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Full-Text Articles in Education

Stations: Do They Affect Students' Learning In A Music Classroom?, Leighton Meyer May 2024

Stations: Do They Affect Students' Learning In A Music Classroom?, Leighton Meyer

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

Students in a middle school band class were taught using traditional strategies the first three weeks of the study, then randomly placed into station groups for the final three weeks where they completed a variety of activities at different stations. Data was collected through assessment rubrics of the musical concepts, individual and focus group student interviews, along with a student opinion survey. The quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, displayed using pie charts and bar graphs, and the qualitative data was analyzed using the comparative method. The findings indicated that there was not a significant change in the speed …


How Students Investigate: Understanding Students’ Use Of Scientific Schemas In Open-Ended Labs, J. Alexander Wall May 2023

How Students Investigate: Understanding Students’ Use Of Scientific Schemas In Open-Ended Labs, J. Alexander Wall

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

Schema provides a theoretical framework for understanding the nature of science, inquiry, and open-ended labs. These topics have been emphasized in the state standards, especially in high school sciences. In this study the researcher took field notes, collected lab write ups, and conducted focus group interviews to understand students’ use of schema related to open-ended labs. These data were analyzed with the constant comparative method to generate themes. The author describes the major findings with parallel narratives, one focused on a student’s confusion and the other focused on a student’s understanding. The author concludes by advocating for science teachers to …


Anxious Times Call For Additional Goal Setting Measures: A Look At How Math Anxiety Is Impacted By Setting Goals In An Algebra I Class, Raegan Palacio May 2023

Anxious Times Call For Additional Goal Setting Measures: A Look At How Math Anxiety Is Impacted By Setting Goals In An Algebra I Class, Raegan Palacio

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

This study examined the impact that goal setting would have on Algebra I students’ math anxiety by comparing a control group to a treatment group. Students took the Math Anxiety Survey (Godbey, 1997) as a pre- and post-assessment. The researcher taught a goal setting mini lesson at the beginning of the data collection period to the treatment group (Class B), and students set weekly goals for themselves in relation to Algebra I class. Students in Class B journaled weekly, and some students participated in focus groups depending on their levels of math anxiety. The qualitative data was analyzed using the …


Getting It Write: The Influence Of Growth Mindset On Secondary Students' Perceptions Of Their Writing Abilities, Megan Hertz May 2022

Getting It Write: The Influence Of Growth Mindset On Secondary Students' Perceptions Of Their Writing Abilities, Megan Hertz

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

This study investigated the ways in which growth mindset activities influenced secondary students’ perceptions of their writing abilities and skills. The researcher introduced growth mindset strategies, language, and instruction into two class periods of a 10th–grade English classroom to improve students’ perceptions of their writing abilities and to develop students’ writing skills. Data were collected with pre– and post–intervention surveys, field notes, written artifacts, and individual interviews. The constant comparative method was used to analyze qualitative data to identify significant themes. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze quantitative data. The researcher found the participants expressed improved resilience in response to …


Examining The Effect Of Social Emotional Learning On Student Perceptions Of The Safety And Comfortability In The Theatre Classroom, Emily Wooten May 2022

Examining The Effect Of Social Emotional Learning On Student Perceptions Of The Safety And Comfortability In The Theatre Classroom, Emily Wooten

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

This study examined the effects of social emotional learning (SEL) on student perceptions of safety and comfortability in the theatre classroom. The researcher implemented SEL lessons using a morning meeting/class meeting format. Data was collected using a pre-survey, field notes, and focus group interviews. Data was analyzed using the constant comparative method to look for recurring themes to use for poetic transcription. Four primary codes, entitled “Will You Please Join Us?,” “Friend or Foe?,” “Climbing the Mountain of Anxiety,” and “The Love of Theatre” were used to create their own unique poem demonstrating the thoughts and emotions of the students …


Student Motivation And Engagement In The Middle School Math Classroom: How Can Teachers Respond?, Sarah Janae Mcglothlin May 2022

Student Motivation And Engagement In The Middle School Math Classroom: How Can Teachers Respond?, Sarah Janae Mcglothlin

