Education Commons^™

K-12 Teachers Perspectives On Mobile Technology Integration: A Qualitative Study, Steven Justin Bingham

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to develop an understanding of mobile technology integration in K-12 classrooms from the perspective of classroom teachers during the 2022-2023 school year. The increase in mobile technologies being utilized in schools made it imperative to understand how mobile devices are being integrated into the classroom from the teacher’s perspective. The central research question was, how do teachers at K-12 schools in the Midwest describe their perception and usage of mobile technology integration in teaching and learning?

The data collection consisted of semi-structured interviews with fourteen participants from one school district in the …

Curiosity, Motivation, Autonomy, And Lifelong Learning In Education And The United States Marine Corps, Cynthia Malmquist

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Curiosity, intrinsic motivation, and autonomy-supportive teaching all promote lifelong learning in both the classroom and Marine Corps. Humans are all born with curiosity. Children inherently practice forms of intrinsic motivation. Most would agree that they do not like being micromanaged - they enjoy a sense of freedom when completing tasks. Despite this, many students learn in a controlling environment and many Marines work under controlling leaders. Though a large amount of time is spent on learning through the first 18 years of life, lifelong learning does not come naturally and is not commonly practiced. The research and ideas discussed below …

Critical Peer Mentor Groups: Amplifying Support During Student Teaching, Cindy H. Linzell

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This hermeneutic phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of student teachers who use Critical Peer Mentor (CPM) groups as an additional layer of support during their student teaching experience. In traditional models for teacher induction, student teachers apprentice in the classroom of an experienced, cooperating teacher. In this mentor/mentee relationship, there is an inherent power hierarchy. By utilizing CPM groups in addition to this traditional model, the student teachers had a peer relationship through which to also learn. The findings indicate that by utilizing a CPM group, the student teachers received and provided holistic support for each other during this …

An Evaluative Study Of The Rural Elementary Teachers’ Perspective On The Partnership Between Rural Public Elementary Schools And Nebraska Extension, Tammera Mittelstet

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Science education reform is a new reality for Elementary Teachers who have found themselves in a paradigm shift as Nebraska implements its NCCRS-S standards. This reform and implementation process might benefit from the support of Nebraska Extension. The purpose of this evaluative study was twofold: (a) determine elementary teachers' awareness, current use, and future recommendations regarding extension resources in Nebraska’s rural elementary schools and (b) inform guidelines for future development of community partnerships and distribution of Nebraska Extension resources for elementary science instruction.

Data for this study was gathered using Qualtrics and was analyzed with SPSS version 27 software. The …

Poverty, Literacy, And Race: A Middle Scool Teacher's Iterative Investigaive Journey, Rebecca Tuttle

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study describes an iterative design process that helped me gain a better understanding of the problems (how motivation affects learning and gaining the trust of children that I worked with) I was inquiring about. The design process chronicles three iterations before reaching my final research question focused on building relationships with children of minoritized communities within their learning environment and integrating culturally relevant pedagogy into their learning. By combining these two strategies, the children in this study seemed to embrace being part of a culturally relevant experiment. The components of these iterations include pre-reading activities, read alouds, group discussions, …

Longer-Term Impact And Efficacy Of Nebraska's In-School Elementary Grades Savings Programs, Jennifer Davidson

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The prevalence of in-school savings programs is widespread. Research on program efficacy is not. This mixed-methods case study contributes to the gap in the research literature. The study examined the in-school savings program, conducted in the elementary grades, from multiple perspectives. The first perspective was a longitudinal one that assessed high school student financial behaviors and evaluated if there were any lasting effects from participation in the program when they were in elementary school. The second perspective was an educational one that assessed what elementary school teachers and administrators who implemented the programs thought about the benefits of the program. …

Vocabulary Instruction: Impacts Of Using A Science Notebook In A Dual Language Setting To Teach Science Vocabulary And Content., Manuel Andazola

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Language learners and students in general often struggle to close the achievement gap in monolingual schools because they lose academic content due to lack of vocabulary. To combat this issue, programs such as dual language schools have been introduced and have gained popularity due to their ability to help students keep learning academic content in their native language while becoming literate in the second language and also maintaining literacy in the content areas. Although these programs offer different instruction models and teaching techniques that teachers are implementing to improve science literacy, many teachers still struggle to find creative and effective …

The Impacts On Rural Families When Engaging In Stem Education, Kimberly Felton-Canfield

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Family STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Nights and Family STEM Backpacks are a way for schools to provide stakeholders the opportunity to work together in a hands-on, interactive environment to learn more about STEM subjects. Students, teachers, parents and community partners learn through various activities what career choices are available that engage STEM disciplines. Through action research, qualitative data was gathered to discover the community impact of attending a Family STEM night and participating in Family STEM Backpack Projects. Participants completed pre- and post- event surveys and open-ended interview questions. The whole community was invited to participate in Family …

