Education Commons^™

The Relationship Between Classroom Distractions And Off-Task Students, Ashton Harrison, Kathryn E. Wojnar

Honors Theses

Classroom distractions occur on a daily basis and prevent students from being fully engaged with their teacher’s instruction. In this session, elementary education candidates discuss the results of a study in which they documented the sources of students’ inattention.

Blogging In Elementary Classrooms: Mentoring Teacher Candidates’ To Use Formative Writing Assessment And Connect Theory To Practice, Diane R. Collier, Tiffany L. Gallagher

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This paper presents a collaborative approach to professional learning in which classroom teachers mentored teacher candidates to connect theory and practice through formative assessment to improve students’ writing. Professional learning sessions pairing the teachers and teacher candidates occurred in each of the fall and winter semesters in two years of this project. Data were collected at these sessions and during focus group debriefings. The findings are themes related to: lines of communication and levels of collaboration; teachers’ pedagogical decisions about blogging and writing in their classrooms; classroom teachers and teacher candidates enacting formative writing assessment in the blogging platform; the …

Facilitating Experiential Learning Experiences Through A Class Pioneer Day, Ronald Vaughan Morris

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Students experience a reenactment of life on the frontier created by the interaction of their teachers and community volunteers. Students in elementary social studies learn content, skills, values, and dispositions through engaging in experiential learning. The classroom environment is described through a case study of one classroom of fourth grade students with an experienced teacher with deep roots in the community. Teachers develop skills in negotiation with volunteers to accomplish tasks that support student learning. Descriptions of student and teacher preparations in addition to budgetary constraints describe how to replicate the experience. Examples and assessments are provided as well as …

Online Language Arts Instruction In An Elementary Methods Course: Successes And Challenges, Charlotte A. Mundy-Henderson, Callie Martin

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This paper describes the successes and challenges of an assistant professor and her students as they were forced to pivot mid-semester from a traditional face-to-face Elementary Language Arts Methods course to a completely online course due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Increased communication, identifying and sharing valuable resources, and adopting a more flexible attitude when it comes to writing instruction were among the successes of this now online course. While ensuring that online field experiences were meaningful was one of the biggest challenges. Takeaways were that increased communication and flexibility are vital parts of online learning, especially when in an unexpected …

Becoming Independent Readers: A Toolbox Of Close Reading Strategies For Young Minds, Kimberly Anne Petersen

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study explored the practice of close reading for reading comprehension in a classroom of fourth grade students for a duration of six weeks. This study was driven by the problem of practice identified by the researcher’s own observations and a look into the data of her own students. The purpose of this research was to provide students with reading comprehension tools to help them take charge of their own reading experiences and apply strategies that help guide them into a better understanding of the text. The teacher-researcher chose to employ a set of six close reading strategies, …

The Effects Of Project Lead The Way Launch Curriculum On Elementary Girls’ Perception And Career Interests In Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics, Mina Blazy

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The United States has examined the quality of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education since before the turn of the century. STEM educators are still having the conversation around why more women are not joining STEM pathways. Girls and boys as early as birth are curious about the world; through their own lens they learn about gravity from dropping spaghetti on the floor or seeing a small insect on the wall. As children get older they are influenced by the perceptions of their parents and peers.

This study looked at the perception and career interests of girls in STEM …

The Primary Dilemma: Determining And Overcoming Barriers To A Focus On Prekindergarten Through Grade 3, Sarah Turner Lukas, Sarah Turner Lukas

Dissertations

In 2017, reporters of national data in regard to reading ability among American, fourth grade students indicated low proficiency and achievement gaps. These results were also consistent within the state and district under study. There is a need to increase the focus on prekindergarten and primary grade education taking place prior to the grades in which federally mandated, accountability assessments for student learning take place. The purpose of this study is to determine the potential barriers to a paradigm shift at the state and district levels from a focus on state-assessed grade levels to prekindergarten and primary grade levels. The …

