Elementary Education Commons^™

"Brandon School", William Lindsey Mcdonald

Research Articles

The Brandon School was established in the East Florence industrial area of Florence, Alabama in 1893 as Florence's Sixth Ward School. Due to lack of funds, the school was closed before being reopened by Charles Brandon, a proponent of educational efforts among the children of factory workers of the Cherry Cotton Mill.

Photographs of the Brandon School's faculty and second and third grade classes are available in the William Lindsey McDonald Image Collection.

Exploring The Stress Coping Strategies Of Indonesian Elementary School Teachers: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Anak Agung Gede Agung, I Ketut Gading, Basilius Redan Werang, Ni Luh Putu Agetania

The Qualitative Report

Teachers play a pivotal role in delivering quality education and shaping students’ future lives. The growing demands and responsibilities on teachers can lead to physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion, which threatens their well-being—a condition commonly referred to as work stress. Our study aimed to explore the strategies used by elementary school teachers in Bali Province to cope with work-related stress. This study adopts a qualitative research approach with elementary schools in Bali Province, Indonesia, serving as the research setting. A phenomenological research design was employed, involving 25 purposively selected teachers as participants. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed …

Influence Of Restorative Justice Practices On Student Behavior, Shawn N. Clemons

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore how teachers in culturally diverse suburban U.S. elementary schools perceive the implementation of restorative justice practices as an influence on student behavior. The researcher collected data through questionnaires and semistructured interviews of 14 elementary teachers currently employed in a suburban elementary school who actively use restorative justice with students. Findings from the study indicated the restorative justice practices contribute positively to school culture by prioritizing relationship building, structured conflict resolution, and inclusive practices. The findings from this study can be used with teachers, administrators, district support, and school board …

Supporting The “Feelings And Language Of Thinking” And Meaning-Making In Elementary Student-Directed Inquiry Projects, Katarina N. Silvestri

The Language and Literacy Spectrum

This qualitative study investigates how three teachers attend to and pedagogically support socioemotional aspects of fifth-grade students’ learning during student self-directed inquiry projects called the Kids Inquiry Conference (KIC) using Spradley’s domain and taxonomic analyses of classroom observation and interview data. Theoretical underpinnings meet at the intersection of affective neuroscience, socioemotional competencies, and a Deweyan perspective of inquiry learning, emplacing this study within literature exploring the range of affective factors impacting elementary learners engaged in student-centered inquiry projects (e.g., identity work, motivation, self-regulation, etc.). KIC involved students self-selecting and developing research questions, designing a science activity, writing up a scientific …

Learning Contracts In A Fourth-Grade Math Classroom, Kaylyn M. Hays

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

This study explored fourth-grade students’ and their teacher’s perceptions of learning contracts in a math classroom, as well as their potential impact on assessment scores. Over four weeks, students alternated between using and not using contracts. During week three, participants completed a survey of Likert scale and open-ended questions; select students and the teacher were then interviewed. Field notes were taken weekly. Initial data was coded with level 1 codes, followed by level 2 codes derived from the first round. Themes were developed through indexing and analytical memos. Findings showed that students’ opinions of learning contracts were mixed: roughly equal …

Supporting Elementary Educators Through A Nervous System Regulation And Social-Emotional Learning Skills Workshop Intervention: An Musc Capstone Project, Lily Morgan

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Doctoral Capstone Symposium

Teachers have a great influence on developing children’s emotional intelligence, regulatory capacity, and occupational engagement. These professionals also happen to report some of the highest rates of stress, mental health challenges (Agyapong, B. et al, 2022), and burnout (Xie, M., et al, 2022). Providing teachers with education and support on nervous system regulation, social-emotional learning skills, and related topics can improve their ability to manage job stress, enhance modeling and interactions with students, and improve their quality of life. This project aimed to enhance knowledge, provide access to resources, and serve to support elementary educators at an inner-city school in …

Enhancing Elementary Students Conceptual Understandings Of Scientific Phenomena: The Impact Of Steam-First And Stem-First Approaches, Michael W. Corrigan, Joseph T. Wong, Doug Grove, Sage Anderson, Bradley S. Hughes

Elementary & Secondary Education Faculty Research

This study delves into the realm of student conceptual change, examining shifting understandings as important steppingstones on the path to sensemaking and canonical understanding in science education. It explores the potential of a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) curriculum, aiming to provide equitable learning opportunities, especially for emerging bilingual (EB) student populations. To achieve this, elementary school educators from randomly assigned schools received professional development training to implement a novel curriculum encompassing both STEM and STEAM (STEM + Arts) approaches to life science instruction. These approaches comprised: (1) an NGSS-aligned STEM unit employing inquiry-based science instruction; (2) an …

Students Obtaining Tools To Achieve Regulation (Soar), Lacey D. Sanguinito

Entry Level Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstone Projects Class of 2025

