Elementary Education Commons^™

Using The Raap Strategy To Promote Communication Skills For Students With Multiple Disabilities, Hannah Millard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the RAAP strategy on students with multiple disabilities and their ability to produce multi-symbol messages. Using a single-case, multiple probes across participants design, 4 students with multiple disabilities participated in this study. They were taught how to answer reading comprehension questions through the RAAP strategy and access to a communication/core board.

Results indicated a functional relation between the RAAP strategy and the student’s multisymbol messages. Three of 4 students increased their multi-symbol messages and made progress with the intervention as it was planned. One student needed the intervention to …

The Study Of Morphological Awareness For English Learners, Jane Beeninga

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

English Learner (EL) students in American schools are becoming increasingly common, but there does not seem to be enough support for these students. This is causing EL students to fall behind in content areas such as reading (Richards-Tutor et al., 2016). The purpose of this study was to investigate what barriers are keeping EL students from succeeding in reading. After identifying a need for vocabulary instruction, the researcher will be conducting a morphological awareness intervention to improve EL students’ ability to figure out unknown words. Morphological awareness is the understanding of a word’s smaller units such as prefixes, suffixes, and …

Challenging Student Behaviors And Teacher Well-Being, Dannah Steele

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Classroom management is a necessary component of a teacher’s classroom in order for students to learn in a safe environment. When a teacher is unable to manage his or her classroom because of dangerous and disruptive behaviors, it can be physically dangerous and impede the learning of others. Teachers frequently exposed to challenging behaviors experience high levels of stress that transcends into their personal lives. The purpose of this study was to determine how administrators can better support teachers who experience high levels of stress incurred from working with students who exhibit challenging behaviors in the classroom. Data collected through …

The Sel Implementation Monkey: Identifying Factors That Serve As Barriers To The Successful Implementation Of Sel In The Classroom And School Setting, Aron Dody

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify factors that served as barriers to the successful implementation of social and emotional learning in the classroom and school setting. This study utilized a reflective case study approach concerning USD 417’s social and emotional learning implementation journey.

The research questions for this study were: 1. What factors or conditions serve as barriers to the implementation of SEL in the classroom and school setting? 2. What resources or supports would lead to increased fidelity amongst teachers in the implementation of SEL in the classroom and school setting?

The reflections and data were used …

How Does Parental Involvement Shape Kindergarten Readiness In One Title 1 Classroom?, Kiristen Moriah Boles

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was to explore the role parental involvement plays in Kindergarten readiness in Title 1 schools. The theoretical foundation used to support this research was Epstein’s 6 model construct of parental involvement. For this study, a compilation of qualitative and quantitative data was used based upon the question being researched. The target sample was 20 Kindergarten students in a Title 1 elementary school along with 20 of the parents. The data collected was composed from scores from state assessments, teacher created assessment data, a parent climate survey, and parent communication logs.

The results suggested …

Phenomenon-Based Instruction In The Elementary Classroom: Impact On Student Engagement And Achievement In Science Content Learning, Chris Taylor

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Phenomenon-based teaching is a multidisciplinary instructional approach based on student inquiry and problem solving. Students investigate and solve their own questions by applying what topics are relevant to the problem. The goal of phenomenon-based learning is to prepare learners to solve problems in real life. Instead of passively learning abstract or disconnected concepts, phenomenon-based instruction provides student’s rich and meaningful context to the subject by actively engaging them to discover knowledge and skills required to solve the problems. Phenomenon-based instruction gives students the opportunities for discourse, argumentation-using claims with supporting evidence, and making sense of the material being covered, ultimately …

Hands-On Stem: Chemistry, Physics, And Other Science Resources For K-12 Education, Lisa Ahlberg, G. Brendan Cross

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Steam Explores Project Based Assessments, Erica Luvone, Loretta Radulic, Joe Mondanaro, Nicole Acevedo, Erika Dent, Ann Rhodes

STEM Month

This year, our approach to STEAM explores project based assessments in the disciplines of science and social studies. Students work in groups to produce projects that showcase work and proficiency. These projects are presented, displayed, discussed, and revisited or revised at student discretion.

