Elementary Education Commons^™

A Comparative Study Of Elementary Teacher Efficacy In Christian Private Schools And Public Schools, Jasmine Floyd

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study was to compare elementary teacher efficacy in Christian private schools and public schools to determine if there was a difference in overall efficacy, instructional strategies, classroom management, and student engagement. Teacher efficacy shapes instructional performance and student academic achievement, so a deeper study of public and Christian school teacher efficacy was significant to recognize factors present in each type of school that could impact instruction and achievement. This study consisted of a convenience sample of 229 teachers of kindergarten through fifth grade at Christian private and public schools in the southeastern United States. …

A Pedagogy Of Play: How Pre- And In-Service Early Childhood Teachers’ Perceptions Of Play Are Influenced As A Result Of Practicum Experience In A Play-Based Environment, E. B. Nygard

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

There is a growing body of research behind the play-based movement in education today – a topic that is somewhat controversial (Nicolopoulou et al., 2010; Overstreet, 2018). While some are steeped in a more classical approach to early education, advocating learning should be painful (Adler & Van Doren, 1988), others are paving the way for a more progressive approach, suggesting play to be the premier window into a child’s development (Paley, 1979-2014; Wohlwend & Peppler, 2015). The purpose of this study was to look at how the perceptions of pre- and in-service teachers changed regarding play and storytelling after participating …

Exploring Elementary School Teachers' Instructional Decisions On English Language Arts Strategies For English Language Learners: A Case Study, Tameika Marie Hairston-Thomas

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to determine the instructional strategies and decisions that educators chose, implemented, and evaluated while teaching English Language Learners (ELL) during English Language Arts (ELA). The central research question for this study was: How do elementary teachers at Fisherton Elementary School choose, implement, and evaluate instructional strategies during English Language Arts with English Language Learners? This case study consisted of 10 educator participants at Fisherton Elementary School, a predominantly ELL school. The theory guiding this study was Bruner's (1986) constructionist theory. Data were collected for this research through a series of classroom …

Assessing Virtual Free-Choice Agricultural Learning: A Mixed Methods Approach, Richard John Kennedy

Theses and Dissertations

Since the mid-19th century, agricultural museums and living history sites, first in Scandinavia and then in the United States and Canada, have provided historical, cultural, and, sometimes, scientific information about farming to visitors. Many of these visitors have been school children on field trips. Assessment of this learning, however, has been scant, particularly within the free-choice style inherent in these types of educational venues. At the same time, assessment of free-choice learning, often analyzed through the Contextual Model of Learning (Falk & Dierking 2000), has taken place at educational sites like zoos, natural history museums, and science centers. This study, …

Evaluating Math To Mastery Using Brief Experimental Analysis Procedures, Gianna Gambera

Theses and Dissertations

Math to Mastery (MTM) is a multi-component math intervention that has demonstrated effective results in building math fluency and skill acquisition. Few studies have explored the use of brief experimental analysis (BEA) procedures to create an individualized, abbreviated MTM intervention to address skill deficits in basic math. The purpose of this current study is to analyze the utility of randomizing BEA procedures to effectively identify necessary mathematic components to create a more efficient intervention that will yield the highest math gains among participants. Researchers used an alternating treatment design with an extended analysis phase to address basic math skills. Participants …

Critical Conversations In A Second-Grade Classroom Using Diverse Literature, Joanne Susan Brown

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the effects of reading diverse texts during SEL morning meeting time and observe how 2nd grade students engage in conversations. Diverse texts were selected related to themes of identity, race, poverty, gender, sexual identity, and gender identity. Data collected included student conversations and journals. After analyzing the data collected, it was found that the inclusion of diverse texts during SEL morning meetings yielded positive results. Students engaged in more personal conversations when they could connect to the text and speak freely, students spoke more when they had control of the conversations, …

A Framework For Interdisciplinary Read Aloud Lessons, Lyndsey M. Bensel

Masters Projects

Science and social studies instruction at the elementary level has diminished in quantity and quality as a result of increasing pressure to maximize English language arts achievement. This approach exchanges short term gains in reading proficiency for long term deficits across many disciplines. Research establishes a strong connection between background knowledge gained through content area learning and the ability to comprehend expository texts. Moreover, deprioritizing science and social studies instruction limits opportunities to explore disciplinary literacy practices which serve as the foundation for acquiring knowledge in different disciplines. The framework for interdisciplinary read aloud lessons developed through this project, will …