The Common Core State Standards In Mathematics For Place Value: Developmentally Appropriate Or Not?, Sarah N. Hughey

Masters Theses

This exploratory case study examines the developmental appropriateness of the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics (CCSSM) for place value for second through fourth-grade students. A correlation analysis was performed on end of year scores from the 2018-19 school year on a standardized norm-referenced test and a conceptually-based interview assessment from the Math Recovery program (AVMR) on 137 students from one school in the Midwest. An item analysis was also performed on AVMR assessments for 70 students from the 2019-20 school year. The results showed that second and third-grade students did not display the expected amount of growth in conceptual …

Structured And Unstructured Movement In Elementary School Classrooms: Effects On Student Performance, Savannah E. Watson

Honors Theses

Research has shown the benefits of movement for adults and children alike. Not only are there physical benefits to movement, including physical fitness and health, there are also mental benefits. In this study, the researchers sought to discover how movement impacts student performance on exit slips and assessments given during a unit of instruction.

Service Learning And The Experiential Learning Cycle In Elementary School, Brittney D. Rose

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

There has been an increase in interest in service learning in the past decade (Kuh et al., 2017). However, there has been less attention given to service learning in elementary school, particularly to service learning that does not focus on academic outcomes for the students (Scott & Graham, 2015). This qualitative instrumental case study utilized focus groups with fifth grade students, interviews with educators, education specialists and a nonprofit representative, and observational notes to explore students’ and educators’ experiences as they participated in a service learning project in conjunction with a nonprofit organization. Findings indicate that specific collaborative practices, such …

Planning For Student Initiative: Creating A Digital Textbook, Ronald Vaughan Morris

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Undergraduate students enrolled in a university class created an elementary social studies book delivered to computers, personal communication devices, and tablets. Students worked in an interdisciplinary team to create the interactive platform. The students worked with both university and community partners to create the text. The study presented described both the content and the process of student generation of material followed by community member review, and the revision cycle used by the students to create features and components of the text materials. A variety of false starts and marketing challenges reflect the obstacles undergraduate students face when creating marketable products …

We Are History Too: Using Text Sets To Honor Latinx Stories In Social Studies And Ela Integrated Instruction, Sara B. Demoiny Ph.D., Jessica Ferreras-Stone Ph.D.

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Recognizing the need include more Latinx voices and experiences in elementary social studies curriculum, the authors discuss using texts sets as a way to develop integrated and meaningful social studies instruction. The authors define text sets, provide resources for creating Latinx text sets for integrated social studies and ELA instruction, and include a specific example of how to use a text set focused on Latinx activism in the classroom.

Differential Effects Of Digital Vs. Print Text On Reading Comprehension And Behaviors In Students With Adhd, Lara Nash Campbell

Theses and Dissertations--Curriculum and Instruction

This study was conducted using a qualitative single-case, embedded design in a 4th grade elementary classroom with five participants. One purpose of this inquiry was to evaluate the differential effects between digital and print text on reading comprehension of literary texts on students with ADHD. A second purpose of this study was to evaluate and determine the differential effects reading digitally and from print have on specific off and on-task reading behaviors with these same participants. The goal of this research was to generate a comprehensive case description and analysis that will contribute to the evolving theories of best practice …

Levels Of Feedback In Preparation For A Student-Led Conferencing Event: A Case Study Of Elementary Students' Experiences, Cherise Williams

Theses and Dissertations--Curriculum and Instruction

According to the literature on student achievement, the classroom teacher and effective feedback are two of the most influential factors that affect students’ performance (Hattie and Timperley, 2007). Teacher feedback is an effective and efficient instructional strategy that can bridge the gap between a student’s actual level of understanding and the level required to become independently successful. There are multiple types and levels of feedback that teachers may employ to support students’ work. It is important that a teacher utilizes various levels of feedback, particularly levels that pertain to the task (FT), the process (FP), and student regulation (FR) skills …