Elementary Education Commons^™

Investigating Early-Career Teacher Propensity For Arts-Based Pedagogy, Jamie Allison Hipp

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigates the factors which support the use of arts-based pedagogy in elementary settings. To address the lack of a current profile of an early-career teacher (ECT) with a propensity to use the arts – music, theatre, dance, and visual art – this study illuminates ECT attitudes and behaviors related to arts-based pedagogy. The researcher administered Oreck’s (2001) Teaching with the Arts Survey (TWAS) and employed a non-experimental survey design using purposive sampling. The ECT population studied included currently employed elementary (1-5) teachers who completed the compulsory arts-based pedagogy class at a large Louisiana university in the fall of …

Understanding Student Perception Of Failure To Promote Self Worth, Stephanie Grubaugh

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Teachers strive to create a safe learning environment where students can learn from their mistakes and/or failures. Even though teachers are creating safe spaces for learning, many students will not engage in activities that might be challenging to the point of that students experiencing failure. The purpose of this qualitative action research study is to examine what perceptions students have about failure in order to help teachers find non-material incentives or reward structures to help give students self-worth. The research method involved the collection of data through surveys, a guided research project about the failures of famous people and an …

Effects Of Social-Emotional Instruction On The Behavior Of Students With Learning Disabilities, Kelsey Olson

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Students with learning disabilities who spend the majority of the school day in a general education classroom often struggle to appropriately deal with feelings of frustration and anxiety. There is currently a gap in understanding how special education teachers can support the social and emotional inclusion of students with learning disabilities when they are in the general education classroom. The purpose of this study is to explore the results of implementing a social-emotional curriculum both in a pullout setting and in the general education setting and examine the effect of the program on the behavior of students with learning disabilities …

An Interpretive Study Of African American Female Elementary Principals Experiences In A Southeastern Public Urban School District, Tiffany Marshall

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

This study is an interpretive study of African American female elementary principals’ experiences in a Southeastern public urban school district. The purpose of this interpretive research is to specifically examine five African American female principals’ perceptions of supports and barriers on the career pathway to the principalship in urban public elementary schools. The questions for this research included: How do African American females experience the process of becoming elementary school principals in a Southeastern, urban district? How have African American female principals described their experiences with educational institutions, communities and professional organizations? Tillman and Lomotey’s research is used to explain …

Identifying And Addressing The Educational Needs Of Primary Elementary Latino Males, Sandra Vilas

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand and describe the strategies and practices that exemplary teachers use to address the educational needs of Latino male students from kindergarten through third grade.

Methodology: The researcher selected a qualitative research design to describe and understand the instructional strategies and practices used by district Teachers of the Year from 2011 - 2016 in three counties in Southern California. Through in-depth semi-structured open-ended interviews, the researcher provided a detailed examination of the instructional practices and strategies exemplary primary teachers use to address the educational needs of primary Latino males. The district …

Cybersecurity In The Classroom: Bridging The Gap Between Computer Access And Online Safety, Andrew Malecki

Cyber Security Capstone Research Project Reports

According to ISACA, there will be a global shortage of 2 million cybersecurity professionals worldwide by 2019. Additionally, according to Experian Data Breach Resolution, as much as 80% of all network breaches can be traced to employee negligence. These problems will not solve themselves, and they likewise won’t improve without drastic action. An effort needs to be made to help direct interested and qualified individuals to the field of cybersecurity to move toward closing this gap. Moreover, steps need to be made to better inform the public of general safety measures while online, including the safeguarding of sensitive information.

A …

Analyzing Children's Literature Awards, Literary Criteria, And District Demographics To Create A Diverse And Inclusive Elementary School Classroom Library, Casey L. Lavallee

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Future elementary school teachers are tasked with the responsibility to ensure that the children in their classrooms have access to high quality books every day. This can be accomplished by building classroom libraries with titles that are not only of high literary quality but are also inclusive of the students in the classroom as well as the people these children will encounter outside of the classroom. Children should be able to see themselves represented in the literature they read, and they should also be able to develop empathy for people who are different than they are. Diverse literature can have …

Focused Video Reflections In Concert With Practice-Based Structures To Support Elementary Teacher Candidates In Learning To Teach Science, Julianne A. Wenner, Julie Kittleson

