Elementary Education Commons^™

Impact Of Robotic Challenges On Fifth Grade Problem Solving, Julie Rankin

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

This action research project was designed to investigate the impact of educational robotics in a fifth grade rural classroom. The integration of science, technology, engineering, and math in education (STEM) has sparked an increase of robotics in the classroom. The purpose of the study was to determine if problem-solving skills can be impacted through continuing involvement with challenges using various educational robotics and programming tools. The study sought to answer two research questions: (1) How does the introduction of robotics challenges in a fifth-grade classroom impact students’ problem solving skills? (2) How do robotics in the classroom impact student interest …

Strategies That Promote Elementary Student Stem Engagement, Jennifer Bauer

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

Collaboration, creativity, persistence, and critical thinking are all skills encompassed when integrating STEM into today’s classrooms. Empowering students in STEM related areas is essential for students’ future success in the 21^st century and educators must prepare citizens for these types of creative skills (Cook & Bush, 2018). Integrating STEM disciplines through project-based learning and providing real-world situations to solve problems enhances student engagement and achievement in STEM concepts (Cook & Bush, 2018; Hall & Miro, 2016). The topic defined in this research plan focuses on instructional strategies that make STEM more meaningful to science curriculum, as well as engaging …

Pedagogies Of Possibility : A Study Reconceptualizing The Teacher's Role In A Reggio-Inspired Urban Preschool Classroom., Christina Louise Angleton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education is an innovative and often imitated “way of being” with young children (Rinaldi, 2006). Reggio-inspired teachers enact rich pedagogical stances in their work with young children. In North American contexts, the approach is frequently associated with wealthy, suburban communities. Adopting a feminist methodology, this dissertation explores the pedagogical moves one teacher made as she enacted the identity of a Reggio teacher in an urban preschool classroom. The theoretical framework guiding this study is grounded in feminist poststructural, postmodern, and decolonization scholarship, each of which inform a movement known as Reconceptualizing Early Childhood …

Enhancing Self-Monitoring With Differential Negative Reinforcement Of Alternative Behavior For Increasing Students’ Writing Production, Meghann Torchia

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Writing is a difficult task for many students who find it aversive, and who attempt to escape the task. Self-monitoring and differential negative reinforcement of alternative behavior (DNRA) are two approaches that have been shown to improve quantity of performance, but no studies were found that combined the two methods to determine whether they are more effective in combination than in isolation. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of using DNRA to enhance self-monitoring for increasing writing productivity using a multiple probe, across participants, design. Number of words and number of sentences were measured. For …

Relating Millennial Teachers' Age To Frequency And Variety Of Instructional Technology Use In Elementary Math, Ladonna Marie Tate

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Mathematics instruction continues to be of immediate concern in the United States. The availability of technology has become commonplace in today’s classrooms. However, the integration of technology-assisted instruction involves a paradigmatic shift in traditional mathematical practices. Instructional technology, such as interactive whiteboards, handheld tablets, laptops, software, and desktop-based devices, serves as a tool to aid students in communicating mathematically and conceptualizing mathematical reasoning. Research posits that when teachers can personally adapt to the use of innovation, instructional technology in the classroom can be a rigorous tool used for the development of individualized, student-centered learning. As generational shifts of power take …

A Case Study Of Home Visits Conducted By Kindergarten Teachers In A Low-Income Elementary School, Sheena Brannock Green

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this single case study was to develop an in-depth description of the practice of home visits conducted by kindergarten teachers with students at the beginning of the school year in a suburban, low-income elementary school in North Carolina. The theory guiding this study was Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological systems theory of human development, as it states that important child development occurs in all environments where children interact. Data were collected via face-to-face interviews, mock letters of advice, and a focus group. The purposive sample included kindergarten teachers who conducted home visits, parents of kindergarteners who had a home …

A Guide To How Your Child Learns: Understanding The Brain From Infancy To Young Adulthood, By D. P. Sortino, Jessica Platt

