Elementary Education Commons^™

Equitable Assessment For Elementary Dual-Language Learners, Joliette Mandel

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis points out the contradictions between the goals of standardized testing and the goals of dual-language elementary education. I argue that dual-language elementary schools in the New York City Department of Education would be better served by a performance assessment model to measure student and school accountability for several reasons. Performance assessment is more equitable for students who are marginalized by their race, language, or class. Many students who attend dual-language schools in the NYCDOE fall into all these categories. I will discuss in depth why standardized testing is failing students, particularly those in dual-language elementary programs. Next, I …

School Leadership Support: Understanding The Experiences Of Elementary-Level Teachers During A Global Health Pandemic, Kathleen M. Crawford, Pamela Wells, Juliann Sergi Mcbrayer, Kristen N. Dickens, Katherine Fallon

School Leadership Review

The purpose of this study was to better understand how the current COVID-19 global health pandemic has professionally and emotionally impacted elementary-level teachers. Teachers experienced diverse challenges during this unprecedented time with a rapid shift from in-person to online learning. Two overarching themes emerged based on participant experiences: abandoning best practices and increased stress and emotional pain. Implications for practice included the need for school leaders to evaluate the current level of support being provided to teachers and assess areas of need to support professional and emotional growth with the backdrop of the pandemic. We encourage future research with all …

Assessment Of Teachers' Perception Of The Provision, Use, And Maintenance Of Information And Communication Technology Facilities (Ict) In Ekiti State Primary School Libraries In Nigeria, Mensah Prince Osiesi, Chigozie Celestina Oke Dr, Adejimi Oluwatobi Busiyi Mr, Adenike Lucia Arulebe Mrs, Nnaemeka Chijioke Okorie Mr, Onyiye Maureen Okoh Mrs

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study assessed teachers' perception of the provision, use, and maintenance of ICT facilities in Ekiti State Primary school libraries in Nigeria. The study adopted the descriptive survey research type. The population of the study comprised all public primary school teachers in Ekiti State. The multistage sampling procedure was used in selecting the sample for the study. An instrument termed "Teachers' Perception of the Provision, Utilisation, and Maintenance of ICT Facilities in Primary School Libraries Questionnaire" was used for data collection, and was validated with its reliability ascertained. The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics (frequency counts and percentages). …

Investigating The Role Of Teacher-Librarians In Classroom Instructional Management In Enugu State, Nigeria, Elizabeth N. Ebizie P.Hd, Obiageli C. Njoku Ph.D, Charles A. Oraelosi Ph.D, Mkpoikanke S. Otu Ph.D

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study was carried out to investigated the role of teacher-librarians in classroom instructional management in Enugu State, Nigeria. The descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. The sample size of the study is 1,196 teachers. The instrument used for data collection was the Classroom Management Instructional Skills for Teaching Questionnaire (CMISTQ). The reliability of the instrument was 0.79. The data collected in the study were analyzed using mean and standard deviation. The findings of the study show that the role of teacher-librarians in classroom instructional management include: working with other staff to ensure information literacy outcomes are a …

Great Lakes Great Books Go Graphic, Lynette Marten Suckow

Michigan Reading Journal

Reviews of grade level graphic novels and illustrated books that rely on the use of picture and text together for effective storytelling.

Power Of Yet: The Integration Of The Culturally Responsive Literature With The Productive Struggle In Mathematics, Kathleen Crawford-Mckinney, Asli Ozgun-Koca, Kristy Rebar

Michigan Reading Journal

We used a children's book with three groups of students (ages 6-9) to foster mathematical engagement through read alouds. We will share lessons learned from this experience as we integrate children’s literature with mathematics through the lens of Power of Yet.

Free To Read: Growing Elementary Students' Literacy In The Summer, Allison M. Nieboer

Michigan Reading Journal

This article describes the implementation of “Free to Read”, a summer reading program with three key components: free student-selected books, Little Free Libraries and one-minute parent videos. The author explains how these three components come together to form a summer reading program that provides access and choice to a community of readers. Recommendations on creating such a program are shared at the end of the article.