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

This study investigated the factors that contribute to and take away from middle school students’ active and meaningful participation in math class. The study also sought to gather students’ opinions and ideas for how their teachers could better engage and motivate them in the middle school math classroom setting. Using surveys, student interviews, and a teacher focus group, the researcher gathered and coded data via the constant comparative method and identified the major themes of intrinsic motivators, extrinsic motivators, distractions, and impacts of COVID-19 as key factors. The study also generated the concepts of teacher assistance, lesson style and activities, …


Reading And Writing Like A Scientist: Implementation Of Disciplinary Literacy Strategies In A Middle School Science Classroom, Cameron K. Boyette May 2022

Reading And Writing Like A Scientist: Implementation Of Disciplinary Literacy Strategies In A Middle School Science Classroom, Cameron K. Boyette

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

This study examined what happened when disciplinary literacy strategies were implemented in a middle school science class along with the students’ and teachers’ perceptions of these strategies. The researcher implemented disciplinary literacy strategies that went along with the scope and sequence for seventh-grade science at the time of implementation of the study. She collected data through surveys, observations, and interviews with students and teachers. Data were analyzed through the constant comparative method and coding. When disciplinary literacy strategies were implemented, students showed compartmentalization of reading and writing to their ELAR classes. Teachers showed negative perceptions of their students’ literacy abilities. …


Differentiated Spelling: Using Small Group Instruction, Sara Broughton May 2021

Differentiated Spelling: Using Small Group Instruction, Sara Broughton

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

Spelling instruction is often overlooked by many teachers during reading and language arts. The purpose of this study was to implement a manageable differentiated word study instruction program, drawn from the Words Their Way (WTW) program, to determine how it affected students’ spelling accuracy and how the participants perceived its effect on students’ daily journal writing time in a fourth-grade self-contained classroom. Students were placed into small groups based on their spelling pre-test scores. Data was collected through field notes, student and teacher interviews, a pre- and post-test, and a survey. Qualitative data was analyzed using the constant …


“Math Talks Are Like An Alarm Clock Waking You Up”: Language’S Crucial Role In Mathematics, Ella Wasser May 2021

“Math Talks Are Like An Alarm Clock Waking You Up”: Language’S Crucial Role In Mathematics, Ella Wasser

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

Whole group math talks, or number talks, are a common practice to get students talking about their own understanding of mathematical concepts. The purpose of this study was to implement math talks in small group settings to see what would happen, specifically to students’ conceptual understanding as well their general perceptions of math talks. This study took place in a fourth-grade math classroom, and math talks were implemented with the whole class for a week and then moved to small groups for the remaining three weeks of the study. During the study, a pre-and post-assessment was given, field notes were …


Further Investigation: A Daily Inquiry Practice In The Elementary Classroom, Cyanna Gonzales May 2020

Further Investigation: A Daily Inquiry Practice In The Elementary Classroom, Cyanna Gonzales

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

Researchers have shown that many students lack problem-solving skills. This deficit can be addressed through the implementation of inquiry-based learning. However, many teachers lack expertise in this area. The purpose of this study was to address both issues with a newly created inquiry practice called Further Investigation time, or FI time. The researcher studied what happened when this practice was implemented in a second-grade, self-contained classroom. In addition, student and teacher perceptions of the FI time were studied. Data was collected through the use of observational head notes, student surveys, and individual teacher and student interviews. Qualitative data was analyzed …


Math Talks: Focusing On Student Thought In A Second-Grade Classroom, Jessica Parsons May 2020

Math Talks: Focusing On Student Thought In A Second-Grade Classroom, Jessica Parsons

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

Math metacognition is on the rise. There is an increase in focusing student thought on the process of computation and problem solving. This study examined what happened when math talks were conducted in a general education second-grade classroom and if students’ perceptions of math changed after they participated in math talks. The researcher’s purpose was to more fully understand students’ thoughts related to math. The data was collected through student interviews, student surveys, and researcher observational field notes. Then, the data was analyzed through coding using the constant comparative method and frequency counts. The main themes to emerge from the …