LWLC Faculty Research

In the first of three books in his Brain Smart series, David P. Sortino emphasizes the importance of honoring “miraculous differences in abilities and learning styles” (p. xvii). He illustrates his point with an example of a fifth grade science teacher who brought a live bat to school in order to teach a lesson on species. Introducing a live mammal instead of instructing students to group animals based on their similarities on paper, the teacher stimulated students’ limbic system (hippocampus), which resulted in a higher level of cognition for students in her class. This example captures the essence of A …

Cracked Windows, Broken Mirrors, And Closed Doors: A Critical Content Analysis Of African American Children's Books, Tiffany World

Doctor of Education in Elementary and Early Childhood Education Dissertations

ABSTRACT

There is a current shortage of culturally responsive African American children’s books. Culturally responsive literature provides a positive influence on children of all races and researchers have indicated that picturebooks that are diverse and culturally responsive can affirm cultural and social identities (Crowley, Fountain, & Torres, 2012). The purpose of this study was to examine how the life experiences of African American families are currently being depicted in recently published children’s literature. This study employed a qualitative research design to explore the topic of African American families in children’s literature. The study examined how African American families are represented …

Understanding Preservice Teachers' Spatial Reasoning And How It Affects Their Work With Elementary Students, Michelle R. Metzger,

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Spatial reasoning involves those skills that allow one to mentally picture and manipulate objects which plays a unique role in learning and succeeding in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields (STEM). Despite the urgent need for strong spatial reasoning skills, our current education system spends little time fostering elementary students’ visual and spatial reasoning skills. This is becoming increasingly problematic as the need to become literate in the STEM fields has never been greater.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the spatial reasoning skills that preservice teachers demonstrated and how their spatial reasoning skills were used in …

Effectiveness Of Sight Word And Repeated Reading Interventions In The Primary Classroom, Jordan Ackerman

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of my research is to determine if sight word interventions and repeated reading interventions are effective when it comes to increasing reading achievement in primary age students. These interventions are fast paced and focus on intentional teaching practices of reading skills that are critical for emerging readers. Each intervention lasted 5 minutes. One group received direct, explicit teaching and practice of sight words. The other intervention allowed students more freedom in reading a familiar book, to gain confidence and improve their fluency.

A Dialectical Relational Analysis Of Tesol Quarterly 2006 Special Issue On Race: Discourse, Race, And White Supremacist Ideology, Ginger A. Looney

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

Although the field of TESOL is not racially neutral this dialectical relational analysis examined (1) what discourses did the authors use to deploy race in the articles in the 2006 TESOL Quarterly Special Issue on Race (TQSIR)? and (2) how do these discourses work to either conform to, or resist white supremacist ideology? Analysis of the texts identified four key discourse: racialization, whiteness, emotional labor of racism, and sonic and optic negation of racism. These discourses were examined in the domains of scholarship, curriculum, teachers, and students. In 21 instances, these four discourses work to resist white supremacist ideology. …

Creating Positive Learning Environments In Early Childhood Using Teacher-Generated Prosocial Lessons, Callum B. Johnston, Teresa K. Herzog, Crystal R. Hill-Chapman, Caitlin Siney, Ashley Fergusson

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

A primary motivation for people to behave as they do is the need to belong socially to a group and to have relevance. A positive learning environment for young students is created when students are recognized and accepted by their peers and their teachers, and studies reveal that in such environments, students perform better academically and tend to have fewer behavioral issues. These environments may also act as a buffer against school dropout rates. This study examined whether teaching prosocial lessons to first-grade students in the southeastern United States would create positive learning environments for children who otherwise may not …

Perceived Teaching Style And Academic Growth In An International School Setting, Jamie Elizabeth Martin

Dissertations

The presence of international schools has grown significantly around the world to accommodate a growing need for academic instruction that differs from that provided in local schools and to meet the rapid demands of globalization. As demands for international schools increase, demands for student performance are also increasing.