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Recommendations for science education, including elementary education, highlight instructional practices such as using discussion to promote deep understandings of science. A task facing science teacher educators is to craft instruction to support teacher candidates (TCs) to develop skills that will encourage such practices in classrooms. In 2011, we developed and implemented a class activity —the Supported, Collaborative Teaching Model (SCTM)—to focus TCs’ attention on key aspects of science teaching. The SCTM, which is designed around the idea that practical experience is critically important to teacher education, involves having TCs teach science to elementary students in three different grade levels three …

An Exploration Of Elementary Student Responses To The Interest Inventory For Informational Texts Based On The Teacher Disposition Delivery, Alison Elk

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The impact that a teacher can have on their students is monumental. Teachers often are the only consistent figure of authority that a student sees. Therefore, a vulnerable and conformable environment is crucial for students, so they can share their needs and in return have them met. With this in mind, teachers must consider forming their classroom environment, because of how it is received by the students. This study examined the impact that a teacher’s disposition can have on the response of a student through a six-question interview by analyzing the number of words spoken by the students depending on …

An Exploration Of Song As A Strategy To Engage Elementary Students During Social Studies Lessons, Morgan Rome

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to explore how curriculum-related songs provide an engaging atmosphere for elementary students learning social studies concepts. The investigation done for this thesis examines the resources available to teachers in terms of songs to be used for pedagogical engagement of social studies lessons. Through research and video analyzations it can be concluded that students are overall intrigued by the usage of songs in their social studies lessons. During the social studies lessons observed in the video analyzations, the elementary students are focused, exhibit positive body language, participate, and have fun. Since engagement is documented within …

A Study On The Impact Of A Music Looping Technology Intervention Upon Pre-Service Generalist Teachers’ Self-Efficacy To Teach Music In Primary Schools, John Nathan Heyworth

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In Australia, in the current climate of economic rationalism in which there has been an increasing emphasis on literacy and numeracy, funding for specialised subjects like music has been reducing. As a result, generalist classroom teachers are being given more responsibility for delivering effective music education in primary schools. However, the time dedicated to training pre-service teachers in music education in tertiary institutions has diminished. Further, time constraints involved in building pre-service knowledge and skills in teaching music may impact many pre-service teachers’ beliefs about their ability to teach music.

Within these constraints, digital technology may provide a key to …

The Slow Work Of Democracy: Resisting Reductionist Views Of Women And Children, Stephanie C. Serriere

Democracy & Education

In her research article “State your defense!": Children negotiate analytic frames in the context of deliberative dialogue," Hauver offers important contributions to the field of elementary civic education that illuminate how young people apply various analytical frames to make collective decisions. First, I highlight significant contributions of her work, namely children’s capabilities to build perspective-taking through dialogue, which I suggest can be more solidly grounded in a sociocultural framework, not a developmental one. Second, I offer suggestions toward such a theoretical framework that loosens determinism for children’s development and offers a less deterministic framework for women. My review seeks …

Coupling K-12 Music Education With Science, Technology, Engineering And Math (Stem) Curricula: Implementation Of A Stemusic Outreach Program, Mallory Maestri

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Many studies have investigated the effects of music on evoking human emotions and diverse types of brain responses. One study by Juslin and Vastfjall indicates that hearing music can stimulate brain stem reflexes, create emotional contagion, recall episodic memories and provoke visual imagery. Due to the influence music has on human brain waves, researchers have been studying the effect of music on enhancing the spatial abilities of young students. Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) professions rely heavily on spatial skills. Research on the connection of music with spatial skills proposes that when the brain processes rhythm a “mental rotation” …

Improving Reading Through Fine Motor Skill Development In First Grade, Tyler West-Higgins

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Children who struggle with learning to read in first grade, fall behind, and have difficulty catching up with their peers. Research has shown students who struggle to read in first grade, also struggle to read in later years. The purpose of this study was to determine if an intervention to enhance fine motor skills to a select group of students in one class room increased their reading abilities. This was a mixed methods research study which assessed the quantitative data from the running record assessments, and the qualitative data taken by teacher-aide during assessment process post fine motor intervention. This …

Reclaiming Childhood: Effects Of Homework On Elementary Students, Alyssa Bomarito

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The focus of this Capstone project is on homework and its effects on elementary students. This is an important issue because students are being placed under a great amount of pressure and are subject to unnecessary stress. An evidence based argument is offered that homework is not beneficial academically, mentally or emotionally for young students, and is therefore not justifiable for the stress and pressure it puts on them. The three primary stakeholder perspectives examined were those of teachers, students, and parents because of their relation to the issue and for the comparison of each participant's opinion. Scholarly literature was …