Students Obtaining Tools to Achieve Regulation (SOAR) is a doctoral capstone project that addressed the need for integrated social emotional learning (SEL) in elementary education. SEL is an evidence-based approach shown to improve academic outcomes, behavior, and long-term life success, yet implementation barriers remain in school settings. This project aimed to enhance student regulation, classroom engagement, and teacher confidence in SEL techniques through a multi-tiered approach. A scoping review of SEL literature identified the implementation methods and barriers to SEL curricula in elementary education, which informed the development of SOAR. SOAR consisted of (a) a 20-session, movement-based SEL curriculum targeting …

Teaching And Learning As Negotiation, Brian C. Rose, Sara Myers

Journal of Educational Research and Innovation

This paper reports data from a study investigating the nature of student-teacher interactions in elementary classrooms. These data suggest that while teacher candidates approach their work with school-aged children as a form of negotiation, teachers engage in negotiation with children in a variety of ways to meet a wide range and professional needs. These findings provide direction for teacher educators who support teacher candidates’ in developing an increased repertoire of interactional strategies that support student learning and teacher efficacy.

Benefits Of Dual Immersion Programs On Elementary School Students, Belle Sanchez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This senior capstone research project aims to share the benefits of dual immersion programs in elementary school years. Understanding what a dual immersion program is and knowing the different models within the program allow parents to select which program is best suited for their students. A key point in clarification is that a dual immersion program does not aim to replace an English, or standard, education program, but adds a target language to enhance the students learning. This study looks at the overall benefits that students can gain in elementary school, from kindergarten through fifth grade, sometimes through eighth grade. …

A Phenomenological Study On The Effectiveness Of Induction Programs To Prepare Second- And Third-Year Teachers To Meet The Needs Of All Students After The Covid-19 Pandemic, Mary Henschel

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative descriptive study was to identify and describe how second- and third-year elementary school teachers who participated in induction programs perceived the efficacy of the induction programs in preparing them to design and implement effective instructional programs to meet the needs of all students after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methodology: This phenomenological qualitative descriptive study explored and described second- and third-year teachers participating in induction programs to learn how the induction programs support new teachers after the COVID-19 pandemic. Using convenience sampling, structured interviews were held with 12 participants from Los Angeles County to learn …

Critical-Race Elementary Schooling: Critical-Race Teacher Change Agents Are Challenging Whiteness In Elementary Schools, David R. Rosas

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Children in elementary schools think, talk, and reason in big ways that reflect how they live and experience race, racism, and racialization. Some elementary school teachers -- or critical-race teacher change agents -- intentionally include this work in their classrooms. My aim is to find out what motivates critical-race teacher change agents to challenge Whiteness in their classrooms and understand what they say they do to challenge Whiteness with young children.

An emphasis on racial-justice work in elementary schools has often been overlooked by teacher education and has been further pushed back by the recent backlash on critical race theory …

Responding To Disruptive Behaviors In The Classroom, Tatum Bernet

ENGS 15.11: Design and Education

This lesson is designed to prepare Teaching Assistants to effectively respond to disruptive behaviors in the classroom with a 3-step evidence-based framework. It is centered around the overarching idea that all behaviors are a form of communication. The role of an educator is to create an environment that supports learning for all types of students and to teach children how to appropriately communicate their emotions/needs. The 3-step Behavioral Support framework is as follows: 1) Identify behavior 2) Identify the why 3) Identify intervention.

Klondike Elementary School: Serving Purdue And The Local Community And Empowering Students From Around The Globe Through High-Quality Learning Experiences Accenting Diversity And Inclusion, Jingyuan Zhang, Yan Ping Xin

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Disabilities Awareness Program (DAP) aims to cultivate an understanding of disability and inclusion among young children through accessible instructions, age-appropriate activities, and engaging discussions. We want to take this opportunity to introduce one of our school partners - Klondike Elementary School (KES), to recognize its contributions to DAP in providing service-learning opportunities and showcase KES as one of the community partners.

A Positioning Theory Analysis Of Interaction Surrounding Design Failures In An Elementary Engineering Club, Katarina N. Silvestri, Mary B. Mcvee, Lynn E. Shanahan, Kenneth English

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

This qualitative study applies Positioning Theory to identify positions that mediate the experiences of design failure within the context of an afterschool engineering club (EC) with elementary students diverse in language, race, ethnicity, gender, and academic abilities. We ask: (1) What kinds of structural design failure and failure responses did participants in EC experience? and (2) What are students’ and teachers’ positions in relation to responses to design failure? Types of positions (e.g., builder, tinkerer, idea-elicitor, director, observer) were identified in relation to children’s and teachers’ actions and speech in response to structural design failure during EC. Participants included 12 …