Pointless Or Profitable? Perceptions Of Proactive Circles In A Second-Grade Classroom, Jordyn Arendse May 2020

Pointless Or Profitable? Perceptions Of Proactive Circles In A Second-Grade Classroom, Jordyn Arendse

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

Teachers are plagued with the unfortunate concept of “never enough time” in the classroom, trying to balance meeting the needs of the whole child and meeting the requirements of higher authority. The purpose of this study was to identify student and teacher perceptions of proactive circle and its impact on relationships, as well as its impact on students’ ability to appropriately express their feelings and emotions. The study took place in a second-grade classroom with seventeen students and one classroom teacher. Data was collected through surveys, sociograms, interviews, and field notes. Qualitative data was coded using the constant comparative method, …


Exceptional Mathematics Teachers: What The Learners Think, Brianna Louvier May 2020

Exceptional Mathematics Teachers: What The Learners Think, Brianna Louvier

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

The purpose of this study was to determine high school learners’ perceptions of what makes an exceptional mathematics teacher. The author was a pre-service teacher serving her clinical teaching internship in a high school mathematics classroom in which Precalculus, Pre-AP Precalculus, and AP Calculus were taught. For this study, data was collected through a student survey, one-on-one interviews, and focus group interviews with students. The data was analyzed using the constant comparative method. Four major themes emerged from the data, including the significance of a teacher’s attitude, the importance of a teacher’s desire to help and teach learners, whether or …


Student And Teacher Perceptions Of Math Workstations In A Third-Grade Classroom, Katie Norwood May 2019

Student And Teacher Perceptions Of Math Workstations In A Third-Grade Classroom, Katie Norwood

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

Math workstations can offer teachers an outlet to differentiate instruction in the math classroom in order to better meet student needs. The purpose of this study was to discover how students and the teacher in a third-grade classroom felt about using math workstations. Specifically, the researcher wanted to discover whether or not the students and teacher participants enjoyed using math workstations and whether or not they felt math workstations helped students’ understanding of mathematical concepts. The researcher collected data through student surveys, student and teacher interviews, and observations. Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method to help the researcher …


Formative And Summative Test Process: The Students' Perspectives, Bailey Goodenough May 2019

Formative And Summative Test Process: The Students' Perspectives, Bailey Goodenough

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

Students are assessed using a variety of formative and summative assessments. One West Texas School chose to implement an assessment process using both forms of assessment. The Formative and Summative Test process is a three-day process allowing teachers to collect data, reteach content, and help students meet mastery. The purpose of the study was to understand the students’ perceptions of the testing process, as well to determine if test grades were improving and how the process came to be. The author collected data by distributing surveys, conducting six student interviews and one administrator interview, and observing student conversations. After analyzing …


Growth Mindset In A Fourth-Grade Class, Sierra Bennett May 2019

Growth Mindset In A Fourth-Grade Class, Sierra Bennett

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

In this study the researcher examined growth mindset teaching and its effect on student performance as well as students’ perceptions of their math self-efficacy. The author was a preservice teacher completing her clinical teaching internship in a fourth-grade math and science departmentalized setting. The goal of the study was to implement growth mindset instruction and study its effects on student performance and self efficacy in the subject of mathematics. For this study, the author collected data in the form of pre- and post-surveys, student interviews, and pre- and post-math tests. The students engaged in growth mindset mini lessons throughout the …


Engagement In Science Instruction In A First-Grade Classroom, Corinne Pretiger May 2018

Engagement In Science Instruction In A First-Grade Classroom, Corinne Pretiger

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

Too often, science is pushed toward the bottom of the priority list when it comes to teaching in elementary schools. Focusing on student and teacher perceptions, the researcher of this study wanted to know how this theme or attitude would shift if science became a higher priority in the classroom, for both students and teachers. What do students see as the most important when it comes to engagement and construction of their own learning in science instruction using the Science by Month curriculum? Data was collected for five weeks through student and teacher surveys, interviews, and observations. The constant comparative …