzie Johnson

Theses and Dissertations--Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education

While the call for STEM and engineering design has increased since the release of the Next Generation Science Standards, the implementation of STEM in elementary grades has been slow. A variety of factors play a role in why educators, schools, or districts make the informed decisions they do regarding curriculum and instruction. Identifying strengths and challenges elementary educators face in implementing STEM into the curriculum can guide schools and districts in creating supports for increasing STEM in the elementary grades. This study sought to create and test a survey instrument for use with elementary educators in a large urban district …

An Exploration Of Elementary School Teachers’ Experiences With Implementing The Response To Intervention Model Remotely During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Shani Nicole Challenor

Selected Full Text Dissertations, 2011-

The COVID-19 pandemic quickly removed teachers from their classroom, and they were forced to enter the world of distance learning. The presented research is unique and ground-breaking as this is the first pandemic in over one-hundred years to this magnitude. This dissertation assesses the impact that the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic had on a diverse group of Nassau County elementary school teachers as they implemented the Response to Intervention (RTI) framework remotely. The Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) method was used to reveal the insights of elementary school teachers’ experiences with delivering the RTI model remotely during the coronavirus pandemic. The IPA …

Exploring How Children Use Their Everyday Thinking To Construct Scientific Explanations Of The Natural World, Ashley Nicole Kooken

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory study was to describe and explain children’s thinking present in multiple related contexts surrounding a single Earth Space disciplinary core idea in order to provide insight on whether and how children’s everyday thinking forms the basis for learning in science classrooms. As most previous work on children’s thinking focuses more on what ideas and thinking are present within specific science learning contexts, there is a knowledge gap as to how children’s everyday ideas across multiple contexts provide the basis from which they construct a deeper conceptual understanding about scientific phenomenon in the world …