This quantitative correlational study seeks to determine if correlations exist between teaching style and student academic growth in mathematics within an international school setting. The study also determines if a dominant teaching style exists and if correlations between teacher grade level and teaching style can be made among international teachers who teach …

Morning Meeting: An Examination Of Its Effect On Student Behavior And Peer Relationships, Allison Dooley

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this research was to determine the effects Morning Meeting has on student behavior and peer relationships. Data was collected on student behavior through observations in a first-grade classroom. Negative student behaviors decreased as a result of the implementation of Morning Meeting. Analysis of the data collected suggested the positive impacts Morning Meeting has on student behavior and peer relationships. Positive student behavior and peer relationships create a positive classroom community, increasing student performance. Therefore, Morning Meeting should be a consistent strategy in lower elementary classrooms.

The Use Of Nonsense Words In The Early Elementary, Susan M. Stover

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Impacting Student Learning Outcomes By Addressing Basic Needs Of Students And Their Families, Nicole Gossling

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this school improvement project was to identify how an urban elementary school could impact student learning outcomes by addressing basic needs unmet for children and their families. This was accomplished by first identifying and researching areas of basic needs commonly lacking for families of an elementary school with a high density of need. Next, how to assist families in meeting these needs via community resources and programs was researched and discussed. An existing annual school community building event was expanded to address these needs in a low pressure, familiar environment for school families. Several local community organizations …

Effects Of Movement On Student Achievement, Nicole Davidson

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This literature review explores the effect that movement has on the achievement of elementary aged students. The research provided through scholarly articles, journals, and books, explains why there is a need for movement activities in the classroom and how physical activity effects the engagement and success of children in a positive way. This literature review examines the constructive impact that movement plays on the brain activity of young children in their early developmental stages of life. Studies also provide research that examine how the overall health of children can benefited by the amount of movement that their body receives daily. …

Effects Of Choice On Multiplication And Division Fluency Acquisition For Third Grade Students, Terri Tammelin

All NMU Master's Theses

Students with the most pronounced behavioral needs are the ones missing the most instruction. A three-tiered system of intervention that is data driven and uses evidence based interventions is used within schools to meet the needs of all students. Within this tiered system, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), founded in the sciences of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), are used. Of the many PBIS interventions, instructional choice at Tier I has been established as an effective, low intensity, teacher delivered support that aims to reduce challenging behaviors and increase academic engagement. Instructional choice involves two parts: selection in response to …

Eece 351 Teaching Science In The Elementary School, Line A. Saint-Hilaire

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Digital Storytelling On Astronomy Misconceptions Held By Fourth Grade Students, Pamela Adell Hadaway Wimpey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

For students to be successful in the Knowledge Age, they need a deep understanding of subject area content. When students develop misconceptions of science concepts, it limits their ability to progress in this area. Misconceptions are very resistant to change and interfere with student mastery of accepted science theory (Stamp & O'Brien, 2005; Wendt & Rockinson-Szapkiw, 2014). The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of student-produced digital stories in reducing the number of misconceptions held by students. This quasi-experimental study involved 118 fourth grade students in a small elementary school in the southeastern United States. The MOSART …

The Effectiveness Of Student-Centered Technology Use During Early Elementary Small Group Math Instruction, Brenna Lind

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this action research study was to determine whether students would show more growth when using paper and pencil activities or technology during small group instruction in mathematics, specifically on the skill of telling time. Data was collected from ten second-grade students over a five-week period. The two intervention groups involved in the study met for equal amounts of time and were given the same tests for data collection purposes. The test questions were randomized pictures of clocks that required students to tell time to the nearest five minutes. One intervention group practiced the skill of telling time …

Social/Emotional Interventions And Their Impact On Student Achievement, Janee Carson

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This purpose of this action research project was to determine the impact of combining social, emotional, behavioral and academic interventions and their effects on academic achievement for at-risk elementary students. Data was collected from SAEBRS to determine social/emotional risk and the FAST Early Literacy Universal Screener to determine academic risk. For twelve weeks the researcher implemented Resiliency interventions and targeted 1-on-1 literacy interventions. This was done in addition to Tier 1 classroom interventions and Tier 2 Title interventions. The intervention program was implemented every school day for 15 minutes. The teacher began each intervention session by allowing the student to …

