Education Commons^™

An Alternating Treatment Design Comparing Small Group Reading Interventions Across Early Elementary Readers, Madison Billingsley-Ring, Kayla Bates-Brantley, Hailey Ripple, Mallie Donald, Daniel L. Gadke, Sarah Harry

Perspectives on Early Childhood Psychology and Education

Learning how to read accurately and fluently is a critical component for a student’s future academic success. Reading fluency is a skill that many students struggle to master. In addition, many students missed out on key skill development due to the loss of instruction from COVID-19. As schools begin to recover from these educational losses, small group reading interventions offer an efficient solution to service multiple students at once. Small group reading interventions such as Repeated Readings (RR), Listening Passage Preview (LPP) and LPP with RR (LPP+RR) have all been demonstrated to be effective methods for increasing reading fluency. Yet …

Educational Environments And Children's Physical Activity And Sedentary Behaviors, Nathan R. Tokarek

Theses and Dissertations

Children and adolescents spend the majority of their day engaged in sedentary behaviors (SB), while also not meeting physical activity (PA) recommendations. The failure to develop and maintain health enhancing behaviors from a young age may impact an individual throughout their life. With children and adolescents spending a large proportion of their waking hours in a school setting, the educational environment presents an opportunity in which children and adolescents’ PA and SB can be positively influenced. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation was to explore how children and adolescent’s school time PA and SB are associated with the educational setting, …

Teachers' Conceptions And Enactment Of Disciplinary Literacy In Elementary Science Instruction: A Comparative Case Study, Melissa P. Mendenhall

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This case study explores elementary teachers’ conceptions and enactment of disciplinary literacy in elementary science instruction and the interaction between the two. Specifically, the purpose of this research was to describe how four fifth-grade teachers view literacy appropriate to science. Participants for this research were invited to participate by responding to an online survey and were selected based on criteria. Data sources include interviews, teacher artifacts, and observation. Qualitative data were coded, the codes compared to ideas in the field (overall themes), and global themes were generated as sense making tools to describe trends found in each case, case comparisons, …

Defining And Increasing Student Engagement Using Flexible Seating In Elementary Classrooms, Jacklyn Phillips

Culminating Experience Projects

Education has mostly stayed the same since the 19th century, yet students and teachers have changed. Teachers once defined student engagement as the time students spent working on the task assigned. However, today there are many definitions for student engagement; which is correct? Researchers have defined student engagement as anything from "time on task" to seven different levels of engagement (Merwin, 1969, as cited in Trowler, 2010, p. 34; Schlechty, 2011). There is no one standard definition for student engagement. The concern is how educators increase engagement. This project suggests that educators move out of the 19th-century classroom setting and …

Elementary Preservice Mathematics Teachers Fraction Knowledge: An Integrative Review Of Research, Cody J. Perry

Educational Considerations

Elementary preservice teachers struggle with fractions and explaining them despite taking numerous mathematics courses. Therefore, they may have issues when they teach fractions and related concepts. Since fractions underlie many concepts like algebra, improving teachers’ fraction knowledge is imperative. This integrative review of research synthesized findings about teachers’ fractions knowledge to provide potential strategies educator preparation programs (EPPs) can use to improve fraction mastery. The literature shows teachers lacked conceptual knowledge, used incorrect strategies and too few representations, and misunderstood magnitude and manipulatives. However, number lines and teaching conceptually helped improve mastery of fractions. Resolving issues with fraction mastery may …

Examining Elementary Teacher Perceptions And Experiences Of Transitioning From Knowledge-Based To Inquiry-Based Social Studies Standards, Benjamin Stephen Pinnick

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Elementary educators are responsible for the earliest years of student learning in a public setting. The amount of content students are expected to master continues to grow in scope, and the methods that are utilized shift to align with educational research and social momentum. After a decade of Common Core policies, social studies education in elementary schools has become a deemphasized subject. Reading and math, as well as science, have taken a greater precedence in today’s classrooms.

Yet, expectations for the creation of knowledgeable and participatory citizens continue to serve as a goal in elementary schools. Conceptualization of citizenship form …

Public School Elementary Teachers’ Perspectives On Levels Of Workplace Stress And Needed Supports, Rima S. Granados

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed through this study was that public elementary school teachers in the United States have reported increasing levels of workplace stress. Teachers’ stress levels need to be studied and addressed because they affect students as well. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore elementary public school K-3 teachers’ perspectives on their levels of workplace stress and institutional supports needed to reduce workplace stress. Coping-competence-context theory was the conceptual framework. Research questions explored elementary public school teachers’ perspectives on their levels of workplace stress, and their perspectives on the institutional supports needed to reduce workplace stress. …

Elementary Administrators' Perspectives And Experiences Of Supporting Students Through Nature-Based Learning, Amanda Marie Shelley Degoede

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although nature-based learning (NBL) contributes to the development of students, itsinclusion in elementary schools is inconsistent. Researchers have established the benefits of nature to learning and child development, yet there is a gap in the literature on elementary administrators’ perspectives of and experiences with NBL. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore elementary administrators’ perspectives of and experiences with NBL, its support of elementary student development, and its inclusion in elementary schools’ curricula and design. The research questions addressed elementary administrators’ perspectives of and experiences with NBL, how NBL supports student development, and how NBL is included in …

Elementary Teachers’ Perceptions Regarding Behaviors That Lead To Disproportionate Referrals By Race, Susan Johannes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractDisproportionate office referrals through teachers in Grades 3-5 based on their students’ race are documented. At a Title I elementary school in the northeastern part of Virginia, non-White students are referred to the office for behavior issues 5% more times than their White peers. Guided by Bell’s critical race theory, the purpose of this study was to examine Grade 3-5 elementary teachers’ perceptions regarding types of behaviors that are leading to disproportionate numbers of office referrals for non-White students. A basic qualitative research design was employed. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 8 purposefully sampled teachers to explore teachers’ perceptions about …

Elementary Teachers’ Perceptions Regarding Behaviors That Lead To Disproportionate Referrals By Race, Susan Johannes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractDisproportionate office referrals through teachers in Grades 3-5 based on their students’ race are documented. At a Title I elementary school in the northeastern part of Virginia, non-White students are referred to the office for behavior issues 5% more times than their White peers. Guided by Bell’s critical race theory, the purpose of this study was to examine Grade 3-5 elementary teachers’ perceptions regarding types of behaviors that are leading to disproportionate numbers of office referrals for non-White students. A basic qualitative research design was employed. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 8 purposefully sampled teachers to explore teachers’ perceptions about …

Elementary Administrators' Perspectives And Experiences Of Supporting Students Through Nature-Based Learning, Amanda Marie Shelley Degoede

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although nature-based learning (NBL) contributes to the development of students, itsinclusion in elementary schools is inconsistent. Researchers have established the benefits of nature to learning and child development, yet there is a gap in the literature on elementary administrators’ perspectives of and experiences with NBL. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore elementary administrators’ perspectives of and experiences with NBL, its support of elementary student development, and its inclusion in elementary schools’ curricula and design. The research questions addressed elementary administrators’ perspectives of and experiences with NBL, how NBL supports student development, and how NBL is included in …