Re-Examining Writer’S Workshop For Emergent Writers In Kindergarten For The Inclusion Of Developmentally Appropriate Practice, Taylor C. Randall

Masters Projects

Writing’s importance in the classroom has been pushed aside by the recent push for reading and math instruction (Cutler & Graham, 2008). In early childhood classrooms, the amount of time spent on writing is limited and early childhood teachers are feeling unprepared to address the needs of their students (Cutler & Graham, 2008; Haland, Home, and McTigue, 2018; Korth et al., 2017; Pelatti, Piasta, Justice, and O’Connell, 2014). From a theoretical perspective of social constructivism, social cognitive theory, and emergent literacy, teachers will build on what students already know and can do and support within the social constructs of the …

How Rhythm Affects Prosody, Mckenzie Ward

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

Music interventions and how they benefit reading fluency have been researched, but there is more to be done in discovering the benefits of rhythm and prosody. This quantitative research study looked at how rhythm-based interventions affect student prosody in a second-grade classroom. Data were gathered from a music experience survey, a prosody pre-assessment, and a prosody post-assessment. The music intervention in this study involved three rhythm-based interventions called “DeeDee games.” This research analyzed and compared the growth between the prosody pre-and post-assessments and the results between students with musical backgrounds and students without musical backgrounds. This study found insufficient evidence …

Curiosity, Motivation, Autonomy, And Lifelong Learning In Education And The United States Marine Corps, Cynthia Malmquist

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

Curiosity, intrinsic motivation, and autonomy-supportive teaching all promote lifelong learning in both the classroom and Marine Corps. Humans are all born with curiosity. Children inherently practice forms of intrinsic motivation. Most would agree that they do not like being micromanaged - they enjoy a sense of freedom when completing tasks. Despite this, many students learn in a controlling environment and many Marines work under controlling leaders. Though a large amount of time is spent on learning through the first 18 years of life, lifelong learning does not come naturally and is not commonly practiced. The research and ideas discussed below …

Inservice Middle School Teachers' Understanding Of Views Of Nature Of Science (Vnos), Merika Charupoom, Emily Carter, Yasmeen Hernandez

Undergraduate Research Symposium Podium Presentations

What is a misconception? A view or opinion that is incorrect based on faulty thinking or understanding. Misconceptions may originate from personal experience, imprecise language, lack of examples and non-examples in concept formation, media representation of phenomena, errors in logic, and textbooks. Often occurs from the inconsistency in science curriculums among instittuions and education systems.

Effects of Misconceptions: Gap in knowledge/understanding that is taught from teacher to student; Decrease in the academic success of students.

Nevada is ranked 49th in educational attainment, 42nd in school quality, 46th in best school systems in America.

One way to help us understand whether …

Steam Report By Summer Diaz, Summer Diaz

STEM Month

Hi, my name is Summer Diaz. I am 10 years old and a student at Theodore Roosevelt School (TRS) in Weehawken. I am here to talk to you about my process through STEAM. STEAM is a very important and difficult task to do because I have done many projects involving STEAM like my Umbrella Holder that I made when I was 8 in 3rd grade. Which prevents having so much groceries in your hand when it’s raining so you only have to hold one thing. Then my most recent project is Finder which prevents you from losing your lost devices.

3 Stem Projects By Fares Soliman, Fares Soliman

STEM Month

My name is Fares Soliman. I am a fourth grade student from John Hill School Boonton NJ. I created a 3 STEM project. The first project that I made was a doll. I used pink yarn for the dress and brown yarn for the hair. I also used a round wooden ball for the face. The second project that I created was a diorama of a farm. I put some grass, trees, a barn, hay sticks, some animals, a bridge, a fence, some plastic food and corn for the crop. My third project was a diorama of a park. It …

Creative Stem Learning By Third Grade Students, Devon Marques, Jennifer Curry, Rebecca Kreider

STEM Month

At Sandshore School, STEM is infused in students’ week through the engagement of challenges and project based learning activities created and planned by our media specialist. For students, these hands-on learning activities allow time for students to collaborate with peers, express their individual ideas, learn through trial and error, and critically think using problem solving skills. Students thrive in this type of learning environment while learning skills to build self-esteem, confidence and communication. STEM education is not only engaging for all types of learners, it also provides students with real life skills targeted for success.