Developing Teacher Knowledge Of The Science Of Reading: Phonemic Awareness & Phonics, Megan Erin Dziedzic

Masters Projects

In 2000 the National Reading Panel addressed the low reading proficiency of students in the United States with a report detailing the result of many meta-analysis studies regarding five key areas of literacy: literacy, phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension (Report of the National Reading Panel, 2000). Through compiling research regarding literacy teaching practices, the panel concluded that to improve literacy scores, we need to focus on research-based, systematic, and explicit instruction, especially in the foundational years of lower elementary (Report of the National Reading Panel, 2000). The science of reading is a broad heading that incorporates neuroscience research …

How The Great Migration Changed Black Children’S Educational Attainment, Cavit Baran, Eric Chyn, Bryan A. Stuart

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

An Examination Of Reading Interventions At The Upper Elementary Level, Bethany Vangessel

Masters Projects

Students of all ages face challenges in their reading and while some challenges begin early in learning to read, other challenges develop as students begin reading more complex texts. However, research into the most effective forms of intervention for students who struggle with reading have focused more on beginning readers in the lower elementary grades. As students enter the upper elementary grades, there are increased demands on foundational reading skills with multisyllabic words, comprehension, and the added pressure of standardized testing. Changing demands on reading skills result in a more diverse need to intervention as students may struggle with foundational …

Professional Learning Communities: A Way To Provide General Education Teachers With Strategies To Support Fluency, Meredith Skorupski

Masters Projects

General education teachers are tasked with the important and challenging job of teaching a diverse group of students each school year. Students’ struggles range and are influenced by environmental and social factors. To meet the needs of their students, teachers must be provided with instructional guidance for using research-based strategies to combat areas of concern. Professional learning communities on the topic of fluency provide a space for these conversations to happen within schools. Fluency is an overlooked aspect of reading, but it vital for a student’s reading growth. This project will provide the framework needed for professional learning communities on …

Responses From Young Children Not On The Autism Spectrum On Selected Questions From The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Second Edition (Ados-2), Lauren Lamar

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Second Edition (ADOS-2) is a widely used instrument in the assessment of autism spectrum disorder. One of the modules requires students to answer questions requiring relatively high-level language skills but that module could be given to children as young as four years of age. It is unclear how young non-spectrum children would respond to such questions. This study analyzed types of responses provided by kindergarten, first, and second grade students when asked questions from a subtest on the ADOS-2, Module 3. The sample was largely made up of typically developing students (n = 146) with the …

Shifting Beliefs About The Teaching Of Reading: Teacher Candidates’ Responses To The Book Whisperer, Kathleen M. Crawford, Michelle Reidel

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

In this document analysis, the authors explored if and how Miller’s (2009) The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child served as a symbolic model of a reading teacher who teaches her students not just the technical aspects of reading, but also how to enjoy reading. Drawing on social learning theory, the authors investigated how the selected text connected to elementary preservice teachers’ personal reading experiences with reading and learning to read, their preexisting beliefs about teaching reading, and their current observations of reading instruction in field placements. Written reflections, which served as the data source for this …

The Casnr L.I.N.K.S. Newsletter: Learning Innovation Network For K-12 Schools, Edition 7, August 2022, Bailey Feit, Tammy Mittelstet

CASNR L.I.N.K.S. Newsletter

The purpose of this L.I.N.K.S. newsletter is to provide a monthly update of opportunities and resources for K-12 schools to connect with the University of Nebraska's CASNR Food, Energy, Water, and Societal Systems (FEWS²) programs and partners.

Included in this issue:

How can we support you and your students in the 2022-2023 school year?