Enhancing Culturally Responsive Practices: A Phenomenological Study On How Elementary School Leaders Demonstrate Cultural Proficiency In Teacher Development, Dana Synora Jones

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In education, a lack of culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) may mute the success of students of color. A lack of culturally responsive pedagogy practices can drastically alter students’ educational outcomes and their outlook on the value of education. This hermeneutic phenomenology explored the experiences of elementary school leaders on their mission to implement culturally responsive practices through teacher professional development. The theory guiding this study is Khalifa’s theory on Culturally Responsive School Leadership which was developed to make teaching and the entire school environment responsive to the schooling needs of all demographics of children. This phenomenological study focused on teachers’ …

Practice Habits Of Instrumental Music Students In Elementary School Vapa Programs: An Empirical Mixed-Methods Survey, Timothy Johnson

Doctor of Education (EdD)

The purpose of this empirical research study was to gain knowledge about the practice habits of elementary school students in Grades 5 and 6. Sixty-five instrumental music students served as research subjects. They were enrolled in the newly established string orchestra supported by the Fairfax Elementary School District. Drawing upon my empirical experiences and instrumental music training, I identified and examined practice habits affecting motivation to learn music. Data generated from five open-ended and ten closed-ended questions were analyzed and contributed to the findings from the survey. An examination of published literature also contributed to the collection of resource data. …

Differential Access Of Young Children Of Immigrants To Special Education In Massachusetts, Cady Landa

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Accessing services for children with special needs is complex and challenging for even U.S.-born parents. Is it even more difficult for immigrant parents, and what are the consequences for their children? This article reports on a mixed methods approach to examining the access of immigrants’ children to special education and inclusive placement. A multivariate analysis of Massachusetts education data finds that children of immigrants are significantly less likely than children of U.S.-born parents to participate in special education. It also finds that among children who do participate in special education, children of immigrants are more likely to be in substantially …

Discovery: A Visual Arts Elementary School, Cindy J. Perdomo

Theses and Dissertations

On average, school-age children spend more time in the classroom environment than they do at home. Why not provide environments that stimulate children’s curiosity to learn through visual arts? Including visual arts in educational programs can enhance students’ cognitive development, problem-solving abilities, cultural awareness, and critical thinking skills.

As someone who has attended various public schools in Florida, I’ve found that incorporating arts education into the curriculum can enhance students’ overall engagement with learning. Unfortunately, many students lack access to arts education due to a lack of funding and resources. Traditionally, the arts have been viewed as an opportunity for …

Genrefication: Making Children's Collections Accessible, Kurt Axt

Resources for Educators

[From Introduction]

Most people who have home libraries have no need to classify their collections. They have one or maybe several bookcases, perhaps separating fiction from nonfiction, grouping fiction by genre or format, nonfiction by subject. They may even keep their Outlander books together and not mix them up with their Alex Cross books. But only a rare bird would alphabetize their fiction by author or organize their nonfiction by the Dewey Decimal or Library of Congress (LC) classification systems. Likewise, if their small child has a bookcase in his or her bedroom, it is probably an unsorted mass of …

How Rocks Rock: The Processes That Shape Our World, Jennifer Harrison

Lesson Plans

Have you ever thought about how the rocks in your driveway formed? Or the sand on your beach? How about the diamond in a ring or the charcoal in a grill?

All earthen material is subject to forces that impact its properties, from where we find it, how its structure is made and how it behaves under external pressures. Rocks are defined as any inorganic material found in the natural world (meaning not living material). There are 3 types of rock, and where and how they form is important in their classifications. They are subject to geological processes as well …

Which Children Are Frequently Victimized In Us Elementary Schools? Population-Based Estimates, Paul L Morgan, Adrienne D Woods, Yangyang Wang, George Farkas, Yoonkyung Oh, Marianne M Hillemeier, Cynthia Mitchell

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We analyzed a population-based cohort of 11,780 U.S. kindergarten children to identify risk and protective factors predictive of frequent verbal, social, reputational, and/or physical bullying victimization during the upper elementary grades. We also stratified the analyses by biological sex. Both girls and boys displaying kindergarten externalizing problem behaviors were at consistently higher risk of frequent victimization during 3rd-5th grade (for the combined sample of boys and girls, verbal odds ratio [OR] = 1.82, social OR = 1.60, reputational OR = 1.85, physical OR = 1.67, total OR = 1.93). Hispanic children relative to non-Hispanic White children and those from higher …

Working Conditions Of Indonesian Remote Elementary School Teachers: A Qualitative Case Study In Southern Papua, Basilius R. Werang, Donatus Wea, Agustinus Kia Wolomasi

The Qualitative Report

The quality of the teaching-learning process is determined not only by the qualifications and competence of teachers, but also by the school conditions in which they work. Teachers are clear about the working conditions that they need for them to be successful with students. A better working condition improves mood and concentration and provides an excellent working approach for teachers. This case study was intended to learn what working conditions teachers note as challenging while teaching in the remote elementary schools of Southern Papua. Seventeen teachers were willing to be interviewed to assist in answering the main inquiry question: “What …