YouTube Link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6edisr7YAc&feature=youtu.be

Evaluation Of Communities In Schools Of Kalamazoo, Randall W. Eberts, Zachary Brown

Upjohn Institute Technical Reports

This report evaluates the impact of intensive student support services provided by Communities in Schools of Kalamazoo (CISK) to elementary students of Kalamazoo Public Schools (KPS). These intensive services typically follow a case-management format and include activities related to academic assistance, basic needs, enrichment/motivation, and life/social skills. Our evaluation examines the following student outcomes: the value-added of NWEA tests for reading and math, attendance rates, and the number of days of unexcused absences. The first two outcomes, reading and math scores, measure student achievement, and the latter two outcomes measure student engagement and student (and parent) behavior. Although KPS considers …

A Holistic Approach To Combating Stereotype Threat In Stem Among Elementary Children, Tiffany Berry, Hope Tiboni

Psychology Student Scholarship

Tiffany Berry ’22, Majors: Biology and Psychology

Hope Tiboni, ’22, Majors: Psychology and Health Policy and Management

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Saaid Mendoza, Psychology

Past research has established that concerns about being negatively stereotyped can impact the academic performance of marginalized groups. These stereotype threat effects may be moderated by external factors (i.e., role models, social support) and internal factors (i.e., identity, resilience). We integrate these approaches to promote success within STEM-interested children, particularly young girls. Specifically, we propose a practical toolkit that can be used in elementary schools as a theory-driven holistic intervention for mitigating stereotype threats.

Teachers’ Perceptions On Implementing Read 180 During The Covid-19 Pandemic For Grade 3-5 Students In A Georgia Public School, Monika Nicole Whitmire

Theses and Dissertations

The problem addressed by the study was to examine the effectiveness of the implementation of the Read 180 Universal reading intervention program for students who struggle with reading during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this case study was to describe teachers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of the implementation of the Read 180 program for elementary students in a grades 3-5 Georgia elementary school during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative research paradigm has been used in the research described below.

A case study involved semi- structured interviews of 12 general ELA teachers in grades 3, 4, and 5. A thematic …

The Race To Leadership Effectiveness: A Study On School Organization For High And Low Performing Georgia Schools, Willie Batts Ed.D., Robert B. Green Ph.D., Jiri Stelzer Ph.D., William F. Truby Ph.D., Daesang Kim Ph.D., Megan Lyons Ed.D., Kelly C. Dreger Ed.D.

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

With the adoption of such initiatives as No Child Left Behind (NCLB), Common Core State Standards (CCSS), and the College and Career Readiness Performance Index (CCRPI), there is increasing pressure for students to meet and exceed performance expectations. This is easier said than done, especially given that not all organizational structures are helpful to student performance. A quantitative, correlational study was done to determine the relationship between school organization and school performance within Georgia schools. Subgroup comparisons between high and low performing schools were included in analyses. Results showed that high organizational effectiveness was associated with high student performance outcomes. …

Scholars Electives 4400y: Stem2stern Final Deliverable, Amit P. Sayal Mr.

Community Engaged Learning Final Projects

No abstract provided.

Effect Of 100% Virtual Learning Modality On Middle Level Learners, Madison Stanton

KU Inspires! Undergraduate Research Day

Teachers and students have been incorporating technology into instructional practices for quite some time. Technology has multiple benefits. However, concerns have been developing due to the increase in technology. While these concerns were being explored, the COVID-19 pandemic hit causing schools to move quickly to 100% virtual learning. Our investigation sought to identify the effects of 100% virtual learning modality on middle level students from their teachers' perspectives. Findings will be shared and solutions discussed.

Keywords: Technology, Middle School, Perspectives, COVID-19, Virtual Learning, KU BEARS.

Conceptualization Of Steam Education In The Elementary Classroom, Virginia Olmert Mccullough

Theses and Dissertations

Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) education is an instructional approach to education in which students demonstrate creative approaches in experiential, inquiry-based learning within the STEM disciplines. Despite the national focus on STEAM education, there exists considerable uncertainty as to what constitutes STEAM education and how classroom educators make sense of their conceptualization of STEAM in their classroom within the state of Georgia.