An Evaluation Study Of Fifth-Grade Independent Reading And Reading Achievement, Kari Allen

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Independent reading has been implemented in elementary classrooms for decades. However, what independent reading looks like, teacher expectations related to it, and student attitudes toward it differ greatly depending on the individual classroom. Increasing demands on teachers to improve student achievement has resulted in more time spent in teacher-directed instruction and teacher-selected text, and less time for students to read self-selected, engaging text, resulting in lack of interest and purpose for reading (Gran & DeVoogd, 2008). Effective implementation of independent reading is necessary to improve student achievement, increase reader stamina, and build positive attitudes toward reading in general (Lee, 2011). …

Teacher Self-Efficacy In Writing And Instructional Choices: A Correlational Study, Beth Burke

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This quantitative study focused on examining the relationship between teacher self-efficacy and their use of writing practices in teaching writing. Participants included elementary kindergarten through fifth grade teachers in a large school district in northeastern United States. The following research questions guided this study: Is there a statistically significant relationship between overall teacher self-efficacy and the amount of time teachers spend using specific practices in writing instruction? Is there a statistically significant relationship between teaching self-efficacy factor of personal self-efficacy and the amount of time teachers spend using specific practices in writing instruction? Is there a statistically significant relationship between …

Stem Lessons For Promoting 21st Century Learning Standards, Cynthia Faye Sage

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to identify if and how STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) lessons help student progress toward achieving benchmarks in AASL (American Association of School Librarians) 21st Century Learner Standards. This study was conducted in the library media center with 48 kindergarten students participating. The researcher taught mini-lessons for the AASL Standards prior to students participating in the STEM activities. The data were collected on 23 benchmarks included in the AASL Standards. Students were rated on these Standards as beginning, progressing, or achieving. Data analysis indicated that the STEM lessons were an effective means for providing …

Perspectives On Failure In The Classroom By Elementary Teachers New To Teaching Engineering, Pamela S. Lottero-Perdue, Elizabeth A. Parry

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

This mixed methods study examines perspectives on failure in the classroom by elementary teachers new to teaching engineering. The study participants included 254 teachers in third, fourth, and fifth grade who responded to survey questions about failure, as well as a subset of 38 of those teachers who participated in interviews about failure. The study first examines the literature about failure in the contexts of engineering and education. Failure is positioned as largely normative and expected in engineering, whereas in education, learning and failure have a more tenuous relationship. Identity, failure avoidance, failure as part of the learning process, growth …

21st Century Education: The Importance Of The Humanities In Primary Education In The Age Of Stem, Christine M. Reiter

Senior Theses

Taking into consideration the global shift towards innovation and technological development, the rapid changes in the global economy, and the United States Department of Education’s attempts to find a one-size-fits-all solution for America's education woes, our national focus has shifted towards the STEM subjects—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This shift to STEM-focused education has challenged the role of the Humanities in American education, introducing concerns that the overwhelming emphasis on STEM disciplines has pushed the arts, Humanities and human sciences off to the side or even completely out of the picture in American classrooms. In our everchanging technology-focused world, …

Effects Of A Token Economy On A Student With Autism Exhibiting Disruptive Behavior In A General Education Classroom, Taylor W. Webb

Undergraduate Theses

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication, and behavioral challenges; and estimates that one in 68 children in the United States are affected by it (CDC, 2014). This prevalence rate is much higher than that of prior decades and has led to trends and factors related to educational programs that include an increase in the inclusion of students with ASD in general education classrooms. For this reason, it is crucial that teachers have access to efficient, teacher-friendly, and research-based interventions for students with ASD in …

Elementary Education Goat Video: "I Goat This!", Laurie M. Sisler

Agricultural Education and Communication

The purpose of this project was to create an interactive educational video to expand the agricultural knowledge of children in third through fifth grade. The video features goats in effort to improve the next generation’s enthusiasm about agriculture. Consumer agricultural literacy has declined due to most people living at a distance from the farm. Specific objectives were to include interesting information about the terminology used and the tendencies of goats.

