Elementary Education Commons^™

The Influence Of Visually Rich Technology On The Writing Process Of Elementary Students, Mikala Thomas, Drew Polly

Journal of Practitioner Research

This teacher inquiry project, conducted by an undergraduate teacher candidate with support from a faculty member, explored the use of visually rich technology and its influence on elementary school students’ motivation and learning outcomes in writing. Students used visually rich technology as part of the writing process. We found that when students used technology to support the writing process they showed incremental gains in motivation as well as gains in student learning outcomes. Implications for practitioners highlight a need for teachers to consider how visually rich technology can support students’ aspects of the writing process as well as development in …

Implementing An Enriched Language Development Program For Learning Support Students, Alicia Smail, Linda Kucan

Journal of Practitioner Research

This article describes how middle school students who qualified for learning support performed in an enhanced language development program known as Word Generation (WG). Word Generation is a cross-curricular language development program designed to improve students’ overall literacy skills by focusing on deepening students’ knowledge of academic language. This study was guided by the following question: How does an enhanced language development program influence students’ vocabulary learning and broader literacy skills? Students demonstrated statistically significant positive differences on the pretest/posttest vocabulary knowledge assessment and maintained that learning on a delayed posttest. Engagement with the WG materials positively influenced students’ abilities …

“Bad Inquiry”: How Accountability, Power, And Deficit Thinking Hinder Pre-Service Practitioner Inquiry, Stephanie Schroeder

Journal of Practitioner Research

This study of 30 pre-service teachers’ practitioner inquiry papers explores potential pitfalls of practicing inquiry with pre-service teachers. Focusing on the types of questions pre-service teachers ask about student learning, the challenges they face when engaging in inquiry, and the weaknesses of their inquiry products, this paper finds that accountability culture in education, pre-service teachers’ lack of power in the classroom, and deficit thinking left unchallenged by instructors led to weak inquiries. Implications include the need for teacher educators to work with mentor teachers across university and K-12 boundaries, and the need to teach explicitly about the power inquiry holds …

The Academic Success And Beyond-Academic Wellbeing Of High Functioning Autistic Boys: A Policy-Professional Care-School-Parent Ecological Perspective, Evelyn Sauceda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

High Functioning Autistic (HFA) boys have significant social, emotional, and cognitive difficulties and unique cognitive abilities that require special support from stakeholders in their ecology (policy makers, care providers, schools, and parents). The quality of such support and its ecological integration are of poor quality. The purpose of this study was to report on the perceptions of parents of HFA boys about their children’s academic and beyond-academic experiences as understood within a policy-care provider-school-parent ecological framework. This study contributes to the limited ecological literature on the topic. This exploratory, qualitative, phenomenological, non-experimental, and cross-sectional research study used a non-probability, purposive, …

Analysis Of The Hiring Process To Ensure That The Best Teacher Candidate Is Selected For A Small Southwestern Pennsylvania School District, Barbara Pagan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine teacher selection through a survey of the top 100 elementary schools in Pennsylvania and analyzing commercially produced screening tools. In order to hire the most effective teachers, districts must pay attention to the characteristics they desire in a teacher and ensure that their measures are aligned with those qualities (Little, Goe, & Bell, 2009). This dissertation examines the teacher hiring practices in Brentwood Borough School District in Pennsylvania, in hopes of improving the current hiring process. The researcher developed two research questions to guide the study. The principal researcher used a combination …

Supporting Biracial Students Through An Equity Lens: Multicultural Literature And Advocacy In School Libraries, Jacqueline Ahlborn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Biracial students make up a substantial allocation of the school population, and their demographics are only expected to increase within the coming years. With this emergence of a larger Biracial community, schools need to consider how they will implement equitable resources and practices to meet the needs for this unique population. School librarians, serving as instructional leaders, can provide the necessary materials and strategies to support their students who are Biracial in order to foster positive racial identity. The purpose of this study is to explore school librarians’ perspectives on the influence of multicultural literature on students’ acceptance and understanding …

Proactive Prosocial Strategies Employed By First-Grade Teachers, Lisa M. Skiadas

Education Doctorate Dissertations

Primary students begin their school careers with widely varied skill sets in the areas of social and emotional competence, executive function, and self-regulation. However, many schools, like the one in this study, do not include social and emotional learning (SEL) in their curricula or tiered intervention frameworks. Students who struggle with basic classroom functions and behaviors do not receive the maximum benefit from academic instruction. Conversely, high levels of social and emotional competence have been linked to future academic success, financial and job security and better physical and mental health.

