Elementary Education and Teaching Commons^™

Thresholds Of Knowledge Development In Complex Problem Solving: A Multiple-Case Study Of Advanced Learners’ Cognitive Processes, Treavor Bogard, Min Liu, Yueh-Hui Chiang, Yueh-Hui Vanessa Chiang

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

This multiple-case study examined how advanced learners solved a complex problem, focusing on how their frequency and application of cognitive processes contributed to differences in performance outcomes, and developing a mental model of a problem. Fifteen graduate students with backgrounds related to the problem context participated in the study. Data sources included direct observation of solution operations, participants’ think aloud and stimulated recalls as they solved the problem, as well as solution scores indicating how well each participant solved the problem. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze stimulated recall and think aloud data. A set of thirteen cognitive …

The Use Of Graphing And An Effort And Achievement Rubric To Increase Students' Multiplication Fact Accuracy And Fluency, Joan Hackl

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of self-graphing and an effort and achievement rubric on increasing students' multiplication fact accuracy and fluency. The research design was a two-group pretest/posttest research design. Data was collected from student multiplication math fact quizzes. Students were given the same math fact quiz for a month before a new set of facts was introduced the next month. For each month, the first quiz of the month served as baseline data as no interventions were introduced for those quizzes. The second month of quizzes served as the self-graphing alone data, and the …

Resisting The Neoliberal Ambush Of Public Education. A Book Review Of Educational Courage: Resisting The Ambush Of Public Education, Brandy S. Wilson

Democracy & Education

This is a review of the book Educational Courage: Resisting the Ambush of Public Education.

The Effectiveness Of Manipulatives In The Elementary School Classroom, Holly A. Berkseth

Honors College Theses

What are the best teaching strategies? How can educators help children learn most effectively? Are there strategies that can be used to teach children in meaningful and engaging ways while still keeping up with state standards? Questions like these have been raised by parents and educators for many years and are widely discussed and debated topics in the educational realm. The following paper attempts to answer these questions by investigating the effectiveness of elementary school classroom manipulatives. It outlines a research study that was conducted by Holly Berkseth, an undergraduate student from the College of Education at Wayne State University. …

How To Help A Teacher's Guide To Helping Grieving Elementary Students In The Classroom, Caitlin Corrigan

HIM 1990-2015

In the United States alone, over 2 million (or a little more than 3%) of children are estimated to face the death of a parent before they turn 18 (Goodman, 2006)! The numbers only grow when the death of a grandparent, relative, sibling, or classmate are included. Death is a very real and lasting event. Most of these children will have to return to life as it was before in some way or another. For most of these children, that means returning to school. Sadly, in a teacher's undergraduate education they receive little or no formal training in how to …

Engaging Literacy Activities A Case Study, Tiffanie Dawn Meridth

All Graduate Projects

The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) in Washington State has adopted Common Core Standards. The reading curriculum given to teachers most often reflects the appropriate grade level materials, but does not necessarily meet common core standards, engage students in learning, or prepare students to pass the end of year exams. In this study, engaging classroom literacy activities will be developed and aligned with learning targets associated with common core standards for sixth grade students. A variety of materials will be used for activities to include: novel sets, picture books, social studies curriculum, and additional teacher resources. It …

The Effects Of Children Properly Utilizing Cps Tools In The Classroom, Theresa Lyness

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

It is my responsibility as an educator to prepare students by teaching them how to think and not what to think. This project focuses on the importance of teaching our youth creative ways to solve problems and use creativity in a more meaningful way to assist with richer thinking. This project provides students with some necessary tools in order to help them become lifelong learners and problem solvers. It provides students with necessary tools and skills needed for success in the 21^st century. The project includes an introduction to Creative Problem Solving (CPS) process and tools for different age …

S.M.I.L.E. (Success Means Initiating Life Everyday), Charisma C. Dupree

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Abstract:

Motivation exists as an important aspect of our lives. Motivation comes in two main forms, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. No matter the type motivation employed, at some point we all experience motivation to help achieve our goals and in order to reach success in any capacity. The use of Creative Problem Solving (CPS) can also help in the process of motivation and succeeding. When the going gets tough, it is imperative to SMILE – Success Means Initiating Life Everyday.

Professional Development And Teacher Perception Of Efficacy For Inclusion, Susan E. Lee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed for the purpose of quantitatively examining the significant elements of reform-based professional development and their relationship to teachers’ self-efficacies for inclusion. The theoretical frameworks for this study were drawn from Bandura’s (1997) self-efficacy and social cognitive theory in addition to pre-existing research pertaining to professional development and teacher efficacy for inclusion.

A web based survey was developed and made available for voluntary participation to a total population of 385 elementary school teachers in one East Tennessee school district. Data were collected from 79 elementary school teachers in 14 of the district’s elementary schools.

Findings included no …

Common Misconceptions And Instructional Best Practices For Teaching Fractions To Students In Grades Three, Four, And Five, Dan Fairchild

Mathematics Graduate Theses

This research paper will identify common misconceptions related to the teaching and learning fractions for students in grades three, four, and five. Different fraction subconstructs will be identified and instructional best practices will be identified for the teaching and learning of comparing fractions, ordering fractions, adding fractions, and subtracting fractions.