How Does Pre-Teaching Of Vocabulary And The Use Of Technology Increase Student Learning In Science, Jennefer A. Hilgenkamp

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Understanding science vocabulary is one of the key components leading to student success in mastering science content. This study looks at the research surrounding pre-teaching vocabulary and the use of technology in the classroom. The purpose is to further investigate and deepen knowledge of science vocabulary. This research will use mixed methods of data collection. The study reports aggregated data on twenty-seven students of varying academic levels and needs (Regular Education, English Language Learners (ELL), Special Education), within Team 6A, of the 6^th grade and data for seven students, who consented for the project, will be evaluated further, through …

Improving Kindergartener’S Initiative To Problem Solve Through Integrated Stem, Jessica Walston

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Many teachers are familiar with students who are scared to try to solve a problem and instead look to adults for specific answers. Students need to be prepared to solve problems independently and collaboratively. One of the necessary skills to solve a problem is to first try, or take initiative. The purpose of this action research was to identify Kindergarten students’ initial initiative to problem solve by formal evaluation of student learning-related skills, taken from the Cooper-Farran Behavioral Rating Scale (1991). In this study, students were provided opportunities to take the initiative to problem solve through a series of integrated …

Assessment And Engagement Strategies For Stem, Aaron Rohde

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In this study, I looked at how does student engagement change when a certain assessment is announced prior to a unit. This study looks at what different assessment levels have been researched to accomplish and how to utilize that to our advantage. I researched how does student engagement change when STEM projects are introduced in a 5th grade classroom. It is the role as educators to work towards providing our students with the opportunities to express their levels of knowledge and to show students what they have achieved. This study looks at what I found to be important about STEM …

Impact Of Robotic Challenges On Fifth Grade Problem Solving, Julie Rankin

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This action research project was designed to investigate the impact of educational robotics in a fifth grade rural classroom. The integration of science, technology, engineering, and math in education (STEM) has sparked an increase of robotics in the classroom. The purpose of the study was to determine if problem-solving skills can be impacted through continuing involvement with challenges using various educational robotics and programming tools. The study sought to answer two research questions: (1) How does the introduction of robotics challenges in a fifth-grade classroom impact students’ problem solving skills? (2) How do robotics in the classroom impact student interest …

Hands-On, Guided Inquiry Science Investigation And Science Vocabulary Acquisition In A Rural Elementary School, Jennifer Mulder

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Much research has been done to show how inquiry science instruction and inquiry student investigation provide students with hands-on experiences to effectively learn science content in the classroom. Additionally, many methods to efficaciously teach students vocabulary has been thoroughly investigated. However, not much research has been done to study what effect hands-on, guided inquiry science investigation has on student content vocabulary acquisition. Within one rural classroom, fourth graders engaged in hands-on, guided inquiry investigation, and then vocabulary words were explicitly taught and discussed. After that, students practiced the vocabulary words in a variety of ways in pairs and as a …

Developing An Interest In Stem Careers Through Integrated Stem Experiences, Megan Mullen

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study will investigate the effects of integrated STEM experiences on increasing student interest in STEM careers. A qualitative design was conducted. Two research questions were addressed in this study: What happens to students’ interest in STEM careers when I integrate STEM lessons into my classroom? What happens to students’ interest in STEM subjects when I integrate STEM lessons into my classroom? Participants included all students in grade 5 in a rural PK-12 school. Data were collected through student surveys conducted at the beginning and end of the study. Structured interviews were conducted of grade 5 students. Observations of STEM …

Strategies That Promote Elementary Student Stem Engagement, Jennifer Bauer

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Collaboration, creativity, persistence, and critical thinking are all skills encompassed when integrating STEM into today’s classrooms. Empowering students in STEM related areas is essential for students’ future success in the 21^st century and educators must prepare citizens for these types of creative skills (Cook & Bush, 2018). Integrating STEM disciplines through project-based learning and providing real-world situations to solve problems enhances student engagement and achievement in STEM concepts (Cook & Bush, 2018; Hall & Miro, 2016). The topic defined in this research plan focuses on instructional strategies that make STEM more meaningful to science curriculum, as well as engaging …

The Effect Of A Self-Regulated Vocabulary Intervention On Word Knowledge, Reading Comprehension, And Self-Regulated Learning For Elementary English Language Learners, Qizhen Deng

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

English language learners (ELLs) represent an increasing population in U.S. public schools. Research reports from the past two decades suggest a persistent reading underachievement for ELLs. Academic vocabulary knowledge, due to its frequent use in academic texts, contributes significantly to ELL children’s English language development, reading comprehension, and general academic achievement. However, a gap of vocabulary knowledge exists between ELLs and their mainstream peers. One potential approach to address this issue is to help ELLs become mastery independent and proactive word learners. This study examined the effect of a researcher-led self-regulated vocabulary intervention on word knowledge, reading comprehension, and self-regulated …