The Stance, The Text, And The Talk: Three Components Of A Critical Race-Oriented Interactive Read Aloud, Rebecca Witte

Michigan Reading Journal

The flexible structure of an interactive read aloud (IRA) provides a platform to address issues of race for those educators who have the desire, but may not know how or where to start. Using a visual of a three circle diagram, the paper illustrates the importance of aligning a critical racial stance, the text, and the talk together to maximize student learning. One text, Can I Touch Your Hair? (Latham & Waters, 2019) is highlighted as a model to show the possible convergence of the three components. In addition, the author notes the importance of reflexivity and provides suggestions on …

Cultural Melting Pots: Strategies To Mitigate Culture Shock For Immigrant Students, Luis A. Sanchez Martinez

Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences ETDs

With the increase of immigration and diversity in the United States, challenges with integrating various student backgrounds in public education have risen over the last several years. While student success is the priority for teachers, it has been challenging to keep students engaged, motivated, and culturally respected. By offering strategies to school administrators, counselors, and teachers including physical educators, to integrate culture and school content with the purpose to create successful students and build a stronger community. Furthermore, present psychological effects when children move to a new country.

The Impacts Of Self-Efficacy And Intrinsic Motivation: Mentoring Students To Be Motivated Readers, Vicki L. Luther

The Language and Literacy Spectrum

Motivation is a vital element of reading success. However, motivation does not always occur organically; it often takes strategic mentoring for students to be inspired by the prospects of reading. Such mentoring can occur when students can begin to see teachers as fellow readers, and when educators can help students to develop their own, independent goals, passions, and reasons for reading. Based upon Bandura’s social cognitive theory (1997), this article focuses on what research says about the importance of reading motivation and self-efficacy. In addition, the author will give strategies to support student-and teacher-motivation.

Music As A Form Of Therapy In The K-4 Special Education Classroom: A Phenomenological Study, Roger Hattaway

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify and describe the perceptions of elementary K-4th grade teachers on the effects of music therapy as it pertains to academics and behavioral incidents in the special education classroom (Gooding, 2010).

Methodology: This qualitative study used a phenomenological design to ascertain the perception of the teachers on the impact of music therapy regarding academics of students in the K-4 grade special education classroom. The data were collected using the descriptive narrative to ascertain the perception of the changes in academics and behavior gathered from the interview questions.

Findings: Analysis of the …

Learning To Fly: The Impact Of Project-Based Learning On Development Of The 4cs In The Elementary Grades, Deborah Francois

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to investigate the impact of project-based learning on K-5 students’ development of the 4Cs (Critical Thinking, Communication, Creativity, Collaboration) as perceived by elementary charter school teachers.

Methodology: A phenomenological design was selected to address the research questions for this study. Through purposeful sampling, 12 charter elementary teachers who met a pre-determined set of criteria (including the routine integration of project-based learning within their instructional programs) were selected to participate in virtual, semi-structured interviews. All teachers were employed by charter schools located in six counties within California. The interviews were conducted using …

An Embodied Drama Therapy Approach To Restorative School Practices: A Method, Sarah Harmer

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Restorative School Practices offer schools a circle structure to shift the punitive mindset and power dynamics commonly found in America’s schools, to a model that focuses on relationship, connection, and mutual respect. Drama therapy interventions utilize embodied or active work that engage the entire person. The purpose of this thesis was to create a method to explore the addition of embodied drama therapy techniques to deepen the experience of the restorative school circle process. Three community-building and social emotional learning focused circles, in a second, fourth, and sixth grade class, were compared using the traditional scripts and then the same …

Examining The Conditions For Student Well-Being And Whole Person Health With Mindfulness And Somatic-Based Learning, Clarissa Alonzo

Education | Master's Theses

The purpose of this research was to understand how mindfulness practices and physical activity in the classroom can contribute to the overall well-being and health of students and teachers. Research has shown that these practices increase self-awareness, compassion, introspection, and a reduction in stress and anxiety (Waterford, 2019). This study included interviews with one educator and their fifth grade classroom, who all participated in a multi-week series of lessons using mindfulness and somatic awareness activities with post-practice writing reflection. The findings of this research indicate that somatically based mindfulness practices positively impact language patterns between students. Physical body-based activities were …