This investigation sought to identify proactive strategies used by three …

Perceptions Of Circle Time In A Third-Grade Classroom, Nicole Santangelo

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

Positive student-student and student-teacher relationships are the cornerstone to a strong classroom community, and one way to strengthen these relationships is through the use of circle time. The purpose of this study was to discover how students and the teacher perceive circle time. In addition, the researcher wanted to know what type of relationship the students and teacher see between circle time, classroom community, and student attitudes toward school. The researcher collected data through the use of student surveys, teacher and student interviews, and headnotes, and the data was analyzed using the constant comparative method for recurring themes. The researcher …

Efficacy Of Response To Intervention For Students Struggling With Reading, Emily J. Warburton

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Response to intervention (RTI) has increased in popularity in schools recently as a means of helping students according to their responsiveness to 3 different tiers of intervention: general classroom instruction, small group instruction, and individual instruction. Using a PsychInfo search, we examined articles to determine the how well the current RTI model fulfills its intended purpose in providing remedial reading instruction to struggling children, teacher perceptions of the system, and what changes could improve the model in coming years. For elementary aged students, we found that RTI has helped students achieve grade-level benchmarks. For secondary school students, there is much …

Supporting English Learners In Stem, Alyssa Richardson

Honors Program Theses and Projects

In my teacher preparation courses at Bridgewater State University, I studied how to meet the needs of students with diverse backgrounds, readiness levels, and learning styles. During the Fall 2019 semester in particular, I had the opportunity to spend time in a grade 1 Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) classroom. In this classroom, all 25 students were English Learners (ELs). During my time in this classroom, I observed the teacher employ strategies to not only help the students achieve academic goals, but also to help build their confidence and learn American social practices. For example, every morning the class began with …

Life Science - Animal Coats: Seasonal Change, Elizabeth Martinez

Model NGSS Lessons: Kindergarten - 3rd Grade

Animals and plants may be affected by winter. Many survival techniques enable the organisms to survive this season. Hibernation is a survival technique for some animals. Body systems, such as respiration and heart rate, are slowed and body temperature is lowered until conditions are supportive of coming out of hibernation. Other strategies for winter survival include dormancy, living at the bottom of a body of water, burrowing into the ground, migrating, and changing of body coloring to blend in with the snowy landscape. Other animals may change colors to better blend in with the winter landscapes.

Earth And Space Science - Weather And Climate: Graphical Displays, Elizabeth Martinez

Model NGSS Lessons: Kindergarten - 3rd Grade

Weather and climate are related to one another. Current conditions and seasonal descriptions are considered weather, which include precipitation, temperature, wind speed and direction, cloud cover, and barometric pressure to name a few. Each season has its unique features based on weather and amount of daylight. Thirty years’ worth of weather pattern data are analyzed to determine climates.

Annual and monthly temperatures, as well as precipitation data are the basis for climate zones. Landforms, proximity to oceans, and sea level also contribute the traits of the zones.

Latitude is used to geographically delineate climate zones. The higher the latitude, the …

Earth And Space Science - Map It!: Geographical Features, Elizabeth Martinez

Model NGSS Lessons: Kindergarten - 3rd Grade

There are many geographical features on the Earth, each with its own traits. These landforms may have been formed by plate tectonics. If tectonic plates move toward each other, and collide. The land is pushed upward resulting in hills and mountains. Sometimes plates move toward each other and one plate is forced downward into the earth creating deep trenches.