Boosting Reading Comprehension Through Response Activities, Carrie Wilkison

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This action research project was conducted to help determine if the use of written reading response activities would improve reading comprehension when students are reading independently. The study was conducted with twenty 3rd grade students. The students read one text a week for ten weeks and completed written reading response activities before, during, and after reading each text. The reading responses focused on the comprehension strategies of predicting, questioning, visualizing, and summarizing. The goal was for the students to build the metacognitive skill of comprehension monitoring and use the reading strategies when independently reading. Data was collected from teacher created …

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 …

Innovative Teaching Practices To Accelerate Student Learning In The Areas Of Literacy And Science, Michelle Simmons, Paris Bouchard

Dissertations

The researchers of this joint dissertation aspired to create and implement innovative instructional practices that would accelerate student learning. Both researchers believed in the importance of experimenting with structures and processes that lead to instructional impact. They were both passionate about developing an instructional model that would accelerate student learning by focusing on student transfer of skills. They sought to answer the question, Can learning be accelerated when teachers are supported and encouraged to create and implement instructional practices grounded in research? One researcher studied a practice that would potentially increase students’ ability to think critically and problem solve using …

A Qualitative Case Study Examining The Perceptions Of Elementary Principals In The Retention Of Female Versus Male Students In Rural Areas, Lindell N. Brabham

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Retention continues to be an ongoing issue discussed among educators. Current research indicates that males are more likely to repeat a grade than females, and consistent findings indicate that retention rates are higher for minority students. The research question explored the perception of eight elementary principals as it relates to the retention of female versus male students in rural areas. Interviews and focus group sessions were used in this study to allow triangulation of data. Data collected was analyzed, and a total of seven major themes emerged: (a) early intervention/retention; (b) policies and procedures; (c) gender bias; (d) students’ academic …

To Tell Or Not To Tell: Student Responses To Negative Behavior In Elementary School, Brent D. Harger

Sociology Faculty Publications

In this article I examine the factors that influence fifth grade student decisions regarding whether or not to report negative interactions to adults. Data from observations and interviews with students and adults show that there are many factors influencing the reluctance to tell on others. Among them is a school context in which verbal attacks are downplayed and telling is seen as ineffective and stigmatized. This context prevents bystanders from reporting what they have observed and places those with a lack of social support at a significant disadvantage when dealing with negative behavior.

Equitable Access In Education: Access To Joy, Choice Options, And Strong Neighborhood Schools, Noah Hollenkamp, Albert J. Sanders Jr., Lindsay Schuessler

Dissertations

The purpose of this co-authored dissertation was to understand equitable access of quality educational opportunities in St. Louis, Missouri. Through the following research, we present a better understanding of equity and access in education from a classroom level, on a school level, and finally, on a regional level. This collection of research is the effort of a group of committed and concerned educators seeking to understand the ways of making quality education accessible for all families, specifically in the areas of school choice, quality neighborhood schools, and play in the classroom. By equitable access, we mean all families being able …

Elementary Students’ Computational Thinking Practice In A Bridge Design And Building Challenge (Fundamental), Dazhi Yang, Youngkyun Baek, Bhaskar Chittoori, William H. Stewart

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The increased focus on computational thinking (CT) has grown in recent years for various reasons, such as a general concern about (a) a lack of global competitiveness among American students and general literacy in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields (Hsu & Cardella, 2013), (b) maintaining the economic competitiveness of the U.S. (Yadav, Hong, & Stephenson, 2016), and (c) preparing students adequately for a society that is increasingly technological (NRC, 2011). CT can help individuals analyze and understand multiple dimensions of a complex problem and identify and apply appropriate tools or techniques to address a complex problem (Wing, 2010). …

A Phenomenological Investigation Of Early Childhood Education Preparation And Experiences Of California Certificated Elementary School Educators Assigned To Transitional Kindergarten, Elizabeth A. Golchert

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This dissertation represents original, independent research that is a contribution of new knowledge to the field of educational practice. As a new phenomenon in the California public school system, transitional kindergarten (TK) is now bringing about a closer look by researchers at legislative practices, TK program implementation, local school district policies, teacher preparation, and teacher implementation of best practices related to the education of children of approximately four years of age. The purpose of conducting this study was to broadly examine these topics, but more specifically, investigate the problem of children being assigned to teachers who do not have the …