Education Commons^™

A Situated Perspective Of Rural Elementary School Mathematics Teachers’ Planning Practices, Ashley Paige Walther

Doctoral Dissertations

Rural areas are home to approximately 20% of the population in the United States. Schools that serve rural populations are geographically isolated and lack resources when compared to urban and suburban schools. Educators who serve students in rural schools are often born and raised in the same system in which they ultimately work. Elementary teachers are typically certified as generalists. As a result, many report a lack of confidence or proficiency in mathematics. This dissertation offers an analysis of the planning practices of rural elementary school mathematics teachers in a district located in the southeastern United States. The study sought …

Teaching Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder To Mand Within The Inclusive Classroom, Jennifer L. Mcintire

Doctoral Dissertations

Recent federal legislation mandate that students with autism (ASD) be educated within the general education environment and held to high standards of achievement. Many interventions exist to teach language skills to children with ASD. Most have been developed in clinics or segregated settings, and have not been demonstrated as effective within general education classrooms. This research assessed the effectiveness of an intervention to teach two students with ASD to mand (request) within the general education classroom. Generalization and maintenance of independent manding (requesting) skills will be assessed. Both students learned to mand within the natural environment and demonstrated maintenance and …

An Investigation Of Multimedia Instruction, The Modality Principle, And Reading Comprehension In Fourth-Grade Classrooms, Laura Angela Sandoval

Doctoral Dissertations

Elementary-school teachers are faced with the responsibility of finding the most effective ways to educate their students using multimedia approaches. The use of instruction with visuals and audio has resulted in positive learning outcomes on retention and transfer tasks for junior-high and high-school students. This approach that results in the modality principle has been tested less frequently in elementary-aged students.

The purpose of this study was to examine two different multimedia instructional approaches to investigate which condition offers beneficial learning outcomes through recall and transfer assessments during a lesson on different types of energy in fourth-grade classrooms using a Powerpoint® …

Training In Summarizing Notes: Effects Of Teaching Students A Self-Regulation Study Strategy In Science Learning, Michelle Mendoza Nebres

Doctoral Dissertations

The last two decades of national data assessments reveal that there has been a sharp decline in nationwide standardized test scores. International assessment data show that in 2012 a very low amount of American students were performing at proficiency or above in science literacy. Research in science literacy education suggests that students benefit most when they are self-regulated (SR) learners. Unfortunately, SR poses a challenge for many students because students lack these skills. The effects of having learned few SR strategies at an early age may lead to long term learning difficulties—preventing students from achieving academic success in college and …

Deaf Education Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions Of Scientific Inquiry And Teaching Science To Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Students, Shannon Carol Graham

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to describe preservice teachers’ perceptions of scientific inquiry and science teaching to deaf and hard of hearing students. Participants were four deaf education preservice teachers enrolled in a graduate level course on content area methods during their professional internship year. The instructor employed implicit and explicit reflective pedagogy for the science methods section and focused on scientific practices. Research questions guiding this study are as follows: 1) What are deaf education preservice teachers’ perceptions of scientific inquiry? and 2) What are deaf education preservice teachers’ perceptions of science teaching and learning among deaf and …

Perceptions Of Bilingualism And Home Language Maintenance And Loss: A Study Of Latino Parents At A San Francisco Bay Area Elementary Charter School, Emily Mccormick Enstice

Doctoral Dissertations

There is limited research that investigates parent perceptions with respect to their early elementary school children's home language use. To fill the gap in research, this study explores the relationship between first generation Latino parent perspectives of bilingualism, home language maintenance and loss, and the intersection of culture and identity in an elementary school community. It also investigates how parents create an additive bilingual environment in the home.

This participatory action research (PAR) study involved group dialogue sessions and individual interviews in order to engage co-researchers and participants. PAR provided this study with the structure and tools to change and …

The Impact Of Singapore Math On Student Knowledge And Enjoyment In Mathematics, Jenny Taliaferro Blalock

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the Singapore Math curriculum and approach to teaching on enjoyment and knowledge in mathematics in one rural school district in north Louisiana. The quantitative data used were collected from a Math Enjoyment Inventory and a mixed skills pre and posttest. Additional supplemental data were collected from a Teacher Response Form. All data were gathered in the 2010–2011 school year, and an intact population was utilized. Participants were categorized into two groups, the Singapore Math group and the traditional math group. The participating district implemented Singapore Math in the fall …

The Effect Of Literature Mapping Of Basal Vocabulary On Word Knowledge And Comprehension, Andrea Lynn Morris

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether two instructional interventions in reading that utilize literature mapping within a story element frame, T-CaPS MaP via transparency mapping, or computer-designed mapping via Inspiration, would affect reading ability of leveled sixth grade groups. T-CaPS MaP, designed by the researcher, is a combination of well-known story grammars that was used to expand and enhance basal vocabulary instruction. T represents the title of the story, C represents characters in the story; arepresents and; P represents point of view of the author; S represents setting of the story; M represents the mood of …

The Effects Of Instruction Utilizing The Arts On The Academic Achievement Of Fourth-Grade Students, Elizabeth Fallin Manning

Doctoral Dissertations

In this day of accountability, members of state government agencies are looking for ways to increase student achievement, especially in the area of high stakes testing. Louisiana's accountability program has yielded state curriculum standards which identify the content that should be taught by specific grade levels. Teachers are now charged with the responsibility of finding methods to teach these standards. With all of the attention to these academic standards, what is the role of the arts? The Louisiana Institute for Education in the Arts (LAIEA) suggests that the arts are the tools with which to teach these academic standards. This …

Predictor Variables Of Performance On The Louisiana Educational Assessment Program For The 21st Century, June Adeline Thomas

Doctoral Dissertations

Using the Student Characteristics: Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) composite national percentile scores, repeating fourth grade, spring third grade Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) scores, socioeconomic status, race, gender, and preschool attendance and the School Characteristics: teacher degree level, teacher experience, teacher professional development, and school Title I status, this study employed a stepwise multiple regression analysis to determine the best predictors of fourth grade scores on the Louisiana Educational Assessment Program for the 21st Century (LEAP 21). Students must pass the English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics portions of this test to be promoted to fifth grade. Having previously …