The formation of new crust and volcanoes are just two features caused by moving plates. As plates move away from one another, water may accumulate resulting in lakes, streams, and rivers. As these water shapes expand, they may change into features …

Restorative Practices, Asha Faith Goldberg

Transformations: Research Papers

Research consistently shows that suspensions are ineffective in addressing the root causes for behavior and inequities as students of color, students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, and students with dis/abilities repeatedly receive high rates of exclusionary punishments for their behaviors. Different schools have implemented Restorative Practices, an alternative discipline policy in response to the troubling data surrounding suspension disparities. This policy encourages students to collaboratively address their behavior and discuss ways that they can restore relationships within their community. Through observations and faculty interviews at an elementary school, salient information emerged on the policies' definitions, implementations, and critiques. The research question …

Adding It Up: The Effects Of Math Curriculum On Third And Fourth Grade Act Aspire Math Scores In Arkansas, Rebecca Cook

Theses and Dissertations from 2020

Over the last 62 years, mathematics reform has occurred due to a political push after results from a major survey or report were released stating that the United States scored lower than other countries. With each reform effort, teaching methods were changed to match the new initiative. Math curriculum was a key point in each of these reform efforts. In 2015, Arkansas adopted ACT Aspire as the statewide assessment, and in 2017 Arkansas adopted Arkansas State Standards. Although Arkansas adopted ACT Aspire and Arkansas State Standards, Arkansas does not require school districts to adopt a curriculum. The purpose of this …

The Impact Of Suspension On The Academic Performance Of Middle School Students, Jennifer Nelson

Theses and Dissertations from 2020

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of in-school suspension and out of school suspension on the academic performance of seventh-grade students, as measured by the ACT Aspire. This study was motivated by the assumption that out of classroom time and out of school time has an impact on student learning. It was further assumed that direct instruction from the classroom teacher would enhance students’ learning; and, therefore, suspensions would have a negative impact on student achievement. This quantitative causal-comparative study used four research questions to examine the relationship between suspensions and academic performance of middle school …

The Perceptions Of Instructional Leaders And Teachers Regarding The Factors That Lead To Positive Climate In Middle Schools, Emma L. Watson

Theses and Dissertations from 2020

School climate, more than other factors, determines efficiency. Building a positive school climate means creating conditions both for instructional leaders and teachers, which leads to student success. When teachers feel supported, safe, motivated, and satisfied with their outcomes, their work becomes more effective in a positive climate. In the light of much research, leaders in schools with a positive climate pay attention to the academic outcomes measured by mandated state assessments as well as the social and emotional well-being of every student and adult. The outcome of creating and maintaining a positive school climate has been studied and linked to …

An Investigation Of Teachers' Beliefs And Practices Regarding A Quality Preschool Classroom, Nicole Bogusch

Curriculum and Instruction Undergraduate Honors Theses

This research study surveyed preschool teachers and aids at one public PK-5th grade elementary school. The administered survey included questions informed by both the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS) and Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS). Additional data collected consisted of classroom observations of current preschool teachers at work during a 25-35-minute time period. The research lasted one month and consisted of multiple components including surveys and observations. The data from the study suggests that preschool teachers and aids possessed a mastery of knowledge surrounding factors important for quality early childhood classrooms. Specifically, the teachers and aids excelled in their …

Students' Attitudes Towards Standardized Testing: A Literature Review, Kelly Gard

Curriculum and Instruction Undergraduate Honors Theses

Standardized testing is a task that all students must undertake during their educational careers. Standardized tests are large determinants to course placements, exceptionality placements, grades, school sanctions or rewards, and education policy. It is imperative that all students have an equal opportunity to succeed on standardized tests. However, bias, stress, and anxiety in standardized testing often hinders the opportunity for many students to excel on the tests.

The purpose of this literature review is to discuss the research conducted on standardized testing bias which includes the prevalence of testing bias as well as the causes and types of testing bias. …

Physical Science - Magnetic Cars: Forces And Motion, Patrick Young

Model NGSS Lessons: Kindergarten - 3rd Grade

Any moving electrical charge surrounds itself with a magnetic field. The electrons moving around within atoms are no exception. In most materials, the electrons are spinning and moving in random directions and their individual fields cancel out, leaving the material with no overall magnetic field. In some materials, however, the electrons can be organized so they all spin and move alike. Now their individual magnetic fields add together to produce an object with an obvious overall magnetic field.

Such an object, called a magnet, has a field with two poles, north and south. Like polls repel each other and opposite …