Education Commons^™

Underserved And Underrecognized: Elevating Teaching Strategies, Special Education Eligibility, And Educational Outcomes For Grade 2-6 Girls On The Autism Spectrum, Jessica T. Ford

Doctorate in Education

This study involved a qualitative exploratory case study research design and employed in-depth online interviews as the primary data collection method. Participants were former or current special education teachers in Minnesota who had worked with Grade 2-6 girls on the autism spectrum and were sourced from professional networks, educational associations, online platforms, chain sampling, and snowball sampling. This study sought to elucidate the reasons behind the underidentification of girls eligible for autism spectrum special education services, streamline their qualification process, reveal practical educational strategies for academic, emotional, and social support, and furnish accessible resources and training alternatives for classroom teachers …

Bridging The Gap Between Doing Math And Teaching Math: Supporting Mathematically Competent And Confident K-6 Preservice Teachers., Athena Novack

Doctorate in Education

Teachers with math anxiety can inadvertently pass along their own anxiety to the younger generation, creating a cycle of math anxiety. This study aims to interrupt this cycle by learning more about math anxiety and self-efficacy of the preservice teacher. This sequential, mixed methods action research study sought to explore ways to decrease math anxiety and increase self-efficacy among preservice teachers by examining how the use of self-recordings and mircoteaching throughout a semester-long course for preservice teachers at a small midwestern university impacted their math anxiety and self-efficacy.

Using the abbreviated Math Anxiety Rating Scale (A-MARS) 20 participants realized an …

Teacher Retention In High-Poverty, Urban Schools, Jill Love

Graduate Teacher Education

Abstract

Teaching has always been about the success of the students. Students who have effective, qualified teachers show the most success. Throughout the years, schools in urban areas have struggled to keep quality teachers within their buildings. Due to teacher turnover in the neediest schools, the students are greatly affected. The students in high-poverty urban schools are some of the lowest performing students across the country. When you pair low performance with significant teacher turnover, the outcome is grim. Research shows that districts and schools need to do more than just recruit qualified teachers, they must also retain them for …

Blended Learning Showing Gains, Jessica Lynn Becker

Graduate Teacher Education

In light of what is known about how children learn and the use of technology in society, blended learning is proving to be an effective teaching strategy to improve student academic achievement. Blended learning is a combination of digital technology with face-to-face direct instruction. The purpose of blended learning instruction is to combine the benefits of face-to-face direct instruction with the personalization and collaboration of digital technology. Blended learning comes in many different models that meet the many needs of teachers and school districts. It has succeeded in improving student academic achievement in different subject areas by allowing students to …

Utilizing The Growth Mindset To Boost Perseverance And Academic Achievement, Emily Anderson

Graduate Teacher Education

In order to be successful in academics and life, children must have a certain level of perseverance, or willingness to work through challenges. Without perseverance, a child may quickly give up or request assistance and, thus, stunt his or her learning and potential. Due to its important implications for success, it would be beneficial for educators to develop perseverance in their students. One method for building perseverance in children is by fostering a growth mindset. A growth mindset is a belief that traits, such as intelligence, are malleable, often through effort and perseverance. When fostered by educators, a growth mindset …

The Impact Of Social-Emotional Development In Preschool, Gena Jadwin

Graduate Teacher Education

The development of children’s cognitive and social-emotional learning is of significant importance in education, specifically in early childhood education. Early childhood administrators, educators, and support staff have noticed an increase in the amount of students displaying underdeveloped or lacking social-skills within preschool classrooms. This paper will analyze and summarize research to explain the relationship between social-emotional skills and temperament, classroom environment, and educational outcomes in preschool aged students. It was found through research that a lack of social-emotional understanding and skills was impactful to a child’s future emotional responses and academic achievement. In order for leaders to best prepare teachers …

Fifth Grade High Suspension Rates And Classroom Behavior Management: An Action Research Study, Yvonne M. Bell

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This action research study was designed to understand the causes of behavioral problems that led to an excessive number of teacher office referrals and school suspensions at a public school in North Carolina and identify behavior techniques and effective modern-day classroom management methods that could be utilized in the classroom to reduce this problem. The sample was formed by a total of 60 fifth-grade students between the ages of 10 and 11 years and six teachers. Data was gathered using parent and teacher questionnaires, school suspension records, teacher write-ups, office referrals, classroom observations, and video conferencing or face-to-face interviews. Based …

Elementary Teacher Professional Development For Computer Science And Digital Game-Based Learning, Christopher Levy

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study research is to understand the professional development needed for elementary school (Grades K–6) educators to effectively teach computer science as part of the Computer Science for All initiative. Two research statements guided this study: Professional development training is needed for Florida elementary school educators to effectively teach the topics in the Computer Science for All initiative; Florida elementary school educators use digital game-based learning to effectively teach the topics in the Computer Science for All initiative. The sample was a purposeful sample consisting of 15 elementary school teachers at an elementary school in …

Parent And Teacher Perceptions About What Leads To Mastery In Reading At Classical Charter Schools In Texas, Brittany Kretz

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Throughout the United States and in the State of Texas there are high percentages of students who are not reading at grade level. This study looked at the activities done at home by families of students who scored above grade level on the Third Grade Reading STAAR from classical charter schools. In this quantitative study, a survey was given to the parents of fourth-grade students and the teachers of elementary students. The families used in the study were from classical charter schools located in Texas. The literature review discusses the curriculum used in classical schools and how reading is taught. …

Correlation Between Instructional School Culture And Student Achievement In An Urban District, Wayman Graham

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The Teachers Talent Toolbox needed a tool that could compile usable information on any given learning institution through data collection and analysis and provide usable qualitative and quantitative data that could be used to identify the causes of low achievement and provide necessary interventions within the school to improve student outcomes. To answer this need, the Instructional Culture Index/Insight Survey was developed by the New Teacher Project in 2016 and has been widely used and implemented in many schools and districts. This survey instrument was validated and deemed reliable by the RAND Corporation also in 2016. The purpose of this …

A Qualitative Case Study Of Teachers’ Perceptions And Practices In Social Justice Education And The Perceived Implications For K‒2nd Grade Children, Tina M. Lageson

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This qualitative case study explored the perceptions and practices of three teachers who teach social justice concepts in kindergarten and 2nd-grade classrooms in an urban school district in the Northwest region of the United States. The research sought to answer the following central questions: (a) What do teachers perceive about how instruction on social justice concepts impact early grade learners in classroom settings? (b) What do teachers perceive about how this instruction influences learner perceptions regarding their role in society? Through a three-phase data collection approach that included teacher and parent interviews, teacher observations with observation debrief, and student artifact …

Teacher Self-Efficacy In Writing And Instructional Choices: A Correlational Study, Beth Burke

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This quantitative study focused on examining the relationship between teacher self-efficacy and their use of writing practices in teaching writing. Participants included elementary kindergarten through fifth grade teachers in a large school district in northeastern United States. The following research questions guided this study: Is there a statistically significant relationship between overall teacher self-efficacy and the amount of time teachers spend using specific practices in writing instruction? Is there a statistically significant relationship between teaching self-efficacy factor of personal self-efficacy and the amount of time teachers spend using specific practices in writing instruction? Is there a statistically significant relationship between …