The process involved researching this information, contacting the actor, professors, and goat herder, filming the goats multiple times for different animal tendencies, and editing the final video. The video turned …

Differentiation And Technology: A Study Of An Elementary School’S Use Of Technology In Differentiated Lessons, Kelly Dawn Nelson

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine teacher reports and use of differentiation and to examine the use of technology in differentiated lessons. The researcher posed two questions: (a) What is the association between teacher reports of differentiation use and observed differentiation strategies used; and (b) How are teachers using the differentiation strategies of which they are aware when planning and implementing lessons that involve technology in the areas of content, process, product, and learning environment? This mixed-method study used three tools for data collection: a questionnaire, structured observation protocol, and a focus group. The questionnaire and observation protocol …

Program Evaluation: The Impact Of An Elementary Afterschool Program On Educating The Tenets Of The Whole Child, Jacquelyn Faith Jackson

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation was designed to provide an increased understanding of what is involved in providing whole child education. The researcher of this dissertation evaluated teacher awareness, changes in instructional behaviors, and the impact on culture as a result of an elementary afterschool program. All teachers were instructed to focus on their perspective in relation to providing the tenets of whole child education in the studied elementary afterschool program. Throughout this study, teachers were the primary focus implementing strategies which were specific to a rural elementary afterschool program to investigate currently utilized strategies and teacher awareness of the different tenets and …

Maths Games: A Universal Design Approach To Mathematical Reasoning, Kelley E. Buchheister, Christa Jackson, Cynthia E. Taylor

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

By incorporating math games into the classroom, through the principles of Universal Design teachers are able to address mathematical content, reasoning and problem solving, as well as tailoring games to address students' individual needs.

Cultural Studies In The Mandarin-English Dual Immersion Classroom: A Case Study, Vivian Zhang

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis uses a Mandarin-English dual immersion program at a Southern California public elementary school as a case study to examine how culture is taught and learned in the dual immersion setting. Based on classroom observations and interviews with students, staff, and parents, this thesis argues that concepts of “China” and “Chinese culture” are conveyed, constructed, and negotiated by students as well as teachers, both implicitly and explicitly.

Understanding The Expressive Cartoon Drawings Of A Student With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Michael S. Collins

Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on the highly expressive comic drawings of Amy, a child with autism. This study connects larger fields of research: the study of how people with autism spectrum disorder [ASD] process faces and emotions; and, research about artists with ASD. Amy's understanding of emotion was analyzed by asking her to view and identify humans and cartoon characters expressing different emotions. Her ability to illustrate emotion is tested by asking her to respond to various drawing prompts. The study concluded that Amy has difficulty identifying the emotions of humans and cartoons, but she does have the ability to illustrate …

Technology And Student Achievement In Stem Subjects: Perspectives From Teachers In Grades 3rd-5th, Kayleigh D. Hunter

Honors College Theses

The purpose of this study is to research teachers’ perspectives of their role and responsibilities of integrating technology in the classroom and the influence of technology on student achievement. The participants involved in the qualitative research process included seven in-service professional public school teachers. The thirty minute to an hour interviews were piloted using researcher created interview question constructed from previous research on teachers’ perceptions of technology. The questions used were created to specifically answer the researcher’s topic of study; some questions are regarding whether teachers believe success is technology driven and what benefits they think technology brings. The teachers …

The Integration Of Music In An Ela Classroom: Creating Pedagogical Parodies For Elementary Education, Doranna Smith

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The intent of this thesis is to capitalize the effects of using music as a tool in tandem with English language arts in order for students to improve their ELA skills. Songs are already flooding the Internet and social media; such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Vine, echoing in the background of television broadcasts and commercials, and blasting across radio stations and in public areas like restaurants and malls, classroom lessons tied to current songs, are more apt to resonate with students in this era. In lieu of subconsciously humming a song by popular artist such as Beyoncé, Kanye West, …

Explaining The Sociological Factors Associated With The Children's School Participation In Elementary Level, Melanie P. Tolentino, Tereso S. Tullao Jr

Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies (AKI)

This paper identifies the factors such as demographic, economic, and sociological factors that influence the children’s school participation in elementary level. Highlight of this study is explaining the context of mother’s absence in a household as it influences the children’s school participation. This paper utilized both quantitative and qualitative techniques in the data collection and analysis. The data set from Annual Poverty Indicators Survey 2011 was analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression analysis. Selected families with 6-11 years old children whose mothers are working abroad were also interviewed to provide an understanding of the relevance of social resource within …