My Generation Will Never Forget: Oral Histories Of Chinese American Students In “Separate But Equal” Oriental Schools, Kelsey Owyang

Master's Theses

Asian Americans occupy a contradictory position in the American educational landscape, at once glorified for their academic success and vilified for their “invasion” of White academic spaces. This narrative first took root in the 19^th century, when the California Supreme Court ruled in the 1885 case Tape v. Hurley that Chinese American youth had a right to public education. Simultaneously, the state legislature declared that Chinese Americans must be educated in separate facilities from Whites. The first segregated “Oriental school” opened in San Francisco Chinatown that year. This study explores the oft-erased history of Asian American school segregation in …

“I Want Them To See Me As A Complete Person”: Sustaining People Of Color In Predominantly White Institutions Through Counter-Hegemony, Jessica Albavera

Master's Projects and Capstones

Education in the United States is inequitable. Independent schools in particular add to this inequity because of limited access and affordability. This creates a situation in which educators who are fighting for more diversity, equity, and inclusion have to reconcile working in an institution that is part of an inequitable system. This research-based field project, through the method of focus groups, sought to examine the ways in which educators in an independent school in San Francisco are utilizing counter-hegemonic strategies in their classrooms to support the diverse and intersecting identities of their students. The focus group also provided a space …

Impacts On Elementary School Students Related To Covid-19 And The Role Of Social-Emotional Learning In Children’S Mental Health, Amanda Davis

Education | Master's Theses

Research has shown that schools provide an ideal universal location for preventing behavioral issues and supporting students’ mental health (Ball et al., 2016; Daunic, et al., 2021; Maras et al., 2015). A large body of research has also connected students’ social-emotional skills and their attainment of academic success (Cook et al., 2018; Durlak et al., 2011). With this research and the gaining popularity of SEL, more SEL programs are being created, implemented, and evaluated. The purpose of this study was to understand some of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on young students' mental health and how teachers have responded …

Supporting English Learners In Elementary Classrooms: How Teacher Preparation Affects El Achievement, Jordan Whitman

Education | Master's Theses

Due to an increasing number of English learning children entering the U.S. public school system (Tinkler., Tinkler, Reyes, & Elkin, 2019), there is a need for teachers to be prepared and feel confident in providing adequate English language instruction and academic content to support these young learners. There is also limited research on the effectiveness of instructional strategies that elementary teachers use to engage and instruct English learning students, including technology as a strategy (Chang & Hung, 2019). This study uses qualitative data analysis to examine instructional strategies and practices, as well as teacher’]s’ own perceptions and experiences that support …

Beyond Burnout: How Elementary Teachers Cope And Flourish In A Pandemic-Era School, Valerie Cherbero

Education | Master's Theses

Many studies describe the pervasiveness of burnout in underserved schools and the factors that lead to burnout, but those studies rarely utilize the voices and lived experiences of teachers (Camacho et al., 2021). Many studies also describe reasons why teachers leave the field, but few explore why teachers remain in the field and what coping strategies they use to persevere through burnout (Turner & Theilking, 2019). These gaps in the literature are particularly pressing as rates of teacher burnout and attrition have reached alarming levels (Kamenetz, 2022).

Through in-depth interviews with four teachers at an underserved school in the Bay …

Lessons Learned: Kinesthetic Learning And Engaging Students With Adhd (In The Time Of Covid), Claudia Freedman

Education | Master's Theses

While many studies have examined the benefits of movement and kinesthetic learning on the engagement of all elementary school-aged children, especially those with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or children with common characteristics or behaviors of ADHD (undiagnosed ADHD), less research exists on how the COVID-19 pandemic and hybrid learning affected and continues to impact the engagement of children, especially those with ADHD or undiagnosed ADHD. The purpose of this study was to investigate how teachers engage students, particularly those with ADHD or undiagnosed ADHD, in an elementary classroom using practices from movement, music, dance, and theater, especially during COVID-19. …