UNL CASNR Teaching and Learning K-12 Partners website is live

Eye on curriculum and resources

Curriculum and classroom resources for all levels

Biological Systems Engineering announcement

Teacher opportunities

Link to list of new partnerships

Ask an expert

Eye on CASNR research: Erin Blankenship

Student experiences

Send …

Differentiated Instruction And Kindergarten Through 5th Grade Teachers, Aslihan Unal, Zafer Unal, Yasar Bodur

Georgia Educational Researcher

The purpose of this article is to examine Kindergarten through 5th-grade teachers’ understanding of differentiated instruction and perception of their ability to implement differentiated instruction in their classrooms. Differentiated instruction is a critical factor for children’s success. Thirty-one K-5 teachers from the state of Georgia participated in this study. The teacher survey on differentiated instruction developed by Tomlinson (2001) and modified by Page (2007) was used in this study. The researchers also included two open-ended, differentiated instruction questions and seven demographic questions. Study results suggested that while teachers mostly agree that differentiation is an important instructional strategy, they are faced …

Evaluating The Impact Of Intersecting Research And Outreach Marine Science Programs On Elementary And Undergraduate Students, Randi J. Sims

All Theses

Climate change is one of the most destructive forces our ocean is currently experiencing. Despite this, many students are not taught the basics of climate change science and ocean literacy in public school systems. My work seeks to combat these deficits through educational experiences in marine science for undergraduate and local elementary students through three studies incorporating marine-science based research and outreach. (1) Through undergraduate marine science research and outreach, students enrolled for long durations or with positive mentorship increased their conceptual understanding of marine science concepts, altered their attitudes towards climate change and science, and were more likely to …

Teacher's Self-Efficacy For Data Driven Decision Making, Bettie Fisher Perry

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

The present study used a sequential mixed method design to compare special education and general education elementary teachers’ self-efficacy for data-driven decision making. Participants were 127 teachers from several school divisions in a mid-Atlantic state in the United States. Dunn et al.’s (2013a) The Data-Driven Decision Making Efficacy and Anxiety Inventory (3D-MEA) was used for this study along with Tschannen-Moran and Hoy’s (2001) The Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES), specifically the subscale on the efficacy of instructional strategies. According to the quantitative findings, there was a statistically significant difference between special education and general education teachers’ efficacy for …

Distance Learning Effects On The Early Elementary Student's Socio-Emotional Development And English Acquisition, Alejandra Irene Escamilla Saldaña, Luisa Fernanda Quintanilla Herrera, Margarita Coronado Fernández

International Graduate Program for Educators Master's Projects

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted all schools throughout the world. Because of this experience, student’s learning may have been affected. This study sought to find if there could have been an effect in student achievement and development after a year of distance learning. Specifically, does an ELL student’s english acquisition, self-regulation and social skills scores lower after a year of distance learning? If there is a negative impact, do these lower scores get bridged to meet expectations after a year of in-person instruction and intervention? In this study, 16 teachers from PK to 2nd grade at ASFM in Monterrey, Mexico were …

Educator Perceptions Of The Working Environment In Tennessee Elementary Schools That Actively Employ Positive Behavior Supports And Restorative Practices, Scott Thomas Lamie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study captured the experiences of elementary educators with the purpose of gathering their perceptions of the use of restorative practices and positive behavior supports in their schools with a particular focus on how these programs influenced school climate, their professional efficacy, and their job satisfaction. Results of interviews lead to the emergence of seven major themes, which were the importance of understanding the underlying causes of student behavior, change, common practices of positive behavior supports and restorative practices, benefits for students, benefits for educators, struggles with implementation, and suggestions for implementation. These findings led to the identification of …

Phonics And Spelling Intervention For Children With Intellectual Disabilities, Bridget Leutzinger

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

The current study is a replication and adaptation of Lemons and colleagues (2018) by using an explicit, adapted version of the SPARK curriculum to assess its effectiveness on the literacy outcomes for students with Down Syndrome. The primary purpose was to determine the effectiveness of the explicit reading intervention package (independent variable) on letter-sound knowledge (dependent variable) in elementary students with DS. The secondary purpose was to evaluate whether the explicit spelling intervention of letter-sound correspondence generalized the spelling skills of whole taught and untaught words. Two students, ages 10 and 11, participated in a multiple probe across lessons single-case …