Disability Awareness Program For Young Children: A Community Service-Learning Program At Preschool And Elementary School, Jingyuan Zhang, David Ray Miranda, Yan Ping Xin

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Individuals with disabilities account for 26% of Americans and 14% of public education students. This minority group may not only deal with physical and/or mental impairments but also negative societal misunderstandings and attitudes that may lead to decreased friendships and increased social exclusion. Awareness and knowledge about disabilities can play a role in changing people’s attitudes towards disabilities and aid in creating a more positive and inclusive environment. Researchers have found that disability awareness programs in schools can positively teach young children to build positive attitudes about disabilities. In our program, a group of doctoral students helped young children in …

A Comparative Study Of Elementary Teacher Efficacy In Christian Private Schools And Public Schools, Jasmine Floyd

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study was to compare elementary teacher efficacy in Christian private schools and public schools to determine if there was a difference in overall efficacy, instructional strategies, classroom management, and student engagement. Teacher efficacy shapes instructional performance and student academic achievement, so a deeper study of public and Christian school teacher efficacy was significant to recognize factors present in each type of school that could impact instruction and achievement. This study consisted of a convenience sample of 229 teachers of kindergarten through fifth grade at Christian private and public schools in the southeastern United States. …

Examining The Conditions For Student Well-Being And Whole Person Health With Mindfulness And Somatic-Based Learning, Clarissa Alonzo

Education | Master's Theses

The purpose of this research was to understand how mindfulness practices and physical activity in the classroom can contribute to the overall well-being and health of students and teachers. Research has shown that these practices increase self-awareness, compassion, introspection, and a reduction in stress and anxiety (Waterford, 2019). This study included interviews with one educator and their fifth grade classroom, who all participated in a multi-week series of lessons using mindfulness and somatic awareness activities with post-practice writing reflection. The findings of this research indicate that somatically based mindfulness practices positively impact language patterns between students. Physical body-based activities were …

Teaching Specials Teachers To Use Behavior Specific Praise In Elementary School, Elizabeth Rich

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Behavior-specific praise (BSP) has been shown to be an effective intervention across age groups for improving behavior in the school setting, including increasing on-task behavior, increasing engaged behavior, and reducing disruptive behavior. Following a review of the literature, the researcher selected tactile prompting paired with a visual prompt to increase specials teachers’ use of BSP. Using a multiple probe across participants design with an add-in component, this study investigated the effects of a visual prompt and a tactile prompt paired with a visual prompt to increase BSP use for two elementary school music teachers. Researchers also examined whether increasing BSP …

Teacher Perception Of Synchronous Hybrid Learning In A Rural Elementary School, Lisa Lamonica Moore

Doctor of Education Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative research was to gain understanding from teachers regarding their experiences with providing instruction in a synchronous hybrid learning environment in a rural elementary school during the 2020-2021 school year. This study reveals the role of teacher perception in education, the evolution of technology as an instructional tool, defines synchronous hybrid learning, and describes how it is evolving at the elementary school level. Through the investigation of this study, five teachers assigned to the same rural elementary school participated in a semi-structured interview to discuss their experiences teaching in a synchronous hybrid learning environment. The participants …

Latinx Families’ And School Personnel's Perceptions Of Family Engagement In Virtual Learning In Five Nc Elementary Schools During The Covid-19 Global Pandemic, Elizabeth Schrecengost

Doctor of Education Dissertations

The COVID-19 global pandemic of 2020 created many difficulties for both families and schools. Drastic lifestyle changes had to be made, and many schools across the United States were closed indefinitely, with a rapid transition to “remote/virtual/distance learning.” Latinx families, many from diverse backgrounds, were one of many special populations to struggle with the transition to virtual learning, for various reasons. This struggle with transition affected families’ levels of engagement with their children’s schools, which is a limited area of research. A myriad of research shows when there are strong partnerships among families, students, and schools and they work cohesively, …

A Case Study Analysis Of Alternative Out-Of-School Suspension Strategies Used In Title I Elementary Schools In A Large Urban School District, Jonathan Brooks

Doctor of Education Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compile or detail alternative out-of-school suspension (OSS) strategies using a qualitative method. Within this study, I evaluated the overall thoughts and perceptions of stakeholders, including teachers, school staff, and administrators as it relates to the strategies being used in Title I elementary schools in a large urban district. The following terms or word combinations were searched: alternative, elementary school, decreasing, reducing, attendance, restorative practices, principal, assistant principal, perceptions, stakeholders, teachers, strategies, out-of-school suspension (OSS), elementary, urban school, multi-tiered system of support, restorative practices, positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS), and zero tolerance. After …