The method of conceptualization is the internal processing of thoughts that produce new ideas or knowledge. This descriptive case study offers thoughtful new insights on how educators in a STEAM-certified elementary school in a school district …

Effects Of Interdisciplinary Instruction On Students' Connection Of Knowledge Across Learning Domains, Karley Becker

Honors Projects

This research examines the use of interdisciplinary instruction in the early education classroom and how it impacts students' connection of knowledge across learning domains. This study looks specifically at a second-grade classroom in a midwestern state. The primary learning domains of social studies, science, mathematics, and language arts were focused on. The study is broken up into two phases: observation and implementation. Prior to the observation phase, a four-part interdisciplinary lesson plan on dinosaurs was created, including transition activities, vocabulary, state standards, and activities. After the creation of the lesson plans, the observation phase took place in which a typical …

Mathematics Is Art: The Impact Of A Non-Traditional Metaphor On Teacher Mindset And Instructional Practices In Mathematics, Karise Mace

Education Doctorate Dissertations

Many teachers hold the belief that one is either a “math person” or not, which impacts their mathematical mindset and instructional practices, and in turn impacts their students’ mindsets and learning experiences. Fostering the development of a mathematical mindset in teachers is critical to dispelling the “math person” myth. As we are metaphorical in nature (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980), the metaphors that we use to conceptualize mathematics are born out of and impact our experiences in its study and provide a means for eliminating this myth. In this mixed-methods study I sought to understand the metaphors that in-service elementary teachers …

The Analysis Of Home In Children's Picture Books, Lynn Auguste, Jinhee Kim

Symposium of Student Scholars

The continued implication, either implicit or explicit of the word “Home” in children’s books has brought researchers from all over the world to investigate the topic and try to explain the true meaning of home and why it matters in children’s literature. Home does not always imply physical building as most people tend to think; there is more to it than just construction. The purpose of the research is to analyze how the home is represented in children’s books. By doing this, the research intends to provide a better understanding of the home and discuss what should be considered when …

Teaching And Integrating Women’S Studies Into The Classroom: Perspectives Of Elementary Teachers, Thomas Lucey

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Women’s studies represent an underappreciated aspect of elementary education. Whether or how classrooms and their resources portray, present, and value women role-models informs both boys and girls about what passes for acceptable communication, treatment, and conduct towards women. Indeed, the extent to which and the basis that a young citizenry is taught to appreciate others informs the nature of the conversations engaged.

This paper describes the results of a research study that interpreted elementary teachers’ perspectives of women’s studies in elementary settings. The online survey was administered as part of the registration for two workshops that prepared teachers in the …

Designing A Tool And Cooperative Learning: A Macos Inspired Activity, Jeffrey Byford, Jennifer Cordero, Alisha Milam, Kate Chambers, Presley Shilling

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

This simulation activity presents how elements of Man: A Course of Study (MACOS) can be implemented into the social studies classroom. Inspired by the Tool-Making Activity found in MACOS, this modified simulation activity prompts students to design an instrument to peel an orange as they discuss life and daily tasks related to the Great Plains settlement.

The Wheels On The Bus Go Round And Round: Rethinking The St. Louis Busing Program, Tango Walker, Ketosha Harris

Dissertations

This autoethnography shares our personal experiences and counter-narratives in the St. Louis busing program. Through our mission we expound on experiences and real-life situations as seen through our lens as a student and a mother in the St. Louis busing program. Critical race theory (CRT) was used as an essential framework allowing us to focus on the following four tenets: counter-stories, permanence of racism, whiteness as property, interest convergence. (Anderson, et al., 2017). Critical race theory (CRT) is the framework in social sciences that examines society and culture as it relates to categorization of race, law and power (Lynn & …

Better For Gifted Students? Comparing The Sem-R Program For Gifted And Typically Gifted Students, Catie Snowden

Masters Theses/Capstone Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine if the Schoolwide Enrichment Model in Reading will raise comprehension and retelling in typically developing and gifted and talented students. The research questions ask whether the program will increase comprehension (question 1) and if the program was more effective for the gifted students versus the general classroom population (question 2). The Schoolwide Enrichment Model in Reading was implemented through a 4-week study with pre- and post- assessments to measure the changes in comprehension and retelling. The results showed that the Schoolwide Enrichment Model in Reading was effective in raising comprehension and retelling …

Culturally Diverse Literature And Social Inclusion In Elementary Classrooms, Amanda Works

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Theoretical Proposal