Practicing And Preservice Teachers' Sense Of Efficacy For Character Education, Carolyn Lowe

Honors Scholar Theses

This study explored preservice and practicing teachers’ perspectives on their preparation to support students’ character development and their sense of efficacy in implementing classroom practices related to this area of education. The research questions framing the study were as follows: (1) What levels of efficacy around character education do practicing and preservice elementary teachers from the same teacher preparation program report? (2) How do efficacy levels differ between practicing and preservice teachers? (3) What influences on their efficacy for character education do practicing and preservice teachers report? The study involved a survey of 79 practicing and preservice teachers, with similar …

A Microethnography On The Role Of Play In An After School Program, Amanda Kolacia

HIM 1990-2015

This study explores parents' views on the importance of free play when it pertains to what their children do after school. By studying this information, teachers, childcare providers, and administrators can use these perceptions in an attempt to discover why children are no longer engaging in unstructured play as frequently as they once were. Through the responses of 59 parents who participate in a large afterschool program, this study revealed that although 81% of parents ranked free play as valued in their own childhoods, free play ranked low in terms of parents' acknowledgement of play in after school programs of …

Language Arts Achievement Of Fourth Grade Students With Regard To Gender, Ethnicity, And Socioeconomic Status, Paula C. Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to see if a difference exists in the language arts proficiency levels of 2,080 fourth grade students with regard to gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status from 2010 through 2012 on the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program. Specifically, this study considered the possibility that a difference existed in language arts proficiency levels between males and females.

A quantitative study was used to find differences in the language arts proficiency levels from 2010 through 2012 for males and females in the fourth grade in an upper East Tennessee urban school system. A quasi-experimental design was selected because preexisting data …

First Grade Teachers' Perceptions Of The Five Strands Of Effective Reading Instruction And Their Possible Influence On Daily Instructional Practices, Nghia Van Nguyen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

First grade teachers play a critical role in shaping the foundation for early literacy skills acquisition of primary students. Past research studies have indicated that primary students whose teachers followed the Big 5 Ideas to teach reading had higher reading abilities when compared to other students. The purpose of this current research was to address a gap in the literature by examining first grade teachers' perceptions of the Big 5 Ideas, their levels of knowledge of the literacy concepts, the frequency with which these teachers use their knowledge of the Big 5 Ideas, and the possible influence of the use …

Technology Implementation: Teacher Age, Experience, Self-Efficacy, And Professional Development As Related To Classroom Technology Integration, Stephanie Renee Tweed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to identify the combination of factors that pertain to the implementation of new technologies in the classroom. Specifically, the study was an analysis of the age of the teacher, years of teaching experience, quality of professional development, and teacher self-efficacy as defined by Bandura (1997) to examine the manner in which these factors relate to implementing new technologies in the classroom. Participants in this study were located in 2 different school districts in East Tennessee. All data were collected through an online survey distributed to K-5 teachers by way of email from school …

Using Writing To Explore Human-Environment Interactions: An Integrated Approach, Lindsay Prettyman

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

This Honors Thesis includes a literature review on integrated curriculum for a third grade class. It also includes 22 lessons which, along with the literature review, explore the idea of integrating inquiry based social studies with language arts, especially informational narrative writing in the classroom Other subjects are integrated as well, including math and science. The curriculum development was, in part, pilot tested at Edith Bowen Laboratory School. It uses McTighe's Backward Design curriculum model and focuses on the settlement of the pioneers in Cache Valley.

Principal And Teacher Beliefs About Leadership Implications For Student Performance, Jerri Cherita Jackson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study was to examine whether the leadership style of principals affects teacher and student performance. The study includes an elementary, middle, and high school principal along with two teachers from each school who worked at schools that were in good standing from 2007-2011. Each school made adequate yearly progress (AYP) each year according to the No Child Left Behind Status History Report. This study examined one over arching research question: What do principals and teachers say about school and schooling? Data for this study was gathered through principal interviews, teacher interviews, and the results of an …

The Perceived Influence Of Divergent Parent And Teacher Perceptions Of Student Abilities On Students And The Establishment Of Effective Family-School Partnerships, Kara Ann Lasater

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the essence of parent, teacher, and student experiences when parent and teacher perceptions of student abilities diverge; of particular importance was the perceived influence of these divergent accounts on students and the establishment of effective family-school partnerships. This purpose was achieved through a qualitative investigation of parent, teacher, and student experiences when parent and teacher perceptions of student abilities diverge. Analysis of data collected from 10 in-depth interviews with students, parents, and teachers revealed five themes and one subtheme related to discrepant parent and teacher perceptions of student abilities. These themes …

The Effects Of Summer Reading Programs On The Academic Achievement Of Elementary Students, Renee Deshommes

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Children with weakened academic skills face the possibility of having less access to higher education, or advanced career opportunities later in life. Such disadvantages, if not addressed, may result in a series of diminished opportunities that may affect a child's overall quality of life. Several educational experts suggest that the negative effects of the academic achievement gap are cumulative, and many educational experts also believe that the achievement gap between high and low socioeconomic students continues to be a persistent problem for which few solutions have materialized. The potential for summer reading programs to be implemented as a mechanism to …

2013, Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival

Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival

Brochure for the 2013 Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival