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Full-Text Articles in Education

Empowering All Learners: The Role Of Cultural Responsiveness In Elementary Literacy Education, Meghan Claire Arbury Dec 2023

Empowering All Learners: The Role Of Cultural Responsiveness In Elementary Literacy Education, Meghan Claire Arbury

Culminating Experience Projects

Instructional strategies used by teachers impact student literacy performance. Students’ literacy skills can improve when teachers incorporate culturally responsive teaching practices that are also high-quality in nature. There is a particular need for these methods to be adopted in elementary classrooms in order to make learning accessible and equitable for diverse learners. Literacy skills are highly social and students’ backgrounds experiences are pivotal connections around which knowledge and understanding are constructed. In the Northwest Michigan region, as well as nationwide, performance disparities among cultural groups are reflected in literacy achievement data (“Grades 3-8,” n.d.), solidifying the need for change to …


An Examination Of The Effects Of Testing On Student Learning In Elementary School, Dana Spielberger Dec 2023

An Examination Of The Effects Of Testing On Student Learning In Elementary School, Dana Spielberger

Culminating Experience Projects

Research has revealed important information about the effects of testing on student motivation, mental well-being, and academic performance. These effects are mostly negative, yet most schools throughout the country have not adopted alternative education models to reflect this information. This project explores the recent history of educational testing as holistic theories of education and associated alternative pedagogies that can be used to address the problems created by testing. An effective assessment model must be recurring and longitudinal in nature, collaborative between students, parents, teachers, and outside stakeholders, and be able to account for the differing needs, environments, backgrounds, and interests …


Teacher Perceptions Of Reading Aloud Informational Texts To K-2 Students, Kim Cooper Oct 2023

Teacher Perceptions Of Reading Aloud Informational Texts To K-2 Students, Kim Cooper

Ed.D. Dissertations

Beginning in the 1950s, learning to read was a major focus in elementary schools. Children typically began their reading journey with listening skills. Hearing sounds for letters, then words, come to life from the pages of a book were engaging to children. One way teachers engaged students in learning to read was to read aloud to them in their classrooms. Typically, teachers in Kindergarten through 2nd grade (K-2) read aloud fiction storybooks. I conducted this basic qualitative interpretive study to research teachers’ perceptions of reading aloud informational texts to students in their K-2 classrooms. There was a gap in the …


Stories In Motion: Integrating Creative Dance In A Language Arts Classroom, Amira Akam Apr 2023

Stories In Motion: Integrating Creative Dance In A Language Arts Classroom, Amira Akam

Student Research Submissions

As learning gaps have widened in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increased need for research-based strategies to improve student academic achievement and engagement. This study explored the integration of creative dance as a form of storytelling in a kindergarten language arts classroom. Students were introduced to an element of dance and used it to create short dance phrases in a unit on retelling. Both qualitative and quantitative data was collected using pre/post tests and student interviews measuring students’ engagement and enjoyment. Students involved in this study showed significant growth in their ability to orally retell …


Elementary School Educators’ Perceptions Of Discipline Policies And The Overrepresentation Of Discipline Outcomes In Urban Settings, William Casey Cooper Mar 2023

Elementary School Educators’ Perceptions Of Discipline Policies And The Overrepresentation Of Discipline Outcomes In Urban Settings, William Casey Cooper

Ed.D. Dissertations

Since the formation of schools, schools have developed ways of understanding discipline and ensuring a safe and orderly environment. Governmental personnel began to influence local school policies beginning in 1989, with United States President Ronald Reagan’s War on Drugs campaign. This led to the creation and development of zero-tolerance policies. School districts implemented zero-tolerance policies, which helped lead to the overrepresentation of discipline outcomes (i.e., punishment) among certain demographics. Following the Critical Race Theory theoretical framework, I interviewed 12 participants to determine their perceptions of discipline policies and the overrepresentation of discipline outcomes in urban settings. My participants included elementary …